Be Positive

Going to live in Spain is not just about a physical change. A few weeks after landing in a new country the shock of a different culture, changes in attitude and frequent frustration can have an adverse effect on one’s well-being. Isolation, feeling powerless and finding fault with everything are classic symptoms. The blow can be cushioned if an understanding has been reached beforehand about Spanish ways. Understanding the symptoms, too, can also help. The first stage is a honeymoon period, which everyone experiences. It can be followed by a period of feeling inadequate, lonely, withdrawn and wanting to go back home. By being positive, becoming more assertive, you will soon find you can deal with situations and start to feel more relaxed. The final stage is feeling at home, embracing the new culture, enjoying a social life, getting out and about.

Of course there is the sun worshiping and the cerveza drinking but that novelty soon wears off. With time one needs to develop a more positive attitude to life, an attitude that says, ‘Get out, learn about the country, develop new interests and meet new people’.

Learn About The Country

Learn more about Spain. It’s different! The real way to learn is to travel.There are other methods, such as reading books and tourist guides, which are colourful and informative. Watching travel films, too, have their place. But it is only by going to see somewhere that a true appreciation can be obtained. There are places where you can enjoy the sun, the sea and the mountains. Places where you can benefit from the climate and keep in shape with your favourite all year round sport. Where you can discover local history and monuments, travel down hidden byways and forest tracks, participate in local fiestas, meet local people ... and much more.

Learning about the country falls into a few predictable steps. Firstly explore the surrounding area by going inland and developing a deeper understanding of its history, culture and ambience. Secondly, as a minimum, visit the two major cities of Barcelona and Madrid. Thirdly, do what many residents of the Costas do – get away from it all by going to northern Spain, preferably in the summer to get away from the searing heat.

Travel Inland

Jump into a car and go! On minor country roads the traffic is amazingly light, even in the height of the holiday season. Go 20 kilometres inland and there is virtually no traffic on the roads throughout the year. Go inland and experience the real Spain.

Driving a few miles inland; the buzz of the coast disappears. Park the car and just walk in the countryside and you are immediately struck by how calm everything is. Of course you hear the sounds of nature: birds singing, strange rustlings in the long grass made by some unseen creatures, the breeze in the trees overhead, but at other times there is almost complete silence. Go higher into the mountains, stop for a few minutes and just listen to ... nothing.

The further inland, the more unspoilt it will be. Some of villages have hardly changed for centuries, inhabited by families who have always lived there, the properties being handed down from generation to generation. Their way of life is very different from that on the coast. Herdsmen still lead their flocks out to the grazing grounds; farmers gather their crops of olives and almonds. Life stands still! Use trips inland as a learning experience.

Neveras

High in the mountains of the Costa Blanca can be found well preserved snow wells called neveras. They were built in strategic locations to catch the snow as it drifted into dips or hollows. Dug deep into the ground, and lined with stone, they had an access door and a conical roof to keep out sunlight. Stone steps or iron rungs enabled the pressers and block cutters to reach the bottom. The size and solid construction of neveras are truly amazing. Snow was commercially harvested, compacted in the nevera and left until summer, when it was cut into blocks of ice. In the cool of the night the ice was carried down the mountains by mule, donkey and cart to distant villages and towns.