"Could you please explain to us just what those "mannerisms" and "attitude" were? And, by the way, what was HE doing and how was He acting"

My God...this isnt a courtroom...as Justice Stewart once said about pornography...I know it when I see it".... Her nephew was making an observation...not submitting a PhD thesis.

JimWagner

A suggestion for your future flights to Italy - if you have the time to break up your flights I think it could save a lot of money even factoring in hotel costs. For example, you fly Hawaii to LA, spend the night there, the next day fly to London, spend the night(or longer) then fly RyanAir to Rome.

In Feb, I flew San Diego to London for $509 (I could probably get there cheaper but I love those frequent flier miles!) then I flew RyanAir to Rome for $70 RT.
Also, if you can wait to November, the prices to Europe drop. Sept. is still the high season.

I am not as experienced as most here. I have been looking for the past two years thinking I was going to Europe, then we had 9-11 and the war, so I have postponed my trip. This year I am going bombs and all!! The prices are way higher then they were at those times. Especially airfare. Four years ago I went to London w/hotel for 900.00. (4* by the way) Now I'm looking at anywhere from 850-1400 to fly. Just thought I throw in my 2E.

Hi Bonnie,

It is more expensive to visit Europe than it was a few years ago. However, I can still fly out of ATL to Paris and enjoy a week there for the same or less than going to NYC.

Re: your nephew's experience

One should keep in mind that it is as difficult for the French to speak English as it is for him to speak French (almost), and that it is hard to to get the correct body language, facial expression and tone of voice when trying to communicate.

I've found that the Parisians are much friendlier toward tourists than they were 35 years ago.

I didn't mean to start a contentious thread. I trust my nephew to know rudeness when he experiences it.... so I don't doubt that he did. Tensions were running high last summer between the two countries, and so I am not surprised that he found some *attitude.* Of course, throw into the mix that you have some rude people EVERYWHERE, and if you visit a place for a month, you will meet some of theirs!!! (Just as French tourists in the U.S. have gotten some *attitude* from some here, I would imagine!) And, no, Hilary, I'm not a right-wing conspiracist, I swear! ;-) Just interested in what's going on in the world!

Over the last ten years, North America has enjoyed relatively low overall inflation rates. I don't know how the overall inflation rate has fluctuated in Europe, but my own tiny survey shows hotel rates in Europe to have been inflating at a rate much faster than the overall inflation rate in North America. (My Frommers "Italy on US$50 per day", published in 1997, is waaaaay out of date for hotel costs in 2004, even after converting lire to Euro and after accounting for recent unfavourable exchange rates.)

I don't know how to answer the value for money question as I suspect different people use different criteria for value, and you haven't suggested a basis for comparison. Choosing North America as the standard of reference, then in terms of hotel room size and amenities per dollar expended, N.America wins hands down over western Europe, if one controls for such variables as city versus country location, etc. But in terms of the quality or benefit value of one's vacation, I don't think I can given an answer: comparing the value of a hotel that allows one to take a hiking trip in Alberta to one which offers proximity to the museums of Vienna seems a bit meaningless, no matter what time period we're considering.

Hope Y'All read yesterday's front page WSJ article about the US criminal and civil legal assault on France in the name of Foreign Policy! Perhaps there is a place for attorneys in society after all!
Just kidding, 'tho the piece is pretty interesting. We are going to N Portugal after my son's wedding in the UK in July as the UK and most of the rest of Europe are way too expensive this year. As one of us is a senior we get a 35% discount at the magnificent Pousadas.
You might consider San Miguel de Allende, MX for a summer break - the climate is like LaJolla, CA in July - Sept, but with some tropical thunderstorms daily.
The weak MX peso is now about $11.25 per USD, and you can certainly learn lots of Spanish in 7 -10 days.