Where would you like to live??

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by Blue Grass Fever

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Or anywhere in Brazil for that matter!

[DontH8Me]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

Croatia hands down. It is the most beautiful country, the water is totally blue, everyone speaks English, food is fabulous.

Croatia is "our little secret" with my two best friends - we try to down-play how amazing it is so it won't get the typical crowd of annoying American tourists looking for McDonald's and Starbucks while in Europe. Part of its charm is that we feel like we are the pioneers of travel from the US whenever we go, and find it so refreshing to spend time like the natives away from all that is commerical and ugly about the west in general. It is in fact arguably the most beautiful place in the world with the most breathtakingly clear waters and as-of-yet unmarred by western over-urbanization. A diamond in the rough that you hope will always stay that way.

What you can't take home in a photograph are the sensations of Croatia - the smell of the sea, the way the water is extra bouyant compared to the Pacific Ocean, the stillness when you go for an evening dip in the Adriatic and you float motionlessly, the warmth of the seagrass shores of the little islands that are so small there are no paved roads or vehicles, the explosion of flavors and the indescribable freshness of the food they serve, I could go on and on for hours like this.

I still have a sarong from my last trip that I didn't wash, because the smell of the sea is still in it and whenever I wax nostalgic I take whiffs of it to remind me of my time spent there. If there is a paradise on earth it is Croatia.

Let's all keep this to ourselves though, shall we?

[metaljaybird]

Hmm...definitely not Europe. I would probably try out Christ Church or Melbourne.

[Steve97415]

Barcelona is probably my choice among the those listed. Brazil is wonderful, but not Rio. It is mostly an overcrowded, dangerous, polluted slum. Most of the appealing imagery Americans typically associate with Rio is actually in cities on the other side of the bay: Leblon, Ipanema or Copacabana.

Originally Posted by metaljaybird

Hmm...definitely not Europe. I would probably try out Christ Church or Melbourne.

This absence of choices from Australia and New Zealand is curious. They have some of the world's most important cities and would be obvious choices for English speakers. Auckland and Perth are the cities I would choose there.

[metaljaybird]

Something about the land down under that has always fascinated me.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by The traveller

If you weren't born In the USA and L.A especially what city would you like to live in between:

1)London (UK)
2)Paris (France)
3)Rome (Italy)
4)Venice (Italy)
5)Florence (Italy)
4)Prague (Czech Republica)
5)Tokyo (Japan)
6)Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
7)Athens (Greece)
8)Amsterdam (Holland)
9)Moscow (Russia)
10)Barcelona (Spain)

LA or SF. I love the United States, and I love the state of CA as a whole. I also have friends and family here. You might not know this but London is far more expensive than LA and has its dangerous parts as well. IF I had enough money to live in London then I would have enough money to live in Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach, or Pac Heights/Marina in SF, or La Jolla in SD, and I would most likely choose those cities over London.

IF I had to leave the country, I would live in Syndey Australia. It is the same price as LA's west side, and it has magnificent weather. It is also by far the most car friendly city you mentioned AND it has good public transit.

You put MOSCOW?!?! The Russian government is ALOT better than the former USSR, but the government still restricts some liberties, suffers from lots of corruption, has a SERIOUS mofia problem, has HORRIBLE winters, and is 40% more expensive than Manhattan NY. It is a fun city to visit, but to live?!? No way man.

Rio? The kidnap capital of the world? The super dense city (ala mexico city) with a huge social class CLASH. THe city of corrupt city officials. Rio is a nice city and generally safe, but there is still too much of a hint of instability, and the enonomy has never been that great.

You also left out Toronto. Very clean, low crime, somewhat affordable, good jobs, and good amenties. Its government is VERY solid and similar to the US, and it is close to the US. Its winters are pretty bad though.

[MariGirl]

[What you can't take home in a photograph are the sensations of Croatia - the smell of the sea, the way the water is extra bouyant compared to the Pacific Ocean, the stillness when you go for an evening dip in the Adriatic and you float motionlessly, the warmth of the seagrass shores of the little islands that are so small there are no paved roads or vehicles, the explosion of flavors and the indescribable freshness of the food they serve, I could go on and on for hours like this.


Thank you for this AHHHHH moment!

I'm a Croatian-American who first went to "the old country" as a teenager and have made many trips back since then. You are right in that it is just being "discovered" by most Americans, but for those of us with ties to the country it has always been #1 on our list. Returning to our ancestoral home has so much meaning in and of itself, and combining that with the natural beauty of the country and its people is truly indescribable.
I tend to get carried away talking about it...
It is only recently getting on the US radar screen with print and tv travel publicity over the past few years. It has however been a mecca for European travellers for decades. That's fine, don't want it to get touristy like so many other places in Europe have.
Zivio!