How about what is the best thing about any country yo do not presently live in?

For instance I loved the old churches in Germany. I was sitting on a hillside one Sunday morning when I was there and the crisp morning air and church bells ringing was an awesome and memorable experience.

I can imagine church bells ringing all the time could be a pain when you live there, but as a visitor it was charming.

Can we leave religion out too?
Please

Sorry, I thought that was more culture and architecture than religion.

The black beach in Iceland (Reynisfjara) is one of the most hauntingly beautiful places I have ever been to.

I think it's more cultural. I enjoy travelling, and one of my favourite things to do is to go check out churches or temples. I'm an atheist but I completely understand CA's experience.

I am an avid camping enthuisiast. I go to lots of national parks.

Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Pictured Rocks, grand canyon, zion, capitol reef, bryce canyon, canyonlands, sand dunes

The best thing about my country is the rocky mountains!

All of the really cool mountains vote Democrat.

Please stop.

I got to smell the roses yesterday afternoon, as I pruned them.

MM I got to smell the Jam tres and Eucalypts while looking for my pesky missing golf balls in the bushes at my local golf club.

How is this . I am a member of a Golf club total players 24.
We have our own course , club house , bar, and can collect fire wood when we clean up the fallen trees, We have Kangaroos and Curlews as well as a huge variety of flighted birds as well, surrounded by Canola and Wheat farms.

All for $140 a year..

The national park system in the US, the Uffizi in Florence, Kruger National Park in South Africa, the rain forest in Brunei, the view from the Sacre Ceur in Paris, schloss Neuswanstein in Germany, the old town in Tallinn, the fjords near Stavanger and the Waddenzee in Nl jump to mind

Let me corect on Paris: the best view is the view from the Tour Montparnasse, since that is about the only place where you cannot see the Tour Montparnasse.

The ancient temples in Egypt stand alone as the most impressive buildings I have ever seen. Nothing matches them in majesty and beauty, and the views over the desert from the top of one of them will stay with me forever (and not just because I had to bribe a guard with a massive gun to let me up there, which as a young teenager felt really cool).

The best things about living in Britain from my perspective are:

- The outdoors. We have a lot of green space in the UK and it is very accessible thanks to a our ancient system of public rights of way. In the UK you have a legal right to walk over thousands of square miles of *private* land because of the public rights of way that run over it. Plus the fact that Britain is an island, or rather a series of islands, means there is a vast amount of beautiful coastline.

- Pubs. NOT bars. Pubs. The difference between a British pub and a "bar" is something a lot of people who've never been here don't grasp, but it's quite significant. On a cold winter's evening, nothing is quite as comforting to the soul as walking into an old pub with an open fire, friendly company, and good ales.

- Our superb National Health Service. Not being political but it's truly an achievement of civilisation and that's why we defend it.

- Privacy. In Britain people are good at minding their own business and it is comparatively easy to enjoy personal time, and personal space.

- No guns. Again, not being political, but one of the best things about the UK is that basically nobody has a gun, and nobody feels unsafe as a result of not having a gun. Most of our police are unarmed and this makes the place feel *safer*, not the other way around. On the occasion that you do see an armed police officer in the UK, you instinctive reaction is to think "oh shit, what's happening!?" because it's generally a sign that some sort of threat is expected.

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Things I like about other countries I have experienced:

Germany is full of beautiful women and their beer is different to ours, but also good. They are also very fond of heavy metal music.

Italy has some of the best cuisine on the planet, some of the finest wines, and in the summer the landscape is really beautiful.

In Iceland everyone is mad, but if you stay there for a few hours, the climate and culture drives you mad as well, and then you have a nice time. Finland is a bit like this too.

Our National Health Service. It was once truly an achievement of civilisation, and that's why we continue to throw good money after bad to try and stave off its inevitable decline.

I have a parrot that swallowed a pocket watch... and now... oops, wasn't supposed to mention that.

@Croak: I wasn't trying to be political I just couldn't not mention how good our health service is. It's under strain at the moment and still great compared to most of the alternatives. I speak from experience. The NHS saved my life. I have a long term medical condition due to which I've spent weeks in hospital, and I can attest to the excellent care I received, all paid for via taxation, not insurance. Decent healthcare is a right, not a product.


I'm not criticising anyone else's health system, but ours is good and it should be applauded.

Your experience contrasts with mine. My father was misdiagnosed as "fine" by an incompetent NHS jobsworth "doctor" and the next day he was dead before noon.

If decent healthcare is a right, the NHS does not deliver it.

...

I gave a watch to my parrot and now my Polly Ticks..

Things I like about my Country Australia,

The freedom, as for walking spaces yes we have a hell of a lot , deserts, canyons,snow, rainforrests tropical Jungles exotic animals, More coastline tahn I will likely see in my lifetime, two incredible reef systems. The Great barrier and the Ningaloo, swimming with whale sharks and dolphins.The bungle bungles and some of the oldest landscpes on earth. Our red dust centre is literally iron ore mountians rusting across vast swathes of the interioir. Very clean and polution free .
Good education good medicare, and we take the piss out of ourselves and dont take life too seriuosly.

Countries I have visited.

the US .

The variety of cultures in the west, spainish influences , Navahoe nation, Grandcanyon, yosimite and bryce canyons, . The insanity of Vegas I love it.

Zambia:

everything about it , Victiris falls devis pol\ol ( google devils pool its real not photo shopped.)

The culture and food and the animals , I had the privlage of walking hike and at one point I was standing and within 200mters of me was a Male White Rhino, 3 giraffe, and group of warthogs, and Impalas, the vehicle was several KMs away , then we walked to a family group of 3 more rhino and 2 calves .Freakin incredible.

dargorygel beat you to that one, SG.

I got to test drive a pet from a pet store..

It was a demo cat.

PS I didnt know dargorygel went to Zambia.

I live in Japan. I love how inexpensive it is to eat out, and despite the savings they overall quality of service is good. I love its many cultural festivals that gets the entire city chumming together.

@Smokey... where else do you think I got my parrot?