Try a bit of French by fishandchips
Before I visited Paris last year I took some French lessons and I think they really paid off. I will be the first to admit that my French is very limited but making the effort was often all that was needed to get a happy (most of the time) response. Many small shop owners didn't speak any English whatsoever so my few words were the difference in getting what I needed. At the Musee d'Orsay I got very prompt service (plus pronunciation help from the maitre de) whereas a couple that came in after me were astonished that the same man didn't understand their increasingly loud requests for a table.Before I went, Angie bought me a French phrase fridge magnet set. I had the challenge of putting up a new phrase each week to help me learn a few vital words. A bit of fun when trying to learn the lingo.
Have a go!! It will make things more interesting. and probably less frustrating.
