+ This is how the Blick community lives in foreign countries

Almost two-thirds of Swiss abroad live in Europe, mostly in France. The Swiss Ambassador to France, Roberto Balzaretti, 57, knows several reasons why so many Swiss immigrate to France, and he explained this in an interview with Blick. Numerous Blick readers have also found a new home in France and talked about their purpose.

Zurich couple Sylvia Heri (45) and François Heitz (53) made a dream come true in France. The duo bought a 16th-century royal estate near Nérac and completely renovated the ruins. The property, with 40,000 square meters of land in southwestern France, costs less than one million Swiss francs. The couple knows that something like this cannot be afforded in Switzerland. The guest house, Maison Duroy, is located on a historic property.

For Florence Wibring (49) of Derendingen SO, love was the reason she moved to Sweden with her dogs. In seclusion, she and her husband enjoy life away from the hustle and bustle. Later, the couple wants to build a guesthouse next to their own house, which they want to rent to dog lovers.

Outside of Europe, Brazil is a very popular new home for Swiss abroad. One of those who built a new life there is Stephan Gähwiler (63). Skilled farmer has lived in Brazil for 40 years. He owns 165 hectares of land outside Corumbá de Goiás in the state of Goiás and produces cheese on his own farm. Switzerland has received many awards in Brazil for this. Its cheese can be found in many restaurants and gourmet shops in Brazil.

The Kunz-Abraham couple live in one of the poorest countries. Robert Kunz-Abraham (79) and his wife Rupa (70) have lived in Oberrieden ZH, India since 2003. The couple, who have four adopted children, established a kindergarten and school in the village of Elluvila and invested the money of the pension fund into their projects. With around 3,000 CHF AHV, the couple is living well in India. There they believe they can achieve more social benefits than in Switzerland.

Since his first trip to Australia in the 1990s, Jakob Meier (79) has been fascinated by the country and its people and wanted to emigrate. He retired early at age 56 and fulfilled his dream. Meier has lived in Blackbutt since 1999 and runs a hostel with his late love, Lucy Kussler (74). The retired couple does not want to return to Switzerland. They made preparations so that they could stay in their little paradise.

Blick readers Christoph (56) and Clara Schär-Cardinal (53) left their home in Stäfa ZH with their three children six years ago and found a new home 11,000 kilometers away in Argentina. Clara is from Argentina and the couple wanted their children to know more about their vacation life in Argentina, their second home. The married couple from the financial industry built something of their own in Argentina. They run a sheep farm in Patagonia.