Nice to see everyones replies.

As for me, I was getting ready for my 3rd trip to Europe in two years and I was looking for as much info on traveling, security, food etc. and when I found this place I felt that the moderator and the boards participants had a good hold on how to effectively help. I've found so much good info and have learned so much from everyone.



A site completely dedicated to Spain is tops on my list!

In '06 a coworker that loves Spain was researching yet another trip to the peninsula and found this website online. Knowing that I was a Spaniard, told me about it... I looked it up (MM at the time still resided in the US) and I have been snooping ever since.
I came very close once to meet some of you during a gathering when I visited MadriZ in 2006.

I was looking for info about moving to and living in Barcelona. Info for Americans wishing to make this move is scarce, to say the least. It all seems exclusively geared toward Brits. I've posted here once, asking for some info, but I have yet to receive any answers. :-( Oh well, I guess I'll keep trying until I get the info I need. I've got a while before we make the big leap.

Pookie

Pookie

I read your post, but as an American who merely travels to Spain, I can't help you. After visiting this message board daily for over a year, it seems that most of the questions posted are about traveling to Spain. However, your situation is certainly interesting and I hope that you will fill us in with the details when you discover what's what.

TT8

Pookie and TeacherTraveler,

It seems to me, though, that our gracious host, an American who moved to Madrid a few years ago, could shed some light on the question.

Maybe if you read some of MM's earlier blogs it would help, if they're still available to browse. I asked him a couple of times in a Private Message how it was really like to move to Spain. I would still be interested in hearing of his experiences.

Gazpacho

P.S. I was about to mention a precaution about the economic fate of Spain, if you've been listening to the news lately about Greece, Portugal and Spain and the IMF. Then it occurred to me, the way things are going here, six of one, half a dozen of the other.

I'm SO happy you all found your way to MadridMan" - one way or another.

Pookiep36, I too read your other post, "Barcelona and kids and moving...", about homeschooling/schooling in Barcelona & shipping via container but I didn't reply because I honestly have no experience in those things. So sorry! Still, I'm glad you're part of our community. Probably once you settle in you can find lots of "Things to do in Barcelona" and "how to live in Spain" comments and suggestions for our message board members.

Saludos, MadridMan

And now you can see (in classifieds) that my daughter is selling that washing machine that brought me to MadridMan!!

I have been following MadridMan and his escapades since 1999, when we spent Pesetas and MadridMan still lived in Ohio. This site has been one of my primary resources for my three previous trips and for my upcoming trip in October

Keep up the good work!

if the pokeyip36 is American the American Citizen Services section of the US Embassy in Spain has information contacts to help you;contact them
hope it helps

Greetings. I suppose this is as good a forum as any to introduce ourselves and launch our first post.
I (Scott) first visited Spain in 1982, spending a wonderful six weeks or so in Madrid while visiting the surrounding towns of interest and touring to Andalucia. This was my first trip overseas and I was immediately smitten. I returned in 1985 and 1989 and have toured Galicia, Catalunya, and the Basque region, always using Madrid as my home base. When Wendy and I got together, I couldn't shut up about Spain: The people, the food, the wine, the nature, the spirit, the way of life.
It took us a few years, but we were finally able to make our first trip together this past June and July, visiting Barcelona, Girona, and the Pyrenees for her birthday. Luckily, she was immediately smitten as well and now we're both nursing a fantasy of moving to Spain someday when we retire (or sooner if possible).
We chose Catalunya for our first trip because we wanted to be in the mountains in June (we're avid birders), but are now planning our next trip for Madrid and Andalucia. Although it will be over a year before we can go, we're already anxiously planning and dreaming, looking at websites, reading guides, studying reviews and forums--in short, obsessing about all things Spain.
So, to make a long story short (if that's possible at this point) we discovered MadridMan through our searches for lodging in Madrid and are having a great time fueling our fantasies for our return.