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The BBC reported yesterday (as have pretty much all of the Spanish newspapers), that President Obama will not be attending the US-EU summit scheduled to take place this May. As Spain is currently running the EU (figuratively speaking), there are some (read: many) who have seen this as a snub...
I took my last exam of the semester yesterday afternoon. How good it feels to be free! Of course, this feeling won't last very long, as the new semester (or, more correctly, quatrimester) begins tomorrow morning!I was lucky enough to only have to take three exams, as I managed to...
Taken from Google ImagesI'm taking this break from my crazy study regimen to fill the whole world in on a new experience I had on Thursday last. Yes, it's been a while but the details are still fresh. I know because I had a funny conversation with my father on...
I need to apologise because I'm probably not going to be blogging very much at all during the next week or two because my exams are coming up and I really need to study, as is to be expected. I just wanted to post, very quickly, a link to this...
Crisis at the Register, Part 4
The Central Government has spoken: Vic must register all immigrants regardless of their status. The municipal government had already announced that they would do as the CG dictated and they have repeated this again today, adding in that they will do so reluctantly. Vic's mayor, Josep Maria Vila d'Abadal has...
Zapatero's Victory and Security Matters
It seems the European Parliament enjoyed Zapatero's speech and that he will be receiving massive European support for his proposals, especially the ones involving economic unity. Even representatives of European conservative parties applauded him, although there was some criticism of his social policies. Conservatives are more for building a solid...
News from Spain
Spanish president attends the National Prayer Breakfast in WashingtonAt yesterday’s meeting of the Fellowship Foundation, also known as ‘The Family’, the Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, spoke at about the government’s commitment to helping the unemployed. During his speech, which lasted for 15 minutes, he also spoke about...
Tropical storms in the Canary Islands
The extreme weather conditions on the Canary Islands damaged hundreds of buildings and also resulted in many people being left without electricity or running water for hours yesterday. Tenerife is the worst affected island with the metropolitan areas La Laguna and Santa Cruz suffering the worst damage. In Anaga,...
Unemployment in Spain rises above 4 million
According to figures published by the Ministry of Work and Immigration unemployment in Spain rose by 124,890 in January which is a rise of 3.1% compared to figures for December 2009. At the end of last month the official figure for the number of unemployed in Spain was 4,048,493 which...
Spanish tourism industry figures 2009
The results of a survey on tourist spending carried out by Egatur show a severe fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain last year, and a fall in the amount of money they spent here. The fall in revenue from foreign tourism is partly down to British tourists...
Microsoft to open world's first Health Innovation Center in Spain
First Microsoft Centre of Investigation into Health Innovation confirmed for Valencia.Following a meeting in New York yesterday the president of Valencia's regional government, Francisco Camps, confirmed that Microsoft had signed an agreement to set up its first ever Centre for Health Innovation (I+D+i) in the Comunidad Valenciana. However, the...
ETA prisoners start hunger strike
ETA prisoner begin hunger strike in protest against Spain's prison system for convicted terrorists EPPK, the group representing ETA prisoners has announced that prisoners in this group will begin a hunger strike today in protest against prison conditions for convicted ETA terrorists. This announcement applies to ETA prisoners in Spanish...
The Spanish government have promised three million Euros to build a one-kilometre beach and promenade at La Jaquita (Alcala). The plans have been approved, and the local council says it hopes to award the actual tender in the next few weeks. Mayor Pedro Martín says the new beach will complement...
Click on photos to enlarge Los Gigantes continues to be battered by high winds and torrential rain. The orange alert issued by the Met Office is extended until Tuesday evening. A yellow alert for the south of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro has been issued with warnings of heavy seas and...
Winning entry of this year’s Carnival poster competition
There were 5 entries this year’s Los Gigantes carnival 2010 poster competition. The theme is “Africa” and the winning entry was painted by artist Rodolfo Jorge Gutierrez....
Judge questions Mayor over beach landslide
Juan Gorrín, The mayor of Santiago del Teide, appeared in court yesterday and was questioned for two hours about the landslide on Los Gigantes beach last November which killed two women. The mayor may face criminal charges over the incident. Relatives of one of the victims heckled the mayor...
Improvements to the TF-82 in Tamaimo
The mayor of Santiago del Teide, Juan Damián Gorrín Ramos, reported that after meetings with the Island Council improvement work will begin on the TF-82 at Tamaimo. A petition of hundreds of signatures was collected from residents and road users seeking urgent action after continuous landslides put lives at risk....
Article from Tenerife News ‘The train now leaving for Fonsalia’….. words which will eventually come true. As promised, Tenerife Cabildo has approved a plan which will extend the proposed train of the south to Fonsalia (the small village between Alcala and San Juan). The idea received cross-party support last March and the formal...
The Very Best Blog Ever!
San Anton is celebrated every year in Torre del Compte by having a bonfire in the Plaza Mayor on the Friday evening, it's just what is needed for a chilly night. The bonfire is massive with olive trees, not branches, being burned.To see any photo full size just click left...
It snowed lightly all day yesterday, (snowy drizzle), but during the night the wind got up and rearranged the snow! So for comparison, here are a couple of photos taken in the same places as those yesterday.Above is the nísperos tree but much deeper in snow.Today the fountain seems even...
Three weeks ago we had snow - see the blog entry for December 14th 2009. That snow lasted almost a week without snowing any more as it was so cold then. Since then it has been reasonably mild, we haven't had a frost, with only a couple of wet days....
The eve of the 5th January is the time all the children here have been waiting for as it is on this evening that the 3 kings bring the presents as they did with their gold, frankincense and myrrh over 2000 years ago. Rather than travel by camel, in Torre...
The weather has been great up to now. We had our first frost on Saturday morning and apart from it feeling "fresh" we have been treated to blue skies with very little wind. Yesterday, it started snowing, very lightly at first and once again with little wind.Click left on any...
One of the reasons we live here in the village of Torre del Compte is for the fantastic views, we love them. Although we have views in all directions our favourite is to the west, across the valley of the Matarraña river, towards the village of La Fresneda.Click on any...
World news: Spain | guardian.co.uk
Feliz Navidad? Recession-hit Spain's MPs still on Christmas break
Spanish parliamentarians 48-day seasonal break ranks as one of the longest in EuropeWith around 20% of the workforce unemployed and the bottom falling out the stock market one would expect to see Spain's parliamentarians hard at work finding a fix for their country's ills.Yet faced with the daily doses of...
America's Cup sets sail despite choppy legal waters
US and Swiss teams will race next week as three-year court row between between billionaire owners is put on holdThree years of bruising litigation involving two of the world's richest men and nine separate court battles have blown an ill wind through the sails of the America's Cup.But on Monday...
Teenage matador seeks record as bullfighting debate rages
Jairo Miguel Sánchez takes on six bulls as Spain debates ban on 'cruel' sportIn a small, rain-soaked bullring outside the southern Spanish city of Seville, a controversial 16-year-old prodigy in trainers and tracksuit was today preparing to rewrite the record books of bullfighting.As parts of Spain debate whether to ban...
Spain seeks to calm fears it is 'the next Greece' as markets tumble
• Government says it aims to cut deficit to 3% of GDP by 2013• Madrid's Ibex index falls for second day as investor anxiety spreads throughout Europe• Warning of potential for debt 'domino effect' to hit EUSpain's government will seek to reassure investors over the country's rising debts today, in...
Spain rejects Obama plan for banking reform
The country that holds the EU presidency says the financial system needs supervision, not a radical overhaulSpain, which holds the European Union presidency, does not plan to follow Barack Obama's lead on pushing for a radical overhaul of banking guidelines.Proposals to limit proprietary trading – where banks invest their own...
Markets fall on widening deficit fears and rising US unemployment
• Markets worry that Greece's debt crisis could spread to Spain and Portugal• Surprise jump in American jobless figures adds to concern over double-dip recessionFinancial markets tumbled around the world today as increased concern about rising government deficits in southern Europe combined with worse-than-expected unemployment in the US to send...
News In the Sun - News items provided by www.newsinthesun.com
An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 on the Richter scale was recorded about 3pm today, Friday between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. According to the National Geographic Institute, the earthquake...
Important New Health Rules For Pensioners
From the 1st of May 2010, regulations regarding European Health Cards issued to British Pensioners, (WHO HAVE USED AN E121 TO REGISTER IN THE SPANISH NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM), will change....
A 37-year-old British cyclist died yesterday morning after falling from her bike while cycling near Masca, in the south of Tenerife....
Filming Gives Titanic Boost To Tenerife
Media and cinema projects filmed in Tenerife last year boosted the island’s economy to the tune of four million euros....
Several people have been arrested in Gran Canaria accused of sexual abuse, according to sources in the National Police ....
Fourth Official Imputed In Los Gigantes Cliff Tragedy
As expected, the judge in Arona court No. 3 yesterday added Santiago del Teide councillor for tourism, Nicolás Germán Jiménez, to the list of those who will be called to answer a charge of reckless homicide following last year’s rock fall in Los Gigantes....
MadridMan.com: BLOG Madrid Spain
Neighborhood Madrid Restaurant Sells to Foreigners
I'm a little sad. Today is their last day. My favorite neighborhood bar, Restaurante Las Damas on Calle Fortuna, 5, in Madrid, the one where I have lunch once a week, has sold to foreigners. WHY to foreigners? Because the......
Lack of European Travel from Spain
There's a part of me which wonders WHY I've been here in Spain for 4 years and I've STILL not traveled throughout Europe. What the heck am I waiting for??Really, when I moved here I was sure I'd have intimate......
158 Year Old Libreria Hernandez Bookstore to Close in Madrid
Librería Hernández Religious Bookstore in Madrid will close this year after 158 years of service. Incredible, isn't it, that any business, let alone a RELIGIOUS bookstore, could survive so long. Religious stores, at least for me, have always been a......
How Bad is a 90 Cent Bottle of Spanish Wine?
This was PURELY a scientific study. No, REALLY, it was! Today, I was at my Madrid neighborhood supermarket doing my usual Friday shopping for the weekend. Since I always buy a bottle or two of wine, usually the reliable Rueda......
It literally snowed all night long last night but stopped by this morning. Enough fell to cause countless traffic jams and icy roads. I witnessed several cars sliding down hilly streets and people using cardboard to scrape off the snow......
Cabalgata de Reyes Magos in Madrid 2010
Today, 5 January, is the day before Magic Kings Day or "Dia de los Reyes Magos". It's this night when the Magic Kings bring all good boys and girls gifts, leaving them in their shoes and socks. Children not only......
two crumblies and a cat
This week should have been good. Well, I’ve had over 5000 hits on my blog since I installed my little counter, so that’s nice. Perhaps there are 5000 people out there who have enjoyed the ramblings of Di. Hmm, if that’s the case why didn’t they visit...
Normally on this, the Burns Night weekend, Significant Other would be fingering his sporran, bottom lip a’ tremble; well, Scottish, you see, and loves donning his posh frock as much as the next man. However, this year no invitation to address the haggis was forthcoming – yes, he can...
I don’t know if you know this, summer visitors, but Mallorca is great in the winter. All the Mallorcans come out of their hobbit holes, take a suspicious look around, breathe a sigh of relief and start on a series of fiestas safe in the knowledge that a passing tourist...
I swore I would never write about the people I have met on the island; I have to live here and gossip gets round ex-pats faster than a certain substance off a shovel. And then it hits the fan.However, I am going to make an exception in the case of...
It was all Significant Other’s fault, really. Well it usually is.I am back from the UK and the tiny bosom of my family, which is surprising, given the journey to the UK we had on the day before Christmas Eve which took us to London. Via Bristol.This is what happened.We...
Just a line this week, as I am busy trying to pack according to the rules of Significant Other (everything squared off like military bedding in a nissan hut), whereas my instinct is to swear blind it’s crease-proof and just bundle it in, then fill up the holes with knickers....
Spanish news, all the latest and breaking news in Spain
Suspected ETA bomb cache found in Portugal
Police in Portugal have seized half a tonne of explosives thought to belong the Basque terror group ETA....
Fears of 'Lehman-style' tsunami as crisis hits Spain and Portugal
The Greek debt crisis has spread to Spain and Portugal as markets test whether Europe will shore up monetary union....
Apologies go down better through right ear, study finds
Saying sorry isn't always enough to earn forgiveness but you have more chance of getting your message across if you speak into someone's right ear, research indicates....
Imam in Spain charged for 'harassing woman over veil'
An imam in north-eastern Spain has been charged with threatening a woman who refused to wear an Islamic headscarf or abide by certain Islamic customs, prosecutors said on Thursday....
Travellers get more for their money in Spain
Cost-conscious travellers from the UK could return to Spain this summer for the best value holidays....
Blogs roundup: why China wants Kerry Katona, the rise of non-royal royalty and Cristiano Ronaldo
Our Chelsea Girl in China has a novel idea for this country's so-called celebrities - ship 'em to Shanghai....
The Olive Press
Town hall on board to protect Sierra
Casares council supports campaign for national park status...
Israeli politician branded “a disgrace” by diplomats after night on the razz in Madrid left Spain tourism meeting one man light...
Harman calls for women’s agency at EU summit
British MP in Cadiz says more work needs to be done to uphold women’s rights...
Royal opening for Malaga airport
King Juan Carlos scheduled to fly in for new terminal opening...
The Wild West comes into its own
After a decade of downmarket British occupation, now Alhaurin el Grande is slowly returning to the days when it was known as the 'Garden of Allah' by the Moors and the 'Garden of Eden' by writer Gerald Brenan...
Lost ski instructor saved after using camera flash to guide rescuers...
Lloret de Mar Stuff
Free ATM Withdrawals With Santander
Santander has become the first international bank to provide free access to ATMs for Britons travelling abroad. From Monday, Santander's UK customers will enjoy all 4,300 of its ATMs in Spain without being charged for cash withdrawals. Customers can avoid the cash handling fee of 1.5 per...
Despite the recent cold temperatures in Lloret there were still 137 brave enough to take to the sea to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Temperatures were only 6c but it still didnt stop some of those taking part from spending 30 minutes or more in the sea.So well done...
For quite a while now the sale of cigarettes and tobacco in Spain has been restricted to official tobacconists and to bars and resraurants with a vending machine.A new law now permits any shop selling newpapers can now sell cigs, the thing is with new laws coming out which restrict...
An activity playground/tent will be open to children up to 12yrs of age in Lloret until 4th Jan. The location is Pere Torrent the cost is €4 with lunch included. This is a very good idea as there are loads of things to keep the kids occupied, last year there...
The Health Minister has confirmed that Spain is to introduce an extended smoking ban next year, when, from and as yet to be confirmed date, ‘No Smoking’ signs will be seen in all closed public places. The legislation which has been in place since 2006 currently permits the smaller bars...
Since the close of 'The Book Cupboard' at the end of October in Lloret de Mar, the owner Kevin has been searching for new premises. There is now good news as he has found a suitable place which he is hoping to renovate and open in March and will...
Notes from Spain: Ben Curtis on Travel, Life, Culture, Spain
Cantajuegos and Stealing Kids Songs
There are aspects of Spanish ‘Culture’ that you would never dream of until you have children in Spain. One thing I was protected from for all those years before I became a parent in Spain, was the world of the ‘Cantajuegos’. The Cantajuegos are kids songs, performed by a very jolly group...
1. I’m glad I don’t want an iPad. I can’t see it doing anything for my life that my Macbook doesn’t do already! And I still just love paper books, as opposed to the e-versions… One thing that strikes me though: imaginary conversation 20 years hence… Son: Dad, what did you do...
If you are new to Notesfromspain.com, welcome! And please do take a good look around… The forum is great and super-active too. For those that wonder where I’ve gone, I’m still collecting my thoughts after 8 months of little to no sleep (parenting related!) Now we are sleeping more, energies are...
Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!
It’s time for the festive break, I hope you enjoy it enormously and want to wish a very very happy Christmas and New Year to all the readers of this blog. (…and if your New Year’s resolution is to learn more Spanish, you know the best place to start: with all...
Yesterday I linked to an article in the Telegraph by a young woman who didn’t like all the smoke she had to put up with while pregnant in Spain. The article mirrored sentiments of my own and, importantly, those of my wife Marina when she was pregnant here in Madrid. What...
Back from the Flu… and the smoking debate again…
I’ve just returned to reality after 10 days living in the land of flu, which served to remind me of one important thing: how great Spain’s public health system is. You feel ill, you call the doctors in the morning, they see you that same day, for free, and prescribe...
Buying property in Spain
Santander Bank announces record profits in 2009
The Santander Group made 0.7% in 2009 despite recession According to information released to the National Stock Market Commission (CNMV) the Santander Group made a net profit of 8,943 million euros in 2009 which is 0.7% more than in 2008 when it made 8,876 million euros. These results mean that...
Mortgage lending in Spain rises
Mortgage lending rises for the first time in two yearsAccording to the National Institute for Statistics (INE) 52,043 mortgages for the purpose of buying a house or flat were conceded by banks and building societies in November 2009. This constitutes an increase of 1.8% compared to November 2008. This is...
Fall in Spanish property market slows
Lowest fall in housing sales since crash in property marketHouse sales are still at very low levels compared to those registered before the crash in the property market at the end of 2007. According to figures published today by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) housing sales were down...
Property sales fall 31% in first quarter of 2009
According to figures published by the Ministry for Housing during the first 6 months of this year 217,589 houses and flats were sold in Spain – 31.16% less than during the first quarter of 2008 (316.096 houses and flats were sold during this period). These are the worst figures for...
Slump in housing market also affects rental market with falls of up to 30% in cost of rentingAccording to figures released today by the government, there has never been a better time to rent a property in Spain. And whereas renting has never been a particularly attractive option for young...
Mortgages in Spain fall by up to 50 percent
Mortgages go down by up to 50% following record fall in Euribor Those people who are due to review their mortgage repayments will be very pleased with the latest figures for the Euribor (Euro Interbank Offered Rate) interest rate. The Euribor will close this month at 1.412% following the largest...
thinkSPAIN - The leading English Spanish website
Polop mayor's murder could be linked to property corruption
FOLLOWING the arrest of Polop's mayor over the murder of his predecessor, Alejandro Ponsoda, in 2007, investigations have been opened amid a possible property corruption scandal in the town. Guardia Civil officers believe the shooting......
Tapas take off as a result of the recession
THE recession has led many people living in Spain to cut down on meals out, but as a result tapas have grown in popularity, says the National Tasting Association. Its head, José Manuel Escorial, says that 'the future of eating out......
Zapatero calls for 'prudence' over Obama's visit to Spain
SPAIN'S president has called for 'prudence' over the upcoming visit to Madrid by US leader Barack Obama. When asked at a press conference in the Moncloa yesterday whether he had been able to speak to Obama about whether he......
Police officers on trial for alleged torture of Madrid airport bombing suspects
FOUR Guardia Civil officers have been accused of torturing the ETA members believed to be responsible for bombing Terminal 4 at Madrid's Barajas airport in December 2006. Igor Portu and Martín Sarasola (pictured) are thought to have......
Production in Spain sees biggest drop since 1993
Production in Spain fell 15.8% in 2009 compared with the previous year, the worst fall since the National Institute of Statistics (INE) began keeping records in 1993. Nevertheless, after 21 consecutive months of drops in production, the......
ETA explosives found in Portugal
Police in Portugal have found a substantial quantity of explosives in an abandoned apartment in a tourist area north of Lisbon. Initial reports suggest that the apartment was previously used by members of the terrorist group ETA. The......