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Hello From Spain
Vanity ^ | 4/17/2017 | Oshkalaboomboom

Posted on 04/17/2017 7:12:37 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom

Because my wife wanted to be closer to her Grandchildren who live in England and we were looking to retire I decided to leave America and move to Spain in March 2016. Since I didn't know how busy it was going to be I left FR also but now that we are settled in I can afford to spend a bit more time on the site and share my impressions of the country. Spain has a lot of things conservatives would actually appreciate and I wish America would follow their lead.

The most admired thing there is no entitlement mentality here because there are no entitlements. If you work and are a citizen you get health care and a pension when you retire but if you don't work or get laid off you get a limited amount of unemployment then nothing. Immigrants get nothing unless they pay for it. Couple that with a high unemployment rate and the limited number of migrants who sneak in here from Africa keep right on going into France. If you don't speak Spanish or Catalan that's your problem. Because there are a lot of English speaking people here and they want them to understand the traffic laws they do have an English study manual for a driver's license (which you have to pay for) and the written exam is given in English but anything else you either have to know the language or pay for an interpreter. All government documents are in Spanish (or Catalan if you live around Barcelona). Of course you can find stores and services that operate in multiple languages but that is driven by Capitalism, not government.

It is fairly easy to emigrate to Spain if you either have a skill they need or the money to support yourself. People applying for a working visa must have a promise of employment in hand. Folks like myself and my wife must prove they have the funds to be self-sufficient and pay for a year's worth of health insurance in advance to be considered for residency. Deadbeats need not apply. There are some expats who bum their way around the country entertaining on the streets or begging in front of stores but the competition is fierce and it doesn't take long for them to figure out it isn't going to work. There are no jobs Spaniards won't do. Many of them work punishing hours at low wages. 15 hour days 6 days per week is not uncommon and they show pride in having any job at all.

Once you get past those hurdles you have a host of choices on where and how you want to live. They have everything from mountainous regions to the spectacular coastline to Europe's only desert, recognizable to any fan of Spaghetti westerns. We chose an area called the Costa Tropical because it is the only part of Spain where the mountains come right down to the sea. The mountains form a microclimate that keeps the area about 10 degrees cooler than inland in summer and 10 degrees warmer in winter. It averages 320 days of sunshine per year and never gets down to freezing. As an example of how much sun we get the area we moved from, Atlanta, gets 211 days of sunshine per year. For you gardeners it is similar to zones 9-10. The other big advantage is that because it is so hilly it is easy to find a place to live that has a fabulous view. From our terrace we can see the Mediterranean, the Sierra Nevada mountains and the whitewashed town. We even have a castle to look at. With all of that we are 600 meters from the beach but on a quiet street with no traffic. You've heard the expression "million dollar view?" Well you can get that view here for a fraction of the price. If you forsake the view and want to rent a decent 2 bedroom flat can be had for 300 Euros per month, even less if you move inland a few kilometers. The cost of living is low enough that you can easily afford to live well on nothing more than a Social Security check.

With all of those nice features, you still live in a Socialist country. The most obvious sign of that is gas stations. Where we moved from in Georgia there were half a dozen gas stations within a mile in any direction while here we have 2 stations for a town of 27000 people. Gas prices are set twice a day and it's scary expensive. The big workaround for that, ourselves included, is the motor scooter. We have 2 cars but they sit idle while our scooter is the workhorse. It costs 5 euros to fill the tank and we fill it once a week. There is no 2nd Amendment right to own a gun. Shotguns are fairly easy to come by but pistols are strictly regulated. They actually used to have a thriving gun manufacturing industry here but it died years ago, a victim not of regulations but a bad economy. There are still a small number of manufacturers but it is mostly custom shotguns. I had to sell my guns before I left the USA. The main weapon of self defense is pepper spray, which is legal. Tasers and stun guns are illegal. For me it took about an hour, a hacksaw, can of spray paint, a rubber tip and a handle from a broken umbrella to fashion a walking stick made from a piece of half-inch steel pipe I got out of a trash can. It's legal anywhere in the world and can break bones without scratching the paint. Not the best but better than nothing.

I did get to vote in the Presidential election. Registering was easy and I was told that even though I don't live in Georgia anymore if I (nod, wink) intend to come back some day I was also eligible to vote in local elections. Since I did register as a Republican I still have to be alive to vote. Nobody here talks about American politics. It's either local or Brits talking about Brexit. I prefer to stay out of it because it's disheartening to hear so many people willing to sell out their sovereignty in order to keep getting "free stuff."

My main source of news is Fox News, which is shown on our local cable channel. Because of the 6 hour time difference I watch reruns of Tucker Carlson, Hannity and Bret Bair while at noon Fox and Friends comes on live. Other than that I have BBC News and RT. Most days it's hard to tell which channel is more anti-American.

Anyway, now that we're settled in I'll have more time to pay attention. Even though I'm in another country I still want what's best for America.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: expats; spain
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To: grey_whiskers

I thought he had made a mistake too because the only Sierra Nevada I knew of is the one on the California-Nevada border.


141 posted on 05/28/2017 3:38:17 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: JoeProBono
No pickpockets

A good deterrent is an AK47 with a bayonet. :)

142 posted on 05/28/2017 3:43:22 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Oshkalaboomboom
walk the Caminito del Rey

Wow. That looks hairy. You gotta send us a picture next time you take that walk.

143 posted on 05/28/2017 3:45:44 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Always wanted to hit Ibiza for the party life, and visit the site where ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ was filmed. Especially the final act of that movie. You can still see it from space (googled it).


144 posted on 05/28/2017 3:47:58 PM PDT by farming pharmer (www.sterlingheightsreport.com)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Thanks for telling me about this post. Wonderful. Please send out updates when you can.


145 posted on 05/28/2017 3:48:32 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: akalinin
Always wanted to hit Ibiza for the party life, and visit the site where ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ was filmed. Especially the final act of that movie. You can still see it from space (googled it).

We were planning on going to Ibiza, Mallorca, etc. but when we visited our first island, Tenerife, the view from the hotel wasn't much different from what we see every day. Same thing with the whitewashed villages. Now it doesn't feel like much fun to go to places like that. Almeria, OTOH, is totally different, the only desert in Europe. There are still 3 towns/movie sets there for you to visit. Oasys is where they filmed "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Band and The Ugly" Fort Bravo was also a set for TGTB&TU and Western Leone is where they filmed "Once Upon A Time In The West". It's only about 90 minutes from where we live.

146 posted on 05/29/2017 4:15:45 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Jim 0216
Looks like lots of Moorish-type architecture.

If you look at the picture in post 117 those 3 rocks used to be the entrance to the harbor. At the base of the rocks is a statue marking where on 15 August 755 Omeya Abd ar-Rahman I came ashore to establish a Moorish kingdom. On top of the rocks is a cross commemorating the surrender of the Arabs in Almunecar and the beginning of Christian rule in 1489. We can see the cross and the castle which guarded the harbor from our house. The cross is lit up at night, very pretty.

147 posted on 05/29/2017 4:38:49 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Love it. I love lit-up crosses at night. I hope your stay there continues to be rewarding.


148 posted on 05/29/2017 5:14:55 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Oshkalaboomboom
We were planning on going to Ibiza, Mallorca, etc. but when we visited our first island, Tenerife, the view from the hotel wasn't much different from what we see every day. Same thing with the whitewashed villages. Now it doesn't feel like much fun to go to places like that. Almeria, OTOH, is totally different, the only desert in Europe. There are still 3 towns/movie sets there for you to visit. Oasys is where they filmed "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Band and The Ugly" Fort Bravo was also a set for TGTB&TU and Western Leone is where they filmed "Once Upon A Time In The West". It's only about 90 minutes from where we live.

That sounds beautiful. I'm not Spanish (German/Polish), but Spain is on my list when I make it to Europe.
149 posted on 05/29/2017 7:08:26 PM PDT by farming pharmer (www.sterlingheightsreport.com)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Thanks for telling us about the series “Spectacular Spain”.

Thanks to the Madrid episode we will definitely go the “Chocolateria San Gines” for some Churros and Chocolate.


150 posted on 05/29/2017 7:14:57 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
Thanks for telling us about the series “Spectacular Spain”.

It's tough to summarize such a big and diverse country in 6 episodes but I think Alex Polizzi did a decent job. Granada is a short drive from our house and she gave us several visits worth of suggestions.

151 posted on 05/29/2017 10:27:51 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Jim 0216
I thought he had made a mistake too because the only Sierra Nevada I knew of is the one on the California-Nevada border.

dwfgator reminded me of the 6-part tv series Spectacular Spain with Alex Polizzi because I posted a link to it in response to a comment about Barcelona. That link has expired but the series is still on Youtube. Here is a link to one of the episodes that not only covers the Sierra Nevada, it shows the desert, Spaghetti Westerns, Moorish architecture at its finest and the city that is our provincial capital, the place where all your bureaucratic nightmares come true :-)

Spectacular Spain E3

152 posted on 05/30/2017 3:15:23 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

So, what kind of license would you need if your bike was bigger than 125cc? Like 1175cc bigger.


153 posted on 05/30/2017 4:10:48 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Thanks for your info about Spain.

My 16 year-old daughter will be spending a month this summer studying spanish at the University of Grenada. She will be living with a local family.

Is Grenada a safe area? Any migrant problems?


154 posted on 05/30/2017 4:28:57 AM PDT by Rum Tum Tugger
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To: AFreeBird

If you were a visitor you would just need your American motorcycle license and an International driver’s license. If you wanted to live here you would need a class A motorcycle license and, since you are an American, you would have to start from scratch. Sign up for a driving school, take your written exam, driving lessons and a practical exam. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been riding for 5 years or 50.


155 posted on 05/30/2017 5:21:14 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Okay. Thanks.


156 posted on 05/30/2017 5:32:52 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: Rum Tum Tugger

Spain is very safe and most crime that does occur is petty larceny like pickpockets. Because there are no safety nets there is very little migration unless they are migrants like my wife and myself who can afford it. I personally wouldn’t hesitate to send my daughter over from a crime point of view. It should be a great experience.


157 posted on 05/30/2017 5:44:51 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Jim 0216
Love it. I love lit-up crosses at night.

That reminds me of another thing I like about living here. Can you imagine what would happen if your town wanted to put a large cross on government property?

158 posted on 05/30/2017 5:53:11 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Thanks for sharing.

Have you read Michener’s “Iberia”, which I’m under an impression is a landmark work about Spain? I’ve never read it but my dad, as was his fashion, bought the book and read it prior to his visit to Spain. I think I may have to do the same before coming over.


159 posted on 05/30/2017 9:25:56 AM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Well, of course that gets into the whole constitutional issue in America. If the Constitution were the supreme law of the land as it is supposed to be -
and I have reason to believe may very well be again - the feds would own virtually no land outside of D.C. and state sovereignty and individual freedom would reign over the land. A big part of my life is dedicated to influencing that to happen - the restoration of our Free Constitutional Republic.

My website still under construction: https://sonsofconstitutionalliberty.com/


160 posted on 05/30/2017 9:33:55 AM PDT by Jim W N
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