# Where to move



## peanut (Jan 26, 2009)

Where's the best place to move for a family with two little kids. 
Weather: not very hot and not very cold either
Location:not necessary in the big cities,but in a convenient area
School:nearby
Community:not necessary around foreigners community,would love to blend in with the locals
Hobbies:travel,outdoor activities,sports,ethnic foods
I can't remember what else,but mainly we're looking for a good place for our kids to grow up.Australia was our first choice,but paper work is too lenghty and it's too far. We like to travel and Europe has more to offer in that direction.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2010)

Hi, I live near Sevilla, from here you can easliy travel to sea/mountains there are all types of sports available in the this area from on water to on snow and in the air. There are several good schools it seems ( talking to friends with kids) Donaña National Park is nearby. Sevilla itself it a beautiful city and there are many different eating places around.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

peanut said:


> Where's the best place to move for a family with two little kids. Well, we'll probably all say where we currently are to this question, but according to your questions, I'll answer on my little bit of heaven here in Galicia!!
> Weather: not very hot and not very cold either (Not so much the extremes of heat/cold here. But you do get rain - that's why it's so gorgeously green)
> Location:not necessary in the big cities,but in a convenient area - Plenty of choice here, be it coastal, mountainous areas, rural - take your pick. All within pretty much very easy reach of towns/villages and larger towns too with all the amenities they offer - incl. public transport.
> School:nearby Yep, we have those too!! You don't mention the ages of your kids, but if they're little (I'm assuming under 10??? then I'd recommend a state school. I see your current location is Rumania - are you a citizen of that country or merely based there? I mention this cos there are a couple of Rumanian children in my kids school and they've settled in pretty well with no language problems. Oh yes, another point to mention - Castellano and Gallego are the languages taught/spoken here.
> ...


There's a great sense of community here - as I'm sure others will comment on in their parts of Spain - and the fact that children are able to remain as children for longer here, without too much peer pressure. Huge sense of family and respect to others. It's one of the major pluses for us.

But, Spain is a huge country - have you visited before or have any particular areas in mind that you're attracted to? 


Tallulah.x


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## morlandg (Jun 8, 2008)

ValL - anybody tell you what nice legs you've got? LOL


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2010)

You trying to get me into more trouble  off topic again ValL

errrrr yes they did, I married him whoooooohoooooo 


sadly he died last year :Cry: I did have the most wonderful 5 years with him.


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## peanut (Jan 26, 2009)

Thank you for your replies. I already checked them both out and I liked what I saw. 
My kids are 4 and 1 and I'd really like a state school so they can blend in better. I'm Romanian,my husband is Iranian with Romanian residency (from what info we gathered he has the same rights as me) and we speak English at home. Kids speak Romanian as well,so I guess learning Spanish won't be a problem for them.
We hear a lot about the crisis,so is it better to wait for another year for the move or should get started to plan. We'd like to buy a property over there and worried that if we wait too long prices might go up,especially that we want to rent first before making a final decision.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

I agree with ValL. Sevilla is a lovely province, the small village we live in is friendly and welcoming and very children orientated. There is a Romanian family in the village, although their children are adults now.


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## Claire la richarde (Jul 6, 2009)

Just a thought...

Will either or both of you have to earn a living? If so, what sort of work? Will that affect where you will need to live?


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

We earn a living looking after rental properties, cleaning pools etc. We also sell and rent property in the area. I think times are tough for everyone at the moment. My daughter was living in Fuengirola last summer, although she had work it was very stressful as she didn't know if at the end of the week she would be told she had no work the following week. She had a young baby to support and rent to pay. She decided that she didn't get a degree in Travel and Tourism to live that way and returned to the UK in november. Unless you are fluent in Spanish, even on the coast there isn't a lot of work.


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## Claire la richarde (Jul 6, 2009)

Sorry if you thought my question was directed to you, Cazzy. I actually meant it for the OP, Peanut - I should have made that clear.

I just wondered whether Peanut and/or OH needed to choose somewhere with good, fast, reliable broadband, for instance, if involved in internet business, or near an airport / motorways with good connections to particular places, if needing to travel regularly with work.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Claire la richarde said:


> Sorry if you thought my question was directed to you, Cazzy. I actually meant it for the OP, Peanut - I should have made that clear.
> 
> I just wondered whether Peanut and/or OH needed to choose somewhere with good, fast, reliable broadband, for instance, if involved in internet business, or near an airport / motorways with good connections to particular places, if needing to travel regularly with work.


No Probs,

But it does need to be thought about!!


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## Keidik (Nov 26, 2008)

I know a couple of families in the Valencia area who are very happy for some of the reasons you mention. Not bang in the city centre, but 20 mins from the airport in one of the towns nearby.


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## peanut (Jan 26, 2009)

Only my husband will be working in the beginning,we can support ourselves with extra income from rentals back home. Internet would be just for personal use. We'd like to open a family restaurant or coffee shop,but that later on,after we settle down and probably,after the crisis is over. My husband is a in the fitness industry,but we realise there aren't many jobs available. He's considering working as a bouncer or painter for extra income,till things get moving.
I'm having a hard time learning about the provinces.Googleing it doesn't help as I need the personal opinion on each place. Do I open a new topic on this and ask everyone what they like about their place? I think I have some relatives around Madrid and somewhere in South,I know it's somewhere really hot.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

peanut said:


> Only my husband will be working in the beginning,we can support ourselves with extra income from rentals back home. Internet would be just for personal use. We'd like to open a family restaurant or coffee shop,but that later on,after we settle down and probably,after the crisis is over. My husband is a in the fitness industry,but we realise there aren't many jobs available. He's considering working as a bouncer or painter for extra income,till things get moving.
> I'm having a hard time learning about the provinces.Googleing it doesn't help as I need the personal opinion on each place. Do I open a new topic on this and ask everyone what they like about their place? I think I have some relatives around Madrid and somewhere in South,I know it's somewhere really hot.


Was it your OH who joined a while ago Peanut and was talking about opening a place up on the Camino de Santiago somewhere??? 

It's a plus that you've got an income from elsewhere to tide you over whilst you're making the transition. Spain is a huge place - have you not been before/do you have absolutely no idea of whereabouts you'd like to be??

I think a few of us have already commented on what we like about our own particular areas - perhaps if you narrow it down a bit to areas that are of particular interest to you, you'll get more responses/opinions etc.

Tallulah.x


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## peanut (Jan 26, 2009)

OH is not a member here.He's making me do all the research.We've never been to Spain,but we know it's close to both our cultures.We lived all over the world,so adapting won't be a problem for us. Coming back to our native lands was more difficult than any move we ever made.
So far,I really have no idea of where we'd like to live. It's important that kids can have access to a lot of activities,sports,theater,and so on.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Tallulah said:


> Spain is a huge place - have you not been before/do you have absolutely no idea of whereabouts you'd like to be??
> 
> I think a few of us have already commented on what we like about our own particular areas - perhaps if you narrow it down a bit to areas that are of particular interest to you, you'll get more responses/opinions etc.
> 
> Tallulah.x


As Tallulah says pepople have commented on their areas and what they like about them before so you could get some ideas searching this forum (you'll find a place to click on the main Spain page towards the top on the right) You can search *living in Madrid/ Malaga* etc and I think smth will come up.

As for work, your OH might get smth, but on the bouncer front, just recently a new law was brought in where you have to do some tests to be legally employed. I don't know what kind of tests exactly except there's one psychological one. This was brought in because a young boy was savagely beaten up by a bouncer in Madrid and died. I'm telling you this 'cos obviously the tests will be in Spanish, and if you don't do them you won't be legally employed.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

I think your best bet is to come over, maybe some expatforum members could meet up with you in different areas and show you around, I would be happy to do that if you came to our area. 
Cazzy


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## peanut (Jan 26, 2009)

Oh,thank you for the offer. Working as a bouncer would be his last option,he's 40 now with kids so he considers it a risky job.
Anyone has any ideas how can we find Iranian communities? 
I think I like the idea of somewhere around Madrid.
I have to ask this,since a lot of people are advising us to go to England. Why did you choose Spain over England?
Did I say already that I love fiestas?


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

peanut said:


> Oh,thank you for the offer. Working as a bouncer would be his last option,he's 40 now with kids so he considers it a risky job.
> Anyone has any ideas how can we find Iranian communities?
> I think I like the idea of somewhere around Madrid.
> I have to ask this,since a lot of people are advising us to go to England. Why did you choose Spain over England?
> Did I say already that I love fiestas?


The weather and the layed back pace of life. Spain has got very expensive now though!!


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