First steps on the Spanish land.

After a prolonged time of waiting, the moment of a family reunion in Spain has arrived. I was heading to the unknown future, but I was more happy than worried because this was something I was waiting for so long.

Jurek left Poland on Thursday around 5:00 in the morning. On Friday he drove into Spanish territory. He slept in the car, although it wasn’t the most comfortable option because the luggage didn’t allow the seats to be fully spread. Kaprys was in a slightly better situation because he is a small dog and he could easily fit into a limited space. He even ate and drank during the journey. Apparently, he decided it’s a too far distance to go on hunger strike.

I and Tomek left Poland on the first of December, in frost and sun. The flight Warsaw-Alicante lasted 3 hours but the time just flew by. Partially thanks to our neighbor onboard – Tomasz. A very positive man. And two guys with the same name (Tomek is a shortcut of Tomasz) got along very well.

Spain welcomed us with a pleasant warmth and a sun. With smile on the faces, we found Anatolij who came to pick us up at the airport. He was the host of the apartment that we’ve rented on Airbnb website. Tomek finally fell asleep in the car and we struggled with conversation. He spoke a little Polish and a little English, I spoke a little Russian, and both of us a little Spanish. We mixed them all in one sentence! Anyway, he drove us to the apartment in Torrevieja. After an hour or so, Jurek and Kaprys have joined us.

TOGETHER IN SPAIN!!!

The beginnings of emigration are always a mixture of various feelings. Delight, anxiety, joy or insecurity. It is the time of overcoming cultural and language barriers. It is kind of like starting all over again. We stopped in Torrevieja temporarily, we didn’t unpack all the luggage, we used what was in the apartment (towels, linen, pots) and bought only the necessary products. We prepared our meals at home, although we allowed ourselves to go a few times for a coffee on the beach (it cost only 1,5 euro). Our task was to find a home, which wasn’t so simple with a child and a dog. It is not like you have all the day for searching the Internet and then you can drive whenever you wish. You have to adjust to the needs of others, share responsibilities and exploit a nap time. And when everything was done for a day, you could relax, drank together a bottle of Cava (for less than 2 euro) and watched Spanish series (as a way of learning the language, naturally).

Torrevieja – the first expressions.

Torrevieja (literally “old tower”) is a city on Costa Blanca situated by the salty lakes which provide the area with a healthy microclimate. The city is one of the main salt producers in Europe. We were living in the south part, far from the city center but close to the beach. The apartment was small but just right for us for the first week. Torrevieja didn’t impress us, but we were so happy to be in Spain, that we welcomed every detail with delight. What was different, what was new?

• The red pavements are slippery and with a high curb. It makes walking with a stroller difficult. And it is not easier when you park a car cause you have to maneuver pretty well in order not to hit the curb.
• The very same pavements which are already slippery and often inclined, are totally contaminated with dog’s feces! There are a lot of dogs and it is very good for us that having a dog usually does not disqualify us as tenants, but… seriously? It is your dog, please take its poo with you!
• On the other hand, I am still astounded by all kind of palm trees, huge cactuses, and budgies flying free. In Torrevieja, there were also hens walking free. Tomek just loved them.
• What more? Well, siesta can surprise you even when you are aware of its existence.
• Garbage is collected at weird hours. Only the first night I heard garbage trucks at 2:00 in the morning.
• Roundabouts are very popular, sometimes you drive through them every dozen or so meters and they may be so big that it’s impossible to see the other end.
• Thanks to soft water electric kettle live longer without descaling and the faucet after a week looks like the same one after one use in Denmark.

To conclude, we were happy and we’ve used the sun during a day to the maximum. We were also freezing during the night. Yes, we were freezing. I was acquainted with this fact, although, I can imagine that this is something new for some. Spanish houses are better prepared for summer than winter, I guess. In the apartment in Torrevieja, there was air-conditioning with heating function, however, to use it one should pay an extra fee. So we used a very small electric heater. It was warm when we sat in front of it, but the minute we turned it off, the air became cold again. The conditions for sleep were good, but the hardest part was getting up in the morning. Only Tomek was unmoved. Well, I’m sure there will be a time we’ll miss the coldness. 😉