>>1632943Tell me about it! There are some pretty areas here, and I have a few favourite hiking spots, but I seriously miss (real, tent) camping, fishing, canoeing... things which are complicated to do here and sometimes barely worth it. It's very crowded here and Germans freak out if you even leave the marked hiking trail. Fishing here just plain sucks.
I do plan to return to Canada one day, but there are pros and cons. I have a good job that would be hard to transfer into Canada, and it would all but require me to live in a big city which I don't want to do. Canada's small towns are typically good for /out/, but totally desolate backwaters culturally and (mostly) economically. I'm not anti-car, but here I can (and do) bike everywhere, safely and easily. I do bike tours in the summer months and the infrastructure for all that is a dream. In Canada, it frankly sucks. I honestly don't need a car here, but when I do, car-sharing is a cinch. In Canada, if you plan to leave a big city, you're not really going anywhere without a car.
I'm married and a father, and Germany is better with funding child care and schooling (although I think overall quality is better in Canada -- once my son is old enough to start elementary school, I would start to consider moving back). The main problem is the German mentality.
I also have 6 weeks paid holidays a year, which is pretty sweet. Even with higher taxes, the cost of living is simply cheaper here. The fact is, I've been here almost a decade and although there are things I really don't like here, I know I would miss it if I left.
