Thread: Best country in Europe to live in

Agree 100%

For me personally I want to be jumping through fewer hoops as a retiree. It makes sense for me to live in Europe where there is a choice of climate and the opportunity to work if I want to. Cleanliness, personal safety and decent healthcare are also crucial for anyone who wants a reasonable standard of living.
There will always be options for anyone who is a passport holder from an EU country. While a common language is helpful, it is only essential if you are idle or dense.
If you have traveled widely throughout Europe it should not be too difficult to narrow the choices down. Not being a huge fan of big cities is also a help.
Perhaps somewhere it is possible to hike, cycle and sail, and also enjoy quality food at reasonable prices in decent company.

^ Likewise. It's another reason I love Madeira - it is a year-round perfect hiking cycling and sailing destination

Originally Posted by chassamui

If you have traveled widely throughout Europe it should not be too difficult to narrow the choices down. Not being a huge fan of big cities is also a help.
Perhaps somewhere it is possible to hike, cycle and sail, and also enjoy quality food at reasonable prices in decent company.

I'm also not a huge fan of big cities. If you were to tell me I'd have to live in a big city for the rest of my life, I'd be a bit pissed off about it, but if I had to live in a big city for a year or two or even three, that would be absolutely fine and I would perhaps see it as a bit of an adventure.

Originally Posted by Neverna

I'm also not a huge fan of big cities. If you were to tell me I'd have to live in a big city for the rest of my life, I'd be a bit pissed off about it, but if I had to live in a big city for a year or two or even three, that would be absolutely fine and I would perhaps see it as a bit of an adventure.

You are clearly blessed with much greater levels of patience and tolerance than I.

Nothing like going to live in the Outback , to escape.
Go for it, at least it's free from humans.

Originally Posted by buriramboy

At the end of the day you can live cheaply anywhere in the world just depends how you want to live, on an average month in the UK I spend next to fuk all but that's down to me rarely going out as the bars and excuses for restaurants here are shit, yes housing and utilities are more expensive in the UK than Thailand but I still spend less in the UK than I did in Thailand now this is obviously down to me not being out most nights of the week and eating out most of the time as did in Thailand.

Take a look at this link and you might change your opinion.

Want to be happy? Don't live in the UK | Money | The Guardian

By definition, the European countries I now visit are so different from those I knew as a young student in the 60's. But the pleasure is now being able to afford that which was previously unobtainable. There are some great bargains out there in the present economic climate, and driving around places like Spain or Italy away from the capital cities and the expensive hotels, staying in small towns, eating in local restaurants, drinking the local wine is an incredible way to unwind.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Originally Posted by buriramboy

At the end of the day you can live cheaply anywhere in the world just depends how you want to live, on an average month in the UK I spend next to fuk all but that's down to me rarely going out as the bars and excuses for restaurants here are shit, yes housing and utilities are more expensive in the UK than Thailand but I still spend less in the UK than I did in Thailand now this is obviously down to me not being out most nights of the week and eating out most of the time as did in Thailand.

Take a look at this link and you might change your opinion.

Want to be happy? Don't live in the UK | Money | The Guardian

That article is five years old and was written in the depths of the recession. The UK has been faring far better than France Spain Portugal etc in more recent years.

However, some of its points are still valid and I wouldn't want to be stuck in the UK 12 months of the year. Southern Europe kicks its arse in many respects.

Originally Posted by runner

I wouldn't want to be stuck in the UK 12 months of the year.

But you are, Dom . . . but you are

^^
Which points no longer apply and which do, may I ask?

People feel much more optimistic and upbeat than they did 5 years ago. Back then roughly half the country felt like emigrating.

I can't be arsed to disect the article point by point for you because presumably all you want to do is argue.

Not really. It is impossible for all of us who have not lived in the UK to know how things have really changed over the past 5 years from when the article was written.

You made the statement that a lot of things have changed, and all I am asking is for you to explain your previous comment.

One of many examples, this being a financial one. You'll have to read up elsewhere if you are genuinely interested, I have better things to do than spoonfeed it to you sorry. Nothing personal.

UK consumer confidence outstrips rest of the world: study - Telegraph

The place still has a lot of issues, but the doom and gloom has mostly receded

Originally Posted by runner

The place still has a lot of issues, but the doom and gloom has mostly receded

Can't be much fun for you then, cleaning toilets at a higher education institute on a zero hours contract, still going home to that seedy basement.

Originally Posted by runner

People feel much more optimistic and upbeat than they did 5 years ago. Back then roughly half the country felt like emigrating.

Are you judging the best place to live in the EU based only on your life in the UK, with no history of living in any other EU Country? Have you ever been to one, except to buy some cheap alcohol and/or tobacco in Calais?

Imagine if the bicycle routes took on a Dutch dimension and the "paths" were made almost the same size as the road?

Imagine if the bicycle routes were part of the pathways and you only ever had to ride on the road in a residential area with 30Km/hr restrictions (Bavaria)

Imagine being protected by a police force that still walked the beat and in male/female pairs (Germany)

Do you remember the UK up until the early 70's...where shops half-closed on market day and Saturday and all but a few didn't open on Sundays? Still happens in most of Europe...whatever happened to the UK? Did greed take over? Did greed remove every principle that Victorian England strived for? Is it greed that has made the English leave England?

Hell I'd rather be in a Junta ruled Thailand than I would a non-principled, hypocritical Britain that has lost its foundations and prefers prostituting itself to oil bearing nations.

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Originally Posted by buriramboy

At the end of the day you can live cheaply anywhere in the world just depends how you want to live, on an average month in the UK I spend next to fuk all but that's down to me rarely going out as the bars and excuses for restaurants here are shit, yes housing and utilities are more expensive in the UK than Thailand but I still spend less in the UK than I did in Thailand now this is obviously down to me not being out most nights of the week and eating out most of the time as did in Thailand.

Take a look at this link and you might change your opinion.

Want to be happy? Don't live in the UK | Money | The Guardian

That may very well be true...and i was utterly and completely miserable when i was trying to live in London...but - if i had a pension in pounds sterling right now i could be living quite comfortably in Thailand and would be like the proverbial pig in SH*T!!! (in other words USD ain't worth a crap).

Kudos for being a "left-wing Guardian type"...

Originally Posted by Troy

Do you remember the UK up until the early 70's...where shops half-closed on market day and Saturday and all but a few didn't open on Sundays? Still happens in most of Europe...whatever happened to the UK? Did greed take over? Did greed remove every principle that Victorian England strived for? Is it greed that has made the English leave England?

Brought back some nice memories of Germany in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I lived there for over 10 years and loved it.
The shops closed at lunchtime on Saturdays except for 1 weekend per month. It was verboten to hang washing out on a Sunday and weekends were all about family. Cafe und kuchen in the village bakery was one of our favourite treats, and the imbiss almost as good as an old fashioned English chippy.
I recall being gently but firmly admonished in the early days for sitting at the stammtisch in a local restaurant. Golden days.
I could easily imagine living there again.

Originally Posted by Paddy Whackery

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Originally Posted by buriramboy

At the end of the day you can live cheaply anywhere in the world just depends how you want to live, on an average month in the UK I spend next to fuk all but that's down to me rarely going out as the bars and excuses for restaurants here are shit, yes housing and utilities are more expensive in the UK than Thailand but I still spend less in the UK than I did in Thailand now this is obviously down to me not being out most nights of the week and eating out most of the time as did in Thailand.

Take a look at this link and you might change your opinion.

Want to be happy? Don't live in the UK | Money | The Guardian

That may very well be true...and i was utterly and completely miserable when i was trying to live in London...but - if i had a pension in pounds sterling right now i could be living quite comfortably in Thailand and would be like the proverbial pig in SH*T!!! (in other words USD ain't worth a crap).

Kudos for being a "left-wing Guardian type"...

I do not read the Guardian on a daily basis, so I do not think I really qualify, sorry.

Originally Posted by chassamui

Originally Posted by Troy

Do you remember the UK up until the early 70's...where shops half-closed on market day and Saturday and all but a few didn't open on Sundays? Still happens in most of Europe...whatever happened to the UK? Did greed take over? Did greed remove every principle that Victorian England strived for? Is it greed that has made the English leave England?

Brought back some nice memories of Germany in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I lived there for over 10 years and loved it.
The shops closed at lunchtime on Saturdays except for 1 weekend per month. It was verboten to hang washing out on a Sunday and weekends were all about family. Cafe und kuchen in the village bakery was one of our favourite treats, and the imbiss almost as good as an old fashioned English chippy.
I recall being gently but firmly admonished in the early days for sitting at the stammtisch in a local restaurant. Golden days.
I could easily imagine living there again.

The Frittenbude, my favourite was Jägerwurst mit Fritten . . . having a Kölsch or three at our favourite disco - yes, they were still called Disco - the Storchennest in Asbach, getting shitfaced and phoning our favourite teacher at some ungodly hour to please pick us up and then puking in his remodelled 1950s Mercedes on the way.

Excellent times . . with the exception of the cold weather for six months of the year

[QUOTE="Troy"]
Do you remember the UK up until the early 70's...where shops half-closed on market day and Saturday and all but a few didn't open on Sundays? Still happens in most of Europe...whatever happened to the UK? Did greed take over? Did greed remove every principle that Victorian England strived for? Is it greed that has made the English leave England?

Yes, to all of that and it's a damn shame. However, having returned it's so nice to not hearing the word 'farang', those nauseating thai nasal tones and general noise pollution anymore. And since I escaped oldhamistan, not too many pakis either

Originally Posted by pompeysbroke

Yes, to all of that and it's a damn shame. However, having returned it's so nice to not hearing the word 'farang', those nauseating thai nasal tones and general noise pollution anymore. And since I escaped oldhamistan, not too many pakis either

Put it another way mate, if you were a Paki, would you want to live in Pakistan?

Clap Clap none of you have even whispered the word Switzerland.

^
I believe I did in post #21.

And I in another, but hey don't get your razor wire out yet.