Never Retire: The Apartment Hunt In Spain Is Over (Se Acabó) - Take Two
It wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard
In today’s Never Retire newsletter installment—the 35th consecutive daily post—a mostly visual look at our neighborhood.
It’s official—we found an apartment. In fact, we’re probably going to sleep there tonight. Right now, we’re stocking it with essentials and making it uniquely ours as we pinch ourselves to think that we’re lucky enough to live in the perfect urban environment.
I have longed for this type of lifestyle since I had a small taste of it in San Francisco and attempted to half-ass it in other parts of California, most recently Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
Here—in Russafa, in Valencia, Spain—the streets are alive and laid back at the same time, all of the time with people doing life. The cafes, bars and restaurants are almost always busy and buzzing. At the moment—and for the foreseeable future—this is Valencia’s destination neighborhood.
From our perspective, a solid mix of locals (in-neighborhood and in-Valencia), visitors from elsewhere in Spain and other tourists and digital nomads. And there are very few cars!
I have about 10 other drafts working right now. There’s so much to talk about, including the lack of cars, which has a lot to do with a new, separate Substack I am preparing to launch.
But, primarily—
The logistics of the move and administrative tasks as we knock them out. Such as the smooth process of securing internet and mobile phone numbers yesterday.
And—of course—how it actually feels to finally do something you wanted to do so freaky badly for so long at such a pivotal point in life. Fears and expectations versus reality, fact and fiction alongside dealing, living and—hopefully—striving and thriving through it all.
So here’s what I am going to do—
Cover all of the above and more over the rest of my life really. This newsletter isn’t my side hustle. It’s a critical element of my livelihood.
Hit the expectations versus reality angles super hard along the way.
Provide a quick rundown of how we got this apartment—the process—today.
After we complete them all, a comprehensive list on exactly what we did—step by step—to complete every single administrative/bureaucratic task here in Spain.
If you are—
Planning a move to Spain or someplace similar, I will not lead with fear. I am not going to invent problems you might never encounter, create unnecessary fear, then put myself in the manipulative position of stoking that fear and solving this manufactured drama for you. I will give you the information you need to complete the processes, based on how they went down for us.
Navigating the road to midlife or you’re already there or beyond, I will relay our experience so that you can adapt it to whatever you’re doing or want to do in life. I wanted to make this move—in part—so I would not stand still at a point in life where too many people confuse stagnation for comfort. Once you’re stagnant, things can go downhill fast. I have seen the process play out more than once in my family.
There’s so much there that’s universal to go alongside the specifics about making a life in Spain. I doubt myself multiple times per day, but I never doubt that this newsletter delivers serious value.
So, I would appreciate your support monthly, annually or—even better—with a $100 or more founding membership that I will convert to a free lifetime subscription.
Now, our apartment hunt is over. It’s time to do life—we ARE doing life—in one of the best urban neighborhoods in the world.
In a few words and more pictures.