Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
throughout the Bush years, their view of the United States as a political
entity took a hit.
Americans—mindful of the now-dated “Ugly American” stereotype—
tend to be conscientious ambassadors of their country when traveling to
Europe. And, particularly because of the Iraq War—even in the post-Bush
era—many are fearful that they might receive a negative welcome, especially
in France (where anti-war sentiment seemed the most vociferous). h rough
my tour business, I take a thousand Americans to France annually. Each
year, I survey them in an email, asking, “How were you respected by the local
people?” Even in the most “anti-American” times, nobody complained. h e
French have always given American individuals a warm welcome. h ey just
don't always like our foreign policy. In Europe, the mark of a friend is not
someone who constantly fawns over your obvious strengths, but someone
who tells you when you are of -base and disappointing them.
When European countries refuse to support US foreign policy, many
Americans say, “Don't they remember how we saved them from the Nazis?”
h e answer is yes, absolutely they do. I was recently i lming in France's Bur-
gundy, at a charming little mom-and-pop château. When I'm i lming, get
out of my way—the sun's going down, and we've got work to do. But the
aristocratic couple whose family had called that castle home for centuries
insisted, “We must stop and have a ceremony because we have an American
i lm crew here working in our castle.” h ey cracked open a i ne bottle of
wine and brought out—with great ceremony, as if it were a precious relic—
the beautiful 48-star American l ag they had hoisted over their château on
that great day in 1944 when they were freed by the American troops. h ey
implored us, “Please go home and tell your friends that we will never forget
what America did for us with its heroics, its economic and military might,
and its commitment to liberty.” In addition to being grateful to the US for
helping to free them from Hitler, Europeans also appreciate our defeat of
the Soviet Union with a bold and determined battle of economic attrition
during the Cold War.
I have European friends six or eight years older than me, born in the late
1940s, named Frankie and Johnny because their parents were so inspired by
the greatness of the Americans they met who came to liberate them from the
Nazis. But Europeans no longer name their children after American GIs.
h e sad reality is that, in the i rst decade of the 21st century, if your job was
marketing a product in Europe, one of your responsibilities was to comb any
