betris

providing you have instant responce.other wise you feel safe but your not.the crook just needs a ballie

benidormboy

Well I lived in a holiday resort so I could say I always felt quite safe, however there are areas (or streets) not to go down at night as they were known for mugging. Ive always been careful where I go in the evening spain and the uk and always stick to areas where there are a few people around.

HBG

Spanish people, like Scottish and Irish people, and many others in the world, have had to leave their home countries to seek work abroad when their own countries failed them. It’s perfectly natural that they would wish to return to their roots when the opportunity arose, even after they had been abroad for a long time.

I don’t have any statistics but have read that Irish people are on the move again, for the same financial reasons as before, and that it’s happening in Spain too. It stands to reason, you have a young family to support and can’t do it in your own country, so you get on your bike.

I know. I’ve done it. Not on a bike, it was a Ford Cortina.

JLFS

I dont think that you understood my post, I was saying that more than half of the Spanish folks that I know who moved back to Spain, have since returned to the Uk for various reasons, lack of jobs I suppose.
They did intend to stay permanantly, but it was not to be.

If it is difficult for them making the move with the advantages they already have, with reference to language, then for others of working age it must be much harder to get established.

I know it is natural to want to get back to your roots, but sometimes even for the Spanish, going back to Spain has not worked out for them, or maybe not what they expected it to be like.

After being away so long maybe it was not as it was when they left.

The ones that did tend to stay were of pension age and quite often then chose a sunnier part of Spain than the were from, to take advantage of the better weather, just like the british do.

HBG

I don’t think I misunderstood, but it doesn’t matter. I moved to provide a better life for all of us, and returned to my roots when I had dug up all those foreign streets lined with gold.

To my surprise and despair, I found that the place hadn’t been waiting for me for all those years, it was a different place – I wandered around familiar streets peopled by strangers.

So I gave up and moved to yet another place, and another one, until I found one that was warmer than the others and stayed. The realisation that there was no place to return to haunted me for a long time, I had been away too long. So if I return, it will be to place number three, one and two have gone, and I’m in place five. Four is too hard.

I can only explain it further by describing home as a place where you hang your hat.

bil

You are bright enough to realise that you can't cross the same river twice.

All to many go back to the UK with the old rose tinteds superglued in place, and I fear that for some of them the place will have changed beyond recognition.

Mataroni

I'm still living here in Spain and to be honest everytime I come back from Britain I think 'Thank god I don't live there any more!', but on the other hand there are always things I'll miss.

I think that once you've lived in another country for a few years you become 'countryless'. You don't really belong anywhere, you'll always be considered a foreigner in Spain and never be at home in Britain.

Rotor

I think a lot of being content in any country comes down to greebacks, if your broke in Spain or the UK life will be miserable ,many expat pensioners came to Spain for the cheaper living costs as well as the sunshine ,where can you buy a country cottage in the UK with land etc for under 150K ?but things have changed a lot in the last 3 years ,living costs in Spain are getting close to those in the UK and those who rely on UK state pensions are obviously finding life a lot tougher if not impossible.

Pensioners may believe that life in Spain is more liberal and unhindered by the authorities but those in business and autonomos know very different ,you cant breath without a permit.!

bil

Yeah, I think the same. When have to go back it's with enormous unease, and I can't frigging WAIT to come home.

I look on myself as a citizen of Europe. I happened to be born in the UK, but have chosen to live in Spain.

Mitzyboy

Well, I know I'm different to most here.

I moved to Spain for a specific reason. I enjoy living here, but I have no unease about going back to the UK, in fact I tremendously enjoy it. I'm aware of the issues there, and I'm equally aware of the issues here

Home is England for me. I'm a visitor here, and thats the way it will always be

JLFS

It may sound strange but I feel the same way, I dont know where I will end up "dying".

we have been here for quite a while now, a few years, and I still wake up and think, I am living here for the time being.

I am not unhappy or saying i dont like it, but that is the feeling that comes ovr me.

Cape Blue

Let's not forget that over 40% of Spain's transport infrastructure over the past 10+ years has been paid for by the EU - that's why it's expensive in the UK for the quality of the roads, UK taxpayers are also paying for a chunk of Spain's roads at the same time

Irish Guinness

How true, we don't belong anywhere after we have lived in another country for a number of years, no matter how hard we may try....

JLFS

That is so very true, with VAT on every cent of turnover, that is doubly difficult for the smallest business.

In this time of dificulties the jobsworth stick to their ridged rules, ie if the SS payment is late, I think that there is a surcharge penalty of about 20 percent, so the problems and the debts snowball.

agoreira

When they have been a net contributor for as long as the UK has, instead of being the largest net recipient a few years ago, that might all change. It has finally been done now, but we used to drive the road from Frigiliana to Torrox, and I've never seen any UK road that bad.

Este reasfaltado era muy esperado desde hace meses por los vecinos que usaban esta carretera, pues a medida que la misma se alejaba de Frigiliana su cubierta empeoraba, estando en un estado desastroso una vez que se pasaba de La Venta.