Today, it’s official

Ribeira Sacra, Galicia.

Today, it's official — we bought a house in Spain. In Galicia, to be exact. A nice house in a tiny village deep in the Ribeira Sacra. I can hardly believe I’m writing this. Less than a year ago, this was just a dream we tossed around during late-night conversations back in the Netherlands, wine glasses in hand, wondering what it would be like to start over somewhere slower, somewhere quieter.

The buying process has been... let’s say, “an experience.” Spain does things very differently from the Netherlands, and not just in terms of paperwork. There’s a kind of relaxed unpredictability here — one day everything moves quickly, the next day it’s as if time stands still. In the beginning, we were constantly comparing everything to how it works back home: the structure, the clarity, the efficiency. Here, we’ve had to learn to trust the process, even when it felt chaotic.

We were lucky with a good estate agent, Frank, he was patient and knew his way around all the procedures very well.

And today, we signed. The final papers. In a notary office in Monforte de Lemos. Afterwards we had that look of disbelief, joy, and a bit of “what have we done?” all mixed together.

The house is finished because the previous owner did a good renovation. From our terrace, we can see natures rolling down toward the river valley, and beyond that, pine-covered hills that catch the golden light in a way we've never seen before.

Here's to new beginnings

– Michel & Yvonne