I always had the impression when I asked that question that Normandy almost always come to mind to most English-speakers. This is interesting because for an average french person Normandy is probably not the first region we thing of, excepted if we come from there. I think the exposure of Normandy have been much more important in UK and USA than in France itself due to WW2, and, in the case of UK to the myth of William the conquerant.
Normandy is also a very popular place for English people to go on holiday to.
I'd imagine that most English (especially Southern English) people have probably been to France at least once. Other than Paris, the most popular places in France for English people to visit would almost certainly be Brittany and Normandy — partly because it's so near. Day-trips to Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque are very popular as well (partly because of cheaper alcohol).
Bayeux is famous because of the Bayeux Tapestry — which may be more famous in England than in France, I don't know.
I was going to say the Bayeux Tapestry, too, but then I was an art major and you can't get through art history without going through a lotta, LOTTA French art! (in European Art 1800-1850 I even had to learn far more about the French Revolution than I ever wanted to....)
The Chartres cathedral is famous, of course. I remember the Rouen cathedral from Monet's many, many paintings of it. (Did a lot of haystacks, too, as I recall. And some picture of a pond....). Sat through a lot of Cezanne landscapes and Van Gogh's little period in Provence. Couldn't tell you where most of these places are on a map, but I can picture them. Le Corbusier, Courbet, Gaughin, Manet, Monet and The Death of Marat by David (not to mention The Oath of the Horatii), Fragonard and the fussy little rococo style, Ingres, the Tres Riches Heures du Duc du Bery illuminated manuscript (with that incredible lapis lazuli blue -- one of the most expensive pigments of the day), Toulouse-Lautrec and his posters.
In the UK I can name a few places like London, Canterbury, Cambridge, York, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Salisbury, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Londonderry, various things that end in sex, and bore you with a 20-minute slide presentation on John Constable and why he tried like hell to get into the British art academy (tons of kids & a dead wife), his unfortunate unpopularity, and some nice scenes of cathedrals and wagons. There;s a Lake District, some Pennines, a Salisbury plain, Yorkshire, Lancashire -- well, really almost as many shires as sexes -- and according to Watership Down, that's really what you'd call a hill. Strange. Turner, Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Lindisfarne Bible, and the Book of Kells.
Germany -- well, that's cheating; I was born there. I can name a few towns. Did a paper on Phillip Otto Runge once, comparing his paintings to William Blake's. Loved Albrecht Durer, especially his Hare (he mixed honey with his paint to get the fur right), his Great Piece of Turf, and his woodcuts of Death.
Scandinavia -- well, you got Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Uppsala (what a fun name!), and Helsinki. After that -- not much. I liked the Gnome book. Nice runework and fjords, too. And the reindeer are cool. There is some famous Danish or Swedish watercolorist of domestic scenes that my parents had prints of; his name escapes me now. I think it may have started with Peter.
Italy -- Naples, Rome, Florence, Verona, Venice, some regions like Lombardy and Liguria and Tuscany, the Apennines, and Sicily. Known for good food, hot fashions, and horrible driving, even here. The heart of the Renaissance and the rise of the middle and merchant classes, the warring city-states, the Borgias, the Medicis, Leonardo da Vinci, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Michelangelo Buonnaroti (I'm probably butchering his last name) and his pissiness toward the pope employing him as a painter (say that three times fast), Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, Fra Lippo Lippi, Fra Angelico (and Frangelico, for that matter -- very tasty!) -- Roman frescos, the invention of the drill and its subsequent impact of marble statuary -- oh, and my parents used to have some very nice Etruscan statues. Well, reproductions, anyway.
Behind the Iron Curtain, as Porthos puts it (god I miss how easy geography was when I was a kid!): Budapest, Sofia, Tirana, Warsaw, Gdansk, Prague, Vilnius, Sarajevo, Yalta, Leningrad (damn, they renamed it, didn't they?), Kiev, Moscow, Chernobyl, Vladivostok, Tashkent, regions like Transylvania, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, Siberia, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Danube, the Lena and the Volga Rivers. Beautiful ikons, lots of gilding, Russian miniatures, pysanky, and onion domes.
The Low Countries -- Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Lichtenstein, Gelderland, the Brabant (Sander!), Brugge, Luxembourg. Need I mention Peter Breughel, Hieronymous Bosch, Van Gogh (nice museum), Rembrandt van Rijn and his beloved Saskia and Hendrickje (The Night Watch is enormous in person! and it's been cut down from the original!), the Rijksmuseum, and the Flemish School?
Iberia -- Madrid, Salamanca, Granada and the Alhambra, Andorra, Lisbon, Oporto, Catalunya, Andalusia, the Algarve, Galicia, azulejo tilework, El Greco, Velazquez, Goya and his Caprichos, Picasso, Dali, and the Prado.
Greece -- oh hell, no. I'm going to have nightmares about black and red figure pottery, kouros statues, Minoan bull dancers, and the influence of Egyptian art styles on early Hellenic art!
Then there are the dinky countries -- San Marino, Monaco, Andorra again, Vatican City, and Malta.
I remember most of this from childhood, by the way, Porthos...and I moved to the US at the tender age of five! So there goes your theory....
O Canada -- I made it a point once to learn all of the provinces, Josh; let's see if I still got it (without cracking the atlas): Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, The Yukon, the Northwest Territory, and Nunavut. Oh, and the Calgary Stampede is the biggest rodeo in North America -- and they call us cowboys! Don't know any Canadian artists, though. Not one.
Mexico -- well, I do a lot worse: Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, DF, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Nuevo Leon. There are a bunch more, but I don't know them. The Yucatan Peninsula. Tijuana, Ojo Caliente, Puerto Penasco, Cd. Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Palomas, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Tenochtitlan, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cancun, and of course the name that captivated the main character of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption -- Zihuatanejo. Copper Canyon is a popular tourist destination here. Only artists I know from Mexico are the two biggies -- Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, neither of which I'm terribly fond of. I do like the Dia de los Muertos figures and the papel picado; we have those here, too. _________________ An apple a day....
I think in Poland people know a lot about the USA. For example, when I was a kid my brother and I used to play a game we named "Name the state". It was about wording a name of a state alternately. Who couldn't name a state for more than 30 seconds - lost.
I remember that naming first 25-30 states was fairly easy (it didn't take us more than 5 seconds) and than problems started. I think, however, that we usually ended up the game before 40-45 states were named (30 seconds pour reflechir helped a lot).
It was not bad taking into account we were 10-12 years old
Uriel,
New Mexico is almost the same size as Poland. I know it because once I decided to find the states in the US similar in size to my country. But honestly, without looking up in a Wikipedia, or any other external source, I can name but three cities/towns: Albuquerke, Santa Fe and (thanks to you) Las Cruces.
Well, as I've always said, we are simply not a very representative sample of our countrymen, are we? I am quite surprised, for instance, the number of people who are intimiately familiar with the geography of Europe and America. I thought I was a self-appointed authority, thanks to years of following Championship football.
Thanks to football, I think many (male) Singaporeans would be able to name you the cities of England, Spain and Italy. Even a git would know that Rome is in Lazio (why else is it a derby when AS Roma play Lazio?) or that Zaragoza is in the Castille region (Castillian-Spanish clubs include, amongst others, Real Zaragoza, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid). We would also be aware of the Basque clubs such as Atletico Bilbao and Real Sociedade although we might not have the faintest notion of what a Basque is. We are apprised of the Catalan status of Barcelona and that the intense rivalry between the Catalans and the Castilians is best exemplified by El Clasico -viz Real Madrid playing Barca at either the San Bernabeu or the Nou Camp.
We know that Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, thanks to Sporting Lisbon. We have a vague notion of Porto both as the name of a football club and a city. Porto was the shock winner of the Champions League in 2004 when Jose Mourinho guided the unfancied Portuguese team over Didier Deschamp's AS Monaco.
Not many of us would know much about the English counties, though. I can only name you English cricket counties like Lancashire, Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, etc.
As for English cities, I honestly feel that even my army driver who finished school with an O level cert can yak about English cities non stop, if given half a chance. There is London of course, home to Arsenal, Fulham, Preston North End, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham Hotspurs. There is Southampton which has since been relegated from the Premier League. There is Ipswich, of course. Manchester obviously features prominently on our soccer radar, no thanks to Man U and the less illustrious city rival, Manchester City. Then there is Liverpool whose inhabitants are known as either Merseysiders or Scousers and where its inhabitants are divided in their loyalties to either Liverpool FC or the slightly older but much less successful Everton.
There is Birmingham, of course. Birmingham FC players wear light blue jerseys that are confusingly similar to Man City's. Aston Villa also call Birmingham home and while not being a very successful outfit, they have a very distinguished supporter in Prince Williams.
Moving on to Lancashire, we have Blackburn, home to Blackburn Rovers. American soccer fans would probably be familiar with this club. Their compatriot Brad Friedel plys his trade as goalkeeper there. To me, I know Blackburn more for their mercurial Norwegein midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Newcastle has to be the biggest northern English city we know, no thanks to the Magpies (Newcastle FC) and former England international and ex Magpies captain, Alan Shearer. Don't remind us of the days when Jean-Alain Boumsong and Titus Bramble form the 'backbone' of the defence. The error-prone duo kept us Arsenal fans laughing hilariously whenever we play against the Geordies.
We know that slightly south of Newcastle is Sunderland whose football club used to represent a sort of derby whenever Sunderland play Newcastle. Now that Sunderland have been relegated, this leaves Newcastle as the lone north English representative in top-flight English football.
I think I am being rather fair in my assessment here. This is what any male football fan would know about European geography. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
About half of American teenagers I talk to often think of Paris as a country. About 1/4 of teenagers I meet can't name all the continents. Most people here tend to think of and speak of the African continent as if it were one political entity, or one country. I don't think anymore than 5% of the population here could name more than 3 countries in Africa, much less tell you where in Africa they're located. When it comes to Asia, Latin America, and Africa, Americans' geographical knowledge is appalling.
I read in a book called "Don't Know Much About Geography" which said that 40% of all the kids in Texas don't know what country lies directly below them.
This is really pathetic. I can easily name every country in Europe, at least 50 in Africa, and most of the countries in Asia.
Normandy is also a very popular place for English people to go on holiday to.
for most french people it is not really a holiday destination, not really attractive, Normandy has the reputation for being always cool and rainny.
Said that I recognise that it has some interesting historic places, but not more than other regions.
it is strange that Normandy would be a popular destination for English people, since it is the least exotic place an Englishman would found in France, due to the localisation on English channel, the nordic influence and the common Anglo-Normand influences on architecture. on landscape the similarities are noticable too; the Normand bocage is a landscape that could be more familiar to english people than openfield landscapes typical to most of France.
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I'd imagine that most English (especially Southern English) people have probably been to France at least once.Other than Paris, the most popular places in France for English people to visit would almost certainly be Brittany and Normandy — partly because it's so near. Day-trips to Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque are very popular as well (partly because of cheaper alcohol).
Maybe, but it still be the sea between... and the tunnel is very expensive, so for the average English person I think it is more difficult to go to France than, say, German, Dutch or Italian people. Actually in turistic places we tend to see quite much more tourists from Germany and Netherlands compared to from UK.
it is strange that Normandy would be a popular destination for English people, since it is the least exotic place an Englishman would found in France, due to the localisation on English channel, the nordic influence and the common Anglo-Normand influences on architecture. on landscape the similarities are noticable too; the Normand bocage is a landscape that could be more familiar to english people than openfield landscapes typical to most of France.
As I said, it's because it's near. About 60-70% of English people live in Southern England anyway (heck, almost 50% live in the Southeast), so going to that part of France just means driving to somewhere like Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth or Plymouth, getting on the ferry, and then driving to a campsite, usually in Normandy or Brittany. It would probably be faster than driving to Scotland, I'm sure.
People don't always go on holiday to go somewhere very different. If I could go anywhere on holiday for free, I'd probably choose to go to Germany over Borneo. Next year, when I'll be living in Scotland, I'll probably go on holiday somewhere in Scotland.
Virtually everyone I know in England has been to France, often many times. I've been to France about 10 times and that's nothing unusual, even though I'm only 18. Of course, like most people, my view of what is 'typical' is distorted by factors such as social class.
Uriel,
New Mexico is almost the same size as Poland. I know it because once I decided to find the states in the US similar in size to my country. But honestly, without looking up in a Wikipedia, or any other external source, I can name but three cities/towns: Albuquerke, Santa Fe and (thanks to you) Las Cruces.
Well, those are about all the cities we have. They're the three biggest -- and Santa Fe (the smallest of the three) only has about 65,000 people.
Other towns people might have heard of are:
Roswell -- the "alien landing site"
Clovis -- the prehistoric Clovis culture is named after it, from stone arrowheads found there
Truth or Consequences -- 'cause it has a funny name
Gallup -- from the old song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66". I grew up on the Depeche Mode version, of course. Nothing better than a quartet of languidly depressed Brits directing you to have a good time on the Mother Road. "You'll see Amarillo; Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino..."
Gdansk, Krakow, and Warsaw are the only Polish cities I can think of. And the only Pole I ever knew anything about was Lech Walesa (he was big when I was little).
Quote:
for most french people it is not really a holiday destination, not really attractive, Normandy has the reputation for being always cool and rainny.
....it is strange that Normandy would be a popular destination for English people
No, sounds more like it would be right up their alley! As Benjamin points out, people often want to see what they are already used to when they travel, only slightly translated. I think I remember Fredrik saying that were he to visit the US, he would only be interested in going to Boston or NYC or other eastern cities that had a decidedly "European" feel. _________________ An apple a day....
I almost forgot to mention it. But I sort of met the president of Poland recently. He visited a military base nearby my home, and I got to meet him. We didn't shake hands or anything, but I was really close to him. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
And the only Pole I ever knew anything about was Lech Walesa (he was big when I was little).
Probably you know more without realizing they were Polish: Nicolas Copernicus, Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Sklodowska-Curie, John Paul II...
Well, I meant contemporary Poles, but you're right! I remember Madame Curie naming the element she discovered "polonium" in honor of her country. As for Pope John Paul, I think you stop having a specific nationality once you become the head of the Catholic Church! Not sure why I think that, but I do....
As for meeting heads of state, the only one I've ever laid eyes on is Emperor Hirohito, on his birthday (he came out once a year to wave). I also saw Hillary Clinton in person my freshman year of college when she was campaigning for her husband (before he was ever elected); if she ever makes it to the White House (fat chance, I think), that'll make two. _________________ An apple a day....
As for meeting heads of state, the only one I've ever laid eyes on is Emperor Hirohito, on his birthday (he came out once a year to wave). I also saw Hillary Clinton in person my freshman year of college when she was campaigning for her husband (before he was ever elected); if she ever makes it to the White House (fat chance, I think), that'll make two.
Heheh. I've never met a head of state either, unless you'd consider the Governator a head of state.
And I've rubbed shoulders with Hillary once or twice.
But, those are the only ones I can name, because like most Americans, I don't really give any thought to Canada. Sometimes I forget it's even there!
A long time ago I was at a bar or some other place in BC and these Canadian girls thought it would be fun to quiz me about all things Canadian, like "What is the capital of Canada?" I didn't have a clue back then, so I ran off a list of Canadian cities that I knew of, but neglected to mention Ottawa. When they asked what part of California I came from and I responded with "Los Angeles", they said, "Figures!" That wasn't very nice so I said something to the effect of "Well, it's not like Canada has given us anything worth remembering. " No offense to the Canadians here. I just felt that a cheap shot deserved a nasty retort.
There is some famous Danish or Swedish watercolorist of domestic scenes that my parents had prints of; his name escapes me now. I think it may have started with Peter.
There is some famous Danish or Swedish watercolorist of domestic scenes that my parents had prints of; his name escapes me now. I think it may have started with Peter.
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Did a paper on Phillip Otto Runge once, comparing his paintings to William Blake's. Loved Albrecht Durer, especially his Hare (he mixed honey with his paint to get the fur right), his Great Piece of Turf, and his woodcuts of Death.
A long time ago I was at a bar or some other place in BC and these Canadian girls thought it would be fun to quiz me about all things Canadian, like "What is the capital of Canada?" I didn't have a clue back then, so I ran off a list of Canadian cities that I knew of, but neglected to mention Ottawa. When they asked what part of California I came from and I responded with "Los Angeles", they said, "Figures!" That wasn't very nice so I said something to the effect of "Well, it's not like Canada has given us anything worth remembering. " 
