Seven months in Spain and a fair few more to come.

Once again its been a while since we last updated our blog but it is with much joy and excitement in our lives that we have this opportunity to inform you that after spending seven months in Spain we have been successful in obtaining our Spanish Residencia. This basically means that Spain has now become our main base and the place where we will reside for the majority of the year.

Andalusian Flag

This might come as a surprise to some of you but after arriving here in the middle of October in our dear little VW Campervan (Elsie) on what we thought would be a two month stay we have loved the lifestyle, the weather, the people and the options that this nation with all of it's history affords us.

So lets rewind a bit with some highlights of the last seven months and we shall do this via a list view as below.

Biking along the Prom at Torrox Costa

- We sailed from Portsmouth on an overnight ferry to Santander in northern Spain Elsie (the VW Campervan) packed up ready for a two month stay before a return to the UK for Christmas.

- Prior to the trip we had agreed with our good friends in England that we would aim to stay in their 'holiday home' in Andalucía for a couple of months making our way slowly through north and western Spain on our way there.

- Soon after arriving in Spain the nation was sent into a second lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus and instead of a slow journey taking in the sights and sounds we made our way directly to Torrox on the Costa Del Sol.

City Walls at Avilla

- Thankfully we had a few days of travel before the announcement and were able to visit the towns and cities of Burgos, Salamanca, Avilla (with its wonderful city walls and historic Christian heritage), Toledo and even Cordoba (and it's amazing cathedral which we will have to revisit sometime in the near future)

Pueblo Blanco 

- We arrived in Torrox Park in torrential rain but were thankful that the sun returned by the next morning and were able to explore the three parts of Torrox (the old 'Pueblo' with it's traditional whitewashed houses set on a hill, the modern 'Park' where we were staying and the Costa, which is as expected set on the Mediterranean coast!) 

Time with Arry

- Amazingly our youngest son had been travelling in Portugal and was due to meet up with the yacht he was working on in Malaga so he was able to join us for a night before sailing off across the Atlantic to Mexico. 

- After we'd been in Torrox Park for a few weeks we began to think about the options that we currently had for the next phase of our lives, which as with many other people, had been deeply impacted by the lack of opportunities to travel to those far off places where we had more recently been sharing the Leadership for Life programme. 

Winter Solstice sunset from our apartment

- With the Covid-19 virus showing no sign of let up, the continued restrictions in the UK and the thought of spending Christmas and New Years in a caravan in a field in Buckinghamshire with the possibility of not even seeing family if we were back in England, we decided that the options that living in Spain for this next phase of our lives gave us we would apply for residency here.

- We weren't too hopeful that our application would be accepted as there were many factors that we didn't tick but after visiting a local lawyer we were advised to move quickly due to the 31st December deadline that was in place following the UK's exit of the European Union.

Monika, Ralf and Lucy

- The first thing we needed was a longer term place to stay, our friends holiday villa was just that a place for them to holiday and to offer to friends and their family so we looked around and found a wonderful apartment overlooking the beach at the el Morche end of Torrox Costa which has been a godsend and not something that we will ever take too lightly.

- After opening a Spanish bank account, registering for our NIE at the local police station and informing the local municipality of our permanent (semi permanent) address, all before the 31st, we then had to wait until we had actually been here for three months, thus showing bank statements, receipts for items purchased locally etc, before applying which we did in the middle of January 2021.

Beach Bars

- During those three months we were enjoying walking in the mountains, shopping at the local market buying all our fresh fruit there on a Monday morning from a dear old couple who we have struck up a firm friendship with, running on the beach, eating tapas at local bars and creating friendships with both locals and expats.

- This is the longest time we have spent in one place since leaving Grabouw, South Africa, in 2015 and the third longest period of time in one place since we got married 33 years ago. 

Yoga

- Maz has started Yoga on a Wednesday morning and has made some good connections with likeminded people there and she spends around an hour a day learning Spanish via an app which she is steadily but surely mastering.

- I have been struggling with achilles and back problems which have limited my longer runs but have taken up playing 'Padel', a racket sport similar to Tennis but played on a smaller court with glass sides where the ball is in play like Squash, and have English, Danish, German and Spanish friends that I play with at least twice a week.

Sledging in the Sierra Nevada 

- We have ventured out to the Sierra Nevada to visit the snow at the ski center there and even bought a sledge which we really had fun with before Christmas. We have also bought a Paddle Board (SUP) which we take out on the sea as and when the conditions are in our favour (i.e not too choppy!)

- The weather has been wonderful, most days we wake to clear blue skies with the promise of sun and warm temperatures, although we have had some rain and during the winter months it has felt more like the 'Costa del Wind' rather than the Costa del Sol but as spring moves into summer the winds have dropped and we are actually grateful for the gentle sea breezes.

SUP!

- It's been a great time for us to chill out, read books (too many to mention here but we will update our list on the side bar for you to see what we have been reading), listening to podcasts and generally taking life one day as it comes. We don't earn any money but live a simple life which we are very much enjoying.

- The Covid-19 lockdown restrictions seem to have been easier than those set in England or France and other than having to wear masks when in public places we have been able to live a relative normal life which means we feel so blessed.

Christmas Day

- Obviously we have missed our family and friends immensely, especially over Christmas, which we celebrated on our own for the first time ever but that was a similar situation for many people so we didn't feel too alone.

- Lastly we have made two very good friends, Ralf and Monika from Germany, who are both Yoga teachers and along with their dear little dog, Lucy, we've enjoyed some special times with, mostly bumping into along the prom for an impromptu coffee or Tinto de Verano, watching films, eating some of Maz' amazing plant based food and we even visited Seville (Sevilla) last weekend where we enjoyed the stunning city with it's awesome architecture, history, bars, parks and shops!

New friends and good food.

Our lives seem so full at the moment, we do have a daily rhythm which starts off with exercise, stretching, mindfulness and even meditation we play at least three games of Backgammon and tax our brains with online quizzes as well as having a daily walk and continuing to encourage others who are in our sphere of influence be they in South Africa, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Zambia or South Korea and we try to maintain weekly connections with our wonderful family via zoom and other medium who are so dear to us and whom we miss very much.