Edd:  Bordeaux, France was the wildcard of our European Magical Mystery Tour. It wasn’t even on our original travel itinerary.

Cynthia:  Right. After Madrid we planned to go to Barcelona, but the accommodations there weren’t within our budget.

E:  The next stop was going to be Paris, so I literally looked at a map to see where else in that general direction we could go. And voila—Bordeaux!

C:  All we knew about Bordeaux was the famous wine produced there, but online pics of the city and surrounding area were beautiful and the price was right so we said, “Let’s do it!”

E:  Turns out we picked a winner. Bordeaux is drop-dead gorgeous.

C:  Locals told us visitors often say, “This looks like a little Paris.” To which they smugly reply, “No, Paris is like a big Bordeaux.” 😀

E:  As expected, the wines from nearby vineyards were terrific and quite affordable. Especially at Bar à Vin, a classy wine bar right across the street from the Bordeaux tourism office.

C:  Run by the ...

Edd:  The excursion we took from Madrid to Toledo and Segovia was fantastic, and I can’t wait to tell our readers all about it. But I realized we ended our last blog without answering the big question about Madrid—could we live there? So let’s quickly cover that.

Cynthia:  That will be easy because the answer is “No.” We very much enjoyed visiting but found that Madrid is too large and too busy for us. Plus the temperatures in summer can hit triple digits. Yikes!

E:  We’d perhaps be open to a smaller city in Spain with a more temperate climate. The cost of living is certainly affordable, and we loved the food and wine. 😋

C:  Let’s talk about our day trip. Toledo is an ancient city dating back over 2000 years that has preserved its medieval layout. Walking around there was like stepping back in time.

E:  Until we saw a Starbucks. Toledo has two nicknames: the Imperial City because Charles V had his court there, and the “city of three cultures” for the peaceful coexistence of C...

Edd:  After our wonderful experience in Lisbon, the bar was set pretty high for European capitals. So how would our next stop, Madrid, measure up?

Cynthia:  It turns out the two places are so different that comparisons aren’t really fair. Lisbon is quite small with a population of about 500,000; Madrid is a sprawling city of almost 7,000,000!

E:  With lots of people and lots of traffic. Fortunately, our Airbnb was located on a quiet side street with grocery stores and metro stops nearby.

C:  Our experience with public transportation in Europe has been fantastic. People who never use it in daily life may be hesitant to try riding a tram or subway in a foreign country.

E:  That would be a mistake because the systems are safe, clean, well organized, and very economical. By using them extensively, we were able to do and see so much in Madrid. I’m glad we had two weeks to take it all in at a relaxed pace.

C:  Everything is on such a grand scale. The buildings. The parks...

Spending weeks scouting a potential expat destination gives you time to immerse yourself in the local culture at a relaxed pace. To wander through neighborhoods and savor the cuisine. Enjoy the attractions. And to venture out into the surrounding area for enriching day trips.

From Lisbon we first explored the medieval town of Óbidos. Originally a Roman settlement, the location was next occupied by the Moors before being retaken by the Portuguese in 1148.

Given to Queen Isabel on her wedding day in 1282, Óbidos has since been known as the “town of the Queens.”

Strolling through the narrow, cobbled streets was eerily like being transported back in time.

At the highest point of Óbidos stands an impressive castle surrounded by fortification walls.

Walking around up there was honestly a little scary (no handrails!), but the expansive views demonstrated why this site was originally chosen. Nobody was going to sneak up on you, that’s for sure.

Portugal is all about its...

Cynthia:  We’ve been wanting to visit this popular expat destination for some time. Sorry to report our trip to explore Lisbon got off to a rocky start. I don’t know what was going on at the airport, but the crowd waiting to get through immigration was massive.

Edd:  It took us a couple of hours there. When we got to the city we couldn’t find the Airbnb rental and were clickety-clacking our suitcases up steep hills over Lisbon’s tile sidewalks.

C:  After a red-eye flight from the States we were beyond exhausted when we finally arrived at the apartment.

E:  Our place was in a hip area called Barrio Alto. This was the view from the terrace.

C:  “Hip” means the bars and restaurants spilled out onto the streets, and patrons were eating and drinking until the wee hours. That, plus major jet lag, made the first few nights less than restful.

E:  We’re sharing this not to complain, but to make readers aware the self-planned, economical travel we do isn’t always flawless. Once we adjus...

Cynthia:  I’m getting excited about where we’re headed next. What a dream trip this is going to be!

Edd:  I’m pumped too. You know what, since our departure is in less than 10 days, it’s time to share the details with our subscribers.

C:  Less than 10 days?? I’ve been so focused on our family visits, I haven’t thought much about it. Time to shift gears and start getting ready to go. Planning to be gone for 2 ½ months doesn’t seem as overwhelming this time around.

E:  Well, it helps that we’ll only be in one climate. Packing for last year’s trip to Mexico was tough with oppressive heat and humidity on the coast and springlike weather in the highlands.

C:  Especially with only a roll-aboard and backpack each. Which is the way we’ll be traveling this time as well.

E:  She says while rolling her eyes.😏 Hats off to you for agreeing to downsize. It’s really made airport logistics easier. And for this upcoming trip, the minimal luggage will be even more appreciated with all the train tra...

Cynthia:  The comments we received about our last blog were really gratifying.

Edd:  I especially liked the email that said: “This one is spot on about the FEAR of the unknown for myself as well as I think many others.”

C:  I’m not sure most people actually think of it as fear. It’s possible they’ve convinced themselves they’ll take action when all the pieces fall into place.

E:  Ah, “This Magic Moment.” Classic song that was a hit for The Drifters and then Jay and the Americans.

C:  You and the pop music trivia. I’ll bet you remember the lyrics too.

E:  Of course I do.😏 There are two problems with that mindset. One is that it’s based on personal preconceived notions of what those pieces are that may or may not have any basis in reality. And the second is…

C:  The “magic moment” never arrives. So you remain stuck in limbo as time keeps ticking away.

E:  That’s the beginning of Newton’s First Law of Motion. A body at rest remains at rest until acted upon by a force.

C:  You’re j...

A recent survey shows that inflation is causing some older Americans to delay their retirement plans.

Inflation for February ballooned to 7.9%, a new 40-year high, and most consumers expect prices to continue to rise over the next 12 months.

Concerns about the future are compounded by recent stock market drops and the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, other Americans are taking a different approach.

We ran into a longtime local friend named Paul last week. He owns a relocation service that helps people from the U.S. and Canada move their possessions to Ecuador. In fact, his company moved our belongings here over a decade ago.

When we inquired how business was going he replied,”Fantastic!”

We wanted to know if his customers were coming to Cuenca, leaving, or both.

He said, “They’re coming. They tell me with prices going up, the ugly politics, and now the war in Ukraine, there’s too much uncertainty. They’ve had enough and want a 'más tranquilo' (more peaceful) life.”

His comments were ...

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March of 2020, a common mantra was, “No worries. This thing will be over by summer!”

Well…

Two years later and a lot of us are finally starting to emerge from the quagmire of mandates and restrictions we’ve had to endure.

If you’ve been following our story, you know we have been sensible but not suppressed by the coronavirus. Disappointed that our planned family trip in April 2020 had to be canceled, when the U.S. lifted its ban on international travel four months later, we were on a plane headed north in September.

And last year while many were still hunkered down, we spent 2 ½ months touring Mexico. Between there and our travels in the States, we changed locations a total of 33 times!

When you’re on the wrong side of life’s bell curve like we are, time is your most precious asset. We had complied with shelter-in-place orders for the better part of a year in Ecuador. Certainly not a hardship, but continuing to pos...

Edd:  Finding ourselves in Cuenca to start 2022 is the most unexpected thing we’ve done in quite some time.

Cynthia:  Two months ago we were talking about spending the winter months in South America, but going back to Ecuador wasn’t even on the radar. Yet here we are.

E:  When we left last March I couldn’t wait to get on the plane. We’d been in Cuenca for 11 years and I felt so ready to move on. Which makes my happiness to return incredibly surprising to me.

C:  I’m pleased to be here as well. Maybe your feelings are a variation of the old saying that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

E:  Yeah, quite possibly. It’s all too easy to take things like Cuenca’s ideal year-round climate for granted, isn’t it? The frigid temps we experienced in the States during the holidays were hard for us to handle.

C:  As was the brutal heat in parts of Mexico last year. Particularly in Mérida. When it comes to weather, we’re unapologetic “Goldilocks peeps.” Not too hot and not too cold.

E:  ...