Relocation to Spain Experience

No, nothing near me, although to be honest i don't really follow Pro Cycling. It bores me!

There is a Tour de Valencia which hovers around us. Stage 3 opens up around my usual area (Agost, Novelda, Aspe)
www.cyclingstage.com

Tour of Valencia 2024

Brandon McNulty won the 75th edition of Valencia ahead of Santiago Buitrago and Aleksandr Vlasov. The race started on Wednesday 31 January 2024 and finished
www.cyclingstage.com www.cyclingstage.com
 
Martynt74 said:
And people think health and safety is taking over the world..... On Saturday was the local festival of Correfoc. Seems to be some festival to banish any bad spirits. The actual even just is an excuse for a load of fire.

www.youtube.com

Correfoc 2023 - Hondón de las Nieves, Alicante 12.08.2023

Correfoc 2023 - Hondon de las Nieves, Alicante, Espana.eMail: [email protected]: www.HondonValleyHomes.comWhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/GBKYDT5...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Here's a video from last years event. Absolutely no ***** given. Consists of a parade of people on a little car thing spraying welding sparks into the audience
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They have these, of various sizes, in Barcelona about 5-6 times a year. I first went to one in 2015, and like you was quite shocked at their brazen disregard for any sort of safety! In general I find there is a very carefree attitude to fireworks safery in Spain, but the correcocs is something else.
This is the largest one in Barcelona, last year, coming up again in about a month (24th September if anyone is visiting Barcelona):


The guys actually holding the spinning sticks shooting sparks are wearing fire retardant clothing of some sort. The crowd are not!
My first year I went in shorts and my favourite t-shirt. Came home with holes and scorch marks in the t-shirt and a few light burns/scorches/singed hairs on my legs and arms :D Subsequent times i've gone wearing a thick hoodie and jeans and consuming less alchohol!



rp2000
 
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Imagine it would be mental in a big city like Barcelona.

I’ve just arrived in Barca ahead of a gig tonight at Poble Espanyol. Although after looking forward to it for months I’m feeling a bit crap.

Had met some mates in Benidorm Saturday night and 90% sure I was spiked.
Didn’t feel too drunk but just couldn’t stand up straight. Not drunkenly swaying but physically like my lower back muscles were pulling me into a hunch position.
Sunday and a Monday we’re spent chilling out but still don’t feel right even now and various muscles still feel very tight which someone mentioned could be an after affect.

Not helped by catching someone trying to swipe my phone from my pocket either! Luckily I was mentally aware
 
Martynt74 said:
Not helped by catching someone trying to swipe my phone from my pocket either! Luckily I was mentally aware
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Keep an eye on your pockets and any bags you may have with you while in the center! Pickpocket central in Barcelona!

Ive been lucky for the last 11 years, growing up in South London prepares you well for such people/situations :D


rp2000
 
rp2000 said:
Keep an eye on your pockets and any bags you may have with you while in the center! Pickpocket central in Barcelona!

Ive been lucky for the last 11 years, growing up in South London prepares you well for such people/situations :D


rp2000
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When I was there last year a waitress told me off for putting my bag on the seat next to me. And I was sitting inside!
 
rp2000 said:
Keep an eye on your pockets and any bags you may have with you while in the center! Pickpocket central in Barcelona!

Ive been lucky for the last 11 years, growing up in South London prepares you well for such people/situations :D


rp2000
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Yeah. Cheers I’ve always heard that. Luckily my shorts have pockets and I have nothing else.

My body also still feels a bit ******. So will not be drinking as I usually would which will help keep me on edge!
 
potatolord said:
When I was there last year a waitress told me off for putting my bag on the seat next to me. And I was sitting inside!
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Some of the thieves are bold enough to walk into a bar, look for a phone on a table or a bag on a chair and then.....bam! He's gone faster than you can blink!


rp2000
 
jpaul said:
you flew to Barcelona, cheapish ? like easyjet to eu used to be
otherwise, no vicarious utube road trip videos.
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Yeah. €90 return and then hotel was €70 for the night.

Wouldn’t usually bother but I don’t imagine a time will come again. Do wish I’d gone to the London show though as a few others bands were on a festival bill I’d have liked.
 
dod said:
might be a daft question. Are you bothered with mosquitos where you are?
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We get them, but honestly we find it's worse by the coast at my parents than where we are. Unsure whether there's more birds etc where we are which then eat the mosquitos. I did buy a Nitecore repellant thing though for whenever we sit out at night which seems to work well on mosquitos. Less so on other flies
 
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embalse said:
It depends on where you're going. I lived in Madrid for years with no, to little Mosquitoes

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Similar for me in Barcelona, probably less than 5 mosquito bites in 11 years. I get more than that in a week visiting some other parts of Spain. Some of the Costa brava towns, Valencia and canary islands are quite bad.


rp2000
 
Noticed, that today marks exactly a year to the day that we arrived in Bilbao. Spending far too long in the port at customs. Never did manage to recover the import costs. Just seems to be no guidance anywhere and didn't seem worth paying someone for the relatively small reclaim.

Has been a great year, and no reason to look back. We've seen a couple houses pop up where i think we'd have been interested if we'd not gone with the build. Certainly would've been cheaper, albeit with some compromises. Still no regrets on that front, even though we've still not got planning approved (should be the next week or so apparently as it's getting to the deadline where they either reject or it's auto approved!)
 
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