TRAVEL

An American Tourist Hoped A Beret Would Help Her Blend In With The French

But they were cold and indifferent and France made her cry

Will a beret help you look French? Probably not, good look though(author’s photo)

Angela, an American blogger from San Francisco, arrived in Lyon France on New Year’s Eve anticipating dinner, possibly “escargot and foie gras.” To her dismay, everything was closed, even McDonald’s.

Things went downhill from there. Speaking on TikTok from the banks of the Rhône, a tearful Angela said that while she had no trouble socialising in Italy or Germany, the French seemed “very indifferent.”

And she’d even bought a pink beret, hoping it would help her fit in.

“People make you feel bad for not knowing their culture or speaking their language. I haven’t really met anybody in five or six days here now.”

I don’t recommend it for a solo traveller or someone who doesn’t speak French.

I’m not really sure what to think about Angela’s story — the video she made has been viewed more than six million times on TikTok and prompted sympathy and apologies from locals. The Lyonnaise municipal tourist office responded that it was “saddened that a stay in Lyon should go so badly,” and offered Angela a trip back. She accepted.