Thank you Maria

I received this very welcome comment yesterday.

Hi,

My names is Maria. I have lived in Bigastro all my life and I have just found your blog. It is quite interesting. I was surprised to find foreigners who are so interated in Bigastro. As you will know, it is not the common thing and a lot of Spaniards complain about that. Luckily I have been teaching Spanish for ove five years and I have known there are a lot of people interested in learning about Spanish culture and history as well as our way of life.

So, congratulations for your blog and please keep on telling people about our little town. Hope to meet you some day.

Regards,Maria

I can understand your comment about foreigners showing little interest in their adopted town. We felt very strange at first living in a foreign country with little command of the language and no local knowledge and yes it does take time to settle in and find your feet.

It's a gentle process that we needed to take slowly especially in a tight knit community like Bigastro. We have to say though that the process has been made a lot easier by the Bigastrense who have mostly made us feel very welcome.

Joining in by attending Spanish classes, by going to the Auditorium, taking part in the Fiestas, visiting the market each week, eating and drinking in the local bars and becoming members of the Pensionistas Club have helped a lot.

Like many of our neighbours, we wanted to live in Spain - not Britain in the sun which is why we chose to live in Bigastro. We spent a lot of time researching the town and the area before we bought a house here. We came with our eyes open wide and have not been disappointed by our choice.

It is fair to say that Bigastro isn't the prettiest of towns. There are parts that could do with clearing up. Set against that though it is possibly the most friendly place we have ever lived in. It has a heart and a soul that more than make up for the odd untidy corner.

So thank you for your comment and thank you for making us so welcome, I'm pleased you enjoyed reading my blog and hope you continue to do so.