If you left Germany, where would you go?

Ok, I’m thinking Dubai purely for financial reasons and because I would already have somewhere to stay. Other than that Amsterdam, so I could just get wasted all the time before I lost my job and then I would become one of those people who pick bottles out of the bin and sleep on the street.

Certainly wouldn’t be France. Stoopid keyboards.

I think, once you have emigrated once, then the idea of doing it again is very easy .

Too many choices really. And Brit has their pick of the EU of course. I'd love to live in Japan, Egypt or India .

US cause it is summer and I would love to just be at the lake cruising around on my speedboat and camping out on some island.

God I hear ya Eurovol. Got in as much boating/water skiing/canoeing/camping, etc as I could in the last three weeks but it still leaves you wanting more. I can't wait to move back home.

norway, finland or iceland i think.

cant imagine why, but i feel drawn there.

Might be tempted to go back to Aus.

I would go anywhere but the United States. But I can see living in Austria, Switzerland, or Costa Rica. Wherever I go it has to be near a forest.

There was a book being run to see if I would actually return from New Zealand and New South Wales... I did, not entirely sure that was wise and I'd certainly be more than happy in Wellington or Sydney.
Both places suit me despite being pretty different, just felt completely at home: the landscape, the water, the attitude and humour of the people, cultural stuff and frankly the colours.

I'm with euvorol and Dan. Hopefully within the next 4-6 months too.

I am leaving Germany and moving to Austin, Texas in a matter of days.


Phew, what a relief!

Me too! Though sadly my wait will be more like 8-10 months.

Australia for sure, if it would not be that bloody damn far away...

Back to Accrington where men are men and women wash up by hand

i think oz is my next stop. looking for a pre-ruin california. maybe perth. i wonder which city in oz is both the most progressive as well as great warm water surfing? i will spend the winter there and hopefully find a good spot.

any ozzies want to give some tips, i'm all ears. also researching nz, but from what i gather, it's quite expensive and the weather is not so sunny most of the time.

Australia or New Zealand where I can turn the tables and bitch about, well, just about everything. The only difference is that everything is actually better here (anywhere, for that matter) than there.

Krostitzer. Do not bother, I have around 12 family members in Perth and a few in Sydney. Most are born and bred Aussie but ALL want to come to Europe.

I guess it is because Australia is just so fantastic that they wish to gloat.

back to Canada, finish my degree, do some research and teach at the uni instead of the day to day grind.
Actually planning it already, cannot wait to leave this place.

San Francisco, Tokyo, Helsinki, or Seoul -- I think I'd like it in either place.

Back to Canada. I never wanted or imagined living anywhere else, but Germany has been a lovely treat. I'm enjoying it immensely!

The chances are it would be an English-speaking country

Scotland for six months to pick up the accent.
Spain for two years to really learn the language.
Hamburg for six months to learn Plattdeutsch and get a different angle on Germany.
Thailand for a year to live in a non-European culture.

By then I will be past 50 and ready to give SF another try or drive the shuttle-bus in Yosemite for a while.

Perth is the most isolated city on the planet. It's very beautiful, but I could never live there for more than 6 month, I would just feel to far away from everything.


Almost all of the Australians I know, who lived and worked in Europe and then returned to Australia miss Europe more than anything.

I need to start thinking about where I want to live when I retire, maybe 10 years from now, and I don't see myself staying in Germany - although Germany today is already a vast improvement on 30 years ago. Not sure I want to go back to the UK either, which by all accounts is now vastly worse than it was 30 years ago. I'll probably want to stay in Europe, coz it's what I think of as home. Other important criteria are mild winters, lots of sunshine, in or within easy reach of a medium-to-large sized town/city, and somewhere where I can speaka da lingo. That pretty much narrows it down to Italy, France or Spain (maybe also Portugal). Some contact with other English speakers would be nice. But the last thing I want is to end up in some awful retired British expat ghetto. It's not an easy choice.

NZ...as much as I like Germanland and parts of Europe, it's not for me long term. I like space, nature, bare feet and BBQs. I don't like people...no brainer really

Very wise... I spotted this the other day parked (badly) on Maximilainstr:

And where was it registered, I hear you cry...

That, ladies and gentlemen is a Mercedes SLR the fastest automatic transmission car in the world and the cheapest model leaves the factory for half a million euro. But light enough to fit into one's private jet no doubt...

Back on topic: Where would I leave Germany for? The US for a laugh for a few years, and maybe into comfortable retirement in France, where Mrs. Angel comes from. Out to pasture where the pastures are very tasty indeed.

I think I would probably go live on a coast somewhere. Not breathtakingly beautiful tropical beach type coasts or anything like that, cos let's face it, you can get a Mai Tai anywhere these days. I think I'd go for a coast similar to that of Brouwershaven in the Netherlands. I love that place.

I would head to a cheap asian country...cheap beer, women, food, appartments...

in that order?

sure lad...''beer always number 1''...you know man what you get... !!!

i agree with this statement. at some point i'll be glad to give up a lot of the cultural stuff in order to get some thong tanlines on my feet once again and have nature as a part of my everyday life. i want to check out wellington, and some small cities somewhat close by. it seems that there'd be work for me there. but auckland, hmm, i read it has the highest per capita density of yachts on the planet. what i don't want is margaritaville or to live in a materialistic yuppy/retirement/dullsville kind of community. might i be asking for too much from nz?

Welly is not for you if you want year-round warm water surfing - the Cook Straight winds just won't allow that. Having said that, the UV sun blast is still there, you get a winter but nothing like here and certainly the nature bit is a doable as you want it to be. In Cali-terms, it is like a mini-SanFran, mixed culturally, big coffee scene (apparently more coffee drunk there per capita than in Seattle?), very relaxed despite being a seat of government.

Auckland is the city of sails but far from being retirement/dullsville and can be as materialistic/yuppy as you want it to be. But Timmeh et al have a better idea as I think he's actually from there?

like Timmeh, I'd definitely go back to NZ. But not to Auckland, more likely to my birth city Wellington or somewhere on the South Island. Auckland is not really my thing anymore. Absolutely crappy public transport system, too much crime for my taste (mind you, that's getting worse all over the country), and too many yuppies.

I really miss the beaches, the NZ mentality, the bbq's and meat pies. I think I'd go back to NZ and probably get really FAT!!!

I definately won't be heading back to Canada. I mean, the nature is great and all, and I really do miss the whole camping/backpacking/wilderness thing, but I can get that on vacation when I go visit family..
I have no idea where I'm headed next. Somewhere with mild winters like in Germany, perferably.

So, is that the reason for your trip? Checking out your retirement home

Relative to the rest of the world, I would not say that Germany is known especially for "mild winters".

I have absolutely no idea where I would go and where I belong anymore. I am in expat burnout. Now that we have a kid, and are considering a second, I feel we do need to decide where we will be the next decade. But no where feels like home anymore. I do not want to return to NYC, loved it, but it is definately past tense.

Germany was lovely in terms of quality of life, but I was a bit bored culturally, I never conquered the language and my work prospects were limited by where the military bases were.

I love N.Z. and Australia, but just simply too far away from my U.S. based sibs and family.

London, where I am now, does not bowl me over...the 8 year olds dress like hookers.

We have a place in Virgina, but damn it is hot and the big box stores everywhere depresses the hell out of me.

We are looking at the Boston/New Hampshire area as a possibility. I want real change of seasons an I have missed the N.E. fall folliage.

Basically though, I am really just tired of starting over. Most of my real friendships are those I made when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. There is something about early shared history that is deeply bonding to me. I miss a real sense of community.

Seriously, I've had enough of the is pathetic summer weather here...clouds, cold and rain. I don't care where I am, I just want sunshine and and a clear blue sky.

If I was gonna leave Germany I'd seriously think about going back home for a while. I miss the sea & could get back in to sailing (racing) weekends & Tuesday evenings. I'm sure though that after a while though I'd soon get fed up with the slow pace of life though, especially when you consider that so many peole go to the Isle of Wight to retire!
Apart from that, from a financial point of view I'm considering a contract in Denmark cos I don't have a contract at the mo!

I think I'd move to somewhere quite rural in nrothern England/Scotland. But nearer to the sea.

I'd like to spend a year living in a few cities around the world- Florence, Paris, and/or Sydney would be great for a few months. Then maybe back to Zurich for a few years.

However, every Sunday I spend here where all the shops are closed and I run out of things to do, I wish I could go back to New Jersey, the center of American consumerism, where I could shop all day in any of the 6 malls or 15 English-speaking movie theaters 20-minutes away from my house

Back to Canada for me. It will happen one of these days but I'm in no rush, Munich has a lot to offer me for the time being.

God, your heaven is my hell!!!

that's putting it nicely. this last winter the germans were telling me, "ah, zis vinter is mild! some winters it gets down to minus 20!" i think that were i here, in the sunless, gray, long-faced 5 month winter at 20 below, i would require suicide prevention counseling. that northern europeans are used to miserable weather doesn't make it any better. it's not so much the temp, but the urban deadness, lack of direct sunlight, and unchanging, dreary gray gray gray. and now that the non-existant summer is all but gone (but where did it go?), another depressing winter looms on the horizon.

Auckland is a big place, you can yuppy it up (central city) or hippy/surfy/stoner it up (west coast) or any combintation in between.

What I love about Auckland is that it's sandwiched between the east and west coasts of the country and each is easily and quickly accessible, and as there is such an abundance of coastline it's easy to get an entire beach to yourself. There is plenty of spectacular bush and scenery around and in Auckland too which is ace.

If you're into warm waters, you really need to go north of Auckland, but then the chances of finding work diminish the further you go up. But with a wetsuit for winter, we surfed year round in Auckland

What I do not like about Auckland is that it's very very spread out and takes forever to get anywhere, even with a car. The public transport is laughable, although, I understand there have been improvements over the last few years.


Yeah...I think I'm over cities...give me a nice patch of land away from people, near the sea where I can kick back, relax and have a bit of homegrown in the backyard...I'm happy.


Don't get me started. Although I do have a pie maker here, it's nothing like the real deal.

You're correct, but if you'd lived in Canada most of your life, you would in fact consider the winters mild here. Anywhere else, well, I suppose maybe not.
It's all a matter of personal circumstance.

Surely that depends on what part of Canada you lived in. If you lived in Vancouver you'd think the winters were pretty harsh here. (Well you would if you ignored the last two winters here!)

give me a dry -30° anyday with the sunshine as opposed to the grey wet winters here!

We don't normally have grey wet winters here, the last two winters have been an exception. Obviously we don't get - 30°C normally, although it has been known, but -15°C with bright blue skies are pretty common in January and February and as I said if you lived in Vancouver your perception of winter would be completely different. If you want grey wet winters you should go to the UK!

I have had 10 winters here, and believe me they are grey! No sun, no blue sky... depressing as shit.

And I've had more than 20 and that's rubbish.

retire in the mtns of mallorca