I’ve been mistaken as German two times on this trip.
1. In Barcelona I asked a person in English whether they could take a picture of me. Afterwards, I asked where he was from, he asked me. He said, “Oh, I thought you were German from your accent.” I asked if he could hold on for a minute, went and threw up in the bay, and came back: “Accent? You thought I had a German accent?” I think it’s because I spoke extra slowly…you never know how well someone knows English so I try not to burst out talking at normal speed.
2. In Madrid a guy asked me how to get to the 3rd floor of this building. We were speaking in Spanish to each other. At the end he asked if I was from Germany. Oh fantastic, I guess my Spanish has a German twang to it, too.
In actuality, I attribute these to looking somewhat German and, in the case of #1, wearing a World Cup Germany hat. But the question is: Should I be proud of being quasi-German?
I have a German friend who sometimes gets mistaken for American, so maybe they sound similar. I don’t hear it, personally.
Not sure why you would go ‘throw up in the bay’ though.