Turns Out We Moved to Spain … to See Spain

Photo by Michel Meuleman on Unsplash

July 27th marks 11 months in Spain. We are perilously close to one whole year of living in Europe.

Honestly, I thought we’d spend the year gallivanting across the continent, checking off as many countries as possible. I think a lot of people have similar thoughts when they move abroad, be it South America, Asia, or Europe. But like so many things in life, the reality has been different. We’ve spent most of this year exploring Spain.

At Christmas, we went to Madrid. Over spring break, we were in Mallorca. I took my daughter back to Madrid in June for a girls’ day out. And at the end of August, we’re headed to beautiful Asturias. Of course, we’ve also spent lots of time getting to know Valencia, wandering down its cobblestone streets in the city center, grabbing dinners by the beach, and finding our favorite ice cream shops.

On Instagram, I follow Decipher Spain, a relocation company that helps people move to Spain. I’ve become online friends with the woman who runs it (Jessica), and she’s generously shared some great advice with me (for free!) over the past several months. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen her offer to her audience is to spend the first year in Spain exploring. Get to know the country, culture, and people. And you might find that where you’ve initially landed isn’t where you want to live long-term.

Asturias has long been on my radar. It hugs Spain’s northern Atlantic coast, with dramatic cliffs that could rival any in Ireland. Parts of it are remote and romantically wild, so it’s right up my alley.

So why didn’t we move there?

1. School options. We were asking a lot of our tweens to move to a new country with a language they don’t (yet) speak. Access to English-speaking schools was a huge priority. In Asturias, it is much less common than in the more international city of Valencia.

2. Healthcare. Healthcare is fabulous all over Spain. However, Valencia offers a wide range of healthcare options, being the third-largest city in the country. I have a chronic eye condition, and receiving treatment for that in English was a priority. My Spanish is improving every day, but holding a full conversation centered around medical needs would be a huge challenge. Most medical professionals in Valencia speak a degree of English, and in conjunction with my Spanish, we can communicate fairly easily. That’s not true all over Spain.

3. Transportation. Living in Asturias would mean we would need a car, and I’m not yet ready to commit to owning one. Valencia’s public transit is pretty amazing, and we get around the city with a mix of subway, tram, buses, and taxis. And if I don’t get that driver’s license? I still have freedom of movement in Valencia. We would be more limited in Asturias, so until I have that license in hand, I don’t want to commit to a more rural landscape.

I’m excited about this upcoming vacation. I low-key hope I don’t fall in love because I’ve been known to pack my bags and skedaddle. 😉