Saturday, June 1, 2013

Is it any wonder?

Next week school breaks up for the 3 1/2 month holiday - meaning that we will have one son out of school (once his exams are over) and one with 3 years left to go (as long as he has passed all his subjects - still a cloud hanging over that one - but we are hopeful). Things in Italy are not great ( like they aren't great in lots of places) with no sign of them getting better, Robert's work is dodgy (not criminal dodgy, just uncertain dodgy) and as a freelance translator I can work anywhere - just give me an Internet connection and I'm good. So we have been wondering....when Leo finishes school - will we move on? where would we go? The options are somewhere else with a cheaper life style here in Italy (down south), back to the UK (good for my family) or to Canada (not good for my family but good for Robert's family and giving the kids a chance to make a life over there if they chose too). I/we spend hours scouring the Internet looking for properties we could buy either in the UK or in Canada - with the aim of being mortgage free. But at the same time we both realsie maybe we are just having 'if we won the lottery' type moments - yes, we talk about moving but would we ever do it?? will we still be here in 10 years time bitching about Berlusconi, struggling up 3 flights of stairs with the groceries but going out to enjoy an aperitivo on a Saturday night?
And then I saw this - a friend of mine from the UK showed me this website - and even I was surprised. 
These are the cities we would consider moving too.......

5 comments:

  1. I would question soe of those prices as being low. A 3 course meal for 2 for £36? Where McDonalds?!

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    1. Sat with OH looking again, he thinks it's about right for the UK, sorry, I guess my idea of midrange is more expensive than his but then he always was a cheap date lol

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  2. Big decisions. I think food prices are much more expensive here in Canada although housing, utilities and transport is much less than the UK. Although if it means I'm not eating horse instead of beef I'm not complaining!

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  3. Well, there are a couple of things to consider:

    1. Could you handle the long and cold winters in and around Windsor?

    2. The cheese probably is cheaper in Canada than it is in Italy. That's if you buy those huge blocks of processed, so-called "cheddar". (You can find good cheese, though, but it's expensive!) The quality of food in Italy is better.

    3. Would you mind being overly polite and being politically correct all the time? And the fake customer service?

    4. Unless you are driving, public transport and flying anywhere is expensive (unless you are going on package holidays to Mexico, Cuba or the Dominican Republic with packs of Canadians).

    5. Would you miss Europe? It sounds like your boys are on the path to staying there...

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  4. On the other hand...

    1. Everything in Canada is easy. Life is easier. Say goodbye to mounds of paperwork and stubborn civil servants.

    2. People want to help. Sure the customer service can be fake, but most people are genuine.

    3. People respect other people's space and privacy.

    4. The houses are big. There's lots of space everywhere.

    5. There are few countries in Europe that can match Canada's nature. Rent a cottage by a lake for a week and you'll never want to leave (unless you really hate bugs!).

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