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Last year I traveled to Europe and spent time in London England, Dublin Ireland and Edinboro Scotland.
The people in each of these cities could not have been more different. In London, I saw few actual Brits. I heard countless languages spoken on the streets. There were lots of people from Asia and Africa. Nearly everyone who worked in restaurants, hotels, and retail were immigrants. Seeing all these people from all over the world was exciting. But I wonder what happened to the old fashioned Brits?
Next, I went to Edinburgh Scotland. Outside of tourists, nearly everyone I encountered in the shops, restaurants, and hotels were from Scotland. I felt like I was in Scotland. But it was so different than London without the cultural and ethnic diversity.
Finally, I went to Dublin and traveled all around Ireland. In Ireland there were some immigrants, but very few. Like Scotland, nearly everyone I came in contact with had an Irish accent and looks so Irish. It seemed very traditional. I felt like I was experiencing an old fashioned Irish Culture. But without the immigrants, the city seemed less exciting.
When you travel in Europe do you like going to places with a common culture or a multicultural city like London or Paris?
living, working, and recreating in the NYC metro area I have my fill of ethnic diversity. So if I travel to England I want to experience their culture, same with Rome and Edinburgh and Berlin. I have no problem with traveling to Hong Kong or Saigon or New Delhi and only encountering locals.
Wherever I go, I enjoy encountering tourists from elsewhere and conversing with them in French or German if possible (or just eavesdropping!). I was in Edinburgh last year and encountered a lot of German tourists climbing up and down Arthur's Seat, and spoke briefly with some French tourists last month at a "Serpentarium" in La Paz, Mexico.
I tend to get lazy and speak English in the UK and even in other European cities where I know the language but am more comfortable in English; I always pick up French, Spanish and German magazines and newspapers, though, and learn a lot. Next year I'm planning on staying in one place in Europe for 3 weeks and using it as a base for exploring- most likely Munich. Maybe I'll improve my German!
In recent years I've spent multiple days in Bangkok, Tokyo, Colombo, Addis Ababa, Odessa, Tbilisi, and did not notice any diversity at all, but I'm kinda blind to that sort of thing. But Parimaribo is historically diverse, and a large Russian minority in Bishkek.
Any of the above, though, I would not have noticed anyone speaking a foreign language.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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What is a Brit? after 300 BCE?
A Druge. A Carthagian, Roman, A Celtic, A Saxon, A Norman, A Brittany, A Nordic?
A part of being an empire was to confer "citizenship to all within the empire.
I am fine either way. I love ethnic and cultural diversity and that's what I want in the city I live in, but for visiting (less than, say, 2 weeks) I'm fine either way.
I'm sure that there are cities that have a high level of homogeneity, reflecting a somewhat "pure" cultural identity. That kind of travel might be interesting but might also be hard to find in major cities. I have not been there but Iceland is supposedly very homogeneous. Rural communities might be low diversity. Cities that are hard to get to or at least not on the tourist radar might show a homogeneous culture but likely a modernized version. Watching those old Anthony Bourdain shows it appears that even the most remote villages have karaoke machines and cell phones. If someone wants diversity the big global cities might be the best bet.
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