Naemanson, I think you are making a very large statement on a fairly small sample size. I can tell you that on a trip to Europe last year, I felt like all of the
effeciency and charm and manners and general everything wonderful were in France, and ENgland and Italy and Switzerland. When we left Atlanta the shop keepers were rude and indifferent and when we returned they were downright mean and I felt ashamed that this was the first image of the US our foreign visitors received.

2 Months ago, we returned to many of the same places, encountered rudeness, indifference and ineffeciency in all of those previously "wonderful" locations, and then returned to Atlanta to a bunch of folks that were the kindest, most helpful and generally made me proud to be an American folks you could imagine.

So all in all, I think it is a wash. I know nice people everywhere, and jerks seem to know no national borders. I think it is important to keep a perspective that sample size is significant in these kinds of occasions. Oh, by the way, how many times do you travel to a country, encounter one complete jerk waiter in a resturant and it seems to flavor your entire trip? I think we tend to concentrate on the negative and ignore the positives also.

Just my opinion. Having met you and your lovely wife at Getaway, I can't imagine anyone not being polite and nice to you both, but that is just the way it goes sometimes.