I live in a small city on the east coast in the US and it’s just boring, uneventful, and not that beautiful.
I’ve only visited Amsterdam and Stockholm before and man I can only imagine what it feels like to live in those cities permanently. They’re just beautiful and so much to do and see unlike where I live in the US.
So does it ever get boring or normal living in these beautiful European cities to you?
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You get desensitized, plus a lot of people tend to live in the not so beautiful parts. I’ve had foreign friends tell me about how much they enjoyed Lisbon and found it beautiful, but when I lived there it was a in a dingy apartment in an ugly building in a stinky neighborhood.
They are pretty from the outside, horrible from the inside.
They are fun for tourism but not good places to live and raise children. They have junkies, crooks, criminal gangs, all sorts of nasty stuff.
A lot of the residential areas can be quite ugly and run-down. Hell, over here in Sofia it’s a pastime to complain about how dirty and ugly the city looks. When you point to some pretty sights, you get accused of cherry picking, as if they’re not doing the same.
Then again I doubt you meant Balkan cities when you said “beautiful cities”.
You get used to it, you sometimes appreciate it when it’s exceptionally beautiful, like a sunset
Was born and raised in Budapest, currently still living here and I couldn’t get enough of it. Its just amazing
I always make sure to find something I don’t particularly like so I can focus on the things I actually like because I really don’t wanna get desensitized.
Italian cities are perfect to do this. Take a look here, beautiful. Catch a glimpse over there, not so much. So you never get bored.
Wait, what was the question again…?
I would absolutely hate living in Amsterdam and I know the city very well. Loads of tourist shops in the center, no social bond. Dirty streets and subways. Many poor people who barely make a living. I could go on.
I lived in two big cities in the Netherlands and how I love that I now live in a smaller village.
The real answer here is that you visited, not worked there. Everything is better on vacation.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
You’re used to it. I was born and grew up in Vienna, so seeing monuments and going to museums with school feels normal. This is, after all, the only life I’ve ever known. I don’t think about living in a tourist destination, this is simply the place I grew up in. Maybe it’s different for people from the countryside or small towns who move to Vienna – it probably is – but even then, if you move here for university and decide to stay, it would become normal after a while. However: Sometimes, you walk around with your friends or family, and it’s a beautiful day or the sun is just setting and you go “wow, it actually is so beautiful here!”. So we have those moments of being in awe or just thinking we’re lucky, at least sometimes 🙂
It does become normal and you get used to it.
Eventually, you grow weary of tourism and begin to resent it.
I live in Paris, and I see the Eiffel tower from a distance whenever I go to work in the morning. Of that I’m kind of used to.
But there are places in this city that I’ll find beautiful no matter what : strolling along the Seine river and passing by Notre Dame, the little streets of the Quartier Latin, the little squares with cafes.
What’s I’ve been bored since day one in Paris are the big avenues, with the big monuments. What I’ll always like are the chill vibe and “village” atmosphere you can still find in this multimillion city.
Living in Cambridge, I know it’s beautiful but I really am desensitised to it now, especially when I’m tandem with mass tourism.
It is normal, but I do still appreciate it and I still discover new things pretty much every time I walk around even in a small city like Groningen.
Lived in Oxford for a year, in Moscow for nine years and now in Prague for two years. To me, the wonder, amazement and enjoying the gorgeous sceneries never grew old.
I lived in Zürich for a couple of years and I loved it. We eventually got a cosy apoartment in Aussersihl and we loved the city, the old medieval streets, the parks on the lake, the swimming in summer. Never got boring.
I did get used to it, but I have to say each time I cross the bridge and see the “skyline” of the old town I remember how beautiful it can be. I took some really nice pictures the other night on my way home, when the moon light was just right and the city lights and the river just worked together in that moment.
You get used to it after a while. I’ve been living in Prague for just over 2 years now, and I try to avoid the city center when I can. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve seen it 1000 times and it’s always full of people
Normal. The same way your hometown seems normal to you, our hometowns seem normal to us.
The vast majority of people live either in residential areas of cities or (commuter) towns. The idea that all Europeans live in old city centers is a bit of an American stereotype.
That being said, I never get bored when I walk around in an historic town or city. Not the large once filled with tourists. I don’t feel any joy in a place like Amsterdam. But fortunately there are plenty of other beautiful towns and cities.
It becomes normal but never gets boring unless you want it want it to. You can almost always find somewhere interesting to be if you want to. It can get overwhelming at times, but it doesn’t have to.
That’s not just Europe though. Larger east coast US cities are the same. NYC is one of the least boring places on Earth. You can always find someone around doing whatever interests you.
We have tons of breathtaking villages and cities here but I just happen to live in the North, in a coastal city in a region most can’t place. It is medium sized, with barely 200.000 something people, but I just find it lovely and I love walking through it. It is fun, lively and cozy. I never get tired of walking down the promenade, watching over the beach with the cathedral (albeit small and unimpressive, honestly) at the background.
I live in Amsterdam for almost a decade now, yes, it becomes boring very quickly
It is beautiful, but it also has no variety, you can go almost anywhere in the city, and tbf, on the country… and it has the exact same look and feel
After a couple of years it becomes mundane boring normal
You get used to it, but in those small moments that make you stop and look. You appreciate the little things.
I live 20 minutes from Madrid and while I’ve been in the city multiple times, I still like looking at the buildings, whenever I get the time to stop and relax. And in my town, I enjoy that everything is small and slow and at the very least doesnt look bland.
I’ve lived in Oxford and Edinburgh, never got bored of the beauty, they are amazing cities to live in. Same for London (where I grew up) and Glasgow, where I live now, but Ox and the Burgh really were stunning. Lots going on as well, Oxford was great for cheap classical concerts, Edinburgh great for history. Walking to work in the mornings was a joy, especially autumn mornings down oxford canal. I think it helps not being a driver as you notice the surroundings more and feel a lot more connected to place. I’ve also worked in some amazing historical places – I would remind myself to take the time to appreciate them sometimes and go for a walk around on lunch breaks etc.
Seeing the snowy mountains in the background of a swiss city fills my heart with patriotism and joy. But if you have a tight budget there is sudently much less you can do in switzerland and the clean and orderly infrastructure and society DOES get a bit boring with the time, as much as I like it.
I’m from Rome. I never get tired of it, and when I’m walking around I always think how beautiful it is. Even when I’m tired or had a bad day, just looking around on my walk home makes me feel better.
I live in London. It has its beautiful spots, but I would not call it beautiful as such.
I don’t get bored with it, but I get tired of it.
It takes a long (over an hour) unpleasant underground trip to see some of my friends.
A lot of places are extremely crowded, and some of central London is downright ugly, if you have to cross it frequently you quickly become tired of it.
I live in Amsterdam and quite frankly, I can’t wait to move somewhere else. The city is beautiful, yes, but when it’s super crowded with tourists and loud drunks yelling at night, it’s not really nice. And the cost of living? Expensive, with low-ish salaries and very high taxes.
When you see the amount of dirt, chicken bones, throw up and shit on the ground. London loses its beauty very fast. Never noticed until I got a dog
A lot of the really beautiful cities are medieval, which can be a challenge for daily life. A friend lived in York near the Minster for a time for a work project. They said that you soon forget how beautiful a place is when you can’t park your car, your rent is ludicrous, and you have to fight your way through tourists every time you need to pop out for a quick pint of milk. Living further out was less stressful for them, but still expensive, and commuting was a hassle. They were overall quite glad to leave, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who absolutely love living there – otherwise it wouldn’t be so expensive!
Personally, I find city life too overwhelming, and I love my view of verdant green fields, but that, too, has its downsides, with fewer local amenities, etc.
Living in Bergen, Norway you quickly get desensitized. But every time I’ve been away for a while and I step of the train I love the city for a couple of seconds. And when the weather is nice after a couple of weeks of raining the city and nature is stunning!
You get used to it, at least that’s my experience. Sometimes I need to remind myself in what a beautiful country and cits I live in. Of course, sometimes I stumble across something beautiful and then I say to myself “look how beautiful your city is”. But it’s just nor an for me/us who live here.
Living in London you have to enjoy it enough to be worth the rent!
In all seriousness it’s become normal but not something I take for granted. I love that if I’m having a rough day or I’m just a little bored I can just walk 10 mins or hop on the tube and be in a completely different neighbourhood, through an old park or to a nice small cafe an old pub or a view up a hill. The variety I feel exists in London is it’s USP every neighbourhood has its own vibe and feels like a thousand different towns and cities joined together.
That said the thing I love about London is not so much the beauty as the energy and the vibe. It really feels like millions of people around me are living their own busy lives and creating this energy and sense of being at the centre of the world (which is probably helped by London being such an important cultural and political city globally). I haven’t found that vibe in any other European city. Without getting too snobbish and provincial even Paris and Berlin feel like sleepy places in comparison to London, having been too a few US cities the only place which compares is NYC. I imagine some of the Asian megalopolises – Istanbul, Hong Kong, Tokyo might have a similar feeling but I’ve never been there.
I’ve lived in Vienna all my life, to me it’s just normal. Most people live in non-touristy areas, some of them are beautiful, some are average, some are really ugly. I live now in the outskirts, where everything is green and suburban and doesn’t look like picture postcard Vienna at all. I go downtown for work everyday and the difference is strikening. It amazes me, how very different corners Vienna has. It never gets old.
I cried in Berlin hearing the word „schön“, which means beautiful.
Yes it gets boring the technical word is habituation
Yeah, I don’t live in a city but I visit Edinburgh frequently. It looks how it always has to me and its just normal. Every once in a while if I take my time to appreciate I’ll think “wow the architecture is really amazing.” or smth but generally speaking you become desensitised to it
I live in Switzerland, our cities are not that beautiful but the nature is
My daily commute consists of walking along a lake that has been featured in Times magazine
If I look up, I see 3000m+ mountain ranges
What I would not be able to deal with in the US
– a city / an environment not fit for walking
– lack / scarcity of cultural activities. I get to go to concerts, shows etc every week or every other week
Moved in Bucharest 10 years ago. It is such an amazing city due to its contrasts and an eclectic style I’ve never seen somewhere else. There is just so much to the city to continuosly discover. It’s beautiful, history rich, often mysterious and there is a lot of nuance that even those living here for a long time still uncover.
I don’t see it like that every day, people simply go on with their daily lives. But evey once in a while I take the time to explore some more, admire it more and feel grateful for what it has to offer.
You get used to some of it but not all of it. I lived in Paris and once a week to go to a class I walked 30 mins on foot and past Notre-Dame across the Seine in the morning light. Each time, I found it breathtaking and thought how lucky I was to see it.
One who lives there is used to it. I live in a city full of medieval monuments, of course I am happy to live there, but I am not as surprised as someone who sees them the first time.
I never get tired of it. I’m always looking up at the beautiful architecture and facades of old buildings. I love wandering down cobbled alleys to or from a quaint cafe or bar and enjoying the atmosphere.
I love the way the streetlights shine off the wet stones when it’s late and everything is glistening in the rain, and in the spring when the trees are green and people put planter boxes in their windowsills.
I love visiting rooftop bars or restaurants and seeing a view of the entire city old town, where even the old or broken buildings make me wonder what they’ll put there when it gets built back.
There are days when I may not be in a good mood, and I just want to get from point a to b, or if I have stuff to do and am not paying too much attention to my surroundings, so I guess I could be desensitized to that since it is a working city that people live in, but for the most part I enjoy the innate beauty of living in a charming historical city.
I was born and raised in Rome, and for some years I passed the Colosseum every day on my way to the office.
I also lived in the center of Florence for a year, very close to Piazza Santa Croce and with my office near the Duomo.
Now I live in a small town with one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Italy, which is literally forty meters from my front door.
Yes, you get used to beauty.
I wouldn’t say it becomes boring but it certainly becomes normal.
And remember, when you are on a vacation mostly you will just see the beautiful bits and all you’ll do is have fun. When you actually live there you’ll see the shifty people you might not have seen before, the bad areas and the filth where no tourist goes and sees.
I love my city and always marvel at the nice historic buildings and the vibe and ambiance of the city. And it helps that I live in a quiet street with a nice garden where I can unwind so I am not constantly assaulted by the hustle and bustle of the city.
I lived in Budapest for 8 years and hated it. It’s filthy, rotting, dilapitated, expensive, smells like piss and full of trashy people. But tourists love it and sing its praises. It’s great for a visit and if you are there to look around and have fun then it’s a great city. I love to go back to Budapest to visit for a couple of days knowing that I don’t have to stay.
But if you actually live there for a month or so then you’ll notice the grime sticking to your skin constantly, all you’ll smell is the shit, piss, garbage and cars on the streets and you’ll complain that you cannot open the windows to let in fresh air because it smells like the exhaust fumes of cars if you live downtown. And if you live in one of the outer districts then the air is better for sure but the area lacks any of the charms and tourist attracions and beauty.
Sure the sights – if there are any – on your commute to work and back home are nice and they can cheer you up, or they may remind you that you live in an okay neighboorhood at best, going to an unremarkable office building and you can’t even enjoy the sights as much as you want because they are too expensive to spend every day / weekend at the nicest places, and the city is always full of tourists who block your view and break your relaxation.
I lived in Amsterdam for 5 years and have now been in Stockholm for a similar amount of time. I still very much enjoy the architecture and cultural aspects of both of them. I do think it’s good to keep in mind that they are ‘just places’ though, like every other place. I think a lot of people who grew up in more suburban settings tend to romanticize historical cities too much.
I live in a normal suburb of a beautiful city. Whenever I go to the city centre I do realize how pretty it is. When I lived in the city centre I didn’t, it was just normal to me.
I have lived in Paris for 17 years. You don’t see the beauty of it. You just get to hate the city.
And then there are moments, like when I was drunk leaving a bar, getting back to my apartment at 3am, walking the streets along the river Seine, I got emotional a couple of times. Or a nice Sunday, taking time to wander around, and then you stumble accross a cute street or plaza, and you get to think: This city can be beautiful.
But basically 90% of stressful life only seeing the negatives, and maybe a 10% of positive.
It does fade into the background a bit, but certain areas and seasons really bring out the best in this place and make me remember how good I have it. But even beautiful cities have heavy industry and boring bits – and in my city, many underground tunnels which are cool but not beautiful (to me).
But I’m not native to this beautiful city, my preschooler more or less is, and I think he will grow up taking most of this beauty for granted.
(He’s far too young to care about aesthetics anyways – one time we took him on a cable car ride to a place with spectaculars views, and he stood there for a moment and then said, “is the view done yet, Papa?”)
It does, but every once in a while you look up and think: “that is actually nice!”