The Rain in Spain

 There seems to be a lot of buzz about Spain and Portugal these days. I blame International Living magazine which states that they are two of the cheapest countries to live in. American politics, the cost of living in other countries, and inflation everywhere has people rethinking where they want to live.

I am Canadian and feel no reason to flee my country’s politics, and God knows I cannot afford to flee my free health care and Pharmacare. One of the drugs I am on costs $4344.18 for a 30-day supply! I must admit however that the buzz got me curious enough to come here this fall for a five-week sojourn to see what all the hype is about.

I have visited Madrid, Segovia, San Sebastien, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Peniscola, Valencia, Toledo, Ronda, Malaga, Seville, Algarve, Lisbon, Porto, Salamanca, Avila and even made a quick foray into the tiny country of Andorra. I am currently in Estepona, and like it so much I am hanging out here for two weeks. Watching the sunrise over the mountains and reflect on the Mediterranean Sea in various shades of orange, pink and yellow has been spectacular. As has the weather – but I will come back to that topic later.

I have been to Europe several times before, but I have to say, if one is into ancient architecture and well preserved historic buildings – Spain is definitely worth the visit. I walked the streets of villages dating back to the 1100’s and saw sights that were pre Roman Empire. The Gothic, Baroque, Spanish Colonial, Renaissance, and Moorish architecture at times had me in tears. Lovers of art will go nuts. Many cities seamlessly marry modern architecture with ancient. My favourites were Seville and Valencia.

The geography in Spain varies greatly from place to place and I have to say that I did not find most of it outstandingly beautiful. Coming from one of the most beautiful places on earth keeps my bar set pretty high for what can impress me. The north (Basque Country) was mountain and forest with lovely green valleys. Unfortunately, it was cool, gray, and rainy. The centre of the country was flat, mostly treeless, and reminded me of the Canadian Prairies. The sun shone most of the time but it was quite cool – especially in the mornings. (I doubt whether the rain in Spain falls mostly on the plains). 

The east coast was beautiful with lovely turquoise water, sandy beaches and the hills were dotted with villages. Peniscola looked like Santorini…steep skinny streets and whitewashed buildings. The weather in that part of the country is some of the warmest and I defiantly would consider returning sometime for the month of November or December. The south, Andalucía province, is my favorite. The mountains run almost to the sea. The hills are dry – much like south central British Columbia – and are covered in orange and olive groves. The towns and cities are clean and vibrant and the weather has been spectacular. I arrived here on October 23^rd and highs each day have been 28 Celsius.

Packing for this trip was a challenge as I knew the weather was going to vary greatly from place to place. I brought more warm clothes to be safe – as I hate the cold, and was glad to have my wool coat and scarf with me when I was in Portugal where it was quite cold, rainy, and windy. On the other hand, I have been laying by the pool without a bathing suit – wearing the only sundress I brought. I try not to hang out here at the resort very long so people don’t figure out I am wearing the same thing every day!

I cannot say I was overly impressed with Portugal. I did love Lisbon – it is a lovely city, and fast becoming the go-to city in Europe – but apart from Lisbon, not so much. The historical sites there were run down and everything is covered in a layer of mildew for it is humid and wet. While the coast is dramatic – there are similar dramatic coastlines in Spain where the historical sites are pristine and the weather is welcoming.

The food I have experienced has been disappointing. You hear about the great food here all the time but unless you have A LOT of money and can afford to eat at the higher end restaurants, the affordable food at restaurants is mediocre at best (in my humble opinion). They eat a lot meat here and a lot of French fries and rice – in fact practically every meal has nothing but these three things on the plate! As for vegetables…good luck finding those on the menu!

The first thing I did when I settled in here in Estepona was go to the grocery store to buy fruits and veggies…and wow…were they ever expensive! People are seriously misled it they think it is cheaper to live here. Rent and housing might be cheaper – but only in older buildings that are freezing cold in the winter and have no air-conditioning for summer! Or in areas that are very Spanish with few expats.

Personally, those were the areas I liked – the places that were not overrun with tourists and wintering Brits. Estepona, where I am now, is mostly Spanish. It has a lovely old town, and everywhere I go there are flowers. Buildings have murals painted on them and there is an amazing long flat beach with gorgeous Malecon. As I walked about I saw very few tourists, and heard very little English. Here, if you don’t mind living in an apartment (that is all there is in this town), they can be had for under 200,000 Euros. I found a place that I could rent in the winter, right on one of the lovely plazas, for about $1500 Canadian. It would be 3 blocks to the beach, and walking distance to everything.

The place I am renting right now could be rented for about the same and it has a lovely big balcony and gorgeous stunning views – but requires a vehicle for it is up on the hill overlooking Estepona (thus the views) but there is no public transport into town and no amenities here on the mountain. What is nice about Estepona is that it retains a small town feel, but it is very close to the larger cities of Malaga, Seville, and Granada with their operas, theatres, art galleries, cultural events, festivals, historic sites, great restaurants, etc.

Today I am off to drive up the mountain to the Paraje Natural Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja where I hope to observe some stunning views, birds of prey, and maybe – if I am lucky – I will find some mushrooms!