Three reasons why Spain is the place to be this Spring

Spring has sprung in Spain, and it’s time to enjoy all the country has to offer at this time of year.

Expats who live in Spain could be forgiven for having a perma-grin affixed to their face. Nowhere on earth is perfect or immune from the pressures, ups and downs of life, but if you have been able to make a life for yourself in Spain then the chances are that you’re almost always happy, active, smiling and feeling pretty good.

It’s addictive, and one cannot help but tell their friends all about it… often at the risk of creating more envy than is healthy. But the reality is, Spain delivers some of the best quality of life on earth, and while being an expat brings its own unique challenges, it makes sense to want to tell the world why the decision you made was the right one.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why Spain is the place to be over the next few months of spring…

Immune from the political bluster
Turn on the TV or surf any news website and the chances are that your eyes will be subjected to one of the following people: Donald Trump, Theresa May, Angela Merkel, or Marine Le Pen. Yep, 2017 has picked up where 2016 left off, with vociferous political discourse never far from the headlines, be it travel bans, Brexit, far-right posturing or… well, Merkel making shapes with her hands.

Spaniards and expats in Spain know only too well what it feels like to have their airwaves saturated by politics. Last year was notable for the ongoing Spanish election saga, which rumbled on for far longer than felt healthy. But this year, Spanish politics is peacefully quiet: the Prime Minister issue has been settled, the economy is performing well, and things – touch wood – appear cool, calm and collected.

Sound economy; yes, really
One benefit of keeping up with politics, though, is the opportunity to know what’s real and what’s fake news. A persistent line of thought that appears unshakeable is the belief among large parts of the mainstream media that Spain remains stuck in the economic doldrums.

The truth is, however, wildly different. In 2016, Spain’s GDP rose more than 3%, making it the Eurozone’s fastest-growing economy. Similar growth is predicted this year, which is helping to drive down unemployment and improve the real estate industry – which means that would-be expats have not only better job prospects, but better home-hunting prospects, too.

Easter festivities
As the weather warms – and it is already in the 20s in southern Spain, the country stirs to life, imbued by brilliant sunlight and refreshed by the lapping shores of the Mediterranean. This emergence of Spring beckons millions of tourists to the Costa del Sol for a bit of early-year sun, and it’s only a matter of weeks away until the bars, restaurants, hotels and beaches are full again.

But perhaps the occasion that really marks Spain’s transition into the warmer days of summer is Easter. From Sevilla to Cádiz, via Málaga and hundreds of small towns, Easter is a big deal in Andalucía, and a wonderful spectacle for expats to experience in order to get a true taste of Spain.