Well today was a very productive one. We awoke early this morning (well early for retirees anyways) and we were on the bus by 8 am to the business centre of Alicante. We made our way to the BBVA which is one of the main banks in Spain. The branch we attended was of course one that no one spoke english and our spanish is a little too limited for opening an account at this time. We headed to the main branch which we were told had english speaking staff. We walked to the main branch about 1 km away. It was a nice 21 degrees celsius a great day for a walk so off we went.
At the main branch of BBVA we must have looked like “deer in the headlights”. The bank had padded benches throughout and people were sitting any which way and awaiting their turn. We looked around for a “take your number” system but could not locate one. So I approached what I thought was the information desk and asked the gentlemen to speak to someone in english. He directed me to the finance clerk who would help me. It turns out he was the security guard and even carried a gun. Ops my bad. The system in the bank is unique there is a touch screen which you tap into it the particulars of what you want and it prints out a number for the appropriate clerk. Our english speaking clerk helped us put the info into the system and then we waited for her to serve us. She was very helpful and we were able to open our bank account and set up our online banking APP.
We then headed to the main bus station and bought a Mobilis card for both of us. The Mobilis card is simply a preloaded bus fare card which also works for the TRAM system. a bus fare is $1.45 euros and the fare is even cheaper when loaded on a Mobilis card.
The airline contacted us today and advised they found our last piece of lost luggage. We headed to the airport and picked it up. Boy I was happy to get my stuff. The luggage was not damaged and all my stuff was ok. It is hard adjusting to a new country, culture and language while not having security of your basic essentials.
Overall a very productive day. Each day we move forward a little more. We are starting to settle in nicely. “Adios y que tengas un gran día.”
Hola chicos, Espero que todo está bien . Disfrutamos de la lectura a través de las pruebas y tribulaciones . Me alegro de que por fin recibió su equipaje y están asentando en bien. Hablaré contigo más tarde.
Gracias por la nota , sí estamos teniendo diversión y mucho aprendizaje . cuidar y hablar después. Ray y Shelley
Hola Ray y Shelley!
Glad to hear that things are settling down for you over there. It sounds like you managed all the travel complications with some grace! Your weather looks brilliant. By contrast, I am looking out the window here at snow blowing sideways.
I am waiting to hear about your new spanish classes!
I will keep you posted on my travel plans!
hasta luego,
Mary Louise
Hola,
Yes we are settling in fairly well, still working on spanish, getting a little better each day. We are looking for our permanent apartment and once we get that in place we will definitely be taking more spanish classes. Please let us know when your travel plans are firmed up. We may even join you for some of the pilgrimage. Hasta luego..