My husband and I will be moving to Europe this year after his retirement from the airlines. Our favorite country is Germany but it's not the cheapest place to live and language is a consideration as well. The easiest place to adjust we think is the Netherlands/Amsterdam. <BR>If anyone knows web sites that would help us<BR>work through this, we sure would appreciate this information.<BR>Is renting an apt. easy or difficult? Where would someone go to locate used furniture? Our delightful home in Pa. is filled with "seconds" from auctions, flea markets etc. etc. I hardly know the word "new". <BR>There are probably some downsides that we are not aware of but along with that<BR>we would definately love words of encouragement for this venture. It won't be a permanent move....maybe 2 yrs. or so. <BR>Thanks very much ahead of time.

Elaine, what a great opportunity! I have a friend who is half German and lived there for years before she moved to Canada (she has American citizenship) for job reasons. I would imagine the answers to your questions would vary drastically from country to country, city to city, town to town. Maybe if you could narrow it down your research would be easier. I know in Germany appliances are usually owned by whoever is renting, and the renter takes them with her when she leaves. You could always look for a place to sublet that's fully furnished. Once you've narrowed down where you want to live, you could even look for agencies here in the US who might be able to help you. Good luck!!!!<BR><BR>

I lived in the Netherlands for 9 months in 1999 and the biggest problem with the Netherlands is the lack of housing! So no, unless you have a very large bank account, renting in the Netherlands is not easy. How much time have you spent in the NL? Honestly, I hated living there-the dense population, traffic problems, lack of outdoor activities, dismal weather and poor shopping choices. Of course, I didn't live in Amsterdam but near Rotterdam. We rented a furnished house (very much in need of remodeling) but most of the other ex-pats I knew spent a lot of time at IKEA. You should check out the American Women's Club of Amsterdam or the Hague-they can provide you with good leads.

There are a lot of expat groups online, and most have forums, so you can get your questions answered by people in the know.<BR><BR>Do a search, or try www.americanexpat.com (not sure if that address is correct).

Elaine,<BR>Great adventure! We have lived in Europe for 5 years now. First, Budapest and now, Luzern, Switzerland. A very good website is expatexchange.com. Lots of interaction with people just like you. It is country specific so it is a great place to do research.<BR>The Upsides are tremendous. The downsides are cost of living (rents are generally higher), and a sense of alientation if you are not careful. I don't know about the Netherlands, but in Switz. and Hungary, renting an apartment is not difficult. You need to check out residency requirements etc. We love living here and would recommend it to anyone who has an adventurous heart, has a good sense of self and doesn't get down too easily!<BR>Good luck!

Hey Jan, we should get together sometime. I live in Stans now but go into Luzern at least twice a week.

Jan & chris I live 15 minutes north of Basel in the Black Forest of Germany. Nice to know others on this forum live nearby. I'm an American that has been living here almost 4 years now. ELAINE, if you are under no restrictions as to where to move to, ie job or family then here is my take--<BR>If you want to travel then trying to find the most central location will be important to you, which is about where I live. Southern Germany is much more beautiful than the northern part. You can find inexpensive rent down here. I would imagine that the rent will be high in Scandanavia, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and near large cities (Paris, Vienna, Florence). It is very hard to get a visa to live in France. If it were me, I would choose to live in Tuscany! Beautiful countryside, good weather, near most of Europe to get by car, the other parts like England and Spain you could fly there. Italian and Spanish are the easiest to learn if you are a native English speaker. English is Germanic which means many of our words are similiar, but the word order (w&ouml;rte ordnung) is not so easy. Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut und ich bin heir f&uuml;r fast vier jahre gewesen!

Jan and Chris: If you plan a GTG one day, please let me know. I am only about 40 minutes from Lucerne, in Zurich-Enge.<BR>I don't agree about finding places to rent is easy in Switzerland, especially not in and around cities. Very very difficult and expensive, if you want something decent in a good neighbourhood. The language (the local dialects) might be another problem.<BR><BR>Enjoy the gorgeous day here!

Hmmm...sounds like something could be brewing in Central Switzerland?! A GTG? Could be a good idea!<BR><BR>I would like to rephrase a comment I made earlier. Finding something suitable to rent is not always easy here. We are a family of four and I was insisting on a house with a yard. That was very difficult and fairly expensive. I would think that depending on what you are looking for, an apartment would be much easier. Certain areas in Switzerland are tough--Zug, Geneva and rents can be high. For a nice apartment with 2 BR and a view in the Luzern area, you are looking at about 2,500 CHF which is apparoximately $1,500 US. For a house, rents are usually over $2,500. One benefit about Switzerland is that English is widely spoken. If I chose, I could get away with only English and still have a great life here. I don't choose that, so I am slowly plodding away with my German, and then, will tackle my Schwyzer Deutsch! <BR>Tschuss!<BR>Jan

Move to Germany!!<BR>I do not second Matts attitude towards the northern part of Germany. It has so many atrractions too-and the landscape is of course different to the southern part-but has also its own spirits... I don't understand why so many tourists always think of Norhtern Germany to be boring or not worth a staying. There are plenty of beautiful, big and small towns where life can be enjoyed.. Just think of Bremen, Schwerin, L&uuml;beck, Oldenburg, Leer, Emden. They are all not major town but they all have a typical taste of what north Germany culture is about. The seaside has many beautiful places to go-either on the North Sea or the Baltic Sea (Ostfriesische Inseln, Sylt, Heiligendamm, K&uuml;hlungsborn, Warnem&uuml;nde, Wismar, R&uuml;gen, Usedom...)<BR>Just check it out and you will see that there are more romantic roads in Germany than the one leading to a town called Rothenburg o.d. Tauber....

Hi Elaine,<BR><BR>In addition to the websites suggested above, you may want to check out amazon.com as well. They offer a variety of books on the subject of moving/living abroad such as Culture Shock!: Netherlands by Hunt Janin and Living and Working in the Netherlands: All You Need to Know for a Long or Short-Term Stay by Pat Rush (among others). <BR><BR>Living abroad is a great experience & worth every hassle - even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time! ;-) Have fun & good luck!<BR>

www.expatica.com

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I am interviewing on Monday for a job in Germany working for a DOD contractor on a US military base. I speak good German and like the idea of being paid to live in Europe. I am single and plan to do lots of weekend trips to the many places I have never visited. The last time I was in Germany was 1986. I will check out the web sites listed above, but in the meantime, I would like to hear more comments. <BR><BR>Are there any special security precautions concerning living or working on military bases since Sept 11? Any thoughts on buying a car vs using the trains or renting a car for weekend trips?

hi<BR><BR>i've lived in 5 countries.<BR><BR>the easiest was belgium.<BR><BR>peter<BR>

Gary,<BR>Check out expatexchange.com. It is country specific and is a great resource for information. As far as buying/renting a car, I would recommend buying. You can often pick up a great car for less money here. Also, a car may be part of the comp package. That is pretty standard for a company though with the DOD Contractor, maybe not.<BR>Good luck with the interview.<BR>Jan

Dear Elaine,<BR><BR>I am an American and I have lived in Amsterdam for the last 3.5 years. While a few things drive me nuts- I love it here. Of course I imagine that a few things would drive me nuts no matter where I live! <BR><BR>The housing situation seems to be getting better, but nice unfurnished central 1-bedroom apartments start at around 800 Euros, more likely 1000 Euros per month + utilities. A good option is to live in Haarlem or Leiden, both close to Amsterdam and easier for real estate-- esp. if you want a garden/yard.<BR><BR>The weather is an issue for me, it is cool and rainy quite often. The residence permit process can be a real headache sometimes. If you want more information on that process check out: <BR>http://www.immigratiedienst.nl/ (in english too). <BR><BR>Someone already put on the website www.expatica.com which I also think is very useful. <BR><BR>English is widely spoken here. <BR><BR>If you have more questions, feel free to email me directly, I am happy to help!<BR><BR>Terra

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