Moving to Spain—a slow life in the fast lane
In the spring of 2024, we had just enjoyed the second full year living in our “forever house”… we had it designed, found the perfect lot, and my interior designer brain LOVED putting it all together with many family and friend gatherings in mind! Has that ever happened to you? Just as you get it nearly perfect…you hear the realtor knocking on the door (haha). No, seriously… The Lord was already starting to tell us to go look at Spain. To just GO THERE and see. Fall I said? No, Spring! Something felt urgent about the nudging … SO … we booked a trip for my birthday! I hadn’t been to Europe since I lived in Switzerland in the early 90s! A life time ago! I was so excited to go to a country I had never visited while I lived there, and experience the culture and food that everyone talks about.
When we arrived in Madrid, hoisted our over-packed suitcases into the train car and found our seats … I knew we were in for treat. Traveling by train in Europe is a HUGE welcomed relief after 15 hours of travel and layovers, and seriously lacking plane food. As we settled in, with our first good “cafe con leche,” the stunning Spanish countryside captivated our attention for miles and miles. Gently rolling hills with olive farms for days … sunflowers growing en mass, quaint old towns and the random castle or two. It was two hours of anticipation and eager planning as we neared closer to our station in Seville.
The first day out in “romantic Sevilla” was honestly a bit underwhelming. It was raining, (I guess My Fair Lady was right after all!), and the orange littered streets were more of a hazard course than a romantic notion. We rented a car (we always do … we just like the autonomy of it) and tried to orient ourselves around town ... but because the best parts of town are in the barrios — beyond the main roadways … it just didn’t impress me much …YET.
What did almost instantly impress me was seeing elderly people NOT in a clustered group home — rather they were walking together arm in arm with friends, or a caregiver, playing games outside a coffee shop, and generally loving life. They genuinely were enjoying their final stretch — and they had the health to do it! Bravo, Spain!! In contrast to how the elderly are often treated back home … it just made me feel good to see this. Like REALLY GOOD.
As we explored the Triana area, Old Town and the Santa Cruz barrios (our favorite, btw!). We saw what all the hype was about. Music playing in the streets, people of all ages enjoying themselves — talking, eating, talking, strolling, talking, drinking coffee … does anyone work around here?? Haha! I have travelled a lot, and I’ve never experienced another culture that is as socially animated at nearly all times of the day (and much of the night) as Spain is. My extrovert self felt quite at home — even with the language barrier!
Let me insert here that afternoon siesta is NO JOKE! I think between our “American-time-eating- habits” and siesta closures, we went hungrily looking for an open-all-day pizza place one time too many! By day two though … we couldn’t get enough of the amazing Spanish food!! And we don’t even love, love love jamon! The quality, the simplicity, and tapas-style plates and the “linger while you eat” philosophy is enough to make any American stop eating at the kitchen counter!! We were already feeling freer and like people just ENJOY THEIR LIFE more here.
By the time we spent four days in Nerja, near Malaga on the Mediterranean Coast, we were certifiably HOOKED! Days spent enjoying the absolute beauty all around us, nights spent lingering over dinner without anyone acting as if they need your table. There’s a low-key luxury in being ABLE to enjoy your time unhindered by thoughts of “the next thing” — that constant whirrr of the treadmill that had become our corporate existence in the U.S. While in Nerja we had decided to go look at some properties just to get a sense of what the real estate and rental markets were like here, we were pleasantly surprised at what you could get for the price! Most needed a LOT of improvements … but one in particular caught our eye, and got me thinking … hmmm … if we took the leap and started with a beach rental, it would allow us to test the waters! And have a place for family to visit and experience it for themselves at the very least … what do we have to lose, right?
Now — I don’t want to jump over too much of the story, because there is so much to tell … but needless to say, we made an offer on that Nerja apartment before we even got on the airplane to go home, and we’ve never looked back. Two years of research, planning, more research, a LOT of praying, God placing the right people in our path to help it all to run smoothly. We saw our work pay off … month after prayerful month. We learned a lot along the way — grew even closer in our relationship to each other and God. We knew, that we knew, that we KNEW, He was calling us HERE for a reason. It wasn’t clearly laid out yet —but we knew it would be at the right time. We just had to trust what He was doing.
If you feel the Lord truly pressing something big on your heart and mind, lean into it. Don’t ignore it! Pray about it, and see where He leads you. These ARE times of God really moving in His people to prepare themselves and their families for the years ahead. We are going into uncharted territory and He absolutely wants us ( requires us ) to lean Him for everything. HE is our provider and protector. HE is the best director of our lives. Lean IN.