The French population at large is mostly perplexed at the strong anti-French reaction in the US. In fact, it would seem that the perception shift is primarily American; we have all but shut the door on the French at the risk of a cold and lonely isolationism. Yet most French remain fascinated with and intrigued by America and Americans. Despite the fact that the French have an insatiable appetite for current events and polemics, always warm to a good argument, and are genetically predisposed to a bias that French culture is the single most important aspect of existence, the door has been opened more and more to Americans every year since I first traveled here in 1980.

Of course, the present may be a lull in enthusiasm for American policies and politics, but it has not diminished the quality of life or travel in France in the least. There is no hatred or even directly targeted anger at Americans. Period. At most there are questions. Debate. And, of course, street protests which are perhaps less unpleasant than some of those that have happened in the US. In short, France remains a magnificently splendid and intoxicating destination. "I still love France and all it has to offer,” gushed novelist Josephine Humphreys in an essay in the Travel section of the New York Times (No Reason to Spoil a Friendship (No Reason to Spoil a Friendship). “I want liberty, equality, fraternity, wine and cheese. I want France, not as a compliant follower but as a companion with whom we have a continuing exchange. If the United States and France are temporarily stuck in the door and snapping at each other, I have to trust that we'll figure out how to spring ourselves free and proceed once more in joie de vivre.

And indeed we will. Most French, Chirac included, openly express a hope that US/French relations will soon recover the bent of their amicable past. It won’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen without the requisite interaction and communication. A “companion with whom we have a continuing exchange”, opines Humphreys, will help Americans rediscover the France—the French—that they have so long loved. So before you decide to shelve your travel plans to France this summer because of the ugliness which pervades the media, ask yourself, are you really ready for a divorce? Or maybe it’s just time for a good heart to heart…