theseMi casa es su casa? Not for them

The hospitality reported by Kenneth Vail (“Anti-Americanism No Worry in Spain,” Letters, April 20) was different from our own experience. In our travels to Asia, Europe, South America and Africa, I found the Spaniards among the most unfriendly people, even though I could speak enough Spanish to get by. Perhaps what Vail experienced was more the result of a faltering tourist economy than a change of heart.

While I was admiring the Alhambra and the sights of Granada, I could not fend off the thought that the Moors probably left not because of the deeds of any Spanish king but of a people they could no longer stand.

John T. Chiu

Newport Beach

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Reading “Discounts Aimed at Americans Saying Non to Europe” (April 20) reminded me of our recent trip to Florence, Italy, on Air France. On a Sunday in February, my husband and I spotted an enticing ad for a discounted five-night trip to Florence. We called our travel agent and booked it.

The service on Air France was courteous. We enjoyed a conversation with a Parisian seatmate, who gave us her phone number in case we had any questions while in Paris. In Italy there were a couple of antiwar statements scrawled on signs, but the people were friendly and welcoming.

Yvonne Burch-Hartley

Glendale

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