So I am a bit of a mutt when it comes to places I have lived. I am an English New-Englander Now Desert Rat. Therefore I have a few different places to offer you a travel tour of:
My father is a famous organist, so we travelled a lot when I was a child. I was born in High Wycombe, UK and remained there until I was about 8. If you want a very close-knit, small town feel, but with high-borne ritzy class, High Wycombe is the place to be. The green surroundings will also knock your socks off it you're not used to it. The people are wonderful, and my nanny lives there still and would most likely invite you in for Sunday roast and Yorkshire Pud.
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At that time, to dodge responsibilities and start a new life, my father moved us to Germany, where he worked for a very elite opera house. The opera houses are definitely one of my favorite parts of Germany. Many of them have gold veneer on the inside that give them the rich finish they deserve. The time and effort that went into building them is unfathomable. Luckily, Germany highly values the arts, and the government pays to maintain all of these beautiful places. I can't really pick just one, but I recommend stopping in for a show if you ever visit Berlin, or any other German city. I can't say that the people were particularly lovely, as I was pretty harshly bullied in school, but the surroundings were sch枚n.
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After Germany, we bopped all around Europe while my father was on tour, and inevitably landed in Phoenix, AZ for just one year when I was in 7th grade. I will come back to that little story in just a bit.
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My father couldn't find work there because it is a wasteland for the arts, so we moved to Massachusetts and I finished out schooling all the way through college there.
Honestly, this song covers about everything I could possibly say about Massachusetts! Bahaha.
Then after college, my parents got a divorce and I moved with my mom to Arizona and came across this magical place called Sedona. I stayed there for a few months with a friend, and I was gobsmacked by its beauty.
Image Source: Dream Sedona
And yes, the rocks are really that red! I have lived now in Phoenix for a few years. It is where I met my beautiful wife and had three kids. Honestly, Phoenix is kind of a shit hole desert, but of all these places, by far, the most breathtaking for me was Sedona. People have been dwelling there since 4000 BC and many believe it to be a place conducive to spiritual healing because of its powerful energy vortexes. (I am not particularly woo-woo even though I am an acclaimed astrologer, but even scientists haven't been able to figure out the huge mass of energy there. It's pretty cool.)
Anyway Kpine, that's a pretty hefty list for ya. I have been able to live in all of these beautiful places, but if you are going for "new, different, exciting and stunning," my bet is on Sedona! Happy travels!