That can-do American attitude

At forty kilometers away from Rome, we had exhausted every hotel suggestion our tour book had without finding a single vacancy for a family of four. It turns out that there are some cities where a bit of advance planning is useful.

In an act of desperation, I pulled out my American Express card and called their 800 number. The next minute, an enthusiastic Texas twang blasted in my ear, “hi, my name is Randy, how can I help you?”

Within 5 minutes, Randy had us booked into one of the hotels that had just turned us away, no fuss, no muss, no bother. As wonderful as Europe’s culture and charms are, there are times when only that can-do American attitude can get the job done.