Getting Here - 2004

When we decided to move to Spain it wasn't done with a great amount of aforethought or even that much planning. We had both been to Spain ONCE in our lives and not together either!! We didn't know the country at all. "A place in the Sun" has a lot to answer for!!

The idea grew very quickly and we made a trip together in November of 2003 to visit the Costa de la Luz. We had to stay in Portugal as there were few hotels open in Huelva Province - north of Seville. The Costa de la Luz is fabulous. Its quiet, pretty and the light is different. The beaches are wonderful and the very large area of National Park help to keep the construction much more under control. However, we drove "round the corner" and decided that the infrastructure was better for us on the more populated Costa del Sol.

First decision made. After that it was easy. We came back again in February 2004 and stayed in Calahonda in an apartment overlooking the sea and it rained, and it rained and it rained. We started the driving thing again - the only way to decide what you like the look of! We drove to Competa (a lovely picturesque village up a mountain to the east of Malaga) - Competa was running down the hill to meet us - MUD and stones and water like you wouldn't believe. We covered a lot of ground during that week driving from Calahonda to Nerja and then up to Antequera where we got well and truly lost. Every time we tried to get out of Antequera it "threw" us out on a different road. But for all the less than idyllic views we got at that time we sawa plenty to inspire us and more to the point - we still wanted to come here.

And this is the purpose of this blog. As you will have seen from the one I wrote about the rain a couple of days ago. For the most part its beautiful here - a tad warm in July and August - but when it rains it really is not the most beautiful place on earth and it doesn't cope that well with the conditions. Therefore if you are thinking of moving to Spain (or anywhere else for that matter) do try and see it, if not at its worst, at some of its less appealing moments. Then there will be less nasty surprises in store for you when you have already moved.

Thats it for today folks - enough already!!

Good website to visit if you haven't been there already www.andalucia.com