Hoorah! I am now coming to the end of my time in France, and tomorrow will move on to Bilbao. I have found going cold turkey (from blogging) very hard, so felt very excited when stumbled across a "Medià theque" with internet access in the little village of Montcuq, where I'm staying. So bare with me while I get the hand of this unknown keyboard set-up, and please also excuse the absense of pictures from this post, donùt let the length put you off!...
Thanks for all the comments you left for my last couple of posts- I look forward to having a better read of them when I return home on the 13th, as well as checking out some of your latest posts.
But onto some pressing matters...
Tourist Snobbery
Snobbery is a funny thing. And I meqn funny odd, not funny HA HA. At tines it is very unPC (though ironically it's easy to be snobby of snobs) but often, especiqlly during the holiday season, it is inevitable.
I'm talking about one kind of snobbery, and thats Tourist Snobbery.
The sight of a fellow English person in the french village where I have been staying, decked out in khaki man shorts, white ankle socks, a camera bag strapped across his waist and a bulshy, overloud voice made me squeal slightly with embarrasment.
I find that I'm conscious not to stand out as a foreigner because of sights like this, and the other day even found myself considering the pros and cons of wearing flip flops, and whether they would give away my "real identity".
But after a little consideration; I found myself a little ashamed by all of this. It seems incredibly pretentious and a little know it all to attenpt or pretend to be a local in a foreign country. Travelling is all about experiencing different cultures and learning new things, but this doesn't mean you need to embrqce a new foreign identity.
As somebody who takes an interest in style, I relish the thought of putting together a holiday wardrobe, but at the end of the day, it's surely all about being laid back and comfortable with your own and even your country's) sense of style.
13 comments:
i have been missing your blogs
next year dont go on holiday unless you have a laptop and the internet with you hehehe
i think that generally the british dress horribly when they go on holiday
especially men!
and we always seem to be bright red with sun burn which makes it even worse (i am not one of these however as i always apply tons of suncream and am of course very chic lol)
i cant wait fro your proper return
thanks for commenting me while away
x x x x
oh i know what you mean, i always tried to avoid looking like a tourist too, but then i realized that i probably would never see these people ever again, and that i did not know where i was and needed to ask directions.
I don't think a traveler should obnoxiously reveal his/her origin with blatantly annoying behaviors. I don't see anything wrong with completely immersing oneself in a foreign culture of said country; it's the best way to enjoy everything a foreign land has to offer.
I do get very embarrassed by tourists like this, especially because my Dad is one of these! He constantly wears those horrific beige shorts, white ankle socks and really trashed up trainers. And to top it off, his t-shirts are nearly always two sizes too big for him. He ALWAYS ends up looking purple due to over-exposure!
I don't know. It really does make me cringe!
i know exactly what you're talking about with the beige shors and the white ankle socks, it makes me cringe also. but i agree with lovely m, you'll probably never see hose people again so who cares.
come back soon, i miss your amazing posts!
tourist snobbery always the way... shame.
keep having a good time!
when I was in France I felt so judged, everyone knew I was a tourist, but it was so rude that these people expected me to just know how to be french... nevertheless I had a wonderful time, I hope you're having fun!
When im a tourist i always try to blend in like im totally cool w/ having no idea where im going...ha i probably look hilarios :D
yeh i get very embrassed when i try to speak the language as i know it will give my identity away!
xxx
is it just me or is every fashion blogger in europe?
I went to europe last summer and I noticed the exact same thing. We were in France and I was the only in my family who could actually speak french, so theres my dad being the obnoxious tourist. It was pretty embarrassing. Anyways
Have a great time!
i hope you enjoyed France anyway !
I couldn't agree more. I hate girls yho post on the teen vogue forums being all like "OMG I'm going to Paris what should I wear??" . I say WTF, dress as you always do why would you change just because you're going in another country? it doesn't make sense to me.
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