In my last post, I shared some of our early food discoveries in Valencia. Where to go for paella, tapas, tacos, and even a sushi place with go-go dancers. (Yes, really. If you missed that, it’s worth a scroll back just for the video.) But there was one category where I intentionally held back: ItalianContinue reading “Southern Soul: Why Italian Food Feels So at Home in Valencia”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Tapas, Tacos, and Toothpicks: Our First Food Finds in Valencia
When you move to a new city, your first impressions often come on a plate. It’s still early days, but we’ve already begun building a shortlist of favorite restaurants here in Valencia. And like any good list, it starts with the local hero. In this case, it’s paella. We’re in the land of paella. ValenciaContinue reading “Tapas, Tacos, and Toothpicks: Our First Food Finds in Valencia”
Early Days in Valencia: Finding Our Way
We’ve arrived. Not just physically, although yes, we did literally arrive in Valencia with all the requisite suitcases, boxes, and a surprisingly non-judgmental cat. We’ve also arrived mentally and emotionally. Having visited Valencia before, we had pretty high hopes that we’d feel comfortable here. And I’m happy to report we were right. It’s like slippingContinue reading “Early Days in Valencia: Finding Our Way”
Unburying, Unboxing, and Unpacking the Madness
There’s something oddly archaeological about unpacking after an international move. It’s like excavating the ruins of a long-lost civilization. In this case, though, the ruins are your own belongings, mummified in bubble wrap and cardboard, and labeled with cryptic runes like “Ornaments” or “Decorations.” Armed with box cutters and a cautious sense of optimism, KristieContinue reading “Unburying, Unboxing, and Unpacking the Madness”
This Is It!
The boxes are packed, the internet’s about to go dark, and we’re almost ready to hit the road. After months of dreaming and planning, and a couple of preliminary visits to get things ready, it’s finally happening: we’re leaving Lisbon and heading to our next adventure in Valencia. The move itself is a mix ofContinue reading “This Is It!”
The Emotional Logistics of Goodbye
I’ve said it before – I love Portugal, and I will always be grateful to the country for allowing us to pursue our dreams. Portugal is the country that initiated the Sephardic Repatriation programs in Iberia, and it’s the one that honestly wanted to make amends for past injustices. Without that, I doubt we wouldContinue reading “The Emotional Logistics of Goodbye”
Portability is a Myth: Why I’m Still Paying for a Portuguese Phone Number
In my last post, I mentioned this briefly, but it’s worth diving deeper. When people talk about moving to different countries, there’s always lots of conversation about house-hunting, and residency bureaucracy, and the costs of moving household belongings, and so on. But something that gets little attention is that your entire digital identity is chainedContinue reading “Portability is a Myth: Why I’m Still Paying for a Portuguese Phone Number”
The Financial Impact of Moving
One of the immutable truths of being an expatriate is this: it’s going to make a difference to your bottom line. In our case, we knew decades ago that we probably wouldn’t be able to afford to retire in the US and have any kind of a decent lifestyle. If nothing else, the cost ofContinue reading “The Financial Impact of Moving”
The Long Drive
We’ve just returned home from a round-trip road trip from Lisbon to Valencia. We had several goals in mind: According to Apple Maps, the fastest route takes about nine hours. We left Lisbon at 06:30 on a Monday morning and crossed into Spain by 09:00, which instantly became 10:00 thanks to the magic of timeContinue reading “The Long Drive”
Our Anthem of Departure
As you may know, Kristie and I have moved around more than most people. We met in LA, where we lived in two different apartments over the first year and a half that we were together. We then moved to Portland Oregon, where we lived in two apartments and one house over five years. NextContinue reading “Our Anthem of Departure”
A Modern Odyssey - Expatriates in Iberia 