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Moving to Lliber

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:46pm
9 replies116 views5 members subscribed
Mike71

Posts: 7

1 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 20 Jun 2019

Hi all.

My wife and I are moving to Lliber from The Velez Malaga area.  Any useful info. or tips would be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Mike

Stephanie86

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:30am

Stephanie86

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2749

2065 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 4 May 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:30am

Hi Mike, we live on the outskirts of Lliber, in the campo. What would you lik to know? It’s population is approx 60% foreign residents but still retains a small village feel.

Mike71

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:21pm

Mike71

Original Poster

Posts: 7

1 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 20 Jun 2019

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:21pm

Hi.

Thanks for your reply to my very vague and general enquiry.

We moved back to Spain a few months ago after living and working in France for a while.  We intend to continue renting long term as we do at present.  Because of the difficulties of finding somewhere from a distance (2 day drive) we rented a place in Riogordo Malaga province as we new the area well, really just as somewhere to get us back onto Spanish soil.  Although the house we are renting is very nice, we find that we are in the busiest street in the town with all sorts of traffic problems and we are also finding that 50 mins. to the shops is a bit of a long trip.  We have managed to arrange a get-out from the contract (long term) with the letting agent.  As we had visited the Jalon valley area in the past and done a fair bit of research and exploring on line. we had already decided that this was where we really want to be in our retirement, but were unable to find a suitable rental.  We have now found a place in Lliber, which on a small development with a moving date of September.

  We already have permanent residencias (since 2014) and are on course to get our SS cards and joining the health system.

Any info about Lliber from a local perspective would be gratefully received, such as places to meet other ex-pats, coffee meeting places etc. I suppose that my main question would be - is Lliber a reasonably quiet place in respect of traffic.  Loud voices and fiestas don't bother us - we understand and embrace the Spanish culture and way of life.

  I have been an active volunteer in France for several national charities and would be open to working for a charity as a volunteer again.  My wife has been teaching English, French and Spanish, and if the need arose would possibly get involved again.  We have already made contact with U3A and will join as members once we have moved.  We are also daily walkers with our two little dogs.  I am fairly involved in communications stuff including internet security, computer repairs and general help and guidance in that field.

Sorry to ramble on, hope to meet up some time.

Stephanie86

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:14pm

Stephanie86

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2749

2065 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 4 May 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:14pm

Hi Mike, understand completely. Lliber as such is a charming small village, with a central square with three bars within 30 seconds of each other. Many of the local expats will meet there - it isn’t really possible to avoid them - at least one of the bars is English run and I have a feeling that the one at the top of the square either has English staff or speaks it.

Traffic: well, unfortunately the main thoroughfare which bisects the village neatly in half is a difficult narrow street as you may well expect. It doesn’t have huge lorries thundering through all the time, but there are of course delivery vehicles to the butcher/baker/general store and bars. There are permananent parked vehicle down one side of the street and there is a notorious traffic light system at either end of it to permit effectively a ‘one lane’ system, ie only one line of traffic may go through at a time, if one is unfortunate enough to arrive just as they’ve changed it’s like waiting for Godot. The traffic is regular and fairly relentless as it is the main way through the town - we have to use it daily, but it’s not really like a city.

Lots of money has quite obviously been thrown at the village, its very well kept and pretty as a whole, although there are a few ‘derelict’ properties; I would say that the influx of expats - of all nationalities - most of whom would appear to be fairly affluent (where did we go wrong?!) has had a beneficial effect from that point of view.

I am sorry to say that we are guilty of not really using the village for much as such - we live 5 km outside and so for supplies etc tend to go to Benissa or perhaps the large Carrefours at Ondara as from us it’s really only a 10 minute drive. However, there is the butcher (very good I understand, fresh deliveries daily) and a small baker; the village general shop has most ‘basics’ but not in huge quantities. Probably adequate if you live actually in the village but if you have to drive for shopping then you may go somewhere else.

In this area there are lots of volunteer groups, most of which will be based in Jalon, but Lliber does have a Facebook page (no, don’t really do Facebook) where much information can be gathered.

The Ayuntamiento (we have our own official Town Hall!) is in the centre of the village and everybody there is very helpful; the local policeman - Francisco - is to be found there manning the front desk whilst the rest of the staff are having breakfast in a local cafe! They also employ, 2 x days a week, a long term resident British woman, Suzanne, who has lived here for over 50 years I think. Her function is to attend to all the needs of local expats - partly because many of them arent that good at Spanish - and she is immensely helpful and a source of all kinds of information. It’s sensible to go and see her and register on her email list, then you will receive all kinds of interesting emails - such as the invitation last Christmas to the Mayor’s ‘chocolate party’ for anybody of retirement age in the village. All welcome - I went!!!!

Hope this is of use and if you’d like to know anything else, or to meet up when here, then please dont hesitate to pm me.

Best wishes

Stephanie

Mike71

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:32pm

Mike71

Original Poster

Posts: 7

1 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 20 Jun 2019

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:32pm

Hi Stephanie.

Many thanks for your info. on the village.

Sounds pretty much what we need.  We will be away from the main route through the centre and so apart from when leaving/entering town would not be much of a problem to us.

I had expected that Jalon would more or less 'where it was at' as they say.  I do not do much with Facebook myself but Sally, my wife is in various groups and so on.  As you suggest, I will pm you when we move in if you really don't mind.  We are fairly ok with Spain and the Spanish systems, but it is always really helpful to meet up with others who are already on the ground.

Many thanks again

Mike

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Stephanie86

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:44pm

Stephanie86

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2749

2065 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 4 May 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:44pm

Will look forward to hearing from you in due course!

Mike71

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:00pm

Mike71

Original Poster

Posts: 7

1 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 20 Jun 2019

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:00pm

Many thanks again.  We will be in touch

Mike

JamesC

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:03pm

Posts: 4

Location: Lliber

Joined: 8 Jun 2018

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:03pm

Can I please just make a correction to Stephanie’s post 

Regarding bars in Lliber, all 3 are Spanish run (we are in Spain after all)

Bar Barber and bar placa on the Main Street open sporadically (mainly lunchtimes) and bar Varetes which although is run by a lovely Spanish couple, they do have an English speaking member of staff.

The idea however is to integrate with the local residents which will mean if you don’t currently speak Spanish it will be beneficial to learn (the local town hall offer classes) 

Very few of the local trades people speak English and rightly aren’t expected to, so the alternative for any work needed will be to pay over the odds to find English expat tradesmen

Although the population is balanced Spanish and others Lliber still remains a very spanish pueblo which is its main charm

So many of the coastal towns nearby (Moraira, Calpe etc) have become too anglicised and no different from Clayton on sea apart from the sunshine

Stephanie86

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:11pm

Stephanie86

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2749

2065 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 4 May 2017

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:11pm

Thank you for the correction, JamesC, re the bars. Due to a mistake and subsequent misinformation.

You are quite right that lliber has remained as a pueblo, but the balance of population now is roughly 65 - 70% foreign, of whichever nationality with the remainder being Spanish.

Mike71

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:47am

Mike71

Original Poster

Posts: 7

1 helpful points

Location: Lliber

Joined: 20 Jun 2019

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:47am

I fully understand.

We have lived in various countries and have always been of the opinion that we are guests in that country.  We have always made the effort to integrate with local communities wherever we have lived.

My Spanish is basic but usable on a day to day basis.  My wife has a much better grasp of the Spanish language, and has been teaching several languages for a number of years including Spanish, French, and also English to French students.

We have obtained our permanent residency status, got our social security cards, joined the health system, changed our bank accounts, dealing pretty much exclusively with Spanish speaking staff at the various departments involved.

Having said all that, I believe that there will always be a need for support and companionship among ex-pats.  The support for this forum for instance would indicate that.  I do not think that many English residents (or other nationalities) living here in Spain are going to become 'completely Spanish' but of course should make the effort.

Mike

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