Moving on...

Today we went to Trendy Seaside City to scope out potential areas to live in. We walked miles and miles, but we made a lot of progress, and even when we ruled out areas, I'm glad that we at least looked at them before doing so. I also really liked that we got to see so much more of the city than we do when we just visit to go shopping or for a particular event...it really made it begin to feel like home. We stumbled across tons of amazing places. So many lovely cafes, bars and restaurants, outside gardens, art galleries, masses of small, independent shops (as well as all the big names), at least 6 theatres...mmmm, bliss!

The area we've chosen is also a great location. Around 5 minutes walk to the sea (at least half of the roads we're looking at have amazing sea views), 10 minutes walk to the very centre of the City, and about 15 minutes to the main railway station. Living there is going to open up so many more possibilities, and that is something I'm very excited about. It's a hugely cosmopolitan city with a lot going on. To me this move is about much more than just changing the property we live in (although that's very important too, and I'll blog about that soon), it's about living somewhere, rather than the middle of nowhere. I know that many people prefer the quieter life of villages, but I don't. I want to walk down the beach in the winter with the waves crashing on the shore. I want to sip coffee in great little coffee shops where I can work on my research. I want to browse all sorts of book shops. I want to sit in the park on Sunday afternoon and listen to live music. I want to be able to travel to other places easily. I want to find new things to challenge me and to comfort me. And, I can do all of this here.

I feel tired now, but good tired. Relaxed and sleepy from all of the sea air and walking. We're going back on Tuesday to meet local estate agents, so I'll be doing a lot more planning and research tomorrow. I think tomorrow morning will also be a time for making lists! I want to be productive on many fronts this week. More on that tomorrow, when I'll also blog a few of the photos that I took today, and answer the 5 wonderful questions that Bright Star wrote for me. And with that, I'm off to bed. :)