The Word on the Street - News and Information from Spain

News and Information from Spain

International Edition - February 2017

Welcome to the February issue of 'The Word on the Street'. This is your monthly news and information from Spain provided by Ábaco Advisers. We hope to keep you in touch with the news, events and just a little bit of gossip.

Ten steps to buying a house in Spain

Ten steps to buying a house in Spain

In this article we outline what the buying process entails in ten easy steps. It can be difficult to know where to start and, if you’re not careful, you can get lost in the process. Hopefully this explanation should help you keep on track and informed:

Ten steps to buying a house in Spain

More information about applying for residency

More information about applying for residency

In our next installment about applying for residency, David Ruiz provides us with details for those who wish to live and work in Spain:

Spanish residency for EU and British workers

In case you missed them, he has also written:

Mini guide to Spanish residency - an overview

Spanish residency for pensioners

It’s Carnival time!

It’s Carnival time!

It might be February and quite chilly in Spain but that doesn’t stop the carnival parade. Many towns in Spain celebrate the tradition of carnival with its carnival queens, feathers and pageant. In this article we fill you in a lttle on the tradition and hope that you will go and see one for yourself:

What is carnaval?

To see the photos from the local carnival in Torrevieja:

Desfile Nocturno del Carnaval de Torrevieja 2017

If you like your paella traditional...

If you like your paella traditional...

...then this might be the article for you. We explain the traditions surrounding a real Valencian paella and how you should eat it, just to make sure you’re not mistaken for a tourist:

What is the perfect recipe for paella?

New €50 note

New €50 note

There seems to be currency change in the wind at the moment. In this case it’s the €50 note that’s having a makeover. You can find out more about the new note on the European Central Bank website and at least familiarise yourself with what it looks like. There’s even a nice little video:

Europa series of euro banknotes

Still confused about roundabouts?

Still confused about roundabouts?

The N332 webpage and Facebook page continue to be an excellent source of information about Spanish traffic matters. Most recently they put up a video of a crash on a roundabout and asked for responses about who was to blame. Did you get it right?

They’ve published the solution in full on This is Torrevieja: 

The Roundabout Crash Question Answered

Ways to spend your money more easily

Ways to spend your money more easily

Yes, they are making it easier to spend your money, even in Spain. The opportunities for using your phone to settle your shopping bill are increasing. Carrefour is just one outlet that is encouraging shoppers to get out their phone rather than their purse. Money Saver Spain tells us more about going cash-free in Spain:

Go Cash-Free in Spain

How the other half live

How the other half live

It’s a tenuous connection to Spain, but if you like to see how the other half live then taking a look at the ‘world’s most futuristic superyacht’ might just take your fancy. The connection is that it recently arrived in Cartagena for sea trials. However, its owner is Russian and it was made in Germany. To the untrained eye it looks a little as though it’s about to keel over. No doubt it has a few futuristic life boats on board too:

'World's most futuristic superyacht' on way to billionaire owner

What are the worst things about Spain?

What are the worst things about Spain?

This article isn’t perhaps as you would think. It’s a very tongue in cheek article that really emphasises many of the good things about Spain: the importance of the family, the good weather and even, bizzarly - roast chicken:

These are the 17 absolute worst things about living in Spain

Buying a property in Spain - interesting interview

Buying a property in Spain - interesting interview

Mark Stücklin at Spanish Property Insight provides this interesting interview with someone in the process of buying in Orihuela Costa. Her experiences have also been included in local forums and do go to show how you must be careful not to just listen to the estate agent but to take your own legal advice too. It’s an interesting account:

CASE STUDY: Housing-hunting on the South Costa Blanca

Did you prefer your ‘dumb phone’?

Did you prefer your ‘dumb phone’?

Do you look back fondly on the days of your Nokia? Perhaps you still have it stashed away somewhere in a drawer? Those were the days when calling someone was simple and didn’t involve navigating many different options.

Apparently if this is you, you are not on your own. According to The Local the Nokia 3310 is making a comeback and can be found at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Reading this article, ditching the smart phone and keeping it simple makes alot of sense:

Dumbphones make a comeback at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress

Some pit!

Some pit!

It’s perhaps a little hard to take in but this pit in Cantabria is as deep as the twin towers were high:

Cantabria is home to the deepest underground vertical pit in Spain 

The text is in Spanish but there are more pictures here that put this giant of a hole in context and compare it to the Eiffel Tower:

Club Cántabro de Exploraciones Subterráneas

You wouldn’t want to drop your keys down that one.