Holland and its people, I have always liked. But it's an expensive country to live in; there's no scenery worth talking about. And it's cold, cold in Winter.

I love the French Rivera too, but you have to be close to a millionaire to buy anything decent along the coast these days. Greece is nice, if you don't mind the crowds and the pollution. Spain is full of British louts - and crime along the entire coastline seems to increase each year. Not to mention the antiquated Spanish banking system.

Having been all over North, Central and South America a couple of times I again considered retiring to Florida in the USA, as I had once before, but on going there and driving throughout the entire state I found nothing that made me want to actually live there today. 

Palm Springs is a lovely little town. Very safe by American standards too. And, of course, the climate is great here. But if you aren't into golf and other sports, there isn't very much to do that is interesting to an old timer with a young heart. Though being a conference town you do get some interesting events taking place now and then. The Biker Weekend, which is around September every year, draws bikers from all over the country and their exhibition stalls are really something to see.

At the other end of the scale, there are also some very good antique shops, too. And, of course, there are some very nice restaurants if you are into food, but the good eating places aren't cheap by any means.

Visitors here come to wonder about and stare down at the Hollywood stars who have their names set into the pavement all along downtown Palm Canyon Drive, hoping, no doubt, that they might just see a movie star during their short stay. And sometimes they do.

Anybody who is anybody has a home here in Palm Springs, even though they might only be in use a few weeks a year. And though these very famous people usually keep pretty much to their very private estates, they do on occasion wonder out to mix with the peasants. I have seen a few film stars myself.  Nobody here bothers them, like they might do in Europe. This is their turf, their town, and most of them are very nice people indeed. Not showy at all when they are relaxing. In fact, if you ever visit Palm Springs, you just might find yourself sitting next to Barry Manilow, Kirk Douglas, or Jennifer Lopez in one of the local restaurants.

Though the atmosphere in many bars has been lost due to the ridiculous Californian "No Smoking in Bars" law. Which has led to the closure of many small watering holes that were treasured by the communities surrounding them. Yes, Palm Springs can at times be a swinging town, but for the retired on a low income it's just too expensive.