It was absolutely freezing in the villa. Competa is 700m above sea level, it was the middle of the night, and the villa had been empty for over a year. Apparently it had underfloor heating but every time we tried to turn it on all the electric tripped.
We called the letting agents the next day who in turn called the landlord. He came round and explained that we could only have it on low as there was a limit on the amount of electricity he contracted for – great. There was a log burner in the villa so we set about ordering a load of logs from the agents and managed to get a little bit of warmth by the next evening.
Monday was better as we drove to the local DIY and bought 2 gas heaters to help us thaw out.
Then we had issues with the toilets constantly running so the plumber had to come out. This issue solved, a fould smell starting coming from the bathrooms. A nice neighbour advised us to pour a cheap bottle of red wine down the toilets as it rebalances the cess pit – we tried it and surprisingly it worked. The handle then came off one of the bedroom doors so the carpenter had to be called out.
Worst of all, the contract we had signed had me stipulating that internet access had to be ready for when we moved in. The move in date per the contract was 15 November, and now on the 7th December there was still no internet. Luckily the agents contacted the local installer who was able to come and set it all up, including english TV chanels – whoopee
The week progresses with us getting to know the villa, how everything works, the local shops and meeting a few of the locals in the bar on the way into the village.
The furniture all arrived from the UK on Wednesday so we were able to start unpacking a few essentials that we had not brought in the campervan. Luckily the villa has an enourmous garage so all the furniture could be stored safely. The campervan was also collected this week and the damage honestly shown to the driver.
Onwards and upwards…