Hey Karl, I have been to wine country in France; loved the St Emillion and Old Paris areas. Would go back in a second. Also been to Italy except Rome (mostly wine country). That said TV usually sets the attitude towards these countries. Depending on which TV station you watch your attitude will change. I am a Fox guy and Fox Business news guy so you know where my attitude is.
Little Story about Paris: We were at a dinner on the river at a place called Henry the 8th ? doing our dinner matching wine thing. About 15 minutes into our dinner an old man in sport coat (local) came over with a glass of wine in his hand. (we were a group of 15). He asked if he could say a few words as he couldn't help but to overhear our conversations and knew we were Americans. (He had travelled to Ohio several times for his job)
While talking he took his small hat off, held his glass high and told us that the people of France loved Americans. He told us to go to the countryside and talk to the older generations of France and we would find out that France loves Americans. They will never, never forget what we have done for them not once but twice. Sal......lut......ta!
Not only did he have tears in his eyes but we were all crying. Dam! He recommended we all go to Normandy which a few of us did. Holy Crap! That will wake you up in the morning.
Private Ryan movie on certain beaches sounds like it happened just about like they showed it. The longest Day was another movie that had scenes right out of those neighborhoods. We walked Omaha Beach and it is like a sacred area especially when your parents actually fought in WW2. The graveyards everywhere that are all kept up super neat...all the stories.
It is the governments that create all the havoc not the people. The media controls the mob, just like in Rome. Most of us are bitter about VNam because we didn't have the will to finish it and win. Politics....We are so politically correct. General Pistol P'ton and Douglas would roll over in their graves with these clowns running things since Reagan. (last President to actually see any gold in Ft Knox and that is a whole new story)
Now cars.....When I was in St Emillion (what a great town and history up the butt including Nazi stuff (they wanted the wine but everything was stored underground to protect it).
Heard the familiar sound of a
cobra and sure enough hear came a Cobra, couple MGs, jags, Morgan’s on some sort of car rally. So Cool!
Not to down play what guys and gals have done in Iraq Afghan. Surely that is a mess over there. You would think we would just send all the Environmental wackos there and drill hear and produce energy here so we could tell those clowns in middle east to go pound sand. along with our idiots in Washington. What are our leaders thinking!!!!
Anyway it was cool seeing a cobra in St Emillion.