Minority Travelers' Forum: 2002
Have any guidebooks been particularly helpful? Are there any places you'd discourage other minorities from visiting? How do you deal with stares or "special" treatment in areas that rarely see a minority or mixed-race couple? Here are some of your minority-related travel tips and anecdotes from 2002:
England 2000 Trip Experience
In May 2000 I took a trip to England (primarily London) with a college tour
group. The majority of the group were very educated black women (I am actually
Creole, Choctaw and Scot- no one knows what I look like. lol). My African-American
friends were always treated well. Men found them to be beautiful (but then
again, they are beautiful) and often asked them to dinner. I cannot recall
any problems (not even any glares) during the trip. We did go in one night
club where one waspy, young girl decided to rudely shove one of my friends.
It was quickly explained to the rude girl that any further action would
not be wise. Other than that one asinine incident, everyone had a wonderful
time. For readers of this board, hatred exists everywhere and it is directed
towards ALL colors. For those with anger and hate in their hearts, life
will continue to be full of misery for them. Europe is amazing and full
of history- some good, some bad. Please never let the ignorance of others
steer you away from THE world. Hate wins when you hide from it. Happy, safe
travels to all!
Katherine <email>
NO, LA USA 11/15/02
There is racism in Europe
I'd just like everyone to know that there is racism in Europe. Some of it
is the same sort of incidents that occur here in the US — police violence
against those of color, white supremacist groups attacking others, interracial
couples being discriminated against — one simply doesn't hear as much about
it because it is probably considered 'local' news and therefore, of no interest
to Americans as say, a terrorist attack. In fact, I found out about most
of these attacks against African immigrants (both legal and illegal) by
typing in 'European Racism' and 'Racism in Europe' in a internet search
bar. It was quite enlightening reading, actually, but it won't stop me from
returning to Europe in 2003 to travel by RV.
Carmen Smith <email>
Charlotte, NC USA 11/13/02
Second trip to Europe
I was glad to see comments on Scotland here. I just returned from a recent
holiday there at the end of Sept. I had the most wonderful time and I think
I will go back next year and also see other parts of the U.K. I am a black
female, 28, and I went by myself and hooked up w/some penpals, I did everything
locally with them, went to pubs and listened to traditional Gaelic music
in Edinburgh, a poetry reading in Glasgow, Nessie never did come out in
Inverness. I did talk to some East Indian locals there and I did get the
impression that their situation is similar to ours here, but, they were
just keep on keeping on. Like one Indian guy told me, "the reality is,there
are problems everywhere, it's a matter of how you chose to deal with it,
at least here I got the chance to try despite obstacles."
I love Europe and will continue to travel and learn and dispel myth's
others have about us as well as my own regarding others. I have to say
though, I totally appreciated the not so fake, overly friendly approach
there, at first it can be perceived as a put off but then you learn to
appreciate the sincerity in it. I would love to share thoughts and ideas
with anyone here, especially anyone considering going to the U.K 2003.
sandy <email>
Lawrenceville, GA USA 10/19/02
Interesting Times in Austria
I recently took a second trip to Europe this summer to visit friends in
Austria. I went to Salzburg, Zell am See and Kaprun. Austria is a beautiful
country and it was so surreal that when I walked into the town center in
Salzburg I thought the mountains were fake.
I was in Austria during the floods and one day I was stuck on one side of the river. When I got off the bus I realized that the Salzach River was blocked off and I had no way of getting to where I wanted to go. After 2 hours, I went to another bus stop and the bus never came. An Italian lady asked me in German if the bus was coming (we were going in the same direction.
After we realized it wasn't coming, a nice local lady asked what we needed. She was going in the same direction and had been stuck on one side of the river herself. She looked to be in her 60s and she wore a red ski coat with pink flip-flops and heavy blue eyeshadow and the darkest eyeliner. She reminded me of a flapper, techno-style. She told us to come with her so we could figure out what was going on.
We went to the police and the cops told us that it would be another 2 hours before we could cross the bridge. The Italian chick saw one of the buses that she could take and decided to ditch us to go find it. I stuck with flip-flop lady and we tracked down a bus.
The driver was nice enough to let us off at a non-regular stop. We waited, no further buses, so we crossed the street and she knocked on the car window of some random guy in a van. He said jump in! This was the first time I had ever hitchhiked... So we thanked him and we discussed our horrible, crazy day.
This lady must have been an angel from heaven because the next thing I knew we were nearing my stop near where my friends live. They shook my hand and said "Tchussey"(bye-bye in German). That was the most hilarious and interesting day of my life. The woman with the pink flip-flops got me home!
As far as hostility, I never saw it. I am an African-American female and I received a lot of curious stares especially in the ski villages. A lot of people have never seen a person of color up close. At first it bothered me but then I got over it, people are curious and they don't hide it.
I recommend anyone to visit this country, there are some very humble
people. I went hiking with my friend's family,shook my booty, and drank
at local bars until 8 in the morning, had a local take me to the Grossglockner
Mountain. I was 3,000 feet in the air with a glacier staring at me! I
saw things that a lot of people will never experience and I thank all
of the people that helped me enjoy it.
Kenisha <email>
Richmond, VA USA 10/14/02
Europa- extremely flirtatious !
I am a black female 30 y/o of Trinidadian/Canadian decent. I just got back
from Europe- it has been my fourth time over. This time I decided to spend
time in Holland and Germany.
I loved Amsterdam the people there are cool and the lifestyle is free and open-minded. I went with my activities club and it was so much fun ! People were very accomodating and there was always a smile and a "hello."
In Koln, Germany I had an excellent time. There is excellent shopping- a lot of beautiful things to purchase. The service in shops, hotels, and restaurants was very courteous. In both places I ran into some Irish travellers, and I must say that they are some of the most fun people that I have ever encountered. We went out with them and it was very nice.
The men in both countries are very flirtatious- it's flattering but I basically took it with a grain of salt. Yes...you will recieve looks and stares, but it's definitely not hostile- at least not in my experience. I think it has a lot to do with the traveler's attitude. If you are friendly, open, and can laugh at your mistakes you will be fine.
No matter where you go in the world there are always good and bad people-
but you only live once so enjoy yourself and live ! My next trip will
be to Ireland/Scotland probably in May/June 2003. I'll probably invite
some of my friends to go with me. So if there is anyone out there who
will be interested travelling to those countries around that time and
who likes to live, is easy-going, adventurous, and likes to have fun maybe
we could meet up- please feel free to e-mail me !
Patti <email>
seattle, Wa USA 10/08/02
Great Time In Western Europe
I'm a 32 year old Black American male who spent 3 months (via a 3 month
unlimited Eurail Pass) backpacking/hostelling throughout western Europe — including parts of Scandinavia (Oslo and Bergen, Norway; Copenhagen, Dennmark;
Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki and Turku, Finland. I also made it to parts
of the UK (London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh).
I absolutely love Europe!!! Europe is full of beautiful cities and architecture, winding mazes of streets, with endless amounts of shops and cafes, and life everywhere. I had an amazingly wonderful time. If I were independently wealthy I would travel throughout Europe indefinately.
I honestly wish that all youths (especially American youths) could experience what I have. I learned so much, saw so many interesting things and places, and made many new friends, that it honestly is right there at the top with the most important, educational, and special moments in my life.
If I had been 18 — 24 years old (which most of the backpackers/hostellers were) when I took this trip, I'm certain it would have strongly influenced the path I took in life. I might have learned 2 or 3 more languages, lived, gone to school, or worked abroad for a while — who knows, but the idea is that it opened my eyes to a whole new world of ideas, opportunites, and possibilities that I hadn't before considered or known.
Paris was my favorite city, with Stockholm, Sweden a very close second. My favorite country was Italy. I spent time in Milan, Venice, Genoa, Rome, Bologna, Florence (would love to live here too), and the Cinque Terre. The Italians were inquisitive, but also quite nice toward me. They were interested in learning about life in American, and curious if the typical American stereotypes held by Europeans were true. Everywhere I went the locals loved to engage me in conversation (when they spoke English), and were also willing to help me (with directions, suggestions, etc....) in times of need. Oh, and despite all I heard about Parisian rudeness, I never experienced it.
I did learn basic phrases for most of the places I visited, and I'm certain it helped. Unless you have a talent for languages and you are able to speak basic phrases fluently, they will instantly peg you for a tourist once you open your mouth, at which point the ones who can will switch to English. I had feared the language barrier when considering my trip, but my fear was unfounded as I had few problems with language as most people spoke English. Amongst young backpackers, English is the common language and nearly all I met spoke at least semi-fluent English, if not fluent English, in addition to their own native language. I often felt like the ignorant American (although I did take 4 years of German in high school). What a shame most Americans do not speak other languages.
I highly encourage all Black Americans (especially those 18 — 24) to travel to western Europe if you are interested, as there are black people everywhere and not too much (so it seemed to me) to fear in the way of racism — although I'm sure there is some — and maybe I was just lucky. As a matter of fact there are enough blacks (mostly Africans, it seemed) living everywhere throughout Europe that it is assumed that you will speak the local language. No matter where I went when I approached someone in a retail or restuarant setting, I was addressed in the local language first. I must say it was a shock (albeit a plesant one) as a Black American to hear blacks speaking fluent Dutch, Flemish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, etc.... I was totally fascinated.
You will also learn a lot from other travelers from around the world. All of them enlightened me in some way about the history of their city or country, local culture, youth culture and music, their views on other countries around the world, and of course their views on America. I also enlightned them a bit on life in America. Some travelers were even surprised when I told them that all Americans weren't rich, and that many of us don't live like the people do on the show Friends :-)
Staying in youth hostels was key to me having such a fun time because there is an air of camaraderie amongst the backpackers. Many backpackers share similar interests. Sometimes they just arrived from where you are going next, and vice versa. You'll often exchange recommendations on things like: which hostels to stay in, what sights are worth your time and money to see, what are the best local clubs and bars, etc... Often you'll even befriend other travelers and wind up traveling with them for a day, a week, or more. I now have about 12 fellow backpackers from around the world that I will keep in touch with, and host here in America. I will also make return trips to visit them.
If you do go, post on this board afterward, whether your experience was good or bad, because I feel the anecdotes/opinions/experiences written on the graffitti wall (minority travels, what to pack, scams and theft, etc...) were invaluable to me in making my decision on whether or not to go to Europe.
Oh, and for the young guys who are curious about the possibility of hooking
up with local girls (or other travelers) — you may just meet the girl
of your dreams!
Thomas <email>
Washington, DC USA 10/02/02
Paris, & London
I am a Black girl who's just returned from a summer of traveling — a tour
of China, then off to Paris & London.
Paris — I'm not sure if I missed something, but the Parisians I met were never rude or unfriendly. They treated us exactly like everyone else. The thing I noticed was that in America, most Blacks living in predominantly white areas/situations tend to treat other Blacks with a sort of fellowship-like friendliness. Don't expect it in Paris. You're the same as everyone else, which is kind of nice, actually.
London — No problems here. People were helpful, kind — not the overzealous sort of friendliness that smacks of insincerity, but a straightforward "What do you need" sort of help. I liked it, my companions didn't.
Basically, it all depends. If you go in with a positive outlook, you'll
come out on top. Be happy-go-lucky, but not naive. There're cruel people
everywhere you go, so it's up to you to make your own decisions about
where you like to travel.
Bella <email>
Baltimore, MD USA 09/07/02
Glad to Find This Forum!
I just stumbled across this forum by accident, and have spent the last hour
reading all your stories.
I'm an African-American woman and a travel junkie. I've traveled to Europe quite a bit in the last five years (Paris, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla), and hope to spend even more time there.
In June I spent a week apiece in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Before the trip I was a little concerned about how I would be received, because I knew that both cities probably wouldn't have as diverse a population as London. It turned out my worries were unfounded, as I had the time of my life. Everyone was super nice and helpful, and I really can't remember an instance where I received poor treatment or was disrespected. Both cities were more diverse than I expected, especially Glasgow. I met quite a few blacks and there is a very large Asian, Indian and Pakistani population. As in the case of all my trips to Europe, the Scots I interacted with saw me as an American first and black second.
While in Edinburgh I did have an enlightening conversation with a Pakistani-born grocery store owner. I visited his store every day to buy newspapers and junk food, and during one of the visits he commented that it's a rare sight to see people of color vacation in Scotland and he wanted to know if I had run into any trouble. When I told him how nice people were to me he was convinced it was because I was American. He then talked about how the white Scots treated his people like second class citizens, even if they were full fledged Scottish citizens. When I told him that Blacks in America had the same exact problem he was dumbstruck, because based on what he's seen and read he thought that racism was a thing of the past in the US. That conversation has stuck with me because we both had preconceived notions about race relations in each other's countries, and by talking we learned about what was really going on.
Next summer I'm thinking about going to Athens and Istanbul. I have to
admit that reading the recent posts below about Greece has given me pause,
but then I wonder if I'll be missing out on a good time if I don't go.
If any of you have been to Athens or Istanbul, I'd love to hear about
it.
Michele <email>
Philadelphia, PA USA 08/28/02
Asian Woman in Europe
I have lived and travelled a great deal alone in Europe, and here is my
experience.
1. In smaller towns, kids and people will stare. They have probably never seen an asian person before. I usually stare right back (not in a negative way)
2. Asian females are exoticised, and there are the stereotypes that need to be broken: not all of us will cook,clean and bow down before men. Not all of us are easy or submissive. Not all of us know the karma sutra.
3. If you are an Asian American, people will not believe that you are American.
4. If they see you and another Asian person in the same room, they will think that you two are related or together.
5. Most will assume that all asians come from China.
6. An asian friend of mine was asked whether he can actually see through his eyes since they were narrower.(lame remarks out of stupidity)
I have not experienced any type of direct racism due to my race at all.
What I have experienced was mostly people's naivete and stereotypes about
Asian people and the culture.If the other person is willing to learn,
I try to take an educational approach to try and re-educate them.
catdance <email>
Portland, OR USA 08/23/02
Racism in Rome Restaurant?
My wife and I were dining at a restaurant in Rome with 7 other folks who
were Caucasian (we are Chinese-American) and noticed we were the only ones
that didn't get menus. My wife noticed a stack of menus were available on
the counter, and took offense and felt the sting of racism. The menus were in English. We were finally
able to order after one of our dinner companions gave us their menu. In
the Frankfurt airport, my wife heard a couple speaking loudly and negatively about
Asians. Not knowing she understood enough German to get the gist of their
comments, she turned around and made sure they knew she understood what was
being said. Just a tip- don't assume others are not able to understand you.
They too may have studied a few years of your language to understand enough
of your conversation.
Anthony <email>
Sacramento, CA USA 08/21/02
Greece
I had this Caucasian friend who used to talk about how wonderful and beautiful
Greece was. She was always asking me to go on a trip with her. Finally I
said OK let's to to Greece although it's never been on the top of my list
of places to visit. I did not hear from her for three months! When I finally
saw her again and asked about the trip this is what she said. That the other
friend she visted greece with was also an African American woman. She said
that the Greeks treated her friend rudely and made fun of her, the men made
lewd gestures and lewd propositions. She said her friend was in tears most
of the trip. I don't know whether I believe her but I really don't want
to find out. I have heard many horror stories about Greece. I don't plan
to spend my hard earned money on a place with this reputation. So though
it may be beautiful and I love Greek food, I'll pass on this trip. I'd like
to hear from folks who had good experiences there. Perhaps I'm being too
narrow minded.
Angela <email>
Albuquerque, NM USA 07/28/02
Venice and Milan
My wife and I are black, and recently returned from Venice and Milan. We
had been warned to expect rudeness and stares,especially in Venice. But
the rudeness never materialized. The occassionnal stares never seemed more
than curosity. Everyone was eager to help us when the occassion required
it. If anything, the locals seemed pretty up tight most of the time. They
need to lighten up. We had a wonderful trip, and would return again. But
next time, I would like to travel further south to Naples and Sicily. I
suspect that they like to party more.
Frank <email>
San Bruno, ca USA 07/27/02
Greece: Racist, Rude and Xenophobic
I recently visited Spain, Germany, Cyprus and Greece this year. Out of these
three countries, Greece was by far the most racist, rude and xenophobic
of the four countries. The Greeks are now acting like total rednecks. On
several occasions I was insulted and even threatened with physical assault,
especially in Athens(by Greeks, not by immigrants). It is very common to
get hate stares while walking the streets. Greece has totally deteriorated
socially and politically in the last ten years. I do not advise any person
of color traveling to Greece unless they are going with other people(of
color). The very thought that these people are going to host the Olympics
in 2004 is totally laughable, because given the current climate of racist
hysteria, the country will be totally Nazi by that time. Even on a non-racist
level, Greek people, especially in Athens, are incredibly rude, unhelpful,
obnoxious and need I say it, not very hygenic. Athens is an extroadinarily
ugly, polluted and overcrowded town filled with some of the most arrogant,
conceited, infantile people in the world. Granted, I did meet some great
people, however, the vast majority were not Greek.
Felix
Silver Spring, MD USA 07/24/02
Discrimination of S. Korean tourists in Italy?
I am a Korean-American planning to visit Rome this fall. I read recently
an article written by an Korean couple in a Korean newspaper of their experience
in Italy. They were in Rome in July, shortly after the World Cup. Those
of us who followed the World Cup are aware of the questionable calls made
against Italy when they played Korea. I don't want to discuss the merits
of that game...I'm sure it's been disected and you have opinions about the
outcome. The Korean couple in Rome were refused service in a bar and asked
to leave a bakery when the proprietors found they were from Korea. They
decided to say they were from Hong Kong to avoid any more embarrassment
the remainder of their trip. Although I can understand the passion and outrage
of the Italian fans against Korea, I am concerned that I may need to call
myself Chinese to avoid discomfort in Italy. October will be 4 months past
the World Cup...
Addy <email>
Decatur, GA USA 07/23/02
Wonderful Italy!
My husband is black, I'm white. We just returned from a wonderful trip to
Italy with our sons, 17 and 22 yrs. old. We never had any problems at all
because of our race. My husband got lots of stares because he is 6' 8" tall
and always wears a hat. One waiter in a restaurant got on a step-stool to
shake his hand on our way out. We enjoyed the people and culture of Italy!
gaye <email>
denver, co USA 06/28/02
Earth Citizen
Here's my take on African Americans traveling to Europe. Remember that
France, Italy, Belgium, UK, Spain etc. all have been colonizers in Africa.
We have as much right to visit or to live in those countries as they had
in ours.
In Lyon, an Asian-looking man whispered something in French into my ear and then kissed me on the cheek and then walked away. In a small Italian village two little Italian boys made reference to the color of my skin in a negative tone. I stared a lot when I was abroad: at the beautiful French women, the tall sculptured African vendors in Venice, the wealthy in Monaco, the beggars at Notre Dame, the man in a bra on the metro in Paris. Sometimes I simply couldn't help it. At Lake Lugano, a very white girl asked if she could take my pictured. It was as though she'd never seen a black person before. Who knows?
Can someone out there address how blacks are received in the more rural
areas of Italy and France? I want to rent a Villa or a Farmhouse for about
a month. I consider myself a citizen of the earth and can feel at home
just about anywhere. Maybe I am just naive. I love being a tourist and
I don't try to hide it. I take pictures, dress the way I want and don't
want to take on any other identity. I can't help that I am American. You
can't find too many other folks who are as warm and friendly as some good
ole southern black folk with good home training. I am proud of who I am
and of my heritage. I am fascinated by other cultures and peoples but
sometimes do not realize when I am stereotyping. If I can make this mistake,
so can others. So now, I am cautious of negative or positive stereotyping.
Angela <email>
Albuquerque, NM USA 06/20/02
experiences in Italy & Belgium
I am 30 year old American male of Caribbean & South Asian ancestry. I just
returned from Italy & Belgium with two female friends, one is Venezuelan
& the other Mexican-American. We were treated very well by the Italians.
The Venezuelan & I were often mistaken for southern Italians, while people
thought the Mexican-American was from Egypt. We spoke Spanish so we were
able to mingle well with locals. We didn't feel like minorities at all.
What distinguished us from the Italians was that we were foreigners, not
because of our skin color. This was especially true in Rome, where there
were quite a few South & East Asians, Latin Americans, and African immigrants
living there. Every one (no hyperbole)we talked to was fluent in Italian.
Some groups stuck together but we saw some African & Asian teens hanging
out with Italian kids, all speaking Italian. We asked Italians what they
thought of this. Most did not have a problem with the Asian & Africans because
they felt they worked hard, but the Albanians were disliked greatly. Go
figure.
In Belgium, we did not receive any ill treatment at all. Most people
were courteous & friendly. I did talk to some Moroccan youths in Antwerp
& they said Belgium had its share of bigots but on the whole they like
life there. I think it's not so much the skin color, but the behavior
& ignorance of Americans(big complaint in Europe).
Shafi Islam <email>
Houston, TX USA 06/17/02
European honeymoon
My husband and I had a honeymoon that was a dream come true. For both of
us it was our first time in Europe. We stayed in Paris, Venice, Firenze,
and Roma. We even got to meet the Pope, personally (that will be another
topic). We are both Mexican-Americans and we never experienced any ugly
stares or any sort of bigotary. We loved it, made lots of friends, and we're
already making plans to go back next year.
I advise that all of you who had the privilege of being taught two languages
at home to use it and be thankful. Try to learn their language too — it
will show respect. You will feel a sense of global family talking to your
Italian cousins in Spanish while they speak to you in Italian and you
understand each other! Go with an open mind and most importantly, an open
heart. We were confused many times as Spaniards, Italians, South Americans
and others. No one knew we were from Texas! Oh, one more thing, we did
see a few Ugly Americans, Asians, Europeans, etc. etc. etc. So it does
help not to "look" American — whatever that might look like! J.E.
J.E. <email>
TX USA 06/14/02
I was treated as a prostitute
I am a women of multiraciall origin , Latina , Asian, African , the list
goes on and on , but i loock mostly African , Polynesian and Filipina and
i have brown skin..I was born in Europe and came to America when i was only
11years old, back then i had not experience no racism at all in Madrid Spain
, i was special because i was a brown skin girl. Moving to America was a "nightmare from hell" i noticed what color i was ,and never did i noticed
it in Europe ..
I went back to Europe 6 years ago and things had change people seem to be a little more prejudiced since i was there when i was 11 years old. I did have a bad experience with a European man and narrowly escaped being raped.
In the past i had always been acepted as a Spaniard, because i speak castellano fluently with a Spaniard acent so that made it easier for me. I love Europe, because people there are a little more open minded then the Americans there are lots of problems ..I didn't understood why they think women of color are easy and why they desire us so much.
Please don't let my bad experience stop you from going in Europe , but
i want to warn women of color ..I still think Europe is beautifull and
the men are georgeous specially Scandinavian and Dutch. I want to go back
soon and i hope next time the European men will treat me as a lady , i
don't mind some flirting but not as aggressive.
Strella Garcia
Oklahoma , ok USA 06/04/02
A pleasant surprise!
Well, I just returned from my vacation overseas where I divided my time
between Spain, Italy, France, and Switzerland. I also visited Malta. I must
say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well African Americans are treated
overseas. The experiences that I had overseas were very pleasant with the
exception of a couple airline employees and a few white Americans. But it
was interesting to find that many Americans overseas will seek out the company
of any co-patriot regardless of their color as long as they spoke English.
There wasn't much of a language barrier. Even when different languages were spoken, somehow everyone involved managed to get around them. For instance, upon arriving at the airport in Barcelona, a woman immediately asked me if I spoke Espanol and even though I told her no, she conversed with me in spanglish. And no, she wasn't trying to pick my pocket. As a matter of fact, I didn't have any encounters with pickpockets. Also, when taking the train in to Barcelona from the airport, 2 other passengers that didn't speak English helped me determine which stop I should get off at. I was pleasantly surprised considering how much misinformation I received on how much blacks were disliked in Barcelona.
When passing by restaurants on the street to determine what was on the menu, waiters invited us in to dine. The hotel staff was very accommodating at the two hotels I stayed in while in Barcelona. At one buffet restaurant, a Japanese man took my table after I had already been seated and left my items there and the waiters promptly asked him to move when I returned. I didn't even have to say anything or point it out to them. It's really different from things here in the U.S. where I am used to being scrutinized at many public business establishments even though I can more than afford to frequent them.
As for Italy, the italian men are very attentive, but I didn't encounter ANY disrespectful behavior. I had doors opened for me, compliments paid to me, (even by the Italian women who loved my Cleopatra braids), and once again the business people (waiters, store clerks, museum personnel, etc.) were all very pleasant and accomodating.
I could go on and on about the pleasantness of the people, but the pleasant
encounters and experiences I had overseas would be enough to fill up a
book. I do love Europe. I can't wait to return. I honestly felt like I
stepped into Utopia. For the rest of my fellow minorities, don't hesitate
to take a trip to Europe. It will probably be one of the most surprisingly
pleasant vacations of your life. And if you love art and history as much
as I do, you'll be in paradise. Remember that there is no such thing as
THEIR history, it's all OUR history.
Milana <email>
Grand Rapids, MI USA 05/30/02
Prague answer
My sister has
lived in Prague for the past 10 years with her husband and children. One
day my 7 year old nephew (who is white) was in a store in Prague with his
dad. An African man walked in, wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a tank
top. My nephew stared in awe at this man, then ran excitedly to his dad
and whispered, "Dad, look, it's Michael Jordan!" All this to say, there
really aren't too many people of color in Prague. I have asked my sister
what it is like for minorities there and she reports pretty much the same
thing I have read on this board- some people stare out of fascination and
some people are too busy with their daily lives to care and some people
only know hate and some people are normal loving people, interested in connecting
with strangers of different backgrounds and different cultures. But I think
African American minorities are treated much better than people from Gypsy
heritage there (that is the minority that is looked down upon there.) Good
luck in all your travels.
Philly, PA USA 05/04/02
My experiences in Europe, '99-'02
I have been to Europe 4 times and as a Woman of Color, I feel that European
Whites are far nicer than American Whites, generally. I feel particularly
free while visiting Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, and larger
French cities. I had heard some stories before I started going to Europe — mostly
about Germans and Nazis — and just this past Winter, I heard from an ex-Serviceman
who declared that Italian prosititutes won't accept Black men as customers,
but who wants to be with women like that, anyway? To ALL of you who might
be considered a 'minority' in some way — enjoy Europe, enjoy! By the way,
to the lady who had such a bad experience in Luxembourg, I am very sorry
you had to go through something like that. I've never been to Luxembourg
and wish to go, but now I am a bit hesitant. Also, has anyone been to Scandinavia,
Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Rumania? How are we treated there?
Visit my website for more of my experiences: www.geocities.com/snapdragon999/index.html
Carmen Smith <email>
Charlotte, NC USA 04/23/02
Cannes, Nice, San Remo Visit ...
I had the pleasure of going to France and Italy for 8 days. I went with
2 friends and we had a blast. The people in Cannes and Nice were very accomodating.
We tried to speak French but when they realized we were not very good they
would answer us in english. In San Remo, Italy we were shopping in the downtown
and the people there were pleasant as well. A stop in Monte Carlo, Monaco
was equally good. My buddies and I are all black Americans and we got alot
of interesting questions and attention from some of the women in the clubs
in France. Great people, great times with no troubles.
Yettekov Wilson Jr <email>
Fort Washington, USA 04/03/02
'Minorities' traveling in Europe
I'm an American Indian (Unkpapa Lakotah) and to be perfectly honest, I had
more unpleasant experiences traveling in the Western U.S. than I have had
traveling around the world. (Although, I must admit especially in the Mid
East I attracted attention being obviously American, but not white, black
or Asian.) I think most 'minority' or people of color travelers shouldn't
have much of a problem because of their race, but, more likely because of
their nationality.
winyan
NJ USA 03/31/02
Traveller
Hi all, I am happy to see that many People of Color are travelling and enjoying
Europe. I am part African American and Native American, sometimes I get
a lot of stares from people,but, I have really enjoyed my stay here in Europe.
I live in Spain but, I have spent great amounts of time in France and Germany.
YES! I loved Germany..the people were so friendly..To all of you, Keep traveling..show
the world that Americans are concerned about the rest of the world and are
not closed minded!!!!
Marcia Evans <email>
Jamestown, NC USA 02/24/02
No problems
In September 2001, my family traveled to Germany to visit my cousin in the
Army based in Weisbaden. At first, I was constantly thinking of bad things
that could happen to us since we are black. I was pleasantly surprised.
Germany is as diverse as America. The people were quite rude though. They
would walk in front of us or bump into us without saying excuse me or sorry,
but other than that we did not have any problems. My cousin's wife, who
is German, said that the people were used to black people because of the
Military bases over there. We did additional tours to Switzerland, Austria,
Lichtenstein, and London. We found the people in restaurants and stores
eager to help us. We were fortunate that we did not experience any outward
discrimination.
shauna <email>
ROSWELL, Ga USA 02/15/02
Wonderful ... With A Grain of Salt
My wife and I went to Europe last July and had a wonderful time. We are
from the Bahamas; and I am of African descent (black) and she is mixed (with
a very Hispanic look). We had no problems in any of the cities we visited
(London, Amsterdam, Weisbaden, Cologne, Heidelburg, Lucerne, Paris) nor
did we have much trouble being understood — with our wonderful accents
and all.
However, we did find that our experience in Paris was that we got better service than some of our American counterparts. Why? Well, we tried to speak their language as much as possible and wherever possible. With my 8th-grade French I was even able to get faster service, although I did a trailer-load of sign language as well, than people in our group who got upset because "these people" did not speak English. There were some stares; but it was mostly at my wife, and I overheard comments such as "exotic" and "beautiful" amongst the snippets of words I understood. It was a great experience and I cannot wait for our next trip — Italy.
One incident did somber me a bit, though... We took a river cruise in
Germany and when we stepped off the boat, we had to walk through a beautiful
park with several monuments. One monument had a number of ethnic faces
carved into it and was lovely. However, as I rounded another side of the
figure, I was shocked to see a yellow swatsika spray painted over the
faces on that side. It made me remember how recently in history certain
awful things happened and how we should all be mindful of our surroundings.
Eric (triom) <email>
Nassau, Bahamas 01/30/02
Hurt in Luxembourg
I am an adventurer and I love to travel. However, as a black female in my
early twenties, I am forced to deal with more curious stares and cooler
attitudes, but nothing can quench my thirst for knowledge of other cultures
and peoples because ignorance is not an option for me.
On a recent trip to Luxembourg, which is an absolutely gorgeous and stunning country, I decided to get some souvenirs. The second I walked into a small shop, the clerk, an older native lady yelled at the top of her lungs that I leave her store immediately. The shock on my face was blatant, as were some of the customers in her store. I tried explaining to her that I was a tourist, and she said (in English) that she had many windows that I could look in from!. Some of her customers began talking to her in French and I heard her say she didn't trust me.
I backed out of her store and started down the road, when I heard some one running after me and calling out in French, "Miss! Miss!". I quickly wiped my tears of hurt and spun round to face one of her customers.
The customer apologized on behalf of the rude clerk saying "we are not like that, that clerk is a very mean and angry woman, you will find bigger, better stores down the road. I am very sorry, miss."
Her simple words righted the clerk's wrong tenfold. She could read my hurt because my thank-you was low and heavy.
There is so much beauty in this world and when people act out of ignorance insensitively, I remember that French customer who ran after me and I smile..
Keep on travelling. Let people know that the world is much bigger than
their bubble.
Lola <email>
USA 01/24/02