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		<channel>
		<title>Costa Blanca Vida</title>
		<description>One persons perspective of life in the Costa Blanca region of Spain</description>
		<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/rss</link>
		<copyright>www.costablancavida.com</copyright>
		<sy:updatePeriod>daily</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>2</sy:updateFrequency>
		<sy:updateBase>2000-01-01T12:00+00:00</sy:updateBase>
		<item>
					<title>The Leading Housing Bubble Indicator In Spain is...</title>
					<pubDate>Mon, 27 Mar 2006 13:25:03 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>The Cost of Living</category>
			<category>Buying a Home</category>
			<category>alicante economy</category>
			<category>Comunidad Valenciana</category>
			<category>construction</category>
			<category>estate agents</category>
			<category>home buying</category>
			<category>mortgages</category>
			<category>property</category>
			<category>real estate</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[Irresponsible, exuberant journalism? There is not a single doubt that Spain, along with some other European countries, has been experiencing a housing boom in the last... Well, for a very long time. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/the-leading-housing-bubble-indicator">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/the-leading-housing-bubble-indicator</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[Irresponsible, exuberant journalism? There is not a single doubt that Spain, along with some other European countries, has been experiencing a housing boom in the last... Well, for a very long time. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/the-leading-housing-bubble-indicator">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/buying-a-home/the-leading-housing-bubble-indicator#comments</comments>
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					<title>Aquí en España se vive muy bien.</title>
					<pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2006 13:20:43 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Differences and Peculiarities</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[One thing that my wife picked up on when I first lived here were some peculiar little phrases and questions that Spanish folks would say to me. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/aqui-en-espana-se-vive-muy-bien">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/aqui-en-espana-se-vive-muy-bien</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[One thing that my wife picked up on when I first lived here were some peculiar little phrases and questions that Spanish folks would say to me. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/aqui-en-espana-se-vive-muy-bien">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/aqui-en-espana-se-vive-muy-bien#comments</comments>
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					<title>The Botellon - Time for a crackdown?</title>
					<pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2006 12:43:13 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Differences and Peculiarities</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[In Alicante the state of the botellon may be forcing the sometimes raucous but always colorful bars of the el barrio to charge entrance fees or a one drink minimum. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/botellon">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/botellon</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[In Alicante the state of the <em>botellon</em> may be forcing the sometimes raucous but always colorful bars of the <em>el barrio</em> to charge entrance fees or a one drink minimum. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/botellon">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/botellon#comments</comments>
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					<title>Buying a Home in Spain? Well, Buyer Beware</title>
					<pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:25:30 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Buying a Home</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[I mentioned on this blog sometime before Christmas that my wife and I were in the market for a home on the Costa Blanca. Well, here is what I learned from my home buying process in Spain. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/homes-in-spain-buyer-beware">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/homes-in-spain-buyer-beware</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[I mentioned on this blog sometime before Christmas that my wife and I were in the market for a home on the Costa Blanca. Well, here is what I learned from my home buying process in Spain. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/homes-in-spain-buyer-beware">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/buying-a-home/homes-in-spain-buyer-beware#comments</comments>
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					<title>End of the Violence?</title>
					<pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2006 08:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>General</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[In what is excellent news for Spain should it lead to a peaceful end, yesetrday the Basque separatists declared a permanent cease-fire and pledged to step away from decades of violence, a major breakthrough that could end Europe's only current armed conflict. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/end-of-the-violence">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/end-of-the-violence</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[In what is excellent news for Spain should it lead to a peaceful end, yesetrday the Basque separatists declared a permanent cease-fire and <q>pledged to step away from decades of violence, a major breakthrough that could end Europe's only current armed conflict</q>. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/end-of-the-violence">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/general/end-of-the-violence#comments</comments>
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					<title>Happy Holidays!</title>
					<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:29:59 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Fiestas and Holidays</category>
			<category>christmas</category>
			<category>food</category>
			<category>holidays</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[Been quiet around here, tying up loose ends so as to hopefully get 2006 off to a fresher start. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/happy-holidays">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/happy-holidays</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[Been quiet around here, tying up loose ends so as to hopefully get 2006 off to a fresher start. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/happy-holidays">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/happy-holidays#comments</comments>
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					<title>2006 Vuelta a España Announced, and an Interview with Oscar Sevilla</title>
					<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:56:27 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Recreation</category>
			<category>cycling</category>
			<category>recreation</category>
			<category>travel</category>
			<category>Vuelta Espa&amp;ntilde;a</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[I'm a huge cycling fan, and lucky for me, the Costa Blanca tends to get it's share of big events like the Vuelta a España and the Vuelta Comunidad Velenciana. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/2006-vuelta-espana">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/2006-vuelta-espana</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm a huge cycling fan, and lucky for me, the Costa Blanca tends to get it's share of big events like the Vuelta a España and the Vuelta Comunidad Velenciana. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/2006-vuelta-espana">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/recreation/2006-vuelta-espana#comments</comments>
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					<title>Notes From Spain</title>
					<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>General</category>
			<category>driving</category>
			<category>websites</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[I came across another blog about Spain today that I quite like. The author seems to share many of the feelings and experiences that I have had here in Spain, and has written about a few things that I have been wanting to write about here at Costa Blanca Vida. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/notes-from-spain">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/notes-from-spain</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[I came across another blog about Spain today that I quite like. The author seems to share many of the feelings and experiences that I have had here in Spain, and has written about a few things that I have been wanting to write about here at Costa Blanca Vida. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/general/notes-from-spain">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/general/notes-from-spain#comments</comments>
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					<title>IVA Not Included</title>
					<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:36:38 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>The Cost of Living</category>
			<category>Random Rants</category>
			<category>online shopping</category>
			<category>shopping</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[One of the things I find a bit easier in Spain than in Canada, is that stores include IVA (sales tax) totaled with the prices that are shown along with goods. Or so it seemed. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/iva-not-included">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/iva-not-included</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[One of the things I find a bit easier in Spain than in Canada, is that stores include IVA (sales tax) totaled with the prices that are shown along with goods. Or so it seemed. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/iva-not-included">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/random-rants/iva-not-included#comments</comments>
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					<title>Home Appraisal in Spain</title>
					<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2005 17:36:49 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Differences and Peculiarities</category>
			<category>Buying a Home</category>
			<category>banking</category>
			<category>banks</category>
			<category>home buying</category>
			<category>mortgages</category>
			<category>real estate</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[My wife and I are in the market for a home here in the Costa Blanca. We're not being very picky, but we do like being in the south of the province, close to Alicante if possible. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/home-appraisal-in-spain">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/home-appraisal-in-spain</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[My wife and I are in the market for a home here in the Costa Blanca. We're not being very picky, but we do like being in the south of the province, close to Alicante if possible. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/buying-a-home/home-appraisal-in-spain">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/buying-a-home/home-appraisal-in-spain#comments</comments>
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					<title>Spanish Constitution Turns 27</title>
					<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2005 15:54:08 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>constitution</category>
			<category>eta</category>
			<category>holidays</category>
			<category>terrorism</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[The Spanish Constution (see also) turns 27 today, and is celebrated with a national holiday. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-constutution-turns-27">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-constutution-turns-27</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[The <a href="http://www.spainemb.org/information/constitucionin.htm">Spanish Constution</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1978">see also</a>) turns 27 today, and is celebrated with a national holiday. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-constutution-turns-27">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/spanish-constutution-turns-27#comments</comments>
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					<title>Costa del concrete</title>
					<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2005 11:33:44 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>concrete</category>
			<category>construction</category>
			<category>economist</category>
			<category>holiday homes</category>
			<category>home buying</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[SOMETIMES Spain seems to be a huge, cacophonous building site. Thus starts an article from the Economist entitled Costa del concrete... <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/costa-del-concrete">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/costa-del-concrete</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<q cite="http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4408161">SOMETIMES Spain seems to be a huge, cacophonous building site.</q> Thus starts an article from the Economist entitled <a href="http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4408161">Costa del concrete</a>... <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/costa-del-concrete">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/costa-del-concrete#comments</comments>
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					<title>Automatic Teller Network Charges</title>
					<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2005 23:26:28 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Random Rants</category>
			<category>bank machines</category>
			<category>banking</category>
			<category>banks</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[I'm not sure what the charges are in other countries for using another bank's automated teller, but I seem to recall that in Canada they weren't too high. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/automatic-teller-network-charges">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/automatic-teller-network-charges</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm not sure what the charges are in other countries for using another bank's automated teller, but I seem to recall that in Canada they weren't too high. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/random-rants/automatic-teller-network-charges">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/random-rants/automatic-teller-network-charges#comments</comments>
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					<title>Christmas Costa Blanca Style</title>
					<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2005 18:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Fiestas and Holidays</category>
			<category>christmas</category>
			<category>food</category>
			<category>holidays</category>
			<category>mercadona</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[Made a trip to the capital today, and it seems that Christmas is in full swing down in Alicante. The festive season in Spain is celebrated differently than most places, and takes a little getting used to. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/christmas-costa-blanca-style">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/christmas-costa-blanca-style</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[Made a trip to the capital today, and it seems that Christmas is in full swing down in Alicante. The festive season in Spain is celebrated differently than most places, and takes a little getting used to. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/christmas-costa-blanca-style">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/fiestas-and-holidays/christmas-costa-blanca-style#comments</comments>
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					<title>Is this an Omen?</title>
					<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2005 09:49:43 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>home buying</category>
			<category>omen</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[So my wife and I are in the market for a new home. We're thinking hard about whether to buy or wait, where to buy etc etc. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/an-omen">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/an-omen</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[So my wife and I are in the market for a new home. We're thinking hard about whether to buy or wait, where to buy etc etc. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/an-omen">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/an-omen#comments</comments>
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					<title>Mercadona Online Shopping and Home Delivery</title>
					<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2005 22:58:23 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Food and Drink of the Costa Blanca</category>
			<category>The Cost of Living</category>
			<category>food</category>
			<category>mercadona</category>
			<category>online shopping</category>
			<category>shopping</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[If you have ever tried to go to a village Mercadona, I'm talking ones in the centro of a small to medium sized village, you know that parking can be quite hard. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/food-and-drink/mercadona-online-shopping-home-delivery">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/food-and-drink/mercadona-online-shopping-home-delivery</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[If you have ever tried to go to a village <a href="http://www.mercadona.es/" rel="ext">Mercadona</a>, I'm talking ones in the <em>centro</em> of a small to medium sized village, you know that parking can be quite hard. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/food-and-drink/mercadona-online-shopping-home-delivery">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/food-and-drink/mercadona-online-shopping-home-delivery#comments</comments>
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					<title>Walking the Costa Blanca</title>
					<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2005 16:08:09 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Recreation</category>
			<category>alicante economy</category>
			<category>food</category>
			<category>holiday tours</category>
			<category>recreation</category>
			<category>walking</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[A nice succint article was pulished in the Guardian about a walking tour in the Costa Blanca. While many people associate this area with sun and surf, there is a whole other side to be enjoyed. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/walking-the-costa-blanca">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/walking-the-costa-blanca</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[A nice succint article was pulished in the Guardian about a walking tour in the Costa Blanca. While many people associate this area with sun and surf, there is a whole other side to be enjoyed. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/recreation/walking-the-costa-blanca">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/recreation/walking-the-costa-blanca#comments</comments>
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					<title>The Costa Blanca: What is it and Where is it?</title>
					<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2005 13:56:10 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Comunidad Valenciana</category>
			<category>geography</category>
			<category>history</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[The coastal provinces of Spain each have their own special name for their coastline, and the Costa Blanca belongs to the province of Alicante. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/what-where-is-the-costa-blanca">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/what-where-is-the-costa-blanca</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[The coastal provinces of Spain each have their own special name for their coastline, and <em>the Costa Blanca</em> belongs to the province of Alicante. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/what-where-is-the-costa-blanca">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/what-where-is-the-costa-blanca#comments</comments>
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					<title>Central Heating</title>
					<pubDate>Sat, 03 Dec 2005 22:21:27 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Differences and Peculiarities</category>
			<category>home buying</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[Most people, when they think of Spain, tend to think of beaches, sun, sand and sangria. Why is it then that I have passed some of the coldest days of my life here on the white (cold) coast? <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/central-heating">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/central-heating</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[Most people, when they think of Spain, tend to think of beaches, sun, sand and sangria. Why is it then that I have passed some of the coldest days of my life here on the white (cold) coast? <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/central-heating">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/differences-and-peculiarities/central-heating#comments</comments>
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					<title>Some Spanish History</title>
					<pubDate>Sat, 03 Dec 2005 17:16:23 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>Spanish History</category>
			<category>spanish civil war</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[I can't say that I knew many of the details of Spanish history until I moved here and began reading up on the topic.  <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-history/some-spanish-history">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-history/some-spanish-history</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[I can't say that I knew many of the details of Spanish history until I moved here and began reading up on the topic.  <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/spanish-history/some-spanish-history">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/spanish-history/some-spanish-history#comments</comments>
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					<title>Humble Beginnings</title>
					<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:12:59 +0000</pubDate>
					<category>The Website</category>
			<category>costa blanca</category>
			<category>spain</category>
			<category>alicante</category>
			
					<description><![CDATA[Well, you have to start somewhere, and this post is the official start of my time on Costa Blanca Vida. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/the-website/humble-beginnings">Read in full...</a>]]></description>
					<link>http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/the-website/humble-beginnings</link>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, you have to start somewhere, and this post is the official start of my time on Costa Blanca Vida. <a href="http://www.costablancavida.com/weblog/the-website/humble-beginnings">Read in full...</a>]]></content:encoded><comments>/weblog/the-website/humble-beginnings#comments</comments>
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