Day One... Touchdown
The moment we’d been waiting for… our first touchdown in Spain, a land soon to be our home. Remember, we’d never been here—or anywhere in Spain, actually. So we had no idea what to expect.
First impressions? Wow, those mountains! They’re enormous and surrounding us on all sides. Sure, we’d heard about them and seen plenty of photos, but nothing does them justice until you’re standing there, seeing them up close. And yet, despite the stunning view, my “go-go-go” Melbournian attitude kicked in (something I’ll need to quickly adjust). So, we skipped right along to our Airbnb.
There she was, our host, waiting to greet us at the garage door of the apartment building. She showed us to our room, gave us the tour, and, just as she was leaving, dropped some unexpected news: “Oh, tomorrow, try not to leave the apartment. Málaga’s been issued a red alert for heavy rain, so unless you really need to go out, it’s best to stay indoors.”
Lovely news… ever so last minute! We got into the apartment, put down our bags, and finally put our feet up after a 24-hour journey.
Being the pragmatic one, I suggested to Andrew, “Okay… tomorrow, we’re supposed to pick up the car, but they may not even be open now. If we call in the morning and they’re open, shall we take it as a sign to pack up, pick up the car, and drive north, away from the red alert?”
Andrew thought it was a great idea. So that was the plan. But in the meantime, I went on to Uber Eats to browse for some coffee and a bite to eat… by the time I’d found a place, Andrew was already fast asleep beside me. I thought I’d order something and wake him up when it arrived, but before I could even hit “order,” I passed out too. Rest was what we both needed.
Day Two… Go Time
We were up at 5 a.m., which felt early until we realised nothing would open until 10 a.m. (if at all) due to the weather warning. So, we began a long, coffee-less four-hour wait, counting down to 9:30 to check if the car dealership was open.
Finally, 9:30 arrived. I messaged the dealership and heard nothing back. So I decided to call and go for a simple “Soy Jasmine, Nissan.” He immediately started racing through in Spanish, so I interrupted with “No hablo español. WhatsApp, WhatsApp!” He’d either understand or think I was a foreign lunatic who really needed him to know about WhatsApp.
Luckily, we got the answer we wanted. Someone would be there in exactly 13 minutes to help us get our car. Specific timing, but no complaints here! We booked an Uber with pets (learning the hard way the day before that it’s actually an option on the app), loaded the van, and headed off.
When we arrived, we managed some small talk in broken Spanish and English. Just then, the rain began again. Uh oh—were we too late? We handed over all the paperwork, only to be reminded we needed to pay the remainder in cash.
“ATM near me,” I typed into Google faster than you can blink. We left our luggage and cats as collateral, zipped over to the ATM, and navigated the chaos of right-hand driving, the rain, and an unfamiliar car. The ATM limit was €2000, so we tried pulling out multiple €500 increments… but then discovered a card limit of €1000. This meant I had to dash back out, grab my wallet, and run back with Andrew braving the rain for another round at the ATM. It took some fiddling, transferring funds, and a lot of panicking, but we finally got what we needed. Back to the dealership we went!
The Car is Ours
Buying a car site unseen is definitely worrying but we did purchase it from a reputable dealership with plenty of good reviews on google and a 1 year warrenty so it was afterall a calculated risk we were willing to take. Honestly I wouldn't change a thing! Subascar in Malaga has been amazing to deal with from start to finish and now.. the car is ours!!
All we wanted was to get out before the rain got worse, and now with our Seek Discomfort keychain proudly connected to our keys, we were on our way.
Originally, we thought we’d head to Granada, but the weather reports weren’t looking good there either. So we decided on Loja, where we’d be picking up our house keys on Friday. Plus, it’s only 40 minutes from our new home, so getting familiar with the area seemed like a good idea.
A Little Side Note on Gluten
I have to mention this because it was a pretty big deal for us. Andrew and I both have gluten intolerances, but we’d heard that in Europe, wheat isn’t processed the same. So, in the name of “research,” we indulged in as much as we could to test it out. And… nothing. Either we’ve been miraculously cured, or it’s true what they say—the gluten here just isn’t an issue.
Settling in Loja
When we arrived in Loja, it was raining, of course. At this point, we just accepted it. We found a nice-looking hotel, but we weren’t sure if they’d accept pets. I rehearsed my line, “Una Mujer, un Hombre, Dos Gatos,” as we approached the receptionist. But then she greeted us in English. Well, all that prep was for nothing! Thankfully, they had a room for one woman, one man, and two cats.
Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, it’s back to ticking things off the never-ending list. First, though, a session in the spa, followed by dinner. And that’s all she wrote… for now.
Comentários