# It's that time of the year again...



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

It's post New Year, the usual time when a kind of depression hangover sets in. The UK weather is horrible, austerity is the _mot du jour_, adverts for holidays on sun-kissed Spanish beaches appear on tv...

It's natural to have thoughts of a new life somewhere where you can enjoy a stress-free life in your 'dream home in the sun'. So we get a flurry of posts about starting a new life in Spain.
The same phenomenum last year, at the beginning of the year and just after the end of the summer. I then suggested a sticky about things to consider before moving to Spain. We had a thread about it...
Since last year, things seem to have got worse in the UK and in Spain. Unemployment still high...and I have noticed something I've never seen before: anti-immigrant and anti-speculative building graffiti. 
I've also noticed a UK plated BMW on a street near a local supermarket which looks as if it's been vandalised.
Hopefully this is the work of a few disaffected people...but as I've said, unemployment is around 40 percent round here.
I can recall several threads lately where some of us have posted the same advice which although well-meaning and reports the situation as it is makes us sound very negative and as if we want to keep the place to ourselves (some might)
So how about a sticky, mods?


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> It's post New Year, the usual time when a kind of depression hangover sets in. The UK weather is horrible, austerity is the _mot du jour_, adverts for holidays on sun-kissed Spanish beaches appear on tv...
> 
> It's natural to have thoughts of a new life somewhere where you can enjoy a stress-free life in your 'dream home in the sun'. So we get a flurry of posts about starting a new life in Spain.
> The same phenomenum last year, at the beginning of the year and just after the end of the summer. I then suggested a sticky about things to consider before moving to Spain. We had a thread about it...
> ...


Or use this as a reply :deadhorse: :nono: :rofl: I'll get me coat !


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> It's post New Year, the usual time when a kind of depression hangover sets in. The UK weather is horrible, austerity is the _mot du jour_, adverts for holidays on sun-kissed Spanish beaches appear on tv...
> 
> It's natural to have thoughts of a new life somewhere where you can enjoy a stress-free life in your 'dream home in the sun'. So we get a flurry of posts about starting a new life in Spain.
> The same phenomenum last year, at the beginning of the year and just after the end of the summer. I then suggested a sticky about things to consider before moving to Spain. We had a thread about it...
> ...


because a sticky would make no difference


people will always want to come to Spain (or wherever) & their situation will be 'different' to everyone else

and tbh everyone_ is_ in a different situation and hopefully things will improve

the best thing we can do is advise people to think carefully, do their homework, have a good read of the forum & ask specific questions which we can try to answer for them


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> because a sticky would make no difference
> 
> 
> people will always want to come to Spain (or wherever) & their situation will be 'different' to everyone else
> ...


That's true but so many people seem to have so little idea of the economic facts of life and the socio-economic conditions here in Spain which are likely to prevail for a few years yet and could conceivably get worse as 2011 is the year when many national Treasuries have to raise new loans to finance debts which are due for payment.
I know not everyone can spend hours reading about the state of the euro, the roots of the problems of peripheral states such as the PIIGS but the sheer lack of awareness of some is breathtaking imo.
You only have to listen to the very many informative programmes on BBC 1, 2,4 etc. to get even a faint idea of how things are.
Planning a move to another country could be the most critical step in one's life.
If you don't know anything other about the state of the country you plan to live in apart from the fact that you imagine a life of Riley in the sun fuelled by cheap booze and **** perhaps you should stay at home.
When we moved to Prague, I had over thirty years of experience of visiting and had spent long periods of time there. I thought we were well-prepared for a very long stay.
Actually living there was an eye-opener. Holidays, tv programmes and staying with friends teach you very little if anything about the realities of day-to-day life.
We were lucky in that we could easily move on. 
The best and most helpful suggestion for would-be immigrants imo is the advice that Jo always gives: come over for a fact-finding trip. 
Problem is that you need to spend a long period of time if the experience is to be valuable in preparing you for your new life.
I've been here in Spain for just over two years. I've no dependents and am not looking for work. My Spanish is by no means fluent but I can more than get by..
Yet I'm only just beginning to get a 'feel' for the place and to feel 'settled' myself.
If you have all you need to hit the ground running, then your new life will be smooth and hassle-free.
If not, your UK problems will accompany you in your suitcase.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I guess any venture of moving anywhere is all about doing homework, investigating, planning and one of the first steps is to come onto a forum and have a nose! Obviously if people didnt come on and ask the questions, they'd be no answers, so in many ways its what the forum is about and what keeps it going - if that makes sense! 

All you can really say to wannabe expats is to read through applicable posts and of course come out on a few fact finding missions!!! I personally think that everyone should visit Spain in the winter when its cold, flooding and bleak! I think if I had, I'd have thought twice lol!!!! 

So my advice to anyone thinking of coming to Spain, would be be as informed and as prepared as you possibly can and dont burn bridges! Living here is nothing like a holiday

Jo xxxx


----------



## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

Actually I think those who have holidayed here a lot and even have second homes here are the LEAST prepared to move over. There's a false sense of security that you know where your going - you know where all the good restaurants are, where Mercadona is, the beach etc but what about the Padron? Doctors? Schools? SIP cards? etc etc. The minutae of life that is so mundane in the UK is just as mundane here AND all in a different language. People I know who've moved here because they had been here many times and thought it would be an 'easy' transition have had some of the hardest times settling.


----------



## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

I think a topic with warnings about moving here comes across as a bit too pessimistic. For sure the "relaxed life under the sun" is a wrong image, but to make it look like something bleak you better consider twice is somewhat of the other extreme IMO. Like Jo says, everyone's experience is different.

I have moved country 6 times the last 7 years. Sometimes very well prepared, and a few times it was a spur of the moment thing. Ironically, the spur of the moment ones turned out to be the best experiences. By this I am not saying one should not be prepared a bit, but we should also refrain from disencouraging people to make the move abroad. I'm sure I'm far from the only one here that is happy to have taken the leap?


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> That's true but so many people seem to have so little idea of the economic facts of life and the socio-economic conditions here in Spain which are likely to prevail for a few years yet and could conceivably get worse as 2011 is the year when many national Treasuries have to raise new loans to finance debts which are due for payment.


Mary, most of them have no idea of those facts in the UK ! So to expect them to show some interest in another country is highly unlikely. I never cease to be amazed at peoples reactions when they learn that fuel tax is around 80% +vat, or that tobacco tax is near £ 5 on a packet. You'd think it was only invented yesterday.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I know things are bad in the UK but I often wonder why people think that life will be easier here in Spain. No language skills, no job security (in most cases), no knowledge of the bureaucracy and no social security benefits (not even child allowance). Surely if you have a home, a family and a job (or even are claiming unemployment benefits) life is much better there - certainly for the foreseeable future. The only thing that makes Spain seem better is the weather and the space. The laid back lifestyle has to be worked and paid for!

Jo xxx


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

fourgotospain said:


> Duplicate again...sorry


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

fourgotospain said:


> Actually I think those who have holidayed here a lot and even have second homes here are the LEAST prepared to move over. There's a false sense of security that you know where your going - you know where all the good restaurants are, where Mercadona is, the beach etc but what about the Padron? Doctors? Schools? SIP cards? etc etc. The minutae of life that is so mundane in the UK is just as mundane here AND all in a different language. People I know who've moved here because they had been here many times and thought it would be an 'easy' transition have had some of the hardest times settling.


That's what I meant about our experience in Prague. Yes, I knew all the shops, the 'good' restaurants, had good friends there....but it was the' minutiae' of daily life that gave me a jolt. Registering for health insurance, navigating the tax system, buying and registering a car, opening a bank account....I spoke some Czech,certainly more than many Brits who've been here for years speak Spanish,but ordering drinks in a bar or paying for groceries in a supermarket requires considerably less knowledge of the language than dealing with non-English-speaking officialdom.
Your life goes on basically as it did in the UK but you have to adjust to different products, learn to do without some of the things you were used to in the UK....
Of course it can be done - we've all done it! - but for some less experienced people the difficulties can be stressful.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gerrit said:


> I think a topic with warnings about moving here comes across as a bit too pessimistic. For sure the "relaxed life under the sun" is a wrong image, but to make it look like something bleak you better consider twice is somewhat of the other extreme IMO. Like Jo says, everyone's experience is different.
> 
> I have moved country 6 times the last 7 years. Sometimes very well prepared, and a few times it was a spur of the moment thing. Ironically, the spur of the moment ones turned out to be the best experiences. By this I am not saying one should not be prepared a bit, but we should also refrain from disencouraging people to make the move abroad. I'm sure I'm far from the only one here that is happy to have taken the leap?


Of course we shouldn't discourage _*everyone*_ from moving abroad.
As I've said many times, if your circumstances are favourable or you are single with some skills and knowledge of the language there's no problem.
But some of the posts from would-be immigrants are from those with no Spanish, few if any skills, no professional or artisan qualifications and many of whom, frankly, display a low level of literacy in their own language.
Being 'fed up' with the UK because it's cold, raining, the price of booze and **** has gone up etc. is not really a good reason for such a major step.
Fact is, Gerrit, that you, just as I and my OH and many other regular posters on this forum are not in that situation. We are footloose and fancy-free, as the saying goes.
We have no dependent children ....and having a family to consider makes it all the more imperative to THINK before you leap.


----------



## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

The latter one is very true. It's all different when there is a family involved. But if someone is single, ready for the adventure, ... then I'd certainly not disencourage him/her from doing it. For me, the first months abroad were alienating but I learnt skills and learnt things I'd never have learnt if I had stayed in the safety bubble that was Belgium. The longer I've been abroad and with 6 foreign countries on my tally, I can say that retrospectively I am glad to have taken the step and gone abroad. I would encourage anyone who is not tied to anyone (= no family etc) to try it, it opens a new world and exposes you to new experiences, which is always educative. 

For those with a family involved... I'd say it's a different situation, although it all depends on many "if"s: is the child a toddler or is it already going to school and having friends in the native country? Do both parents have a job more or less guaranteed in the country they wish to go to? Lots of "if"s... While I would like to have a girlfriend now, I must say that retrospectively I am glad I was still single at age 22. Most of the other people in early twenties I knew were dating. I was one of the few single guys. But that was maybe exactly why I managed to take the leap abroad while those others are still back in Belgium. It for sure was easier to hop from one country to another, being single meant I only had to look to my own self while choosing where to go to next. If I do have a girlfriend later on, I hope she has the passion for wandering as well so that we only need to debate on which country to move to next.


----------



## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

Sorry I havent read the whole thread and I'm jumping in, but imo it's a little irresponsible to just move to another country unless you have a job secured beforehand or a regular source of income such a pension from your own country. 

Even if you are sigle and want a little adventure, isn't that what holidays are for?


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Sonrisa said:


> Sorry I havent read the whole thread and I'm jumping in, but imo it's a little irresponsible to just move to another country unless you have a job secured beforehand or a regular source of income such a pension from your own country.
> 
> Even if you are sigle and want a little adventure, isn't that what holidays are for?


Yes. I totally agree. I only made the exception for single people as I don't want to seem too restrictive but you are right, really.


----------



## lottie46 (Jan 6, 2011)

gus-lopez said:


> Mary, most of them have no idea of those facts in the UK ! So to expect them to show some interest in another country is highly unlikely. I never cease to be amazed at peoples reactions when they learn that fuel tax is around 80% +vat, or that tobacco tax is near £ 5 on a packet. You'd think it was only invented yesterday.


I am new to this forum. I have lived in France for 8 years. Facts over, on reading this thread I am thinking I do not want to visit this forum again. You use the phrase "most of them" can you please expand on that.Who are "most of them" The whole point of using a forum is to gain more knowledge ot the country you are thinking to relocate to. I find your comments offensive!


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

lottie46 said:


> I am new to this forum. I have lived in France for 8 years. Facts over, on reading this thread I am thinking I do not want to visit this forum again. You use the phrase "most of them" can you please expand on that.Who are "most of them" The whole point of using a forum is to gain more knowledge ot the country you are thinking to relocate to. I find your comments offensive!


hi & welcome!!

I hope you do come back to read this

I'm sure gus didn't mean to be offensive 

he is merely stating the sad fact that so many people come on to forums like this, wanting to come to Spain to live, with no visible means of financial support, and no real plan, with no idea of the economic crisis that we are going through at the moment 

gone are the days when you can just hop off a plane, put a card in a newsagent window & set yourself up cleaning pools or whatever & make any kind of living

he was sort of making the point that so many have no idea how taxes etc. are collected in their own country (in this case the UK) - so why on earth _should_ they know what the situation is like here in Spain?

we all, as regular posters, tell people how things are here on a daily basis

if you look through recent threads you will see that some posters heed our advice, but it's not unknown for some to become abusive, & simply not believe us


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

lottie46 said:


> I am new to this forum. I have lived in France for 8 years. Facts over, on reading this thread I am thinking I do not want to visit this forum again. You use the phrase "most of them" can you please expand on that.Who are "most of them" The whole point of using a forum is to gain more knowledge ot the country you are thinking to relocate to. I find your comments offensive!


lottie46, Welcome to the forum . I apologise if I have caused offence which certainly wasn't intentional. The mere fact that you already live in France & are looking to move elsewhere is testament to the fact that you certainly would not be included in my remarks. 
The sad fact is that , as Xabiachica has pointed out, many come on with no plan whatsoever, no means of support , expecting to walk into a job, which was easy some years back but here , in the south of Spain , nigh on impossible now; even for a spaniard. Many have no idea of the work & time involved in just getting paperwork in order that is not required in the uk. A lot think along the 'grass is always greener ' lines & don't like to hear the truth , warts & all, & get quite annoyed on occasions. 
If you want information & ask , you will always get it. The breadth of knowledge on here is second to none , so I hope you will stay & contribute & receive all that you require.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

lottie46 said:


> I am new to this forum. I have lived in France for 8 years. Facts over, on reading this thread I am thinking I do not want to visit this forum again. You use the phrase "most of them" can you please expand on that.Who are "most of them" The whole point of using a forum is to gain more knowledge ot the country you are thinking to relocate to. I find your comments offensive!


There seems to be substantial differences between British immigrants in Spain and those in other countries ,from what I experienced in the Czech Republic at least.
I would hazard a guess that you had at least a good grasp of French and a professional qualification before you emigrated to France?
Because the Costas have been the number one holiday destination for lower and middle-income Brits and there has been a plethora of tv programmes advertising property and a couple of dire soap operas (Eldorado and Benidorm), Spain seems to many to be a kind of British colony where relocation is straightforward and easy. After all, there are areas where an immigrant can live a completely 'British' lifestyle with no need to learn the language or interact with the natives.
It's no wonder really that so many inexperienced people who are unhappy with their UK life see Spain as the solution to their problems whereas France or Italy would be too 'foreign'.
The sad fact is that many of the immigrants who came in the boom years are now desperate to return to the UK. Work has dried up, property prices have plummeted and many pensioners have felt a squeeze on their incomes because of the falling £.
I work for a charity which cares for abandoned dogs and have heard first-hand stories of desperate Brits who can't afford to live here and can't afford to return to the UK.
My albeit limited experience of British immigrants in the Czech Republic is that those who were long-term residents all spoke fluent Czech, had professional qualifications and as secure employment as you can get these days. Most worked for international or global corporations.
No-one would contemplate moving to the CR without thorough preparation and a secure job and I would think the same is true of France and Italy etc.
Spain however seems to be different.
We are just telling it like it is and we are sometimes quite amazed by people's lack of awareness when considering what is after all a major step in anyone's life.


----------



## lottie46 (Jan 6, 2011)

*apologies for blowing off steam*



gus-lopez said:


> lottie46, Welcome to the forum . I apologise if I have caused offence which certainly wasn't intentional. The mere fact that you already live in France & are looking to move elsewhere is testament to the fact that you certainly would not be included in my remarks.
> The sad fact is that , as Xabiachica has pointed out, many come on with no plan whatsoever, no means of support , expecting to walk into a job, which was easy some years back but here , in the south of Spain , nigh on impossible now; even for a spaniard. Many have no idea of the work & time involved in just getting paperwork in order that is not required in the uk. A lot think along the 'grass is always greener ' lines & don't like to hear the truth , warts & all, & get quite annoyed on occasions.
> If you want information & ask , you will always get it. The breadth of knowledge on here is second to none , so I hope you will stay & contribute & receive all that you require.


Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. I really am looking for information from these forums. The reasons for considering a move from France to Spain are numerous, and I don,t want to bore you with them.

We have encountered all the problems of daily life here in France over the last 8 years,( french bureaucracy is well renowned,) and spoke very little french when we arrived. But we were a couple with no dependant children but lots of perseverance, and with patience and a lot of help from other english people in the area, we now speak passable french and have made lots of friends.

We originally bought a village house and renovated it. From there we ran chambre d,hotes for four years. My husband by then was itching to build his own house, we bought a plot of land and 12 months later moved in. We did everything by the book, too much so sometimes, paid cotisations into the french social security, all our taxes etc.

That all came to a stop in August last year after my husband visited the doctor and more doctors and was told he would be unlikely to carry on working. But thank goodness for those social security payments, He has now been awarded invalidity and disability pensions from the French.

The problem is arthritis. So to stop too much waffling, we are looking for somewhere warmer, with a lot less garden, (we have at the moment 1 and half
acres), for something less demanding and invest some of the proceeds from the sale of our house to supplement our income. 

Our inclination initially is to rent for 6-12 months before we take the plunge and buy. We have started to learn spanish and plan to make a trip in early April to
look at Murcia/ Almeria regions.

Any advice you can give on these areas would be most welcome. There are terms also that I am not familiar with such as quad houses?, duplexes, villas and bungalows, and the differences between them.
Please can you explain.
Thank you, I,ve lots more questions but will post again


----------



## mwells (Jan 6, 2011)

Quad houses are surely foursomes, one of four, ours was advertised as, 'adosados' may not have spelled that accurately but it means terraced. Ours is the end of a block of four houses. 

Dulplex where we are going to live is really a house as it has more than one floor, on our development there are some apartment blocks and at the end there is a, 'duplex' which is a house attached to the apartments but is almost independent of them, it has the downstairs rooms and stairs up to the bedrooms, much like ours. They may be different depending on the builder/developer I suppose.

If you are happy to move to the Almeria region then don't be put off by the, 'costa del sol' tag, the region inland of Malaga to Marbella in beautiful, our house in at Alhaurin Golf and is wonderful, great views of the mountains from our gardens, 5 minutes into our Spanish town of Alhaurin el grande and only 30mins from coast.

I know of a neighbour who would rent for a 6 month period so it you want their contact details I will ask for their permission to forward them to you. 

Good luck whatever you decide to do.




lottie46 said:


> Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. I really am looking for information from these forums. The reasons for considering a move from France to Spain are numerous, and I don,t want to bore you with them.
> 
> We have encountered all the problems of daily life here in France over the last 8 years,( french bureaucracy is well renowned,) and spoke very little french when we arrived. But we were a couple with no dependant children but lots of perseverance, and with patience and a lot of help from other english people in the area, we now speak passable french and have made lots of friends.
> 
> ...


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

A quad house is best explained by if you draw a square on a piece of paper & then put a cross through it you end up with 4 quarters, Each of these is a house. Normally they have a ground floor,1st floor & roof terrace. Many have an underbuilt garage & storeroom. Adosado is actually semi-detached & is often applied to the one on the end of a terrace ( Hileras de casa )or apartment block. A villa is normally a detached house standing in it's own plot or land, usually having upper floors. Also advertised , by the spanish, as a 'casa independiente'. A bungalow would be a single storey detached house , all on one level.
Sorry to hear about your husbands arthritis . I suffer from it in both my thumb joints but it is a lot better here than it ever was in the UK. Where I live is normally excellent temperature -wise averaging 17-18º all year but exceptionally hot in summer. This winter & last,we have had more rain than usual but still not much. Nothing compared to people living towards Murcia, Alicante ,or down into Almeria, Andalucia & Malaga way. It can get cold here in the winter & many houses are not built with insulation so are expensive to keep warm. 
Your decision to rent is an excellent idea by allowing you to look around & find a place & area that suits your requirements , especially as their are huge amounts of property on sale at the moment. Around here especially in the countryside you can rent a modern detached house ,gated & fenced for 500€ monthly. I was never a lover of renting , always considered it wasted money BUT now I'd recommend that route to anyone coming here . If we sold our house I'd rent next time. There are lots of bargains about at the moment as Selling is a big problem at present in Spain & can take years. The banks have 10's of 000's of properties on their books.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

lottie46 said:


> Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. I really am looking for information from these forums. The reasons for considering a move from France to Spain are numerous, and I don,t want to bore you with them.
> 
> We have encountered all the problems of daily life here in France over the last 8 years,( french bureaucracy is well renowned,) and spoke very little french when we arrived. But we were a couple with no dependant children but lots of perseverance, and with patience and a lot of help from other english people in the area, we now speak passable french and have made lots of friends.
> 
> ...


I have a friend here who moved over last christmas from France having lived there for 7 years! She has FIVE children ranging from 2 - 15 and they all seem to be settling well! I think they came to Spain as they felt that France was becoming too difficult for many reasons, mainly bureaucratic???? Anyway, they've just bought a business in southern Spain and are finally finding their feet here!!? I think they prefer Spain altho I know they miss the friends the made in France - especially their two older kids, altho amazingly, their 14yo daughter is now speaking spanish as tho she'd lived here forever and is still totally fluent in French and English!!

Jo xxx


----------



## lottie46 (Jan 6, 2011)

gus-lopez said:


> A quad house is best explained by if you draw a square on a piece of paper & then put a cross through it you end up with 4 quarters, Each of these is a house. Normally they have a ground floor,1st floor & roof terrace. Many have an underbuilt garage & storeroom. Adosado is actually semi-detached & is often applied to the one on the end of a terrace ( Hileras de casa )or apartment block. A villa is normally a detached house standing in it's own plot or land, usually having upper floors. Also advertised , by the spanish, as a 'casa independiente'. A bungalow would be a single storey detached house , all on one level.
> Sorry to hear about your husbands arthritis . I suffer from it in both my thumb joints but it is a lot better here than it ever was in the UK. Where I live is normally excellent temperature -wise averaging 17-18º all year but exceptionally hot in summer. This winter & last,we have had more rain than usual but still not much. Nothing compared to people living towards Murcia, Alicante ,or down into Almeria, Andalucia & Malaga way. It can get cold here in the winter & many houses are not built with insulation so are expensive to keep warm.
> Your decision to rent is an excellent idea by allowing you to look around & find a place & area that suits your requirements , especially as their are huge amounts of property on sale at the moment. Around here especially in the countryside you can rent a modern detached house ,gated & fenced for 500€ monthly. I was never a lover of renting , always considered it wasted money BUT now I'd recommend that route to anyone coming here . If we sold our house I'd rent next time. There are lots of bargains about at the moment as Selling is a big problem at present in Spain & can take years. The banks have 10's of 000's of properties on their books.


Thanks for that information, I don,t want to be too isolated, somewhere with a bit of life but I think that a villa is going to be the best option, because I am worried about my animals, I have a golden retriever dog and 7 cats, 
all well behaved, but I don,t want to upset neighbours from the begining. This will probably cause some problems renting so country is probably the best option. Gus how cold does it get during the winter. We live in the Lot area of France, hot in the summer but can get as low as -12/15 in the winter. That is the main consideration for my hubby ( the cold and damp).


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> A quad house is best explained by if you draw a square on a piece of paper & then put a cross through it you end up with 4 quarters, Each of these is a house. Normally they have a ground floor,1st floor & roof terrace. Many have an underbuilt garage & storeroom. Adosado is actually semi-detached & is often applied to the one on the end of a terrace ( Hileras de casa )or apartment block. A villa is normally a detached house standing in it's own plot or land, usually having upper floors. Also advertised , by the spanish, as a 'casa independiente'. A bungalow would be a single storey detached house , all on one level.
> ----------------------.


ah - but around here bungalows have more than one storey...............


and there're a couple of developments of them where they are attached to each other by a garage between each property


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

lottie46 said:


> ... how cold does it get during the winter. We live in the Lot area of France, hot in the summer but can get as low as -12/15 in the winter. That is the main consideration for my hubby ( the cold and damp).


This useful website gives average and extreme temperature data by month/region over a 25 year period:
Thresholds by province - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> This useful website gives average and extreme temperature data by month/region over a 25 year period:
> Thresholds by province - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España


that is such a brilliant website - I use it all the time


----------



## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

Sonrisa said:


> Sorry I havent read the whole thread and I'm jumping in, but imo it's a little irresponsible to just move to another country unless you have a job secured beforehand or a regular source of income such a pension from your own country.
> 
> Even if you are sigle and want a little adventure, isn't that what holidays are for?


Most expats I know exactly did just that: hopping on a plane with no job secured, no place to stay arranged, and sometimes with little savings. Surprisingly; all of them ended up very well with little problems. While I always moved with a job secured beforehand (but with a place to stay only to be sorted after arrival in the new country) I admit I doubt I'd have the guts to just move without any guarantee of a job. But I do admire those who dare that. I know several such people and can only say I have the biggest respect for their determination. In a way I wish I were as brave as them.


----------

