ADVENTURES, CHALLENGES, AND INSIGHTS OF A COUPLE IN EARLY RETIREMENT
One of the highlights of our trip to Panama was visiting the Panama Canal and the Canal Zone. We also learned about the history of one of the world’s greatest achievements. Many years ago, I read a book about the Panama Canal. Ever since then, seeing the canal in person has been on my bucket list.
One of the places always recommended by International Living for retirement in Panama. Since we were looking for someplace warm and relaxing, we decided to check it out. After our super busy time in Europe and the US, we just wanted to catch up on personal work and chill out.
It was time for our nearly three months in Europe to come to an end. We weren’t unhappy with having to return to Barcelona to fly back to the Bay Area. Our roving retirement isn’t like a vacation, it’s like living in lots of different places while managing life stuff, much of which is in the Bay Area.
We have been looking forward to visiting Carcassonne, on our roving retirement journey, since we were in France in 2020. Both Diana and I had visited many years ago and we only remembered the climb up the hill, the “fairy tail” walls, and the cassoulet. This time we chose to stay inside the city walls of Carcassonne, to maximize our time in situ.
Many people we meet discuss their issues with how long they can stay in the Schengen Zone, which covers much of Europe. For non-residents, the rule is that you can stay 90 out of 180 days using a rolling calendar otherwise you need a residence visa.
