Our cottage in Spain, the life etc.A sort of a TR, part one
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:21 pm
I have recently been told that my spoken English has improved, which I'm sure has something to do with that I very often read and write in this forum.
At the same time I like to tell, and that's why I both want to continue to practice my written English and try, if I can entertain you with the story about our cottage in Spain and the life, we live there.
In the beginning there will not be pictures, but I promise you that there will be a lot of them later. I will also tell many details, so the topic can be a long one, I don't know yet. But now you know what you can expect!
I will use the European metric system, and prices will be in Euro.
For your information:
1 Euro = about 1,59 US dollars
1 liter = O,263 gallon
1 square m = 3,28 square feet
So let the story begin:
How we ended up having a cottage in Spain
What happens in your life is often a result of a coincidence. That we have a cottage in Spain is a result of a row of coincidences.
The story starts in 1980 (cannot understand how fast the years are running
). Hubby, who is an engineer was close to finish a commercial education taken in his spare time, and we knew that the company, he worked for, would raise his salary, when he graduated. We were sensible people at that time, so we had decided that we would not use the extra money to drink and eat better. Some years before we had bought a pretty piece of land near a nice beach in a little fisher town, Boennerup. There was an unfinished small cottage on, which we had reformed. We loved the place and spent many weekends and holidays there. Also it has been a good investment, the prices for land had risen, the value was now much higher. So our plan was to take a loan in the cottage and build a bigger one beside the other.
A Sunday afternoon in January, when hubby was studying, and our son was playing, I had the time to read the newspaper more intense than usual. Suddenly my eyes caught an advertisement, which told that you could have a cheap journey to Spain, if you wanted to buy a finca (a little farm in the countryside), and you were not forced to buy. It sounds very romantic with such a finca - sunshine, a lot of flowers, your own almond- and orange trees etc.
. The prices were very low - the fincas only need a little reparation, it was told!! Thinking of our last holidays in Boennerup, where we only had been on the beach one or two times due to the weather, I was at once quite excited about it. I showed the advertisement to hubby, but he looked at me, as if I was crazy. I, of course, could understand him, we had never ever talked about going to Spain, we didn't know anyone, who had a house there, and we already had a cottage. So I forgot everything about it.
Some month later, when I was having my lunch in the canteen in the bank, where I worked, one of my colleagues called me: there was a phone call from hubby. Normally you were not disturbed in such an important matter as having lunch, so I was a little surprised.
" What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm so ill" (hubby had cached a cold, and like many men, he then feels that he is near dying) "Yes, I know, how you feel, but what can I do?"
" I need some sunshine"
" Yes, that would be lovely, but the weather forecast says rain"
" I know, but what was the name of the company with the advertisement about
Spain?"
So because of hubby's painful illness we went to Spain in July.
First time in Spain
We were not very seriously interested in buying a finca, but the journey was cheap, and it didn't cost anything to look at the possibilities. In the hotel, where we stayed, there were other couples, who really want to buy something in Spain. Together with the real estate agents all of us were driven around to different places. We looked at village houses, fincas etc.. It was terrible hot, too much sunshine without any breeze, so these survey trips were more an experience than a pleasure. And after some days it was clear to us that we couldn't afford to buy something acceptable. The cheap fincas didn't only need a little reparation, they need a bigger renovation. It was not so that we were very disappointed. As I told, we haven't been firm determined to buy anything.
In the car, where we were, there was also an elderly couple (elderly= the age we have now!!!
).
They wanted to buy a lot, so we had to look at lots too. And of course we went out of the car, when they did, and because of that we also saw the lot, they ended up buying.
In the evening at the hotel hubby asked me:
"Did you notice the wonderful view from the lot"
"Yes, it was really nice"
"Did you also notice that a mild breeze was blowing, not like the other places we have seen"
"Yes, I was thinking of the same"
"There is a lot for sale beside the other one, I wonder what it will cost to built a cottage in Spain?"
So we asked the agent, and he could tell that it was very cheap to build in Spain. "Just buy the lot and find out later, what you want to build", he said. "As you know, we work together with Manulo and he builds houses too" (Manulo, a Spanish man, had been with us in some of the places we visited). But we wanted to know the total price before we did anything, so hubby got some paper from the hotel and began to design a small cottage with two room and a bathroom. We got an offer, and the agent was right, it was only half the price for the cottage than for the lot. Very cheap. Still we weren't convinced about what to do, so we asked, if we could see the lot again and together with the agent and Manulo, we returned. This time we lost our hearts completely, and our son was also very upset. He whispered to us that we had to buy this place, he was sure that we could find gold and diamonds there. Seeing the stones, he has found, we could understand his fantasy!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/Spa ... 4578"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/benthe44/SHtEjl0il ... 7.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/Spa ... 4738"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/benthe44/SH4xAcYJ0 ... 6.JPG"></a>
In reality the stones are much more shining than in the pic!
We also saw one of the houses Manulo had built. We liked it, it was so nice, very Spanish.
The result was that we ended up signing a contract about buying the lot and building the house hubby has designed on the paper from the hotel.
After a weeks stay we returned to Denmark and could tell our surprised family that we had bought a lot in Spain and was going to build a cottage there.
Problems
At that time in Spain you had to pay the whole price in advance even before you had written a deed or anything was built. We were not happy for that, but I took bank information about the company, it seemed to be okay. We paid the money and began to look forward to next spring, where the cottage should be finished.
But in spring we got the message that there were problems. When we bought, we were shown a paper, which told that it was allowed to build on a lot of 5000 square meters, which we had. Now a new socialistic town government had changed the rules. In the area, where we had bought, it was now forbidden to build unless the lot was 25.000 square meters. The company was not able to pay the money back to us, but they offered us a free journey to Spain to discuss the matter.
Second time in Spain
So we went to Spain in spring together with 2 other couples with the same problem. The company had a proposal for us. We could find something else, and we would get a reduction in the price analogous to their fee (which was high), and then just wait for that the rule perhaps changed. That meant that we had to look at fincas and houses again! The 2 other couples each found a house in another place. We didn't know what to do, there was nothing we liked, and when we saw our lot again, we both felt the same. If it couldn't be there, we were not interested in anything. So we told that we would take the chance and see what happened, and as compensation we want the cottage to be 10 square meters bigger (so our son could have his own room). The agent accepted, hubby made some new drawings, and we had a meeting with Manulo about our new plan. The agent told us that the new rule has something to do with the fact that the new mayor didn't like Manulo. Both because Manulo was from the opposite political side and had been a candidate to be a mayor too, but also because he dislike that Manulo earned a lot of money doing business with the Danes.
Third time in Spain
In autumn 1981 we were on a trip to Spain together with family members. We celebrated my fathers 65 years birthday and hubby's grandmother's 80 years birthday. Of course we showed them our lot, my father didn't like heights and was very nervous. He said nothing about the place, only that it was a very, very dramatic drive up there. Hubby and I can still laugh of that remark. For grandma the most interesting was that we had to stop the cars because a goat flock occupied the road, and suddenly one of the goats gave birth to a little kid.
We were not in contact with anyone from the company. We knew that nothing have happened.
Still problems, but something has happened
A few months before our summer holiday 1982 we got an exiting message. They have started to build our cottage! Manulo knew that the new mayor was away for some days. He called all his builders in so that the cottage could be build very fast (in Spain at that time you never removed anything, even though it wasn't legal buildings). Now all the outer walls were put up, the roof was on, but there was no windows or doors. When the mayor returned he unfortunately could see our place from his house, and as soon as he discovered the new building the police was send up to stop the activity. So now they couldn't finish the cottage. What to do?
Hubby and I decided to be optimistic about the case. "Let's see if we can solve the matter ourselves.
We will go to Spain in our summer holiday".
Our fourth visit is a longer story, it's about how we camped, a party on the lot, a meeting in the town hall etc.. I will wait until the next part to tell about that
At the same time I like to tell, and that's why I both want to continue to practice my written English and try, if I can entertain you with the story about our cottage in Spain and the life, we live there.
In the beginning there will not be pictures, but I promise you that there will be a lot of them later. I will also tell many details, so the topic can be a long one, I don't know yet. But now you know what you can expect!
I will use the European metric system, and prices will be in Euro.
For your information:
1 Euro = about 1,59 US dollars
1 liter = O,263 gallon
1 square m = 3,28 square feet
So let the story begin:
How we ended up having a cottage in Spain
What happens in your life is often a result of a coincidence. That we have a cottage in Spain is a result of a row of coincidences.
The story starts in 1980 (cannot understand how fast the years are running
). Hubby, who is an engineer was close to finish a commercial education taken in his spare time, and we knew that the company, he worked for, would raise his salary, when he graduated. We were sensible people at that time, so we had decided that we would not use the extra money to drink and eat better. Some years before we had bought a pretty piece of land near a nice beach in a little fisher town, Boennerup. There was an unfinished small cottage on, which we had reformed. We loved the place and spent many weekends and holidays there. Also it has been a good investment, the prices for land had risen, the value was now much higher. So our plan was to take a loan in the cottage and build a bigger one beside the other. A Sunday afternoon in January, when hubby was studying, and our son was playing, I had the time to read the newspaper more intense than usual. Suddenly my eyes caught an advertisement, which told that you could have a cheap journey to Spain, if you wanted to buy a finca (a little farm in the countryside), and you were not forced to buy. It sounds very romantic with such a finca - sunshine, a lot of flowers, your own almond- and orange trees etc.
. The prices were very low - the fincas only need a little reparation, it was told!! Thinking of our last holidays in Boennerup, where we only had been on the beach one or two times due to the weather, I was at once quite excited about it. I showed the advertisement to hubby, but he looked at me, as if I was crazy. I, of course, could understand him, we had never ever talked about going to Spain, we didn't know anyone, who had a house there, and we already had a cottage. So I forgot everything about it. Some month later, when I was having my lunch in the canteen in the bank, where I worked, one of my colleagues called me: there was a phone call from hubby. Normally you were not disturbed in such an important matter as having lunch, so I was a little surprised.
" What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm so ill" (hubby had cached a cold, and like many men, he then feels that he is near dying) "Yes, I know, how you feel, but what can I do?"
" I need some sunshine"
" Yes, that would be lovely, but the weather forecast says rain"
" I know, but what was the name of the company with the advertisement about
Spain?"
So because of hubby's painful illness we went to Spain in July.
First time in Spain
We were not very seriously interested in buying a finca, but the journey was cheap, and it didn't cost anything to look at the possibilities. In the hotel, where we stayed, there were other couples, who really want to buy something in Spain. Together with the real estate agents all of us were driven around to different places. We looked at village houses, fincas etc.. It was terrible hot, too much sunshine without any breeze, so these survey trips were more an experience than a pleasure. And after some days it was clear to us that we couldn't afford to buy something acceptable. The cheap fincas didn't only need a little reparation, they need a bigger renovation. It was not so that we were very disappointed. As I told, we haven't been firm determined to buy anything.
In the car, where we were, there was also an elderly couple (elderly= the age we have now!!!
).They wanted to buy a lot, so we had to look at lots too. And of course we went out of the car, when they did, and because of that we also saw the lot, they ended up buying.
In the evening at the hotel hubby asked me:
"Did you notice the wonderful view from the lot"
"Yes, it was really nice"
"Did you also notice that a mild breeze was blowing, not like the other places we have seen"
"Yes, I was thinking of the same"
"There is a lot for sale beside the other one, I wonder what it will cost to built a cottage in Spain?"
So we asked the agent, and he could tell that it was very cheap to build in Spain. "Just buy the lot and find out later, what you want to build", he said. "As you know, we work together with Manulo and he builds houses too" (Manulo, a Spanish man, had been with us in some of the places we visited). But we wanted to know the total price before we did anything, so hubby got some paper from the hotel and began to design a small cottage with two room and a bathroom. We got an offer, and the agent was right, it was only half the price for the cottage than for the lot. Very cheap. Still we weren't convinced about what to do, so we asked, if we could see the lot again and together with the agent and Manulo, we returned. This time we lost our hearts completely, and our son was also very upset. He whispered to us that we had to buy this place, he was sure that we could find gold and diamonds there. Seeing the stones, he has found, we could understand his fantasy!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/Spa ... 4578"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/benthe44/SHtEjl0il ... 7.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/Spa ... 4738"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/benthe44/SH4xAcYJ0 ... 6.JPG"></a>
In reality the stones are much more shining than in the pic!
We also saw one of the houses Manulo had built. We liked it, it was so nice, very Spanish.
The result was that we ended up signing a contract about buying the lot and building the house hubby has designed on the paper from the hotel.
After a weeks stay we returned to Denmark and could tell our surprised family that we had bought a lot in Spain and was going to build a cottage there.
Problems
At that time in Spain you had to pay the whole price in advance even before you had written a deed or anything was built. We were not happy for that, but I took bank information about the company, it seemed to be okay. We paid the money and began to look forward to next spring, where the cottage should be finished.
But in spring we got the message that there were problems. When we bought, we were shown a paper, which told that it was allowed to build on a lot of 5000 square meters, which we had. Now a new socialistic town government had changed the rules. In the area, where we had bought, it was now forbidden to build unless the lot was 25.000 square meters. The company was not able to pay the money back to us, but they offered us a free journey to Spain to discuss the matter.
Second time in Spain
So we went to Spain in spring together with 2 other couples with the same problem. The company had a proposal for us. We could find something else, and we would get a reduction in the price analogous to their fee (which was high), and then just wait for that the rule perhaps changed. That meant that we had to look at fincas and houses again! The 2 other couples each found a house in another place. We didn't know what to do, there was nothing we liked, and when we saw our lot again, we both felt the same. If it couldn't be there, we were not interested in anything. So we told that we would take the chance and see what happened, and as compensation we want the cottage to be 10 square meters bigger (so our son could have his own room). The agent accepted, hubby made some new drawings, and we had a meeting with Manulo about our new plan. The agent told us that the new rule has something to do with the fact that the new mayor didn't like Manulo. Both because Manulo was from the opposite political side and had been a candidate to be a mayor too, but also because he dislike that Manulo earned a lot of money doing business with the Danes.
Third time in Spain
In autumn 1981 we were on a trip to Spain together with family members. We celebrated my fathers 65 years birthday and hubby's grandmother's 80 years birthday. Of course we showed them our lot, my father didn't like heights and was very nervous. He said nothing about the place, only that it was a very, very dramatic drive up there. Hubby and I can still laugh of that remark. For grandma the most interesting was that we had to stop the cars because a goat flock occupied the road, and suddenly one of the goats gave birth to a little kid.
We were not in contact with anyone from the company. We knew that nothing have happened.
Still problems, but something has happened
A few months before our summer holiday 1982 we got an exiting message. They have started to build our cottage! Manulo knew that the new mayor was away for some days. He called all his builders in so that the cottage could be build very fast (in Spain at that time you never removed anything, even though it wasn't legal buildings). Now all the outer walls were put up, the roof was on, but there was no windows or doors. When the mayor returned he unfortunately could see our place from his house, and as soon as he discovered the new building the police was send up to stop the activity. So now they couldn't finish the cottage. What to do?
Hubby and I decided to be optimistic about the case. "Let's see if we can solve the matter ourselves.
We will go to Spain in our summer holiday".
Our fourth visit is a longer story, it's about how we camped, a party on the lot, a meeting in the town hall etc.. I will wait until the next part to tell about that