# In which city would you most like to live?



## Edward Elgar

Just out of curiosity. Mine would be Berlin just so I could be near the BPO! Also, I speak a bit of German and it would be nice to live in a relatively economically stable country for a change.

Where would you go? Would your taste in music influence where you go or just your social/political preferences? Would you choose Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia, the Far East or the Middle East:devil:?


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## Art Rock

Shanghai. For the practical reason that my wife spends a large part of the year there for her profession. And it is a fascinating city (visited it ten times or so).


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## elgar's ghost

In the 1970's/80s it would have to be New York City for me - watching the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets plus Lenny ruling the roost with the NYPO. As long as I could sufficiently spin to the speed of the city I think NY would be unbeatable.

In musical terms during the 19th century (post-Napoleon) it would have to be Paris or Vienna.

As regards now I'm not too bothered - I only have to hop on a train for 10 minutes to the city of my birth and when I see Edward Elgar's statue gazing benignly in the direction of the beautiful cathedral I feel OK with where I am right now.


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## emiellucifuge

Amsterdam - no question.

Ive lived in Chicago, London and Amsterdam and this is surely the best place to be.

It has everything - incredible museums, rich architecture, the concertgebouw, modern music. It is a very liberal place by dutch standards, the air is clean as people cycle, or use public transport. The beautiful city centre - which is a world heritage site - famous for its canals and building.

I think the greatest thing is its small size, its a world-class city, with history, which attracts millions of tourists and businesses yet it is small enough for you to cycle anywhere.


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## joen_cph

Can´t select only one; outside Europe I´ve only been to Japan, but hope to go to New York on a trip some time next year. If a millionnaire and free to choose, I would move between

1) Prague. Consistently beautiful, some roughness still left, in the very centre of Europe with good connections to both East and West; extraordinary rich cultural life and history, superb musical traditions in the country, fine record- and bookshops, varied scene as regards food and city life in general.

2) Paris or London, as a bigger metropolis and a bit more up-beat as regards trends and traditions in Western Europe.

3) Kyoto. Probably the most interesting city in Japan, nice climate, a good centre for exploring Japan, very rich in history and culture.

4) the mountain village of Saorge in the French Alpes Maritimes, behind Menton
View attachment 1255

They only have a few church concerts now and then, but the French Riviera and its cosmopolitan and abundant cultural life is nearby and easily available.

5) Copenhagen. My hometown, good quality of life, and the cultural life is rich and modern, having progressed a lot in recent decades - but still a bit small-scale if compared to the bigger European cities and with less architectural and natural sights in the area. Politics have become sometimes degraded and depressing though - but this seems to be happening almost everywhere, except in certain experimental ecological socities and the like.


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## sospiro

Milan

Have been a Formula 1 & specifically a Ferrari fan for ever & Monza is only 15 minutes away from Milan. Have spent many happy hours at the circuit with fellow Tifosi, in awe of the drivers' skills & loving the sound only a Ferrari can make as it exits Parabolica, accelerates down the main straight & brakes for Prima Variante.

Been an opera fan for less time but Milan has everything I would need within easy reach to feed my opera habit & sustain my body & soul.


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## Weston

Of the cities I've been to I'd love to live in Phoenix, Arizona, not for its dubious current politics, but because something ancient within the landscape seemed to speak to me.

Of the cities I've heard about, perhaps Vienna for the rich musical history, or Amsterdam because I am a true liberal, or Glasgow for my Celtic heritage and for the great single malt whiskeys. It would be hard to decide on short notice.


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## Listener

I would have to visit a lot more cities before I could answer this question.

For music, I'm mostly into baroque and early music, so one of the larger European cities would probably be my best option. I've visited Rome and Berlin and preferred the latter, though I can't say if I'd actually like to live there.


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## World Violist

I dunno... maybe England. I just know I couldn't stand some of the more colorful and such cities. Maybe Finland also. However, I've never left the US, so I can't say much definitively. I seem to remember a thread like this a long time ago...


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## Huilunsoittaja

St. Petersburg, Russia!!!! If only it wasn't so dangerous there... All I would have to do is learn Russian, become a musician...


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## Sid James

Yes there was a similar thread to this before. I'm pretty happy here in Sydney, but I wouldn't mind living for a while somewhere in Europe, perhaps (more on the continent than the UK). Probably anywhere except Russia (sorry, Huilunsoittaja) - too lawless from what I can gather. But life is pretty comfortable here, even though rents are through the roof (housing shortage). I wouldn't mind a stint in say Darwin or Hobart, to go to opposite ends of the continent. But from what I've heard, living in neighbouring New Zealand is less costly, so if I wasn't so much tied here, that might be an option...


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## mamascarlatti

Andre said:


> But from what I've heard, living in neighbouring New Zealand is less costly, so if I wasn't so much tied here, that might be an option...


Ha ha, half of New Zealand is moving to Australia chasing higher salaries!


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## Wicked_one

Somewhere in England for sure. There's something that fascinates me about that country 

I think there are some other cities as well, where I'd rather live, but I have to travel first and see what they have to offer


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## elgar's ghost

Thanks for you folks who namechecked England but please don't forget Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, too. England may be the largest component of the UK but the other countries are every bit as worthy and their major cities are sufficiently diverse in their own right!


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## Argus

elgars ghost said:


> Thanks for you folks who namechecked England but please don't forget Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, too. England may be the largest component of the UK but the other countries are every bit as worthy and their major cities are sufficiently diverse in their own right!


I don't think too many people dream of living in Belfast.

For me, Mogadishu looks nice.


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## Huilunsoittaja

Andre said:


> Probably anywhere except Russia (sorry, Huilunsoittaja) - too lawless from what I can gather.


That gives me an idea! I should set up a Russian Music Mafia while I'm there! To protect the legacy of Russian composers, we will be a set of influential Critics/Musicians who will ruin the reputation and business/success of all who insult them! I'll call us the Heirs to the Mighty Handful.


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## World Violist

Huilunsoittaja said:


> That gives me an idea! I should set up a Russian Music Mafia while I'm there! To protect the legacy of Russian composers, we will be a set of influential Critics/Musicians who will ruin the reputation and business/success of all who insult them! I'll call us the Heirs to the Mighty Handful.


Isn't that just Pierre Boulez?


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## David58117

Some place not too big and where people don't have much of an accent and speak English.


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## emiellucifuge

David58117 said:


> Some place not too big and where people don't have much of an accent and speak English.


Amsterdam?


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## Huilunsoittaja

David58117 said:


> Some place not too big and where people don't have much of an accent and speak English.


America? Mid-Atlantic Region (i.e Washington DC) ? well, suburbs are quieter.


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## Sid James

mamascarlatti said:


> Ha ha, half of New Zealand is moving to Australia chasing higher salaries!


True, true. But an acquaintance of mine has just moved from here to NZ for various reasons, but one of the upshots was that he & his wife could probably buy a house there (no chance of that here in Sydney). So there's plusses & minuses, of course...


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## David58117

Huilunsoittaja said:


> America? Mid-Atlantic Region (i.e Washington DC) ? well, suburbs are quieter.





emiellucifuge said:


> Amsterdam?


Actually the wife and I are considering moving to Des Moines Iowa. We live in San Antonio TX right now, lived in Cedar Rapids Iowa for a bit, loved it except the city was way too small. Des Moines is a bit bigger, seems like nurses (which we both are) make about the same as here, and Des Moines keeps ending up in the "top places to raise a family" articles. Also, it's much closer to her family (2 hours vs 18 hrs), and the CSO is only 5.5 hours away!

That or Madison Wisconsin, which gets high marks from her family as well. Exciting times!!!!!


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## mamascarlatti

David58117 said:


> Some place not too big and where people don't have much of an accent and speak English.


Everybody has an accent, so you're chasing the impossible.

Unless you mean, somewhere people have a similar accent to mine.


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## mamascarlatti

Andre said:


> True, true. But an acquaintance of mine has just moved from here to NZ for various reasons, but one of the upshots was that he & his wife could probably buy a house there (no chance of that here in Sydney). So there's plusses & minuses, of course...


I think you'd really miss the cultural life in Sydney. Of course there is some, but much lower key.


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## Sid James

mamascarlatti said:


> I think you'd really miss the cultural life in Sydney. Of course there is some, but much lower key.


True. I think we here in the Eastern cities of Australia can easily take for granted just how much is going on around here culturally. But if only the cost of living wouldn't be so high! One can easily hanker for the times in the 1950's when an average worker could pay of a mortgage in 2 years. It's almost unbelievable now that that was the case back then. It's probably similar with you over there in NZ, but at least you haven't had things like the Olympics drive house prices and rents up enormously as we had over here...


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## mamascarlatti

Andre said:


> It's probably similar with you over there in NZ, but at least you haven't had things like the Olympics drive house prices and rents up enormously as we had over here...


House prices are pretty over-inflated here too. it will be interesting to see what happens with the Rugby World Cup here next year. I'm dreading it in more ways than one - as though this country isn't already obsessed enough with sport!


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## emiellucifuge

mamascarlatti said:


> I think you'd really miss the cultural life in Sydney. Of course there is some, but much lower key.


The Sydney Opera House!? Low key?!


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## mamascarlatti

emiellucifuge said:


> The Sydney Opera House!? Low key?!


Sorry, I meant here in Auckland, NZ, where I live. Sydney is in Australia  and from Andre's descriptions of his concert-going has a lively arts scene.

Auckland was recently voted among the 5 best cities to live in in The Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey. Can't have been many music lovers and certainly no opera lovers on the panel.


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## mamascarlatti

emiellucifuge said:


> The Sydney Opera House!? Low key?!


Sorry, I meant here in Auckland, NZ, where I live. From Andre's descriptions of his concert-going, Sydney has a lively arts scene.

Auckland was recently voted among the 5 best cities to live in in The Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey. Can't have been many music lovers and certainly no opera lovers on the panel. I certainly had more lively cultural life when I lived in London and had a subscription to the ROH.


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## xiemeng

Europe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!Europe!my dream.


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## Aramis

xiemeng said:


> Europe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!Europe!my dream.


Yes, Europe is beautiful city.


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## Almaviva

Two cities where I actually used to live in the past still bring me so many fond memories that I often regret that I'm not there any longer: New York City and Paris, France.

On the other hand, I quite like the place where I live now in the Southeastern United States. It's small and quiet and cozy with good quality of life and relatively decent cultural opportunities and restaurants; it's a good place for a middle aged person like me, I'm not sure if nowadays I'd still be able to keep up with the pace of New York City or Paris.

However, I consider a totally different idea for my retirement years - I may very well retire in Italy, of which I'm also a citizen. Probably not Rome or Milan for the same reasons above, but a mid-size community such as Florence, or even smaller, like Verona, or the northern lakes in between Switzerland and Milan, this would be a good compromise. This is a very preliminary idea, but I've been thinking more and more about it. I'm still a good 15 years away from retirement, though, so these plans may very well change.


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## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Two cities where I actually used to live in the past still bring me so many fond memories However, I consider a totally different idea for my retirement years - I may very well retire in Italy, of which I'm also a citizen. Probably not Rome or Milan for the same reasons above, but a mid-size community such as Florence, or even smaller, like Verona, or the northern lakes in between Switzerland and Milan, this would be a good compromise. This is a very preliminary idea, but I've been thinking more and more about it. I'm still a good 15 years away from retirement, though, so these plans may very well change.


Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Only one hour from Milan for cultural engagements, but really stunningly beautiful.

Siena, probably my favourite place in the world.


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## Aramis

All cities are disappointing when you really get to live there a real, day after day life. 

I would prefer to build my own city. On an island far from all other lands, or on some high mountain. I would let in only those who would be able to make it perfect place, all people would use poetry to communicate with each other, for tourits it would seem like theater, but after all there would be no tourists, no fat idiots unworthy of being among us, I would rule the city-empire as Emperor, I would be known as Garozyleualiagon, but soon we would get attacked by defenders of democracy because having emperor is wrong and it's against human rights and it's attempt to destroy world peace and democracy so I would cast powerful spell and the whole place would explode, our enemies would vanish and we all would turn into beautiful flowers and our place would be lost, it would appear only in dreams of great artists and it would inspire their works, I'll write about our lives as flowers next time.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Only one hour from Milan for cultural engagements, but really stunningly beautiful.
> 
> Siena, probably my favourite place in the world.


Stresa - I concur 

Or how about the most livable city in Italy?


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Only one hour from Milan for cultural engagements, but really stunningly beautiful.
> 
> Siena, probably my favourite place in the world.


Yep, I've been to Stresa and you're right. The Borromeo islands...

Lago di Como is another option.

Siena is a nice idea too.


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## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Stresa - I concur
> 
> Or how about the most livable city in Italy?


Interesting. I had thought of Bologna, but your idea seems even better.


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## Genoveva

I was brought up in London (UK) until the age of 13 and then moved to South Africa where I have lived with both parents (white Brits) for the past 5 years. I have been all over Africa, parts of S E Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and visited the USA. I loved all these places but would above all like to return to London one day because that's where I feel my roots are: lots of friends, other relatives. 

We used to live in a borough called Dulwich which is not far from the centre of London. I recall the gorgeous Edwardian house we lived in with its sash windows, high ceilings, stone floor in kitchen area, and the view of the local park. 

I miss most of all things like the frequent visits to the Royal Opera House (mainly ballet), the wonderful shopping areas in/around Oxford Street, the trips on the River Thames, Kew Gardens, Greenwich, etc. It's the best place in the world. If I should ever win a fortune I'b buy a penthouse flat overlooking St Paul's Cathedral on the South Bank, and play HIP Beethoven all day, and Mozart in the evening.


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## emiellucifuge

Genoveva said:


> I miss most of all things like the frequent visits to the Royal Opera House (mainly ballet), the wonderful shopping areas in/around Oxford Street, the trips on the River Thames, Kew Gardens, Greenwich, etc. It's the best place in the world. If I should ever win a fortune I'b buy a penthouse flat overlooking St Paul's Cathedral on the South Bank, and play HIP Beethoven all day, and Mozart in the evening.


I too miss London, I lived there for 11 years. It is such a huge city which has everything you could wish for - but you still feel like a community within your borough and can visit your local high street, recognising many people.
You can take the tube to the busy center where all the worlds best museums and shops are available, or you can stroll through your local common.

BUT - I now prefer Amsterdam. Where the whole city is small enough to feel like a town but is still Jam-packed with everything. World class museums and orchestras just a short cycle away. The city is so much more beautiful than cities such as london, because its all 15th century canal houses, built by the wealth of the golden-age trade routes to indonesia - no ugly skyscrapers here.


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## jurianbai

I would like to live in the city :

1. technically secured from natural disaster (earthquake, typhoon, volcanoes)
2. internally secured from social/political riot
3. externally secured from being invaded by other country, or technically able to defend ourself for that

with internet swinging around, I don't mind live in a remote and beautiful sub urb area!


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## emiellucifuge

I assure here we have very good flood defences :lol:

But seriously.. why are social or political riots a bad thing? Surely it just means that people have the freedom to express their unhapiness? I see two ways a city can be secure from this:
A. Its china and people who revolt get sent to underground Jails.
B. The people are so happy there is no need to revolt.

Which do you mean?


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## jurianbai

well, it's just some point of view from non-rich country, like in my region. The political/social riot I mean is something similar in Bangkok (the last two or three years are worse), areas in Indonesia, Southern Philipines, etc. Where it can be literally harm you physically.

In western country maybe Canada is the candidate place in my mind, not very sure about natural disaster overthere.


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## Head_case

jurianbai said:


> I would like to live in the city :
> 
> 1. technically secured from natural disaster (earthquake, typhoon, volcanoes)
> 2. internally secured from social/political riot
> 3. externally secured from being invaded by other country, or technically able to defend ourself for that
> 
> with internet swinging around, I don't mind live in a remote and beautiful sub urb area!


Haven't you just described Singapore? :devil:

Anyways.

The problem with city living .... is people.

London in the last century, was a more exciting place to live. I used to live in Mayfair village - a quiet hub with a bustling Oxford street next to it. It was busy and cosmopolitan, but it was chic living, with the gym around the corner; cafes downstairs, shops everywhere, and lots of friends popping in to bunk over  Then it got taken over by the extortionate rents, bombs and terrorists, and just as badly mannered - tourists. LP and record stores were abundant, and affordable. Good hi-fi stores existed and were mostly family run and offered decent service. Commuting wasn't so bad, before congestion charging came in. Cafes were decent - you could order a proper coffee made on an Elektra or a Pavoni. Nowadays, they're all semi-automatic coffee makers dishing out the same bitter dishwater. People are more rude than ever, and there are more of them. Government is worse than ever, and if government is a reflection of the people who elect them, then the people are indecisive and wishy-washy, so we end up with a toothless coalition government. Taxation through road/council/living/VAT/taxes are all falling in line with Europe - no easy feat for those with families and children, which is making the city less family centred....less human-centred, and more organisation-centred. As a result, alienation in the city is on the rise; loneliness in the city is terrible and will become even more terrible still, as individuals are surrounded by ever more pressing people. Solitude is terrifying and will become even more terrifying as the very people who surround you, contribute to no sense of solidarity and become like next door neighbour aliens, to whom you cannot relate. In short, those in the city feel like aliens, despite having lived here for years. They become the very aliens, whom they feel alienated from!  They .... they are .... assimilated!  . People everywhere - and no one to connect with, yet all connected by the internet. Turn on the internet connection, and find some miserable way to connect remotely to deal with the very loneliness which sprouts from city living in the 21st century.

That's why I live in a bunker with my metal foil baseball cap :lol:


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## jurianbai

Head_case said:


> Haven't you just described Singapore? :devil:


... a nice place to stay, if only the property is a bit larger so it will take more than 30 minutes to stand airbombing :devil:

My impression of UK (and London) mainly from Conan Doyle' novel, I think it's not very up to date.


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## Edward Elgar

Aramis said:


> All cities are disappointing when you really get to live there a real, day after day life.


That is the sad truth. I'm sure heaven would get boring after a while! Shows that humans are not meant to be in one place for very long.

Also, I love your idea of your own city! Your depiction of tourists as fat idiots was quite amusing! My perfect city wouldn't disallow tourists, but it would instigate compulsory sterilisation for anyone who broke the law.


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## emiellucifuge

Head_case said:


> a toothless coalition government.


I hope your inclusion of the word 'coalition' doesnt involve any negative connotations? I feel that a multi-party country, where parties may only govern reasonably in a coalition, are much fairer and representative of the people.

I hate to keep extolling the virtues of my city , but i do not feel any of what you describe here in Amsterdam. The cafes and coffeshops still bustle with groups of friends, the cities design almost encourages you to interact with other 'real' people.

In dutch we have a word for these social pleasures: Gezellig. There is no accurate translation in any other language, but this word on its own describes and characterises perfectly the how people here view social encounters.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I would like to live in Kabul. I read the Afghan Baroque Consort (on period instruments) is quite good, they put on a Baroque, Classical opera almost every month in their capital opera house in Kabul. Plus the country has lovely mountain ranges that make good weekend trips of exploration.


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## Head_case

emiellucifuge said:


> I hope your inclusion of the word 'coalition' doesnt involve any negative connotations? I feel that a multi-party country, where parties may only govern reasonably in a coalition, are much fairer and representative of the people.


Actually, I was only referring to the country I live in, where the coalition government has started to show its U turn policies and general weakness based on the very principles of a coalition government I.e. having failed to reach a majority or consensus vote, remaining internally divided and worryingly - in power. Here's one recent example of such U turns:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11764138

But now that you mention it, maybe the toothlessness of coalition governments, does not limit itself to just the UK...maybe ....the Netherlands should be included 

I'm sure you're fond of your Gezellig principle - no less than the Germans are fond of Gemutlichkeit - of which no accurate translation exists in any other language, other than a rather wordy picture conjured up by friends enjoying themselves besides the cosy-ness of a real hearth fire.

But again, accurate translations don't really exist do they, unless they are completely concrete and abstract things, such as the numbers 1,2,3,4,5 etc. Language equivalence, always requires a grasp of context and culture. This is one reason why I find cosmopolitan cities exciting. The same reason...makes cosmopolitan cities threatening to those who want clear cut understandings from all around them.

I like Amsterdam a lot


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## Almaviva

Head_case said:


> Haven't you just described Singapore? :devil:
> 
> Anyways.
> 
> The problem with city living .... is people.
> 
> London in the last century, was a more exciting place to live. I used to live in Mayfair village - a quiet hub with a bustling Oxford street next to it. It was busy and cosmopolitan, but it was chic living, with the gym around the corner; cafes downstairs, shops everywhere, and lots of friends popping in to bunk over  Then it got taken over by the extortionate rents, bombs and terrorists, and just as badly mannered - tourists. LP and record stores were abundant, and affordable. Good hi-fi stores existed and were mostly family run and offered decent service. Commuting wasn't so bad, before congestion charging came in. Cafes were decent - you could order a proper coffee made on an Elektra or a Pavoni. Nowadays, they're all semi-automatic coffee makers dishing out the same bitter dishwater. People are more rude than ever, and there are more of them. Government is worse than ever, and if government is a reflection of the people who elect them, then the people are indecisive and wishy-washy, so we end up with a toothless coalition government. Taxation through road/council/living/VAT/taxes are all falling in line with Europe - no easy feat for those with families and children, which is making the city less family centred....less human-centred, and more organisation-centred. As a result, alienation in the city is on the rise; loneliness in the city is terrible and will become even more terrible still, as individuals are surrounded by ever more pressing people. Solitude is terrifying and will become even more terrifying as the very people who surround you, contribute to no sense of solidarity and become like next door neighbour aliens, to whom you cannot relate. In short, those in the city feel like aliens, despite having lived here for years. They become the very aliens, whom they feel alienated from!  They .... they are .... assimilated!  . People everywhere - and no one to connect with, yet all connected by the internet. Turn on the internet connection, and find some miserable way to connect remotely to deal with the very loneliness which sprouts from city living in the 21st century.
> 
> That's why I live in a bunker with my metal foil baseball cap :lol:


Well, I like people. People are a rather nice commodity. Without people the world would be pretty dull. I think you're talking about otherness, not people. You're afraid of the other, the one who is different. Try to get to know them, you may have a nice surprise and find out that they crave contact just as much as you do, and although different, they have their strenghts and assets.
P.S. I mean it in a very constructive, positive way. I do care for giving you a nice piece of advice, I'm not being sarcastic or putting you down.


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## charismajc

Tough question. I've lived in NYC, London, Boston and grew up in Los Angeles. I live in San Francisco now. My folks live in Seoul, so I visit pretty often. There are things I've liked about all these places, except for maybe LA. Well, LA has some pretty attractive people, good weather and some excellent Thai/Japanese/Korean/Chinese restaurants, so maybe it wasn't a total loss 

If $ were no object, I'd choose either NYC or London for obvious musical, cultural, social and culinary reasons. However, it's amazing how poor you can actually feel making $200k+ a year in these cities 

I like Chicago a lot - cost of living is more reasonable and it's still a major cultural center. The people are less pretentious than NY, London but still sophisticated, literate. On the minus side, the winters are just brutal.

In a different life, I could see myself living in Montreal, Auckland, Amsterdam, Geneva, Paris or Tokyo.


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## bassClef

Prague is pretty cool, but I'd like to leave now! Anyone want to buy a flat here by the way?


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## Sebastien Melmoth

I was thinking of *Vienna*.


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## myaskovsky2002

Islas Canarias:tiphat:

Martin


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## Comus

I haven't done much traveling, but I'd like to live in Kentucky or Tennessee. It's beautiful down there, mild winters. I'm from Michigan, so I'm a bit tired of winter. The people in those states also seem more level-headed and less prejudiced then the rest of the South. Not to continue the stereotype, but they do call it the Bible Belt for a reason.

Otherwise, Vancouver looks nice as well, even if it's not warm. I'd be partial to English speaking countries anywhere. I don't want to sound dim-witted in an average conversation.


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## LindenLea

I don't like cities as a rule, noisy places dominated by the motor car, and would never live in one, though if I did I would probably choose somewhere like Worcester, Cheltenham, York, Bath, Norwich or Chester (England) or abroad I quite liked Venice, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Oslo. New York is an exciting place, especially for music and the arts, I'd be happy there if I never had to walk out onto Broadway, and could remain inside the Lincoln Centre 24/7, 365!!


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## myaskovsky2002

I live in Montreal, I mainly speak French here.

With my wife I speak in Spanish, with John, my elder I speak in English, with Chris, my younger I speak in French...With my Friday's teacher I speak in Russian.

LOL

Martin Pitchon


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## Almaviva

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I live in Montreal, I mainly speak French here.
> 
> With my wife I speak in Spanish, with John, my elder I speak in English, with Chris, my younger I speak in French...With my Friday's teacher I speak in Russian.
> 
> LOL
> 
> Martin Pitchon


I hope you'll teach your kids all three household languages (Spanish, French, English) because research shows that multilingual kids develop higher IQ.


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## sospiro

LindenLea said:


> ... New York is an exciting place, especially for music and the arts, I'd be happy there if I never had to walk out onto Broadway, and could remain inside the Lincoln Centre 24/7, 365!!


I feel like that about London & I'd like to have an apartment in Covent Garden.


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## Guest

While I enjoy large cities for visiting, being a father with young kids, I don't relish the idea of living in one. I've lived in Zurich, and enjoyed it, but wouldn't want to live there permanently. I prefer the American South - Alabama, Tennessee. The cost of living is very reasonable, there are good school systems, and going down to the Gulf Coast makes for a great vacation.


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## LindenLea

sospiro said:


> I feel like that about London & I'd like to have an apartment in Covent Garden.


Indeed, or perhaps a place in South Kensington next door to the Royal Albert Hall, to be able to just walk across the road and into the BBC Proms every night for 2 whole months each summer, would be about as good as it gets.


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## emiellucifuge

DrMike said:


> and going down to the Gulf Coast makes for a great vacation.


Sure does


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## Herkku

How about Zürich? There's lots of culture, both music and other kinds. I know it's quite expensive, but if that could be ignored, a beautiful city, and not too big. And it's not far away from other Central European metropoles.


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## sospiro

LindenLea said:


> Indeed, or perhaps a place in South Kensington next door to the Royal Albert Hall, to be able to just walk across the road and into the BBC Proms every night for 2 whole months each summer, would be about as good as it gets.




You can share mine for the opera if I can share yours for the Proms ..


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## James clerk

stanford, or santa barbara, somewhere in california.


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## Aksel

I'd love to live in Munich or Vienna. I guess Paris wouldn't be too bad either, although I'm very happy in Northern Norway as well. Too little midnight sun in Central Europe.


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## bassClef

Once I've left this city I'm done with city living I think. I like European cities for their architecture and culture (except for those in my native UK, though Edinburgh is fine), hate American cities (especially L.A. - eurgh!), but I think Australian cities would be the best to live in (if I had to live in a city again).


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## Guest

I haven't lived in a city since the mid 80s, and have no intention of doing so in future.


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## elgar's ghost

Worcester's only a few miles away from where I live but as someone who was born there I have a hard time with the revolting, plug-ugly architecture which has sprung up in the city centre since the 1980s - incongruous is hardly the word for it.


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## Guest

Oh, you weren't so down on Worcester 8 years ago EG (post #3). 

I found it to be a nice place (and the racecourse) when I went there, but that was in the 80s, so maybe it has changed since then.


----------



## elgar's ghost

Tulse said:


> Oh, you weren't so down on Worcester 8 years ago EG (post #3).
> 
> I found it to be a nice place (and the racecourse) when I went there, but that was in the 80s, so maybe it has changed since then.


Yes, that's a good point! Perhaps the buildings which have gone up in the intervening years since that early post have tipped the balance. At least Elgar's statue is still there.


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## The Deacon

Prague.

.................

In 80s , Deacon used to go to Ann Arbour, Michigan a lot.



.....



Is Portland, Oregon as fine as they say? (Seems they had lots of used record stores - which is good enough for The Deacon.)


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## Kivimees

Tulse said:


> I haven't lived in a city since the mid 80s, and have no intention of doing so in future.


Same here...........................


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## Genoveva

I thought that I had made a post in this thread some time ago, and according to the little green back arrow that shows up if that is the case then that is correct. But there seems to be a gap of some 8 years in this thread before it resumed recently, and I can't find what I wrote. Maybe it has something to do with the problem that occurred in 2017. I'm pretty sure that around several hundred of my posts have gone missing altogether.


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## Dan Ante

Having lived in London, Coventry, Auckland Palmerston North (NZ) plus a few lesser known ones I am now a confirmed rural dweller and love the country life.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

right now I guess LA because their food is real good and I feel really grounded compared to all the idiots that live there whenever I go.


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## Guest

Genoveva said:


> I was brought up in London (UK) until the age of 13 and then moved to South Africa where I have lived with both parents (white Brits) for the past 5 years. I have been all over Africa, parts of S E Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and visited the USA. I loved all these places but would above all like to return to London one day because that's where I feel my roots are: lots of friends, other relatives.
> 
> We used to live in a borough called Dulwich which is not far from the centre of London. I recall the gorgeous Edwardian house we lived in with its sash windows, high ceilings, stone floor in kitchen area, and the view of the local park.
> 
> I miss most of all things like the frequent visits to the Royal Opera House (mainly ballet), the wonderful shopping areas in/around Oxford Street, the trips on the River Thames, Kew Gardens, Greenwich, etc. It's the best place in the world. If I should ever win a fortune I'b buy a penthouse flat overlooking St Paul's Cathedral on the South Bank, and play HIP Beethoven all day, and Mozart in the evening.


Hier is dit.

...................


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

I want to live in Donald Victoria, its close to Birchip and St Arnaud - old gold mining town 
https://www.donald.org.au/


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I want to live in Donald Victoria, its close to Birchip and St Arnaud - old gold mining town


Who knew that you wanted to live in Donald?

I always figured you wanted to live in Humpty Doo, Northern Territory. It'll put you closer to Darwin. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpty_Doo


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## Becca

Despite living in San Diego where many want to be, my choices would be Victoria BC in late spring, summer and early fall, then go to Christchurch, NZ for late spring, summer and early fall. To be specific, just outside both of those place would be ideal .... however it looks as though I am stuck in San Diego.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Klassik said:


> Who knew that you wanted to live in Donald?
> 
> I always figured you wanted to live in Humpty Doo, Northern Territory. It'll put you closer to Darwin.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpty_Doo


2nd choice


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## Ingélou

I would like to live in York, the city I grew up in. It has everything I want - old associations, school friends, wonderful historical sites, museums and art galleries, riverside beauty, warm-hearted people, and lots of dancing, drama and musical events including the Early Music Festival and the Mystery Plays.
The only downsides are traffic jams and the expensive housing. 
But we hope to get there anyway...


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## Flamme

Dunno. Siena, Florence even with the virus...Basically any town/city in Toscany.


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## Mozart123

I would be happy to continue living the rest of my life in England, however, if I had to choose one place to move to it would probably be Australia. Politically and economically stable, English-speaking, friendly people, diverse and beautiful landscapes, rich culture, and last but not least: hot weather 
If I had to pick a city, it would probably be Sydney or Melbourne for the aforementioned reasons.


----------



## elgar's ghost

^
^

Hot weather and/or high humidity always knocks the **** out of me. If I had to choose a city abroad I'd still pick a country with a similar climate to here - somewhere like Ireland or Denmark.


----------



## Merl

Somewhere hotter all year round. I Visit Spain a lot and rather like Cadiz so I'll go for there.


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## Jacck

it is probably not about a particular city, but rather about climate. I would not like to live too much to the north due to the horrible winters and arctic nights, and I would not like to live in a hot climate, where during the day you need to hide inside from the sun. I also like sunny weather with occasional rain, and would not like to live in a climate where it is mostly rainy, foggy, humid etc. I am quite content to live in a temperate climate with 4 seasons. The only thing I am missing is a sea.


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## Dan Ante

Mozart123 said:


> I would be happy to continue living the rest of my life in England, however, if I had to choose one place to move to it would probably be Australia. Politically and economically stable, English-speaking, friendly people, diverse and beautiful landscapes, rich culture, and last but not least: hot weather
> If I had to pick a city, it would probably be Sydney or Melbourne for the aforementioned reasons.


I don't mind temps up to about 30-32C but above this it starts to get uncomfortable it is easier to keep warm than it is to cool down, even when we have the air conditioner on the heat is unbearable when you venture outside.


----------



## SanAntone

The last place I want to live is a city. I now live over 5 miles from the closest town, pop. 900, and it has everything I need in the way of shopping, and even a few restaurants. No one bothers me about anything out here in the country - and the view is phenomenal.


----------



## Dan Ante

SanAntone said:


> The last place I want to live is a city. I now live over 5 miles from the closest town, pop. 900, and it has everything I need in the way of shopping, and even a few restaurants. No one bothers me about anything out here in the country - and the view is phenomenal.


I was a town boy when I lived in England but now a country boy living 7-8k from the nearest small town and would not go back to city life for anything, with the www we can get 90% of things delivered to the door at very little cost and we have medical, banking etc just a 15min drive away.


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## Guest

That's easy: Vienna.


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

I have always lived in the city it seems. Can I just live in the countryside now, please?


----------



## adriesba

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> I have always lived in the city it seems. Can I just live in the countryside now, please?


I have always lived in a more suburban sort of city, but yes, I'm tired of neighbors and noise. How about I _don't_ live in a city! :lol:


----------



## senza sordino

I think it would be great if I could live in a different city for one year at a time. One year in New York, one year in London, one year in Paris, one year in Sydney, one year in Vienna, one year in Berlin, one year in Wellington, one year on a Greek Island etc. I would have time to really explore each city, explore its culture throughout a year and explore the surrounding area. But alas, I'm a mere mortal who needs to work just to live in one location.


----------



## Luchesi

I've worked on every continent, except South America (unless we count Panama, I guess we do). Even briefly in Antarctic (not fun at all). I will tell anybody there's no place like the US. I never want to take another contract where there's 3rd world conditions and situations. My friend was shot at in Athens by the KKE (we assume). Egypt, Israel, no thanks.


----------



## Eclectic Al

I don't like cities, so I was looking at the smallest ones in Britain.

How about Wells in Somerset.








The population is about 12,000, and I don't want any more than that in the place I live


----------



## Ingélou

Eclectic Al said:


> I don't like cities, so I was looking at the smallest ones in Britain.
> 
> How about Wells in Somerset.
> View attachment 144229
> 
> 
> The population is about 12,000, and I don't want any more than that in the place I live


Wells is lovely - I dare say the house prices are competitive, though.

We nearly made it to York, but the house we offered for fell through and there were no others that we could afford.
But it turned out for the best - we're now living in a small town twenty-five minutes away, and it's brilliant.
We had six months of renting in York while waiting to buy - enjoyed it, but the crowds and traffic jams and lack of shops nearby got a bit irksome.


----------



## Eclectic Al

Ingélou said:


> Wells is lovely - I dare say the house prices are competitive, though.
> 
> We nearly made it to York, but the house we offered for fell through and there were no others that we could afford.
> But it turned out for the best - we're now living in a small town twenty-five minutes away, and it's brilliant.
> We had six months of renting in York while waiting to buy - enjoyed it, but the crowds and traffic jams and lack of shops nearby got a bit irksome.


I was born in Lancaster, and lived near there for my whole childhood. Lovely little city, and probably not too pricey. It is in Lancashire of course, so those from Yorkshire might resist its charms.


----------



## Ingélou

Eclectic Al said:


> I was born in Lancaster, and lived near there for my whole childhood. Lovely little city, and probably not too pricey. It is in Lancashire of course, so those from Yorkshire might resist its charms.
> 
> View attachment 144232


I've no ideological objection to Lancashire, and I'd say the people there are even nicer than in Yorkshire - but the western side of the country is too wet for me.


----------



## danj

Vienna. Cliche, I know. But the more I thought about it, the more beautiful it sounded. Not to mention I love the nature and, of course, the obvious.

However, I live in the States and I have thought about living in the Wyoming or Montana solitude more than once where the home, brutal for extra points, is surrounded by a forest and engulfed in silence with neighbors nowhere to be seen.

That'd be nice.

But I have a wife and 3 dogs and honestly, anywhere I am fine with as long as it's quiet.


----------



## Eclectic Al

danj said:


> Vienna. Cliche, I know. But the more I thought about it, the more beautiful it sounded. Not to mention I love the nature and, of course, the obvious.
> 
> However, I live in the States and I have thought about living in the Wyoming or Montana solitude more than once where the home, brutal for extra points, is surrounded by a forest and engulfed in silence with neighbors nowhere to be seen.
> 
> That'd be nice.
> 
> But I have a wife and 3 dogs and honestly, anywhere I am fine with as long as it's quiet.


I like the fact that in the US you get really small cities. My dad was born in Center, North Dakota in 1925, when I think the population was a few hundred. Looking at the population now it appears to be about 500 or so, and it seems to be a city!

In the UK the designation as a city is an honour more than anything else (although there is a bit of a correlation with having a cathedral). (Cambridge is a city without a cathedral, and Bury St Edmunds has a cathedral but is not a city.) Towns in the UK become cities if the Queen says so! 

Ipswich, for example, is the county town of Suffolk and has a population above 100,000, but is not a city. I guess the queen doesn't like it much.


----------



## Dan Ante

Ingélou said:


> I've no ideological objection to Lancashire, and I'd say the people there are even nicer than in Yorkshire - but the western side of the country is too wet for me.


I was thinking about Lancashire last night and a trace of my family history puts me from Lancashire (this was done by my cousins husband on ancestry UK) and every where we have lived has been in the west of somewhere.


----------



## Eclectic Al

Dan Ante said:


> I was thinking about Lancashire last night and a trace of my family history puts me from Lancashire (this was done by my cousins husband on ancestry UK) and every where we have lived has been in the west of somewhere.


Good roots!

Where in Lancashire? Counties in the UK were completely messed up by Heath (and Walker) in the 1970s in an act of cultural vandalism. Places like Manchester are no longer regarded as in Lancashire (administratively), although the old historic, ceremonial counties do still exist, and it was made clear in Parliament that they still remain (- the changes were the imposition of an administrative structure, not a removal of the old counties). The problem is that the bureaucrats in the new administrative counties put up signs and arrange things to try and deny the existence of the historic counties, hoping to make themselves seem more important, I guess.

Even some of the Lake District is in the historic county of Lancashire, including Coniston Water and the Old Man of Coniston (the highest point in Lancashire). For example, Wiki gets it right: "Coniston Water is situated within Furness, part of the North Lonsdale exclave of the historic county of Lancashire. Since 1974, it is within the administrative county of Cumbria." However, visit the place and you will find nothing much to confirm the reality that it is part of Lancashire except in relation to humdrum administrative matters.

Some counties (such as Westmoreland) were denied their existence completely). However, see Wiki again: "Westmorland (/ˈwɛstmərlənd/; formerly also spelt Westmoreland;[6] even older spellings are Westmerland and Westmereland) is an historic county in north west England. It formed an administrative county between 1889 and 1974, after which the whole county was administered by the new administrative county of Cumbria. In 2013, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, formally recognised and acknowledged the continued existence of England's 39 historic counties, including Westmorland."

Rural North Lancashire is a completely different proposition from industrial Manchester and Liverpool (also still part of Lancashire in my mind), but we're all Lancastrians.

If you get a chance, then visit - it's a great place. Although I now live in Surrey. :lol:


----------



## Guest

danj said:


> Vienna. Cliche, I know. But the more I thought about it, the more beautiful it sounded. Not to mention I love the nature and, of course, the obvious.
> 
> However, I live in the States and I have thought about living in the Wyoming or Montana solitude more than once where the home, brutal for extra points, is surrounded by a forest and engulfed in silence with neighbors nowhere to be seen.
> 
> That'd be nice.
> 
> But I have a wife and 3 dogs and honestly, anywhere I am fine with as long as it's quiet.


Agree about Vienna. I loved it when we were there nearly 10 years ago: it's an ideal-sized city. Since then they've allowed Google Earth down on the city itself - before it wasn't allowed because of the Viennese well-known love of privacy. To my horror the place is now victim of graffiti which lines walls of old buildings, railway stations etc. This was certainly not the case even as recently as 2015 when I was last there. I've said to the spouse, "I'm glad we went when we did because today we'd only be upset by the graffiti and public homelessness" (never a feature in 2011). Beidermeier architecture and graffiti? I don't think so.


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## HenryPenfold

London (This message is too short. Shall I give alternative cities, or will this suffice?).


----------



## Dan Ante

Eclectic Al said:


> Good roots!
> 
> Where in Lancashire? Counties in the UK were completely messed up by Heath (and Walker) in the 1970s in an act of cultural vandalism. Places like Manchester are no longer regarded as in Lancashire (administratively), although the old historic, ceremonial counties do still exist, and it was made clear in Parliament that they still remain (- the changes were the imposition of an administrative structure, not a removal of the old counties). The problem is that the bureaucrats in the new administrative counties put up signs and arrange things to try and deny the existence of the historic counties, hoping to make themselves seem more important, I guess.
> 
> Even some of the Lake District is in the historic county of Lancashire, including Coniston Water and the Old Man of Coniston (the highest point in Lancashire). For example, Wiki gets it right: "Coniston Water is situated within Furness, part of the North Lonsdale exclave of the historic county of Lancashire. Since 1974, it is within the administrative county of Cumbria." However, visit the place and you will find nothing much to confirm the reality that it is part of Lancashire except in relation to humdrum administrative matters.
> 
> Some counties (such as Westmoreland) were denied their existence completely). However, see Wiki again: "Westmorland (/ˈwɛstmərlənd/; formerly also spelt Westmoreland;[6] even older spellings are Westmerland and Westmereland) is an historic county in north west England. It formed an administrative county between 1889 and 1974, after which the whole county was administered by the new administrative county of Cumbria. In 2013, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, formally recognised and acknowledged the continued existence of England's 39 historic counties, including Westmorland."
> 
> Rural North Lancashire is a completely different proposition from industrial Manchester and Liverpool (also still part of Lancashire in my mind), but we're all Lancastrians.
> 
> If you get a chance, then visit - it's a great place. Although I now live in Surrey. :lol:


Thanks for an interesting bit of history, a specific location was not mentioned perhaps they were spread out, I have driven through the county on the way to Scotland but that was many years ago.


----------



## Jacck

Christabel said:


> Agree about Vienna. I loved it when we were there nearly 10 years ago: it's an ideal-sized city.


I lived in Vienna for 3.5 years. It is a decent city, but at the same time I think it is a little overhyped. One of the best things about Vienna is that living their is affordable, ie the prices of houses compared to earnings are very favorable compared to other big cities in Europe. Danube is of course great, there are some very nice bathing places in the Danube right in the city itself. I also liked the surrounding nature (the foothills of the Alps start right outside the city, there are nice viewpoints over Vienna from there, for example from Kahlenberg). But I found the city a little boring, the night life is not that great there compared to other big cities. Shopping is also pretty meh, where most Viennese people go out on Saturday and flood the Mariahilfer Straße, which is the main shopping street. And the architecture did not impress me much. I found Salzburg more interesting in terms of architecture, with the impressive Hohensalzburg Fortress as the city dominant. So overall, Vienna is decent, but it is not as a paradise as some people seem to imagine.


----------



## Guest

Jacck said:


> I lived in Vienna for 3.5 years. It is a decent city, but at the same time I think it is a little overhyped. One of the best things about Vienna is that living their is affordable, ie the prices of houses compared to earnings are very favorable compared to other big cities in Europe. Danube is of course great, there are some very nice bathing places in the Danube right in the city itself. I also liked the surrounding nature (the foothills of the Alps start right outside the city, there are nice viewpoints over Vienna from there, for example from Kahlenberg). But I found the city a little boring, the night life is not that great there compared to other big cities. Shopping is also pretty meh, where most Viennese people go out on Saturday and flood the Mariahilfer Straße, which is the main shopping street. And the architecture did not impress me much. I found Salzburg more interesting in terms of architecture, with the impressive Hohensalzburg Fortress as the city dominant. So overall, Vienna is decent, but it is not as a paradise as some people seem to imagine.


I've heard people say that about Vienna. I never found the city boring because I like 'small' as I prefer the country to the city anyway. Easy to get around, great cultural activities, public transport, proximity to wonderful tourist destinations, clean air, very nice people, superb Railjet!! It took me 15 minutes to get to the Musikverein from my apartment. Totally disagree about the architecture: Währinger Straße with the afternoon sun flooding it - absolute magic!! I presume you live in Prague? Been there, but prefer Vienna.

The only shopping that really interested me was supermarkets - and they're great.


----------



## Jacck

Christabel said:


> I've heard people say that about Vienna. I never found the city boring because I like 'small' as I prefer the country to the city anyway. Easy to get around, great cultural activities, public transport, proximity to wonderful tourist destinations, clean air, very nice people, superb Railjet!! It took me 15 minutes to get to the Musikverein from my apartment. Totally disagree about the architecture: Währinger Straße with the afternoon sun flooding it - absolute magic!!


the city is not that small, it has 2 millions inhabitants, but it does feel provincial and slow. The public transport is standard in most European cities (subway, trams, trains, buses). You might find the architecture interesting, because it is exotic to you. But many Czech cities have the same architecture, for example here you have the Währinger Straße
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Währinger_Straße#/media/Datei:Wien_18_Währinger_Straße_093_a.jpg
and here is Brno (a city where I currently work)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...920px-Brno_-_Masarykova_ulice,_jižní_část.jpg
the same style of buildings from the 19th century. 
(PS: I am not really a fan of Brno either and Vienna is definitely a better city than Brno). I studied in Prague, but disliked the city. If I should chose to live between Vienna and Prague, I would chose Vienna.


----------



## Kieran

I love Vienna, it's such a discreet place, with oodles of culture and music.

Gun to my head, if I had to leave Ireland, or chose to, I would prefer to be stationed in Rome. I visit there maybe 4 times a year, been three times this year already, and I love the old city very much. I walk about 16km a day there. it's like walking through nature. It's easy on the eye, but also, it helps me focus. I was there in July and it was 40 degrees, but almost empty, due to Covid. I still loved every second of it, but it was also a bit sad to see so few people around...


----------



## Jacck

BTW, I actually lived very close to the Währinger Straße in Vienna, in Alsergrund. I worked in the AKH (Vienna General Hospital). You can walk the whole Währinger Straße (there is also a Schubert park nearby) to the city center up to the Hofburg (the royal palace). I find the Hofburg really underwhelming from the outside (I have never been inside). The only impressive building in the whole Vienna center is the Stephansdom

and this is the house of Franz Schubert
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsergrund#/media/File:Alsergrund_(Wien)_-_Schuberthaus_(1).JPG

I walked almost every day by this house without a second thought, thinking it nothing special. It was before I started listening to classical music.


----------



## Guest

Jacck said:


> the city is not that small, it has 2 millions inhabitants, but it does feel provincial and slow. The public transport is standard in most European cities (subway, trams, trains, buses). You might find the architecture interesting, because it is exotic to you. But many Czech cities have the same architecture, for example here you have the Währinger Straße
> https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Währinger_Straße#/media/Datei:Wien_18_Währinger_Straße_093_a.jpg
> and here is Brno (a city where I currently work)
> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...920px-Brno_-_Masarykova_ulice,_jižní_část.jpg
> the same style of buildings from the 19th century.
> (PS: I am not really a fan of Brno either and Vienna is definitely a better city than Brno). I studied in Prague, but disliked the city. If I should chose to live between Vienna and Prague, I would chose Vienna.


It's actually 1.87 million and it seems small - to me - because it's mostly confined to apartments and doesn't have the urban sprawl of similarly populated cities in Australia, for example Perth. I went through the Czech countryside by train - from Budapest on the way in to Vienna on the way out, through Brno - as I recall. I note many similar architectural features to Vienna; for example, even Oslo has similar in certain streets in that city. But the concentration of Beidermeier architecture in Vienna and its -up until now - careful restoration of these is what I love. And, after all, the musical associations are absolutely compelling to me. Part of the heady mix which is Vienna. And I really like the people.


----------



## Guest

Jacck said:


> BTW, I actually lived very close to the Währinger Straße in Vienna, in Alsergrund. I worked in the AKH (Vienna General Hospital). You can walk the whole Währinger Straße (there is also a Schubert park nearby) to the city center up to the Hofburg (the royal palace). I find the Hofburg really underwhelming from the outside (I have never been inside). The only impressive building in the whole Vienna center is the Stephansdom
> 
> and this is the house of Franz Schubert
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsergrund#/media/File:Alsergrund_(Wien)_-_Schuberthaus_(1).JPG
> 
> I walked almost every day by this house without a second thought, thinking it nothing special. It was before I started listening to classical music.


I know all those places, and I loved Alsergrund particularly. The AKH on the Linie 6 - Siebenherten/Florisdorf - has its own U-bahn station. We used to use that Linie to get to Millennium Zentrum; they had excellent outdoor markets there with Pink Lady apples from Italy the size of cricket balls!!


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> I love Vienna, it's such a discreet place, with oodles of culture and music.
> 
> Gun to my head, if I had to leave Ireland, or chose to, I would prefer to be stationed in Rome. I visit there maybe 4 times a year, been three times this year already, and I love the old city very much. I walk about 16km a day there. it's like walking through nature. It's easy on the eye, but also, it helps me focus. I was there in July and it was 40 degrees, but almost empty, due to Covid. I still loved every second of it, but it was also a bit sad to see so few people around...


How lucky you are to be in relatively close proximity to the cities you enjoy!! We are completely over the 24 hour journey to get from Sydney to Europe and have other priorities now, like building a new home in order to downsize. All my framed prints from Heck, Vienna, have to go on the one wall because of space limitations. Whoever said downsizing was a good idea????!!!


----------



## Bulldog

Christabel said:


> How lucky you are to be in relatively close proximity to the cities you enjoy!! We are completely over the 24 hour journey to get from Sydney to Europe and have other priorities now, like building a new home in order to downsize. All my framed prints from Heck, Vienna, have to go on the one wall because of space limitations. Whoever said downsizing was a good idea????!!!


Downsizing sucks unless it's for health purposes. I have a large one-story home, no basement, and no steps. I can stay here for the duration.

As for where to live, I would choose San Diego - not wet, not dry, the ocean is gorgeous, and there's less chance of a damaging earthquake than further north along the coast.


----------



## Pat Fairlea

I don't want to live in a city, thank you.
Seville is nice, so is Ljubljana, and I could probably be content in Oslo. 
But our large village with a couple of thousand people and a train ride into a city if necessary is just fine.


----------



## Guest

Pat Fairlea said:


> I don't want to live in a city, thank you.
> Seville is nice, so is Ljubljana, and I could probably be content in Oslo.
> But our large village with a couple of thousand people and a train ride into a city if necessary is just fine.


Sounds just wonderful!! Enjoy. Oslo is a superb city, by the way.


----------



## Jacck

Christabel said:


> Sounds just wonderful!! Enjoy. Oslo is a superb city, by the way.


I was once in Oslo long time ago (20 years) and cannot remember that much, except that the city had a lot of green statues and was relatively small. I remember more from Bergen, which I liked more


----------



## TxllxT

If dreams would be in danger of becoming instantly true, we would live like the St Petersburg nobility did: living alternately in Peter (summer, walking along the Neva & in Tsarskoje Selo, going to the Mariinsky theater), travel by luxury train to Biarritz (after visiting Carlsbad, Paris & London on the way), the Art Déco spa on the Atlantic beaches of France with its grandiose Bay of Biscay uproar in the storm season, Italy's Art Nouveau spa resorts in spring, and the Côte d'Azur (Antibes) in autumn.


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## Flamme

I really liked Krakow...


----------



## Guest

Flamme said:


> I really liked Krakow...


My physician and friend comes from there; he emigrated to Australia in 2000 and said Krakow is the place to see in Poland.


----------



## Dan Ante

Christabel said:


> My physician and friend comes from there; he emigrated to Australia in 2000 and said Krakow is the place to see in Poland.


Nigel Kennedy has a home in Krakow did you drop in and see him


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## ldiat

i like Pittsburgh, Pa. i lived in Ohio-Las Vegas and now in Lancaster, Ca. all ok but you can take the boy out of Pittsburgh but can't take the Pittsburgh out if the boy!


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## Guest

Dan Ante said:


> Nigel Kennedy has a home in Krakow did you drop in and see him


I haven't been there and am unlikely to travel to Europe again. I only know from the pictures my physician and friend has shown me.


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## Varick

After living in NYC for 15 years and having traveled many places in the world (Europe, Asia, South America), and now having land around me, I don't think I'd want to live in a city again. Visiting?... so many I have yet to see and would love to with my wife. My wife has never been out of the country and has traveled very little (single mother with 2 children and a dead-beat ex husband kind of tied her down for a spell). We are starting to change that. I want to travel many places with her. I am quite eager to visit Vancouver. I have heard that it may be the most beautiful city in North America.

V


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## Joe B

^^^
I worked in Seattle for exactly one year and spent long weekends in Vancover. I enjoyed the city a lot. This was in 1981-1982. It was the cleanest city I'd ever seen and the people were very friendly. I'm sure its changed in the last 30 years.


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## senza sordino

Varick said:


> After living in NYC for 15 years and having traveled many places in the world (Europe, Asia, South America), and now having land around me, I don't think I'd want to live in a city again. Visiting?... so many I have yet to see and would love to with my wife. My wife has never been out of the country and has traveled very little (single mother with 2 children and a dead-beat ex-husband kind of tied her down for a spell). We are starting to change that. I want to travel to many places with her. I am quite eager to visit Vancouver. I have heard that it may be the most beautiful city in North America.
> 
> V





Joe B said:


> ^^^
> I worked in Seattle for exactly one year and spent long weekends in Vancouver. I enjoyed the city a lot. This was in 1981-1982. It was the cleanest city I'd ever seen and the people were very friendly. I'm sure it's changed in the last 30 years.


Vancouver is a very beautiful city when the sun is shining. I have visited most of the continent, and I agree that it is possibly the most beautiful city in North America. It's very green here, but that's because we receive about 1.2 m to 1.5 m (40 to 60 inches) of rain each year. It's as rainy as Seattle. We have our problems here of course. The opioid crisis (5 to 6 times more deaths in the last six months than COVID-19) and homelessness are real problems. Real estate prices do not match the salaries of the working-class, so some people have very long commutes. I live in a small apartment in town. Culturally, it's a bit dead here. However, it's the place to be if you ski, sail, mountain bike, and hike, none of which I do.


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## Flamme

Krakow is a true ''autumn'' city...You can see leaves falling, like in a movie, slow motion, special kind of leaves of various colours...But I feel sad I cannot see the one person I cared about in there...


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## danj

Vienna is being ruined in this thread. What pity... Perhaps I can claw my European roots and stay in some far away side in either Spain (my native country) or visit Poland (my dad's side).

However, if I had to go, I'd love to visit Tallinn or Budapest. Generally, probably not a city no longer but perhaps on the outskirts of one where I can travel to the city center.... I do like my quietness but we humans need interactions every now and then, right?


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## Roger Knox

Varick said:


> My wife has never been out of the country and has traveled very little (single mother with 2 children and a dead-beat ex husband kind of tied her down for a spell). We are starting to change that. I want to travel many places with her. I am quite eager to visit Vancouver. I have heard that it may be the most beautiful city in North America.


I grew up in Vancouver, from my teens through twenties. Natural beauty, yes --- parks, beaches, mountains. I remember summers as nice, sunny and warm not hot. Winters had the most rain. But with global warming I would suggest you look up the climate as I'm sure there are some differences since then.


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## Flamme

I heard great stuff about Buda-pest! About Hungary as a whole! There is a project of building a railway network from Belgrade to Budapest if it gets built I'll be on the firrst train..


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## Chilham

danj said:


> Vienna is being ruined in this thread. What pity... Perhaps I can claw my European roots and stay in some far away side in either Spain (my native country) or visit Poland (my dad's side).
> 
> However, if I had to go, I'd love to visit Tallinn or Budapest. Generally, probably not a city no longer but perhaps on the outskirts of one where I can travel to the city center.... I do like my quietness but we humans need interactions every now and then, right?


Tallinn is a great city with a cool vibe. I really enjoyed it there.


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## Chilham

I've spent time in nearly every European capital from Helsinki to Athens, Lisbon to Moscow. Some for just a day or two, others for longer - I stayed in Zurich 56 nights during 2014. If I had to live in one, it would be Luxembourg City. Great international cuisine to appease all of the expats, good cultural scene, deserted at the weekend - the country doubles it's population each day during the week, as many travel in from France, Germany and Belgium - and I seem to speak better French when I'm there than when I'm in France. At least, they seem to understand me better.

From the cities I've visited outside of Europe, I've enjoyed my time in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Mumbai, but I wouldn't want to live in any of them. Boston is cool, Cape Town 'hums' and Rio has a great vibe (but terrible food). My choice would, I think, be Singapore.


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## danj

Chilham said:


> I've spent time in nearly every European capital from Helsinki to Athens, Lisbon to Moscow. Some for just a day or two, others for longer - I stayed in Zurich 56 nights during 2014. If I had to live in one, it would be Luxembourg City. Great international cuisine to appease all of the expats, good cultural scene, deserted at the weekend - the country doubles it's population each day during the week, as many travel in from France, Germany and Belgium - and I seem to speak better French when I'm there than when I'm in France. At least, they seem to understand me better.
> 
> From the cities I've visited outside of Europe, I've enjoyed my time in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Mumbai, but I wouldn't want to live in any of them. Boston is cool, Cape Town 'hums' and Rio has a great vibe (but terrible food). My choice would, I think, be Singapore.


An international travler -- very cool. I could talk to you for a while. I wish I could travel but I live in the USA and the plane tickets are so expensive. :\


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## annaw

Chilham said:


> Tallinn is a great city with a cool vibe. I really enjoyed it there.


Ha, I second that  !


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## Jacck

danj said:


> An international travler -- very cool. I could talk to you for a while. I wish I could travel but I live in the USA and the plane tickets are so expensive. :\


how expensive? From Europe, you can get almost anywhere for €1000 at most (and I mean the most distant destinations like Australia). If you buy the tickets in advance and out of season, you can fly from Europe to New York for €500. If you fly to cheap destinations in Asia, where you can live for $15-$20 a day, you can even save money by traveling. Before the pandemic, I spent almost every vacation in an exotic destination (Africa, Asia) and the vacation including the plane ticket cost me on average $1500. My last "exotic" vacation was in Nepal and it cost me $1500 for the whole month.


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## annaw

Jacck said:


> how expensive? From Europe, you can get almost anywhere for €1000 at most (and I mean the most distant destinations like Australia). If you buy the tickets in advance and out of season, you can fly from Europe to New York for €500. If you fly to cheap destinations in Asia, where you can live for $15-$20 a day, you can even save money by traveling. Before the pandemic, I spent almost every vacation in an exotic destination (Africa, Asia) and the vacation including the plane ticket cost me on average $1500. My last "exotic" vacation was in Nepal and it cost me $1500 for the whole month.


I guess it depends on the trip as well and whether you're travelling alone, with family, friends etc. A family trip to the US can be rather expensive with accommodation, food, and everything else. But I agree, some exotic places can be very cheap.


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## Jacck

annaw said:


> I guess it depends on the trip as well and whether you're travelling alone, with family, friends etc. A family trip to the US can be rather expensive with accommodation, food, and everything else. But I agree, some exotic places can be very cheap.


traveling over Europe (and likely the US) can be very expensive if you use public transport and sleep in hotels. I think the cheapest way to travel across Europe is to use a car (your own or rented) and sleep in car camps in a tent. Traveling in Asia is much easier, because the hotels are so cheap and transport is mostly good. The cheapest country is India (if you can stomach the poor hygiene)


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## annaw

Jacck said:


> traveling over Europe (and likely the US) can be very expensive if you use public transport and sleep in hotels. I think the cheapest way to travel across Europe is to use a car (your own or rented) and sleep in car camps in a tent.


Yeah, I agree with that. Even airbnbs are probably significantly cheaper than hotels.


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## joen_cph

Depends on one's expectations, but budget travel for individuals is certainly possible in Europe. A car gives you freedom if you're a family, that's true.

1 1/2 years ago, I made a one week trip Copenhagen <<->> New York. The total cost was 1050 Dollars, everything included, also flights, eating, and an OK tiny single room with breakfast, in January. and I got to see a lot of the major sights and some exotic ones as well.

I usually spend around 450-550 Dollars on my one-week-or-so trips within Europe, always with a single room and a flight to Southern Europe.

As regards longer European trips, say 3-4 weeks in summer, it's more expensive, and the style varies a lot, including transport and accommodation. In total, I've travelled around 4 years of my 55 years. I often take a bicycle with me on flights or trains, or find accommodation that has it for free (say B&Bs), or rent one on the spot, and I also tend to bring a tent; that will be the cheapest, but I usually find some cheap B&Bs too.

Obviously the virus situation has created different circumstances. But just to say: normally, if doing a good deal of research, one can save a surprising amount of money. That also applies to Scandinavia.


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## Jacck

joen_cph said:


> Obviously the virus situation has created different circumstances. But just to say: normally, if doing a good deal of research, one can save a surprising amount of money. That also applies to Scandinavia.


Scandinavia is very expensive and was even more for the Czech people during the 1990's, when we were much poorer. The cheapest way to see Scandinavia was to buy the Interrail pass (to move around) and also sleep in tents. The Scandinavian capital cities are all decent, but not in the must see category. Scandinavia is worth visiting for the nature. Hiking the Kungsleden in the Abisko national park, drinking pure water from the streams, sleeping in a tent under starry night is unforgettable, or doing the long crossing of the Lofoten islands.


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## Coach G

I don't think I'd ever want to live outside the USA, or even dear old New England for that matter. I did once have a chance to visit Spain, and have my heart set on going back someday; maybe also Portugal. I guess like Debussy who composed "Iberia", Ravel who composed "Spanish Rhapsody", Bizet who composed "Carmen", and Rimsky-Korsakov who composed "Capriccio Espanol"; I've caught the Spanish fever. Apart from that, the only other place I'd like to visit is Vienna, the city of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Johann Strauss, Bruckner, Mahler, and Arnold Schoenberg.


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## joen_cph

Depends on the exact route - in Scandinavia, local flights and buses can be inexpensive too, besides special train tickets. Norway in particular has some excellent free or not necessarily expensive camping options, at times with modest facilities adjoining, Sweden too; Denmark has some free camping options now, or very inexpensive sites / farm campings (say 3 Euros/person) with modest facilities. I use them both a lot. But in Copenhagen, the only less expensive accommodation will be hostels, or maybe modest B&Bs or camping sites a good deal out in the suburbs. You're welcome to contact me for information. 

Lofoten, Norwegian fiords generally, or the Swedish lakes are indeed enchanting. Supermarket prices are more expensive than the European average, but OK in Denmark. Due to Corona, I did some round trips in Denmark this summer, and it's more varied than you'd think, also landscape-wise, besides the many cultural sights and the great, varied and usually not-congested beaches.


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## Chilham

danj said:


> An international travler -- very cool. I could talk to you for a while....


My wife an I are having a vehicle custom-built in Germany, and planning to travel the World overland for seven years, starting next Summer. We have the travel-bug.


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## Jacck

Chilham said:


> My wife an I are having a vehicle custom-built in Germany, and planning to travel the World overland for seven years, starting next Summer. We have the travel-bug.


sounds great, but 7 years is a long time. My longest travel lasted 7 months and I was beginning to get tired after 4 months. It was new cities, new sights, new people constantly, and I started longing for a little bit of rest. I think you need to take pauses and stay at places longer, not being constantly on the move.


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## Chilham

Jacck said:


> sounds great, but 7 years is a long time. My longest travel lasted 7 months and I was beginning to get tired after 4 months. It was new cities, new sights, new people constantly, and I started longing for a little bit of rest. I think you need to take pauses and stay at places longer, not being constantly on the move.


You're right. Summers in the North, and Winters in the South, are likely to be a lot of travel, but we're going to have to sit out some of the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, to stay in the good weather.


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## Brahmsian Colors

Victoria. British Columbia


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## pianozach

Eugene, OR

. . . .


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## starthrower

pianozach said:


> Eugene, OR
> 
> . . . .


My wife is from Eugene and had been dying to move back until this year from hell arrived. I doubt it will happen even in the future but we do hope to take a vacation there when and if things improve.


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## pianozach

starthrower said:


> My wife is from Eugene and had been dying to move back until this year from hell arrived. I doubt it will happen even in the future but we do hope to take a vacation there when and if things improve.


Damned beautiful when it's not raining. Great people. Nice size for a city. Good vibe.


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## Harmonie

I think either Massachusetts or somewhere in South-Eastern Canada would be #1. So probably Boston. I'd have to go research Canada cities to give a better answer in terms of Canada.


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## SixFootScowl

I don't want to live in the city. Too close to Detroit as it is. A smaller town would be nice with access to a large city with concert hall in a reasonable distance (i.e., make a concert and get home the same evening). If it weren't so cold up there South Superior, Wisconsin, seems pretty nice. My brother lived there for many years. In Michigan, I always thought Ionia would be a nice place to live, not sure why, because I have never been there. Oh well, 63 years in or near Detroit and no plans to move at this time. I've been on full time work at home for nearly nine months now. If I had had that option 30 years ago, I probably would have moved farther from the city, though still in SE Michigan.


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## senza sordino

Brahmsian Colors said:


> Victoria. British Columbia


Victoria is nice, it's our provincial capital. There are some beautiful buildings, the best museum in the province, and the Empress Hotel is especially nice. If you have tea at the hotel, you can feel like an aristocrat in the colonies (if that's your kind of thing.) And just outside the city is an especially nice botanical garden.

However, I've only been there a few times in my life. It's an expensive ninety-minute ferry ride, plus travel times to and from the terminals and wait times at the ferry terminals. As the crow flies from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria, it's only 90 km away but it takes a minimum of three hours to get there. I was last there thirteen years ago for a single night, just visiting. In high school, forty years ago, we went to the legislature for a field trip and given a tour by a high-profile minister.

If you're lucky on the ferry ride you might catch a glimpse of whales. You should see other smaller marine animals, eagles, and plenty of seagulls.


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## Flamme

Some small town on irish, british or scottish coast whatver...


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## pianozach

Harmonie said:


> I think either Massachusetts or somewhere in South-Eastern Canada would be #1. So probably Boston. I'd have to go research Canada cities to give a better answer in terms of Canada.


We had talked about Canada briefly prior to the election. I'd probably be happy in Vancouver (SW Canada). If it were safer, and if I could get a decent handle on the language, I'd certainly consider Mexico. Puerto Vallarta, maybe Mexico City or San Miguel de Allende. Or Oaxaca City. There ARE safe places (and dangerous places) in Mexico.


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## joen_cph

Flamme said:


> Some small town on irish, british or scottish coast whatver...


Edinburgh is surely beautiful, convenient, well-served in all areas, but a real city.

I must say that I never experienced so much unsettling alcohol consumption, indoors and outdoors, as in some towns in Ireland. And shopping and cultural life was often rather barren. But there are exceptions; Cork for example seems to be good place, sufficiently well-served.


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## Flamme

I dont need a fuss, really...I need peace and quiet.


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## joen_cph

Flamme said:


> I dont need a fuss, really...I need peace and quiet.


I get that ... ...


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## Dan Ante

Flamme said:


> I dont need a fuss, really...I need peace and quiet.


So you found a little piece and hopes she keeps quite...


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## Guest

For a really good life you can't go past New Zealand, in my opinion. The south island is stunning; they have wonderful roads and infrastructure and the place is filled with warm and friendly Kiwis. Queenstown is an especially nice place, highly recommended.










We watch "*Grand Designs New Zealand*" and are not only impressed by the often innovative architecture but also the highly skilled tradespeople who can build anything asked of them, no matter how challenging. And you get to see the country when you watch those programs too. Then there's "Coast: New Zealand". Another great advertisement for that country.


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## Luchesi

Christabel said:


> For a really good life you can't go past New Zealand, in my opinion. The south island is stunning; they have wonderful roads and infrastructure and the place is filled with warm and friendly Kiwis. Queenstown is an especially nice place, highly recommended.
> 
> We watch "*Grand Designs New Zealand*" and are not only impressed by the often innovative architecture but also the highly skilled tradespeople who can build anything asked of them, no matter how challenging. And you get to see the country when you watch those programs too. Then there's "Coast: New Zealand". Another great advertisement for that country.


- but they can't see the North Star. They're luckier they have a whole galaxy at their pole for a celestial marker. It's Polarissima Australis.


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## Dan Ante

NZ is the home of #8 fencing wire it provides the answere to many problems ask anny Kiwi


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## Guest

Dan Ante said:


> NZ is the home of #8 fencing wire it provides the answere to many problems ask anny Kiwi


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## science

My current answer is Paris. 

LA has a strong argument (great climate and beautiful women), but the problem is it's too far from almost anywhere I'd like to go. Paris is pretty nice all year round, and it's not only one of the places I'd like to go regularly but it's right in the middle of most of the other places I'd like to go regularly.


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## Roger Knox

Harmonie said:


> I think either Massachusetts or somewhere in South-Eastern Canada would be #1. So probably Boston. I'd have to go research Canada cities to give a better answer in terms of Canada.


Great -- even though I've never heard anyone refer to South-Eastern Canada. If you mean the Maritimes, it's smaller cities and a slower pace that some people really like. Personally I prefer Toronto, Ontario or Montreal, Quebec.


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## Chilham

science said:


> My current answer is Paris.
> 
> LA has a strong argument (great climate and beautiful women), but the problem is it's too far from almost anywhere I'd like to go. Paris is pretty nice all year round, and it's not only one of the places I'd like to go regularly but it's right in the middle of most of the other places I'd like to go regularly.


I lived there 2000-07. Still miss it.

Not the right country to run your own business, but a fantastic place to live.


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## Ingélou

Cities that I loved living in (from my past life) were York and Durham. I grew up in York, and lived there for six months last year - we were renting, waiting to buy a new house. I still love York and it has lovely associations, but it is just too crowded with tourists and shoppers to be pleasant walking in it unless you choose a quiet time. At Christmas last year, the streets were packed. Traffic jams and a lack of corner shops didn't improve the experience of living there either.

Of course, it's been very quiet this year in the pandemic and I've been looking at some beautiful photos taken by the few people who walked around.

Durham was where I went to university. At that time the university was small, less than 2000, but now you can add another 16,000 to that. As we found out when we rented a holiday house there in 2018, the students have completely taken over the town centre with their discos and nightlife clubs. Again, nothing can spoil the town architecture, and the riverside walks are stunning, but the pleasure has been taken away. At the time we were there it was proposed to increase the campus size yet again and there was a lot of local opposition, which didn't make for a nice atmosphere.

I'm happy living in my small Yorkshire town, twenty-five minutes from York. But if you made me choose a city to live in, it would be Ripon. It's become gentrified a little since my grandparents lived there, but it's still beautiful, relatively small, and full of friendly Yorkshire folk. 










Of course, I'm cheating. Ripon is one of the oldest cities in the country, but that is just a technical description because of its charter - it really doesn't have anything about it that would fit the term 'city life'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripon


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## Harmonie

Roger Knox said:


> Great -- even though I've never heard anyone refer to South-Eastern Canada. If you mean the Maritimes, it's smaller cities and a slower pace that some people really like. Personally I prefer Toronto, Ontario or Montreal, Quebec.


Well, for me it's a combination of politics and climate. Climate-wise, Southeastern Canada and New England states are the best IMO. Hurricanes are existent but quite rare and even then typically not severe. Tornadoes are very rare (which isn't the case the further toward the central US/south central Canada you get). Earthquakes (not a matter of climate, but still a factor) are not much of anything to worry about. I think the worst thing in these areas would just be to make sure we don't move into an area that can flood.

But it's not like I'll ever be able to afford New England, or be able to emigrate to Canada.  I hope to at least find somewhere that is less crappy than where I live politically, but that's also a tall order, as pretty much everywhere in the US is more expensive than where I live, not just New England.


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## Phil loves classical

I felt uncommonly at home in Kawaguchiko, Japan. Friendly people, laid back atmosphere. They are quite friendly to people who don't speak the language. 

In the summer, lots of nice places in Canada to be in. Waterton, Alberta, Prince Edward Island, valley south of the St. Lawrence in Quebec. For some reason I felt a special attraction to Cornwall of all places in Ontario, besides North Bay. 

In the US, I was impressed with lots of places in Oregon, New Hampshire, Texas, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Arkansas, South Caronlina, Colorado. I can imagine settling down in any of the towns there.


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## Flamme

Chilham said:


> I lived there 2000-07. Still miss it.
> 
> Not the right country to run your own business, but a fantastic place to live.


I hear its very...Crazy x-pensive!!!


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