By Max Milano (Travel Writer) The day of the driving test finally came. Months of waiting. Over a thousand euros spent on driving school fees, paperwork, and lessons. He’d already flunked the first written exam. This was the last chance before the whole thing reset. Another fail would mean 300 euros to re-enroll in the school. The written exam stayed valid for two years, but the rest? Gone. Then 50 euros per driving lesson, with […]
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by Max Milano (Travel Writer). Valencian fishermen leave port before dawn to haul in the day’s catch, so there’s something about being out on a boat under the hot midday sun that makes them tired and hungry. It was out on the warm waters of the Mediterranean, just off the coast of Gandia, sometime in the early 20th century (around the 1930s) that a hungry captain aboard the Santa Isabel waited for his lunch. He […]
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Let’s start with a shocking truth: supermarkets in Spain are closed on Sundays. Closed. As in, shut down tighter than a Spanish pharmacy during siesta time. You’ve just stumbled out of bed on Sunday morning (after a big Saturday night), bleary-eyed, craving an orange juice, and boom, nada. No Mercadona. No Carrefour. Then, after wandering aimlessly along the quiet Sunday morning streets, you may or may not stumble upon a shady corner store with a […]
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When Sarah, a British expat living in Alicante, decided to sell her sunny two-bedroom apartment near the beach, she assumed it would be easy. After all, Spain’s property market seemed hot, and the flat was in great condition, with a spacious balcony and sea views. She uploaded a few photos to a popular property portal, listed the price slightly higher than she had paid a few years ago, and waited for the calls to come […]
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Lawyer Up To Avoid Scams, Squatters, Bureaucracy, and Costly Mistakes when Purchasing Property In Spain As An Expat Buying or selling property in Spain can be one of the most rewarding moves of your life. Whether it is a beachfront villa, an investment apartment in a growing market, or your next full-time residence, the Spanish property market offers exciting opportunities for expats. However, those opportunities come with significant legal and bureaucratic challenges that are often […]
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Use This Checklist to Simplify the Complex Spain Real Estate Buying Process The buying process in Spain is different from what many foreign buyers expect. If you want to avoid delays, hidden surprises, and unnecessary stress, it is essential to understand the whole buying process before you start house hunting in Spain. This checklist walks you through every stage of the Spanish property buying journey: From finding the right home to signing at the notary […]
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By Max Milano (Travel Writer & Photographer) Spain and fiestas go hand in hand, like jamón, paella, and sangría in the sun-soaked dreams of travelers the world over. Hemingway started that dream. His first novel, Fiesta (published as The Sun Also Rises in the U.S.), burned the image into the world’s mind: bulls thundering through narrow alleys, chasing drunk Americans as they slipped and stumbled over Pamplona’s cobblestones. But fiestas in Spain aren’t made for […]
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By Max Milano (Travel Writer) There is a reason why so many bright-eyed expats arrive in Spain full of hope and sunshine, only to end up neck-deep in housing disasters, unread WhatsApp messages, and real estate contracts that look like they were written during the Inquisition. One minute, you’re sipping cañas and daydreaming about tile work. Next, you’re begging a landlord in Valencia to explain why he wants 12 months of rent in cash and […]
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By Max Milano (Travel Writer & Photographer) The day begins with dust, dry air, and a sun sharp as glass, even this early. Aragon opens on the road before us. We’re in high desert country. Red and ancient. Carved by history and silence. Orwell called it beautiful in the snow, even with machine guns on the hills. Today, it’s just hot. Aragon is an arid, high inland desert that extends from the snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains […]
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By Max Milano (Travel Writer & Photographer) It begins, as these stories often do, with a pint of lager at 9 in the morning. We’re deep in the heart of the British zone, inside a place called “The Queen Vic,” and the man beside us has just announced that he’s on his third pint of the day and still hasn´t had breakfast. His skin is redder than a bullfighter’s cape, and he swears that the […]
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