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Sometime in the near future i'd like to take a trip to Europe, and one of the places i'd like to go to is England. I'd like to know which places in England(and Europe in general) are longhair friendly? I know Amsterdam is, i hear Germany is, but i'm not sure what else. Thanks!
Wherever you go don't go to France!
Wow, I knew it was coming...
I know why he is saying that and don't agree, but I don't want to get mired in that nonsense.
France is generally long hair friendly, although (or perhaps because!) long hair was never all that popular there. They are great beleivers in 'egalite', in their own way.
I visited France many times from England on a motorcycle, and in general was far better treated there than in England, as they have no animus against bikers (a bit OT, but it also refers to long-haired bikers).
They do have a strange beleif about beards. It's hard to explain, but I think they beleive that having a beard means that you are a grumpy person. They even have an expression where they say figuratively that someone has a beard to mean that they are worked up about something. A French person might be able to explain it better.
I say it because they treated us Americans poorly back...whenever. I don't know all of it but I know enough to say as a fact that the French were very rude to us lately after we save their patooties in WWII. If it wasn't for us then they'd all be saying "Jawohl" instead of "Oiu oiu." Infact alot of Europe tends to forget that without us Hitler had a pretty good chance of ruling them all. We saved most of Europe and it's important for Europe to remember that. Although when we speak back to the time I re-enact, Civil War, I must try to pretend I like the French sorta' because the French were all the rage since Napolean. Infact the forage cap and kepis we wore were modeled after their shako (we had that too) and the Zouaves were again modeled after them. Quite odd how things turned around. We glorify the French, we save the French, the French behave rudely. That's it! I'm going to Dorney Park (not really)!
I seem to remember in history class that the French bailed us out of the Revolutionary war. (To keep it On Topic)Interesting to note that in the movie "The Patriot" Jean Villeneuve, (the French Officer) seems to be one of the few men in the movie without long hair. (or maybe my mind is playing tricks on me)
Yeah - the French are the reason America exists at all, otherwise we (The British) would still be calling you a colony and leving rediculous taxes on everything going in or out of your country.
And what the hell was all that nonsense about "Freedom Fries?" The American public and Media have treated France very badly recently expecially when you consider all France said was:
"No, don't invade Iraq. Let the Weapons Inpectors do their job."
America and Britain rush in anyway and low and behold, there were no WMD... France was right!
France is longhair friendly, but after the way America has treated france over the past 2-3 years, I wouldn't expect a warm welcome if your from the other side of the pond. Not unless your prepared to be very humble about all that wine you poured down the drains. Britain has some bridges to build too.
Sorted
The silliest thing I ever saw. The people who poured French wine down the drain were undoubtedly not connoisseurs of fine wine. All they've done is temporarily decrease the local supply, which will result in higher demand and higher profits as wine drinkers tire of locally-produced wines and come back to their senses.
"Freedom fries"? The joke around here was about the "Freedom kiss".
a.k.a. the "Lip lock of Liberty"
Hahahah.....
At least they have the Eurotunnel (despite the efforts to destroy it in 1996, when somebody set a truck on fire on one of the shuttle trains)...
A Linux Longhair
Hi there,
Most places I've visited in Europe are longhair friendly from the countries I've visited. I live in the UK and it's longhair friendly here to. Feel free to drop me an e-mail and I can give you more info. Always nice to meet other longhairs visting the country.
I'm not sure what that comment about France has to do with it but I know quite a few people with longhair there in bands etc and have had a problem.
Do get in touch.
John.B
Most places are long hair friendly in England, just not the town centers where the chav's lurk.
Phil, Germany is principally "longhair-friendly", but if you go to East Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Thuringia), don't wonder, if the "longhaired-men-friendliness" isn't too overwhelming. A couple of years ago a longhaired man in East Germany was knocked down by Neo-Nazis (Teens), and they tortured him with burning cigarettes, and after he collapsed unconscious, they cut off his long hair. Of course, this was only one individual case, such things didn't happen anymore, but I can say, that whenever I visit East Germany, I can see, that longhaired men are basically seldom in East Germany - more seldom than in West Germany.
Uwe
The heart of London is very culturally diverse, and you'll see plenty of longhaired men on the streets. However, if you head out into the suburbs in the east, you'll get plenty of slurs from the obnoxious youths.
As an extra note, I've just returned home after a week-long trip to Berlin, and I found it to be an extremely friendly city.
England is generally very long hair tolerant and increasing numbers have long hair.
You may get odd groups of youths who are dificult but that is rare and is assocaiited with anything 'different' rather than long hair as such.
I live in the south of england and i cant really recall any real negativisms to my hair which is half way down my back. you get the odd case of mistaken gender but thats not exactly negative. occasionally i get someone who says i shuld cut it short but this is usually friends when were discussing styles... i was in london yesterday and yes there r a lot of diverse types. one guy had pigtails which was really cool!
Most large cities in England are like this, they are very cosmpolitan places. There's always some places which suffer from ignorance, but if your doing the "tourist thing" your travels are unlikely to take to these areas.
Traditionally the north of England is more paranoid about people who are different, and in the south its only really the older conservative generation who have any social hang-ups about long hair. But these people tend to be polite regardless of their personal opinion so all in all, you'll find a pretty high degree of tolerance.
That said, I live in Spain these days (well the Canary Islands to be precise,) and I've found Spanish people to be much more open minded than British, I have never received a negative comment about my hair from a Spaniard, yet I've had a couple from Brits. So if you're visiting Europe Spain is a very safe bet, Madrid and Barcelona are fascinating cities too.
Sorted
Im an American. When I was younger I thought it would be easy for an AMerican to move to other First World Countries. But it is actually harder than if you are from a third world country. I mean most Americans are white. They could easily learn French or German. I'm trying to move to Europe myself. I can't stand the way America will head under Kerry or Bush. Kerry is just a two time traitor who turned against his own troops, and Bush is just a chickenhawk who justified war without evidence.
Yeah we have a nice little thing called the EU, its allows any national of a member state to move to and work in any of the other member states. EG: I'm British and I live in Spain, (no problem) I could also move to Gemany, France, Poland, the Czech Republic or any other member state and live and work their with no more immigration control than flashing my passport as I get off the plane. Good isn't it?
Though we European's find it equally as difficult to migrate to the US, or Australia, its just that within the EU we have an open immigration policy.
So what are you saying Kenneth? Black people find it harder to learn french or German than white people? Care to expand on that statment? At this point I'd like to point out that most of North & West Africa speak french. And most Americans (like Brits) never learn a second language.
Well the rest of the world, particularly Europe and the Middle East, will be a lot better off without Bush, so makesure your there for the election, vote democrat and at least they'll still be a Europe to visit in 4 years time.
Sorted
The point is white Americans could look like Natives in Most German and French speaking countries. Not that black people can't learn French or English or German. You are more easily intergrated into the Country looking like a native. It wasn't to imply any racist connotations.
Maybe this is where things are different between Europe and the states. You'll integrate much better into a European country if you speak the language. "Looking" European has a lot less to do with it. You'll get a lot further in France if you speak french than if your just white.
At least in America people from other countries don't look out of place, because America is so diverse. In other countries at least in Germany where I lived (Nuremberg or Nürnberg as the Germans call it)I saw very few non-turkish non-German people outside of U.S. Military Members . When I was in Germany I could speak a Beginners level in German that got me far then if I didn't speak any. Of course I saw very little of Europe so I don't know how the rest of Europe. I do know London is one of the most diverse cities in the World. I guess in the bigger cities you will be less out of place, but in smaller cities there are more intolerance like in America.
Europe is far more culturally diverse than you give it credit for, you'll see very little of Germany or Europe from a Millitary Base (which sounds like where your speaking from.) Europe attracts many different ethnic and racial mixes, the one thing that ensures people integrate is speaking the language of the country in which they reside.
I could travel and integrate into any society in Western Europe or the Americas (north and south) with the exception of Brazil, because I speak English and Spanish and I have basic understanding of French. The colour of my skin has nothing to do with it. I guarantee that someone who only spoke German would have a much tougher time doing the same thing.
Sorted
Well to be fair to Europe i lived in Germany only 3 years, from 9 years old to 12 years. I do kind of feel out of place in America, I was born in Stuggart.
I've seen him called lots of things, but I sure didn't know he was into little boys! That's a different guy with a ranch. [grin]
In this thread, I see mentions of negative things in Germany and France. I will soon be vacationing in both. Unlike many men on here, I have not in many years gotten harassed here in the U.S. about my hair, probably because I am an older, graying man. Much of the power play that underpins needless violence is all about younger men vying for dominance, and older men are not seen as a threat and thus tend to be left alone. I look very male, so no one ever thinks I am female, either. I walk through gang-ridden neighborhoods here and no one ever bothers me. I intend to go to Europe and just enjoy the place like I do when I travel here.
I spent two weeks in Germany in the year 2000, and the only reaction I got to my hair was one guy in Hamburg in a park saw me and yelled while smiling big, "Hippie!" I learned the German word for hippie was the same as the English that day. [grin]
I've always found Europeans to be very much like Americans, but if I do have something to fear, by all means let me know!
Bill
I've never been to the sates, but I've met plenty of Americans. In fact, I've never met an American I didn't like, though I've met plenty of Europeans who I despise.
I think thats because the sort of people I don't like are the sort of people who have no interest in other people's cultures, these types of people tend not to travel to Foreign Places. Instead they stay at home, safe in their own little world, or like here in Tenerife, bring their little world with them, setting-up there very own little "El Dorado" at the expense of the local culture. *Grrr!*
Sorry it makes me mad to see so many Brits coming to Tenerife and eating in English Cafe's drinking English Beer and buying English food in Supermarkets, all without bothering to speak a single word of Spanish. Ignorant fools the lot of them.
If you travel to very insular places you're not going to fit in, (except maybe for novelty value if they don't get many visitors.) Instead if you travel to cosmopolitan places such as big cities you're always going to feel at home. I think this applies throughout Europe and North America.
Sounds like the town in the Illinois Ozarks I grew up in. Funny thing, it was named "Eldorado". No gold there, though. Just coal. But you'd have thought it was gold, the way people looked at the world lying beyond the county line.
Bill
How far is that from Cairo?
80 miles, as I recall. With newer roads it may be closer now. The town is about half way between Carbondale and Evansville. Put another way, it's about 20 miles west of that point where Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky all come together. Not that you can go to that point. It's in the middle of the Ohio and Wabash rivers.
If I really want to confuse someone, I tell 'em it's halfway between Equality Illinois and Broughton Illinois. Or Muddy and Texas City.
Aren't you from somewhere back there? Seems I recall seeing that.
Bill
Chicago: The City With Broad Shoulders, The Big Onion, The Windy City, The Jewel on the Lake...
I do agree with you here :) While being on holiday in Ibiza, I noticed that in some bars (pubs), it was clearly stated which country it represented. I went to a Scottish, Irish, Danish and Mexican bar and they all were very nice! I can speak 5 languages, of which only three I can use here. The other two I can only use in my country of birth. I did learn a few spanish words, but for the rest, I don't even understand a word they say if they speak so fast! I am, however, interested to learn Latin in the near future.
I agree, why or how can the spanish speak so fast! It's like trying to chase a train!
What you see here that we've both said has ninety two words and all but five of them have one syllable. That tongue would take a lot more long words to say the same thing. They have to talk so fast to get much said! [grin]
Try to put what we've both said here in that tongue with the most short words you can, and you'll see how few short words you get.
Bill
If you're looking for a holiday full of culture, you should also give Wales and Scotland a thought. As there are a lot of universities and colleges in Wales, us people are used to seeing longhaired men, especially the south and southwest of Wales.
In England, the southwest (Devon and Cornwall) are great places to visit, that is if you love the beaches and cream tea's :P
Birmingham's a pretty cool city these days. It used to be a terible dump but they've put quite a bit of work into redeveloping it. It's pretty diverse in cultural circles and whenever I go there always seems to be lots of longhaired people whether they're dressed in business type clothes, music T-shirts and jeans through to full goth.
But they've still got that funny accent though ! (Just kidding - I picked up a bit of a Brummy twang when I worked there for a few months). Nice to hear that Birmingham isn't a terrible dump any more.
PS Is that 50p piece still cemented to the pavement outside the Virgin Megastore in New Street ? - everyone used to bend down to pick it up and it had been there for years !!
Picture Purged
Denmark: Danes are generally of the opinion that the way you dress or wear your hair is not their business. Sometimes they may make fun (in a good mannered way) of you. A "must visit" place in Copenhagen is the Christiania "free city" - despite the recent decisions by the government to regulate it (especially by cracking down on the hashish trade and on unregulated construction), it is still a place where you can meet all sorts of people. Another thing to do, especially in July and August, is to attend the many open air concerts and festivals. The Roskilde Rock Festival is by far the greatest, but you have to buy tickets in advance (the festivals is held usually during the last week in June or first week in July, ticket sales start in January).
While Danes are friendly, not the same can be said about youngsters from immigrant families - mainly of Turkish or Middle Eastern descent - who tend to make rude comments and even assault you. I was once assaulted in a train station by three youths who 'hated my hair' - they backed off when I pushed one of them over the platform's edge onto the tracks and when other people came to my assistance.
Germany: I have been in Hamburg, Hannover, Stuttgart, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Dortmund, Nürnberg and Berlin. I had some skinheads shouting after me in Berlin, otherwise I have never had problems.
Austria: no problems at all in Tirol and the Tauern mountain range areas. In Vienna there were some Romanians making idiot comments on me in the subway; before leaving I hurled some obscenities at them in Romanian (which happens to be my native language).
Sweden: Many Swedes wear long hair. The only problems I had was with some immigrants in the Stockholm suburb of Årsta.
France: unpleasant encounter with some immigrant youngsters in the train from the De Gaulle airport to Paris, otherwise no problems.
Italy: the only place I stayed overnight was Vipiteno (Sterzing), a small town situated a few miles south of the Brenner Pass; I had to stop there when my car broke down and had to be fixed. Quite hostile people there, some shouting 'Ötzi'after me (reference to a bronze-age man who died 5000 years ago and whose perfectly preserved body was discovered in a glacier near the Brenner Pass).
Hungary & Romania: many longhairs in the larger cities, many hostile remarks too from especially elderly people and skinheads. Since 1990 discrimination against longhairs in Romanian universities has been subject to several lawsuits (lost by the leadership of the involved insitutions).
A Linux Longhair
I`d definitely say the CENTRAL PART of London. Camden Town is a place where there are lots of longhairs.
In the suburbs, I mean once you leave the City Centre(West End), you`ll start to get weird looks.
Places to avoid: Southall, East London and other similar areas. Not that the people are bad or evil, but they generally tend to see longhairs as outside the scope of their culture and thus they stare at you or make comments.
I`ve been victim of comments made by people of Indian, Turkish origin,even by Russians in the bus.
That sounds nice, I'm going to be staying in Camden Town from friday to wednesday. Going to some shows and meeting up with some friends there.
