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 [...]
So, over the past couple of weeks the true state of the Spanish property market is becoming apparent and confirms what I have been saying for a long time. In short, average property prices across Spain have fallen by around 40% since the height of the boom in 2007 – not the 20% that the Spanish government has been steadfastly [...]
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 [...]
One of the delights to living in rural Spain is the amazing night sky in Spain with November onwards often providing a clear winter sky that shows the heavens at their best. The clocks have gone back, dusk comes early, dawn late, the television reception falls away and, as we move towards mid-winter in December, it’s worthwhile going outside and having [...]
The past week in Spain has seen the wedding of the elderly Duchess of Alba, unemployment in Spain reach a 15 year high and a strike by Spanish teachers. Meanwhile, although the majority of Spaniards are Catholic, 57% (a figure rising annually) do not go to church regularly. Elsewhere, a residential home is being constructed for gay Spaniards and El [...]
I am delighted to report that my book ‘How to Buy Spanish Property and Move to Spain – Safely’ has just been published in print form, as well as being now available on Kindle and as an e-book. In fact, I received my first copies yesterday, which is always a nerve wracking moment for an author (does the cover look [...]
A very interesting graph relating to the cost of living in Spain was produced by a Spanish financial site a couple of weeks ago that is well worth having a look at. As you can see below, it shows comparative prices of some major items between 1981 and now (2011) based upon the Spanish Consumer Price Index. The two vital [...]
Last weekend was interesting as I was helping the ITV programme ‘Homes from Hell’ as an expert, following an article that I wrote some time ago called ‘Meltdown in Marbella’. The latter was about the rampant corruption in Marbella that was (hopefully) brought to an end by Operation Malaya, the dissolution of Marbella town hall in 2006 and the on-going [...]
“So, having asked him for his Escritura (property deeds), he handed me,” my Spanish lawyer friend said, despairingly, “a receipt for 140,000 Euros…” “A receipt?” I queried. “Yes. The type of numbered receipt that you would get from your plumber for fixing your washing machine. The sort which has a carbonated copy within the invoice book.” “And that was all [...]
As anyone reading this Blog will know, I have been pessimistic about the Spanish property market for years now. Indeed, I was writing about the on-coming property crash in Spain and the UK back in 2005 – when it was blatantly obvious to me that the property market in both countries was overheating. Since then, I am afraid that I [...]
Property in Spain, according to a recent article in The Economist, is currently over valued by 50.4%! This shocking figure is enough to make anyone in Spain despair. How, you have to ask, could a reputable magazine like The Economist be so wrong about the Spanish property market? The answer, unfortunately, is that The Economist ( I suspect rather lazily) [...]
Naturally, the vital question for any Spanish property owner trying to sell his home is: how long will the Spanish property crisis last? The answer is fundamental to any attempt to sell. It will define any sale price and perhaps whether or not it is actually worth even trying to sell a property in Spain at the moment. Of course, [...]
Buying Spanish property can be hazardous and this is particulary true of villas in Spain. These, as I have stated in my book ‘How to Move Safely to Spain’, can vary greatly from being completely safe and sound investments – to properties that are wholly illegal or that have very serious future liabilities. So, great care needs to exercised - made [...]
In my recent book ‘How to Move Safely to Spain’, I make the comment that if money was no object then the majority of us Britons would like to buy a property in Spain that was the Spanish equivalent of a rectory – a classy property overlooking the sea and just outside a pretty village. Of course, this dream [...]
Understandably, few Britons know the difference between a casita and a villa when looking at Spanish property. Indeed, these terms are frequently misunderstood and can lead to real disappointment. The terms are certainly not interchangeable so, if you are looking at villas in Spain (particularly on the internet), it is important to know why and how a casita and a [...]
Looking back over the past seven years, I think I have only one major regret about our move to Spain. Ironically, for a Spanish property specialist, it is about – property! Well, in a way… When we came over, we did exactly what I advise in my recent book: we rented a property for three months to enable us to [...]