Any Europeans over here? :)

[Nando Vallart]

Hey guys!
I'm back on my plans to go live abroad! As USA and UK have a sh!t visa system, I'm probably going western Europe, since I've dual citizenship...
Problem is: I've lived most of my life in medium size towns and now I live in a big one and I know a difference that is to build or play guitar from one type to another... Europe is quite different, so I'm thinking more in country than otherwise...
My first choice would Portugal because of my citizenship, but I was told guitar/rock/metal are not at all popular there, so I've risked from the map. Thinking now in Spain and France: nice weather and hopefully at least some likeness for them...
A friend who toured Europe said Germany and Netherlands are real nice, but there is the weather and some people say these country the people are not very warm...

What is your opinion of good place to build guitars and have rock/metal band?

 

[aarontunes]

I've been told by people who live there that rock/metal is huge in Germany.

 

[Rick]

Off the top of my head I'd go with a town that has a low cost of living, students, not too hot, or too cold.  I don't know about the cost of living, cause I never thought of settling down in Europe, but I like Edinburgh, Berlin, Copenhagen and Paris.  There are a whole lot of places I've never been to.  I recommend you get a book or two, research it and then visit the top three.  I've heard good things about Norway.  Never been.  Getting a recommendation from this group may be a little scewed.

Bottom line, you gotta think about money and where you can afford.  If you really want to go afield, I recommend New Zealand or Australia, and if you have a good paying job, Canada and the USA have lots of nice places.

How about Santiago Chile?  I never been there, but I've heard it's real nice.  Or maybe Valpariso?

 

[alexreinhold]

I'm German and I live in Berlin. Here are my thoughts:

- if weather is important, don't do Germany or Netherlands - albeit rock/metal is big. If you go for Germany, Hamburg or Cologne should be your choice. Munich is too stuck up and Berlin is mostly techno. All other cities are not too friendly for expats. In Netherlands, anything goes.
- Portugal and Spain are just fine - they have all kinds of scenes. They're certainly not known for having no rock scene but also not famous for it.
- Italy definitely has a rock scene but people don't speak much more than Italian
- France no... For so many reasons
- Eastern Europe is crazy about metal but it's still up and coming and the expat scenes don't really exist yet

If i had to go with my gut from what you wrote: Barcelona might be just your thing.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Thanks guys!
Thanks a lot, Alex!
My fear within Germany is too few light on day and not very friendly people... Heard from someone who lived in Berlin that it was really nice, heard from someone who worked at VW that nobody talked with him at the factory... So... But DE makes sense in lots of ways: it's probably the most stable country of theses, you have some real good health care for what I've heard and so on.. I suffer from depression my whole life, so stability, health care and sun are good... My fear with lots of countries like Canada and Germany is the hecking dark winter... Never lived in these conditions and don't know how would react...

Munich "stuck up" means they are frozen in time?
Bad about Berlin, seems a beautifull city! And I always think capitals are the biggest chance you have...

Can you tell me some of the NOs in France? My brother started teaching in a University nearby Paris, I was coming to plans that would be good to have at least someone known nearby

Spain is a big contender! They have sun like 330 days at year and people are more alike South America than up north... But heard that things are not on the hot side of Europe for bands...

As you can see, there is no "clear winner" and probably won't be. I may have to choose what is better to me and deal with some things that are not.

 

[stratamania]

Here is my take. (I have lived in the Netherlands and currently live in Belgium and I am British).

To begin with I would address your needs for sun etc. also take into account language. Contrary to popular belief not everyone speaks English in Europe so knowing some of a local language is useful.

I think if I were you I would start with Portugal, you have citizenship and language. You also have EU Citizenship as a Portuguese Citizen so can then freely move around the rest of the EU countries without a visa. So I would suggest using Portugal as a base and just visit other places when you get an opportunity.

Also at least in Western and Southern Europe you will be unlikely to find somewhere that could be called inexpensive.

Some NOs for France, you must be able to speak French fluently if you live there. The bureaucracy in France is challenging to say the least even for the French. It might have something to do with why they came up with the word bureaucracy in the first place. France is generally expensive and you may need a monkey and an accordion rather than a guitar.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Thanks. One of the reasons I'm asking this NOW is that I'll do the native language course since now to get there speaking a reasonable amount of the language. I think it's the least someone can do when plan to travel to a new country...

Between Portugal and Spain I'd pick Spain because it's bigger. Both have the same latin vibe and 2 years of Spanish classes I'll get there speaking fluently (portuguese and spanish are quite close).
I know 3 bands from Spain in the thrash metal scene growing up and none portuguese, that is the main reason ( In deed, nothing from rock or metal from Portugal I know)

And now there is Germany that Alex said above... Perhaps Netherlands too... Gotta brew this a little more, I won't be able to move a lot in the beggining, Euro is 7x more expensive than my currency, it's a place I need to arrive and stay at least a couple of years...

 

[TBurst Std]

My question is: are you independently wealthy or what you do is in such high demand you can do it anywhere, or the opportunity to work remotely from anywhere globally?

 

[Nando Vallart]

My question is: are you independently wealthy or what you do is in such high demand you can do it anywhere, or the opportunity to work remotely from anywhere globally?

I'm learning to tattoo. It's a high demand activity and I have a good hand, in two or three years I think I can get a living of it, even in Europe.

 

[Cowbell Fever!]

Here is my take. (I have lived in the Netherlands and currently live in Belgium and I am British).

To begin with I would address your needs for sun etc. also take into account language. Contrary to popular belief not everyone speaks English in Europe so knowing some of a local language is useful.

I think if I were you I would start with Portugal, you have citizenship and language. You also have EU Citizenship as a Portuguese Citizen so can then freely move around the rest of the EU countries without a visa. So I would suggest using Portugal as a base and just visit other places when you get an opportunity.

Also at least in Western and Southern Europe you will be unlikely to find somewhere that could be called inexpensive.

Some NOs for France, you must be able to speak French fluently if you live there. The bureaucracy in France is challenging to say the least even for the French. It might have something to do with why they came up with the word bureaucracy in the first place. France is generally expensive and you may need a monkey and an accordion rather than a guitar.

Monkeys are funny!

 

[TBurst Std]

Well that’s why VISAs are not available in the US or UK. While in demand, it’s not a needed item.  Hell I tried looking into moving to England a few years ago. Though I am a Data Scientist with decades of experience, because the job I already had there was contracted only, and not permanent, I was declined.  Australia operates basically on the same principles.

 

[stratamania]

Here is my take. (I have lived in the Netherlands and currently live in Belgium and I am British).

To begin with I would address your needs for sun etc. also take into account language. Contrary to popular belief not everyone speaks English in Europe so knowing some of a local language is useful.

I think if I were you I would start with Portugal, you have citizenship and language. You also have EU Citizenship as a Portuguese Citizen so can then freely move around the rest of the EU countries without a visa. So I would suggest using Portugal as a base and just visit other places when you get an opportunity.

Also at least in Western and Southern Europe you will be unlikely to find somewhere that could be called inexpensive.

Some NOs for France, you must be able to speak French fluently if you live there. The bureaucracy in France is challenging to say the least even for the French. It might have something to do with why they came up with the word bureaucracy in the first place. France is generally expensive and you may need a monkey and an accordion rather than a guitar.

Monkeys are funny!

[youtube]https://youtu.be/jGb8EKwDkBE[/youtube]

 

[alexreinhold]

A few things:

1) if you go for one of the big capitals (2M+ people), you cannot go wrong. Places like Berlin, Amsterdam or Madrid have every scene that exists. So in Berlin, you will predominantly find techno but it does have a big rock scene and there are a range of very capable luthiers. Also, one of Europe's biggest luthier stores (Banzai Music) is in Berlin. I could say similar thing about any of the European metropolises.
2) that said, you might be rationalizing this too much. A place needs to feel good. If you know, sunny weather and warmth in people is important to you, northern/central Europe is probably not the place to be - you wanna go south. However, if you appreciate people to be reliable and things to simply work, southern Europe might not be the place to be. But then again, you can find what you are looking for in any of the big places.
3) being a tattoo artist, you will be able to make a living anywhere - I don't think markets differ much from place to place.
4) to quote the second of the nine commandments of No Ma'am: It is wrong to be French.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Well, I'll have to tell people that now I'm internationally known for overthinking!!!  :toothy12:

Thanks a lot guys, for real. I think I've settle down to Germany or perhaps Netherlands, but it would be very hard and expensive to find a teacher of dutch in Brazil, probably would need to be someone from there and pay in Euros...

The choise is so so made and I'm putting sunny Spain as a plan B, if I change my mind or I don't adapt to dark Germany...
Next thing: find a good German teacher!

 

[alexreinhold]

FWIW - in Berlin and Netherlands you'll easily get by without German / Dutch.

 

[stratamania]

Check out Rosetta Stone that can give you a good head start on languages.
https://www.rosettastone.com/

 

[Nando Vallart]

FWIW - in Berlin and Netherlands you'll easily get by without German / Dutch.

My brother tried that in Netherlands and it didn't work (he went to Rotterdan).
I think is a kind of respectful thing to do to native people at least try to learn the native language. Shows you're intended in mingle in...

Check out Rosetta Stone that can give you a good head start on languages.
https://www.rosettastone.com/

Thanks, will take a look!

 

[Rick]

Fernando --- Go for it!  :yourock:

 

[alexreinhold]

FWIW - in Berlin and Netherlands you'll easily get by without German / Dutch.

My brother tried that in Netherlands and it didn't work (he went to Rotterdan).
I think is a kind of respectful thing to do to native people at least try to learn the native language. Shows you're intended in mingle in...

Check out Rosetta Stone that can give you a good head start on languages.
https://www.rosettastone.com/

Thanks, will take a look!

If Berlin is your choice, PM me - my wife is Colombian and recently moved to Berlin. I can recommend an awesome and cheap language school in Berlin + can give advice on how to get started + we might be able to start a band haha

 

[Cowbell Fever!]

Also, Germans love David Hasselhoff.