Where do we even start?

Only three more months before we leave the Netherlands. It still feels a bit unreal, but the countdown has definitely begun. Most of the preparations are done — just a few small things left to take care of. We still need to arrange health insurance (which can only be done in November), cancel everything back home, and eventually import our little “Joggertje” (our Dacia) into Spain.

The Final Weeks in the Netherlands

My plan is to stop working on December 15th, and Yvonne will finish a few weeks later. In the meantime, I’m shuttling back and forth between the recycling center and the thrift store. We’ve already made good progress clearing out the house, though the attic remains the biggest challenge.

In one corner lie boxes from our late parents — full of memories we’re not quite ready to go through yet. We keep circling around them, both knowing that eventually, we’ll have to face it.

A Conscious Goodbye

My decision to stop working on December 15th is intentional. Because of my irregular shifts, I often end up working during the holidays, and this year — our last Christmas as residents of the Netherlands — we want to spend it together with our children and family. One last cozy Christmas before a new adventure begins.Of course it will not be the last but the last a residents of the Netherlands for us.

“So, What Will You Do in Galicia?”

At work, people often ask me: “What will you do in Galicia once you stop working?”
My usual reply is: “Absolutely nothing.” Of course, that’s not true — doing nothing isn’t really in our nature. We’ve got plenty of plans lined up!

Building Our New Life

First on the list: creating a vegetable garden behind the house. We’re thinking raised beds — easier on the back and less weeding to do! We’ll definitely need a fence too; otherwise, the wild boars and deer in the area might enjoy our harvest before we do.

Next project: building a chicken coop. Fresh eggs in the morning sound wonderful! We might even keep a few meat chickens for the barbecue — though we haven’t decided yet. We’ve heard that in Galicia you need a permit for that, so we’ll check with the town hall in January when we register officially.

Not Just Work and No Play

Besides gardening, we’re also planning to find a nice golf course nearby. Or maybe several — we’ll just try them all before deciding where to become members. I already found three to check out,

And then there’s our more active goal: to walk the Camino Portugués, the route from Porto to Santiago de Compostela — about 200 km. The great thing about living in Galicia is that we’ll be able to leave our car in Santiago, take the bus to Porto, and walk back to Santiago!

Yvonne will probably get plenty of laughs along the way. She knows me — I tend to grumble when walking uphill, but once we’re heading downhill again, I’m perfectly happy.

A New Chapter Ahead

As you can see, we’ve got no shortage of plans. And surely, more ideas will come along the way. One thing’s for sure: we’re not going to sit still. Sitting quietly “behind the begonias,” as we say in Dutch, is definitely not our style.

We’re ready to make something truly special out of this next chapter — our new life in Galicia.

We’ve recently added a new section to the site called https://ingalicie.nl
If you’re curious about life in Galicia, take a look at the lovely blog by Rob & Sol. They’ve been living in Galicia for a few years now and share lots of great stories and experiences about their life there. Definitely worth a visit!