I live in the south, I’ve barely been anywhere else for more than a few weeks at a time.

I live in the countryside in the south and have never spent much time in the cities. That sounds extremely shitty.

I’ve lived here for a few years. Am not French myself. Maybe it’s a regional thing. I’d say it might also be relative as the other countries I’ve lived in are known to be particularly loud but people are genuinely very quiet in public here. They practically whisper in indoor public spaces.

I suppose I’ve been lucky. People have been nothing been kind and patient with my attempts at speaking French.

France. People use their library voices everywhere here. People also tend towards being more reserved with strangers, though not unfriendly.