We’ve made some decisions this past week. Our new video below tells all. It’s a little over five minutes, so please give it a look-see when you have time.
The bottom line? We’ve decided to move to Alicante, Spain. As we say in the video, we’ve spent six weeks here with a fairly critical eye … and have found not a single red flag of warning about moving here.
There’s the beach.
It’s only a 20-minute tram ride from the city center.
There’s the food.
This is Alicante’s special version of paella, with scallions and sweet red peppers and loaded with seafood and chicken.
There’s the concern for others and for the earth.
A European Union directive requires plastic bottle caps stay attached to recyclable bottles after opening. It’s one of those inconveniences that safeguards our environment for generations to come. And it’s a requirement here in Spain.
To us, it’s a kind of emblem of the culture here. One of those little things that mean a lot. One of those kindnesses that don’t go unnoticed. We also like Spain’s recent move to reduce the workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours, with employers required to submit digital reports on compliance. The move is intended to curb online work during off-hours at home. Says the labor minister: “We don’t live to work, we work to live.”
There’s the excitement.
Here is the beachfront on a Saturday morning. And we’re told it gets much busier in the summer, when tourists flock here and cruise ships stop more frequently.
No matter. We don’t intend to live on the beachfront.
We’ve found a quiet neighborhood north of the hustle and bustle. Finding an apartment in that neighborhood will be our next goal.
Most of all, though, our reason for moving to Alicante is the people.
They couldn’t be more helpful or welcoming … or more fun. And dozens of them, many from the United States, have told us what a joy it is to live here. A low cost of living. A slower pace of life. Good healthcare. Good public transportation. Easy access to the rest of Europe and beyond.
Meanwhile, we’ll say adios to Spain next week. Hello to our beautiful friends in Atlanta again.
And we’ll prepare for big changes ahead.
Like the kids on the rope jungle gym in the photo that heads this blog, we have more climbing to do, more hoops to jump through before our dream becomes reality, so please wish us luck in the coming months.
As always, thanks for visiting!
Mike Coleman 
Been feeling that was going to happen. Congratulations! I am honestly so happy for you. I love you both so much! Jacki
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We love you too, Jacki! Come see us when we get settled!
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Wow!!! I have really enjoyed all the posts and photos during your stay
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Thank you. Y’all must come see us!
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So happy for you guys. You probably already answered in the video (but I’m a reader) but how is your Spanish now?
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Thanks for reading, Ken! Our Spanish will have to be a separate blog post. Ted has been studying diligently for years on Duolingo, and it is helping us get around. I’d been studying German on Duolingo but switched to Spanish recently when I knew this trip was coming up. Duolingo is good for the basics. However, conversational Spanish is quite different and moves so fast, so we have a long way to go. There is an abundance of language schools in Alicante, and we plan to partake. Our friendships with members of an LGBTQ+ expat group have helped immensely. Some of them are bilingual; we have achieved some bureaucratic victories here that we couldn’t have done without their help. The good news is that many of the locals know a little bit of English. When they discover we know a little bit of Spanish, a bond is formed and we manage to communicate, primitive though it may be! It’s not at all like Portugal, where so many of the locals are fluent in English.
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I’m so glad you two found the perfect place. Ted, when we were sitting in Mr. Merck’s class did you think that 54 years later you would be moving to Spain? Heck the only course I ever flunked was Spanish at PC. As long as you both keep in contact, Spain is just a few keystrokes aways.
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All the best & good luck to you both!
Alicante kinda does that to you, you know? You come for a bit, and end up staying for… well, I still don’t know 🙂 I came here to study—supposedly for five months—but life twists and fate’s kiss (maybe?) decided that my time here isn’t up yet. Can’t say I’m complaining 😉
Hope you’ll love your time in one of the sunniest cities in Europe! ☀️
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Thank you! We shall return! Lovely to hear about your experience.
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