<cite> > Minnesota is good for the soul. builds character. :) > not like those wussy places to live, where it's temperate weather > year-round. what's the point? how do you know when it's winter, if there's > no snow? </cite> When I resided in the the Bethlehem area (Palestine) I remember that we got as much rain as Berling in Germany did. Except we got pretty much all of it between December and March. The the average temperature is quite a bit higher there. For example we rarely if ever had temperatures that went below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and summer temperatures can hit the mid-nineties and go with that. Even with the higher temperatures we had 4 seasons. Summer being the longest, with high temperatures running from May all the way till September/October. So for those people who want multiple seasons, and not have to deal with 6 months where mother nature can kill you without too much ado keep the Mediterranean in mind. If you guys work with an international Linux company (See? Not OT) and they want to send you to Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon then I'd take that. All three countries have 'western' amenities and huge western populations. And at worst they are 4 hours away from Western Europe for "vacation". Samir M. Nassar RedConcepts.NET - Open Source, Public Service http://www.redconcepts.net