Two or maybe three years in Spain

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by Hepa

Would the French have let you in?

Mais oui....on m'acceptera sans hesitation....

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by mrypg9

Mais oui....on m'acceptera sans hesitation....

ahem.......language

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by xabiachica

ahem.......language

Alright then:


Why the **** wouldn't they?

(Very loose translation)

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by mrypg9

Alright then:


Why the **** wouldn't they?

(Very loose translation)

hmmmm very................

[Hepa]

Originally Posted by mrypg9

Mais oui....on m'acceptera sans hesitation....

Why yes they would accept me without hesitation.

[CroptopMartin]

We have a place in Mijas Costa. Telefonica took a whole year telling us that there were technical problems our end, for why our landline Internet connection never ever worked. After a year, they said our exchange couldn't support Internet broadband. Our solution throughout this time has been a Wi-Fi connection. There is a permanent receiver unit (about 20cm x 5cm x 3cm) bolted to wall outside. We get about 1.3megabit download speed.

In the UK we subscribed to a service that gives us a Voice Over IP phone, with a UK based phone number the same as our home exchange in UK. When in Spain, we just plug it into our Wi-Fi router (see wifi above), and have an apparently UK number although we are in Spain.
Anyone in the UK calling us, is charged UK call rates. We don't pay any call charges except the subscription to V.O.I.P. service, as long as calls are less than 60mins and are to normal landlines. i.e. Numbers beginning 01 or 02 etc. National numbers begin 01. London is 020 and so on.

If you come across numbers 0844 0845 0870 etc, premium rates, check this free website to see if there is a UK landline number. saynoto0870 dot com

[CroptopMartin]

PS you can pay higher rates for faster speeds on our Wi-Fi connection.

[Tilley]

Mmm, seems to be a bit of thread drift, have come back from a couple of weeks reccie and am not so sure about this as an idea now. Looking at things through the eyes of someone going to live there for 2 or 3 years rather than just holiday makers eyes, even with few money worries it may not be the place to be. Perhaps we need to look at another area but the deep south east really isn't the place for us. The lack of green and the parched unattractive nature of the place didnt appeal (maybe should look at Santander or somewhere like that). The apartment we stayed in last year and was for sale for £399,000 is now for sale at £275,000 with no takers 12 months down the line, and I will be interested to see what it's for sale for next summer. Decent meals for 4 not rubbish like pasta and pizza were 150 euros with a bottle of nice wine, so I can eat better and cheaper here.Perhaps we were in the wrong place but the graffiti problems were horrendous along the main motorways etc it looks like the Authorities have no money to deal with this. Also a lot of the people seemed miserable obviously not all and I am not someone who ever tars all with the same brush as that is just immature, but then of course we were spending euros all the time. I think I am trying to have the gap year I never had when i finished my A levels maybe i should just accept that it should have been done then and as a middle aged couple we are best off with what we have. I also didn't really get to grips with how the rental contracts worked and certainly wouldn't want to buy at present, has a spanish speaker with us but it all seemed a bit more complcated than here, and the potential to be ripped off for deposits seemed rife. i hope anyone going comes on here and takes a lot of advice first so that they know the pitfalls as once you are out of your comfort zone you could agree to something that really isn't going to work for you. Haven't ruled it out 100% but now have reservations that you dont have when you look at a place as a potential home rather than a holiday resort.

[maxd]

Originally Posted by Tilley

Mmm, seems to be a bit of thread drift, have come back from a couple of weeks reccie and am not so sure about this as an idea now. Looking at things through the eyes of someone going to live there for 2 or 3 years rather than just holiday makers eyes, even with few money worries it may not be the place to be. Perhaps we need to look at another area but the deep south east really isn't the place for us. The lack of green and the parched unattractive nature of the place didnt appeal (maybe should look at Santander or somewhere like that). The apartment we stayed in last year and was for sale for £399,000 is now for sale at £275,000 with no takers 12 months down the line, and I will be interested to see what it's for sale for next summer. Decent meals for 4 not rubbish like pasta and pizza were 150 euros with a bottle of nice wine, so I can eat better and cheaper here.Perhaps we were in the wrong place but the graffiti problems were horrendous along the main motorways etc it looks like the Authorities have no money to deal with this. Also a lot of the people seemed miserable obviously not all and I am not someone who ever tars all with the same brush as that is just immature, but then of course we were spending euros all the time. I think I am trying to have the gap year I never had when i finished my A levels maybe i should just accept that it should have been done then and as a middle aged couple we are best off with what we have. I also didn't really get to grips with how the rental contracts worked and certainly wouldn't want to buy at present, has a spanish speaker with us but it all seemed a bit more complcated than here, and the potential to be ripped off for deposits seemed rife. i hope anyone going comes on here and takes a lot of advice first so that they know the pitfalls as once you are out of your comfort zone you could agree to something that really isn't going to work for you. Haven't ruled it out 100% but now have reservations that you dont have when you look at a place as a potential home rather than a holiday resort.

Yes, I went through the same experience. We went for a look to spend winters in Spain but on our retrun we found.

1) it was too cold in winter and houses not made for the cold there.
2) The CDS really lacks soul with the ghettos cynically built by the side of the motorways
3) They lost the plot with building everywhere.
4) parched and not too green

We like living near a city for cinemas, children's activities, restaurants and so on. I guess the main city would be Malaga. No thanks.

For me it would have to be Barcelona/Valencia/Serville. The CDS really did not float my boat at all.

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by maxd

Yes, I went through the same experience. We went for a look to spend winters in Spain but on our retrun we found.

1) it was too cold in winter and houses not made for the cold there.
2) The CDS really lacks soul with the ghettos cynically built by the side of the motorways
3) They lost the plot with building everywhere.
4) parched and not too green

We like living near a city for cinemas, children's activities, restaurants and so on. I guess the main city would be Malaga. No thanks.

For me it would have to be Barcelona/Valencia/Serville. The CDS really did not float my boat at all.

You went to the wrong place at the wrong time, max. February wasn't it? And a cold and miserable one too.

How can you speak of cold winters when you live in Prague??? And the muck and mud when it thaws?

You live in a city where the southern and eastern outskirts resemble a scene from the Battle for Stalingrad and you talk of ghettos by motorways??

Come on, max, you saw a very small part of the CdS. Much of it is ugly and tatty as is most of the CR. But not everywhere. You're giving an impression of what you experienced. There is more to the CdS than that.

Look at the pictures of my village I posted in SCenes from Spain or whatever the thread is called.

I've got guests from the UK and we've just returned from a lunch in the mountains near Casares, the kind of lunch you would find nowhere in Prague. We're now having a siesta by the pool surrounded by greenery, trees, sea and mountain views.
Later we'll go to our very quiet beach for a walk and nightcap in the village. No high-rise, no beach bars, very few people.

We had a lovely house just outside Prague and enjoyed our stay there but couldn't live in such a comparatively primitive country. You should not judge the CdS by what you see along the A7.
Sadly you can judge Prague by what yuou see along the motorways.