“Another crazy person who thought he was at Disney.” The American woman who visited Lyon is criticized after she said that she does not like France.

“France made me cry.” It’s been a few days since the video of the American infiltrators wearing pink berets in the capital of Gaul has caused many reactions on the Internet. Traveling to Lyon in the middle of the Christmas holidays, food blogger RealPhDFoodie, who is very active on Tik Tok, documented his frustrations during his visit to the city, creating a stir in a sequence posted on January 5. Addressing the camera, walking across the Bonaparte bridge that crosses the town of Les Gons, he regrets his stay, explaining that he feels “very lonely” and “very isolated”. The young woman, who stopped there after a tour of Italy that included Milan, Venice, Florence and Germany, advised her community not to choose this destination. “I feel stupid for wanting to travel here,” she argued into the phone with tears in her eyes.

He who imagined a welcoming city did not hide his disappointment. “People seem really indifferent. (…) I have no problem meeting people, as I have already done in Italy or Germany… I am a very sociable person, but in France the experience is very different.” And continues. “People here make you feel bad that you don’t know their culture and language. I have not met anyone, even though I have been here for five or six days.

#Eurosummer

In case its hashtag is missing, this video is part of a phenomenon that plagued TikTok in the summer of 2023. Since July, the inscription “Eurosummer” has been shown about 700,000 times in a few months, under videos of tourists documenting their time in Armenia. Europe and their disappointment. The reason is the lack of air conditioning, poor transport conditions or even pedestrian streets inaccessible by cars. Here again some did not fail to scratch the figure of the French Epinal, with his beret and his baguette. “I love it when American women plan their wardrobe months in advance and talk about how complicated men are in Paris…” joked one tourist before passing the phone to a man in socks. Here, the videos have once again caused a stir and angered many netizens who expressed regret that their country’s image is being tarnished internationally.

Food blogger RealPhDFoodie is no exception with her new video. While some said they felt sorry for him, regretting that he had a bad life in Lyon, others objected to the American childish fantasy of France created by pop culture. “He took it Emily in Paris for reality,” emphasized one of the subscribers. And someone else, a little more furious, added on X, a former Twitter account. “Another crazy man who thought he was Walt Disney.” Because if the people of Lyon seem to have a bad reputation for their hospitality, many have pointed out the naivety of the young woman in wanting to make friends in just a few days and without speaking the language. “So there are countries where you arrive and make friends in 4 days,” the user asks.

Children’s fantasy

Others said they were upset by the criticism. Americans who arrive in a city without speaking the language or being exposed to its culture. “It’s really a culture in France, people don’t come to bother you when you’re on vacation in your area, (…) I get the impression that Americans are waiting for us to come looking for them,” commented the TikToker. And another answered: “He took it Emily in Paris for reality. It is ridiculous to go alone and hope that people will come and see you.

Faced with the virality of the video, the city of Lyon told about the experience of its tourist. “We are sorry that Angela Fudi did not appreciate her arrival, this type of situation always saddens us. It would be a shame to dwell on one bad experience, we invite you to contact the office to schedule a new visit. We will be happy to (re)discover him, as well as all visitors from across the Atlantic Ocean, the treasures of Lyon,” the tourism office announced. Maybe RealPhDFoodie will give the city a second chance, then Emily in Paris…Angela in Lyon?