What's Happening. Positive Sp(a)in

Free Computers For All

2009-05-13T09:00:00.003+02:00

The Spanish government announced in the State of The Nation debate yesterday that all 11 year olds would have a PC to take home next year and that the scheme would be rolled out to the rest of the secondary school network over the next few years. This is the first of many necessary steps to modernising the Spanish education system. So if you are thinking of coming to live in Spain and like the sound of that don't forget that there is more than just private international schools available out there.

I bet they are not Macs!

Spanish Scientists All in a Buzz

2009-04-15T12:26:00.002+02:00

You can see the original article here

Great article by Debbie Hadley at the link above about the findings by Spanish scientists regarding colony collapse disorder and finding a cure for this illness which is affecting bee populations worldwide.

The scientists have found a lone parasite which seems to be causing the problem and have also found how it can be treated. Good news for the bees but even better news for all farmers the World over as bees are the pollinators of flowers and crops the world over as can be seen on the video below.

(The film is great fun too)

A Great Presentation

2009-03-23T00:46:00.001+01:00

Make sure you watch it all the way through. Otherwise you miss the twist. Great use of a simple presentation

Fallas Photos

2009-03-17T14:22:00.005+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36444047@N07/3362557642/in/set-72157615457945384/

Above you can find a photostream of some images from Fallas 2009 up to now. Do a search on Flickr for others and you will find extravalencia, holavalencia and many more.

Spain Needs Self Belief

2009-02-18T11:38:00.004+01:00

Spain is getting battered at the moment by everything but it still remains a marvellous country to live in or to aspire to live in. Maybe what it needs is a little self belief and confidence rather than the constant navel gazing and inferiority complex that seems so prevalent. This video has got nothing to do with Spain but it shows what a bit of self belief can do.

Believe In Yourself - video powered by Metacafe

Barter with Bart. New Concept for Getting Stuff for Free in Spain

2009-01-30T00:18:00.002+01:00

Bartering is the age-old practice of swapping or trading a skill or item you have with someone else for something you want or need. Pete Clarke has brought this concept into the 21st Century with a clever website www.barterwithbart.com. This takes the concept of bartering in Spain to the next level and enables people to exchange their skills and time for things they really need.

Pete identified that the main problem with the traditional barter was finding someone who both wanted what you were offering and had something you needed. For this reason, he has established a currency called Barts which you can earn for providing your service to someone and then “spend” with another person on the site who has something you need. This credit system makes the bartering a lot easier and more rewarding for the individuals and businesses taking part.

If you have a skill, service, time or product you can offer, then you can benefit from www.barterwithbart.com. For example; Hotel owners could barter a few spare rooms, Mechanics could offer their hours, Baby-sitters could get new clients, Teachers could offer their skills, Beauticians or Hairdressers could pledge treatments, Gardeners could get rid of excess produce or Decorators could paint a room in exchange for Barts. In return, they can use these credits to trade with other professionals or individuals who have something they are looking for.

Be part of this online bartering community and swap your skills and time for something you need. Register at www.barterwithbart.com; search for what you need close to where you live, visit the product exchange and let the other members know what you can offer. Bartering will minimise your outlay, allow you to make new contacts and take advantage of the skills and products on offer in these difficult times. www.barterwithbart.com will be launching in Spain on February 1st 2009 visit today to see what you could get through bartering.

Hotel Molino Santo in Ronda

2009-01-29T13:30:00.003+01:00

A friend of mine has just won a prestigious award for his fantastic hotel in Andalucia. See what Trip Advisor has to say about this extraordinary hotel below.

"Hotel Molino del Santo has been chosen as a Best Hidden Gems Hotel (Europe) and a Best Bargain Hotel (World) by TripAdvisor® in its 2009 Travellers' Choice® awards. Now in its seventh year, the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards honour the world's best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best - real travellers.

Hotel Molino del Santo Managers and owners, Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin, said, "These are amazing accolades for us and our brilliant staff. We don't know how many hotels are listed on Trip Advisor but to be recognised in one category as amongst the best in Europe and in the other as amongst the best in the World is excellent.

It makes our new season even more exciting and helps to consolidate our position as the leading rural hotel in the Ronda area. Our bookings for 2009 are already very good and this will help to ensure a great season for us. We are so grateful to our guests for their fantastic support"

Unlike any other hotel awards programmes in the world, TripAdvisor® Travellers' Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web.

"TripAdvisor travellers always appreciate great values, and 2009 is certainly no exception. The 2009 Travellers' Choice awards highlight more bargain properties than ever before with 190, nearly five times as many as last year," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor. "Millions of real travellers worldwide have helped identify these outstanding hotels, recognized for their exceptional accommodation, service, and value."

Contact Details

info@molinodelsanto.com

Tel 952 16 71 51 Fax 952 16 73 27

For reviews on Hotel Molino del Santo, go to this link

Valencia and New York

2009-01-20T22:22:00.003+01:00

The direct link from the Big Apple so that New Yorkers can come and experience Valencia is now official. From June there will be four flights a week coming into and obviously going out of Valencia direct to JFK with Delta Airlines. Prices start at 383 Euros so all of you Americans out there who wish to visit a beautiful Mediterranean city relatively cheap can now do so. (Oh and Valencians can go to New York for the weekend and go shopping)

The 33rd America's Cup Looks Like Coming Back to Valencia

2009-01-17T23:44:00.002+01:00

There have been debates, arguments and my dad is bigger than your dad moments but finally it looks as if an agreement is imminent for the 3rd America's Cup to take place in 2010 in Valencia with Challenger Races in 2009. There are many teams involved in the negotiations which can only be good news for Valencia's tourist prospects for the next two years and also for the property rental market too.

The teams currently discussing the way forward are Alinghi, the Holders (SUI), Desafío Español (ESP), Shosholoza (RSA), Team Origin (GBR), Team New Zealand (NZL), DCYC (GER), Green Comm Challenge (ITA), Ayre Challenge (ESP), Victory Challenge (SWE), Argo Challenge (ITA), Mascalzone Latino (ITA), Team French Spirit (FRA), Luna Rossa (ITA), Russian Challenge (RUS), Italia (ITA), K-Challenge (FRA), Greek Challenge (GRE) and Dabliu Sail Project (ITA).

I find it difficult to believe that there will be five Italian challengers but you never know.

Torrevieja Good News

2008-12-26T21:12:00.000+01:00

Now Torrevieja is not in my area but as Liverpool Veterans played there recently here is their new initiative which looks really cool. This is how football clubs in Spain can move forward

"The presentation on Tuesday evening at the Torrevieja Theatre was spectacular to say the least. The whole project should make Torrevieja the envy of the whole country if not Europe in the sporting field. Apart from the 10,000 all-covered all-seating football stadium, 2 open air swimming pools will be built, a covered Ice rink, rugby pitch, another football pitch, hockey park, updated athletics stadium, 7 tennis courts including a 700 seater show-court, a fully operational residential sports hotel incorporating medical, physio and recovery facilities. The list and plans are truly staggering.

It was explained that all finances are in place and that work will be done in stages and will start almost immediately. Apart from the sports side of things, the Friday market will be moved to the area in front of the aqua park which was were the sand pitches were. This space will also be used to events and concerts with a capacity of 50,000. The Fun Fair down by the port area will also be permanently based here. A superb initiative which will no doubt give employment to hundreds of people in the town and more importantly, give FC Torrevieja the chance to became a big Club in the future."

"Taking the Heat" Nick Snelling's take on life in Spain

2008-12-18T17:35:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago we had a meetup in Valencia of a bunch of ecademists and Nick Snelling turned up to regale us all with his impressions of the current situation in Spain.

Now Nick gave me a copy of his book Taking The Heat and the next day I broke my collarbone and as a result holding a book and turning pages has been, let us say, a challenge. So I finally finished it a couple of days ago and I have to say it does exactly what it says on the tin. A really funny account of an incompetent's life at Casa Desolada. Now to all of us who went to the dinner, Nick didn't seem too useless, I think his own character assassination may well be ever so slightly exagerrated, but exaggerating to make a point has always been a favourite of mine, so these bite sized chunks of incompetence in the full glare of Spanish life are great fun and if you want a stocking filler this Xmas Amazon have it here

Guide2Valencia going well

2008-12-18T16:05:00.001+01:00

My friends John and Chris from PeekProp have started a new website in the Guide2 series. Their focus on Valencia is full of good news today including IKEA and the announcement of two other shopping developments. Check out their page here. And look at the news as it's all good

50th Post so IKEA time again

2008-12-16T10:48:00.003+01:00

IKEA has been umming and ahhing for a long time now. The Valencian regional government has been doing the same as they are worried about the giant Swedish multinational putting greater pressure on Valencian furniture manufacturers, of which there are lots. Finally, it seems that IKEA has plumped for the new Alfafar Parc area to the south of Valencia. Completion will be sometime in 2010 apparently and the huge park already has 91% of its surface area agreed on for new outlets, mostly furniture, that will create 3900 new jobs. More good news from Valencia.

Top Sevens

2008-12-08T11:13:00.001+01:00

Spain Expat is a very informative and hugely complete site about living in Spain. It has a series of Top 7`s of which the link here goes to the top seven Spanish contributions to the World. An emphasis on culture so have a look and then search through the site to find out more info. It's good.

Just to give you a taster

1. Pedro Almodóvar
2. The Spanish language
3. Zara
4. Pablo Picasso
5. Don Quixote
6. The Alliance of Civilizations
7. Sherry

If you crave to know more about the quixotic filmmaker or any others follow the link above. If you have any other suggestions then make them known here in replies.

Liverpool veterans play at Torrevieja. See the story about the Torry Army

2008-12-07T13:08:00.001+01:00

http://www.plus.es/esp/fiebre_maldini/terceratemporada/_esp_//index.html?id=20081201pluutmftb_11.Ves

So anyway, the Liverpool veterans played against Torrevieja veterans a couple of weeks back. Here is a report on Canal Plus, mostly in Spanish, about the game. Enjoy.

Good News in Valencia

2008-12-05T15:49:00.002+01:00

Thanks to my friend Robert Burns for the info. If you have a pension you want transferred outside of the UK he can help you.

Despite all the bad news we are still seeing investment and infrastructure projects into the Valencia Region. Recent announcements include:

# The Alicante Trade Fair (IFA) is to invest 360m euros including a new multi purpose sports and events pavilion.

# The opening of a "Short Sea" connection between Valencia and Sardinia. Expected 25 percent increase in traffic between Spain and Italy.

# Hits Mobile jointly owned by a Kuwaiti Group and Metrored from Valencia are setting up a base in Valencia to target international mobile calls.
And if you want a Hits phone to get cheap phone calls to the UK and elsewhere then sign up with me here and I will get back to you

# Molino Real are to donate 15m euros for the rehabilitation of the Paterna area of Valencia.

And finally, to quote the Chamber of Commerce, the Air Cargo Center in Manises Airport "is a strategic area for multimodal transport since Valencia is situated in a privileged location in the Mediterranean Rim."

It's the place to be...the Generalitat de Valencia.

Misleading Title but Great Conclusion

2008-11-20T16:24:00.000+01:00

Under the title Is the Sun Setting on Solar Power in Spain" The Scientific American Magazine has answered the question in the negative. Have a read of the article here which talks about the advances already made and the plans for the future.

This is one of the areas that Spain will be able to lead the World because of the simple reason that the sun shines here and the will is in place.

Forget Spain. Go to Pyongyang

2008-11-17T22:18:00.000+01:00

I have just received the following from a friend in the UK. I will be immediately packing my bags for the 150m2 average dwelling space in Pyongyang!

Bizarre and not really anything to do with Spain although some of the tower blocks looked familiar for those having visited Benidorm.

Finding my Feet in Córdoba

2008-11-14T15:46:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine, Amanda Hamilton, runs a boutique B+B in Cordoba, Iznajar to be exact, if you look online you will find it here. She has written an article for the Website www.womeninspain.com and I thought it might light your fires.

"I'm the owner and manager of Casa La Celada, my beautiful guest house, micro hotel and B&B on the outskirts of stunning Iznájar in Córdoba, Andalucia. I am also a published artist and I practice healing and reflexology in my "spare" time.

Having had a 15 year dream to live in Spain, alongside a violent and drug infested marriage, the thought that I would ever realise my Dream seemed like a stupid pie in the sky idea. But with a lot of support from family and friends and many court cases later, I departed the shores of England on 12th May 2006 - ironically my wedding anniversary, with my then six year old son, a motorhome packed to the hilt, and a lot of hope in my heart.

We spent our first year in a mountain village called Rubielos de Mora, in the Teruel area of the Aragón province - about an hour and a half from the beautiful city of Valencia. But it wasn't our "home". We were strangers, and worse still, I was a "loose woman" - no husband to reduce the threat perceived by the locals. It was time to move on.

So I packed up our lovely motorhome again, sold and gave away probably 70% of my possessions, and we headed south towards Andalucia, finally stopping in Cazorla after many kilometres and a lot more adventures. Then, when my son went to spend August 2007 with his father, I spent the first two weeks of my August paragliding, canyoning, and exploring the vast province of Andalucia in a tiny little hire-car . and I started to fall in love.

Within days I found Iznájar. Iznájar comes from the Moorish and means Happy Castle - and it truly is a happy castle - teetering atop a huge rocky outcropping that juts out into the vast lake called the Embalse de Iznájar - 999,000 hectolitres of water when full . and my heart was stolen for good.

Within a matter of days I had found a property that would be perfect for us - Casa La Celada - right in the heart of a gorgeous little white sleepy Andalucian village called La Celada with it's own tiny school, shop and divine eight sided church, just 2km from Iznájar itself. I didn't want to buy within the village of Iznájar because, magical though it is, it is all hills and very narrow streets which means that the views are limited mostly to your neighbours' windows unless you are lucky to be able to afford a lake view, to say nothing of the damage you'll do to a car while you get used to the tiny roads. Instead, I have the delight of seeing Iznájar every time I need the bank or post office - a drive that thrills me every time I make the journey.

And our house in La Celada is HUGE! We have five, arguably six bedrooms, three of which are on the ground floor with luxurious bathrooms - it was immediately obvious to me that I could set myself up as a B&B Guest House owner, work from home where I could also paint, and therefore be "there" when my son came home from the local school and be a Mum. WHAT a luxury after the six jobs I held down in the UK!

My son is totally accepted, loved and integrated into our community, as am I. Thankfully we can both speak Spanish which in my view makes the difference between surviving and "going Native". He can play outside in the street on his bike, roller blades, or playing football with the other children without me ever having to have concerns, and I can work on marketing and PR, painting a new commission, practicing healing and reflexology knowing that he is safe, loved and happy in our sleepy little village.

And when we need "action", we are an hour's drive from three of the most important cities of Andalucia! To the South we have the beautiful city of Málaga and the Costa del Sol beaches, to the East we have Granada and the Science Museum, ski resort and the world famous Alhambra Palace, and to our North we have possibly my favourite city - Córdoba - once the capital city of Europe (a LONG time ago) - absolutely steeped in history, flamenco and beautiful winding streets festooned with flowers during May when the huge fiestas begin.

And speaking of fiestas - well Spain is famous for them! A long siesta in the afternoon prepares you for a night of revelry, paella, local sangria and a lot of dancing and games. The Spanish really do know how to party and have welcomed us into their party fold with open arms - I couldn't have possibly asked for more.

But it does get better. House prices were great when I bought here enabling me to buy a second house which has the most exquisite views over the huge Lake and our mountain range, the Sierra Subbética. So my longer term dream is to bring this lovely but abandoned house to the reaches of people who want even more than Casa La Celada offers - I will renovate it so we have little cottages around a huge pool with the view that you could happily die gazing across ...

And when I consider that just six years ago a doctor put me on tranquilisers to survive my marriage, and I used to hide under tables when it was all unbearable, and I look at the successful, motivated, happy and dynamic woman I have become, I say one thing : Follow your Dreams, and NEVER be afraid to make changes - If I can do it, ANYONE can .."

How is Obama Positive For Spain?

2008-11-05T15:51:00.000+01:00

Don't know yet and I don't really care but I feel a lot better today because of what happened last night in the States.

El Bulli,. The Best Restaurant in the World

2008-11-02T22:50:00.000+01:00

El Bulli is generally considered to be one of the best restaurants, if not the best, in the World. It is in Catalunya near Roses on th Costa Brava. AA Gill in the Times today has a great article about it which you can read here, but just to get a taste of it have a look at the following..

"getting a table at elBulli, in Girona, Spain, is an infuriating performance. The restaurant is open six months of the year. There are 8,000 chairs available, and 2m requests for them. Every one of them gets a courteous reply; most of them never get to smell the coffee. The few who do are told what date and when to come. It’s actually easier to get a seat next to the Pope than in elBulli."

Have you ever been? If so post in the comments section. A friend of mine from University is a good friend of the main man at El Bulli and he concurs on the food being the best.

Another Excellent Times Article

2008-10-26T22:17:00.000+01:00

I have reproduced this one in full but if you want to see it in its original form go here.

So what's the story. Well not many Brits are getting too drunk on their holidays in Spain. Maybe they are getting to respect the place. Interesting use of stats here.

Article Starts Here.
Spain's Costa lager louts sober up
by Tom Chesshyre

British tourists visiting Spain are shaking off the image of drunken lager louts on the Costa del Sol and are better behaved than ever, according to the British Ambassador to the country.

Embassy figures show that the number of detentions for alcohol-related offences and admissions to hospital were “minuscule” last year. Altogether 1,931 Britons were held by the Spanish police, which works out at 0.001 per cent of the 17 million annual visitors from the UK. There were 748 people admitted to hospital, 0.0004 per cent of all visitors.

Denise Holt, who has been the British ambassador in Spain for 18 months, said that there were parts of Spain, such as San Antonio in Ibiza and Magaluf in Majorca, that still had trouble from drunken British visitors. She told Times Travel: “This is usually the starter market of holidaymakers: 17-year-olds on a rite of passage. It's their first trip away from Mum or Dad and sometimes they take it too far.”

But she believes that extensive reporting of incidents at these resorts has affected the image of the country: “People love to hear the stories of over-indulgence - they love to thrill their imaginations. The same stories happen every year.” Holt, who is the former British Ambassador in Mexico, added that there were probably more people detained in Southampton on a Saturday night than Britons in the whole of Spain.

“When you look at the figures, it's amazing how many British people come to Spain and how little trouble there is,” she said. “With 17 million visitors to Spain each year, that's like the entire population going every four years. About one in every four aircraft from Heathrow flies to Spain.”

Many of these are filled with expat travellers rather than tourists. There are one million British expats living in Spain, making Britain the fourth-biggest group of migrants to the country after Ecuadorians, Romanians and Moroccans.

Tourists from the UK going to Ibiza for nightclubbing holidays probably do more damage to the reputation of Spain than any other group. “People come on cheap holidays,” Holt said. “They don't have proper accommodation. They try to propel themselves through the weekend listening to music and popping pills.”

She recently went on a trip in a police car with the Ibiza officers: “They know who the dealers are, and they are making sure it does not get out of hand. They will pick them up if they start dealing on the street corner.

There is a slightly different attitude towards drugs in Ibiza: if you get stopped at the airport and it is personal consumption, the police will simply take the drugs.”

One continuing problem is lost or stolen passports: consulates and embassies issued more than 6,000 emergency documents last year. Many visitors are also neglecting to buy travel insurance. But Stephen Jones, the British Consul for the Canary Islands, said: “I think our image abroad has changed. The numbers getting in trouble are tiny.”

ONCE Ticket Seller Shows Total Honesty

2008-10-15T10:36:00.000+02:00

A story has just appeared in Spain which warms the cockles of my aging heart.
The story comes from a friend of mine who is currently down in Andalucia.

"I walked down the street and saw a Spansh tapas bar and walked in. I ordered agua con gas - which predictably they had and picked up the local rag as I waited for my tapas. This is what I saw!!

What an amazing story and one which made me so proud to even be in their country even if I can't add Spanish to my passport.

A one-legged Once salesman kept a winning ticket of 35,000 euros safely for a regular customer who had been away a few days so had not paid for it. Obviously the salesman could have kept it, cashed it and nobody would have known. What an amazing story. As the waiter came over, I asked whether he had read it and he said, yes, and he knew the guy. He'd been selling in town for many years. Wow, I said, "What a gent!". The waiter nodded and smiled. I guessed he felt that a fellow Fuengirola citizen had brought honour to the town,.....and in some ways it rubbed off on him. As I was leaving, he said, "By the way, take the paper if you like, we're closing in 10 minutes."
He asks the following after being here for many years.
When did you realise that you were more Spanish than whatever it says on your passport?

The link is here in Spanish.

Great Story About Black Money in Spain

2008-10-06T14:49:00.000+02:00

Has a country ever been so benevolent with lawbreakers as Spain is right now? The government has come up with a plan to allow people to deposit their Bin Ladens (500 Euro notes usually gained during the property boom years and hidden under the bed or in safes at home so called because everybody knew they existed but nobody had actually ever seen one) to be taken into banks and deposited no questions asked and without any responsibility on behalf of the person who puts them in. The reason is simple, to restore liquidity in the banking sector and rescue the economy. It is being presented as the huge advantage that Spain has over the rest of Europe in this respect.

So there it is, you give an amnesty to money laundering and illegality in real estate transactions to save your contry's backside in hard economic times. A totally novel and exciting way of making sure that the wheels keep turning and Spain can regain its preeminence in shady financial practices from Nigerian scammers.

Another Spanish Success Story. Health

2008-10-01T09:44:00.000+02:00

You of course knew that Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the World and it is regarded by the WHO as one of the best places to live on the planet. What you may not have known is that it has a health care system to envy, with very short waiting lists for operations and excellent pre and post op treatment. Here is an article in Expat Focus that tells you more about what to expect. It is reproduced below for those who do not wish to click away from this page.

Spain's Healthcare Service

by Ciara Carruthers

A relaxed, carefree person may move to Spain and begin to enjoy the laid-back way of life immediately; the tapas, the music, the amazing people and the fantastic weather. Life in Spain is wonderful and there is no need to worry about anything, everything is going great. Until they run into a health problem. Yes, life in Spain truly is wonderful, but it doesn´t hurt to find out a little bit about the health care system before you move over, to ensure that if anything does happen with regards to your health you´ll be able to go straight to your doctor and get it sorted out. So, here is a run down of what you need to know about the Spanish health care service.

The health care system in Spain has improved considerably in the last few years and is currently something which the Spaniards have every right to be proud of. Health care centres are widely and frequently distributed throughout the country and finding the centre closest to you is as simple as going to the government health website (http://www.msc.es/ciudadanos/prestaciones/centrosServiciosSNS/home.htm), though it is in Spanish so you may need help from a friend. The health centres offer all the services which people need on a day to day basis; GP, midwives, paediatrics and physiotherapists. The centres are positioned and distributed in such a way as to be, theoretically, within fifteen minutes’ reach of all residents. It´s simply a case of finding out which one is most convenient to you.

People coming from EU countries have the right to free medical care. However, you will need a card known as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which replaces the old E111 that used to be the necessary documentation. It is advisable to get this before coming to Spain. In England, you can get an application form for the card from your local post office. This card is actually really for tourists, but for people moving to Spain, it will cover any emergencies for the first three months whilst you secure your official Spanish medical card, known as the Tarjeta SS. This you can get from your local Social Security Office and it too entitles you to free medical care. Getting the tarjeta SS is generally no bother and shouldn´t take long. You´ll simply need to show some official documentation such as your passport, residence card and EHIC card, and fill out some forms (which will be in Spanish).

When visiting a doctor, you are entitled to bring with you a person whom you trust. This person doesn´t need to be a family member, just anybody who you would like to be there. Given that most doctors and nurses won´t speak a sufficiently high level of English, a Spanish speaking friend is really going to help you out in this circumstance if you are not fluent, or at least competent, yourself. You are also entitled to choose your own doctor, or change doctors if you are not happy with the one which you have been assigned. In my experience, doctors prove to be friendly and caring, with plenty of time to listen to your problems. However, as with all things in Spain, it helps to be a little bit patient, you may be assigned an appointment time only to find five people ahead of you, also waiting, when you arrive. It you have a real emergency and need to be dealt with right away you can go directly to the nearest public hospital.

Ciara Carruthers works as a freelance content writer for oppSpain (www.oppspain.com), a company that is specialised in selling new developments and off plan properties all over Spain.