A year in Andalucia – why we’re moving to Spain

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Malaga 7 – London 15! This is not the latest football score ….  I’ve just left Malaga in the pouring rain to go back to the UK which, surprisingly, is lovely sunny and warm.  Rain in Spain is good for the garden, and good for the olives, or at least that is what we say to each other to stay positive.  But not so great when you are trying to get warm in a house in ‘el campo’ without central heating. One aspect of having a house in Spain that continues to surprise me.  It can be cold!

Before I go any further, a brief introduction.  I am Marijke, a Dutch national, married to Hilary, a Brit, and we’ve lived and worked for many years in and around London.  With two grown-up children, we decided in the usual empty nester way to do something entirely different, which in our case was to buy a holiday home in Spain.

Did we plan well in advance how we would do this?  Or consider how often we would visit? Or realise what we were getting ourselves into? Or try to calculate the various risks, with Brexit on the far horizon?  Or indeed did we do anything that normal sane and considered people would do? No, of course not! We plunged straight in, having seen the house of our dreams on an impulse visit to Fuente del Conde, near Iznajar, around one hour’s drive due north of Malaga.  

Brief note for anyone thinking of buying a house in Spain:  beware of viewing houses during the month of May, when the spring flowers are at their best, the temperature is delightful, the sun shines brightly, the water sparkles, and everything, even the worst hovels, look charming.  I have compared notes with a number of our non-Spanish neighbours who have a house in ‘el campo’ and, not surprisingly, May was a popular buying month for most!

Our home, Casa Campestre in Andalucia

We’ve now had our Spanish house for more than three years, and it has been an incredibly interesting and fun adventure (mostly!).  Our friends often ask when we will move to Spain permanently and retire there. Now retirement is not something that I have thought about much.  I like working (mostly!), and I wasn’t ready to give up my London life and live in the middle of olive trees for the rest of my life. But then a friend re-phrased the question, and simply said: ‘why don’t you live in Spain for just one year?’ And this suddenly seemed a much more attractive proposition.  No commitment for ever more, but a way to spend a good long chunk of time in our lovely Spanish house, and really knowing what it is like to live there, with a dream to become fluent in Spanish (unlikely to happen!) and really integrate with our Spanish neighbours. So, decision made …

From next September we will be moving to our house, Casa Campestre, in Spain for a whole year.  This fortnightly blog will be about the build-up to our move, the practical things around moving to a new country, our thoughts and feelings, and the stories of our experiences and adventures during our one year in Andalucia.  More next time …


9 comments

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  • Ann E. C. R. Miko

    22 Jul. 2022

    What an amazing adventure. It will be great to read.
  • Amanda Blades

    22 Jul. 2022

    So interesting! Will be following it with intent! My hubby and I want to rent for a year in Torrox, in a couple of years when we retire! Also empty nesters as my youngest son just moved out. Want to buy eventually but a year will be ideal for testing the water!!
  • Irene Melville

    22 Jul. 2022

    Look forward to reading this very much.
  • Julie Thornton

    22 Jul. 2022

    I am looking forward to your blogs, it’s an amazing adventure which I am very envious of! I hope you enjoy every minute.
  • Marijke

    22 Jul. 2022

    Just noticed there are comments on the blogs and spotted yours! Only 4 more weeks in UK, yikes! next week my last days at work and then more and more and more packing and cleaning. Unbelievable what a load of stuff one keeps. Hope you manage to keep reading and perhaps visit us one day if you happen to be in Southern Spain!
  • Hussain Al Sajwani

    22 Jul. 2022

    I think its a perfect plan to stay for a year and see how it works. I have always thought of living in Andalucia or nearby, and you have rightly said that one must visit in winter to test the water and not in May when everything seems perfect. Thanks for the tip!
  • dawn at kyero.com

    22 Jul. 2022

    Hello Hussain, Thank you for you positive feedback on Marijkes’ blog. I hope you have found all the information we have available at our ‘Resources & Advise’ section, here is the link: I’m sure you will find our ‘Podcasts’ also very interesting to listen to. Happy reading and listening.
  • Henrietta Dempsey

    22 Jul. 2022

    We have just bought a house in Competa ad have come over for 3 months – I am e noting reading your blogs it has given me lots of advice a d interesting places to visit – look forward to reading more
  • dawn at kyero.com

    22 Jul. 2022

    Hello Henrietta, Thank you for your comments on Marijkes’ blog, we are so pleased to hear you find them very interesting. Please check every other week and you will find more. You may also find our podcasts very interesting to listen to: . Happy reading and listening.

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