Town or Country?

I spotted the image above of the kitchen of a "cottage by the sea" this morning on Pinterest & it got me thinking....

....imagine you woke up tomorrow and your morning mail contained a cheque large enough to buy a home by the sea or an apartment in the city....

which would you choose?

It doesn't have to be in the country you already live in, for the purpose of this daydream we won't worry about flights & travel.

Would it be a cottage by the sea, a home away from home....
you arrive on a Friday evening after a long week with food supplies for the week-end, maybe with friends, the house is ready and waiting for you.
The beach, the BBQ, long summer evenings with cool drinks....
or
You grab a week-end bag & some friends (or just your significant other),
you jump on a plane or a train, a few hours and you're in another country.
Museums, new restaurants, exploring, walking, the exciting hustle & bustle and the new rhythm of a different city....

peace...quiet...relaxation...calm...space
or
a buzz....an energy...excitement....discovering new places

I have to say that both options appeal to me, it's so hard to decide.

With all the money in the world, I'd love an apartment in the south of France.
I could use it all year round at week-ends and there's something so therapeutic & calming about being by the sea.

But I am a city girl, I absolutely love exploring new cities & so an apartment in New York City,  Paris or Barcelona would be my idea of heaven.

Being by the sea is an escape but I also find the energy of being in a new city incredibly invigorating.

One thing is for sure, a cabin in the woods will never be on my wish-list,
there must be other houses within earshot.
We have a house in the Italian mountains that all our family holiday in, it's absolutely wonderful apart from at night when you can hear a pin drop & the whole world is pitch-black.
I love it there but find the silence totally unnerving, the nights are very long....
even though you can see the lights of a few houses across the valley,
every day I am so happy & relieved to see the sunrise!

This lake house would be a definite contender!

So, what would you choose?