What is life in Spain like?

When we came here 13 years ago there was a mas migration of Brits to Spain, either purchasing to reside here in Spain or purchasing as a holiday home.  House prices were cheap due to the value of the pound and cost of living here was also inexpensive. And of course we had the sun (over 300 days a year on average) and white sandy beaches. Life was good here with the only problem being the language and communicating with the Spanish residents. Of course everyone speaks English? not likely and why should they, it is Spain and they do speak Spanish,  Yes a lot of people speak English but not the important ones, ie. Police, town hall, people not in tourist areas etc.

There was not much in the way of UK shopping for food or clothes etc but now you can buy nearly everything you can get in the UK.  Even UK newspapers the same day as release in the UK. There are also lots of restaurants who serve UK food but still serve Spanish cuisine if you wish. It is always cheaper to buy Spanish foods and goods .  You can also receive UK television as well as TV from anywhere in the world including Sky Sports etc.  This was not available when we first came to Spain, Spanish TV or nothing, ha ha.

Health care here is second to none and unfortunately I have experienced it personally.  They are very caring and family oriented care with no large wards or waiting in corridors to get a bed.  Crime,  there are opportunist crime here like stealing of handbags and personal items but not a lot of serious crimes, like murder, armed robbery, bank robberies etc. Perhaps in the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona but we have not witnessed it around the Costa Blanca.  But remember you still must be careful and don´t leave things lying about, like cameras and mobile phones. You would not do it in the UK so don´t do it here.

The weather obviously is much warmer than the UK all the year round with not much of a winter at all.  Now and again you will see the newspapers making statements that it is warmer in the UK than Spain.  Ha ha , perhaps for a few hours or one day a year?  Can you honestly say you swam in the sea and it was not cold at all.  Unfortunately now the prices although still cheaper are not as cheap as it used to be although eating out here is far cheaper.  Car fuel is cheaper by about 20% but catching up all the time.

Anyway it is April 19th and the beaches are filling up and people are already in their pools swimming but still a bit cool for me. Last week temperatures reached the high 20 s +, not bad for April.  One thing I will mention is the Brits don’t like August here as it can be a bit to warm reaching the 40 s. In fact some go back to the UK during August, rain or no rain.  But if you are on holiday, the warmer the better. So come on over and enjoy yourself s, it’s a lovely country and even lovelier people. 

Hasta Luego

Harry In Spain.