For the first time in a long while, I feel alien. There are no black people in Vienna. If they are, they are in hiding as since arriving on Saturday, I have seen three. That my friend is not a good number considering that I've passed thousands of people on the streets. And while this normally wouldn't bother me, I am suddenly feeling rather self conscious. Maybe it's the cold weather that has made me extra sensitive to these matters. Maybe its because I’ve noticed children and adults alike staring at me! Whatever the case, I have not been in such a homogeneous city in a long long time. Of course, this doesn't detract from the architectural beauty of the city.
Three and counting
No TrackBacks
TrackBack URL: http://barzey.com/MT42/mt-tb.cgi/1767
I felt similarly when I traveled in southern Mexico in the early 90's. People couldn't stop touching my red hair and asking if it was real. The whole thing kind of amused me as I was a visitor to their world and now I was special. I have felt the same way when I have been in the middle east, especially the places I go where I am the only white person around. While in Vienna I only felt somewhat out of sorts in that I never lived in such a beautiful place.