I actually have one of those universal faces which seems to fit in everywhere in Europe. Well, north of Italy. I speak accent-free German, and I can blend it to sound like the region I'm in, so I really confuse folks. Especially when I finally say "Ich bin Amerikaner." On our recent trip to Norway, I got told that I speak Norwegian with a Danish accent. Guilty. Norwegians and Swedes have that distinctive up and down lilt that sounds so musical. I can mimic it, but I get tired of it. Danish doesn't have it since it's heavily influenced by the proximity of Germany. Interestingly enough, Swiss German has almost the same lilt to it. So far as pedigree, I'm Scots, German, Dutch, and the Self name is originally Old Norsk. I'm also a not-inconsiderable slice of Cherokee, which doesn't show, unless you know what to look for. In fact, many Germans and central Europeans, from the Hunnish, etc., invasions from the east over the years have the high cheekbones and slightly slanted eyes which I have from the Cherokee. Once, my looks made it hard for me to get back into the country from Juarez. In my family group, coming back across, I was singled out and made to answer questions like the county seat of the county of my birth, etc. I mentioned to my SIL (half German, half Dutch from NJ - she and my BIL were living in Roswell, NM) that I didn't think I looked like a Mexican. She said no, but that there were many Europeans who used Mexico as a conduit to sneak into the US and that's what they thought I was...