Our New Life in Spain : Oscar Fernandez and Susan Csikos

Last August I published an article in News & Views about the visit my wife, Susan and I made to Valencia (Our Travellers of the Week - Oscar Fernandez and Susi Csikos : Nuestro Viaje a Madrid y Valencia, España). As I explained in that article, we were already considering a move to Valencia and used the trip as an opportunity to explore the city and its neighborhoods. We came back from our trip convinced that Valencia would be an excellent place to live.

Now 10 months later here we are in Valencia." We arrived on January 2nd and it is already starting to feel like home.

Why Spain? Well, for one thing. Spain is my blood. My ancestors migrated from Spain to Cuba in the early 1900s. Both my paternal and maternal grandparents came over from Galicia, Asturias, and Zaragoza.

When I left Cuba as a teenager, fleeing the oppressive Castro’s communist regime, I first came to Madrid, where I spent 6 months. I fell in love with the country then. At the time, I had a spiritual feeling that, somehow, I had lived there in another life. I felt it then and always knew that one day I’d come back to live in Spain.

But, what about Susan? Susan has always wanted to come back to live in Europe. She has lived in Europe and speaks four languages (English, Hungarian, French, and German). Now, she is busy learning Spanish, and naturally is doing quite well - both in speaking and in comprehension.

Was it push or pull? The US political environment of the last few years was certainly a 'push' factor. But the ‘pull’ factors were even stronger - the rich history of Spain, the allure of both the inner cities and coastal towns, the variety of fresh and wholesome foods from all parts of the country, and the very reasonable cost of living. Madrid is one of the more expensive places to live in Spain and prices there are still 53% cheaper than New York City. In Valencia the cost of living is even less. Source (Cost of Living Comparison).

Valencia is Spain’s third-largest city after Madrid and Barcelona – the total population of its metropolitan region is around 835,000. Yet Valencia offers the quality of being both a less populous area, tourist, and traffic wise, but also a thriving urban city with cultural and educational institutions. It boasts a charming historical center called El Carmen with a rich mixture of Christian, Roman, and Moorish architecture and archaeological sites.

Only a few kilometers away from the city center are beautiful beaches which are easily accessible either by local transportation or a bike ride. These beachfront areas are vital for me as a Cuban and simply as one who loves the seacoasts. All year around, one can find locals coming down to La Playa for a walk along its long “boardwalk” or to enjoy one of its abundant seafood or paella restaurants.

Food - Spanish food is also a major pull factor for us. Spain’s everyday food culture and variety of tastes are tremendously appealing and healthy.

We are especially excited about the availability of fresh seafood.. In Europe, only the Portuguese eat more seafood than Spaniards. Fortunately, the seafood at markets in Valencia are equally attractive. Seasonal and plentiful produce is also spectacular—for instance, tomatoes are in season from March to November and for figs, the sweetest I’ve ever tasted, their season runs from July to September.

 

In the markets, everyone is so friendly and are willing to engage into a quick social conversation. I’ve become fond of the vendors in the Mercados and am getting to know many of them on a first name basis.

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One of the stall owners, a very nice Venezolana who migrated here, introduced us to our newfound favorite cheese “Olavidia by Besos y quesos,” which in 2021, in the International Cheese Festival in Oviedo, Asturias, won the prize for the “Best Cheese in the World.” I also love finding out about the local wines, and the different grades and levels of olive oil ( as much as I have always loved olive oil, I had no idea about the intricacies and details involved in its production).

Climate - Another huge ‘pull’ is Valencia’s subtropical weather. Valencia’s weather is very similar to the weather in Fort Myers, Florida where we lived 12 years after my retirement from UNICEF. It rarely rains in Valencia, which ironically is something you start to miss. We do miss the rain but do love those beautiful blue skies!

Taxes - Spain does not tax UN Pensions. Of course, you may still need to pay taxes to your own government. As US citizens, we are taxed by the US wherever we live in the world. For many other governments you may be taxed for a varying number of years when you live outside your home country.

Transport - Traveling to the nearby areas by train is convenient, but lately we’ve also taken to renting a car. We plan to extend our visits farther inland now that the temps are cooling down.

Spain is strongly committed to public transport. The nation has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe. There are also extensive inter-city bus routes. Cities and provinces also invest heavily in public transport. Even smaller cities usually have local metro/train/trams. Cities like Valencia have an abundance of taxis everywhere and they are also very reasonable. We seem to get around mostly with taxis if not walking.This infrastructure means that we do not need to buy a car.

Traveling to major European cities is easy and fares are reasonable. Valencia’s location is ideal in that, if you do have the desire for a bigger city, you can take the high speed train to Madrid or Barcelona, both are a comfortable 2-hour ride away.

One negative point for us and for UNICEF colleagues reassigned here is that Valencia does not have direct flights to NY, where we have our families and Susan her business. We are coping with it. We either take the train to Madrid or fly through Paris and then on to NYC. Hopefully, demand for direct flights will grow in the future as more and more UN and UNICEF staff are stationed here.

Crime - Spain has a very low rate of crime. Of course, there is pickpocketing and petty theft in tourist areas, but violent crime is rare. People generally feel comfortable walking home at night by themselves.

An important part of the low crime rate is that Spain has sane and rational gun laws. The only guns permitted are those appropriate for sport shooting or hunting. Gun permits are issued only after the potential gun owner passes medical and psychological evaluations and is tested on gun safety. What a concept! Wish the USA would pay attention!

Health - Spain has a robust health care system. It is ranked as the 7th most efficient in the world. I have already put it to the test and can attest to this claim. However, should one have any serious medical issues that need attention, honestly, I would recommend returning to the USA to your trusted medical sources.

 

History - As you travel around the many beautiful towns near Valencia, you can feel the presence of the Romans everywhere, the fortresses, aqueducts, amphitheaters, roman walls, circus, etc. You can see many of the archaeological ruins and feel the battles. I’m interested in becoming a Roman history buff and in our monthly travels we try to visit these nearby towns where they were established for hundreds of years. So far, we’ve been to Tarragona, which was the capital of the Roman Empire in Hispania, Peñíscola, Alicante, Ibiza, and Sagunto (where the Romans, in the 3rd century BCE, were attacked by Hannibal, and started the Second Punic War). Next target for my studies - the Moors.

Fiestas - Spain is truly the land of fiestas. Festivals here in Spain are not just celebrated for cultural or religious reasons. They are often spontaneous. You can find unexpected flamenco street parties anywhere. They bring people together and create a sense of belonging in the community.

Las Fallas - I certainly felt that sense of community in the last Las Fallas festival here in Valencia. It brings people from all over the world. Walking the streets of Valencia during Las Fallas, I heard English, French, Italian, German, and many different Spanish accents.

My experience in Las Fallas, definitely a staying factor. This was my comment on Facebook just before the start of Las Fallas.

“By a long stretch, it is the biggest festivity I’ve ever seen. There are drinking kiosks and food stalls everywhere in the city, with tapas, churros, and great food, all the bars and taverns stay open and are packed with people, the streets were jammed, every so often you find bands playing great music, people from everywhere, Spanish, French, Brits, Italians, Germans, Argentinians, Venezuelans, Cubans, me! Beautiful, elaborate effigies are everywhere! I went out early; it was 8:00pm. I was told that at 10:00 pm, you couldn’t walk the streets because of how crowded they get. It was incredible! And this is in the entire city of Valencia! And the most amazing thing about it is that Las Fallas have not even started officially! Las Fallas start March 15 and ends with a Big Bang on the 19th!”

We recently visited Alicante for a few days. Upon our arrival we were pleasantly surprised to find that they were having their own version of Las Fallas; in Alicante it is called las Fiestas de San Juan.

XUNICEF is Here Already

By the way, we have XUNICEFers near us, Saad Houry in Alicantes and Sikander Khan in nearby Cumbre del Sol. We communicated and we are committed to get together socially, including XUNICEFers from right here in Valencia, our very good friends Clara y Valentin, who worked and retired from our UNICEF Geneva Office.

People here in Spain seem content overall and it shows in all their community festivals. We feel the happiness ourselves! Yes, it’s beginning to feel like home.

A Reunion Here Someday Soon?

Lastly, the question begs, at some point, is a XUNICEF reunion in the works in Madrid /Valencia /Barcelona? We have a few XUNICEFers here in the region that would be willing to help us organize a reunion. Of course, it would be proposed for our group to vote on it.

Click here to visit Oscar and Susi's full album of photos of their new life in Spain.