Moving ... Germany, Madeira, Sweden, or Czech Republic? (percentage, country)

[paypeeto69]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

lots of people seem to know German throughout the EU.

That isn't very true. In many parts of Europe hardly anyone studies German.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by paypeeto69

That isn't very true. In many parts of Europe hardly anyone studies German.

I didn't say that people had to learn it in school. I said it's pretty commonly known - at least a rudimentary version. It's a lot more well known than say, Italian or French or Czech or whatever outside those countries.

[Geggo]

Originally Posted by paypeeto69

That isn't very true. In many parts of Europe hardly anyone studies German.

Actually I was surprised that so many in eastern (or central) Europe learn German. And that map only covers students from grade 10 to 12/13 (upper secondary).

[ABQSunseeker]

Originally Posted by Martinho

Olomouc looks fantastic but it borders Slovakia and Poland. I like Slovak hills but most of their towns look less pleasant to me than Czech ones. Ditto for Pardubice/Hradec Kralove and Poland. Plzeň, however, is close to Bavaria with its medieval vibes which beat any Slovak or Polish architecture for me.

Plzeň itself has a better (or better preserved) version of Renaissance & Baroque styles than most Slovak/Polish places. Sweden like Poland and Slovakia is too much into (Post)Modernist architecture out of Stockholm (with some exceptions like tiny Visby). Madeira looks quite exotic and has a milder climate than the Canary islands and less clouds/rain than the Azores. There are cheap holiday packages from Germany. I wonder what are the locals in Plzeň and Bavaria like compared to Swedes?

i can only speak as a tourist to Madeira (and my ancestors came from there), but Madeira is one of the most beautiful places in the world. From sea to mountain, temperate, subtropical, tropical vegetation. Exotic flowers everywhere as well as delicious fruits. The towns are pretty, the people are friendly. And the cost of living not bad I would guess. Go there first and see.

[Veritas Vincit]

I don't get this kind of thread...it's like starting a thread on the General U.S. forum saying "Florida, Kansas, Oregon or Massachusetts? Where should I move?" In fact, it's worse because at least those states are all in the same country. Here you're asking about 4 vastly different countries with different languages, different cultures, different environments with the only real thread tying them together being that they are not where OP currently is. Maybe narrow it down a bit first before asking?

[Martinho]

What's so strange? We all feel more inclined to certain cultures than to others. Ok I also like Greece and Turkey but I can't live there (35-40 C in summer is crazy and they're too chaotic). Ok let's summarize:

Sweden:
liberal
smoking hot females
great pop music
nature / clean air
everyone knows English
education seems better than in Germany and Czechia
work/life balance
too flat/spread-out and mostly centered on Stockholm
I can't watch their TV online without VPN
few flights to Bulgaria
too much post-WWII modernist architecture
too isolated
too cold in winter
most towns outside of Stockholm and Visby look boring/industrial
atheist/unspiritual or Protestant
beautiful language with very hard pronunciation
No Go zones
guys are hot too, so much competition
hard to find non IT jobs without Swedish

Germany (Bavaria):
medieval architecture/feel
each town feels different
lots of college towns
in the middle of Europe, easy to travel to Czechia, Austria, Thuringia and other places
lots of flights to Bulgaria/Greece/Turkey/Portugal...
most Muslims are Turks, so hard-working friendly people instead of on wellfare
good pop music but mostly in the past (70s - 80s)
interesting national TV channels Pro7, RTL etc. if not as good as in the 1990s. Local TV channels better than expected
mostly Catholic
hilly - the perfect balance - not too flat, not too mountenous
women don't look like Swedish and Czech ones
hard to find non-menial jobs without German/no outsorcing
too region-nationalist
language has hard grammar and word order, almost no rules for plurals
Germans live to work and seem quite boring

Czechia (Pilsen and Karlovarsky regions):
preserved classical architecture, even small towns have this style or even this.
trams AND trolleybuses in Pilsen + the cool SOR buses (the smoothest drive in Europe). Few smallcities of this size have such variety!
close to Germany for trips
easy to find jobs with just EN and/or FR in multinationals in Pilsen
good pop music but from the past (60s - 80s)
Pilsen has less crowds than Prague and it's cleaner
I can buy the Slovak food I liked and miss in shops
hilly - the perfect balance - not too flat, not too mountenous
CT, the national TV is actually interesting unlike national TV channels of Slovakia, Austria and Poland
not many jobs outside of Pilsen/meaningful jobs (dietitian, teacher) pay less
maybe too many Russians and Americans (at least in Prague those two groups acted like they owned the place)
gun/drug laws too lax
Roma presence
people look sad
too atheists so maybe not friendly to their fellow people

Madeira:
exotic nature
best climate in Europe for me
friendliest locals in Europe, friendliest even than continential Portuguese
architecture reminds me of LatAm historic towns
carnivals and fiestas
great music old and new as in rest of Portugal
adequate local national TV
Catholic
isolated and far away from Europe
not many jobs without Portuguese
Portuguese pronunciation is hard
no easy flights to Bulgaria
too reliant on tourism/wine

It seems Sweden is great for studying in EN but staying there long-term might not be best. Germany has less options for studying in EN while you're learning the local language. Madeira on the other hand is like Greece - seems like great for a vacation and retiring there... but not for young people living on local wages. Fantastic nature & people, so it's in my must-see list still. Overall, Germany & Czehia seem the better all-rounders for expat living, at least for me.

[SwediAmericani]

Originally Posted by Martinho

Sweden:
liberal
smoking hot females
great pop music
nature / clean air
everyone knows English
education seems better than in Germany and Czechia
work/life balance
too flat/spread-out and mostly centered on Stockholm
I can't watch their TV online without VPN
few flights to Bulgaria
too much post-WWII modernist architecture
too isolated
too cold in winter
most towns outside of Stockholm and Visby look boring/industrial
atheist/unspiritual or Protestant
beautiful language with very hard pronunciation
No Go zones
guys are hot too, so much competition
hard to find non IT jobs without Swedish

- 90% speak English (not everyone).
- Not too isolated. Flights 1-3.5 hours to all of Europe.
- Many beautiful cities in Sweden - look at Helsingborg, Göteborg, Malmö, Örebro, Norrköping, Jönköping, Trosa, Uppsala and many more.
- Northwest part of Sweden is mountainous. Even in south you have smaller hills. It’s not completely flat like Denmark and Benelux countries.
- You don’t feel “atheists” here. Most holidays and traditions are based on Christianity.
- Some international retail stores and restaurants can hire English only speakers especially in Stockholm.
- No go zones are BS. Few suburbs have just higher crime/somewhat ghetto.

[orbiter]

Originally Posted by Martinho

It seems Sweden is great for studying in EN but staying there long-term might not be best. Germany has less options for studying in EN while you're learning the local language. Madeira on the other hand is like Greece - seems like great for a vacation and retiring there... but not for young people living on local wages. Fantastic nature & people, so it's in my must-see list still. Overall, Germany & Czehia seem the better all-rounders for expat living, at least for me.

Their cuisines and pastries are among the best in Europe.

[Weaubleau]

Interesting you say people look sad in the Czech Republic, we noticed that too when we visited there. I don't know if it is a hangover from communism, or what but there is kind of a morose vibe to the people there, that I can't explain, we thought maybe it was just us, or we were doing something wrong that was causing people to react to us badly. We asked some other tourists and they felt the same way. I don't think it was because we were ugly Americans, as we did not get that reaction in any other country, not even in Paris where people are legendarily rude to Americans. (ok there were a couple of jerks in Paris, I admit, but you expect that, just like in NYC)

[euro123]

Just forget about the sinking eu, that's your mistake. I was just watching youtube video of some pretty, young and smart girl who like myself has an obsession with Korea and Japan (Jessica Alberg or so??). Join us, join the dark side...