Saludos a todos!
Long time no post. It has been 3.5 years since I left Madrid!! Hardly a day goes by without fond memories of my time there with the Riberas and Riojas. Mmmmmmm...

OK, on to the message. Good friends of mine with a boy and girl really want to spend a year abroad in Spain. I think they are leaning toward Andalucia, but are open to alternatives. The boy will be 12-13 and the girl 10-11. Both are great athletes and would be keen on participating in local leagues in basetball and soccer.

The parents badly want the kids to learn Castellano. However, they also want to use the trip to expose the kids to Spain and Europe.

They are thnking of a year, where all four move to Spain. Mom is a well qualified nurse. However if they can avoid it, then would rather avoid work and indulge in the culture themselves.

They were thinking about enrolling the kids in school, but wonder if they could and whether it would prevent them from meeting their trip's objectives.

In terms of income, I would say they can afford a pretty decent rental (say 1000-1500 Euros/month). Mind you my memory for prices are based on being single and renting a room in Madrid in 2003/4. Perhaps my figures are way off in either driection??

Can you guys and gals provide advice on whow they should approach this potential trip? Any links or threads?

Sevilla is so darn enchanting, but probably not cheap. I was thinking they should also consider Cadiz and perhaps somewhere less touristy like Extremadura or Valencia. But of course, I dno;t have really any idea.

Muchissimas Gracias por su ayuda.

Un abrazo,
Almohada
P.D. A special hello to MM, whom I had the pleasure of meeting for beers in Madrid the summer of 2004.

I would like to recommend your friends consider Almeria. Housing cost wise it is one of the last affordable costas in Andalucia. There is also a large contingent of young British families with kids living there so they are likely to find soccer leagues and activities like that for the kids and other families to socialize with.

It also has great weather ...of course.

That is where our home is and we have found the locals there very very friendly towards us - I would highly recommend it for a family looking for a place to spend some time and experience Spain. If you would like some realtor recommendations email me off list and I would be happy to send you some.

Thanks CascadaDeSel,

I will pass on the info and look into Almeria myself.

Best, Almohada

If thinking of Andalucia, my choice would be Sevilla, Cadiz, or Granada. You mentioned exploring Europe as a goal and it's quite nice to have an airport nearby- flying these days in Europe can be dirt cheap. The train is also nice but it will take you hours just to get to the border. I guess it depends on what they had in mind.
1500 Euro should suffice for a nice place in Andalucia but finding a furnished place could be an issue.
You ask how to approach the trip...it's a big one and they need to have considered immigration status, health care, education for the kids, daily transportation (because they will only be able to rent a car if they don't have a Spanish license).
Do they speak Spanish?
If the kids go to school, would it be a Spanish school?

here are some general housing sites for spain to get an idea of what's out there.
www.fotocasa.es
www.expocasa.es

there are also tons of sites for andalucia on the web. Do they want rural or city?
Have they considered a home swap?
Last question, how long before they are planning on going?
hope this helps

I would suggest Zaragoza. This is the 5th largest Spanish city (654,390 inhabitants). It was founded in 24 b.c. by the Romans. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Aragón during the middle age. It has many museums, and lots of monuments like the wonderful Basilica del Pilar or the Alfajería Palace.

Zaragoza is the home city of the International Expo in 2008. For that reason the city has been completely renovated. The Expo Zaragoza 2008 will start in June the 14th and it'll last till September the 14th.

In October the have the great festivals of El Pilar.

The city is connected by high speed train to Madrid and Barcelona. It is connected by highway (speed 120 km/h) to:

Madrid --> 318 km
Barcelona --> 311 km
Valencia --> 312 km
Bilbao --> 305 km
San Sebastian --> 264 km
Pamplona --> 181 km
Burgos --> 264 km
Logroño (Rioja) --> 178 km
Cuenca --> 290 km
Pirinees mountains and French border --> 160 km
Tarragona (beaches) --> 238 km

So in less than three hours by car you can enjoy wonderful weekends in some of the most important Spanish cities.
You can also enjoy the festivals in Spain, like the San Fermines of Pamplona or Fallas of Valencia.
You can ski at the Pirinees in winter, swim in the Mediterranean in summer, and do some trecking in spring at the National Parks of Pirinees or Albarracín mountains.