berlinguy

I want to move to Montpellier, France, in a couple of months. I have a job editing a magazine for the Languedoc region (it’s in English), and after 12 years, I’m tired of Berlin.

I’m looking for a nice big flat in the historic center, probably one being vacated by students at the end of this term. I can afford up to about 800 Euros a month, and need at least 60 square meters—although more would be nice. I’d also rather deal with a private landlord than a real estate firm.

I see lots of people coming through Berlin, but very few people know how to actually “look” at Europe. Americans are always in a hurry, and many of them don’t know anything about the history and cultural context of where they are. Slow down! Read a book or two before you go! Don’t trust your guidebooks all of the time: find other places to look at. Learn a language, at least a little. Often, once you struggle out a couple of phrases, people will become less shy about trying out their English. Eat the local food; the McDonald’s tastes just the same as it does at home.

But mostly: slow down. Places look a lot closer together, but it’s very densely populated between those places. Stuff happens there, too. Check it out. Slowly.