Courtesy in France

I must be the exception, but I am amazed at how courteous the French can be to American tourists. On our trip through Brittany, the Medoc region and the Paris area, we had brake problems in Loches and took our car to a Renault dealer. The head mechanic not only checked under the hood, but had another mechanic take the car out for a 15-minute test drive. He refused any payment. After unsuccessfully trying to find a hotel room in two towns, we stopped at a gi^te in Sens. The proprietor spent over half an hour on the phone trying to locate a room for us. She was finally successful and would not take any payment for her trouble.

PATRICIA J. OLSON

Seal Beach