Rob K
13th March 2005, 07:28 PM
I'm writing this from a motel in Nelson - my family & I have been on the road for the last 12 days, touring the country and trying to get some firsthand sense of the country.
My 1st conclusion: this is definitely a beautiful country.
2nd conclusion: It's far from being utopic, for reasons that are numerous and perhaps worth a further post later...
Perhaps the most profound conclusion that Sandrine & I have realized is how hard it is to come to ANY real conclusions. How can you compare places when the weather, time of week, time of day, pure luck (or lack thereof), etc, all enters into the mix? From a clinical point of view, to determine where to choose to (try to) settle down, would probably require more than a lifetime. And by then, of course, it's too late.
Time to rely on instincts...
What we - as Canadians at least - can firmly grasp, is that this is a country with a milder climate. We see citrus and olive trees, and realize that this country is blessed compared to where we came from. But then again, those things probably grow in Lebanon or Iraq as well. I digress...
There is virtually endless coastline - not lacking in Canada (in fact Canada has more of this), but in Canada entering the water in 99% of locations is an exercise in hypothermic defiance. The water here, in comparison, is quite warm. And there's usually nobody else on the beach, which is incredible compared to Sandrine's native France (beautiful beaches there, as thousands will attest to - at any given moment).
At this moment, we are quite interested in the place we've been over the past couple of days - Nelson. As previous postings here suggest consistently, it is a great place.
Some Nelson questions:
Where are the nice places to live in Nelson?
Our budget for buying a house is around $250,000. That's not great for Nelson, but for Chch that figure seems hopeless by comparison. Any thoughts on how we could do in Nelson on our budget?
How about renting in Nelson?
Cheers,
Rob
My 1st conclusion: this is definitely a beautiful country.
2nd conclusion: It's far from being utopic, for reasons that are numerous and perhaps worth a further post later...
Perhaps the most profound conclusion that Sandrine & I have realized is how hard it is to come to ANY real conclusions. How can you compare places when the weather, time of week, time of day, pure luck (or lack thereof), etc, all enters into the mix? From a clinical point of view, to determine where to choose to (try to) settle down, would probably require more than a lifetime. And by then, of course, it's too late.
Time to rely on instincts...
What we - as Canadians at least - can firmly grasp, is that this is a country with a milder climate. We see citrus and olive trees, and realize that this country is blessed compared to where we came from. But then again, those things probably grow in Lebanon or Iraq as well. I digress...
There is virtually endless coastline - not lacking in Canada (in fact Canada has more of this), but in Canada entering the water in 99% of locations is an exercise in hypothermic defiance. The water here, in comparison, is quite warm. And there's usually nobody else on the beach, which is incredible compared to Sandrine's native France (beautiful beaches there, as thousands will attest to - at any given moment).
At this moment, we are quite interested in the place we've been over the past couple of days - Nelson. As previous postings here suggest consistently, it is a great place.
Some Nelson questions:
Where are the nice places to live in Nelson?
Our budget for buying a house is around $250,000. That's not great for Nelson, but for Chch that figure seems hopeless by comparison. Any thoughts on how we could do in Nelson on our budget?
How about renting in Nelson?
Cheers,
Rob