Looking even further left there would be more hills and homes above us. If you go to post #69 I posted a video there of what the area looks like.
Posted on 04/17/2017 7:12:37 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
Because my wife wanted to be closer to her Grandchildren who live in England and we were looking to retire I decided to leave America and move to Spain in March 2016. Since I didn't know how busy it was going to be I left FR also but now that we are settled in I can afford to spend a bit more time on the site and share my impressions of the country. Spain has a lot of things conservatives would actually appreciate and I wish America would follow their lead.
The most admired thing there is no entitlement mentality here because there are no entitlements. If you work and are a citizen you get health care and a pension when you retire but if you don't work or get laid off you get a limited amount of unemployment then nothing. Immigrants get nothing unless they pay for it. Couple that with a high unemployment rate and the limited number of migrants who sneak in here from Africa keep right on going into France. If you don't speak Spanish or Catalan that's your problem. Because there are a lot of English speaking people here and they want them to understand the traffic laws they do have an English study manual for a driver's license (which you have to pay for) and the written exam is given in English but anything else you either have to know the language or pay for an interpreter. All government documents are in Spanish (or Catalan if you live around Barcelona). Of course you can find stores and services that operate in multiple languages but that is driven by Capitalism, not government.
It is fairly easy to emigrate to Spain if you either have a skill they need or the money to support yourself. People applying for a working visa must have a promise of employment in hand. Folks like myself and my wife must prove they have the funds to be self-sufficient and pay for a year's worth of health insurance in advance to be considered for residency. Deadbeats need not apply. There are some expats who bum their way around the country entertaining on the streets or begging in front of stores but the competition is fierce and it doesn't take long for them to figure out it isn't going to work. There are no jobs Spaniards won't do. Many of them work punishing hours at low wages. 15 hour days 6 days per week is not uncommon and they show pride in having any job at all.
Once you get past those hurdles you have a host of choices on where and how you want to live. They have everything from mountainous regions to the spectacular coastline to Europe's only desert, recognizable to any fan of Spaghetti westerns. We chose an area called the Costa Tropical because it is the only part of Spain where the mountains come right down to the sea. The mountains form a microclimate that keeps the area about 10 degrees cooler than inland in summer and 10 degrees warmer in winter. It averages 320 days of sunshine per year and never gets down to freezing. As an example of how much sun we get the area we moved from, Atlanta, gets 211 days of sunshine per year. For you gardeners it is similar to zones 9-10. The other big advantage is that because it is so hilly it is easy to find a place to live that has a fabulous view. From our terrace we can see the Mediterranean, the Sierra Nevada mountains and the whitewashed town. We even have a castle to look at. With all of that we are 600 meters from the beach but on a quiet street with no traffic. You've heard the expression "million dollar view?" Well you can get that view here for a fraction of the price. If you forsake the view and want to rent a decent 2 bedroom flat can be had for 300 Euros per month, even less if you move inland a few kilometers. The cost of living is low enough that you can easily afford to live well on nothing more than a Social Security check.
With all of those nice features, you still live in a Socialist country. The most obvious sign of that is gas stations. Where we moved from in Georgia there were half a dozen gas stations within a mile in any direction while here we have 2 stations for a town of 27000 people. Gas prices are set twice a day and it's scary expensive. The big workaround for that, ourselves included, is the motor scooter. We have 2 cars but they sit idle while our scooter is the workhorse. It costs 5 euros to fill the tank and we fill it once a week. There is no 2nd Amendment right to own a gun. Shotguns are fairly easy to come by but pistols are strictly regulated. They actually used to have a thriving gun manufacturing industry here but it died years ago, a victim not of regulations but a bad economy. There are still a small number of manufacturers but it is mostly custom shotguns. I had to sell my guns before I left the USA. The main weapon of self defense is pepper spray, which is legal. Tasers and stun guns are illegal. For me it took about an hour, a hacksaw, can of spray paint, a rubber tip and a handle from a broken umbrella to fashion a walking stick made from a piece of half-inch steel pipe I got out of a trash can. It's legal anywhere in the world and can break bones without scratching the paint. Not the best but better than nothing.
I did get to vote in the Presidential election. Registering was easy and I was told that even though I don't live in Georgia anymore if I (nod, wink) intend to come back some day I was also eligible to vote in local elections. Since I did register as a Republican I still have to be alive to vote. Nobody here talks about American politics. It's either local or Brits talking about Brexit. I prefer to stay out of it because it's disheartening to hear so many people willing to sell out their sovereignty in order to keep getting "free stuff."
My main source of news is Fox News, which is shown on our local cable channel. Because of the 6 hour time difference I watch reruns of Tucker Carlson, Hannity and Bret Bair while at noon Fox and Friends comes on live. Other than that I have BBC News and RT. Most days it's hard to tell which channel is more anti-American.
Anyway, now that we're settled in I'll have more time to pay attention. Even though I'm in another country I still want what's best for America.
If you take normal precautions, pickpockets shouldn’t be a problem.
Always have your wallet in your front pocket, or as I do, wear a neck wallet.
And there’s no reason to walk around with a purse.
Looking even further left there would be more hills and homes above us. If you go to post #69 I posted a video there of what the area looks like.
Generally, it's Tex-Mex.
Beautiful video
Last week was Semana Santa. Starting on Palm Sunday and right up until Easter the different churches hold processions through the streets, some during the day others not finishing until 2-3am. They fire off rockets and ring bells to advertise their progress. Each procession has 1000+ marchers with 150 or more needed just to carry the statues. This goes on all through Spain. I don't think the muzzies will be stopping this any time soon. Here is a link to a few of last year's processions, take a look. I will be marching in one of next year's processions.
My son is in Barcelona and getting married to a girl there in June. He’s going to live in Barcelona so I won’t see him much anymore.
On American politics and society...what a mess with his woman. She thinks she knows everything about America (we are inferior in every way) and Trump is the devil. She thinks Europe is Utopia. I am a RACIST I learned because I’m not crazy about Islam and they have muslim friends! I’m stupid because I believe in God. We have too much free thought and speech. My cooking and diet are incorrect. Talk about being buttonholed...It was terrible and rather shocking, too. It was downright disrespectful. I felt like I had been subjected to a re-education camp. : )
As soon as I realized I was entrapped by a stupid and aggressive communist (atheist and all), I tried to avoid political and social conversation but she got whinney and naggy and more intense. Finally, I told her that she was rather dumb and should shut the f up and she got mad and did. What a relief.
I wish my son good luck, if you know what I mean. But this is life. He likes to play in traffic and so there he is again. Karl Marx help him. : )
Same here in Texas.
and now that Duterte has eliminated thugs, scared the crooked politicians, and is cleaning up the crooked cops, it is even safer.
You picked a beautiful place to settle.
It’s good that you stay out of politics, though. In some there is a mixture of jealousy and hatred for America. When politics comes up, act like a confused foreigner. “What do you think of Trump? “I think it is good that all trees have trunks.” “What do you think of Obama?” “I think Kenya is an amazing place.” : )
Best of luck then.
May God protect You, Yours and España.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Piaggio owns Vespa. They had a vintage Vespa convention in Nerja last week, hundreds of them being displayed in the Plaza Espana. I think you would have enjoyed it.
I am in Davao, where he was mayor. He cleaned it up a long time ago, so Davao has been safe for awhile. You know the motto, Davao, life is here. I agree with that.
Thanks, Sounds like you are having a blast. I was aware that Piaggio owns Vespa. But I do like the distinct old school look of the Vespas the best. And I don’t think the quality can be beat. Everyone is telling me to just stay away from the Chinese scooters. I figure it’s either a Vespa or nothing. Just waiting for the right deal.
Enjoy your new life. I bet you miss your favorite restaurants the most. :)
We're doing that too, this summer.
Estoy estudiando Español con una maestra de España.
Me gusta muchisimo la lengua, pero no sé por qué, exactamente.
Me piense que es por qué de Los Conquistadores.
I don't miss American restaurants at all. I remember going out on a weeknight and being handed this coaster that would buzz an hour or so later to let you know your table was ready. Here you can walk into the #1 rated restaurant with no reservation on a Saturday night and get a table right away. But we've cut way down on our restaurant visits because we've found that you can fill up on Tapas for a fraction of the price and go home just as satisfied. For the price of one restaurant visit we can go out drinking and eating Tapas 5 nights. Most places you order a drink, normally 2 euros or less for a beer, and they bring you a small plate of food, their choice. But there are others, one of our favorites among them, that actually let you choose off of a menu. In the case of ours it's 31 different items. So for example I will order a beer and grilled squid with fries while my wife will order a cola light with fries and 2 fried eggs on top. After I finish I'll order another beer and a waffle with whipped cream and rasberry sauce for my wife to have as dessert. Total bill is 5.80 If you were on a tight budget you could survive on that. Dinner for 2 at a top rated restaurant will set you back about 60 euros and if you want to gorge yourself a Brazilian Steakhouse serving about 10 different sides and 7 different types of meat, all you care to eat, is 14 euros per person. We've had to cut back because we were putting on too much weight.
There are over 200 restaurants in town that are listed on Tripadvisor and at least that many more that aren't. It's affordable enough to go out every night but we'd end up spending more money on new pants than food :-)
For people traveling to Spain, be advised that not every town's bars offer free Tapas with your drinks. Estepona is a good example of one that doesn't. But the ones that cater to Spaniards more than tourists usually do and you could make it your life's work just sampling all of the different kinds.
I am thinking longer term...since the end of WWII. I would agree with you that it has been somewhat unchanged for some time.
I lived there back in the late Sixties...
Thanks for that link, Mark17!
Would love to do the Camino
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