On the train home from the airport the other day this American tourist leaned over and asked us, "Sprechen sie Englisch?" My husband snickered and said, "yea," which couldn't have sounded more American. The guy proceeded to ask us in very broken English (like he didn't think we'd understand) if they were on the right train. I was wearing jeans, tennies and a bright pink t-shirt. No black for me! We were rather amused. We look very nonthreatening and we were sitting right next to them and the fact that they were in Germany probably led them to believe we were Germans. We get approached all the time for directions or whatever, no doubt for the same reasons, and I hardly ever wear black! I have to say, the whole black clothes thing is a bit exaggerated. People here wear all colors so you don't have to wear black to fit in. They even wear jeans and tennies. I swear.

The thrills of my life when I was mistaken for... <BR>1. A lifetime ago as I sat beside the Volga River in Russia with a fellow American student, some Russians struck up a conversation with us, thinking we were Russian. In Russian we discoursed back and forth, with the real natives trying to figure out where we were from. They never guessed we were Americans...but did try Latvia, Lithuania, Cuba(!), etc. In the depths of the Cold War, this was, of course. We'd been in Russia so long that summer that we were no doubt rumpled enough to pass for anybody from the third world, but it was speaking passable Russian that thrilled us. <BR>2. While I sat in a coffeehouse in Vienna, an old gentleman came up to ask in German if he could borrow my newspaper. When I explained in English that I couldn't speak his language, he was astonished and very polite. I come from German stock ..way back..so was thrilled again. <BR>3. While I was sitting in a mall in Ontario, Canada, where I once lived, two teenagers kept pointing at me and whispering. Finally they came over and asked me if I were Elke Sommers. Must have been 1979 or so. THAT was a thrill, as anyone can understand who is old enough to recall who she is. <BR>4. A month ago when I was playing tourista in NYC, I, a Texan, was repeatedly asked for directions on the street by other New Yorkers. Basic black works every time. (I used to go in bright colors and pastels and felt like a rube.) <BR>I don't care what anyone says...it is no fun to go somewhere and look guache.

For a compelling and moving story that involves (at a point in the tale) being mistaken for a native, read Maya Angelou's "All God's Children Got Travelin' Shoes". There's a passage in which she visits an African village a distance from the African city in which she's working. As she passesover a bridge to enter the village, she experiences a sense of deja vous. The narraitve that follows is one of the most emotionally engaging pieces I've ever read. Well worth the time and the whole book can be polished off in a few hours by a fast reader.

From the ages of 3-16, I spent my Christmas holidays and my summer vacations in Honolulu, Hawaii, visiting my relatives. As a fairly dark-skinned Chinese woman, I used to get stopped on the beaches, malls and streets for directions all the time. It got to the point where I would start referring to myself as the "transplanted native", although I'm (somewhat) proud to say that I never partook in the 'haole'-scamming (read: tourist-trap) techniques my cousins took part in! <BR>

I lived almost 3 years in Germany about 40 years ago and learned high German fairly well at that time, but always felt I had an American accent. Over the years I have tried to keep my German up. Last year while traveling in Bavaria where dialects are common, we encountered situations where I needed directions and I would say in German,"we are foreigners and need a little information." More often than not, the reply in German was "Where you from, Hamburg?" I felt it was a real compliment coming from a Bayer.

How about the reverse - a native being mistaken for a tourist? Not me, but my boyfriend. In September we flew into Naples, Italy headed for a visit to his hometown outside of Sorrento. He'd been out of the country for over a year. We got our rental car and he was driving headed for the highway. When we came to the toll booth he rolled down the window and the collector said very slowly and clearly, "Two thousand two hundred lire, please." My beau was in shock (I think even insulted) that he was taken for a non-Italian speaking tourist, although he recognized that his Asian featured companion in the passenger seat (me) probably had something to do with it. A few days later it again happened when we were admiring clothes in some boutique in Sorrento that was well out of our price range. We were in the store for a while looking at things and the salespeople were saying how wonderful the things would look on us etc, and then suddenly one of the salespeople said (in Italian), "You're Vincenzo's brother!?" Yes he is. Then they all admitted how they all thought we were tourists (well we were, sort of) and the salesperson, who was an acquaintance of Vincenzo, who recognized Antonio said she at first thought he looked kind of familiar but just brushed it off thinking he had been in the store sometime before. <BR>

Why, why, why do you wear all black 75-90% of the time? What a depressing wardrobe when there are so many beautiful colors in the world! Forget Banana Republic & The Gap! It's not that chic or dressy. Chic is the excellent fit and style most appropriate for your body - not always the color.

Fun thread! My two cents: my niece and I were enjoying crepes in Paris, when a native (?) asked me where the bathroom was. I can identify with those who said they "just understood" without speaking the language well. (I never took French, just used a guidebook with phrases...) I was able to point her in the right direction...and I must admit, it was a GOOD feeling!

I am always mistaken for a european from another country - when I am in Paris people think I am Italian and in Greece they thought I was Spanish - in fact the comment I hear from most fellow canadians and americans is "I did not want to approach you because I thought you did not speak english"!!!

Hi, <BR> <BR>I am frequently mistaken for a local student, which REALLY makes me happy. <BR> <BR>This has happened a few times in Paris as well as Italy and England. I've gotten this from fellow tourists and locals too. This is usually when I travel alone - maybe they think a woman walking around by herself must live there? <BR> <BR>Beth

My children, teenagers, (and all quite beautiful children, I must add) have been the object of much scrutiny when we have been abroad. <BR> I think people all around the world wish to "connect" with members of another culture. <BR>I was amazed at how the kids shoes, <BR>clothing, and even backpack were studied. <BR>And Paige is right, you are seeing more <BR>Europeans (particularly younger) dress in tennies and jeans. <BR> <BR>I've been taken as a native in many, many European countries. I do try to blend in merely to avoid advertising that I am a tourist and thereby "inviting" the pickpockets, etc. <BR> <BR>I am proud to be an American. We can be just as cultured, well-read, interesting, and travelled, as anyone else. I just don't want to be <BR>considered the loud, demanding, obnoxious American. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Off the topic a bit, I realize, but I do see that a few other chaps have commented on the belief that one must dress in black when one travels. Who, exactly, came up with that notion? I can certainly understand if one normally wears black, such as Johnny Cash, why one might want to wear black when one travels. But not all of us wear black. So, why have we been told to wear black when we travel? I sense a conspiracy. Quick, Watson - the game's afoot!!

One sure way to be mistaken for a local in Paris is to be drinking an Orangina. An American woman came up to me at Orly Airport and asked me in perfect French if I would watch her bags while she went to the ladies' room. I said (in English)-"Yes, I'd be glad to." She said she was sure I was French because I was drinking an Orangina instead of a Diet Coke!

Black is for Mystery. And don't we love a good caper when abroad? Don't we love the idea that we are not who we are known to be in our every day life when we pick up and high tail it to some other region? It's always a fresh start... a new look at life. Therefore, be mysterious and hold back a little of that self expression that defines where you're from. In black, absorb the light and blend into a comfortable background that allows you to see what you may never see if dressed in neon. <BR> <BR>

I have been mistaken for a German but never when my wife is with me. We figured it out it was her makeup. when they saw us together they would speak english. But when I was alone people would speak German first. So in this case her makeup and dress said american more than my dress.

Last year we were in Amsterdam and when we went up to the counter to check in for our flight the ticket agent started speaking to us in Dutch. She said she thought we looked like we were from her country. It adds a little to your trip to be mistaken for a native.

I've been mistaken for a native by other tourists a lot, in various places. As for being mistaken for one by "natives" themselves, this happened to me in Paris, or so it seemed. Was asked directions and train-related questions in French a few times (were these Parisians? no idea); was in exchanges with salespeople and got surprised reactions when my French finally broke down into English; that sort of thing. All I can say is, I have a little camera that tucks into a pocket easily--I hate having cameras around my neck--and I try to speak the language. I also wear black and subdued colors, but simply because I like them--nothing special for a trip--and jeans (black or blue), like I do at home. Why do I prefer black and subdued colors? No idea, but clothes aren't something I make a big deal about (I do like hats, though, and choose them with a ridiculous measure of care). <BR> <BR>In any case, I'm not sure black is the key to this sort of thing. The Portuguese seemed to wear a lot of black, and I never was mistaken for a native there. I felt very comfortable in Paris, like I'd come "home" to a place I once knew well. Maybe that's a key? (The reincarnation theory of being mistaken for a native? Just kidding.)

At another, more recent thread (entitled Paris Article: Clothes, Looking "Touristy"), someone offered this web page for some very interesting reading: http://www.bparis.com/newsletter1464...tm?doc_id=7068 <BR> <BR>If you're going to be visiting Paris and want to blend in, take a look-see. I thought I'd pass this on, considering the topic here.

In some places, you can wear whatever you want and still be noticed as an American. The reason? Look around for other people in their 40s and older with such nice, well-tended teeth. Our dentists deserve some of the credit for part of that "look" that gives us away.

On my recent trip to London I was asked several times if I lived or worked in London. I don't know if this constitutes "passing" but I took it as a complement each time.