Today I write about a structure in my little town of El Campello, Spain. It is a small stone fortification on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was built at least 60 years before Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, but it reminds me of an often overlooked chapter of American history.
Continue reading “All Along the Watchtower”A Week of Clarity in Barcelona
Antoni Gaudí was a Barcelona architect who lived from 1852 to 1926. He had a one-of-a-kind style that incorporated many colors and elements (e.g., metal work, carpentry, tile, stone, etc.). Critics said his designs were “over the top,” even “gaudy” (people debate whether the word’s modern meaning is derived from Gaudi’s work). This picture of a town home he remodeled offers some justification for both fans and critics.
Continue reading “A Week of Clarity in Barcelona”“Sentient Nails Worry About Hammers” or “Notarizing Documents in Spain”
Our house in Manitou Springs went under contract before we moved to Spain. It still has not closed. That’s because real estate transactions move slowly so the prospective buyer has time to hire an idiot home inspector.
I’m not saying that all home inspectors are morons. That would be unfair to the home inspectors I have never met. I’m just saying every home buyer has a fundamental right hire an idiot inspector, if that’s what the purchaser wants to do. Most home buyers seem to exercise that right. Our buyers certainly did, but that’s another story.
Our story today begins in Spain. We have satisfactorily addressed all the inspector’s idiotic objections. The title company emails a dozen documents needing our signatures. Over half of them require notarized signatures.
Now you are sitting up in your seats. “Notarized signatures, you say? Please, Dan, don’t stop now! Tell us how you got your documents notarized!”
Your sarcasm is not unexpected. However, this story involves a pretty girl, assault weapons, and an Ambassador named “Duke.” I am lucky to have survived to tell the tale.
Continue reading ““Sentient Nails Worry About Hammers” or “Notarizing Documents in Spain””“RENTING A CAR IN SPAIN” or “MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY MUST DIE”
Renting a car in Spain is a very important topic. Honestly, I can’t tell you the number of cards and letters we have gotten, all from readers asking what it is like to rent a car in Spain.
Continue reading ““RENTING A CAR IN SPAIN” or “MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY MUST DIE””Questions Answered!
We have been inundated with questions! We couldn’t possibly answer them all. To be fair we wrote the questions on small slips of paper. We put the slips in a hat and selected questions randomly. This proved unwise because for some reason we tended to draw the really stupid questions. So we decided not to be fair. Here are ten of the most intelligent questions, each one submitted by a bright and incredibly good looking reader:
Continue reading “Questions Answered!”“George Clooney’s Lawyer Is on Line 1” or “Why We Moved to Spain”
A retired lawyer and his school teacher wife sell everything and move to Spain. You wonder why. Were they running from creditors? A Mafia hit squad? Did a scraggly homeless man sell them a map to treasure buried in the Pyrenees?
Continue reading ““George Clooney’s Lawyer Is on Line 1” or “Why We Moved to Spain””“What, Me Worry?” or “How We Got to Spain”
Two Americans, not as young as they once were, move to Spain. Neither speaks Spanish. Why in the world would they do that? A very good question. But not the one we will be answering today.
Today we explain how they got to Spain.
Continue reading ““What, Me Worry?” or “How We Got to Spain””The Incredibly Weird Spanish Bureaucracy
It was a couple of days after arriving in Spain. Denise and I were strolling down a beautiful tiled walkway, restaurants and cafes to our left and the Mediterranean on our right. People were walking towards us, and also in and out of the adjacent businesses. Denise looked at me and said, “These Spanish women are gorgeous.”
“Really?” I arched a quizzical eyebrow. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Continue reading “The Incredibly Weird Spanish Bureaucracy”The Spanish Consulate
This is the 21st century, which means that every adventure starts with paperwork. And if you are moving to Spain there will be a lot of paperwork.
The Decision to Mosey On
Had we lived in the Middle Ages my wife and I would be dead now. That seems obvious, but what I mean is that people back then tended not to live to be 58 or 63, as we have done. And yet, according to life expectancy tables, we can expect to be above ground for another twenty years.