My wife & I have decided that we’re going to move to Spain, and since triathlon is near to both of our hearts, & this is a triathlete forum, thought the 'twitchers & their infinite knowledge could be of some help…
We’re not sure where in Spain we’d like to live…preferably the coast. We don’t have jobs or living accommodations lined up; we’ve never even been there…so any advice you can offer is appreciated…
Thanks for your help.
I know nothing about Spain, but am inspired by such a ballsy move (no job, never having been there, etc.). Awesome. Good for you guys!
My bet would have to be the Pais Vasco area of Spain. This area is in the northeast portion of Spain along the French border. Commonly known as Basque country, this area is known for its lush land and SPECTACULAR food. San Sebastian is a charming little coastal city nestled on a lagoon/cove/harbour. The terrain is not mountainous but certainly not flat either. I will again make note of the EXCEPTIONAL food and people. Yes ETA is well known in the Basque Country but they make most of their trouble as a seperatist regime in Madrid. Drawbacks: cooler climate and harder to get to other parts of Europe.
For a warmer climb, head to the southern coast in Adalucia. Popular cities include, Malaga, Barcelona and Valencia. Of these, I would say that Barcelona is the most metropolitan and you can very easily access the rest of Europe from here.
Spain is the size of Texas (roughly) so it is manageable to travel across. You need to decide what is most important to you. Proximity to central business districts? Proximity and access to other countries? What type of lifestyle do you want? Sites and attractions? Climate? Etc.
Pictures of San Sebastian below.
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Now comes the lashing for not proposing Lance’s training ground of Girona, Spain. Certainly a ver viable idea for a suburb of Barcelona off the coast in an area known as the Costa Brava.
Howard, my wife and I did the same thing two years ago. We sold all of our belongings, left San Francisco, and headed for Spain with no job, no accomodations, little knowledge of the language, and never having been there before.
In short, it was the best decision we have ever made. We stayed a year, learned that it is nearly impossible to land a job from within Spain legally, and returned to the States almost broke but glad we had gone. We plan to return, someday, and try it again.
I wish you and your wife the best of luck. I could write a million things right now and provide lots of tips and advice, but unfortunately I’m directing a race (Fly by Night in Watkins Glen) in three days and I need to prepare. Feel free to call (315-585-6068) after this weekend if you’d like to chat - I’m more than happy to tell you what we found.
kind regards,
Jeffd
I don’t know where you live now, nor anything about your circumstances, but I have no idea why you’d choose Spain. Are you British and want to see the sun? That seeems a popular decision for some.
We recently moved back to the States after living in Madrid for 3 years for job purposes. While there, we got to see a lot of Spain and Europe for that matter, but that is one place I’m glad to be out of.
Although some have written that the bicycle is the ‘sacred cow’ of Spain, I’d think twice before doing lots of cycling on the roads. If second-hand smoke bothers you, stay home. If you’re looking for a more polite culture, Spain isn’t it. A very me first place. Very. The food? A lot better in Great Britain. Unless you prefer things like rabbit brain.
If you like red wine, Spain has a lot going for it. If you like eating dinner at 10PM, you’ll ;ove Spain. And if you speak fluent Spanish, go for it. Unlike many european countries, most adult citizens don’t speak english.
i’ll second the San Sebastian recommendation. it’s beautiful. i lived in spain for two years and my wife and i both want to move back there. i lived in madrid and salamanca for most of my time there. madrid’s a big city and has big city attitude, bustle, life, etc. smaller cities, like salamanca, bilbao (kind of a medium-sized city), and san sebastian, are more charming, people are nicer and more relaxed. but finding a job might be easier in madrid or barcelona.
if i could go back, i’d probably try to move to san sebastian or bilbao. i love basque country and castilla y leon. southern spain (andalucia and extremadura) are too hot for me.
if you have any questions, you can send me a message and i’d love to give you any advice i can.
good luck. spain’s great.
HowardIno,
Someone e-mailed me asking to reply to your post, as I grew up in Spain for 18 years. A lot of what others have written in here is true, but as to the guy/girl that wrote that the food in the UK is better… well, he/she is clearly on drugs or in a mental institution.
One thing I urge you seriously to consider is the fact that getting a job in Spain is EXTREMELY difficult, unless you do not mind working ilegally and for little money. This is why I left Spain, because the opportunities for those of us with professional degrees are limited and since there is such a high unemployment rate, well, employers have their way with employess. If they employee does not put up, there are 1,000 applicants ready to take his/her job. So, there, have this in mind. If you are planning on investing money and investing it in real estate projects, the potential is huge, absolutely huge.
Since you mention you and your wife like triathlon, I suggest very strongly Barcelona. This is the most modern city in Spain, industrially and athletically. Our best sports infrastructure lies in this city and there are many groups that get together to train in all different sports. In Barcelona most people do not talk Spanish, however they do know how to speak it. They prefer to talk in Catalan, a language extremely similar to French. The weather there is mild and you have an airport that will serve all major cities within western Europe. The food is fantastic. The culture is fantastic. The architecture is magnificent. And, if you like football, well, you must go to an FC Barcelona home game and experience the electrifying atmosphere.
I grew up in the far south, in the province of Malaga, whose capital city is Malaga. Along Malaga’s coast lie many towns/cities that will provide you with the most ideal weather, an amazingly international atmosphere that will offer you print magazine newspapers in over 25 languages, school for your kids in English, German, French or, of course Spanish. You can see the Atlas Mountains from Morocco without having to use binoculars. The nightlife is great. However, while there is sports infrastructure, it is not as good as it is in Barcelona. While Malaga is not a big city, its airport also serves all major cities in western Europe as Malaga and its neighboring towns/cities are the prefered destinations in the Summer for central and northern European citizens, as it offers sun, beaches and plenty of activities. Additionally you are close to Portugal and Morocco.
Riding a bike in Madrid is a direct request to be sent back to the US of A in a body bag. Riding in the smaller urban areas of Spain is a great pleasure. Our traffic laws and our requirements to obtain a driving license are much stricter than they are in the US of A, however Spain is a country that leads in many departments where we should not want to lead. For example, way too many traffic accidents. Way too much cocaine consumption. Very very high HIV infection rate. Ilegal immigration is out of control. Small crime is high. Smoking, well, lets just make sure you understand that there is no such thing as a non-smoking section in restaurants. The one thing that is quite different among other things is gun-related crime. The country of Spain has less homicides than any of the larger 25 cities in the US of A.
Well, once you decide let me know and I may be able to put you in touch with some local people who are into triathlon and/or masters swimming. Hope this all helps make our brave decision easier. Spain is a wonderful country to visit, but be prepared to endure some frustration if you plan to live there long term, the bureaucracy is extremely slow and incompetent. Our government is pretty much like yours, corrupted.
Cheers amigo!
better food in Great Britain than Spain…hahhahahahhahahhahahhahahhahhahahha
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Thanks for your responses. I knew I could get great info about the things that matter most here…
Your responses enlightened me to the fact that work may not come easily for a US citizen. I hadn’t thought about that before. We are both very fortunate in our current careers, but it seems finding similar work in Spain may prove difficult.
Having never been out of the country (with the exception of a few short trips to Mexico), what is the process for doing so for an extended period of time? It seems to stay for any length of time greater than 3 months(?) you need either a work or student visa?
Also, is the difficulty in finding legal work as a non-EU citizen the same throughout Europe, or is it localized in Spain?
Again, many thanks for your responses.
Dude, before you move half-way around the world, you may want to actually visit the country beforehand. I’ve been to many European countries, some that I thought I would like, I did. While others, I couldn’t wait to get home. Why don’t you and the wife take sabaticals from work and travel around Europe, get some local contacts, then decide. Some may call it balls-y, I call it ignorance.
but as to the guy/girl that wrote that the food in the UK is better… well, he/she is clearly on drugs or in a mental institution.
Or perhaps he ate in better restaurants in the UK than you did? Whilst I am not saying one is better than the other I do not indulge in generalisations. British cusine is much maligned but has been undergoing an renaissance (sp) in the last five years.
Do the names Keith Floyd, Delia Smith, Jaime Oliver, Rick Stein, Antony Worrell Thompson, Ainsley Harriett or perhaps the River Cafe or Lanigan’s mean anything to you? Probably not!
I miss not having M&S. All the pre cooked food - especially the curries.
In fact I miss not having access to the curry joints on every corner. And dont get me started about Melton Mowbray pork pies, stilton, aged cheddars and cream for the South West!
Funny you mention M&S foods, Simon. Every time I coming visting or Celina comes here we have to bring back mega bags of Hula Hoops to feed her colleague’s addiction he was handed down from his English father!
I’m sure you have noticed the enormous difference between real Cheddar and that which is passed off as Cheddar in the rest of the world. I would really miss Branston Pickle, good Black Pudding, Ambrosia rice pudding and Devon Custard. Although I love salmon and trout so it’s not all one way! As a butchers’ son having to pay for top quality meat of known provinance would take getting used to, even at Canadian prices!
HowardIno,
The EU regulations along with the tremendously high unemployment rate (about 12%) make it very difficult to allow for non-EU citizens to obtain jobs. It is quite simple, when you have a country with such high unemployment, you should make sure that the citizens of said country get priority when jobs open. However, there is good news and a way around this. Many companies from the US of A have opened offices in Spain. I would suggest you search for companies in your field that have offices in Spain and apply to work for them while you are still in the US, but expressing strong interest to have them transfer you to España. I have friends who did that and it is working out great for them. If you go to Spain and then start looking for jobs, you will be very frustrated, as you will be required to get residency first (this takes ridiculously long) and you will be asked to complete other bureaucratic garbage.
If you have anywhere between $5M to $10M or more, you can invest wisely along the coastal regions in the many development projects that go on and enjoy the substantial returns, but again, you must be patient because Spain is officially the “Land Of Mañana”, if you know what I mean. If you are hoping to obtain a professional job and enjoy a healthy salary from it, I must let you know that your chances are extremely slim.
The nice thing about Barcelona, besides its popular triathlon community, is that it houses a wide variety of US companies due to its industrial importance in Spain and its shipping harbor. You should check to see what companies in your field have offices there, but if you apply, make sure you apply while you are in the US because if you do once you are in Spain, then the Spanish/EU regulations will apply.
If you go to Malaga or any of its nearby towns/cities, you will enjoy a vastly different part of Spain which will provide you with ample international opportunities, people and culture. I believe “sperera” is from Gibraltar, a unique little community which has endured through some tough times until the border was opened. It is amazing how in such a little place, everything fits, however tight it may be. Gibraltar is, no question, better off in British hands, because if Spain had it, things would be a f-ing disaster there and the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar would be like a wide open door at your local strip joint.
As to food, believe me, Spain will not disappoint you. We don’t need to talk about women because you already have one. We’ve discussed riding. Again, once you know if you go and where you’ll go, I’ll be glad to give you some contacts for exercising purposes.
Cheers!
This is too funny: be assured you can get Branston and real aged Cheddar, even salad cream, marmite and sandwich spread! We always have Branston, but I draw a line at Salad Cream (for you North Americans its a bit like what Miracle Cream is to mayo)
Also be assured I know where to buy black pudding, pork pies, IronBru, Bird’s Eye Custard, sweets sold by weight, etc. But rice pudding in a can is hard to find, as is back bacon, not the skinny bacon that is popular in NA. Also tea (real tea - like Tetlys) is weak compared to what you get. And cream here is a bit water down too, you clotted cream is impossible to find here.
Re: Meat - actually there has been a bit of a move back to standalone butchers. Not a bad one in Port Moody, right beside Runners Den. There are a few cropping up all over in the last few years. Some very good beef can be found locally.
I’m not too into the usual Brits food. But, I hadn’t remembered that bacon is entirely different in North America, I favoured green back so I will be needing that address off you. I understand there is a place devoted to British products near the waterfront Richmond way, or have I got that wrong? Have you tried the Italian pattiserie in Newport Village by the Runners Den? Wow, great pastries in a homemade European/ French style. Good to hear Butchers are not a dying trade there.
Tea isn’t an issue for me as I my body is very intolerant of caffeine, herbals all the way for me. Timmies Apple Cinnemon is my favourite there.
Don’t forget a Ripple chocolate bar, other than Purdeys, chocolate is shocking particularly Hersey’s!
Yes, I actually posted from a mental institution. 
Nice. Where can I order some of that Peaceful tribe stuff? Snerk.
I moved to Spain from England, where I lived for three years as well, so I think I have an informed opinion. Swinford Paddocks in Newmarket is pretty darn good. The eats at the Palacio Real? Not so good, but it was pretty funny to watch the King smoke without any ashtrays in the room. There goes another carpet.
I prefer British food to Spanish food because the blokes appreciate a few good vegetables. The Spanish? Not so much. And, for the record, I HATE having a hunk of tuna thrown on my garden salad.
Having lived in several countries outside of the US, it is romantic to pull up stakes, move, and see what happens. In reality, it is hard work and quite stressful without employment nor the native language skills.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
There’s a British pastry shop (that carries all sorts of pommy stuff) in Steveston, the south-west corner of Richmond. I sometimes stop there on my longer rides thru Richmond.
AP
Be prepared to take Siestas in the middle of the day!!!
Thanks K, I thought I had the language side of things covered, but every now and the nsomething pops up and wonder “What the hell is that?”. I appreciate the encouragement.
