[Closed] How many ex-pats do we have on here?

I'm an expat.
I live in Andalucía, near Gibraltar and Morocco, Tarifa, that sort of way.
I am very happy here too, nice small very friendly town, old crappy but unique house and lots of mountains, forests and beaches. Some amazing spiders and bugs and one of the best bird migrations paths in the world 🙂

I also like the UK too. We did think about moving back but have decided to stay. We like Spain and Andalucía too much and find the UK quite foreign now.

Squidlord:

I'm not trying to proclaim that the UK is the best place on Earth of course - what I am trying to say is that it's far from the worst and life needn't be bad if you have a job and money etc. If you don't, well nowhere's good, is it?

Re countryside and beauty - I really feel that the UK really does well in this area. I've been to a few countries and lived in a few, and often they are very samey. Here in Germany for instance I am cycling through the countryside and villages near a major city and it's D U L L. Every village looks the same, all the countryside is either flat fields of crops or stands of pine trees. Very samey - not unpleasant, but still. Even in the city of Munich I find the buildings bland, they all seem to have been rendered and re-rendered in the same beige so I can't tell how old anything is or see anything beyond the outline of the building.

Compare that to cycling through Hampshire and Surrey on those back roads, which I was doing at my previous job: Every corner revealed such beauty that I could hardly get on with my ride, I just wanted to stop and take it all in!

Yes there is beauty everywhere but I love that aspect of the UK. As well as the Alps, Rockies, bleak praries etc etc 🙂 It's what I am saying about looking for things to love rather than things to hate.

We have chavs in the UK and Murdoch, yes. However every country has the same kind of thing. Bavaria is conservative, and I'm already sick to death of being tut-tutted at in public and openly scolded for doing something unusual 🙁

acres and acres of bleak retail estates full of near identical shops selling near identical junk

*looks out of window* same here!

Anyway I agree with Mogrim. Different places are great, but the UK is a good country too.

I agree with you molgrips except this
".. and life needn't be bad if you have a job and money etc. If you don't, well nowhere's good, is it?"

If you are going to be skint, it's best to be skint somewhere hot 🙂

France here near Spanish border on the Med side - well actually as I've been here over 2 years, been told I am Catalan.

It's great if you can "put up" with a simple life.
Was speaking to a friend at the weekend who has a french partner and their priority I've been told, above everything, even working is to enjoy themselves. Whether that is long lunches, chilling at the beach or more eating (which isn't unusual). Seem to have lost that in UK where everyone seems to run off to buy stuff they don't need.

If you are going to be skint, it's best to be skint somewhere hot

Well I conceed, that is a very good point 🙂

Seem to have lost that in UK where everyone seems to run off to buy stuff they don't need

Easy generalisation but not entirely accurate.

Adelaide in South Australia here for 9 months so far, and again, no intentions of returning any time soon...

Sure, Snowdonia, the lakes etc are pretty, and the beer is better at home, but...

Some scenery here is breathtaking, not just 'nice'
The wine almost makes up for the beer
The pay makes up for the cost of the wine
The work hours give me time to enjoy the wine
The squash is better
I've found the best fish and chips I've ever had
The weather is much better
But if I get bored of that, I can move to Tassie
The beaches are pretty good
And so is the riding
The internet solves any TV / radio / film issues

And that's just a start. Sure, I enjoyed the UK, and miss it often enough, but there is much more job security for both me and my wife here. And yes, the Aussie economy is based upon selling most of the middle of the country to China. Trouble is, when China stops buying it, it stops using it to make things, and most probably the whole world, not just Australia, is up the creek....

Some scenery here is breathtaking, not just 'nice'

Lots of the UK is breathtaking when you're not used to it...

UK has some very good plus points. For example, most villages have a pub. It came as a shock that the centre of many villages/ towns i've visited in Fin is simply a supermarket, Alko and a takeaway. Getting a mid-ride pint outside of HKI or the ski-resorts can be tricky. But in the peak district.... so damn easy!!!!

This is an important thing to consider for stw, right? 😉

Hans are you in Helsinki? Where are you riding?

@ molgrips: fair enough. Agree that no-where's perfect. Czech Republic has corruption, graft, some apallingly parochial attitudes and hundreds of ugly villages full of dead cars. But I'm tired of the UK... back to visit family at the weekend, then a few business meets in London. Not looking forward to it at all.

Ah yes, that's one thing - despite the stereotype that there's a bar on every corner, Oz is very lacking in decent pubs!

Lots of the UK is breathtaking when you're not used to it...

Nice:

[img] [/img]

Breathtaking:

[img] [/img]

I dunno, but I work with many people who are neither British nor Aussie, and having been oth the best bits of both countries, that's their opinion. Don't underestimate 'nice' though - the great compactness of the UK is it's biggest asset for natural beauty.

I dunno Zokes, I like both those just as much.

The UK's strength is diversity in terms of scenery but also landscape detail like buildings, trees, flowers etc etc. Love it 🙂

Another vote for Finland here (Helsinki, for 3 years now). Very much agree with HansRey about the lack of 'village' feel, even in towns and suburbs around Helsinki. It's all so relatively new compared to the UK, which means lots of concrete shopping centres and no real town or village centre feel. That's probably the worst thing over here to be honest - my Finnish wife didn't know different until she lived in Bristol for 5 years, and now missed that side of things very much.

Anyway, where are all you guys in Finland, and would anyone be interested in organising a Helsinki or surrounding area expats ride (or XC ski if we don't leave it a month or two given the ace winter we're having!)?

Ian

Bonty, you are teasing me 🙁

[i]Seem to have lost that in UK where everyone seems to run off to buy stuff they don't need[/i]

Easy generalisation and very accurate.

I see myself as an immigrant rather than an expat and on rare trips to the UK it's the thing that strikes me. There are exceptions of course who resist work, gadget and debt filled lives, but for most of the people I spoke with those topics dominated conversation. Keeping up with the Joneses is the norm. British MTB forums reflect this attitude. It's easier to name the regular contributors that don't own a Yeti on one forum.

Ha ha sorry Molgrips, were you over here at some point then? Just getting things ready for a weekend of cycling to, and camping in, Nuuksio National Park, might be a little cold though...

Keeping up with the Joneses is the norm

This is SUCH a massively stupid thing to say.

I don't give a flying crap what my neighbours/peers own, and neither do most people I know.

I buy stuff cos it's cool, not because my peers have it.

Ridiculous.

Anyway it's pretty small fry to argue about.

Bonty yes I used to live in Helsinki, rode Nuuksio a lot. Skiied it a couple of times but it's hard to get to without a car. I went to Paloheina more.

This is SUCH a massively stupid thing to say.

Ok, sorry for being a bit antagonistic there, but it really annoys me that people think I buy what I buy just because I know someone else who has it 🙁

Only you know why you buy stuff Molgrips, I'm stereotyping and whilst stereotypes often reflect reality there are of course exceptions. There's soemthing of a keeping down with the Joneses in the area I live. People with bank accounts brimming with cash run cars over 10 years old and walk to work, but are happy to spend 30 000e insulating the walls of their house which once done is invisible.

Conspicuous wealth is treated with suspicion and even derission. "Bling bling" is an insult. It's still conforming to a socially acceptable norm but a norm that includes being socially responsible.

@Kitz_Chris, 10, crankinirish,

As you are all probably seeing the same thing I am as you look out of the window, i.e. Freezing temperatures, visibility measured in yards, snow and ice. I thought I would post a few pics to remind you what things will be like in a month or so. 😀

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

These two are from Buffalo Creek, and if you haven't ridden there it's a gem. I'll be on these trails a lot early season before it gets too hot, there is an open invitation to any of you who want to join me.

Landed in Glasgow half an hour ago. Dang the weather is rubbish! It's been 35c in Brazil! 😯

molgrips, no car here either, haven't skiied Nuukiso but after a fresh snowfall I've got a 1.5 hour roundabout route door to door from home (Oulunkyla, just south of Paloheina) to work (Viiki) 🙂 Though am looking into whether skiing the Reitti 2000 to Nuuksio from home is possible...

Nick I was nearly in Innsbruck yesterday. Glad to hear there are bike parks nearby, will be visiting them in the summer.

what type of riding you into??

i was up at nordkette today and conditions are fantastic. Had "fasching" today so had me donut and half days work then hit the uplift 😉

let me no if your ever about although i sent my trail bike back so only got my dh now here.

so if u fancy a meet up in leogang or so..

Ah yes.. Reitti 2000.. that brings back memories 🙂 I had long planned to cycle into town from Lauttasaari, cycle the entire thing then back home again, but I never did it. I did do the whole thing in bits though.

what type of riding you into??

Well just general MTBing really. I do like to ride up hills, never done an uplift although it does appeal to me in some ways. I've only got a road bike with me currently but we are going back for Easter and I'm bringing back the Patriot 🙂

I'll happily sample what you have but I don't want to die... Will let you know when I have my bike 🙂

hahaha, dying also isnt on the cards for me....

we can do something simple like the hang man or something.

either run your bike or hire one. it was 30 euro a day. can hire armour/helmets etc if you wanted.

look forward to it

Mmm, could hire a DH bike. Never ridden one, always wondered what it was like 🙂

Is it all snow free now?

Lots of the UK is breathtaking when you're not used to it...

Sunshine is good, yes.

On the other hand, in the UK it's never cripplingly hot or cripplingly cold; drought is rare; no volcanoes or earthquakes; spring comes early.

Like I say, you don't know what you've got til you see it through someone else's eyes.

On the other hand, in the UK it's never [s]cripplingly[/s] hot or cripplingly cold;

Fixed. 😆

On the other hand, in the UK it's never [s]cripplingly[/s] hot [s]or[/s] but can be cripplingly cold;

Further fixed....

And even if it's not cripplingly cold, a flake of snow still seemingly cripples the place...

Any tips on moving abroad?

I would like to move to Canada (BC) but I'm too old to qualify for any of the work programmes (36), and therefore have to be offered a job first, before I can apply for a work permit.

molgrips - wow you were in the posh part! Yeah, have done the Reitti 2000 lots of times, full thing, parts, camping over a few days with the wife, adding all the singletrack running close to the track which makes it really long, difficult, and great fun etc... When were you here?

Snow - hah we've struggled at times with too much snow this year, even over here in Finland! Still over 60cms in the back yard and a metre deep a few km north of here, the city has run out of places to dump ploughed snow, and the sea is freezing over too quickly to just stick it in there! Last years snow pile just round the corner was still there in August, I suspect this year it won't melt before the snow comes again. Skiied past it last month, it was impressively tall even then!

As of next monday I`ll be joining Zedsdead in the madness of India, Pune to be exact....its going to be....er....different!! 😯

Clockwork667 - Member
@Kitz_Chris, 10, crankinirish,

"As you are all probably seeing the same thing I am as you look out of the window, i.e. Freezing temperatures, visibility measured in yards, snow and ice. I thought I would post a few pics to remind you what things will be like in a month or so."

I plan on riding Buffalo Creek a lot in the spring too. I work Mon-Fri so usually out on the weekends. Pm me next time you head out. I'm also going to try and get out once or twice a week after work when the clocks change. Probably Apex, White Ranch, Hall etc.

@crankinirish,
what are the trail options in Denver for right now? Much snow coverage?

"what are the trail options in Denver for right now? Much snow coverage? "

Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge are probably the only things dry now. I'm guessing everything else will still have snow on the northern aspects and a lot of mud everywhere else. Its supposed to be in the high 50s for the next week so maybe more stuff will be rideable by next weekend.

Any tips on moving abroad?

I would like to move to Canada (BC) but I'm too old to qualify for any of the work programmes (36), and therefore have to be offered a job first, before I can apply for a work permit

Just start applying for jobs, what do you do? I was 30 when I moved but my company had a sister company over here which made it easier.

Everything in Boulder at the moment is unrideable; either icy or muddy. Hopefully two weeks time things will get better.

Buffalo creek is one of my favourites too - if you're into it, you guys should sign up for the Baily 100; the most fun race in CO, and based entirely around the Buff creek singletrack.

I'm heading down to Utah this weekend to get my fix of Singletrack... hopefully Fruita will be dry soon too.

in the UK it's never cripplingly hot or cripplingly cold; drought is rare; no volcanoes or earthquakes; spring comes early.

SS Bonty what job do you do in Suomi?

SSBonty and Molgrips- I've ridden in Nuuksio and around Veikkola when visiting. Sadly, today is my last day here for a while before relocating permanently in August.

Hopefully moving to Ruoholahti, Leppavara (sp?) or Toolo and should have a PhD with VTT.

If there isn't too much snow, what about a DH trip up in Lapland? Rent some bikes too? I'll send you a msg nearer the time!

Also, I'm looking at buying a bike from Canyon in Germany. Besides Ridefree.fi, what other alternatives are there?

(apologies for the hijack OP)

Been in Denmark for over a year and love it. Been in Holland and France before that, and I can't imagine moving back to UK. The scenery is nice in places but the towns feel too dirty and claustrophobic now.

On the other hand, in the UK it's never cripplingly hot or but can be cripplingly cold;

Lol

Cold experiencing FAIL 🙂

You know when they say don't drive unless absolutely necessary in the UK sometimes? In real cold countries they say don't GO OUTSIDE unless absolutely necessary. They sometimes cancel school so you don't have to expose your kids to the air. Sometimes they even declare a state of emergency just because of the temperature.

When were you here?

I was in Finland 2003-4. I loved Nuuksio riding but I did miss a decent long climb, and big views. I remember there was one spot I could ride up a hill then climb onto some rocks to see above the trees. The view was nothing but trees to the horizon apart from a bit of sea and some tall buildings in Helsinki. Ace 🙂