All that glitters?

Hey, a comment! Not so often seen outside the political blogs. I think the one to my previous post may have wandered in from that region.
I enjoy sharing travel stories with other people. Must be because I didn't get travel much until I was past 40.
Jack and I (we were on our honeymoon in 2003) choose a nice destination to visit once a year rather than spending on a big house or an SUV. But any mention of France seems to bring out the freedom fries crowd and charges of elitism. I therefore establish my "credentials" ... grew up blue-collar, a child of factory workers and dirt farmers. Worked my way through a cow college and was a newspaper reporter on a small daily most of my life.
Appearances are not all what they seem.
It's American elitism to think that traveling outside our national boundaries is either a)too difficult or b) too expensive. We spent less visiting France than most folks spend at Disneyland, by going off-season and eating and staying the places local people would.
The French people were very kind and accommodating, perhaps because we used our bit of French and always said hello and please and thank you.
Politeness goes a long way.