If you had to live in a country in Europe...

I have a suspicion we might have hijacked this thread, but it is making me laugh anyway. Frank, that was a great story.

I used to work at a large steakhouse chain in Germany, as a manager. Often the wait staff would ask me to go to a table and see what the "Americans" wanted. When I would then leave the table, I could hear them whisper "my, what good English she spoke" or I would often be asked where I went to school since my English was so outstanding. Always made me laugh.

I've lived in Northern Italy for 6 years. Granted I have only been able to live the life I live, thanks to the US military community I am part of. I live in an Italian home with Italian land lords. The experience of living ‘on the economy’ has taught me that Italian red tape dwarfs USA. Getting gas turned on required going to 3 different offices and then waiting 6 months for the bills to finally be in my name. 2 years later my gas bill is still messed up. Other facts of living in Italy are: 1- your car will be broken into. We average once a year. 2-your car will get dents, dings and scratches. 3- Car insurance costs double what it does in the states...sorry about the car rants, but my car got smashed yesterday.
Northern Italians are not like southern ones. They are not necessarily cold, but they are reserved. I think they are like that so that they can have some sort of privacy when they live for decades in apartment with neighbors who can hear everything.
Quality of life has had the greatest impact on my family. Being separate from American culture for so long...well I guess we have lost touch. Family outings now are a scenic drive and a long lunch. Nothing is instant. No drive thru. We eat with the seasons (why would you really trust fresh strawberries in February?). When we visit the USA we feel really out of place because we aren’t use to feeling the need to go somewhere or do something. Gosh I can’t remember the last time I went to the movie theater.
As for the question of where would I live if I could live anywhere…Maybe I would move further south in the Boot. After too many years of insanity, I don’t think that I could be happy in orderly foreign countries like Germany. Really, if I’m going to live in a foreign place I want it to be 180 degrees from what I am use to (I’m a native of Eastern Washington State).

I thought we were all either moving to Wales or going to Corinnas for tea? Does this mean I have to change my mind again?

We moved to Spain several years ago. We had always wanted to live in Europe and Spain seemed easier than most and the requirements for a long term visa less onerous. We had no specific criteria - it was more a matter of what country would accept us. It is not easy to live legally in Europe long term.

Aside from the relative ease, Spain was attractive for cost of living and climate and language. We did not want cold northern europe and Spain is cheaper than many. Did we know Spain and did we have any special reason for wanting to move there - no. Did we care - no. Did most think us mad - yes. Do we think it one of the best decisions we have ever made - yes. Will it be forever - who knows.

That said, our long term visas do not allow us to work and one of us works outside Spain. But that is fine and would have likely been the case had we stayed in our home country.

For us, the joy of living in Europe makes up for any frustrations we experience. The Spanish are some of the friendliest people we have met. The weather is wonderful about 9 months of the year - in southern Spain.

Right now if by some means it was legal for us to live anywhere in Europe other than Spain, I would still choose to live here.

for me it would be Austria of course.

Despite the history, even though for nine years horrible and complicated ( I am of Jewish heritage),
this is my place of heart.

After almost ( on + off) twenty years in the USA, and a childhood on the move, moving from Austria to Bavaria to Italy and back several times,
AUSTRIA is where my heart dwells, and my soul and my essence as well.

The quality of life here is unsurpassable: I live on very little, yet have a very good life. I have medical insurance, I have the right to call: 'time out'. I have enough time/money left to go to a Coffee House, to travel, to spend time with family and friends.

Our tax rate is exorbitant by American standards - but we think in terms ''WE'', rather than ''I'', we have lofty ideals and dreams: like lifting Afrika from its poverty.

However unlikely, I am honored to be part of the experience, proud of trying - be it recycling or foreign policy.

The global crisis has hit us as well, for the first time since 2001, the Austrian economy is tanking, but we are fairly optimistic here.

People have gone through so much: we'll get through this too!
It's not about the crash of of the existing system, but the dawn of a new era! We are returning to a simpler way of life here, returning to our local economy, globalisation be damned.

It's a good life here, all the way around!

In "Dog Day Afternoon," Sonny, who was arranging a jet to take him and his fellow bank robber Sal out of the country turned to Sal and asked him what foreign country he wanted to go to.

Sal's Response.......Wyoming.

My ex-husband and I were living in Memphis, and once when we were out to dinner, the server had a deep Mississippi accent (for those who don't know, Memphis is in Tennessee but cradled between Arkansas and Mississippi), and he turned to my then husband, with his Seattle accent and asked, "Are you from a foreign country?" LOL.

The first time my son went down into deep Bavaria to visit step-grandpa, he asked what country we were in. When told Germany, he vehemently said no, that was NOT German they were speaking. (he had been in German kindergarten about 6 months)

Honestly, I still have problems understanding deep Bavarians. They cannot figure me out at all, since I speak Hessisch dialect with an American accent.

Paris 1993 I walk into my small hotel where practically no one on staff spoke English. In those days, my French was much better than it is now.

I stopped by the front desk to get my key (remember the only monster keys that you had to leave at the front desk when you left) and was asked, in French, by the desk clerk if I spoke English.

I replied in the affirmative and he asked if I would help the American couple standing to the side who were trying to figure out how to get to the Louvre.

No problem I said and found out the couple was from Texas. Well, I gave them directions and even taught them how to use the metro.

When I was finished, the wife smiled at me and said, "You know, we understood everything you said but couldn't understand one word from that other guy (the desk clerk.)

"There's a reason for that," I said. "I'm an American."

The wife looked at me in shock and blurted out....'but you spoke French."

My dream used to be to live in the US. Now after almost 18 years of doing it, I have been there and done that and frankly it wasn't quite the shangri la I thought it would be. One thing I can say with conviction, I'd rather live in a shack in California than a palace in Missouri! I do not want to put it down - the locals love it there - but for us we do not like to be perennially stressed about the weather.

I have always wanted to live in France. I love the history and the culture and the language and I spent a lot of time there in my 20's. Realistically though I do not know, even though it might be easier nowdays with my EU passport.

My heart tells me that where I belong is where my family is and where my memories are and where the history of my ancestors is. It may be a cold and far corner of the earth but that is where my heart is and always will be. Even after all these years here in the US, I am not American, I am a Finn and always will be.

Jo, Bavarian is like music to my ears! ; ) On our recent trip, the first time I heard Gruss Got (but in Austria- LOL), I almost teared up! However, I did find it easier to communicate in Mainz. My mom always said that she didn't teach us more German because she was afraid she had a country dialect. (I think it's crap, because at least I would speak more!)

I have said before, and it's the honest truth, that half of my heart is in Germany and half is in the US. It's complicated, because it's hard for me to be whole in either place. If I was rich, I would have a home in both places and live half the year in each. I may or may not qualify for dual citizenship (I should and I would in any other country because my mom is German, but Germany had citizenship only through paternity when I was born. They have since changed it.)

Jo, how is the job situation over there? I hear stories of qualified people who are unemployed for years, but I don't know if that is hyperbole.

Keep it coming! I love knowing everyone's reasons!

My family and I have lived in Vienna for 5 years. We consider it home. I like it a lot. My kids are bilingual and that makes me proud. Vienna is not too big and not too small. It must have one of the best public transit systems in the world. Its clean and has a very low crime rate. Its packed with great architeture, art and music. It's big enough to be "cosmopolitan". We literally have the city out our front door and vineyards and the Vienna Woods out our back door. My favorite thing is to just stay at home on the weekend and spend Saturday and Sunday hiking and visiting local Heurigers with friends. The Viennese are very earnest and sincere, but sometimes find it a bit hard to let their hair down. Sure: life is life and nothing's perfect. Sometime's its a bit too "orderly". Heating bills are astronomical! Work is, well, work. But I'd happily stay here until retirement (its a possibility!). That said, we also have come to like France, Germany and England quite a lot. And my wife is crazy about Italy. I don't know: who can say why anyone feels connected to a place? All I can say is that, for the first time in my life, I am happy where I am and I'm not constantly dreaming about moving someplace else (that used to be the norm). As I write this, I'm just superstitious enough to hope I'm not jinxing things by proclaiming that I'm content. Life is short and I don't take any of it for granted. I am very lucky and I try to be mindful of it every day. And thankful too.

Cate:

My wife and I love to travel and make one or two big trips a year. We generally have to limit them to three weeks or so because we don't like being away from our cats any longer than that-it's not fair to them. On the other hand, flying from the US to Europe (or anywhere else, for that matter) gets to be a bigger hassle every time we go. So, the solution is to move (with cats) to Europe where we are not more than a few hours by train from most everywhere and we can feed our travel addiction as often as necessary. My choice? A small village somewhere in rural England about an hour train ride from London where you can have a pint with your mates at the local pub and watch the cricket matches on the green on a Sunday afternoon. Yeah, the weather in the UK often sucks and the cost of living is as high as anywhere in Europe, but it is such a fantastic place. I just need to figure out how to pay for it!

I would so love to live in France, probably the south, and there was a time that would have been possible. Highly unlikely now with the current economy but at least I still get to visit every year. I would have a difficult time though not getting to see the kids and grandkids as often so it's probably for the best that I'm within a 10-hour and 6-hour drive from them.
I love hearing everyone's stories...makes me really wish we could all meet! Tea at Corinna's would be great!!! (hahaha!!!)

I had to laugh when I read Jo's comments above. It reminded me of how my daughter described the Viennese who spoke German.

She lived there three years and told me how Americans who spoke German and who dealt with the Austrians always described their German as "hillbilly German".

Odd to read these as I watch a concert from Vienna on television!

Vienna is a beautiful city and I was mistaken for a local in the internet cafe! When I looked helpless the fellow was so apologetic, I could not believe it. He was defensive when I complimented him on his English - "Its an international language, why wouldn't I speak it?" was his response.

However, I think I would like to spend some time in the south of France and soak up the Joie de Vivre we experienced there; enjoy the sea and the countryside. FOrtunately we have EU passports, so this is a possibility in the future. Meanwhile we plan to visit the Scandinavian countries this year and cruise the Danube (including Vienna again) next year.

When the kids and husband are bugging me, I have a fantasy about a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands with no one else around. More likely would be somewhere in the UK in a mid size town or city, so there would be neighbors and friends.

I would never move to Bolivia. That didn't work out so good for Butch and Sundance.

I would live in Germany. I felt like I was at home there.

I've already lived in France twice, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't chose to live there a third time (unless I could live in Strasbourg!). My grandparents were from Germany, and I think I'd like to give living there a try, because I really want to learn more about my heritage, and learn to speak the language fluently.

West Coast or Ireland where my ancestors hail from OR London. When I visited Eire I experienced a feeling that I was home, truly home. Love the people, the music, and the landscape....not too mention the rugby team. Would get used to the weather. London simply because it's London. Have been 7 times and never tire of it.

France

Germany or Switzerland.

It will always be France, especially Paris.
I started learning French when I was 8 and by the age of 14 I was speaking very well. I only took French in school and each lesson started with a different cultural fact about France, then grammar.I fell in love with the country and language right away. In 4th or 5th grade we started doing plays in France language. Those were challenging, but cool.

I'm still hoping that I could find a away to make (more) money online and move to France.
I lived in Germany for less than a year and even if I have good memmories of it, I don't feel it as close as I feel France.

It would be France.

While I was growing up, my aunt lived in Paris and Luxembourg for over 20 years. She wrote me letters (in French) and told me endless stories of her life there when she would visit us each year. Because of her inspiration, I took French in school for 8 years. By high school grad I was reading novels in French.

Over the years, my French language skills have faded a bit, but whenever I go there I can still get by. Everyone seems to understand me. One Frenchman stopped me on the sidewalk in Paris to ask for directions. Guess he thought I was a local.

If I could get a job there, I would love to go. But being a nurse might be a bit sticky as far as licensure and being able to speak/understand medical terminology. I'd probably have to go to language immersion school first. And I'd miss my family horribly. So I may just have to be satisfied with vacations.

Probably somewhere in the Northern Adriatic.

I would love the weather I grew up with in San Diego and an ocean to sail in, but without outrageous tourist crowds and cost of living (is that possible?).

If I couldn't live in Austria . .

the Greek Islands or the Croatian/Dalmatian coast would be my next choice.
I love the hospitality, the mediterranian culture, the food, the history, the sun and the music :-))

Wow! People who feel like me! I have lived many years in Europe, mainly Germany, Italy and England. I was in England last and for 7 years. When I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, I felt like I had come home. I thought that strange at the time, but the ensuing years proved over and over that I had found my soul mate country-wise. When I returned to the States, it all felt so familiar, familiar but not home. I am still here after returning 12 years ago. I love my family and so much about this country, but, although I am happy here, I would move to the UK in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose. This will sound a bit dramatic, but it feels like star-crossed lovers. You know who you really love, but you keep your commitments. Sigh.