Moving to Spain was what we were meant to do

When we were telling people that we were moving to Spain, some mentioned a tv-show that follows people who are moving to a different country and a lot does not go as planned. They can’t get a permit, the renovation cost more than they calculated,  etc. But that wasn’t our story, everything went well (To be fair, the house we wanted was already built and ready). From the beginning, since everything made sense, I had a strong belief that this was what we were meant to do, where we were supposed to be going.

Staying optimistic when the planning is tight

“It hasn’t always been easy going and things sometimes felt so time consuming”

Off to Spain for a few days to sign the contract

Of course to arrange everything we needed to put a lot of time and effort into it. And it hasn’t always been easy going and things sometimes felt so time consuming. But I could always see the bigger picture and I had faith that we would be moving to Spain very soon. We also booked tickets for a few days in Spain to sign the contract and stay ahead of things.

We were aiming to move to Spain before Christmas. But this was a very tight schedule, because in Spain December 6 and 8 are bank holidays and most banks are closed for the whole week. To get approval from the bank for our mortgage we would first need to sell our house. Then the bank has to process the mortgage which would take a minimum of 6 weeks. To be on the safe side our lawyer told us it would be better to set the date halfway January. But because of several administrative reasons that would not be convenient and according to my planning halfway December would be feasible. So I held on to that and I managed to stay optimistic.

A sneak preview, viewing and fitting

Of course this was the very first thing we did when we arrived, having a sneak peak!

Our house was sold very fast and in October we were going to Spain to sign the contract for our new house. We were looking forward to this sneak preview of our new home.

So when we were in Spain for a few days and had put our signatures on the contract it was becoming more real. After signing the contract we went to view our house (Yayy :)). We measured if the piano would fit and if our new couch (that we just ordered a few months before our plans) would fit. And it all would fit perfectly. We also had in mind what kind of style we wanted in our new house. Our house in The Hague had an urban/industrial style which fitted perfectly in that kind of house in the city. But our new house in Spain would have a different style, a more coastal style with light colors and a calm atmosphere. And it would be more minimalistic but cozy and less distraction. Pinterest was a big inspiration source. I had a mood board filled with pins I liked.

Moving your furniture or buying new furniture when you are moving abroad?

My husband and I went furniture shopping during our short visit in Spain and looking back, this trip was very time and energy consuming. But we came up with the insight that it would be better to buy all the furniture in Holland and then hire a moving truck. This way when the truck would arrive in Spain we could get settled and decorate our house right away.

Decluttering and minimizing our stuff

“Like cleansing yourself for the start of your new life. And this felt good!”

When we came back we started decluttering and minimizing our stuff. And this was an important process for me. Saying goodbye to your old life, your old human. Like cleansing yourself for the start of your new life. And this felt good! 

I used the Marie Kondo method and thought ‘Do I need this in Spain? Does it make me happy? Does it sparkle?’. I said goodbye to a lot of clothes and made a people very happy with them. So many things we gave away to family, friends and goodwill. It felt really good to give, from decoration, to furniture, to clothes, to our scooter and bikes.

A trip down memory lane

“I remember it overwhelmed me and I was feeling very emotional”

Time went fast for us. First we were busy arranging things, then meeting with family and friends and finishing work. And last, but not least, packing. Before we knew it was the last day in our house in The Hague. 

The cats have been a big help with packing….

Finally everything was packed and in the truck, which would arrive in Spain the next week. 

We did a last tour in our house that I loved so much, which wouldn’t be ours anymore in a few hours. I was thinking of all the memories that we had in this house; Christmasses, New Years Eve, the cozy fireplace, game nights, dinners, the nest of kittens we had, covid period, home schooling, birthdays, bbq’s, my daughter’s broken leg, renovations, our bunnies who were living freely in the backyard, playing in the big layer of snow in our backyard in the winter of 2017. I remember it overwhelmed me and I was feeling very emotional, but I needed to hold back my tears. Now wasn’t the moment to have a breakdown. We needed to be at the notary office on time to hand over the deeds to the new owners.