It’s interesting how even three years since our return, the lessons keep coming, less frequently but still prevalent. I remember while living in Spain how moved I was by the community’s commitment to celebrating and ritualising important cultural events like Saints’ days, national days, Easter and the annual ‘feria’ among many, many other festivals. I … More What I have learnt from living in Spain
There is nothing quite like a festival that you would usually celebrate with extended family to remind you that you are far from home. So what happens when you suddenly bump into Christmas while on a sabbatical year? So you have settled into your new home in a new country, found your feet, your daily … More A Christmas far from home
While I don’t usually provide tips and advice, recently I have been asked several times for my top tips for moving to Spain, so today I have decided to share them with you…They range from getting clear about what is important to you and your family when choosing a location to live, organising your finances, learning … More Top 5 Tips for Moving to Spain for a Year
As the full moon rises in the east, hovering above the Pacific Ocean, I contemplate the year that has passed since we returned to Australia from Our Year in Spain. Each full moon signifies a moment of reflection since it was on a glorious, moonlit evening two years ago, that we arrived to our new home in Granada. Whilst we imbibed the new … More One year on…the legacy of our year in Spain
This was the mantra retold to me by my Granadino friends while we were living in Granada. “You’ll see” they followed in response to my quizzical look. As I contemplated the Herculean effort to transport our family of four across the oceans and continents from Australia to Spain, I wasn’t so convinced that we would be … More “Everyone returns to Granada…”
Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country. Anais Nin The desire to create a meaningful, cultural experience for our family inspired us to make a seemingly unusual plan: to pull up our roots … More Living your dream and inspiring others
It sounded like a grand and impossible idea: moving to Spain for a year. Strangely and luckily, it wasn’t as hard as we imagined it would be, and since pulling off our great dream, we’ve become evangelical in our enthusiasm to help others take the leap and live their own Spanish adventure. I have learned … More So you want to live in Spain! What next?
365 days ago we untethered ourselves from life in Australia and took a leap of faith into the unknown. We boarded a plane that carried the four of us across continents and oceans. The only known was that we would spend a year living in Granada, Spain. The remaining pieces of the journey were a … More 365 days…
The organisation of time in Spain is a fascinating topic and one that for historical, geographic and political reasons puts Spain on its own unique schedule compared to the rest of the world. We knew before we came to live here that Spaniards had a unique relationship with time. We have since come to adapt … More Living on Spanish time
Every journey has its requisite ebbs and flows, ups and downs and in-betweens. I think that is why travel makes me feel so alive. As one tests oneself against new and changing situations, drifting is not an option. Being permanently awake to the new, while exciting, can also be overwhelming at times. My family and … More Reflecting on 8 months in Spain
Our Year In Spain 