October 27, 201014 yr Press Ctr and + at the same time to make it bigger. Sounds like a girl has given you those instructions before!
October 27, 201014 yr After staying in Torquay, England for a week, I think I could live there forever. It's on the English Channel coast, it has mild weather/palm trees, lots of awesome cliffs, castles, tremendous history, and fast trains into London for theater, museums and, well, London! Another town I loved was York, England, and not because it has the National Railway Museum (although that helps, as does London being just two hours away by high-speed train). Instead, the city inside the walled (pre-1500s) section is very much intact and very cozy. The city just hugs you. See: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14643.0.html Another candidate is Aberystwyth, Wales, which is not far from where my family came from: Prendergast, Wales (the town was swallowed up Haverfordwest, hometown of actor Christian Bale): http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13132.0.html I also like the small towns along the narrow sections of the Rhine between Bonn and Frankfurt. I don't have pictures but I do have lots of video I shot from the train. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 29, 201014 yr I studied for a semester in Florence Italy back in '98. So, I've been to many places in Europe. As I look back, it seems that the longer I stayed in one place, the better I liked it. So, Florence is first on my list. Next, would be Paris. Both are great walking cities.
October 30, 201014 yr I loved a lot of places I have been, but I think to live, I would chose mild weather+good food+good wine+sea. My fave seaside areas so far: Barcelona Valencia Catania (Sicily) Cote d'Azur
October 30, 201014 yr I loved a lot of places I have been, but I think to live, I would chose mild weather+good food+good wine+sea. My fave seaside areas so far: Barcelona Valencia Catania (Sicily) Cote d'Azur Obviosly Ms. Peabody knows how to enjoy life. We could start UrbanBarcelona or UrbanCotedazur LMAO!
November 6, 201014 yr top choices are: -Paris -Barcelona -considering somewhere in the Netherlands. NOT Amsterdam....nice to visit, but not a place I'd want to live. I'd opt for a smaller city in the north like Groningen or Leeuwarden. Both are great places, steeped in history, with fantastic archtecture and lots happening. Plus the train connections are really good, and constantly improving. -Copenhagen....wonderful city that just has it all...great architecture, great history, wonderful people, good transportation, not a bad cuisine, and a progressive, forward thining populace. The only drawback is learning Danish, but everyone speaks English. The map of European stereotype is hilarious, and so true. I especially love the French outlook on Eastern Europe.
November 6, 201014 yr I considered Groningen over Amsterdam for my Netherlands choice, but as much as I love it all those college students would make me feel old before my time! My favorite thing there, besides the bars and college girls, was the way that I could live in a very urban, happening neighborhood, but still bike out into genuine countryside within a half hour or so.
November 6, 201014 yr I've got family in Groningen, so it would be nice to be close by. The good thing about Leeuwarden is that I write for an online news service based there. I'd actually get to meet with the people instead of just MSNing and emailing. I really like the atmosphere in the north, and Groningen is growing like a weed. I'm already old, nothing is going to make me feel older.
November 6, 201014 yr Yikes, I don't think I could stand living in the north of NL. Groningen would definitely be the most tolerable, due to youthful energy and open-mindedness, but as a whole I find Friesland and Groningen (province) quite provincial (pun not intended). Not to mention anti-buitenlander/allochtoon.
November 6, 201014 yr I write for Frisian news service in Leeuwarden, so I am a bit biased. I would NEVER use the term buitenlander! The Frisians are only anti-Dutch, not others. Once when I was there, they burned the Queen in effigy, and had a rally to end the 500 years of Dutch occupation. Really most of the Netherlands, outside of the 4 major cities is pretty provincial. Groningen has the huge university, which saves it, and Leeuwarden is saved by being so nearby, and being a provincial capital. I think that you will find much more anti-allochtoon sentiments in the Randstad and Brabant.
November 8, 201014 yr My top two picks would probably be: Vancouver, BC: Never been there yet, but they speak English, it's still close to the US, it's a vibrant progressive city, the climate is almost perfect for me, and the natural setting is stunning. London, UK: My ancestry is predominantly English and I still have some relatives not far outside of London, so that part of the world is still considered the motherland in my family. Plus, it's London... What more needs to be said?
Create an account or sign in to comment