Living in a European City for 3 months

[Turjan]

So that pretty much leaves us with Spain, Portugal, Italy, Southern France, Greece, ... did I leave anything out? Some of the former eastern block countries have pretty nice weather too.

Lisbon is a great city, too. They are not really oriented towards Europe, but this makes for an interesting perspective . Just think of fado, seafaring discoverers and a beautiful old city, although much of it burnt down a few years ago.

Nobody suggested Rome yet, or Florence. Venice has already been mentioned. I would not suggest Athens in summer, as the air is hardly sufferable, but the Greek islands or smaller towns are very nice. Lots of opportunities .

 

[jgbrowning]

Temperature isn't so much a problem with us. I'm used to 100F temperatures and spent a few weeks in the Great Thar Desert at around 125F.

joe b.

 

[xrpsuzi]

[From on high] Where can I winter in Europe and get the most sun? I know, that's like saying the warmest part of Canada....[/stepping down from on high and trying not to trip]

 

[Turjan]

Temperature isn't so much a problem with us. I'm used to 100F temperatures and spent a few weeks in the Great Thar Desert at around 125F.

Temperature alone is not the point. I'm living in the Phoenix area, so I'm used to summer temperatures above 110F, and I'm fine. Barcelona tends to develop an uncomfortably humid dome above the city, and Athens, a metropolis without efficient public transport, is a horror of heat and car exhaust fumes.

Edit: One other point: Don't expect any place in Europe to have air-conditioning .

 

[Turjan]

[From on high] Where can I winter in Europe and get the most sun? I know, that's like saying the warmest part of Canada....[/stepping down from on high and trying not to trip]

This is actually highly unpredictable. I suppose, the seasons are much more variable in Europe than they are in North America. Even in areas like southern France or the Algarve in Portugal, which have more than 300 sunny days per year, January and February might be cloudy and rainy. On the other hand, you might have months of sunshine even in northern parts of Europe (if it's not too far north ), but it's much more likely that it will rain most of the time.

 

[Boojum]

So, how much French would I have to butcher before they felt comfortable speaking English to me in France?

No idea about France, but I had the exact opposite problem when I spent a semester in Germany. Everywhere I went, I would speak in German, and be responded to in English (My German was by no means perfect, but was certainly understandable). This got annoying, as a big part of the reason I was there was to practice and improve with the language.

 

[Gez]

So, how much French would I have to butcher before they felt comfortable speaking English to me in France?

Am I talking a semester at the local junior college? Or Teach Yourself series?

I've actually got a pretty good ear for languages and try to know a little of the native language, if nothing else but the niceties. And I may be from Texas, but I leave the drawl behind.....

Obviously, it's a problem that is new to me.

Most French people can speak rudimentary English, since every French must learn two European languages in schools (mandatory part of the schools' programs), one of which is English. Of course, the older people get, the more they forgot what they learned in school that they don't need in day to day life.

You'll notice, usually, an awful (and very funny) accent. Pronounciation is often off, as trying to guess how an English word is pronounced is an arcane art, as esoteric to the average French guy than conjugating French verbs in the subjonctive imperfect is to about everyone, French included. (A shame, that's a very funny tense.)

If you have to speak in English, mimic this awful accent -- that is, pronounce each word distinctly, without swallowing those parts of the word that are not usually pronounced. For example, " pronounceed " instead of " pronounc' " for pronounced.

It can help to have a bunch of post-its and a pen. When you really can't get understood, write the sentence. Chances are it'll be understood that way. Written English is much easier than spoken English for us. Nearly half the English vocabulary came from old French, after all, so if you use "fantome" instead of "ghost", "mutton" instead of "lamb" (even for the living animal), "serpent" instead of "snake", "domicile" instead of "house", "hotel" instead of "inn", "forest" instead of "wood", and so on, everything should be alright.

As for learning French, I think one or two week practicing with a Teach Yourself series like Assimil (one hour every evening, IIRC) should be enough to let you find your way on the streets. Then you'll pick it on, in three months that should be enough.

If you choose to go to Montpellier, tell me, we could meet!

 

[MonsterMash]

For French cities I've liked visiting (other than Paris) there's Toulouse and Dijon. Toulouse gets pretty warm in summer as its pretty far south, but Dijon can be a bit chillier being higher up and nearer the Alps.

With Greece some of the small islands can be ok if you avoid the package tourist areas.

 

[Ryltar]

With Greece some of the small islands can be ok if you avoid the package tourist areas.

Santorini's pretty nice.

 

[pdkoning]

I recommend: Amsterdam, if you like a big liberal city. You can make trips to other cities in the Netherlands (like The Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam) from Amsterdam because they are only 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train. You can also visit the more 'rural' part of the Netherlands, in the east of the country. Almost anybody in The Netherlands speaks English

I also recommend Luxembourg, It's a nice city and country, and they speak many languages including English. From Luxembourg city you can visit the countryside (with lots of interesting small vilages and cities) of Luxembourg and the Belgian Ardennes.