Here is my latest update regarding the pound to euro exchange rate as of the 29th February 2012. The pound has lost two cents against the euro this past week, putting it in the 1.1850 area. This might sound like a significant decline, but in fact the pound has been moving against the euro inside a two cent range (coming as high as 1.2030 [...]
My mother was born in Barcelona but left, never to return, when she was a child just before the Spanish Civil War. That makes me half Catalan and I’ve visited Barcelona many times over the years, but mainly only for 1-2 days on business. I’ve spent much more time in Madrid, home of my father. My first real exposure to [...]
It was great to see the first programme of a new series of A Place in the Sun feature Gandia, my home town in Spain – which looked, justifiably, gorgeous! The programme came out last Tuesday and followed a couple searching for a permanent home in the area. Certainly, for anyone currently living around Gandia the programme will have been [...]
Europe contracted –0.3% in the last three months of 2011, bringing it close to technical recession. Is this going to be reflected in euro weakness? Is the euro about to slide? It looks increasingly possible at the moment, as economic data shows Europe is drawing closer to recession. The continent as a whole declined –0.3% in the last three months of 2011, as [...]
I have just been sent a wonderful YouTube film of a demonstration in Barcelona about the crisis in Spain. It is wonderful (breath-taking really) and shows the best side of Spain and the culture of Spain. The demonstration is set within an office of la Caixa, one of the biggest banks in Spain, and revolves around a by-line stating that [...]
Last weekend saw huge demonstrations in Spain against the labour reforms in Spain that the ruling PP (‘Conservative’ ) party have fast tracked through Spain’s legislature. The protests were predictable, as furious private sector employees throughout the country saw their employment rights changed for the worse. In short, the changes are as follows: Before the new measures, if you were [...]
So, 2011 was officially the worst year for property sales since the Spanish property crash began in early 2008. Sales were down 20% compared to 2010, which means they were almost 60% down from the halcyon days of 2007. Of course, this is no surprise given the parlous nature of the Spanish economy and the continuing climb in unemployment in [...]
So, what are the top four tourist attractions in Spain – the ones that have the most visitors per year? Well, as of 2011, they were: 1. The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia (3.7 million visitors). 2. The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (3.2 million visitors). 3. The Prado in Madrid (2.9 million visitors). 4. The Alhambra in Granada [...]
The Canaries have long been associated with package tourism. But whilst some of the larger islands such as Gran Canaria and Tenerife bear the scars of over development Lanzarote, located just 80 miles off the coast of Africa, has managed to retain much of its original identity intact. Thanks largely to the enormous influence exerted by a famous local artist [...]
… at least for residents of Villamayor de Santiago, Cuenca. Probably better known for its famous Manchego cheese and links to Don Quijote, the small town is hitting the headlines due to an innovative economic scheme. Faced with slumping sales in the region, Luis Miguel Campayo, head of the local merchants’ association, came up with the novel idea in order [...]
Double dip? What double dip! In spite of the recent downturn in growth, the UK looks set to avoid a second recession, setting up sterling for gains. You might not realise it if you’re still living in the UK (I’m writing from Madrid) but the negative atmosphere among journalists and pundits in Britain is overpowering. For instance, following reports that [...]
So, Judge Baltasar Garzon has been banned from acting as a judge in Spain for eleven years, having been convicted of overstepping his authority when he authorised the wire-tapping of conversations between detainees and their lawyers in the notorious (and on-going) Gurtel corruption case. Garzon’s removal from the Spanish judiciary has been nothing if not controversial and has occurred amidst [...]
The euro has gained this week, suggesting the markets are feeling increasingly calm regarding Europe. Greece though has been getting it in the neck. “Oh – to be anything but a Greek politician!” This is the thing Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos must be telling himself this week, as EU officials continue to pile on the spending cuts Greece must [...]
One of the most striking changes to Spain that I have seen over the past nine years has been a marked improvement in the infrastructure of the country. By this, I mean virtually anything to do with public works, such as the roads, airports and facilities within towns. To illustrate the point, I could take my own town of Gandia, [...]
Recently, I have seen a flock of articles about buying Spanish property – many of which, frankly, look like barely concealed press releases from parties with vested interests in ‘talking’ the Spanish property market ‘up’. Meanwhile, there have been continued reports about the considerable problems of the debt laden Spanish banks, who are deeply troubled, not lending and now the [...]