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I'm a middle-aged woman who pays taxes, owns property, and has a career of sorts. I'm a Serious Person, and so are my friends. Mostly. So when I find myself standing by the side of a road in rural Spain, holding a sign written in lipstick (Burt's Bees Raisin, to be exact—my favorite shade—and sacrificed for the occasion)...
Lots of Europhiles dream of taking six months or a year to explore Europe…traveling from country to country…staying put for a while (maybe even renting an apartment or villa for a month or two) and getting to know a region…then moving on to the next enticing destination….
Who doesn’t love a seaside ambience? The tang of salt on the air, the cries of seagulls, and sailboats rocking at their moorings… And in Spain, where seaside locations so often come with plentiful sunshine, sandy beaches, warm days, and sea breezes, they can be especially appealing. Here are five of my favorite seaside towns in Spain...
Barbara Wolfe and her husband Bill actually began their expat life in Cuenca, Ecuador. But after four happy years there, the intrepid Minnesota couple moved to Porto, Portugal’s second city, joining the ranks of expats who are “serial relocators:” those who live in turn in more than one overseas location.
Mexico is not only the nearest destination abroad for U.S. and Canadian expats; it is also one of the most popular. More than a million expats are estimated to live in Mexico full- or part-time…the largest concentration of North American expats anywhere in the world...
In the last few years, a slew of travel publications has put Mexico City on their “must-see” list. Those of us who live in Mexico simply ask ourselves what took them so long: Hands down, Mexico City is one of the most vivid, exciting cities around.
Happily, the best of the “old” Málaga remains, as well. The sun still shines, there are miles of seaside, winter temperatures are balmy (days average 63 F in January), and sea breezes still blow off the Mediterranean, cooling the hot summer days. And Málaga is still cheerful and vibrant, oozing its trademark Andalusian charm. Best of all, it remains a very Spanish city, even in the prime tourist areas. So if you enjoy big-city life with laidback charm and a side of seashore, give Málaga a whirl. You can even get by in English.
With the U.S. midterm elections fast approaching (election day is Tuesday, November 6), U.S. expats may be asking themselves if they can vote when they live abroad The answer to the first question is a resounding yes.
Imagine waking up every day in the middle of lush, unspoiled jungle—or the rolling green hills of a rustic European countryside—surrounded by the sounds of birdsong instead of city traffic.
I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for traditional food markets. I seek out farmers' markets in the U.S. and traditional food markets when I'm abroad. Belize, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador... I've explored markets in all these countries, thrilled at the colors, the smells, and the variety of wares, many of them exotic local fruits, vegetables, and more. And, of course, I've explored many markets in Spain.