Austrians, Spaniards and Belgians Are "Most Friendly European Peoples":

Oostenrijkers zijn vriendelijkste Europeanen

Top 10 Of Most Friendly Europeans:

1. Austrians 12,7%
2. Spaniards 10,6%
3. Belgians 10,2%
4. Greeks 9,6%
5. Italians 9,3%
6. Dutchmen 9,1%
7. Germans 7,4%
8. Porguese 6,7%
9. Poles 6,2%
10. Scandinavians 6,1%



Frenchmen, the British and the Swiss don't charm the rest of Europe, the article also says.

Also, my best guess is that Austria and Spain are in the top 3 with us because of our Belgian way-of-life, our so-called "vavazoom".

The only thing that these three countries have in common is "Belgium". Or as it was known in the past: the Spanish Netherlands and the Austrian Netherlands...

 

Hands up those Brits or French who could give a rats fart about this bullsh*t ?
...thought not.

 

Well, I thought some "lighter" news could cheer some of us up.

I feel sorry for the Brits though...

Even so sorry that I'm not making any threads about the UK anymore...

 

My apologies, but you know we get so much "These people are nicer/better/less racist/more racist/etc etc" that the response you give seems unthinking.
Genuinely sorry if you're offended, but frankly my view does remain
the same. (sorry) Ive gone from being quite an ardent pro-european to being a bit more than a sceptic.

 

Eight of those top ten countries are broke

Anybody smiles when they want charity and loans .

 

That doesn't make any sense, Ray.

Belgium isn't broke. Germany isn't broke. The Netherlands neither. Poland surely ain't broke. Austria is in good shape as well. And Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) are solvent as well.

Can't say the same of the UK, though.

 

10 different polls = 10 different results.
These things shouldn't be taken too seriously.
For years the BBC has come up with surveys in which Germany constantly was voted no 1, how come they're only no 7 here?
No real significance, IMO.

 

Belgium isn't broke ? Janpoor , that is a very Poor Post
Dexia was out for the count . Bankrupt .
And you know the implications of that . They were bailed out because the cupboards were bare and eventually they had to beg money from the Federal Reserve having eaten and lost huge sums from Belgium itself and France .
Your bankers were so clueless they lost nearly 80billion to Bernie Madoff rofl .

You need to check out other countries like Sweden where the economy nose dived in the last quarter of last year and spending and exports are bad with interest rates at about 1.5% due to come down to 0.25% in the short term .


And of course the UK bowls along merrily with its credit rating still triple A . Don't tell me about cautionary outlook comments . What country is not in that position or worse?
Our only problem will be coping with the millions who will want to come here once they have seen us whilst watching the Olympics .

 

Happiest
And when it comes to Happiest this is true

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Luxembourg
7. Belgium
8. Austria
9. The United Kingdom
10. Spain
11. France
12. Germany
13. Greece
14. Portugal
15. Italy
Small little countries at the top with nothing much to occupy themselves with and the UK leading the Big Boys .

Far more believable .

 

I have always found hill billies to be more friendly, but why they behave as dolts on PF remains a mystery.

 

According to my own experience that OP is bull(*)(*)(*)(*). Dutch, German and Italians friendlier than brithish? hardly. they're as worse as the french.

 

Now we are talking . You also have been on research trips and found the Hiily Billy Boys .
Once they have to think about leaving their obese fat mommas suffering from obese personality disorder , they are lost .
We must capture more and more specimens and see if we can find ways to bring them back to normality .

 

It would seem that we have found another specimen above...I suggest that you take care of him personally, as he seems to be in good intelligence with you .

 

If you dissect his Post with care :-
He disagrees that the Dutch , German and Italians are more friendly than the British .
Rather , he gives them the ultimate insult , and puts them on a par with the French .
This puts the British above all four , confirming what we see all the time .
He seems a remarkably fine fellow and has the makings of a good poster -- unless he actually turns out to be Welcher or a Scotty .

 

No offense, but you don't seem to gauge the depth of the feelings at play here;
I don't blame you, as it is not so flattering:
The French are ultimate, as you have so eloquently put,
Yet the Brits are just only better than Belgians. rofl

 

It is not the priority of good , strong leaders to be popular .
Results are what counts and keeping the underbelly in some sort of useful mood .
If Belgians go around grinning and looking stupid as their banking system crashes , the British will stand aside and let the fools get the applause whilst we take the prizes .

 

If all Belgians are like Janpor himself, then yes they indeed are friendly.

However I think I would replace Austrians with Italians, the Portuguese or Poles though.

 

Ray, I hope you are using the time off to reflect on the fact that good leaders cannot let their mission being jeopardized by the disruptive behaviour of one of them.
And as a neighbour and all, I urge you to reconcile your perfectly balanced command of English with the phlegmatic attitude characteristic of your pleasant island.
You have no excuse for getting yourself banned again; and unlike me, you cannot put it on the tab of being French!

 

Paris

 

"life satisfaction" is also an interesting index, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_with_Life_Index#International_Rankings_2006

http://youtu.be/672TZTeGHoY

 

Ref Italians, many times I have heard people say the opposite and have had that experience, unless you consider over-friendly or over-familiar acceptable (I don't like the pinching, btw). I always find the Dutch approachable and intelligent and helpful and like the Nordics, French and Spanish although the French are sometimes labelled arrogant, I have found them very friendly. No offence to Germanics, don't often appreciate their manner. I don't think I could recognise the Belgian accent though, the ship's photographer who made my life a misery a couple of years ago by stalking and taking intrusive pics, had a really strange, effeminate and squeaky accent which I thought was a different nationality but it turned out to be Belgian. It sounded almost like Latka from that old comedy series "Taxi". The French and Dutch don't sound that way to me, so I didn't expect a Belgian to and it's possible I have met other nicer Belgians but did not know they were Belgian.

As to the poll, Italians see huge numbers of tourists because their country has so many world class attractions. That probably makes them less receptive or inclined to see tourists as an annoying pain or just as a business. In big cities like London which host big business, people live a fast paced life and may have less time to be friendly. It's not the basis of their economy either. Tourists are probably annoying, if you are trying to travel to an urgent business meeting. Possibly the more popular the location, the less friendly the natives.

Not openly at least

And after the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games are up here in Scotland. We have tickets for the semi final of the Olympic football and will be spending money on accommodation south of the border Yes, Ray, I am holidaying in England this year.

 

I do not believe the results of that survey. Having lived in Germany for a few years I would have to say that the Germans are not that friendly. I have been to Austria a few times as well and did not find them to be over friendly either. The Dutch are very nice,I lived there for a few years as well. I meet a lot of Poles and they have all been nice. Been to Greece a few times and they were nice there. Traveled through Italy many times and found them to be not that friendly. The British are in general friendly people and I rate them well above many in your list.

 

I'd include the Greeks in my top 10 also. Overlooked that in my post. Those I have met were very genuine people.

 

I would like to add that my statement about the British does not include London. My experience of London is that it is not friendly and the Londoners I have met have thought that somehow they are special and that their (*)(*)(*)(*) does not smell.

 

Thanks - I love beastly Germans.

http://youtu.be/gj0rk9zLDXE