“So how did you choose Valencia?” other Spanish expats ask me. “We looked all over the country,” I explain. “Made a spreadsheet with at least forty places on it. Then we eliminated any place where they speak a different language.” At this point, I usually get a nod as this is something many expats here…
Category: Travels
Why Spain? Why now?
“You moved here during the pandemic?” a fellow expat asked me the other day. “Well, yes,” I said. We were sitting in the Turia –a park that winds its way through the center of Valencia, Spain. “Why did you choose to come now?” she asked. Having been asked this question at least twenty times in…
Oh, The People You’ll Meet (Part 1)
In a book given to many college graduates, Dr. Suess talks about The Places You’ll Go. I think the sequel should be called Oh, The People You’ll Meet. Thanks to modern technology (i.e. Facebook, e-mail) and not-so-modern means (i.e. word of mouth), I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people in the few…
Sweet Dreams
“How does it feel to sleep in all those different beds?” my youngest sister Meg asked me. Before I could reply, she answered her own question. “I guess it’s okay since you do it all the time. . . “ I reflected later on how many beds the average person sleeps in over the course…
Airing the Laundry
When asked what about our upcoming move to Spain made me nervous, I couldn’t really come up with an answer. But now that I’ve been here for 24 hours, I can tell you nothing has been as scary as hanging Michael’s laundry out to dry. “There’s really no dryer in this place?” Michael asked me,…
Under The Sea (Part 1)
Michael got certified to scuba dive at age 13. Over the course of his next thirty-three years, he dove in much of the Caribbean–initially on family vacations and later on vacations with various girlfriends. By the time he was 46, Michael had been on a Caribbean vacation with every woman he’d ever dated. Then he…
Sea Horses
“Watch the horse, hon,” I said. “Where?” “Right there,” I said, pointing to the right side of the narrow road. We drove slowly by a man leading a dark brown horse with a rope. “Is he walking it to the beach?” Michael asked. “I guess so.” It was just after 7 am and Michael and…
Processing (AKA The Path to Barbados: Part 4)
“So do you want to go out to breakfast?” Michael asked me one Saturday morning a few years ago. I paused. I had just gotten back from my morning walk. It was 9:30 am.I thought about all the things I had planned to do. If we went out to breakfast, we wouldn’t be back until…
Brainstorming (The Path to Barbados: Part 3)
Michael and I have long dreamed of living abroad. Michael had attempted it once, in his 20’s, but just before he moved to Paris, he fell in love. And that love prompted him to leave Paris just five months into what was supposed to be a one-year stint in the City of Lights. I spent…
Unreasonable 2020 Goals (AKA The Path to Barbados, Part 1)
Sarah loved her Passion Planner. She showed us the color-coded calendar, the monthly reflection pages. I decided to buy one. In January. Of 2020. The opening activity asks one to list things they’d like to accomplish in three months, one year, three years, and a lifetime. So I dutifully dreamed. In three months I wanted…
RenaissanceRebecca 