Which is the *best* European country?

[Bloodstone Press]

Ok.

So I'm increasingly fed up with my own country and I'm looking abroad for a new place to live. Of course, this is just wishful thinking at this point, as I don't have the money to move down the street, to say nothing about moving to a foreign country. However, in the next few years that will change.

I've been researching various European countries and a few look like nice places to move to, but I figured I'd see what folks here on EN World had to say about it.

The four countries I'm most interested in (in descending order) are:

Denmark (everything I've ever seen or heard about Denmark has been cool)
Netherlands (Um.... nevermind.... )
England (love the brits, little too much like America in some regards however)
Germany (language would be a problem, but oh the scenery, and the beer...)

I'm also considering some other places (Canada and Australia), but we can save those for some other discussion.

Preferably, it needs to be a country where I can get by with English, since I don't speak any other languages (typical American, I know). Barring that, it needs to a place that uses a Teutonic language (like Germany) which is easier to learn for an English speaker than a Romantic language (like Spanish or French).

It needs to be a country with a high standard of living and a freedom oriented legal system (something increasingly hard to find here in the States).

What do you think? Do you live in one of these countries? If so what is it like? Is there a better country that I haven't thought of?

 

[Uzumaki]

Hey dude, when you find that country, tell me. We can pool our resources and go together.

 

[Maldur]

Why "nevermind" while talking about the Netherlands?

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Hey dude, when you find that country, tell me. We can pool our resources and go together.

Sure thing. We'll have freedom AND gaming. It'll be great.

Why "nevermind" while talking about the Netherlands?

Your country is world-famous for its very liberal policies on certain social issues... not that that is the only reason to seek out a new country.

While reading about laws in European countries recently, I was struck by the frequent effort of the various governments to "expand personal freedom." That's something that you never hear an American politician say. American politicians are fixated on the idea of restricting freedom and frequently say, "there should be a law..."

I'm sick of that. I want to be free. And I'm not alone. Maybe it’s just the circles I travel in, but many of my friends and family agree with me. Even my own mother was recently heard saying, "I hate the government. Why can't they just leave people alone?" One of my gaming friends was recently complaining that "they make EVERYTHING illegal."

I don't want this to devolve into a political discussion, so I'll leave it there.

I'd rather hear more about what it is like to live in the Netherlands. Can I get by with English there, or should I learn another language? What is housing like? How much would an average, middle class house cost? What is the immigration policy?

I've read the basics on the CIA web site about average income, unemployment, gender distribution, etc. I'm looking for more information about what daily life is like from people who actually live in these countries.

Can you own a gun? (not that I do, mind you, I'm just curious) What is the income tax like? Is there mandatory limits on how many hours you can work (like there is in some other European countries). How much does a gallon of gas cost? If I run my publishing company from there, what sort of regulations and taxes will I have to deal with? Are the people friendly toward Americans? Is the government "out of control?" Would you consider yourself "free," free to do whatever you want so long as you are not hurting anyone else?

 

[the Jester]

Why "nevermind" while talking about the Netherlands?

I, on the other hand, understood perfectly.

I think he's talking about teh weed.

Having never been to Europe or done serious research on it, I'd tend towards either Scandanavia or the Netherlands myself. Or Switzerland. That's a great place to learn a lot of languages, which I think would be really cool.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I think he's talking about teh weed.

not entirely...

There is a whole cornucopia of screwed up situations in our country that stem from the "war on drugs."

(edited out political comments)

I'm not an illegal drug user, but I don't have a problem with other people recreationally using intoxicants.

(edited out more political comments)

It’s more than the war on drugs though. It’s the FCC. It’s the arguments about Sex Education. It’s the asinine “Under God” debate. It’s the 10 Commandments issue. It’s the corruption. It’s the mass hysteria about ‘kids with guns.” It’s the self-righteous idiots who try to limit my freedom in every way they can.

“Don’t Tread on Me.”
“Live Free or Die.”
“Give me Liberty or Give me Death.”
“Sic Temper Tyranus”

It all rings hollow to me when I look around. Recently, while watching the news on Fox, I found myself asking aloud “God, what happened to my country?”

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Just to bring it back to gaming a little, let me relate an anecdote:

Many years ago, Dragon Magazine published a "Deck of Many Things" on cardboard stock that you could cut out. I did so. Somehow, my "Deck of Many Things" ended up in the possession of my friend Vinny. Vinny got stopped by the police for speeding. The cops saw the "Deck of Many Things" in his wallet and tried to arrest him for having "satanic materials." Although he avoided arrest, they took the deck.

Similarly, I have other friends that have been repeatedly harassed by the cops for having Nine Inch Nails stickers on their cars because the cops thought the "NIN" was a "satanic symbol." Those friends eventually removed the stickers from their car.

Excuse me, but I thought we could worship Satan if we wanted to. Why are the cops even doing that?

Well, now I’m just getting mad again, so I’ll shut up.

 

[diaglo]

England... i lived there for 4 years of my life. and still have many, many, many relatives there.

a great place in my opinion.

 

[Turbojugend]

Pick Norway! We're the richest country in the world. We're cooler and more sophisticated than the people down on the continent and we're not as stiff as the british. And we are really, really tough, and butch. It's a bit expensive here, but you will earn a lot of money to compensate. And since we're socialists (by american standards) medical care and all that is free!
And its such a small country so nothing ever happens here. Quiet and nice. Sitting up on our hill and looking down on Europe. (You could of course move to Denmark or Sweden, but they are in the European Union)

And we all speak english. But the beer is expensive.

 

[sellars]

Having lived my entire live in the Netherlands, I may be somewhat biased but ehhh..


hooray for the Netherlands

certainly reccomended!

Only keep in mind that this is a small and very crowded country, so it is hard (or perhaps nearly impossible) to walk for more than an hour not finding a house, a road, a fence, or a German tourist.

(well, just joking about the last one)

Edit: Oh, and NO, you can't have a gun (thank god!)