The drive out of Granada was terrifying, the descent into Calpe was breathtaking, and the first look at our new terrace undid me completely. Then the heat and humidity introduced themselves — and we've been learning ever since. Groceries, siesta, bikinis, a 332-meter rock we're supposed to climb, and a dog who somehow became a completely different animal. Welcome to Calpe.

Every winter I ask myself the same question: "What am I doing here, where the air hurts my face?" This summer, we finally did something about it. Here's what it actually took to leave Minnesota for Spain — the visa that fell apart, the pet health certificate stuck in VEHCS purgatory, and the goodbye we said not knowing when we'd all be back together again.