Badajoz

Further to my previous posting on where to go inland, I may be forced further south by prices. There seems to be a lot of cheap property in Badajoz, particularly Feria and other nearby towns. What's the story on this area? Is it a 'dead' area that estate agents are trying to cash in on, or is it viable for someone who wants to work? Worse still, is the area liable to natural catastrophes which have caused so many ruins/semi-ruins to be available cheap?

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Badajoz is West, not South. In fact, it's right on the Portuguese border. Do you speak Spanish? (Or Portuguese?) If not, I think you will find yourself pretty isolated to begin with - total immersion can be a great way to learn the language, but initially you will be the only Vicar in the village! Very few foreigners in that part of the world. What kind of work were you hoping for? I have a neighbour who has an apartment here on the Costa del Sol which he uses for holidays - he lives most of the year in his home village of Villafranca - very close to where you're talking about. Until he came here, he didn't even know there were foreigners! Lovely bloke though - he always brings me a bottle of his local vino, some local olives & cheese, all of which he swears are the best in the world. As for natural disasters etc., I don't think so, but the region is called Extremadura, which literally means extreme and hard. There's a clue......

 

Edit: BTW, on 29th July there was a 1.8 magnitude tremor near Olivenza, just south of Badajoz! http://www.ign.es/ign/es/IGN/Sismologia10Espana.jsp But don't let that put you off, the Costa del Sol regualrly has worse ones than that, most of which go completely unnoticed by all but a few enthusiasts!

This message was last edited by Roberto on 8/6/2007.

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Thanks for the reply , Roberto. I'm aware of the geographical location, and I'm quite happy to be fully immersed. Having spent the last 3 years in France, I think one of our biggest mistakes was mixing with our fellow ex-pats too much. I envy my own children, for whom I was their teacher when we arrived but now we call on them to translate for us. I was an intermediate Spanish student a few years back in the UK and need to 'refresh' my knowledge of Spanish, and more, naturally. I always found Spanish easier than French, and coped reasonably well on a holiday during that time.

I am hoping to teach both Tai Chi and English (not at the same time!), and I figure I will probably need to have some good sized towns around me, but I imagine the area will also give me little competition.

PS I'm not really a vicar. It was a nickname given to me when I worked at Luton airport.

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Sorry, Vicar, I now remember your earlier post where you said what you intended to do. I see no reason in that case why you shouldn't give Extremadura a go. As you say, there won't be too much competition! I have only passed through the region once, but I do recall some beautiful scenery. I also recall thinking that Caceres was rather ugly - but I haven't seen Badajoz. There was another EOS member who lived in Extremadura and posted some articles on his experiences. If you haven't already, you may want to read them. Here's a link to "Pete's Tale" http://www.eyeonspain.com/pete

 

This message was last edited by Roberto on 8/6/2007.

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