I’d put 1/2 the savings into a 2 bed flat (50-60k not overly flash)on the coast or somewhere you like and mortgage the other half then look at a van or boat (the uk may get all the qualifications recognised again) for arsing about.

I think the secret is not going overly mad on the house on cost and size, you want something that’s easily maintainable when your older and you’ll have a permanent Spanish base(address) and be on a padron.

Converting a van in Spain is way different than the uk, doable but the vans are expensive and you have to watch the classification of things as a lot of commercial stuff has to have an ITV(MOT) every 6 months.

An full can could be viewed as an offensive weapon.

all the concerts I’ve been to in Spain always take the top off water bottles because of this.

I agree.  From the minimal facts as presented, the sentencing seems wildly excessive.

That said, “I was deeply offended as a Muslim that someone threw a beer can at me, so I picked it up and…” doesn’t strike me at the most robust of defences.

IMHO I think it’s an issue of counter protesting protestors vs other protesters vs police it all ends up getting mashed up as civil disorder.

There’s no foul cancellation in this game.

Just seen the new film :-)

I liked…..

It’s context innit? Rioters will always get the book thrown at them if there has been widespread disorder. Remember people getting significant jail time for nicking a bottle of water a few years ago. If there is a danger that law and order will break down then the judicial system goes into overdrive. & rightly so.

Don’t forget they are also being fast tracked as well, if you’d have done this outside of this context you wouldn’t be in court for yonks. So it’s definitely for sending a message that there .

it’s usually only in soaps that the wheels of justice move rapidly,in the real world it’s a slow creaking,over-extended system.

Another great Brexit supporter, who made sure that the result of Brexit wouldn’t affect him :-(

Not yet,but my visa is still being processed(taking around 3 years),which means no leaving Spain or driving (as you cannot hold a driving licence without residency and a U.K. one is not recognised after 6 months) :-(

What I was getting at was that  the U.K. could do something similar, actually processing applications in a sensible time would be way better.

Putting  peoples lives ‘on-hold’ is pretty grim.

No reason not to give them an NI number , in Spain I have an NIE

NIE (Foreign Identification Number)
The NIE is assigned to foreign people who need to carry out procedures in Spain, such as working, studying or buying property. Although similar to the NIF in format, the NIE is intended to identify individuals who are not Spanish citizens. It is essential to formalize legal matters in the country.

goes in the same boxes as a normal Spanish persons NIF.

NIF (Tax Identification Number)
The NIF is a tax identification code assigned to natural and legal persons in Spain. In the case of individuals, it usually coincides with their ID. For companies and other entities, the NIF is unique and is used in commercial transactions, contracts and tax returns. It can have various letters at the beginning, which indicate the type of entity

The emoji question mark of doom (a distant relative of the dildo of doom) comes for us all in the end!

Meh….

A lot of the DN visas are only for the country you apply to and don’t grant you unlimited access to other EU countries.

yep they also require you to have,be earning a reasonable amount and have private health insurance,they aren’t designed to let you bum around the country on peanuts.(The 90/180 rule also applies to leaving the host and you (and the Spanish one requires you to  spend 6 months in the country)

TBH for either if you have the ‘coin’ for either you could apply for a NLV (non lucrative visa) and not work just arse about.

We chose to have our freedoms removed

And those of U.K. citizens  that were living in the E.U, we could work in other countries outside our host country prior to your decision that didn’t get a vote. :-)

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/06/12/albania-cyprus-ireland-europes-best-non-schengen-countries-for-when-youve-used-up-your-90-

Just to expand on my previous comment quoting my sources :-)

We also don’t have the 180 day bit so pop back into spain or it’s territory to grab some petrol and a receipt and your 90 days is reset or a quick cheap flight :-)  if you want to adhere to the letter of the law.

From the EU
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/networks/european-migration-network-emn/emn-asylum-and-migration-glossary/glossary/right-free-movement_en#:~:text=Whilst%20third%2Dcountry%20nationals%20who,are%20covered%20by%20specific%20legal

4. Freedom of movement and residence are granted, in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community, only for certain categories of third-country nationals, i.e. long-term residents, highly-skilled workers, researchers and students. Whilst third-country nationals who hold a valid residence permit or visa have the right to move freely within the Schengen area for up to three months within a six-month period, the rights in relation to taking up residence for a period exceeding three months in another EU Member State are covered by specific legal instruments, depending on their status, and subject to conditions in national legislation.

Fatmountain, you get 90 days in the rest of Shengen outside your host country. Odds of being caught low.

We also don’t have the 180 day bit so pop back into spain or it’s territory to grab some petrol and a receipt and your 90 days is reset or a quick cheap flight :-)  if you want to adhere to the letter of the law.

Even with a full EU passport there’s that countries requirements if you want to stay in another country for over 90 days.

May be no borders but there’s anpr so you can’t assume that they don’t  know.

so in theory we could roll off the ferry in rotterdam, and as long as we dont use our passports anywhere on our tour, we could just keep riding around the whole of europe pretty much unchecked, and just suffer the consequences on our entry back into the uk ?

Don’t forget that you can be stopped in any country and they can inspect your passport.

Be interesting to see what you got if they find it over 90 days and you’ll be at the mercy of whatever the countries policy is on this.

I think Spain have  a fine between 500€-10,000€ depending on how long . A fine could also be issued in conjunction with an entry ban.You could be banned from re-entering for up to 5years.(depending on the case and scenario)

I’ve not heard much in Spain around overstaying.

IMHO as a cyclist they are less likely to pull you over to check your papers as they are in a car but they can still ask for them and if you got involved in any road incidents and the police are involved even if it’s not your fault they are going to be looking at your passport which is when the fun will start.

(I’m well over 1000+ days on overstay :-)

Fast forward to today, folk in local social media are going “they’ve cut benefits for pensioners, why can’t I have a free five star hotel like all the illegal immigrants get?”  Seriously, I literally read this earlier today, people believe this shit.  I think by this point they want to believe it.

You’ve seen it before in Brexit, people just want to believe fairy tales,the actual facts are irrelevant.

Simple single answers to everything.

A five star hotel minus its staff , is just a small room but the that’s not how it’s presented.

The best quote I’ve seen for a long time is.

Social media is an outrage machine. It is designed for emotional contagion and its aim is to keep our eyes trained on the feed.

I was thinking about that today, they were very close to a deal but it was nobbled it at the last moment as the brexies really didn’t like it.

Its a total farce as 95.91% of its inhabitants voted to stay in the EU.

I’ve learnt more talking broken English and Italian with the locals in 9 months than the GF managed in three years with Duolingo.

This is the rub, duolingo is only a single piece of the jigsaw,you need a local to speak with unless you are only going to text  message people :-) and getting to a conversational levels to the standard you are in English is going to harder/longer than you think.

Local dialects and living in the sticks can also be interesting, one of my er language victims said that they didn’t understand my Spanish, pronunciation is tricky without someone to pick you up on it.(speaking Spanish with a pirate accent doesn’t always help either.)

I tend to watch Spanish Netflix series like alpha-males and elite as well to train the ear.

Mmm 35°c  here(Spain), I don’t mind it but it’s no good for riding or doing stuff outside.

Probably more fun sat around the pool sipping daiquiris and watching herds of wilder-beast sweeping across the plain :-)

Trump was definitely crazy lucky that day.

The murder of Putin would not result in a more peaceful, democratic Russia. There are no institutions and no succession plan. Whoever seizes power would likely be more erratic than Putin

Assuming  he’s  not already dead and we are already seeing it :-(

Lets put the capri as a name in perspective shall we.

But why bother calling it Capri – most people don’t even know it’s a place let alone an old car name :-)

Oh well. Another generation of naive voters are about to discover the reality of loopy Labour in power.

Hmm would the country had actually survived another 5 years of the Tories thou :-)

As an aside on yankmobiles ,saw a 2024 corvette stingray on the road, it’s on my wish list, that’s a pretty car.

I think it looks fine, to be honest a lot of old folks getting upset becasue its not the slinky thing of their youth are probably also the human version of ” an ugly, lardy, family four door on stilts”  these days?

It’s because   it’s using an iconic name of the past,I don’t think they are getting upset it just seems kinda weird that they would waste the possible marketing  advantages of its heritage on something that it’s forebear wasn’t.

Both the Crapi and the Renault 5 were cheap an cheerful , doesn’t look that way anymore :-)

ell it doesn’t really matter, of course, but the name carries fond memories for a lot people, and putting it on an ugly, lardy, family four door on stilts feels like it taints it somehow.

Yep, the original was a sporty 2 door coupe for the family, or more a 2 door coupe that started many a family :-)

Cortina would probably be more appropriate for the new er beast.

TBH, I was using just my gravel bike for the last 3 years after coming from having a fleet in the U.K. :-)

I did get a FS in the sales and have fixed up my old holiday bikes wheels so if I people visit there’s a bike to pootle around the countryside.

I look upon the downsizing as an opportunity to upsize later on :-)

I reckon a Honda grom or a monkey would fit with space left over  :-)

https://youtu.be/gJ09Mse31L0?feature=shared

If you’re coming from the U.K. I’d check what the situation is on carrying a motorbike into France on a van  as you may need a carnet for it.

Your at the mercy of  customs and each European country  has slightly different views on it.
(I suppose nothing stops you riding it into France and putting it in your van later )

Yep, I think the secrets how far you have stick the fingers in your gob tbh.

Don’t get bird calls can’t armpit/fanny fart.

hmm but is your average energy bill €100 a month, we use leccy for everything heating/cooling cooking  and our bill is high compared to others :-)

TBH Spain do have a digital nomad visa so if your only visiting the office a few times a month as opposed to working at it you could actually live in Spain :-)

I’d look at it for a taster then explore other avenues if you find that’s the life for you.

There is life after Brexit it’s just a little more involved and you need more money but I’d definately  give it a go.(Sat in my pants 24°c with a high of 32°c later)

Wow the intelli-sense on that one for ‘leccy’ was actually spot on :-)

what are peoples plans on election night?

I’m at a Burger Festival with a really good English/Spanish Band :-)

Wow that Video about the labour Taxs – by the people who sat back and watched the energy prices rocket and pretty much did nothing, then they did something so their leech owning mates got paid.

TBH make fresh baguettes/bread things  etc from the bakery every day for lunch and takeaways on the evening.

I’m assuming it’s ‘abroad’ so eating out on the evenings can be a cultural part of the experience as opposed to locking yourselves away.

1) It’s pretty awful. Actually probably more shocking/disappointing than “purple-faced Clacton landlord doesn’t like minorities”. Clearly some of the crowd knew the song already, but even if you didn’t know it, wouldn’t it seem a bit weird for a German polka to come on? Like a socialist student group playing Katyusha.

I just find it a weird thing, I’m an oldie and I can’t name or know any hitler yoof songs.

Isn’t this the problem once you start using the MSM and sheeple rhetoric you just end up in the batshit crazy mob, there’s no middle ground.

I feel this whole gleeful Tory’s are toast meme isn’t going to age well when we are faced with proper naked facism

Yep, what comes next might be very bad, the only saving grace is that time is not on the side of the older reform/Tory voters with xenophobic views and Trump.

TBH there may be some advantages to holiday taking when you live in Spain :-)

We can get really odd weather and this year seems to be windy, so it’s sunny and very windy with warnings of damage to life and property.

Sat in my pants , having just returned from a week in Mojacar, effectively 30 miles down the road or a  1 hour drive.

Was about £450 for 5 nights with 1/2 board (breakfast and evening meal)  for 2 people in a little apartment

Wot no trail shitzers lovers here :-)

Back in the day when my springers were still around she’d be strapped in her harness as she thought she was a springer, she still  has the enthusiasm.

My last post on this :-) but if your still here it’s an interesting watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j92Gt4VviSQ

The blokes dream of people making their  own batteries from disposable vapes , I’m not sure.

TLDR The quality of the cells also have a part to play as well as good engineering/bms.