I went to Germany around 1996 for training. It was scheduled at the last minute and I had never left the US before so I didn't have time to learn German.

At the Munich airport I asked the lady behind the information desk how to get to the train, in English. I was extremely polite. She was so offended and would not speak to me. Luckily a traveler standing next to the desk helped me.

Munich International Airport, Information Desk - no English. That made me really afraid to approach locals even though most that I met were very friendly and spoke excellent English.

I've had almost the same exact experience in Paris very recently, and my unforgivable sin was to start by saying : "Good morning, I'm very sorry but I don't speak French. Do you..." I got cut off at this point before I could say the rest. ( ...know where I have to go to buy a HS train ticket ? )

The lady scolded me in French for a couple of minutes after which she got up and left the information desk, leaving me and everyone else behind me scratching our heads.

This is changing a lot, though. Keep in mind that the German unification was only in 1990 and I know very few people older than ~35-40 that had lived in East Germany got good or any English skills. That's already a fourth of all Germans, also your anecdote was from 20 years ago.