Speaking European – Peter Riemenschneider

“If you´re only here for travelling, you´re missing out,” shared Peter, who has for the past six years, been an official Spanish resident. 

Peter and his wife left London in search of a more “balanced” life in Valencia. Born in Germany and having lived in both the UK and the US, Peter was accustomed to changes and diversity; his wife was already a native Spanish speaker. 

The couple chose Valencia for its “easy access to big cities”; any time, Peter can easily get on a plane to Berlin or London. Moreover, “there´s always something going on.” “It´s a compromise between living in a big city and a small town”; having the best out of the two.

As Peter and his wife moved, he began working on the launch of his software company as well as working with his wife in real estate. He noted that with “Spain having a better infrastructure than most countries,” business was going well.

Spanish soon became his fourth language. He admitted, however, that nowadays, that is not necessary; “Valencia has changed a lot within the past six years; today, English is heard everywhere.”

Yet, Peter insists on learning the language to its core; “Living in any country, you have to familiarise yourself with the language and the culture. It´s not just words and grammar. It´s the context, the gestures, the national fables.” He shared that although one can get by without Spanish, the authentic experience will be completely lacking.

Having grown so familiar with Spain, Peter advised anyone who considers moving to accept the changes and know that they come “with upsides and downsides,” depending on your perspective. “Spain is a southern country, of course it’s not the same as the US and the UK. That’s why we´ve moved here.”