I like the same kind of travel, David - avoid most of the tourist hangouts whenever possible. We don't get to travel that much, but our last adventure was to southern France, in a tiny town called La Toulzanie, where we rented a gite as a central home spot from which to tour the back country of southern France. We've many fond memories of wine, cheese, and bread while traveling the tiny towns. For instance, we could purchase a bottle of Cahors wine for a couple of Euros, and a wheel of Camembert, plus a baguette of bread for the same. I could eat like that every day.
You're so correct in saying that having a good attitude will win you the day. I've colleagues that tell me that they hated France because the people were so rude there - my experience was the opposite. From Paris to southern France, we drove the back roads and almost never encountered a person with a negative attitude. All we had to do was try to speak their language, be polite to them, and they would go beyond the call of duty to help you.
