<p>The eyeglasses coming out of Italy right now which has a corner on the market here are small. I just got my regulars replaced and they are light weight with pewter rims.</p>
<p>The first time we were in Paris, I was concerned about looking like a tourist. My wife said, “But we are tourists!” </p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. As other said, speak at a lower volume, be polite, learn Please, Thank you, and Good day/evening, try to start every conversation in French (even if it’s only Good Day).</p>
<p>A tip for not getting lost, particularly for your son: As soon as you check into a hotel, save one of their cards in your wallet and have your son do the same. The card has the hotel name, phone number, and address on it, so you always have it as a reference if you get lost. I’m sure it’s particularly handy to show to a cabdriver if you aren’t sure how to pronounce the name. </p>
<p>I learned this when my brother and I took a walk shortly after arriving at out hotel in Lithuania. I knew some limited Lithuanian words and phrases (hello, please, thank you, excuse me, I love you, we are going swimming, God will punish you), but since we had just arrived from Latvia, all of it had flown out of my head and none of it was useful anyway. Luckily my brother and I knew how to say something like “Excuse me please! …English??” and the name of the hotel, and since we weren’t really that far away, we were fine. People also tried to be very helpful. Since we weren’t really that lost, it was actually really funny (what were we thinking)…but yeah, after that I always grabbed the cards. </p>
<p>Also, since I’m in a touristy Argentine city, I play spot-the-tourist games with myself all the time. Middle aged American tourists are SO easy to spot, and younger Europeans (usually couples in their twenties) stand out like sore thumbs because the fashion is just so different. Sometimes the differences are subtle, like non-Argentine hair cuts (really obvious!) or a brandname I recognize from the States (North Face or Land’s End in small print on a jacket). The kinds of things tourists are doing or carrying also make them stand out in a huge way (strolling in the center looking at things, buying things in touristy shops, wearing backpacks or hiking gear, etc). Like hair, skin color also makes people stand out–if you’re Asian and I don’t already know you, you’re a tourist; if you’re black and in the city at all, you’re a tourist; etc. </p>
<p>When I was in Latvia and Lithuania, I could tell that I stood out for what I wore because, well, I wore so MUCH clothing compared to everyone else (I found out why they consider Americans prudes). Plus my dad is an utter tourist and does it all–the bellybag, the leaning-back tourist walk, everything. </p>
<p>I know I’m really off-topic here but I can’t help it. I find tourist spotting so funny…and I guess my connection to the topic is that no matter what you do, something will almost always give you away. </p>
<p>One last thing: definitely lower your voice because Americans really are considered obnoxiously loud, and always make at least some kind of attempt to speak the language because people really tend to appreciate it. I know that these have been said already, but they’re just so true. In my experience, Europeans tend to see us as SO obnoxious. </p>
<p>Ok, I’m REALLY done now. Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>once again, seole, you sure can write vivid prose!</p>
<p>
Excellent tip, seole. We always do that. It saved us one night in Moscow when the hotel car scheduled to pick us up didn’t.</p>
<p>
Now I’m wondering how often you had to use that and whether I should cross Lithuania off all future itineraries–? ;)</p>
<p>Haha, thanks rorosen! :P</p>
<p>Mudder’s_Mudder, hahaha, my father’s parents are Lithuanian immigrants, so he spoke the language at home when he was little. His mother used to say that to him whenever he behaved badly…I’m not sure whether that’s comforting or not! I would think that the wardrobe would be a bigger concern to a parent (uhh my younger brother loved the, ahem, sightseeing aspects of the trip), but really it’s a beautiful country with wonderful people and don’t let me convince you not to see it for yourself. 
:P</p>
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<p>I use this trick too, but it totally failed me once in Taiwan. Burdened by packages after big a shopping trip to downtown Taipei, I confidently handed what I thought was the hotel card to the taxi driver. But he was totally baffled by it. I don’t know what those Chinese characters said, but it evidently wasn’t the name and address of my hotel. He kept driving aimlessly around town looking at the card and mumbling to himself. Telling the driver the English name of my hotel was of no use. He eventually took to jumping out of the cab at stoplights and showing the card to other taxi drivers to see what they could make of it. No luck there either. Eventually he gave up and put me out of the cab – miles from where I started and with no idea where I was or how to get back to my hotel. </p>
<p>I sat down on the curb, hungry and very discouraged, and began to puzzle out how I was going to get out of this jam. I soon reasoned that what I really needed was someone who could speak both Chinese and English. And where to find someone like that? At a hotel of course. So I walked a short distance to the nearest hotel and asked the front desk guy to call a taxi and tell him the name of my hotel in Chinese. He did, and 20 minutes later I was back in my hotel room.</p>
<p>“In my experience, Europeans tend to see us as SO obnoxious.”</p>
<p>This totally contradicts someone who insisted on another thread that Europeans actually “loved” America and Americans, but Hated (with a captical H) our government.</p>
<p>So you all seem to be saying, they don’t think much of us as a people, either. Interesting…</p>
<p>You need a lot of ciao, per piacere, grazie, & per favore in Italy. The language tends to be more formal and polite than English. “Sai parlare l’inglese?” (Can you speak English?) or “Parli inglese?” (Do you speak English?).</p>
<p>I’m jealous of your trip! Have a great time. I love Europe and can’t wait to retire (ha!) to spend some serious time there. Wish we were going this year.</p>
<p>“In my experience, Europeans tend to see us as SO obnoxious.”</p>
<p>//This totally contradicts someone who insisted on another thread that Europeans actually “loved” America and Americans, but Hated (with a captical H) our government.</p>
<p>So you all seem to be saying, they don’t think much of us as a people, either. Interesting…//</p>
<p>In my experience, they don’t tend to think that we’re bad people, just that we have bad manners that they find obnoxious. Then again, “my experience” is largely based on the time I’ve spent with other exchange students in Argentina with me (mostly European). We got along very well together as a group (lots of tears at our final parting last month), but from certain comments and my general observations of the group, my impression was definitely that Americans have a reputation for bad manners among a lot of Europeans. (I also can’t say that I think the stereotype is extremely off-base…)</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean that they necessarily like or dislike us, though.</p>
<p>Americans do a very good job of differentiating individual Canadians or Brits or other Anglo cultures–but most Americans do not differentiate when it comes to South Americans, Africans, Asians, Indians etc.</p>
<p>Likewise, most of the world does not understand America. They do not differentiate between George Bush and say…Wynton Marsalis. They tend to see a monolithic George Bush-type culture when they think of the states. They know about Wynton…but his brilliance isn’t what springs to their minds when they think about Aemricans.</p>
<p>Or, they think of us in terms of our media. Having seen so many American films and TV shows about our struggle for civil equality, they assume our race relations are horrific when in fact, we are the only nation with widespread Tolerance programs in our school systems. </p>
<p>We should have mercy on them. It is very difficult to understand a melting pot. Foreign tourists who visit New York have some inkling. They often come back with an “Ah ha!” expression. </p>
<p>A visitor to New York City cannot help but see and love the dynamic and creative atmosphere of our melting pot. The energy of the melting pot exists right across the country, but it darn near hits you in the face in New York.</p>
<p>These attitudes exist right down to the college kids. Watch the French movie called L’Apartment or The Spanish Apartment for a good send up of European prejudices. Europeans do not like Americans as a rule, but they also dislike each other so don’t take it too personally. ;)</p>
<p>I gather the french only tolerated us for the short period of time it took to save their bacon from Hitler. Otherwise, the average Parisian veritably holds his nose when referring to us.:p</p>
<p>Thank you very much for this thread, I laughed all the way through it.</p>
<p>Dogwood, I live in Munich, have for 4 years. We have lived all over Europe and traveled a lot, go to Italy a couple of times a year, etc. Just don’t you worry so much about looking American. The more you worry, the more self-conscious you will be, the more you will “stick out like a sore thumb” as an American. The only people who are self-conscious about their appearance as tourists are Americans.</p>
<p>Just be comfortable – easier said than done. Weather is cold and rainy now, promises to be thus until mid-July. (see my post to pokey whose son is coming here) Dress like Seattle. Windbreakers, layers, chinos, whatever. We like those zip-off pants for travel, they do double-duty and dry fast. I go for the black-and-tan Emma Peel look, but jeans are universal too.</p>
<p>Wear your white tennies if you want, but my feeling is a pair of lightweight waterproof hiking boots/shoes are a better option. Those are very popular here – my 18-yr.-old son wears his LLBean ones every day. You can traipse through museums in them, or up mountains. Rain would not be a problem.</p>
<p>I would not beat Son over the head with museums, history, churches, cathedrals and art (what my kids call ABC Tours – Another Boring Cathedral, Another Boring Castle). Give him some ownership of what to see. Cable car up the Alps and hike around. Visit Neuschwanstein. My kids like Venice, but it’s jammed in summer, just warning you. Scuba or sail in Croatia if you can. My kids like Salzburg salt mines. Compromise A LOT. </p>
<p>In addition to learning Please and Thank You in the local language, as well as Hello and Good-bye, also learn:
Where is the restroom?
How much does this cost?
The check, please.</p>
<p>And most of all, relax and have fun!
AnudduhMom</p>
<p>AnnudahMom–I like your style! I am heading for Italy next month for the first time. I’m a very comfortable Francophile, having visited there and studied the language since girlhood…but this trip through northern Italy has me studying “Italian for complete Idiots” and perusing all the travel guidebooks I can find for clues. My impression is that Italy is actually more user-friendly than France. Fortunately, it will be just me and H…so we can do all the ABCs we want.
Ciao!</p>
<p>Si, driver, we looove Italy!
And I like the person who posted “A gelato a day keeps everyone happy”, actually for me, it’s more like a gelato an hour interspersed with cappucini. </p>
<p>Northern Italy is awesome – and you don’t say how you’re getting around, but it’s very drive-able.</p>
<p>In N. Italy, Tuscany is a must, Florence of course, but also we love Vinci and Lucca, and Cinque Terre, drive through Pisa, see the tower (but not much else). In the Veneto, Vicenza, Padua (the Giotto frescoes), and of course La Serenissima: Venice. Venizia is packed in summer, but you can explore the little canals and feel very secluded and romantic. I recommend the squid-ink pasta (pitch black). Bolzano’s Ice Man museum is well done. Our family really likes Umbria – Assisi and the other Umbrian hill towns. </p>
<p>If you want more tips or have questions, PM me, because I could go on and on.</p>
<p>A.M.
ps, Provincial France is still great, but skip Paris for now.</p>
<p>This is one of those last minute trips. June-July are big event months for us–birthdays, anniversary, etc. We usually go to France because we have lots of relatives there, and speak the language passably. This year, however, the only reasonalble last-minute airfair to the Continent we could find was Milan…so we’re taking that trip we always said we should do, but never got around to. Since we only have a week, we decided to keep it compact, and really northern Italian…no Tuscany or Umbria this time. Three nights on Lake Garda, three nights in a villa outside of Treviso (for the mandatory Venice trip, but also to explore the villages in that part of the Veneto), and then two nights in Milan…yes, I will do a little clothes shopping.</p>
<p>AnudduhMom, thanks for an insider’s take. We are flying in and out of Munich and I hope to spend the last couple of days there seeing some sights. We are from “good (?!?) German stock”, so definitely have the right physical characteristics. My M-in-L is a Berliner born and raised, but has been state side since she was about 18. While I would love to explore a few places listed in my family history, all are in the south western part of Germany and there is only so much time. </p>
<p>Our primary destination is the north west tip of Croatia, very close to Trieste. (Can anybody help me with that pronunciation?) There is a large sports complex there, my son is going be doing some soccer stuff. One of his local coaches is a former national player from that area, so we do have some inside connections. Our American kids are probably going to get hammered by the local kids! Some of the sight seeing will be with son, some without, so no worries about museum overload. I know better. If you don’t mind, I may pm you about Northern Italy as it is VERY close and depending on car rentals, I would consider that option.</p>
<p>Sounds exactly like Seattle type weather as we don’t get summer until after Fourth of July. I’m not TOTALLY obsessing, just trying to be very well informed and prepared! I do want to travel as light at possible, so want to be thoughtful about what we pack. Unfortunately it has to include stinky soccer gear!</p>
<p>AnudduhMom: do you by chance have a child heading to the states for college in the fall?</p>
<p>Again, thanks to all for the tips and entertaining discussion. Keep posting if you think of other things, I still have two plus weeks!</p>
<p>cheers: “A visitor to New York City cannot help but see and love the dynamic and creative atmosphere of our melting pot. The energy of the melting pot exists right across the country, but it darn near hits you in the face in New York.”</p>
<p>You know, I think that (no FEEL that) every time I return from Europe to the states. I sit in the Jet Blue terminal (for the last leg home) with the HUGE variety of people and, as much as I love Europe, it just feels so good. Funny, huh?</p>
<p>Dogwood — Trieste (Tree-EST-ay) is a tiny little bit of Italy surrounded by Croatia. It’s a fascinating, squalid, busy, polluted and altogether old-European city. I would definitely rent a car, although driving in Trieste is a nightmare, the public transport will take you all day. Roads in Croatia are rudimentary at best, but getting better, as Croatia was named the tourist destination of choice by Lonely Planet this year. Once you get into Italy, the autostradae and stradale are magnificent.</p>
<p>You can zip down to Venice in half a day (or more depending on traffic on the coast road). Definitely do that.</p>
<p>Bump up into Austria, also, if you have time, the boys should like Innsbruck, you can cable car up into the Alps, and head through Tirol to Salzburg. Germany is right across the border there. You can easily do 4 countries during your trip!</p>
<p>If you bring easy-care clothes – microfiber, microfleece, poly blends, etc. you can easily wash stuff out in bathtubs and sinks in your room (using shampoo or soap) and let hang dry overnight.</p>
<p>Feel free to pm me, </p>
<p>A.M.
ps, yes I do have a kid going to college in the fall – oldest is headed to MIT, and we are US college visiting for his younger brother and sister.</p>
<p>“Likewise, most of the world does not understand America. They do not differentiate between George Bush and say…Wynton Marsalis. They tend to see a monolithic George Bush-type culture when they think of the states. They know about Wynton…but his brilliance isn’t what springs to their minds when they think about Aemricans.”</p>
<p>I don’t remember what sparked the first question, but this was an extremely amusing little exchange with a Dutch girl I know. There was a German boy there, too, also curious. </p>
<p>Girl: So you’re Christian?
Me: Yup.
Girl: So…are you really religious? (curious look)
Girl: Well…I don’t know, I mean I sing in my church choir and stuff…(confused by curious look, feeling awkward)
EES: Oh. So…do you believe in Darwin’s theories, or…?
Me: (shocked) I’M FROM A BLUE STATE!!!</p>
<p>XP </p>
<p>Of course, I had to explain what I meant by a blue state. The subsequent discussion was amusing as well…</p>