In a previous life I was C.P.A in French education. Life begins at 60, that's true ! I After Koh Samui, Thailand, and Koh Phangan I moved to Crete (Greece) . I'm retired but not inactive and spend my time between my blog : www.deridet.com (multilingual) and sports. I'm single for 15 years after being married twice and having four kids. Frankly, I like very much my present life. What I appreciate at most is to be free as a bird. And healthy. In fact, I'm interested in everything but if I'm afraid the contrary is not true ;-)
I joined expat.com on 04 September 2009.
Manilva is a very special small town in the Costa del Sol. At the edge of the Mediterranean with huge and beautiful beaches, on the other side are the mountains, also magnificent. The surroundings of the city include a large number of recent, and therefore modern, housing developments, usually with a large communal swimming pool and sometimes even a golf course. At prices that are still very affordable. I pay 650 euros per month for a 120 M2, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully furnished (up to sheets) with underground parking space. The quality of this apartment and its surroundings (a 110,000 m2 wooded park with other buildings, but a lot of space left) was a major factor in my choice to reside in Spain. Moreover, life in this small part of Andalusia is very cheap compared to the cost of living in France. The roads are excellent with a parallel and free motorway network! Which means that, for the past 10 months, I have never paid a toll in Spain before! The climate is exceptional, with more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Winter is particularly mild. In the end, everything to please a retiree!
Administrative formalities in Spain are not simple at all. That's an understatement. Nevertheless we can do it even if, like me, we don't speak Spanish, but we master the Internet. After several months of effort I have the resident's certificate, a car bought in Spain with insurance, and I am registered with the Spanish Social Security. Which, unlike France, is universal, i. e. covers all medical risks, and not only 75% ! In other words, there is no need to take out additional insurance. This, given the prices charged in this area, is a considerable advantage. As far as I'm concerned: 140 euros per month!
Je suis né en 1946. Je suis retraité, célibataire, et heureux de l'être. Dans les deux cas ! Je viens de quitter la Thaïlande après 7 années de résidence. Je puis vous assurer que la Crète, après la Thaïlande, il n'y a pas photo ! En fait, la Crète, c'est l'antithèse totale de la Thaïlande. Ceux qui on vécu en Thaïlande apprécieront...
J'aime Internet, la musique, le sport et la moto. J'ai tout cela en Crète, avec le soleil 300 jours par an.
J'ai la faculté de zapper sans effort tout ce qui ne m'intéresse ou ne me plaît pas. Avec bientôt 70 ans de pratique, mes capacités dans ce domaine sont impressionnantes.
I'm retired
Very quiet when you want peace. Very hot when you want to move.
I was C.P.A (Certified Public Accountant)for french ministery of education
Studies in sociology at Faculté des lettres de Bordeaux