Americans Abroad

I retired in the US about four months ago to move to the mountains of Spain. Although new at this, I have no intention of returning any time soon. My wife and I sold everything including real estate and cars and decreased our belongings to sixteen boxes and four pair of skis. We went from living in a 3000 sf 100 year old home to a three bedroom apartment. We no longer have a desire to own automobiles as the public transportation is phenomenal here. Our complete coverage healthcare costs less than $200 US a month for both of us and includes dental. Our food bill is exceptionally less than in the States. It costs less to ski here. The people are friendly and the wine is super cheap and excellent. The cultural activities in our small town abound. What an adventure. We still continue to maintain daily contact with US news but are gaining another perspective on it now. However, I would not recommend this unless you have a good grasp of Spanish because only a minority speak English here. There are the equivalent of ESL classes here in Spanish. I tried to learn Spanish in high school and in undergrad school a few times and am surprised at how I still retain the ability to learn more at 61 yo. Although we are fortunate enough to live anywhere we desire at this time, we are happy here. This is not for everyone.