My name is Fleur, and I’m part of the Typical Non Spanish team. I came to Spain nearly a decade ago from the Netherlands because I wanted to find out about life in other countries. So a friend and I came at first for a holiday and then started looking for a place to live. We started in Girona, then went to Valencia and settled there since we liked it so much and didn't want to go any further.
I saved money to live in Spain for only six months because that was our initial plan: after that first year we were intending to head back to the Netherlands. I started looking for a job and of course in the beginning it wasn't easy, but then everything started improving. I opened a running company and I was already doing bike touring in Valencia because lots of Dutch people visit the city. I stayed with the bike touring and we conduct a city tour every day now.
For me Valencia is an excellent combination; I really love the historical city but also the modern architecture, the sun, the weather and the beach, it’s all a beautiful mix. I would like to take part of that combination back to the Netherlands, of course the sun, the ‘jamón’ and some other Spanish specialities.
I have visited a lot of places in this beautiful country in my 8 years here, but I especially love Madrid. It's a really nice city, with lovely, friendly people with whom I share an enjoyment of good food. Two things that really stand out for me are that is so international, and that there’s such a lot of things to do at every time of the day. I also love Granada: the history, the tapas and that undefinable something special the city possesses.
I think that I’m still very Dutch, but now I also enjoy Spanish ham at Christmas time. We love to invite family and friends to the house and share a big dinner with them. And I’m a very big fan of the Spanish lifestyle, they're so relaxed. Everyone values time spent sitting on a terrace having coffee and not doing anything much, not thinking of anything, they appreciate their free time in a different way.