The first 2 weeks

Our initial idea was to spend the first 2 weeks as if we were on holiday....... well, that plan didn't work. We don't seem to have stopped.

The first week was spent looking for a car to replace the one that was stolen when we were in the UK. The cars over here are certainly not at bargain prices compared to the UK and there isn't as much different between new and 2nd hand. We decided to buy a new car similar to the Freelander we used to have as it's great for both golf and the dogs (we don't normally carry both at the same time)

We knew where most of the main dealers were from previous visits so we planned a couple of days going around them to see what prices were like and who had good deals. In most garages someone spoke enough english for us to get the information we needed, but not always so I learned a few phrases in Spanish relative to buying a car so we could at least get the specifications and, probably more important, the best price and ask for any discounts.

We decided on a Kia Sportage that would be available as soon as our paperwork was sorted. Basically, cars in Spain are taxed in the region that you live, in our case Pulpi, not at a central agency such as the DVLA at home. In order for the garage to tax it at the correct place, we needed to register on the 'Padron' and get a certificate which we could give to the garage to prove where we were living.

So, armed with what we were told we needed - a copy of our NIE number certificates and a copy of our rental agreement to show where we were living we planned a visit to Pulpi the next day.

Now, that's a whole new story.