The Big Move
Off we go!  With the help of family and friends, we were able to tie up all of our loose ends and hit the skies. We flew from Pensacola, FL to Charlotte, NC to Madrid, Spain.  The kids did great on the plane ride. For long international flights, like our flight from Charlotte to Madrid, each seat comes with a TV screen, headphones, movies, and games. This kept the kids very busy!  It got to the point where we had to make them shut the TV off and get some sleep. We were gaining a 7 hour time difference in the air and landing at 9:00 am in the morning, Madrid time.  This meant that we had to sleep as much as possible on the plane in order to make it!  
 
Hola, Madrid!
After we arrived, our Airbnb host allowed us to store our luggage at his office for the day until it was time for check-in. Not all Airbnb hosts offer this service, but we were very grateful for it. We were sure to not leave our passports behind and trusted the host and he didn’t let us down!
 
We walked much of the city on foot. Madrid is much more modern than many European cities. It doesn’t have the ‘old world’ charm but has a clean beauty. My Spanish went far! They speak a clear and concise Spanish that I found very easy to understand. My husband is fluent and gets along anywhere!  

We walked around Plaza Mayor, checked out the Puerta del Sol, and made our way to Mercado de San Miguel for lunch.  Mercado de San Miguel is a beautiful market with everything from fresh Paella, churros & chocolate (a local favorite dessert), fresh Iberico ham, fresh cheese, fresh fruit, beer, wine, etc. It was fun to walk around and we LOVE to try different things, so we ordered a plate of paella and a Iberico ham & cheese sandwich & we all shared.  The hubs and I had a glass of wine, while the kids experienced their first glass bottled Fanta that they ‘oohed and aahed’ over the whole time!  Haha, It’s the little things.
 
Iberico Ham
 In Spain, they take their ham VERY seriously.  In both Madrid and Barcelona Iberico ham is shaved right off of the pig in front of you in the store.  You don’t get much fresher than that!  It has a salty, full flavor that we all loved.  Put in a sandwich with toasted bread and cheese.....it was simply sublime.  
 
****Money Saving Tip****There are restaurants/stores all throughout Madrid, called Museo Del Jamon where you could have a ham sandwich for €3.  This is a perfect, delicious, and inexpensive lunch or a snack!
 
We walked around the Royal Palace of Madrid and the kids enjoyed the street performers. They particularly loved what looked like a headless Spanish naval officer and we took some pictures.  We didn’t have any Euro change to give to him, but the street performers do expect tips.
 
For dinner, we enjoyed traditional Tapas just outside of the Mercado de San Miguel. To name a few of the tapas on our platter:  Jamon & eggs, fried yucca, Patatas Bravas (this is fried or baked cube shaped potatoes with what tastes like spiced mayo ketchup on top), broiled sweet peppers with sea salt, fried chicken with spices, & croquettes.  We enjoyed trying the different foods and this meal filled us all up!  For dessert, we all tried Churros & Chocolate. We all absolutely loved it. The chocolate that comes with the churros is warm like hot chocolate but has a much thicker consistency. 
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The next day, we went to Museo Del Reina Sofia which has free admission Monday – Friday from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. We were blessed to see the works of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali (my husband’s personal favorite), and many more. It was impressive. 
**** Insider Tip****They do not allow anyone to lean on walls there, especially near the artwork, to prevent the artwork from falling. Keep this in mind if you’re traveling with kids. Try to keep them off the walls as much as you can! 
 
The Bullfight
Now, we get to the bullfight.......this was a source of debate for my husband and I.  We were concerned with the kids and if they would be upset by the killing of the bull or if it wouldn’t bother them.  The more we talked to the locals, the more they encouraged us to attend. Children begin training to become matadors at a rather young age (a local told us 10 or younger).  In the month of May, there were bullfights nearly every day and we truly believe in experiencing the local culture as much as possible (within reason). We decided to go for it!  It was a personal decision that we made and we don’t regret it. 
 
The bullfight itself was in Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas.  Tickets were affordable at under €20/adult and half that price for the kids. We decided to sit on the sunny side of the arena, where the tickets were cheaper. The seats are concrete, so we sat on our jackets. The sun was HOT!  May is a strange time in Spain. In the sun, it’s very warm, and in the shade it’s cold.  You really have to be prepared for both.
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The bullfight began. Everyone was drinking beer, eating salted almonds, and other nuts.  The kids did great! I offered them the opportunity to look away during the actual finishing kill, but they had no issue with it.  One of the bulls came out into the arena and refused to run towards any of the Matadors with their bright pink capes & red cape.  This bull was pardoned and the whole crowd cheered for the bull. For the other bullfights, where the bull was not pardoned...the bull is stabbed numerous times during the whole process. This, of course, puts the animal at an incredible disadvantage, but the crowd always cheers for a bull that fights harder or outsmarts the matadors. The matadors definitely work for the crowd and are dressed fabulously. Everything had a specific order and the whole process was full of tradition. Overall, it was a good cultural experience and our family enjoyed it. 
 
Madrid was a beautiful taste of Spain. We experienced delicious food, wine, the city, a museum, and a bullfight.  BY THE WAY, wine in Spain does not cause headaches like the wine in the U.S.  We could drink a few glasses (maybe a bottle+) without any repercussions the next day.  I call that a win!  
 
Next Blog Post:  Me Encanta Barcelona
 

Of all the paths of my life, of all the places we’ve moved......the path to Naples, Italy is a path that incites a feeling of incredible excitement for me.  I absolutely can’t wait to see the sights of the world through the eyes of our boys.  I am still here in Pensacola with a home full of furniture and a heart full of ideas for the future, enjoying every moment of these pristine beaches! 
We’ve finished our screenings, received our passports, and I just received a call that our Visas are in. Our flights are booked and I’m spending all my time researching like crazy!  
 
I’m leaving behind a real estate career that I love and that has been incredibly successful.  I plan to continue to refer business as long as I can, but leaving Pensacola is more than leaving behind our home for the past 3 years....it’s leaving behind a business that I spent blood, sweat, tears, countless hours building....it hurts.  My dreams of becoming a broker and continuing to build and expand my business are on hold. My husband and I make decisions together and even though he was up for retirement, we decided that neither of us are ready to settle down.  We traveled to Europe in 2016 and have been dying to go back and take the kids to experience it together.  Moving to Naples, Italy are exactly what we wanted.  It’s not easy, but I believe it will be worth it.  It’ll be very hard work to build my business again, but it is my greatest wish, at this time in our lives, that we experience more of the world while we can.
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I’ve researched our move extensively and Facebook is a valuable tool for us. Do we want to live on base or off?  Which of our household goods are going into storage and which items are going with us to Italy?  If we live on base, the housing is much smaller than we are used to, so we definitely have to downsize.  There are Facebook pages for everything. All I have to do is type in my question and the internet is full of answers.  This is vastly different than when my husband and I first met and I was in the military. We learned everything from word of mouth and if the people I knew didn’t know the answers, I’d ask my sponsor, or just go forward living and learning.  
 
When we arrive, there is something called ‘Direct Assignment’ on NSA Naples Support Site. That means that if a 4 bedroom base apartment is available, we have to take it. If it is not, we have to live off base. There are perks to each.  I’m going in with an open heart so that I don’t get disappointed if I get one type of housing over another.

Living on base means having American and Italian plugs at home, steady air conditioning and heat, pretty reliable maintenance, utilities are included, and the kids can roam free. I realize that there may be hiccups with maintenance, but they are beholden to work and take care of the maintenance issues.  Everything is walkable or bikeable....the school, stores, movie theater, base restaurants, bowling alley, etc. Can you imagine how much the kids would enjoy that? The negative is that the base housing is small and rather than houses, they are apartment style. We haven’t lived in an apartment for 16 years.  Yes, I realize I’m showing my age here, but you get the point.  Many people believe that living on base can put one in an ‘American bubble’ where you basically live like you’re in America while living on base.  If we end up on base, I will make every effort to still experience the Italian culture by going off base to purchase groceries, drink coffee, eat at restaurants, socialize with the kids, etc.
 
Perks to living off base are that many people find that they can walk to local Italian bakeries, restaurants, markets, etc.  Many times, a family will end up living in a neighborhood called a ‘parco’ and can be invited to dinner and embraced by their Italian neighbors. This is truly what living abroad is about.....immersing yourself in the culture. However, Naples is a large city and the typical issues of a big city are to be considered. It is said that maintenance can be unreliable, your landlord can make or break your time at the home, insulation, air conditioning, and heat can be a challenge.  Utilities are much more expensive and for most of the off-base housing all plugs are European. There are converters, space heaters, security, safe areas, but everything I mentioned are things to consider.  Just think of the age of the city of Naples...dating back to 600 BCE (according to Encyclopedia Britannica) and the age of the buildings makes living in Napoli a different life than living in the newer buildings of America.   We will have to commute to base for sports, school events, and socializing for the kids, so commute time is considered, as well.

​Do you see why I’m not trying to set my heart on anything?   I worry that I get all ramped up and end up disappointed. Hubs and I decided that we’re going to make the best of any situation.  We are truly going to Italia to experience the culture, show our kids more of the world, and to travel as much of Europe as feasible in our time there. Keep in mind that this entire email is about my research and I haven’t lived it yet. I look forward to creating future blog posts with my true experiences.  May the journey begin!
 
Second blog post:
 
The Big Move......Arrivederci USA! Off to Spain!