The state system in Spain, an hilarious insight!
Well, you cannot keep a great gag down and my Spanish lawyer has just sent me a fabulous (short and hilarious!!) video about the state system in Spain. In fact, I featured this video in an article on Culture Spain earlier in the year entitled Bureaucracy in Spain – but I think I am more than justified in highlighting the [...]
The most perfect Art Déco house in Spain
Just occasionally, perhaps only once every four or five years, I come across a house in Spain that is truly extraordinary – somewhere that really does have the ‘Wow!’ factor. Frankly, this is rare in Spain as many Spanish properties lack personality and this applies even to expensive villas on exclusive estates. The latter can appear wonderful but often boast [...]
Gandia, Valencia Province, Spain
Gandia is a town located on the mid eastern side board of Spain. It is within Valencia Province (one of the three Provinces of the Autonomous Region of Valencia Comunitat de Valencia) and is situated some 70 kms south of Valencia City. The immediate area around Gandia is known as La Safor which comprises a number of small towns and [...]
Summer holidays in Spain – 10 things not to forget!
Are you going to be spending your summer holidays in Spain? If so – then make sure that you are well prepared beforehand and pack everything that you need. After all, there is nothing worse than setting out for your holidays and arriving at the airport to find that you have left behind something critical! So, what should go on [...]
Spain, rabbits and the Iberian Lynx
Did you know that there is a really interesting connection between the name España and rabbits – and that the devastating decline of the Iberian Lynx is intimately bound up in both? Well, there are good reasons to believe that the name of Spain (España) derives from the Phoenician word ‘ispanihad’ which evidently means ‘land of rabbits’. This word was [...]
Valencia City of Arts and Sciences
I defy anyone who comes to Valencia city not to be entranced by the City of Arts and Sciences. It is, justifiably, one of the greatest tourist attractions in Spain and a tribute to modern Spanish vision and design. Indeed, the City of Arts and Sciences is such a triumph that, alone, it makes any visit to Spain worthwhile. However, [...]
Culture Spain, Running of the bulls Pamplona – the rules!
The first thing is never consider running with the bulls in Pamplona if you have not seen the encierro before. Even if this is only the Spanish TV1 broadcast (excellent coverage every day of the feria de San Fermín from 7.30 to 8.30 am) which first transmits the run live, then has commentaries, then a re-run with a commentary, and [...]
Las Fallas Valencia, the most incredible fiesta in Spain!
Las Fallas must rank as one of the most extraordinary fiestas in Spain. Indeed, over the past few years it has gained international recognition as one of those remarkable events that you should see – at least once in your lifetime. Certainly, the sheer scale of La Fallas is astonishing with the main festivities taking place over five days (15th [...]
The Alhambra and the Moors in Spain
Some years ago, I was commissioned to write an article which ended up entitled ‘What did the Moors do for us?’. This was, needless to say, a ‘take’ on the famous scene in ‘The Life of Brian’ where the same question was asked about the Romans. Before I started my research my answer to ‘What did the Moors do for [...]
Culture Spain: La Tomatina (the greatest tomato fight in the World!)
Few people would argue that Spain has some pretty incredible fiestas. However, one of the most bizarre has got to be La Tomatina – which is a massive tomato fight. Amazingly, some 30,000 people a year crowd into the village of Buñol to hurl rotten tomotoes at each other. The mess is simply beyond imagination but taking part has become [...]
Culture Spain : MARBELLA VILLA OR BARRIO?
Marbella villa or barrio? The doorbell rang. It was Perla carrying a bucket full of fish. They were small dorada and they were still wriggling. When I had met him in the street yesterday he had asked me if we wanted any fresh fish and I had said yes. This is what he normally does, as he has no phone, [...]
CULTURE SPAIN: THE SAGRADA FAMÍLIA, GAUDI AND BARCELONA
I have to say that whenever I find it difficult to get things done in Spain I think of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. This fabulous building was started in 1882 and is still not finished – with the projected completion estimated to be sometime in 2026. This means that if this date is actually met(!) the Sagrada Família will [...]
CULTURE SPAIN – BULLFIGHTING IN SPAIN
I am sure that most Spaniards would think (probably correctly) that few people outside Spain have the faintest clue about bullfighting. Most non-Spaniards instinctively dislike it – and are shocked by the bloodletting and apparent savagery. And yet, bullfighting in Spain remains popular and is considered by many Spaniards to be a fundamental part of the very culture of Spain. [...]
LIFE IN SPAIN – TEN REASONS FOR MOVING TO SPAIN
I think, like everyone else, I often tend to get too wrapped up in Spanish property and the state of the Spanish property market. It is important, undeniably, but, within it all, I think the whole reason for moving to Spain (or buying a property in Spain) – can be lost. Indeed (and this I have stated countless times), living [...]
SPANISH POLICE – THE POLICE IN SPAIN
Few matters are more confusing initially to someone coming to Spain than the array of police forces encountered around the country. It can be difficult to know who to go to when you are in trouble and why one police force will attend a crime in one place and another elsewhere. In fact, essentially, Spain has three police forces: the [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun team (including the lovely Jasmine Harman), who were filming in my area. They have some house hunters who want to move to the Gandia area, which gave the A Place in the Sun team a reason to come here and their first experience, to the [...]
One of the joys of living in Spain for me is my ability to rock climb throughout the year – something that was extremely difficult in the UK, where the weather made almost every trip out a feat of endurance! This is far from the case when you are climbing on the Costa Blanca when, even in the middle of [...]
Have you heard of skyrunning (and I have not misspelt the word!)? Well, if you have not, then you are probably not alone – and it is certainly a sport that I had never heard about, until it was drawn to my attention by Mark van Jaarsveld, the ever resourceful techie behind Culture Spain. As he pointed out to me, [...]
Gandia is a town located on the mid eastern side board of Spain. It is within Valencia Province (one of the three Provinces of the Autonomous Region of Valencia Comunitat de Valencia) and is situated some 70 kms south of Valencia City. The immediate area around Gandia is known as La Safor which comprises a number of small towns and [...]
Well, amazing! Tom Jones is coming to Gandia in Spain to give a concert on Tuesday the 16th August 2011. You may think that ‘It’s not unusual’ but I would say that it is not far off it – given that, as far as I know, this will be first time that Tom Jones has appeared in Gandia during his [...]
The demonstrations in Spain continue with many town hall squares still full of Indignados (the Indignant) surrounded by banners expressing their wrath and dismay at the current situation in Spain. Indeed, it would seem that the current protests in Spain are set to run for some time to come. But what are the Indignados actually saying and how extensive is [...]
It would appear that the local and regional elections in Spain have resulted in a massive reduction in support for the PSOE (socialist) party – who, it seems, are now not the most voted for party in any region in Spain. This is a huge blow to PSOE Prime Minister Zapatero and a devastating inditement of his policies over the [...]
One of the problems for anyone thinking of higher education in Spain, whether for themselves or their children is: where to go? After all, it is never easy to find somewhere that combines a user-friendly campus with degree courses that are going to be genuinely useful. Interestingly, the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Polytechnic University of Valencia) has a campus at [...]
Well, what an extraordinary weekend we have had in Valencia Province – and particularly around Gandia! Not only was Saturday the hottest day in April for fifty eight years but it was also the day during which two major forest fires broke out within the area. Fires in Spain are, of course, not uncommon. The land tends to be tinder [...]
So, the Borgias are in fashion again! Neil Jordan has just filmed the first ten hours of a TV series that is due to hit our television screens at any time and that is being now promoted aggressively. I just wonder what the series will be like – as the Borgias were nothing if not controversial. The trouble is that [...]
Sometimes it really is good to be alive! Today I have been down in my beloved Gandia, touring around the Las Fallas ninots and bathing in the celebrations of Las Fallas. This is the eighth time that I have seen Las Fallas and I am still overwhelmed by the sense of joy that surrounds a major fiesta in Spain. As [...]
Holiday villa in Gandia WHY RENT IT??? Because: this holiday villa in Spain is close to Gandia, is in superb condition and is very well situated. It is actually located on the exclusive estate of La Drova, which is 15 minutes from vibrant Gandia and 20 minutes drive from the Blue Flagged beaches of La Safor. LOCATION: Gandia is located [...]
Holiday villa in Gandia WHY RENT THIS VILLA??? Because: this holiday villa in Gandia is luxurious, in superb condition and is very well situated. It is actually located on the exclusive estate of La Drova, which is 15 minutes from vibrant Gandia and 20 minutes drive from the Blue Flagged beaches of La Safor. If you are looking for a [...]