Hi from Alicante Spain

tonymar

Arkers wrote: »

Hi Tony,


At times an interesting and informative discussion. We have a holiday home in Murcia, which suffered a flood last September. This was subsequently classed as an environmental disaster and dealt with by the Spanish Consorcio (A government backed scheme which is paid for via insurance premiums). This in theory is an excellent idea, but it gave me a taste of Spanish bureaucracy at its best!


What it did highlight was how disenfranchised I felt at not being able to communicate effectively, and how beholden I was to others who may not have necessarily had our best interests at heart.


It has spurred me on to try and make myself understood and to understand the language, but I am struggling and it reminds me of how bad I was at French at school:eek:, nevertheless, I don't want to be in this situation again.


I appreciate that when in Rome etc but the Spanish have officialdom down to a fine art, and I wonder if you or others have had any experiences to share?


This aside, now the children are getting a bit older I can see a time when my other half and I can think about spending more time out in Spain, however having witnessed too many disasters I would always have a bolt hole in Britain.:T


Arkers

Hi Arkers

I Know what you mean about not being able to communicate well.

I remember when we were first here , so frustrating .

its much better now we can stand our corner and argue back , much easier to get stuff sorted now !!

It will help you if your Spanish is reasonable , but like you I struggled with French at school , so Spanish has not come easily to me , still learning all the time !

Hope you get to spend more time here and enjoy your property !

Cheers Tony:)

tonymar

pineapple123 wrote: »

The sun may be out in Spain but its not always sunny having a home overseas.
We have a house in France and can speak some of the language however the red tape for everything is crazy. The £ has changes so much against the euro that its not always cheap. You pay monthly for a bank account and every transaction. Your pension varies because of the exchange rate ( im not a pensioner ). Everything legal is very different than the UK.

No NHS unless you stay resident of UK by having property here (early pension retirees rule changes July 2014) No social care either can be a worry if you are getting on in years.
Return after a few years you need to pass UK residency test no automatic state help for housing or welfare.

If thinking of moving to europe you really need to do your homework. It can be a wonderful life experience but you really must plan ahead especially if you are retired.

A couple have moved near us from France , they said the main reason is for the better weather

The health service in Spain is great , I cant fault it !

Cheers Tony

summerholiday

On another note, Tony, could you imagine returning to the UK due to the climate being simply to hot to do anything, particularly in July September?

I have friends who have retired to Spain and notice that they do not lie about in the sun at all and a tan becomes less appealing for the women.

Have you provided for your future income in retirement? I imagine you pay into the English State Pension? How will you support yourself when that time comes?

Many people seem to think it is good for their children to live in hot climates, where life is easier for the adults, however, from what I have been told by many of their grandparents living in England is that the reality is very worrying and that they often lose their way, end up doing casual or bar work and do not have a proper career structure, only speak basic incorrect Spanish, become part of the 25% ? unemployed and end up on drugs.

Spain has a special relationship with China and many of the previously Spanish owned shops are now in Chinese hands at special low business rates. They do not employ outsiders, so to speak.

Forced to confront this situation that their parents have placed them in, they believe that they can return to England and find work. This too proves difficult due to ambitious EU workers being prepared to work hard and outperform these young people.

Interestingly, I sometimes visit the local college where I live to see what the youth in this country is learning and up to, and noticed in the last 8 years the rise of EU nationals taking advantage of our training opportunities, against dwindling number of English students; who seem lacking in energy, goals and determination. Is this your experience in Spain?

I myself lived in Franco's Spain many years ago, learning enough Spanish before I left and worked for a while. I also lived abroad for many years. Life is more than beer and sun bathing. Do you read Spanish newpapers, keep up-to-date with local affairs? What do you do all day in the heat? Most of the English I know play scrabble and watch English TV. Were I to live abroad now I would prefer to keep my home here and only rent, leaving me free to travel around Spain etc.

Another point is that women do not like being away from their family for too long, particularly once grandchildren come along and then want to return to Blighty for good.
Tell us what life is like on a daily basis.

tonymar

summerholiday wrote: »

On another note, Tony, could you imagine returning to the UK due to the climate being simply to hot to do anything, particularly in July September?

I have friends who have retired to Spain and notice that they do not lie about in the sun at all and a tan becomes less appealing for the women.

Have you provided for your future income in retirement? I imagine you pay into the English State Pension? How will you support yourself when that time comes?

Many people seem to think it is good for their children to live in hot climates, where life is easier for the adults, however, from what I have been told by many of their grandparents living in England is that the reality is very worrying and that they often lose their way, end up doing casual or bar work and do not have a proper career structure, only speak basic incorrect Spanish, become part of the 25% ? unemployed and end up on drugs.

Spain has a special relationship with China and many of the previously Spanish owned shops are now in Chinese hands at special low business rates. They do not employ outsiders, so to speak.

Forced to confront this situation that their parents have placed them in, they believe that they can return to England and find work. This too proves difficult due to ambitious EU workers being prepared to work hard and outperform these young people.

Interestingly, I sometimes visit the local college where I live to see what the youth in this country is learning and up to, and noticed in the last 8 years the rise of EU nationals taking advantage of our training opportunities, against dwindling number of English students; who seem lacking in energy, goals and determination. Is this your experience in Spain?

I myself lived in Franco's Spain many years ago, learning enough Spanish before I left and worked for a while. I also lived abroad for many years. Life is more than beer and sun bathing. Do you read Spanish newpapers, keep up-to-date with local affairs? What do you do all day in the heat? Most of the English I know play scrabble and watch English TV. Were I to live abroad now I would prefer to keep my home here and only rent, leaving me free to travel around Spain etc.

Another point is that women do not like being away from their family for too long, particularly once grandchildren come along and then want to return to Blighty for good.
Tell us what life is like on a daily basis.

Thanks for your reply Summer holiday

My wife is in employment here so we will get a Spanish pension , also own some property

I must admit I am a person who lives for the day , I dont think too much about the future

I think we are all here for a short time and any thing can happen !!

So live life from day to day !!

My kids life is here , they have no desires to live in the UK
They live a social life very non materialistic , have many Spanish friends and enjoy fiestas with out the drink culture.

We are like the Spanish now we avoid the sun ( we can tell English tourists as they wear summer clothes in the winter )

I have a Finca with quite a large plot , there is always something for me to do !!

I dont like politics, so dont really keep up with current affairs , It dose not interest me , am only interested in living my life ( sorry if that sounds selfish , no one has given me anything, I have worked for what I have )

Our family is here so dont miss the UK .

But your points are valid and may affect other people

It is a big decision to move to another country and you should give it plenty of thought

It has worked out for us , but it is not for every body !!

Cheers Tony:)

Lord_Baltimore

tonymar wrote: »

At last MY LORD !! we have some thing in common !

Bet your bike is better than mine , I prayed 30 pounds for mine off a guy I used to work with ! at least it works

Except the time I was 10 kilometres up the track I showed you before
got a puncture and had to cycle back on a flat !

Tony

1

Well my ATB was a grand but my road bike, which cost much less, is my favourite - a classic made of steel; none of this namby-pamby carbon lark.

Don't talk to me about punctures. I've given up on repairs and just carry a replacement tube. Repairs are not worth the faff.

rich11

Its funny stumbling across this thread as my wife and I are intending to buy a holiday home in the Alicante region this summer.


Our main problem is opening a euro account.Most of the banks here don't offer the facility and the ones in Spain want residencia and a permanent address both of which we have not got

tonymar

rich11 wrote: »

Its funny stumbling across this thread as my wife and I are intending to buy a holiday home in the Alicante region this summer.


Our main problem is opening a euro account.Most of the banks here don't offer the facility and the ones in Spain want residencia and a permanent address both of which we have not got

Hi

I asked in my local bank about what is needed to open an account

All you need to open a non-resident account is your passport and to be there in person to sign

you can then control your account remotely via internet banking
which is available in English (caja mar bank )

What part of Alicante are you looking at ?

Cheers Tony

rich11

Thanks for the info. We are looking between Punta Prima and La Zenia. We have seen some great properties online but obviously viewing in person is the key



We have been talking about it for years but have decided this year is the year to take the plunge

tonymar

rich11 wrote: »

Thanks for the info. We are looking between Punta Prima and La Zenia. We have seen some great properties online but obviously viewing in person is the key



We have been talking about it for years but have decided this year is the year to take the plunge

Hi Rich

From what I have seen now is a great time to buy ,

So you like the Torrevieja area , we often go to La Zenia for the shopping centre .

Have you visited the area before , I live in a totally different location , more rural and Traditionally Spanish .

But I guess Torrevieja is better for holidaying if you want to be close to bars restaurants etc .

Cheers Tony

rich11

Yeah we spent a year in Campello years ago and have holidayed in the Torrevieja region a few times. We are not bothered about being directly on a beach but within a few kilometres of on for when Grandchildren etc visit.I do agree that now seems to be the time to buy