By Sandy Clarke
that embraces the world beyond just the doorstep
of the Unites States. I spent many years wanting
to travel, but was always waiting on someone
else's schedule. Finally in 2001 I decided to go
solo. It was the best decision I ever made and I
even met my husband in the process!
In the spring of 2001 I decided to take up a long
time pen-pal on the offer to visit him and his
girlfriend in Finland, for a week. What began as a
hesitant trip, turned out to be the most wonderful
trip I have taken to Europe.
Salzburg, Austria.
neighbor Sweden. I was expecting it to be bone chillingly cold, but my friends already advised me on the
importance of layering properly and it was a huge help. The open air market by the waterside in
Helsinki harbor is wonderful and full of life. You can take a short ferry over the stone fort of Suomelina
where Finland defended itself against Russia, then Sweden, then Russia again. I saw precious few
people of color and the ones I did see were either Ethiopian or of South East Asian decent. The
language to me is very guttural, but apparently I managed to speak it well enough for people to try to
converse with me in Finnish- mistaking me for actually knowing the language.
One of my favorite moments came during a hiking trip at lake Kerimaki. My friend and I had stopped
at the Russian border for a short break. Before my friend left to go use the "water closet" he warned
me that the Russian men were not so friendly, so not to make eye contact. Well, by the time he came
back I was drinking beer with them and laughing and making sign language and having a grand time. My
friend was amazed.
was one of my more physically
memorable events. We went
hiking in the Italian and
Austrian Alps with my friend's
60 year old parents- who could
do laps around anyone for a
whole day before they got
tired. It was all I could do to
crawl in a makeshift bed and
wait to do it all over again
tomorrow. Some of the best
and most challenging hiking is
in Slovenia. People there
looked at me curiously because
I guess I was the most
time this year and it was even more breathtaking in the spring with everything in bloom.
After Austria we took a side trip to Ireland. We happened to arrive in Ireland on the same day that the
10 new countries joined the European Union. At the time, Ireland had the E.U. presidency so all the
heads of state were there so there was mad traffic and security. Even so, we managed to have a great
time. As soon as we had finished visiting Trinity University, we left town and headed for the
countryside. The countryside is where the real Ireland lies. The people there are friendly and are keen
to tell you stories of the days of fighting in Belfast. When you visit Belfast you can still see the
remnants of the fighting and even the old check points.
is flourishing with the help of European Union money
and international investments, it’s easy to realize that
it is possible for any nation that has been written off as
a lost cause, can turn itself around with the right
support. - Africa comes to mind. Since that time, I’ve
made it a point to visit Europe every year. So far I
have nothing but wonderful memories.
Throughout my travels I haven’t had any overt
problems “traveling while black”. I am totally aware
that problems do exist, but I think there is no use
looking for it. If racism chooses to manifest itself, it
will. Generally speaking though, Europeans seem to
take a more hostile view to Africans than African
Americans. I think that has more to do with them
appreciating our tourist dollars… and appreciating our
leaving. Still, of the several Black people I know that
live in Europe, including about a half dozen family
members, only one has said they would like to live
here, the rest said not. So even if living in Europe isn’t
that great, apparently it's not that bad either.
