These Americans quit the US for new lives in Spain. Not all of them loved it
By Maureen O’Hare, CNN
(CNN) — In our travel roundup this week: secrets of a 1,600-year-old Istanbul megastructure, the British place names you’re probably saying wrong, plus three stories of Americans who left Florida behind for a new life in Spain — with mixed results.
New life in the Old World
Swapping Florida for Spain should be like trading oranges for oranges, right?
Both of these climate-blessed destinations get around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, but there are plenty of differences when it comes to day-to-day lifestyles.
Gail and Greg Warner were in their mid-50s when they moved from Florida to Spain, living first in Valencia and then Malaga.
They say that the key to moving to a completely new destination is to fully embrace the experience and accept that your lives likely won’t be the same as they were before. Their only regret, Gail says, is that they “didn’t do it earlier.”
Laura Hamlin and Allan Amer relocated to Spain from Florida in 2022, telling CNN that the “divisive” political environment in the Sunshine State had been wearing them down.
They live in Cartagena, a port city on the Mediterranean coast, and while they’ve hit some major setbacks since the move, they “love the country.”
Cristina Martinez was smitten with Spain after a few vacations there, but when she and her husband sold their house and moved to Santander on the Atlantic coast, it was a different story.
She tells CNN she found Spain “outdated” and, after struggling to adapt, she’s now back in the US. “It left a really bad taste in my mouth, the whole experience,” she says.
If you’re an American considering leaving the US for good, there are a number of things to consider before you move abroad. Here’s our guide to what you should think about before ordering those packing boxes.
Buildings with history
Vietnam marked the 50th anniversary of reunification this week and Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel has been highlighting its war heritage. The luxury lodging has an underground bunker, built in 1965, which once sheltered celebs including Joan Baez and Jane Fonda from US air raids. The hotel now offers twice-daily tours.
For Villa Tugendhat in the Czech city of Brno, its starring moment in 20th-century history came in 1992. This UNESCO World Heritage site designed by legendary architect Mies van der Rohe was where the Slovak and Czech prime ministers met to arrange the “Velvet Divorce,” the peaceful separation of Czechoslovakia into two countries.
There are 1,600 years of history to discover in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, a spectacular megastructure that has survived the collapse of empires. Over the years it’s been a church, a mosque, a museum and, since 2020, is now a mosque once more.
Lost ocean liners
Maritime enthusiast Peter Knego is dedicated to documenting the disappearing history of 20th-century ocean liners. Watch here as he tells the story of the Aurora, the latest liner to be sent to scrap.
Two thousand years of seafaring history can be found in the English city of Southampton, a long-standing gateway to the world still haunted by its tragic connection to the Titanic.
Life lessons
It’s the dream for many. Andi and Randy Almond pulled their kids, ages 10 and 13, out of school for a year and set off on a 100,000-plus mile journey across all seven continents.
But from field science projects to hair-raising boat rides, did everything go quite as they envisioned? Mom Andi talked to CNN about all the lessons they didn’t learn in school.
As any parent knows, teens are far more adept than older folks at keeping up with the latest trends. That’s why our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, asked six teenagers about their travel essentials. They revealed what they pack for every trip.
In case you missed it
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Now it’s in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world.
Some British places are utterly unpredictable to pronounce.
Here are some of the best known you’re probably saying wrong.
A 400-year-old tea shop faces closure in Amsterdam.
The owner says she can no longer afford the skyrocketing rent.
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