Hola,
Some of you might know me from slow travel.We are doing a very slow trip around the world and will spend the first 2 1/2 years in Europe much of it by RV , and spending the winter in Frigiliana Spain ( a white village near Nerja & about an hour from Malaga in Andalucia)in a rented village home.We leave here ( SF area) on the 2nd of Sept ,fly into AMS where we will pick up our first RV we bought ( and books & few things that have already been sent)& take our time exploring mostly France and Northern Spain for the first 2 months until we get to Frigliana on Nov 1st.We will be there until April 1st and our 5yo child is already registered for school there and if all goes well we will return there next winter at the same time and perhaps a third one ( or more ).We know a few friends from our church who are natives and live in Spain ,but other than that know nobody in Spain & just picked Frigiliana by the internet as it looked like it would meet our needs.My husband and child are bilingual but my spanish is in the "me tarzon" level despite my A's in school.

We are packing now ,so I am wondering what is a "must bring" that I do not realize now??? Like I have heard some things like dental floss,peanut butter etc should be brought from home.What do you Americans living there suggest???We are packing very light ,so have lots of room.

The other question is about American TV.We do not watch it much here ,so picked an Apt that had no TV ( but had 2 great terraces with ocean views we liked and other things)since most just had UK sky TV anyway.We will have 2 laptop with us we just bought ( a macpro and sony vaio) & a small dvd player for my child and will have satellite internet broadband connection 24/7 whereever we are traveling ( including this rental).

I am wondering what one can download to a laptop as far as American TV? I have never done it before so am clueless and even tho we don't watch much TV here, I am wondering if it would be nice to have some for the inevitible culture shock.Any ideas?

We are also considering slingbox and wonder if anyone has used that?

Thanks so much in advance!!

What fun - that sounds like a wonderful trip - I am so jealous!!

I usually bring peanut butter and salad dressing from home when I am in Spain for a while. I miss ranch dressing and blue cheese on my salads.

I have not used slingbox but have heard good things about it.

Thanks Cascadadusel,
We talked to apple several times today,so it looks like we can just buy TV shows from itunes.( At first we were told that we could not,but seems we can if we are American citizens),so I guess there will be no need for slingbox.

We will have to check it out some more,but it looks ideal for us.

Keep those ideas coming for things that are more expensive or hard to find in Spain compared to US as I have plenty of room in my suitcase.

How are the health food stores in Spain ( we tend to do all our shopping at them here in Ca) ?

Dental floss is widely available in Spanish pharmacies. Maybe there are not a zillion varieties and brands like in the States, but it won't be too hard to get.

About the peanut butter, yes, it is very difficult to find in Spain. But because is pretty much a typical American food. I mean, it's as hard to get as a can of fabada asturiana (a Spanish bean stew) in the States.

Well I think some of it is also on cost.I am not sure what some things cost in Spain and I am sure some things are cheaper there.But if something is much cheaper here & I have lots of space why not bring them.I think dental floss is one of those things ( and yes , i do need a paricular type) so its easy to just get a bunch at a great price here from costco etc and bring them along.I hear things like band aids ( 5yo love these things and kids cold meds and tylenol and such is cheaper and more varieties here.Thats just the kind of thing I am thinking about.I hear about these things about Europe ,not necessarily Spain.

And you are right about the " fabada asturiana" idea & those are the kinds of things one would like to bring along for homesick moments if one is away from ones home
& culture for years.One comes for the wonderful differences,but as someone who has lived for a year before in Europe ( Italy) and loved it,I also know an expat does miss somethings from home sometimes and needs a bit of comfort from the culture shock to revitalize them from time to time.I have seen some interesting thinks Brits miss from home ( & ofcourse they mean nothing to me ,but everything to the expat Brits who miss a few of their favourite things while living in Spain.Funny thing is Americans often miss Chinese food and Mexican food as we eat those a lot here ( Even in countries like Spain that have great food that we loove).Not to mention mac and cheese,ranch dressing,maple syrup for pancakes,chocolate chip cookies,marshmallows,hot dogs,ketchup etcfor my 5 yo. as we will cook most of our own meals ( mostly healthy ,but kids are kids & use to thier treats...tho I am sure she will love the kid treats in Spain too

The Expats in Italy has a list on that site of such items for Americans,so I am hoping to make one for Spain.But in someways for all of Europe as we will mostly be traveling around Europe and just wintering in Spain for 5m in the winter.( Probably 2 or 3 winters in the same area if all works out well the first time to give us a home away from home).

How are the health food stores in Andalucia? Thats something we use a lot here and ofcourse I wonder what will be available there.We do not eat peanut butter,so will not miss it a bit.But we do love organic almond butter & apple butter etc.

Silly question,but do you have baking soda,peroxide,braggs amino acid ? I am not sure whether to bring these things or not.

Are nuts as cheap there as they are at Trader Joes,or should I bring some? We have packed light ,so I can bring some food or some of these things if I knew what to bring.Some for homesickness moments and some because its cheaper or more variety here.

Is there a list for Americans in Spain anywhere? ( On what one might consider bringing from home for a long stay).Perhaps I should not have combined my questions.

Leave the baking soda and peroxide at home - you can get them anywhere in Spain - take the amino acids with you - havent seen them anywhere... Nuts in Spain are WONDERFUL - much better than is the states and much cheaper ... I am very sorry to tell you that health food stores are few and far between and not of the San Francisco variety - that is what they carry is very different than what I think you mean .. you wont find many tofu egg salad wraps or seitan sandwich meats and no tofu hot dogs or phony bologna .. actually I think the Corte Ingles has a pretty decent health food section ... but it is still maybe 4 feet long .. not exactly like Whole Foods :-( You mentioned maple syrup and ketchup - you can get both at COrte Ingles as well - they are just 4 or 5 times more expensive than they would be from home. I usually have a standadrd list of things I ask friends to bring from home when they are coming to stay for a few weeks (hey its not like they are paying rent or anything!!) But those are pretty personal items.. Paul Mitchell conditioner, baked Lays sour cream chips, etc.... I would say just bring some of what you cant live without and ask visitors and friends back home to ship you the rest. I once lost all my luggage flying into Madrid and the ONLY things I had in my carry on were 10 bottles of Paul Mitchell conditioner... I had to wear the same clothes for a week but boy did my hair smell good!!

Thats very helpful Cascadadusel.I am glad i don't need to bring the baking soda and peroxide ( I use them for teeth cleaning & other things).I didn't think they had a whole foods cal kind of healthfood stuff ,but its good to get an idea about what they do have.

And whats the story with the milk? I hear it does not taste good there,but not sure thats accurate.I don't drink any ,but husbunny does.Do they have goats yogurt or goat milk? It great for me that they have lots of sheep and goat cheese.Do they have things like spelt pasta? I am not suppose to eat wheat and I know the bread will be tempting.

Thats a funny story about only having conditioner tho sorry to hear about your lost luggage.We are packing light and almost all of our things will be with us in carry on.( I am already packed!) The plan was to do it all with carryon ( we have lots of exofficio kinds of clothes as we need to be wary of space & sent winter stuff with books already),but now I will need to check in a seat vest style car seat thing,so might as well pack a duffle bag or 2 of things we could use to that.

Health food stores? In Spain there are no unhealthy food stores

I mean, you may not find very elaborated food (as almond or apple butter), but spanish food is really healthy. You'll find fresh vegetables, top quality meat (most typical are: cow, pork, chicken, lamb by that order), very good milk (coming from the northern grasslands for example, and not so different from the one I tried in the States), superb fish and fruit. Not to miss the olive oil (extra virgin) at 3 €/litre or the red wine (very healthy if drunk in moderate quantities).

It's relatively easy to find wheat pasta without gluten or goat yogurt. El Corte Inglés are the big stores in which you will feel comfortable buying (they have a limited stock of american goods). In big cities there are places like Taste of America in which you can even buy on-line (a little bit pricy, but worth to check).

In general, spaniards are not that concerned with "healthy" food. Anyway, I'm sure once you have settled and gone a couple of times to the supermarket, you'll see what you need. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun trying to find it but I'm also sure you'll find your way to find it.

Don't worry, you'll have to live without some things you're used to have in Ca, but I'm sure you'll be able to find most of what you need.

Fernando

Cute,Fernando , I enjoy your sense of humour! I am one of "those" fussy Californians who do not see too many healthy foods in American stores ( that are not healthfood stores) despite the over abundance in them of endless coices and endless fruits and veggies.Are organic foods common in Spain?

I am even cautious with healthfood stores as here we try to eat almost exclusively organic and have always had year round gardens & go to farmers markets.I will be a little tricky in Spain as I do not eat pork or lamb ( tho I am sure I will love the fish ,beef and chicken).We Californians are also not use to smokers ,so that will probably be a challenge in Europe as I know it is much more common there.( I smoked when I was young and living in Europe before so it did not bother me at all ,but now I have a child to think about).

I know there is mostly good there for us or I would not be coming,but just looking for ways to ease the things that may be more of a challenge.I looove that URL you sent as it is nice to know its there & also gives me ideas on what to bring. Even Spanish expats here would need their little treats from home My husband will miss his pancake breakfasts sometimes as its a special treat he shares with my daughter here on most weekends & she thinks he is the best pancake maker in the world. So I am hoping we can bring some of that with us.I know people say they have friends bring food in,but is it not a problem in customs? I have never brought food products with me before ( ofcourse I have never stayed this lone either.) I can not say I missed anything food wise when I lived in Italy ( but I was also not there at xmas & thats an important time for a child who knows her customs.Ofcourse it will be wonderful to learn the authentic traditions in our village,but we will want to have a bit of our ca style xmas too).

I am going to be in Andalucia & altho some people rave about some of the food that I know I will love, I have heard several Americans talk about the lack of fresh vegetables there and how greazy some of the oil based food can be to our palate.Part of that won't be a problem as we will be cooking most of our own food,tho we won't miss the wonderful tapas & great restaurants.

My daughters Spanish tutor who is helping her prepare to enter the school ( so she is familiar with the school terms used there etc) has a grown daughter who just returned from Cordoba and she loved it.BUT she did have some problems with the food & lack of fresh veggies.I am going to be in a white village right in the middle of a farming area,so can not imagine that will be true for us,but I will bring along some organic lettuce seeds for our terrace just in case as we love our greens & they are so easy to grow even in the winter.

I am sure we will adapt well to what ever is there ( the cherished & the challenging ) ,but this is very helpful conversation for me.Do they have avocados and bananas there at decent prices( things we eat a lot ,so curious)? I am glad to hear the milk is good and similar to ours as my husband & daughter do like their milk.Yea and I can have my goat milk yogurt! Do they have no fat milk there? ( Thinking of dh's health).We live and eat pretty simply ,so a little fish or chicken and lots of veggies and fruits will make us very happy.

I am looking forward to the olive oil and good red wine as I think they go both grow near to where we will be.We had a small vineyard in the home we just sold ( pinot noir grapes)that we built from scatch so enjoy vineyards ( can't wait to visit the wine regions when we tour that area at harvest time in both Spain and France on our leisure way down to Andalucia ) and a little wine here and there.My daughter is looking forward to staying up late

Several years ago, I was traveling by train from Madrid to a'Coruña and I was seated across from a wine merchant. We chatted, and I learned a lot about the grapes and wines of the Minho valley that the train paralleled from Ourense to Tuí. The Minho serves as the Spain-Portugal border. Going west from Ourense, the wines on the Spain side are Ribeiro, then Albariño and finally (from a small area near Tuí and LaGuardia), the Rosál. Prepare yourself for a singular delight: the Rosál is exquisite!

If perchance you take the road south from Unquera to the Picos de Europa region that I told you about on another thread. stop in Potes (Capital of a Region called: Liebana). There you will find Cheeses that are to die for. When we visit there, we always bring goat cheese back to relatives in Madrid. They really appreciate that!

You can also find excellent Favada Asturiana if you dine in Potes; but I wouldn't plan on driving after that meal. That's when you need a Siesta!

Going back: If you stop in Bilbao, you must visit el Mercado, a 3-story Market on the rio Nervion just across from the Casco Viejo. One level is dedicated to vegetables and fresh fruits. On another you will find freshley slaughtered piglets, many types of morcillas and other meats. The last time I was in Bilbao I vowed that my next visit I will stay in a place with a kitchenette.