@MaineLonghorn - 3 times in 8 days? Mmmmm. I’m envious.
Of course, my grandmother would have asked why no okra on the other 5 days.
I’ll take your poutine @scout59!!!
@veruca …I just had lunch with a friend who recently moved to London from Sweden. We joked that Americans think that London is astronomically expensive, Londoners complain about the prices in Stockholm, and Swedes are shocked when they go to Norway! Norway - a nice place to visit but no one can afford to live there.
I could happily go back to live in Munich where we lived for five years. Great health care, great food (really it’s nothing like German food here!), great hiking, and easy access to the rest of Europe when the Germans get too German.
If it weren’t politically such a mess I’d go back to East Africa, it’s the landscape of my childhood and I still miss it.
I’d live in Italy for the food and the people.
After a wonderful vacation in Alberta and British Columbia, I’d vote for Canada as well. Another option - Iceland! Really! Ok, I’ve never actually been there, but a friend’s son lives there and the friend has visited, and it sounds wonderful. Can I stay for, like, half a year then move back?
Canada! And, as you can see from my userpic, I do live in Canada! I’ve lived here for most of my adult life and would never return to the U.S. full-time.
As for it being colder, if you live in ~~ the upper third of the U.S., your climate is very similar to that of the Toronto area which is the most populous in Canada. Some areas in the U.S. are far colder than it is here.
Even more so in Canada, in every regard. Plus universal healthcare, excellent public education, reasonable college costs, and a terrific social safety net. Little crime, and gun violence is virtually non-existent compared to the U.S.
Come on north, CC friends! Even for a visit. I’d love to show you this beautiful country. 
I’ve only visited Canada, and quite a long time ago at that, but I was struck by how clean and beautiful Toronto and Monteal were. Alwaysamom, you do make it sound like something close to utopia. If I could get someone else to shovel my snow for me, I think I might be pretty happy there, especially in the Pacific Northwest region (do they even get snow there?) Low rates of crime and gun violence–sign me up!
My daughter-in-law is from Canada, and her lovely parents still live there, but she and stepson recently moved their family to Atlanta for SS’s job. Hot, hot weather, incredible traffic congestion and lots of gun violence, but his mom and stepdad live there, and he lived there throughout high school, so at least there’s that.
Sweden, Denmark and Norway are perennially at the top of the list of Countries with “the happiest people” even though they are reputed to be notoriously expensive places to live. Sweden’s taxes alone would put it on the non-starters list for many Americans. Any experience living in any of those countries among CCers?
One thing all these countries seems to share in common is a relative lack of perceived culpability in forging the global history of misery and woe. They’ve done little in the way of conquering and subjugating, so relatively little of the world seems to hold a grudge against them. While they frolic through fields of eidelweise, giggling that the terrorists and refugees
I’m posting from my IPad, which seems to be intent on doing weird things lately, so my last comment got posted while I was still writing. WhatI was trying to say is: While they frolic through fields of eidelweise, giggling and shushing each other over the fact that the world’s terrorists and political refugees don’t seem to know they exist, much of the rest of Europe is waking up to a lot of unpleasantness
They get a lot but they also pay a lot; the average income tax percentage paid in Norway over the past five(ish) years is 59%. That’s the average, not the top. They are OK with Big Government and (relatively) less economic liberty, apparently. That’s a bit more government involvement/management than I’d like.
That is not to say that the Scandinavian nations are not otherwise wonderful, beautiful places. But when you’re sitting on oil (like Venezuela…), you can afford to ignore the profit incentive.
Italy, Ireland, Canada and actually planning on giving Italy a try for part of the year.
Doschicos, why Italy and Ireland? Pros and cons?
60 Minutes did a piece on Norway’s oil money a few years back. The Norwegians know the oil won’t last forever, and they’ve already passed the peak production stage as the reserves are going to run out sooner or later. The oil money is not being spent but instead being put away in a rainy day fund for future use. Pretty smart thinking to me.
Well, both are beautiful and both have warm, kind people in general. I also feel the cultures really know how to enjoy life and find a good balance. Italy’s food is amazing, of course, but the past decade has brought a new emphasis on local ingredients and a fresh take on Irish cooking as well that is very high quality. I like that local approach to cuisine in both countries. Neither countries get super cold. I could see myself attracted to Scandanavia, too, but don’t think I’d relish the long, dark winters. New Zealand is also appealing, but so far from much of the world. In Italy or Ireland, it would be easier for family and friends to come visit. For Italy, specifically, there is a reason Italians vacation in their own country - mountains for hiking and skiing, cities and culture, seaside resorts - its all there.
Canada. I could quite happily live in Vancouver.
New Zealand is everything you love about California (mountains, beaches, gorgeous local produce, cosmopolitan cities, awesome Pacific Rim food) without anything you hate about California (crowds, smog, sprawl, expense, pretension, attitude). They have great social benefits, too.
Distance from family and friends is the only downside.
Canada - easily. I have family there, and politically fit in far better there than in the US. Once S16 is safely dispatched to college, I’m considering trying to get an expat assignment from my employer, or even simply packing up and heading out. Oh, if I could go anywhere it’d be to Mexico City - love the place, the people, the food… mmmmm… but Canada’s more realistic.
I travel internationally quite a bit for work, and get nearly all of my news from non-US sources. It’s good perspective, I think, to read about the world and the USA through others’ eyes. Of course they never have the whole picture, but neither do we “on the inside” - so getting a breadth of perspectives is really enlightening. Challenging, too.
I could live in London. I like cities, and I find London particularly easy to manage. If I spoke German, I might say Berlin.