SloJan

I have to confess that I don't read many of m_kingdoms's postings because he seems so full of vitriole. Oh well...each to his own.
Cheers,
Jan

ChatNoir

Jan, you just don't get it do you?

That silly comment about wanting to avoid Americans after watching the Republican Convention is stupid in the extreme. Please advise where these small-minded snobs eventually go - maybe the North Pole?

sheila

Good grief, the question's entirely inoffensive. Personally, using the same criteria, I would be seeking to exclude Brits.

I think, without having been there, the Portugal idea's a good one, but in April, I guess most of Provence would be nice.

RufusTFirefly

SloJan--how many Americans would be too many?

KS452

Would they settle on visiting places where they are not likely to run into Americans who are Republicans?

If so, I suggest Germany and France (how dare they not go along with W's War!), Amsterdam (it's all about sex and drugs - how vile!), Scandinavia (the damn Socialist-commie pinkos! Who do they think they are!), or any city in the UK that is a bio-tech centre (stem cell research is located on the road to almighty damnation!)

tomboy

Moravia

nidawei

I'd go to the white villages of southern Spain near Ronda. Stay in a parador and explore and relax.

bettyk

Please let me know where they decide to go. Since I'm a Republican, I don't want to spoil their trip!

ilovetulips

I can see what you are saying- They don't want to go someplace that is too touristy with the Western World- maybe for the same reasons that people don't like Cancun, Vegas, or Florida. But I think people think that is sounds snobby. While I haven't been to Europe (Plan to go next year). I would think that many of the biggies Paris, London, Rome and Prague have so many tourists of various nationalities and locals how could you feel as though you are being inundated by them. I guess what I find strange is that we travel places within the US all the time with Americans all around and it doesn't bother us until we want to be the only "foreigners" in a foreign country, as if we discovered the place or something!

Queenie

April is still a bit early for enjoying outdoor cafes in most of Europe, so I would suggest heading south.
How about:
-Mallorca
-Bodrum, Turkey or somewhere on the Dalaman coast
-Malta
-Elba or Sardinia
-Samos, Kos or Rhodes

These may be too far flung for only 5 days.
Another thought is to check out one of the cheap package vacations with LTUR or similar out of London, AMS or one of the airport hubs in Germany. These trips are often short and inexpensive.

I like your idea of Barcelona the best!

SloJan

To all who responded in an appropriate manner: Thank You!

Rufus, any place that sounds like little America is not going to be chosen. I think you can understand that.

Chatnoir...no, my dear...you just don't get it. Keep your insults to yourself. Nowhere in my post is there an insult and for you to actually take offense says a lot about YOU.

Bettyk...my friends are Republicans! I have read your posts, I am sure that you wouldn't spoil their trip!

Cheers,
Jan

Nikki

Interesting points are raised here. I have enjoyed traveling to places where I see many other Americans as well as to places where I don't. The experiences are different.

When we stayed at a bed & breakfast in Denmark this summer we encountered no other Americans in the area. All our encounters were with people who lived in very different places than we did, and that made for an enjoyable and interesting experience. I had memorable conversations with people about cultural differences, and the atmosphere made me feel very foreign. I know from the guest book that other Americans had stayed there before, but they were few and far between. Even though physically the area resembled Cape Cod, a place which is extremely familiar to me, the cultural experience of staying there was very unfamiliar, and that is what made it a memorable destination.

On the other hand, I have been to destinations which are physically very different from home, in which I have felt less foreign because of the presence of many Americans. This changes the experience of the place.

Some trips are about the first kind of experience, some are about the second kind, and some mix the two.

Chatters

If what you meant to say is that you would not choose a place that is too touristy, then why just not say that??? Seeking to exclude being around a particular group is snobbery, whether is Americans, British, Germans, Chinesse; let's call it what it is.....so what?

On a side comment, if your friends are asking you, I would advice them to ask somebody else....Barcelona and Prague are definitely NOT what first comes to mind with those conditions (nice village?, HELLOOO?)

Clifton

Wanting to have an experience that is completely different than what you can find at home is not snobbery. Period. Hearing recounting of a Dallas Cowboys game from the next table would make it seem less like a foriegn adventure and less like what I set out to find. Hearing cricket stories would not have the same effect. It has nothing to do whith how I feel about the speaker - which is the same. What exactly is snobbish about that? Or are you all just that insistant on being offended?

ChatNoir

clifton, I doubt these people would know what a common game like football was all about. The low class terms and expressions would seem very foreign to them.

BTilke

Hmmm...somewhere in Scandinavia sounds about right...Oslo or Copenhagen. Copenhagen in fall and winter is very romantic, sophisticated, good food, good shopping, good cafes. In Copenhagen, as long as they don't stay at the Marriott, they should find an international crowd.

SloJan

Oh, dear...Chatnoir...You MUST mean American Football. You do know that the game most of the world call soccer is the real FOOTBALL. Let's face it...American football is a game of little finesse...unless, of course, we are talking about the Gators!

USsnobs

Is it too late for me to entry the fray? I am one of the "snobs" that my friend, Jan, was posting this inquiry for. Maybe Jan forgot to mention that we ARE Americans, and one of our requests for a European vaction is to avoid too many OTHER Americans. We simply want to get away from the US for a very short while and experience another country, their people and their culture (yes, without someone at the table next to us talking about the Dallas Cowboys game). Sorry if that is snobbish. Contrarily, I think wanting to find a location to vacation where everyone is just like us Americans would be snobby.

Thanks to everyone for their serious suggestions.

suze

Have I just been lucky? I've only been to Europe 5 trips over the past 10 years and all included time in major touristed cities (Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, etc.). I can't think of a single time I've been seated next to other Americans once I was out of the airport.

Eating at local places without a translated menu, getting even a tiny bit off the main tourist path, to my experience most "typical" American travelers are not that adventursome and it would be pretty easy to avoid them.

nonnafelice

I think it would be helpful to know if these people have been to Europe before, and if so, what places they did or didn't like. I can't think of many places more romantic (or with better cafes) than Paris, and there are certainly enough Parisians there that you aren't likely to be tripping over Americans. At least not if, as someone else said, you stay out of the obvious tourist traps.

Also, if you really are serious about avoiding Republicans, I wouldn't think you'd find too many rabid "freedom fry" eaters in Paris!