So, the OP asked a simple question and you all get political and (a bit) personal…
Steering back to the path.
Move and try it out, if you can go live abroad, there’s no reason not to try it.
Lived abroad for a brief period and honestly I would love to again. Experiencing so much culture from country to country is beautiful & I wish everyone could do it.
Are you telling OP not to move to Berlin because of these attacks?
No, in Berlin everything can happen. The best and the worst!
The topic is gathering quite a few flags. It might be best to read the OP’s posts … it’s veering off-topic and is no longer conducive to friendly constructive discourse
dig yourselves into the trenches if you want or rather come up for a game of footy
I fear this topic may be closed soon but in the hopes that it can get back on track, I want to address the original post, which mentioned Spain. Our choice of Lisbon was heavily influenced by my partner’s job: her employer’s European head office is there, and she has several team members there already. It would be tricky otherwise to find the kind of job she does (niche tech). If I were to pick freely, I would seriously consider Barcelona, a city I have visited several times and love. But even that has its drawbacks. Catalan nationalism is alternately inspiring and infuriating, and lately more of the latter. It’s an interesting but very localized language, so I would be torn between wanting to learn it more fully, and lamenting the effort.
I have only researched trips to the rest of Spain that didn’t happen. There are large regional variations, so where OP’s family is would make a big difference. The south and central plain were seriously affected by recent heatwaves, and that is only going to get worse. On a positive note, Spain has built a lot of high-speed rail recently (I will look on this enviously from Portugal, which sometimes seems really peripheral). I have personally taken the SNCF TGV from Paris to Montpellier and a Renfe train from Toulouse to Barcelona (and from there back to Paris), and it was a great experience. Perhaps before I die, they will open the high-speed Lisbon-Madrid line, but I’m not going to wait for that to start exploring Spain. (Sigh, discount airlines.)
Consider Malta. Some cons, but probably mostly what you are looking for. And English is the official language.
I have been looking into Malta, funny you mention that!
We were looking into Alicante as well. The high speed rail is a big deal for me. I would love to take trains more places. Obviously Euro Rail is a huge deal to me, infrastructure in general really is.
I don’t know much about Alicante. Fairly small and a cruise ship destination, so you have to assess how warped by tourism it is. Paris, for example, is a huge tourist destination, but you can mostly avoid them, even as a “tourist who styles themselves a traveller”. Tourists in Lisbon rarely venture far from the old centre; in the apartment we just secured, we will have to worry more about European expats, and yes, I know I am technically an expat, but I do my best to not act like one, and certainly do not intend to hang out with other such. I read a blog post where someone was listening for English speakers in cafes, nope, nope, I would probably leave.
Malta seems a bit dodgy politically, but I can’t back that up with citations; it is just an impression. Also you certainly can’t take a train anywhere!
Don’t know if I understand you correctly (if by “huge deal” you mean you would like it or not), but there’s this: Travel through Europe by Train | Most Popular European Rail Pass | Interrail.eu
This.
My experience with Germany is that there is racism, undeniably. Like in every other country. But, I have to say, not being racist is being lived pretty outward by people. I would say more than in other countries, due to history.
I’ve lived in Germany basically my whole life, and I find waaaay less racism than one might think. Actually, I experience more of the other side. I do live in west Germany though. East Germany is is a little different.
Xenophobia more than racism would imo actually describe the thing here better, as someone already stated. I get what he is saying. Germans want you to value their culture. Especially if you are living here on their costs.
All in all Germany is a great place to live imo. Standard is high (but sinking) and Germans are really nice when you get to know their quirks.
I don’t want to be inappropriate
These I mention above?
I have been hitch hiking around in Europe for years. In France, when picked up by people with Algerians or Marocaine roots, they usually tell me about the beauty of France and the issues with racism.
Right wing politics are big in France
Not mentioned yet, but you could move to the EU without crossing the Atlantic. And there’s very pleasant, warm weather there!
Aruba?
Trust me - as a Dane, I’ll hand the award to Finland, no question. When we have products with some instruction written on it, in all the nordic languages, I can always see a common thread through them. Until you get to the finnish part
The former Dutch Antilles are not part of the EU: they are sovereign sates within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, (sounds oxymoronic), I guess a similar set up to some nations within British Commonwealth.
There’s a country in the EU whose second largest region is not in Europe. Here’s a clue - pepper!