Now that the moving portion of the adventure is more or less complete, it’s time to start examining life in Valencia! If you’ve ever moved countries, you probably carry a certain emotional scar tissue, inflicted not by the packing, not by the flights, but by the paperwork. Forms you didn’t know existed. Appointments that needContinue reading “Bureaucratic Adventures (But Made Surprisingly Efficient)”
Tag Archives: moving
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”
Delivery Day: Stair Drama, Missing Boxes, and a Cat on Patrol
We skipped our last glorious breakfast at the Only You August 4th because the movers were scheduled for 8:00 AM. This was a mistake. At 10:00, two guys finally rolled up… and immediately went for a half-hour coffee break. Not exactly the high-energy start I’d imagined. Only two movers? For 222 total items, including furniture?Continue reading “Delivery Day: Stair Drama, Missing Boxes, and a Cat on Patrol”
Ten Days of Limbo: Living Between Two Homes
Arriving in Valencia felt like the hard part was over. We’d made the drive, survived a day in the car with Lexie and the birds, and had the keys to our new apartment in hand. All that was left was to wait for our things to arrive. In my boyish optimism, I thought a weekContinue reading “Ten Days of Limbo: Living Between Two Homes”
Road Trip Wednesday: Lisbon to Valencia in One Day
We rolled out of Lisbon for the last time at 6:45 in the morning, the city still quiet, the summer light just starting to stretch across the rooftops. We’d come over from the hotel around 6:00 to get the car loaded: small bags, one guitar, the cat carrier, the bird cage, and a few miscellaneousContinue reading “Road Trip Wednesday: Lisbon to Valencia in One Day”
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”
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 