The shiny people

sus

Moderator
I like Spain a lot but it's very dry.

Italy is very lush but I don't speak the language. Learnable but the first few years would be a lil isolating.

Want some land. Something simple but with land I can ramble on and sing to myself without worrying who hears
 

sus

Moderator
I'm trying to avoid a foul mood

I was very looking forward to this final rest stage after a lot of tough tiring travel, where I get 48hrs on the Marseilles beach in the sun doing nothing and chomping legal codeine.

Very privileged that this is my biggest problem atm. That and having no money
 

sus

Moderator
that's admirable, why europe tho? wouldn't it be easier or cheaper to do somewhere in usa or mexico or canada?

Well apologies in advance for a long and likely tedious explanation but I'm limping with 20kg bag two miles to a park to sleep a bit

It is true that there are some parts of the United States in extremely rural areas where we probably could find similar prices to Spain or Italy. Somewhere between 200 and $300,000 for a home and a plot of land. Pat, part of the Hope is that our friends will come visit us and we can put them up for long periods of time in guest quarters or sponsor artist residencies or Rider retreats or have friends come out to help record music or play in jam sessions. It turns out that coastal Americans are extremely averse to leaving coastal America for just about anywhere other than Europe. To them, rural America is a wasteland that they don't even ding to think of. This makes it very hard to start a remote hub in something like Western Pennsylvania. For example. We experience this firsthand when we lived in Wisconsin. A beautiful, beautiful part of the country and quite affordable. We saw houses for as low as $50,000 in decent shape. But nobody would visit us. Even our close friends said why the heck are you in Wisconsin? Whereas Italy or Spain, they're already very excited to come visit and have made Grand overtures pledging to come annually if we'll put them up
 

shakahislop

Well-known member
that is really annoying to get that far and get stuck at the airport. in a lot of places you can get a hotel room near the airport for $100 or so - no idea if that's the case for turin. or if you have $100
 
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sus

Moderator
There is also a lot of excitement and thrill of something foreign. What I found so incredible about Italy the first time I came was that even though it was a new and strange culture that culture in many ways was the root of my own culture and so there was also a paired recognition. Going out to Italy was the first time I really started getting interested in etymology in part because the Italian language itself carries so much of the Latin, material roots that English abstract concepts are metaphorically based on.

And if we live in Spain or Italy, we can easily travel around and see the rest of Europe. I'd love to spend times in the Alps, especially after what @pattycakes_ akes has posted about his train trip. And after encountering the writings of the English romantics, from their travels to the mountains. I'd love to spend more time in the great museums of Europe and even to see North Africa and all. That is very proximate and cheap and easy to get to from the Mediterranean. Whereas North America is very isolated. I love Mexico. It's one of my favorite countries, but there's nothing around it except Mexico.
 

sus

Moderator
Finally, there is the weather. I grew up in a part of California that has a Mediterranean climate and so being in a Mediterranean climate feels like home. It's the perfect weather most of the year, but California is impossible to afford. Even the most hellish parts of the state would cost half a million for a small home. The beautiful parts of the state you're talking about a million plus.
 

shakahislop

Well-known member
it's not so bad finding a park to sleep in. it's better if you happen to have a tent. i've had some profound, great times being totally exhausted and walking out of cities searching for somewhere to sleep. it was a good time to sing to yourself. and you can pretend you're kerouac.
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
I like Spain a lot but it's very dry.

Italy is very lush but I don't speak the language. Learnable but the first few years would be a lil isolating.

Want some land. Something simple but with land I can ramble on and sing to myself without worrying who hears

If you've got a decent grip on Spanish Italian will come quicker than you expect. Being in the actual place will expedite all of that. Love both countries but there's something about Spain that just does it that bit more for me

If Italy, probably Umbria. If Spain, probably Zaragozan countryside or Barcelona mountains

There's so many more amazing parts to Spain tho. Basque is one, totally unto itself. Galicia is another totally different trip. Heavy Celtic roots. Bagpipes n kilts at weddings n shit. Not dry at all either. Atlantic coast. Portugal just down the road. Tuscany would be my pick in Italy. Close to Florence as poss

I'm trying to avoid a foul mood

I was very looking forward to this final rest stage after a lot of tough tiring travel, where I get 48hrs on the Marseilles beach in the sun doing nothing and chomping legal codeine.

Very privileged that this is my biggest problem atm. That and having no money

Just roll with it. I had to sit in Budapest airport for 14 hours due to protests in Greece on my way here. 8:30am flight turned into 11pm. There was this amazing area with loads of long benches you could stretch out on though which made it much more bearable. Travel and multi stop travel can be exhausting tho yeah

How is your money holding out? I'm on a 0% apr credit card personally. Not too deep in debt yet

Ha if only I could trick a bank into giving me a card. No such luck. And rightly so. Fiscal responsibility is def not my middle name. Am down to the last few notes. A kind soul from here on D helped me out which got me to Crete. Gonna be dropping some CVs off today. Have just been on the phone with an employment agency, have another 2 interested who I should be speaking to in a bit. Things are looking up. Hopefully this time next week I'll have a job. Has been pretty crazy roughing it and living on almost nothing. Nearly gave up so many times. Something never quite lets me tho

Maybe not off the grid but I yes something lowkey and rural

Sounds ideal, but maybe some city not too far away for when you want a bit of buzz
 
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