# Relocating to Spain - Valencia first then who knows!



## The Brandos (6 mo ago)

Hello everyone,

Good to connect with you all. My partner and I are coming to Spain this autumn to begin a new life adventure, and are looking forward to hearing the experiences of other people who have trodden this path. I have dual Irish/UK citizenship and she is British. We are both mature women. I am technically retired - but very active and young in spirit!

Our first base will be in Valencia where we are taking a couple of short lets while we look for a longer term flat for the first 6 months to a year.

We are both avid tennis players and are looking for a local club that is friendly to newcomers.

My partner is a filmmaker (ex-TV, now indie drama) and would like to connect with like-minded people/organisations, so any suggestions welcome. 

I am a Reiki practitioner and would be interested to connect with complementary health practitioners.

I am also looking to learn Spanish: are there any classes you can recommend?

Look forward to interacting with you!

Angela


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I dont think many of us live in the big cities like Valencia so I'm not sure if there will be many specific answers to your questions. What I would say is that you should be prepared to leave alot of your UK habits and things on hold. Valencia is a spanish working city so there probably isnt a huge expat community there so whilst there will be groups that partake in the activities you are interested in they will probably be Spanish dominated so I would definitely start with the language first- and be prepared to put in a few years work. Good luck


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## The Brandos (6 mo ago)

Thank you kaipa,
I appreciate your advice.
As I said we are starting in Valencia but appreciate it is not practical in the long term as it is a working city. 
Yes I agree with you I must leave my UK habits and expectations behind and embrace the Spanish culture with open arms. It's time to step out of my comfort zone. 
Thank you for your good wishes

Angela


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

I lived near Valencia for four years, pre Brexit. 
I didn't join in any of the "fun", but there were a great deal of British groups on Facebook then. 
It would be a place to research.


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

I reckon Valencia is the number 1 place to live in Spain. 

Why move anywhere else? You have everything there!


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## Debbie A (6 mo ago)

Hello Angela, I will be moving with my husband to just outside Valencia at the end of August if you are interested in connecting up to bounce ideas let me know. I am also looking to see if anybody needs a car driven from the U.K. across to Spain at the end of August? Left/right hand drive is fine. Thanks Debbie


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## The Brandos (6 mo ago)

Debbie A said:


> Hello Angela, I will be moving with my husband to just outside Valencia at the end of August if you are interested in connecting up to bounce ideas let me know. I am also looking to see if anybody needs a car driven from the U.K. across to Spain at the end of August? Left/right hand drive is fine. Thanks Debbie


Hi Debbie,
Sorry, have only just read this.
Am in the middle of trying to find some long term rentals to view in Valencia to use as a base till we decide our next move. All the flats we are looking at seem a bit overpriced at the moment.
I might take you up on your offer of bouncing ideas around once we are in Spain. We are going to explore the countryside and small towns in the Valencia region as well as some other areas near the coast.
Good luck with your move!
Angela


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## The Brandos (6 mo ago)

Thanks to everyone for confirming that Valencia is a great place to start!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Slightly off topic but if anyone wants a real view of Spanish society I really recommend a programme called Callejeros on Be Mad TV ( most days). I think it is so important that people realise that Spain is not just beaches, villas, mountains, wine donkeys. Watch the episode on Cañada which has got to be the most desperate place in Europe. It is basically a suburb of Madrid where drugs dominate every aspect of daily life. It is a fascinating program brilliantly made with no moral overtones.


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## manuka (May 26, 2014)

kaipa said:


> Slightly off topic but if anyone wants a real view of Spanish society I really recommend a programme called Callejeros on Be Mad TV ( most days). I think it is so important that people realise that Spain is not just beaches, villas, mountains, wine donkeys. Watch the episode on Cañada which has got to be the most desperate place in Europe. It is basically a suburb of Madrid where drugs dominate every aspect of daily life. It is a fascinating program brilliantly made with no moral overtones.


 That sounds very interesting. Had a look on the TV - what number channel is it?


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## tmarshall57 (Jan 17, 2017)

I'm currently in the UK but I can see the Cañada programme here: Callejeros Temporada 4 Programa 144

The whole series is listed here: Callejeros

I don't think a subscription is needed in Spain. I was told I needed one in the UK but could view the programme after switching on my VPN.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Its a real eye opener of a programme!! You will need Spanish to understand it with subtitles as they language used is so colloquial but its brilliant. In the Cañada episode even the grandmothers are growing marijuana plants!!! One says she does it because she thinks they are lovely houseplants!! All the food they buy is basically stolen or illegal and sold daily from vans. In the episode around Algeciras they get stoned and binge on illegal shell fish and sell fake ferry tickets!!


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