Spanish Mediterranean
It’s been just shy of a year since my quest to locate the perfect long-term apartment in Spain ended. On my annual pilgrimage to Spain in 2014, I was determined to do two things. I wanted to participate in Malaga’s Semana Santa (Holy Week) and also find an apartment. After wandering the globe for ten years, one thing had become glaringly obvious. I keep coming back to Spain. There’s no use fighting a good thing. Spain and I are well suited to one another. I feel so at home here that if it weren’t for the fact that I have an amazing granddaughter stateside, I might consider expatriating to Spain. I decided that living here for two to three months at a time was a good compromise.
Snow on the mountains
I found the apartment with the intentions of returning last fall for a few months and living in my new home away from home. As life can sometimes do, it threw a couple of stumbling blocks in my path and so I had to postpone the fall trip. It’s great to report at last that I’m writing this blog post from the comfort of the living room of my own apartment in Torre Del Mar. I am here for two months and loving it.
This isn’t the first time I’ve rented a place abroad. I’ve tried a lot of different options for accommodations. There have been hotels, of course, and airbnb as well as house sitting. I’ve rented apartments in Ireland, Spain, Mexico, Prague and Portugal to name a few. This place was different, however. It is my intension to make this apartment a place that I return to every year. No more searching for a bed abroad. This will be my base. I’ll know what to expect when I get here. I will establish relationships with local people. I can even travel to other countries from my base.
Six floor view in the city center
This apartment makes me happy. I can imagine living here for months on end. It is well situated right across the street from the beach. Living on the Mediterranean is a dream, but I have the mountains in the backdrop to inspire me as well. Right now, they are snow-capped. Here in Torre Del Mar, there is a strange combination of snow-capped mountains, blue sea, and sun-drenched days with wild green parrots in the palm trees. Magic!
Daily walks on the four kilometer seaside promenade.
We love to travel off-season. The winter months in Andalucía offer the kind of weather that my husband and I both prefer. Most often, the days get up in the fifties and sixties and dip down into the forties at night. In March, the days can be warmer, however. During the winter, this little beach town is quiet because there aren’t a lot of tourists at this time of the year. It’s perfect for two people who don’t consider themselves to be tourists.
My well-equipped little kitchen
One reason that I can imagine living here for months at a time is that I have everything that I need. The kitchen is well equipped. Even the dishes are of good quality, not bits and bobs of divided sets. Juicer, coffee maker, toaster, pots and pans, silverware, microwave, new refrigerator, electric stove with oven are all included. I have a washer and dryer in a small utility room. Vacuum and other cleaning equipment as well as a short clothesline are conveniently supplied. There’s more! The apartment comes with secure wifi, cable TV, heat and air conditioning, two bedrooms, sheets, towels, and hair dryer. I even have a shopping trolley for groceries. This comes in very handy as we never rent a car. Lots of walking is par for the course. I always return home ten pounds lighter.
Just a peek in one of two bedrooms.
But wait there’s more! The best part about my apartment is that I only pay about 15 euros a night. That’s another reason that we enjoy traveling off season. The prices are always better. Renting long-term almost always results in cheaper rates, too. This is something that I can afford. Let’s face it, plane tickets from the U.S. to Europe are expensive these days. Once I get here, however, my cost of living is quite reasonable.
One of many beach restaurants called a chiringuito.
I believe that I’ve found a perfect place to call home in the little city of Torre Del Mar. Although I’ve only been here a little less than a week, I am already positive that I’ll return next year. In fact, I plan to put down my deposit and reserve this apartment before I leave. My husband won’t be able to join me but for a few weeks this time around, but next year, he should be retired and we’ll be wintering in Spain!
One last view of the beach
This blog post was first published February 7, 2015 on Creative Paths to Freedom
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