Recently I had the good fortune to be able to take a month off from work, life, and school to simply travel the world as much as possible within that time frame. I somehow managed to successfully backpack all across Western Europe, and as a traveler in over 14 different countries my first fear even before I had finished planning my half baked trip was how I would be accepted as an American in this part of the world now that Bush is no longer in office.
Before I left I took every opportunity to discuss my concerns with friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who have recently traveled to certain parts of Europe. I had even devised a plan of having a back story sadly of being from Canada incase things were to get too bad. Most of the individuals I sat down with and talked to informed me that I was getting all worked up over nothing, and that residents in that part of the world were for the most part very hospitable towards Americans and very interested in the way we live our lives over here. I was warned however, not to be that stereotypical American tourist because they hate that (especially the French), and I may run into some trouble because of it. It is no different than it is here; locals in nearly every country dislike apparent tourists who treat their country as if they’re at an exhibit at their local zoo. Thankfully I am glad to say I was about as far from this as possible.
So with my fears in check I was ready to test the advice I had been given. After a 14+ hour plane ride which came equipped with several layovers, I landed in Dublin, Ireland. My companions and I spent most of our time in Ireland in between Dublin and Belfast more or less in the country side, but it was also right on the coast of Ireland. This was hands down one of the most beautiful and laidback countries I had ever set eyes on. And if anyone ever wants to experience real hospitality, quite literally every single person I met whilst in Ireland was some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life (even the drunk ones). And let me tell you- as far as I could tell all the stereotypes of Irish people and drinking were 100% true and I loved it. As soon as anybody we met found out that we were from American and also from California everyone was instantly the center of attention whether we wanted to be or not.
After departing from Ireland my companions and I headed east for Edinburgh, Scotland via the ferry crossing at the Irish Sea. This city is one of the most picturesque cities I’ve ever been to- picture a 15th century castle town all situated around castle Edinburgh. While we were there we stayed in a delightful hostel which just so happened to be than nicer many of the hotels we ended up staying in; plus it had a great bar. During our stay in Scotland we took a free walking tour of the town offered by a company called New Europe which we were to do once more in Berlin. Aside from being free, you really get to experience all the town has to offer during this 3 and a half hour tour. Nearly every building, church, street, bar, and cemetery in this town has an interesting story behind it simply because this city has been around for centuries. This tour also gives you the chance to meet other English speaking people from all around the world: Australians, Canadians, Swedes, and of course other Americans. Once you enter conversation with pretty much anyone in Europe it is nearly impossible to hide the fact that you are American, and if you just so happen to be from Los Angeles or even California in general they have loads of questions about your life, and are instantly sociable with you.
One thing I did learn while traveling through Europe, well at least in the UK, was that the English get no love especially among their Irish and Scottish brethren. The biggest insult for an American seems to be being called a Canadian (sorry for you Canadians out there), and the same thing goes for the Irish and Scottish being called English. In fact they seemed down right offended by it, but it was all in good fun. I spent many a night in the UK fending off the wayward insults of rowdy Scotsmen and Irish simply by dropping the English bomb.
Once we were actually onto mainland Europe the language barrier hit in full force and I entered the country I was most unsure about as to how I would be accepted as an American- France. We were forced to spend extra cash and stay in a hotel whilst in Paris due to the unavailability of any hostels, and our hotel was smack dab in hood of Paris. Naturally I was slightly uneasy because of the stories I had always heard of how Americans had been treated by the French, especially in Paris. But how wrong I was! With the exception of one very irritated Louvre tour guide, most of the general public of Paris that I had a chance to talk with about their views on America and Obama as president had nothing but positive and encouraging comments towards us, as well as our president. However, I am unaware as to how much the French citizens actually know of Obama’s political views, or if he’s even doing a good job, but they are all way more fond of Obama than Bush hands down. Obama T’s have even become a fashion in Paris as it is here in California, I swear I even saw one that said “Obama says knock you out.”
Everywhere else in Europe that I spent time in: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain were all very welcoming towards us as well. I think if you are a laidback, interesting person, and are polite towards everybody you meet out there nobody will give you any trouble. All language barriers aside, the people in each country I spent time in reminded me of the people here in America; they had the same type of conversations about the same everyday things, but it just happens to be in a different language; however, the body language is the same. So, if anyone out there is planning a trip to Europe you need not be worried about being persecuted anymore simply for being American. Just remember to stay far away from being one of those stereotypical tourists, but that basically goes for people from any country, and that just might get you pick pocketed. I can’t speak for everybody in Europe, but as far as I could tell from my experiences nearly everybody I met was absolutely fine with me and all my travel companions being from America, and I’ve even made great friends from all over the world.
–Austin Love