Moving to Spain - Part 2

The First Trip

Part 2

We spent New Year's Day on the ferry crossing the Bay of Biscay taking the sun, reading and catching up on lost sleep.

The evening was spent packing, getting ready to disembark and drinking in the bar (non-alcoholic). Our plan was to spend the night at a prebooked "hostal" in Santander and then head for Benidorm the next day, 2nd January.

Well the best laid plans and all that...........

The ferry was three hours late date to rough seas so it was 2am when we were called to disembark! Worse followed. Our car was on the upper loading deck; for some reason the ramp jammed and could not be lowered. Stuck! For how long no-one could say!

The revolting(!) passengers returned to the bar for a proper drink then back to the vacated cabins to get some sleep.

Fortunately, by 8am the following morning the ramp was down and we were released! Our route to Benidorm was predetermind as we had decided to stick to major roads and motorways being on "the wrong side of the road" for the first time. We zoomed past Bilbao, Zaragoza, Taragona and Valencia. Realising we were not going to reach the agent's office by closing time (8pm) we stopped to telephone to make arrangements to collect the key at a nearby bar.

We arrived in Benidorm at 8.30pm after driving 660 miles in just over 12 hours with 3 stops!! In subsequent years we discovered the journey from Santander to Benidorm is only 550 miles so how we managed to add another 110 miles I don't know!

Anyway, we identified ourselves to the barman who explained apologetically that our apartment was not ready but the agent had arranged accomodation for us for one night in an apartment block across the road. Thank goodness we didn't have far to go! We flopped into bed and slept for what seemed forever.

Next day we were introduced to the apartment in which we were to stay for the next three months – it was very small with a bedroom, bathroom and lounge. To call the kitchen a kitchen was debatable – but it did have a sink and a hotplate. The the best bit, the terrace, was glassed in and had wonderful views facing directly onto Levante Beach and across to Alicante.

Our apartment in Benidorm

In short we had a wonderful time there. Family and friends came out to visit us and we got to know Benidorm, it's three beaches,the secluded coves north and south, places to go and not to go for entertainment and the shops.The three months passed very quickly indeed and on the way back, this time via Madrid, my wife posed the question = "Would you consider moving to Spain?"

Views from the apartment