Top Spain Blogs
Share the Top Spain Blogs on
MadridMan.com: BLOG Madrid Spain
The old phrase holds true, "God love 'em." And I do too, that's the fact, so my patience-level is generally high when I encounter them on the sidewalks and standing in lines. There's no denying it, old people walk slow.......
The high-speed AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona opened in 2008 and has been making travel between the two Spanish giant cities fast-and-easy ever since, creating real competition with the airlines. Or has it?Not so long ago, the trip between......
What a wonderful Monday evening I had last night in old downtown Madrid. About 2 weeks ago I get this email from a couple of Americans with the subject line, "Show us the ropes for free tapas and drinks?" Talk......
Saturday Night at the Ballet in Madrid
Last night I went to the ballet in Madrid, performed by the Compañía Nacional de Danza with artistic director Nacho Duato. The Teatro Real was not sold-out on this cold, clear night but nonetheless was well-attended by both young and......
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......
two crumblies and a cat
I thought you might like to see this series of photos Significant Other took on Balearics Day in Palma. See, he has his uses. These are Castellers and they really aren't a Balearic tradition, but are deeply rooted in Catalonia. I think the Mallorcans imported the tradition because they saw...
I was musing on friendship today. It was a mixture of feeling like I needed a hip replacement and steeping the undies that did it.Well, there’s nothing so blooming aging as that thing oldies (including me) do when trying to get up or down out of a chair. You know,...
I make no excuses for dedicating most of this week’s post to emails written by some of my nearest and dearest because I have been ill, and the blood has rushed away from my brain, where the intelligent and insightful stuff is supposed to be, to my innards where it’s...
It has been a week of pleasant little happenings. That will do me; waiting for pleasant big happenings is a waste of time when you’re 64. You might as well make the most of the small stuff, because, let’s face it, time is precious.Pleasant Happening 1.We got the sunburst mirror...
Alright, you can relax. Except those of you who are new visitors. You will have to read last week’s post to get the full flavour of my suffering. Anyway, you will be glad to hear that I have come through the miseries and am now feeling much more able...
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...
Spanish news, all the latest and breaking news in Spain
Madrid could add siesta to list of protected Spanish cultural icons
The Spanish practice of napping in the afternoon should be declared a protected art form, Madrid's conservative government has been told....
Costa del Sol beaches won't be ready for Easter holidays
A winter of violent storms across southern Spain have ravaged the beaches of the Costa del Sol raising fears they will not be ready for the influx of tourists at Easter....
Weather in Europe: ice formations in Switzerland and snow in Barcelona and the south of France
Ice in Switzerland and snow in Barcelona and the south of France....
Barcelona hit with heaviest snowfall in 25 years
Schools were closed, roads were blocked and power was knocked as Barcelona was hit with its heaviest snowfall in 25 years....
Bulldozing expats will hurt Spain, Foreign Office minister cautions
A Foreign Office minister on Sunday visited British expatriates in Spain who have been told that their homes will be bulldozed after Spanish authorities declared their construction illegal....
Spanish bullfighting should be given UNESCO protection
Spanish bullfighting should be declared part of the world's cultural heritage be protected from a ban, the premiere of Madrid's regional government has said....
The Olive Press
Granada grounded by Ryanair cutbacks
Travel chaos for thousands as Ryanair cancels four of its routes from Granada...
Expatriate-run bar comes under attack from rival kiosk owner, who threatens to 'burn down' bar...
The Spanish government has stepped in to help out battered beaches...
LEAVING Spain ten years ago is a big regret for the long-serving boss of Marks and Spencer. Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose sold all stores on the Spanish mainland for 150 million euros in 2001 but admits he made an error. Sir Stuart closed all outlets in seven European countries for what...
Forget sunburned ex-pats and cheap booze, Jon Clarke discovers that the Med's little Britain has had a makeover...
The ‘Special One’ backed for Madrid role
Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho favourite to replace under fire Madrid boss...
Lloret de Mar Stuff
Now that things are back to normal (more or less) in the Costa Brava towns which were left without power for 6 days, a friend has managed to send me these photos for the blog. All of them taken taken in Fenals on the day that the snow brought complete...
Lloret Weather Latest Update !
Lloret de Mar residents are still without electricity today since the bad weather brought down pylons last Monday, and have been told to be prepared for another night without electric, heating and hot water!All shops are closed, no cash points are working and all schools are closed. Its been reported...
Lloret Weather Latest Update !
After talking to friends in Lloret again this afternoon it seems that the town is almost at a standstill.Thousands of homes are without power, many cars have had to be abandoned as many roads are impassable owing to the heavy snowfall. Some roads were passable only in 4x4 vehicles.All schools...
As I'm still not back in Lloret until the 20th March I spoke to a couple friends there earlier today....and I just thought you would all like to know the latest weather forecast-----------IT'S SNOWING !!If you click on the link for the WEBCAM in the righthand column you can see...
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...
Notes from Spain: Ben Curtis on Travel, Life, Culture, Spain
Last week we were in Asturias, staying in Gijon. It’s a small city, industry (pretty heavy), on one side of a river, a lovely old town and beach on the other: Even in early March, the grannies are on the beach in the morning, getting undressed and stuffing their clothes into...
Community – Do you live in one?
Forget online communities for a moment, do you have a real, live one on your doorstep? In Spain the collection of neighbours in a flat block is called a ‘comunidad’? But I wander what that means? In our case it means saying hello to everyone, chatting to the occasional neighbour, feeling safe...
“I LOVE the fact that I never feel rushed in a restaurant” – Great Comment
I love this comment from JoyceM (worth reading the whole thing) in last week’s Accustomed vs Resigned thread: If they are going to enjoy 3 hour lunches, I am going to enjoy 3 hour lunches. If they are going to invite me out for a two hour coffee, I am...
Spain ‘no longer foreign enough’
Many thanks to Raquel for passing on this classic read in the Times: “British tourists avoid Spain because it’s ‘no longer foreign enough’” …which says a lot more about the Brits (who aren’t aware of strange out-of-the-way places like, say Madrid) than Spain, obviously. I love this line about a recent survey...
Conversation I had with a smart Argentinian guy in a suit outside a bookshop yesterday. Time Bookshop was meant to open, 5pm. Bookshop still shut at 5.10pm: Argentinian guy: That’s why this country is in such a mess. Me: It drives you a bit mad. The other day I went to the...
You know you’re a parent in Spain when…
…when as you are going to bed exhausted at 10.30 pm on a Saturday night, you glance out of the window and see that guests are just arriving at the party in the student flat opposite… … when you get up to coax baby back to sleep at 5.30 am, and...
Buying property in Spain
Debts of property developers in Spain
Spanish Banks expected to make losses over money lent to property sector Yesterday Javier Gómez Navarro, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, said that banks and building societies in Spain would not recover 30% of the money lent to the property sector, estimated to be 97,500 million euros. ...
Mortgage lending in 2009 in Spain
Second highest fall in mortgage lending in 2009According to figures released by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics the number of mortgages taken out for the purpose of buying a home fell for the third consecutive year in 2009. Mortgage lending for this sector of the property market fell by...
Spanish housing market statistics 2009
House sales in Spain fell by 25% in 2009 According to figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) house sales fell by 24.9% in 2009 compared to 2008. Figures released by the INE show that there were a total of 414,811 house sales in 2009 – 53.2% for...
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...
thinkSPAIN - The leading English Spanish website
Parachutist dies in free-fall jump
A 45-YEAR-OLD Madrid man has died at the Don Quijote aerodrome in Lillo (Toledo) after his parachute failed to open during a free-fall jump. Emergency services say the accident must have occurred between 14.15hrs and 17.15hrs, between the......
Over 3,000 in Catalunya still without electricity
AROUND 3,300 people are still thought to be without power in Catalunya as a result of extreme snowstorms over the past two weeks. The Civil Protection squad has been working around the clock to help reconnect the electricity supply,......
Nude demonstrators launch anti-bull-fight SOS
NAKED protesters with mock blood and carrying spears formed a human SOS in the Plaza del Callao in Madrid in a hard-hitting demonstration against bull-fighting on Sunday. The youths, who belong to the animal rights group, Fundación......
Two Spanish victories at Indian Wells
FERNANDO Verdasco and María José Martínez notched up second round victories at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells yesterday, beating Paraguayan Ramón Delgado and Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru respectively. The tournament......
The Cranberries rock Madrid and Barcelona
FOLLOWING a seven-year absence from the limelight, legendary Irish band The Cranberries delighted thousands of fans in Barcelona last night and in Madrid on Friday. The quartet, led by singer Dolores O'Riordan kicked off their concert......
Nearly 50,000 Spaniards travel to Britain to learn English every year
LAST year, over 140,000 Spaniards travelled abroad to learn or improve their knowledge of foreign languages – of which 80,000 were aged under 18. Roughly translated, 57 per cent of those who go on language holidays abroad are children or......
About.com Spain Travel
Crime in Spain: Lowest in Ten Years
Newly released figures have shown that crime in Spain is the lowest it has been in ten years - and that the country also has less crime than most countries in Europe, according to this article: Lowest crime rate for a decade in Spain. The latest data shows that Spain has...
A cold front is chilling western Europe to its bones, and nowhere more so than in Spain, where we have had the unexpected sight of snow in Barcelona this morning. Residents of the city are taking pictures of the freak conditions and posting them to Twitter - see the latest pictures...
Madrid and Barcelona in Conflict Over Bullfighting
Spain's two biggest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, have become involved in a debate about the place of bullfighting in Spanish culture, according to this article in The Daily Telegraph: Spanish bullfighting should be given UNESCO protection. Officials in Madrid have been championing the cause of bullfighting aficionados, claiming that the 'art',...
A recent poll of British travelers has found that many are turning away from Spain because it is 'not foreign enough', according to this article: Spain isn't 'foreign enough' for most Brits. It highlights the prevalence of Irish and English pubs as one of Spain's turn-offs. And there lies the problem. Of...
Spanish food gets a lot of coverage in travel media. From the high-end cuisine of the soon-to-close El Bulli to spit-and-sawdust tapas bars, Spanish cuisine is very much in vogue. But what about Spanish drinks? What do the Spanish prefer to sip with their food? Do they really drink sangria all...
Ryanair Charges - Here Comes Another!
Ryanair, the world's "favourite airline" (their words, not mine, I assure you), has added yet another charge to their website, this time just for the privilege of paying in your own currency. An investigation by Guardian Money found that someone buying for a family of four could easily spend an extra...
Lloret De Mar Holiday Guide
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...
The recent weather in Lloret de Mar has turned much cooler during the last 2 days. Although still fine and sunny it is feeling quite...
Aldi, the cut-price supermarket chain have just launched their new holiday - travel service website called Aldi Travel.From their website:So whether you want to nip off at a minute’s notice on an unmissable deal, ...
Many thanks to all readers of this blog for making it reach into the top best 100 blogs in Spain. I was notified this morning, so I have placed the award in the side column. The same award has also be given to 2 of my other blogs...Makes it all...
Cutting Costs With Budget Airlines
Cutting your costs when you book with the budget airlines is quite easy when you follow a few easy tips. On a family holiday for a family of four you can save quite a few pounds and have more to spend in your chosen resort.Most airlines now charge you for...
Just now the temperatures are ridiculously high in Spain, here is a recent photo from Lloret with the beach so packed there's hardly room for another beach towel. This is the main pass time for just about everyone that comes to the Costas for their annual holiday.Everyone likes to have...
Spain News
Spain Weather - Friday March 12 2010
By h.b. - Mar 12, 2010 - 6:40 AM A© AEMET. Autorizado el uso de la informaciA3n y su reproducciA3n citando a AEMET como autora de la misma....
Spain Papers Review - Sunday March 7 2010
By h.b. - Mar 7, 2010 - 9:01 PM La Razon today Bullfighting and Judge Garzon dominate La Razon leads with the start of the new bullfighting season....
Cold and snow continue to affect Northern Spain
By h.b. - Mar 13, 2010 - 10:31 AM 10,000 people have been without power since Monday in Girona 18 provinces across the north of Spain and Menorca are on weather alert for snow and cold today....
FAA directs airlines to check tail flap of 737s
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive demanding that airlines check a mechanism that controls tail flaps on about 600 Boeing 737s....
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told Real Madrid they would be wasting their time if they launch another attempt to lure him to the Bernabeu....
Spanish writer Miguel Delibes dies at age 89
Comment about "Spanish writer Miguel Delibes dies at age 89" Phone Name Comment 0 Obituary Spanish writer Miguel Delibes dies at age 89 AFP Miguel Delibes One of the great names of Spanish literature, novelist Miguel Delibes, died at his home yesterday aged 89, Spanish media announced, citing his family....
Barcelona & Catalonia blog | thebadrash.com
Is TV3 the anti-Catalanista channel?
At least three people think so. Personally, I'm not sure whether the event in Sabadell merited much more coverage or not. But it probably could have replaced '1,000 march in Mallorca against corruption'. 3Cat24 is, after all, supposed to be about news in Catalonia. Related Posts:Mysterious cloud of smoke over SabadellIniciativa close...
thebadPoll: The worst place in Spain
This is a slightly different way of running a poll. I'm not going to offer any choices. Instead, I'd like you, gentle reader, to nominate the municipality, region, village or other place which you consider to be the worst place in Spain*. Maybe it's hideously ugly… maybe it's just utterly...
Never mind. Related Posts:Bush: Bathroom Break?CLEVELANDCiU's man and the Mafia bossHappy birthday, United KingdomThings I love: A Confederacy Of Dunces...
Why are PP members so effin' rude?
The other day, our esteemed former Presidente del Gobierno – and honorary president of the PP, José María Aznar, visited the university of Oviedo in order to sell some of his FAES stuff. The students of said academy responded to the man's visit by waving banners and calling him a...
Bruce Anderson is a stupid man
I wouldn't normally post a link to the Independent, mainly because of Bruce Anderson. A few years ago, I liked that newspaper's international and environmental coverage, the columns by Robert Fisk and even its silly covers. But it was Bruce Anderson's bilious opinion pieces that made me turn away for...
Primavera Sound 2010 Festival Line Up
It's that time of year again! As Barcelona's winter continues to fling a surprising array of nastiness at us, we're already getting the occasional day that lets us dream of spring. And spring in Barcelona means one thing: the Primavera Sound festival. This year's festival takes place from the 27th...
PHOTO'S FROM SPAIN
In the Costa del Sol resort of Benalmadena is Tivoli World where each Sunday is a large market and fair ground attractions for all the family. Throughout the year there are also many exhibitions and shows of various themes. Visit the Tivoli World site for more details. For...
Wherever you go in Spain you will always come across some quite strange and elaborate statues. The ones seen here were taken in various parts of Spain with the 1st one from Baiona in the province of Pontevedra.The 2nd is taken in the tourist resort of Torremolinos on...
One of the greatest sights in Seville is the Cathedral. These photos of the interior show just how lavishly its decorated, in some places with large quantities of gold. Construction began in 1402 on the site of a former mosque and was not completed until more than 100...
The small Catalan town of Port Bou is the last stop in Spain before reaching the nearby border with France. Because of the lower prices for certain goods in Spain, Port Bou is a very popular week-end destination for quite a few French. The local shops here cater for...
One of the picturesque narrow streets just off the Ramblas in Barceona. Walking through these is almost like going back in time!...
While walking round the Spanish markets you can always be sure of seeing a wide variety of fresh exotic fruits and vegetables. These colourful photos are from the indoor market just off La Rambla in Barcelona.There's far more choice for your '5 a day' here!...