| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 5/30/2006 12:06:13 PM | | And Brady is extremely rude to one gentle lady and if you want to know what she is talking about, it was even in the The Times - October 10, 2005. Jack McConnell, First Minister of the Scottish Executive, flew to Australia, the States, Canada and South Africa to tempt Scots home. I remember this because I live in Nova Scotia. So you've stayed in Scotland your whole life, eh? Hardly gives you much reason to answer the question of people from other places who decided to MOVE THERE. You don't know what it's like anywhere else. Glad to see you've got your Scottish pride, but it looked a little more like ignorance. Mississauga, by the way, has one of the highest ratios of immigrants in the country and is probably the farthest away from Canadian culture that you will get. I grew up 20 minutes outside of the place. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/1/2006 12:12:56 PM | Am 26yrs of age and am both a citizen of both uk(LOndon) and Africa cos my mum is from UK and my dad from Africa will you believe it that i have not sight my eyes on my biology mum...Can you help my out by getting to my mum's Country?I have to stop here for now still i hear from you...
Thanks | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/1/2006 12:13:13 PM | Am 26yrs of age and am both a citizen of both uk(LOndon) and Africa cos my mum is from UK and my dad from Africa will you believe it that i have not sight my eyes on my biology mum...Can you help my out by getting to my mum's Country?I have to stop here for now still i hear from you...
Thanks | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/1/2006 2:50:31 PM | | I've been to all three. I checked into moving to Ireland about 10-12 years ago. At that time the unemployment rate was so high, it would have been virtually impossible for a foreigner to get a decent job... I don't think it has improved much. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/1/2006 2:56:22 PM | I live in Kent where the countryside is going fast',I travel up to Scotland then get a Ferry to Northern Ireland 1 hour',then drive around the coastline to Southern Ireland...I have been to several countries of interest,but,Ireland just keeps calling me back..I think it should be on the list of things to do before you die',yes,go to Ireland.. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/1/2006 6:00:34 PM | The days of just up and moving to another country are long gone, you better have family over there or a guaranteed job (complete with ALL the documentation and then some, in triplicate, notarized, you get the idea) to even think about something like that.
And if you think American bureaucracy is bad, guess what, Europe has 10 times that......
Everything also tends to cost double or triple of what you pay here, from a loaf of bread to a car, so you better be ready for a drop in standard of living, at least for the first 10 years or so.
That's if they even let you apply......Europe isn't particularly geared towards 'immigration', it's VERY crowded already.
Ireland was lovely when I was there, I hear a lot has changed since their economy started kicking butt, Scotland is also very pretty, if you can live with rain virtually every single day.
I liked northern England better than southern England, which reminded me a little too much of Germany. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/2/2006 7:29:43 PM | | I agree with the post about England. I found it to be a great place to visit. The people were exceptionally friendly. It is an expensive place to visit unless you can find a hostel to stay in. My worst experience was the food there. They have very few ethnic choices that I really liked. An exception are the scones I had every morning. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/3/2006 10:02:34 AM | | Well I'm English and I live in England. And myself and most of my friends want out of here. I can't imagine anyone other than someone from a third world country wanting to move here. There are much better places - safer, cleaner, emptier, cheaper... | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/5/2006 9:08:36 PM | | The first trip for me and my friends was to England and Scotland, the last one we all went on was to Ireland... I LOVE Ireland and the people but then I'm part irish myself. The country there is absolutely magical... words cannot describe it. England was nice but I liked Scotland much better as far as the land. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/6/2006 12:43:08 AM | I had the good fortune of working for a major airline and traveled to Ireland and London more than once. Toured Scotland all the way to the Isle of Skye.
Had great fun in different ways in all three. I found London extremely fascinating, but Ireland's people seem more in tune with my own personality and ancestory (Irish/English/Scot mix)and fell in love with them.
Due to just missing the ferry, spent a delightful afternoon in a pub near Loch Ness and got to hear the locals, speaking in their wonderful accent and marvelous humor, tell about the YEARS of good economy with "Nessie in the Bank."  The walls of the place were lined with photos dating back 40 years and more -- taken by news services and freelance photo/journalists from nearly every corner of the world, who were there just to tell the story of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.
Kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland and I think that is why I'm so full of it today.
Great trips all. Loved the fabulous B&B's in the London area and the incredible efficiency of their rail system and of course -- like San Francisco, it would take a lifetime to enjoy all the great restaurants around London. And don't forget many of the best live productions are done in London -- sometimes before they are done on Broadway. Also, if you like Opera.
And the duty free both in London and Ireland were very good too.
However, I would not move to GB as their taxes and cost of living (for me) would be way too high. My family is here and despite our gov't problems/faults -- I love it here too much. That said, I'd move to certain areas of Canada in a heartbeat.  | |
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| Where to live
Posted: 6/8/2006 8:48:10 AM | | I have travelled England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, Netherlands in my last Eurotrip. London England was great, Ireland was homely and low stress, and Scotland was very friendly and the community is very close. The pound being high in value right now says that Scotland would be the place due to lower costs then London. Ireland would also be great if you want low stress and slow pace of life. I found Edenburough to be more beautiful and Glascow was more of a faster city. I would personally move to the Netherlands it seemed to be the cleanest and the people are given more personal freedoms. Unlike the changing governments here in North America | |
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| Where to live
Posted: 6/8/2006 11:26:07 AM | Im from england lived here all my life and its one big or should i say little shithole, i really hate it here so this message will be 100% negative.
we get over charged for everything even get taxed on tax, the laws are stupid where criminals can roam freely or get fed a fu*ckin kfc true story. Human rights has gone mad here.
You say texas has ilegal aliens im guessing thats the american term for imigrants well we have a much bigger problem with them i mean they travel through most of europe to arrive in the uk and why dont they stay in france or other parts of europe because they wont have them, they come here in the boat loads cant speak a word of english rape or beat young girls again true stories, claim benefits, get vouchers for free meals and get away with just about it all why because the uk is soft as shit and we are a country with open arms wanting to take all the rejects.
American style Ghettos have been created with no go areas where guns are ridden in certain parts of the country the police dont carry guns yet although majority of criminals do.
More and more brits are leaving the uk going to spain or wherever to escapre the "Rat Race" life of the uk and leave all the stresses. My next door neighbours son lives in texas and loves it there as the way of life is much more laid back and relaxed.
My older sister and her boyfriend are trying to buy a house and having many problems with mortgages etc... so they are in talks of going to australia.
I have been to america many many times and i feel safer and happier there.
I can go on and on moaing about the uk but most of the main issues have been adressed above. | |
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| Where to live
Posted: 6/23/2006 6:43:49 AM | while on a europe tour I spent 4 days in London and had just a taste and LOVED it! Wonderful city to visit - multicultural, great shopping, wonderful theatre but to live? too expensive. Havent done Ireland or Scotland as yet but hope to this winter. Going to see the Eilean Donan Castle named after family. (Irish - Scottish descent) | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 6/30/2006 7:27:42 AM | | i am currently living in uk after leaving south africa. Well they say if you are sick of london you are sick of life then I am sorry but I must be sick of life. LONDON is overcrowded and the streets are dirty and dont stop when walking through london you will be flattened....ENGLAND is lovely but just too many people her I get clausaphobia (hope I spelt it correctly) because there is always someone in you space and when you go shopping prams and the scooters well they are everywhere, it takes forever to get anywhere and my dear son is at school aprox 6k away at most and it takes him one and a half hours to get home. Up the broadway the other day my daughter took the bus home and I ran and I GOT HOME BEFORE HER.......but dont want to be to critical of uk coz compared to africa i do feel safe and my children have a future and its fantastic to feel safe when you go out. so thank you England and I am supporting you in the world cup. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 8/16/2006 10:22:45 AM | | I spent a few weeks in northern scotland....a few days in london, flew to glasgow then took the train up...what a beautiful ride. I went over christmas, was a very different kind of cold, but still an amazing time nonetheless. Was in a small town visiting a friend, but the town was right in the middle of the distillery tour! Now if only they'd all been open over the holidays it would've been better! | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 8/17/2006 8:29:27 PM | I've been to England numerous times and just got back from almost a week in Scotland. The Pound is strong, so the exchange rate for the American $$ sucks.
I love the UK. London is absolutely phenominal- probably my favorite large city in the world. You could spend a month there and never see the same thing twice.
Scotland was beautiful, but I don't think there's as much to do there. The weather wasn't as nice- it was in the 60' F range and rainey most of the time. I like that kind of weather, but I'm not up for it all the time. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 8/18/2006 7:37:19 AM | Brady said:
"also regarding people from other countries being given incentives ....this is hilarious,which program you watched would be of interest?"
Brady...what he said is true...the Scots government is actively trying to encourage people of Scots ancestry to return. As part of an academic research centre I am associated with I recently (last October) took part in a meeting with Jack McConnell in which he discussed this very issue with us (wanting university educated people of Scots descent to return to Scotland because of declining population figures). The Scots government even has a website devoted to this topic (www.scotlandistheplace.com). So, although you may not have haerd of it over there, trust me, the Scottish government is actively encouraging migrants and especially those of Scots ancestry...and people like me, who are Scots but are living elsewhere, are really being encouraged to return.
Although I was mostly raised in Canada I am, as already mentioned, Scots (lived in Ayr when I was a child before my parents decided to come to Canada) and have been giving a lot of thought to returning. But the cost of living there is too high compared to here. Salaries are lower in Scotland/Britain than here in Canada. For example...I am currently doing my PhD and, when I graduate and become a professor, I will earn a decent salary (although not everyone makes this much the average salary for a prof in Canada...or maybe this is just in Ontario, I can't remember...is somewhere around $103,000). Were I to be a prof in Scotland/Britain, however, I would earn much less (somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 pound if I am very lucky). The problem is, everything costs the same there as it does here. When I was there in November/December I was paying the same for a burger and fries in a restaurant as I would here (after doing the conversion it was tough to deal with eating a $16 burger). That becomes a problem when earning half of what one would living here. So, although Scotland is far better off economically than it was in the past (say the 1950s), it still isn't all that attractive to people from North America because our cost of living is so much lower than it is there. | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 8/25/2006 1:01:42 AM | | I lived in Northern Ireland for 2 years and loved every minute of it!! I also travelled all over England, Scotland and Ireland. I must say my fav is still Northern Ireland. Belfast and Londonderry, the 2 biggest cities are a little crazy..I lived in a smaller town named Coleraine on the north eastern coast. it was beutiful and the pace of life was great. everyone in Northern Ireland is extremely friendly, they don't get alot of foreigners there so if you go, be prepared for peope to buy you beers and have a laugh. Work over there is very hard to get when you aren't in the country...they are still a little backwards there and cannot usually figure out how to hire internationally. I had friends that lived in Dublin and had mixed reviews. they get alot of tourists down there and alot of locals get sick of all the foreigners so they can get a little rude. But the city is very interesting...Galway is awesome but not much opportunity for work...more of a tourist town. If you want any more info, feel freeto email me!! | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 8/30/2006 3:51:57 AM | Lived in London and loved it. I like the seeming chaos but there is a rythm to it (as in many other large city) and once you get the hang of it, you'd be thinking, wow! What an exciting city. If you have a narrow view of the world then I can understand why people would bag London, re ethnic diversity, traffic, gray weather (all of which is part of its charm). The thing I dislike is ..... um Central tube station, going up and down those stairs give the legs a tremendous workout, but that is only a minor complaint.
Taking the tube is a weird experience for me, people so sullen and serious - no eye contact. But if you catch someone's eye, try winking and that usually cracks them up (unless you look like a sleaze bag, in which case, don't do it...;). I usually say g'day when they walk past me and seems that they appreciate it...hopefully it brightens their day.
I usually take a piss at the posh accent but they crack up with mine too. It is a fun city, just don't miss the last train. It's not pleasant to walk home when you're groggy, cold and wet.  | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 9/2/2006 5:37:37 PM | Brady 1103,
I am assuming your comments are aimed at me. In response...yes, economics was the reason my grandparents came over from Scotland. When I said that economics would be a problem today....that is what I meant.....I am well aware that areas of Scotland are very prosperous...but in the areas I would wish to settle, that is not the case. As in any country, there are prosperous and non-prosperous areas. Did I say that Canada did not have economic problems? I don't believe so. And my "inept Scottish connections" - do you mean my relatives with whom I am still in touch? Or maybe it's because a close friend I went to high school with and whom I still keep in touch with lives in Scotland now and is a diver who works on the oil rigs. Or do you feel I have "inept Scottish connections" because I only travel to Scotland every few years? Or because I still hang on to Scottish culture.....you are 34 and have lived there all your life.....do you do Scottish country dancing?...do you speak Gaelic?.....have you visited your clan castle?..... My great-grandfather designed and built a church just outside the town they originated from and I have visited and seen it. My great uncle's name is on a war memorial in the small village they grew up. "inept Scottish connections"?????
Just because my family has been here in Canada for 2 generations now (my mother missed being born in Scotland by 4 years), does not mean we have lost the connection. You never lose it. I guess your aunt has an "inept Scottish connection" now too since she's been here so long.
I don't remember which program on TV mentioned the incentives that Scotland is thinking of introducing to entice people whose roots are from Scotland to return. I just remember watching it. Who knows whether they will introduce these incentives. I just thought it was interesting. Instead of being bitter, why not feel proud that someone of Scottish roots thought the idea of returning to Scotland interesting.
Edit - Well Brady, if you read some of the posts above you will see that I was not the only one who saw or read about this program to entice people back to Scotland. So....who is the misinformed one here? | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 9/3/2006 3:55:46 AM | | I've been to England once and Ireland twice. I loved Ireland and will be planning a third visit soon. If you happen to be into hiking, there are some great trails in the west. I found the people very open and welcoming, and I never had a bad meal the whole time I was there! | |
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| Has anyone traveled to Scotland/England/Ireland?
Posted: 9/3/2006 6:10:01 AM | i visited the lake district and london years ago. i much preferred the lake district, but then i love the country and don't do well in any city.
i really would love to see the orkney islands. has anyone ever gone there? | |
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