Happy Steps travel blog

We all agree that there’s no place like home, it’s where our heart is, and everytime we go somewhere, there’s always that longing to be home. Even travel bugs and those who are passionate about travel tend to appreciate more the little things about their hometown or neighborhood after coming from a trip someplace.

But what if you are given the option to move to another place or to relocate? Let’s say you visited an Arlington Property Management firm and given some various residential properties to decide upon, which place would you prefer to start over and settle with your family? If you have the whole world to choose from, which country or city would you move to?

Some of my friends and relatives who decided to live abroad as immigrants have their own reasons for choosing Australia, Canada, the United States, Europe and other cities abroad. If I were to live abroad, I would personally choose a European city to live in, especially since I’ve already visited this continent twice. For me, Europe has a charm of its own—its rich history, culture and architecture especially the old buildings, most of which are well-preserved or reconstructed.

What are my personal choices for a place to live in? Definitely, they would have to be some of the cities where I’ve already stayed or visited. I can’t include my dream destinations here, or cities I haven’t visited yet as my choices are based on my impressions about a particular place. So here’s my list enumerated below, although not in order of importance:

Prague, Czech Republic – I so love the beautiful architecture of this place especially the old buildings at the Old Town, the Prague Castle, Vysehrad and other landmarks. Also known as the “Golden City” and the “city of a hundred spires”, the historic centre of Prague is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One thing that attracts me to Prague is the Church of the Infant Jesus of Prague which is where we usually attend the Sunday Mass. Weather in Prague is great especially during summer where you can get out and take a stroll without feeling too hot.


Berlin, Germany – I only visited Berlin for a day but I fell in love with it. Amidst the modern buildings, you can also see some historical landmarks (Brandenburg, Berliner Dom, Reichstag, Museumsinsel, etc.) that give the city an interesting appeal. The city looks clean, well-maintained and organized. I also like Berlin as it has many Catholic churches and most of the locals speak English. The colourful bicycle-driven velotaxis cruising by offer a unique and refreshing sight to the streets of Berlin.


Tampere, Finland – I have visited Finland during summer and stayed at my big sis in Pori, but after visiting Tampere one weekend, I immediately liked the place. If I were to live in Finland, I would choose this place as they have a Catholic community with regular Sunday Mass. The city is livelier than Pori and weather is warmer as well.

Vienna, Austria – I visited this place long time ago and enjoyed my weekend stay here. Add to that is the high quality of life this place offers, aside from being known in arts, culture and architecture.

It’s interesting to know that the Mercer Quality of Living Survey for 2009 lists European cities bagging most of the top spots in their survey—Vienna (1st), Zürich (2nd) , Geneva (3rd), Düsseldorf (6th), Munich (7th), Frankfurt (8th), Bern (9th). Note that the 6th to 8th places are German cities. The choices are based on significant criteria such as safety/crime, quality of education, cleanliness, public transportation, recreation/amusement, and political-economic stability.

Incidentally, cities with high quality of living may not be desirable to some as each person has a different perception of what a liveable city should be in terms of career opportunities, community, weather, religion plus many other factors. Personally, my faith is important to me, so it’s a big deciding element when choosing for a place to live in. I also consider safety, cleanliness, and public transportation as key factors as well.

How about you, where would you like to live and settle down if given the option to reside someplace other than your current city or country?