I’ve been here for more than ten years now. It really is beautiful, and the opportunities to explore Europe have been incredible. But Switzerland is a notoriously unfriendly country and maintaining friendships here is work. Plus our parents are ageing, we miss being close to family, and I especially miss living by the ocean. Going back was always a possibility as an early retirement plan - it’s also too expensive to retire in Switzerland.
Mountains and meadows are nice for a while, but driving six hours in the era of carbon footprint reduction to get to a warm bathtub (the Mediterranean) gets a bit stale.
We had a work opportunity that gave us the chance to live in any of a few different cities. We chose Switzerland so our kids could learn another language and we could travel from a fairly central location. Definitely achieved those!
Originally Invercargill, most recently Christchurch, currently Switzerland, soon to be Marlborough. Can’t bloody wait.
Interesting, in my mind Switzerland is about as idyllic and picturesque as it gets…
Hard to imagine one longing for Marlborough from Switzerland, that said we do have a beautiful country ❤️
I’ve been here for more than ten years now. It really is beautiful, and the opportunities to explore Europe have been incredible. But Switzerland is a notoriously unfriendly country and maintaining friendships here is work. Plus our parents are ageing, we miss being close to family, and I especially miss living by the ocean. Going back was always a possibility as an early retirement plan - it’s also too expensive to retire in Switzerland.
Mountains and meadows are nice for a while, but driving six hours in the era of carbon footprint reduction to get to a warm bathtub (the Mediterranean) gets a bit stale.
(I might have some strong opinions)
Good on you mate, can I ask what you moved there for?
We had a work opportunity that gave us the chance to live in any of a few different cities. We chose Switzerland so our kids could learn another language and we could travel from a fairly central location. Definitely achieved those!