Viviendo la Diferencia

Viviendo la Diferencia

Politics: A topical place to start as you chaps in the UK have recently booted out your Frankie Howard look-alike PM and replaced him with the Cam-Clegg “dream team”, whilst we are stuck here with our Mr Bean look-alike, still at the helm in Madrid. While we expats embrace Spain and most of the Spanish package, we generally remain a little in the dark, and therefore blissfully ignorant, of any political shenanigans here. We are pretty much voluntarily isolated from politics, political correctness, out of control immigration and, of course, the UK weather.

The Weather: I tell my customers that “Spain is a cold country with a hot sun”. It is notorious for its micro-climates, which can be on any scale, from 100 metres to 100 kilometres. This is something you should bear in mind, particularly when searching for a property – local knowledge and guidance should be carefully  followed. Our initial advice is, don’t be too hasty to discard your winter clothing, quilt, electric blanket and brolly. In peak summer it can be seriously hot, and gets hotter the further south you go. We probably have around 20 to 30 rainy days per year here, but when it rains it can really fall out of the sky! I don’t remember a water shortage in the nine years we have lived here.

Society & Lifestyle: Life here is more reminiscent of 1950s Britain. Maybe it’s because there are just two main routes out of Moraira, but we enjoy a very low level of crime. Vandalism hasn’t caught on at all – our police forces are decidedly under-worked. Visitors marvel at the pots of expensive, exotic palms and olive trees that line our streets, together with pavement café furniture, none of which is ever vandalized or stolen. Maybe this explains why the annual council tax bills of this relatively wealthy little resort town are only around euro400 a year. Our local refuse is collected daily and the town’s streets swept and cleaned two or three times daily. We do not suffer from binge-drinkers either – in 29 years since we first visited Moraira, we have never witnessed anyone drunk and disorderly in a public place.

The Mediterranean climate provides far greater opportunities to meet people, as we spend far more time outdoors; barbecues are popular social events, and we often bump into pals at a pavement café, meaning we develop a far more hectic social life. Joining local Spanish language classes is a double benefit; the locals always appreciate (and encourage) your most modest effort, and your classmates could become part of your circle of like-minded friends, usually from a variety of nationalities.

Family & Culture: Spain enjoys a very family-oriented, Catholic culture. The number of teens and 20-somethings that pop into the local church for a moment of reflection is surprising. Most Spanish children have both parents living under the same roof, enjoying a relatively strict but indulged family life in which several generations spend time together at social gatherings. It is always fascinating to see four generations of a Spanish family gathered together. Be warned though, this can be very noisy entertainment (as Theresa O’shea points out in Final Call). Making noise is very much the Spanish national pastime; whether it’s mopeds, music, fiesta fireworks or ebullient chatter and laughter, the locals always choose the noisy option!

Health Issues: This subject seems to cause major concerns from our UK clients who are considering relocation to Spain. But rest assured, the UK has much it could learn from the facilities we enjoy here. Having moved here with two longstanding heart conditions, I was extremely relieved to find a great Dutch (English speaking) cardiologist, located within Moraira, equipped with state of the art diagnostics, and the highest levels of personal care and attention. He later diagnosed me as needing a pacemaker and within six days, I had been operated on at Clinica Benidorm, 30 minutes away, and was back home. There is a whole network of local national health and private specialists – both Spanish and other nationalities, all English speaking – together with state of the art facilities.

We recommend all our clients join the Javea based Amigos De Europeos, a fantastic organisation which provides a fleet of fully equipped paramedic ambulances which responds to any medical emergency within their area, for anyone under your roof, for just euro40 per year. On registration, they note your details, language, and plot your address into their navigation systems. We called upon them on behalf of clients some time ago, and their service was superb.

Lifestyle & Manners: Spanish people can sometimes appear a little haughty. There are paradoxes to observe: stop your car and let a Spanish driver out of a side road and he is unlikely to acknowledge your kindness. We have been told apparently it is for God to thank and reward us, not them. However, the Spanish rarely lose their temper, and seldom match the Brits or Germans for unjustified rudeness. Contrary to popular belief, the Spanish are usually very polite and orderly queue-ers, and do not use their car horns with the flourish and enthusiasm of the French or Italians. Above all else, they have great respect for both their younger and older generations. That said, please don’t expect Spanish shopkeepers to fawn over their potential customers. You can walk into a shop or showroom and be totally ignored by a sales person if they are with another client or on the telephone- they don’t multi-task!

Infrastructure & Communications: No worries on this score! We have two very civilized airports, Alicante & Valencia, which are 60 and 75 minutes away from Moraira respectively. The twin town of Teulada has a railway station which runs south to Alicante, and north to Denia. The motorway system is totally unstressed, with Andorra just six hours away, Santander seven hours, whilst a full day’s drive should take you to Geneva or Milan. Congestion and parking are no longer our concern. We have a large central car park which is free at all times, together with very modestly priced street parking.

The town has no traffic lights at all, but a few roundabouts have been recently added which the locals use in a casual and informal manner – do watch out for that!

The surrounding mountains provide both shelter and a huge underground spring water catchment, meaning no restrictions on our water supply even in hot weather. Electricity can be a little unreliable during thunderstorms, as most electricity and telephone cable are currently carried over ground, though they are currently being re-laid underground which will improve both the reliability and aesthetics of the area. We have comprehensive mobile phone network and broadband landline telephone services are widespread.

What Makes Moraira Different? There are strict planning rules here; the only apartments are in the village centre and cannot exceed four floors of residential accommodation. Villas can only be built on a minimum plot of 1,000m2 with a build density no greater than 20 per cent. There are several green areas (Zona Verde) which, together with the maturity of the surrounding landscaping, ensures Moraira remains substantially green. Mainly developed on two hillsides flanking a valley to the sea, the valley floor comprises cultivated vineyards. Much of the original fishing village and its period buildings still remain, in conjunction with the harbour/marina and fish market. Fortunately, our local council’s makeup closely mirrors the cosmopolitan nature of its residents, and they do a grand job of honing and enhancing the quality and character of our village, rather than being hell-bent on its expansion.