Re: Why Spain
 

I think it's the "jump on an easyjet back home" type of insurance :D

Still, their choice

Re: Why Spain
 

Well it's not 365 days of sunshine here but it's a hell of a lot more than the UK get!

Some of us do hear the sound of flamenco and guitars, it's what you get when you live in a small hamlet in the campo close to a famous flamenco singer.

Why on earth would anyone want to swim in the med (I know what ends up going in there).

And despite what you think the Spanish are not all thickheads...not even out here in the campo, they are just as intelligent as you are...maybe even more so as they are very well educated in the universities these days.

And yes we do sometimes go to cultural evenings, it's so much better than sipping G&T's down on the coast!

Re: Why Spain
 

Well then maybe you should try being more concise!

Re: Why Spain
 

My question was concise. I asked what Spain had to offer that the UK didn't apart from a milder climate.

In the list are things like 'wildlife' etc. The UK has wildlife.
Also. it comments on Art,Culture,Drama. The UK has plenty.

Oh and let's not forget 'family values' There are thousands of people in the UK with very strong family values.

Re: Why Spain
 

Well news flash
reason we here because in 4 years he only needed to see a doc once :fingerscrossed:
in the uk is more like every other week.
No we have not use the stupid plastic card instead paid in cash
and yes if we need to return we will all it takes is putting caravan on the back of our car !!
By the way there a few thousend every year spend between 4 and 10 month on campsites right down the coast from peniscola to cadis !!
We have payed our taxes infact still do stupid us, on his pension.
As we have parents still alive we probly will need to return one day to become carers for them.
Great how "why you love spain" becomes pick on us. so nice to see expats being friendly bunch

Re: Why Spain
 

Well you're still very short of that list, and even in the items you quote it very much depends on which part of the country you happen to live in.
Try finding Art, Culture and Drama away from the big cities in the north, you'll find the drama easy enough but it won't be of the cultural kind!

And no I'm not turning this into a p***ing contest between Spain and the UK. There are many things I like about England and equally many that I don't, it's just personally I find the quality of life here so much better and much more satisfying.

Re: Why Spain
 

Neither am I looking for such a contest. I love Spain but can't justify carrying on with my plans to semi-retire there at the moment. Apart from the weather I currently see little advantage.

Re: Why Spain
 

As a retired expat Spain is a great place to live, but was it necessary to earn a living then that's a whole different ball game and Spain would not be in the running for us!

Re: Why Spain
 

A big point you should consider is whether you actually enjoy Spanish culture or not.

Do you have an interest in all things Spanish?

If not, then the appeal will be very limited. if you do then there is an endless list of things to discover and enjoy

Re: Why Spain
 

To a large extent I think you are the architect of your own demise, telling us things like you wake up to sun every morning, that your husband was that ill it was necessary to visit a UK doctor every two weeks, now suddenly with a bit of sun he's seemingly cured. I can understand the sun can make you feel much better but I don't believe it has the magical curative properties that many claim. Perhaps it's all in the mind?

Re: Why Spain
 

I don't think it's that the sun has magical curative properties, more that the cold and damp aggravate existing conditions. Remove the cold and damp by moving to Spain and many people seem to be magically cured.

Re: Why Spain
 

Possibly, but I'm sure I'm not alone in living in a house in UK that is neither cold nor damp, certainly with double glazing, C/H etc a lot warmer than most Spanish houses in winter. ;) Reading this and similar forums, damp is a big problem in many Spanish houses in the winter, people telling us about water bottles, electric blankets, bizarre clothing they wear to bed, and despite what the other poster tells us, Spain can get very wet and cold. Ex neighbours of ours living just over the border in Portugal tells us she'd love to swap her smokey old wood burner for the C/H she had in UK. Her house is like an icebox away from the burner. Overall Spain certainly is warmer, which should prevent most getting their WFA! ;) I think the sun has a placebo effect, you think you should feel better, so you do.

Re: Why Spain
 

Seems to me as many on this forum are always at the Doctors/hospital and pill pushing by their posts....if not they are certainly bleeding experts on the subject:rofl:

Re: Why Spain
 

It also depends on what they define as Spanish culture, for some it seems to be flamenco, fiestas and a bloke riding past on a donkey:lol:

Re: Why Spain
 

and are over 50 years old and love to moan..:thumbsup:

Re: Why Spain
 

so Jacky got up with a hangover this morning ??

:rofl:

Re: Why Spain
 

It's true then:lol:

Re: Why Spain
 

Good question. I'm not sure I can define Spanish culture. I've read the books and watched the processsions and been to the fiestas but only ever standing on the sidelines. I have never really joined in nor particularly understood what's going on or it's significance. And that for me is the hurdle. I don't feel that I belong there, always see myself as an outsider looking in. If I'm honest the only time I have been made to feel welcome is when I'm spending money.

Re: Why Spain
 

Then really you'd only be coming for the weather

I don't like religious processions or fiestas (most Spaniards dont either!)
but I do love travelling around Spain to understand the different regions in terms of culture, food, geography, nature etc

Spanish movies, music, books etc is a brand new world to discover but requires very good language skills, as does socialising with anybody who is not British.

All these things are reasons for me to be in Spain, otherwise its best to just visit for a bit of sun every now and then.

Re: Why Spain
 

Agree. Without the language skills it's virtually impossible. I have been studying for the last couple of years and now have some help from a Valencian girl who has just moved into the village. I cannot tell you how excited I was when she actually understood me. Where I'm benefitting most from her is with pronunciation. If you study on your own the danger is that you make up the pronunciation of seemingly difficult words, for me these include the verbs and their declensions of 'llegar' and ,trabajar' amongst others.

Re: Why Spain
 

I understand what you mean about standing on the sidelines not feeling part of something. However, if you were in a small community and included in everything you would feel totally differently about the whole thing. My husband was delighted when he was asked to help to carry one of the images even though we are not Catholic. I asked why they had invited him and I received a blank look and was then told that we are an integral part of the community. Every year until my husband became ill we were in one of the processions and I have continued with this since he died. Again it is almost as though it is expected due to being here. Our neighbours have always taken a great deal of pleasure in telling us about each fiesta and the significance of each event.

Rosemary

Re: Why Spain
 

I'm genuinely pleased that you feel so loved by and involved in your community. How did you achieve this? Did you have a good level of Spanish prior to your move?

Re: Why Spain
 

This forum is not picking on this couple-I think anyone would wonder how a couple in their fifties on a low income, can afford healthcare in Spain as:
They cannot go back to UK to see their GP as that would be fraud
They cannot use their EHIC if living here
They are not eligible for free care in Spain.
Just because the sunny weather has improved the husband's health doesn't mean he won't need a doctor out here. What about emergencies, accident etc?Can't travel back then!

Re: Why Spain
 

I would say that it was achieved by being open and friendly, approachable but above all by showing a genuine interest in events, the town and the people. Also it is down to how friendly the people are in our town. Our Spanish was infantile when we came here but if people spoke to us we responded in a friendly manner. I joined in with the ladies of the town and that broadened the number of people who spoke to me. When my husband was ill I felt very supported by these people and since he died this support has strengthened. I am useless at languages and whilst he needed 24 hours a day care for almost 3 years I could not take any time to continue learning and the stress caused a memory block so I had to start learning again when he died last July. My spoken Spanish is terrible but I understand most of what is said to me so they are very forgiving.

Rosemary

Re: Why Spain
 

That's a strange place you live. Using a non-Catholic is unheard of and would be considered sacrilege in most communities. There is great competition for the honour and most never manage it in their lifetime, lots of practice and praying beforehand too!

Re: Why Spain
 

In a town of 3000 people it is not difficult for all of the men to have the opportunity to carry the various images. The time when Graham was asked to do it they sellected certain sections and changed people in order that quite a lot of people carried the image. We had all taken two days to paint the roadway in our street and the whole event was only for about 45 minutes. This was a dedication procession in just our street which has never occurred since so it was quite unique.

Rosemary

Re: Why Spain
 

I think that sums it up nicely.
If you are nice people you shall always be accepted wherever you live, Spain or UK

Re: Why Spain
 

I think that living in a small community is the key to feeling as though you belong here, we also live in a hamlet on the edge of a small village some kms away from a town, we are included in and expected to attend all of the local events.
We actually feel more that we belong here than we ever did living in a town in England.
On the other hand when we first made the move we lived for three months in Mijas Costa and hated it, surrounded by holiday lets we would never have felt at home there.

Re: Why Spain
 

Perhaps the medical cover is just that, Being in Spain! Maybe that is what the doctor ordered, have you not heard of the placebo effect? Perhaps for you a prescription is the required salve for your pain or you may require a C.A.T. scan, some of us just need what we think we need. It is not all science. What did people do before the N.H.S? Some died, some suffered and some thrived. I hope Heikeund Alan are in the latter category.

Re: Why Spain
 

Think so!

Re: Why Spain
 

So, if it is in the mind, leave it there. An element of gamble is, I think, OK. Medicalising it will not necessarily make it better, even though you and I may see it as illogical, in some respects. Let others take their chances. The best of luck to them.

Re: Why Spain
 

although in not too small a community here we are made welcome
biggest drawback is the number of people, even pensioners, who want to talk to us in English when we want to use our Spanish.
but go with the flow
:thumbup:

Re: Why Spain
 

Take a look at the link to those two houses I messaged you.
Around here you simply have to speak in Spanish as the locals don't speak English.... it's all good fun and they appreciate us trying... even though we often get it wrong. :D

Re: Why Spain
 

so do we:thumbsup:
we going to enjoy it while we can

Re: Why Spain
 

Although living in a small community is a good way of getting to know people I believe that it is down to your attitude towards the people that really counts. If you treat people with genuine respect and do not come over as superior, richer or in any other way too different from them they will treat you with the same attitude. Unfortunately there are a lot of Brits/different nationalities who seem to think that the Spanish people are inferior and this is when bad feeling and more negative experiences can occur.

Rosemary

Re: Why Spain
 

Unfortunately there are a lot of Brits/different nationalities who seem to think that the Spanish people are inferior and this is when bad feeling and more negative experiences can occur.

Who is stereotyping now:lol:

What I notice is that one week some on here are mentioning their "Spanish friends" and the following week asking questions such as "Are the shops open next Friday".....why don't they ask their friends:confused:

Re: Why Spain
 

Rosemary's statement is a fact. I have seen and heard that exact several times. It is embarrassing to witness. How can people be so rude and arrogant.

We all know that are some on here that are full of shit for the want of a better term !

Re: Why Spain
 

Hmmm have I rattled your cage:p

Re: Why Spain
 

Some Spanish "culture" here...very typical of small neighbourhood fiestas:lol:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgVby6Tjigk

Re: Why Spain
 

The small neighbourhood fiestas I found OK to visit once, but I don't tend to go back a second time! I do still quite like Semana Santa though (which is strange because I'm not in the least religious) but it is massive here and a real spectacle.

All of Andalucia is not necessarily a cultural desert. Next week our town's international classical guitar competition begins, with 5 nights of free concerts (featuring orchestras and other instruments as well as the guitar), most of which take place in the patio of the Palacio del Marques de Beniel, a lovely historic building. The town's cultural programme is not as extensive as it was before La Crisis, but we still get to go to several concerts throughout the year, and this year we haven't yet paid more than €8 per ticket. There are plenty of art exhibitions (all free) going on as well. If I want to travel into Malaga there are plenty of other events happening there too.