The Word on the Street - News and Information from Spain

News and Information from Spain

International Edition - June 2017

Welcome to the June 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.

Questions about buying or selling in Spain? Let’s chat

Questions about buying or selling in Spain? Let’s chat

If you have questions to ask about buying or selling property in Spain – who should you ask? There are so many people with vested interests that it can be hard to know who will give you a straight answer. Nor do you want to be held in a call centre queue, paying premium rate. That’s where our new LiveChat service can come in. In this article we explain how it works and invite you to use it:

Questions about buying or selling in Spain? Let’s chat

Can you pronounce this?

Can you pronounce this?

It’s been proposed that Corvera airport (if it ever manages to open) should be called ‘Aeropuerto Internacional de Murcia – Juan de la Cierva Codrniú’. Try saying that to the taxi driver taking you there! Murcia Today has a nice little write up about it:

Murcia Parliament To Debate Corvera Airport Name Proposal

They also inform us about another promised date of opening: 

Tribunal Rules In Favour Of Corvera Airport Contract Bidding Process

Something that one or two people are becoming just a little cynical about!

 

A labour of love - Don Quixote film finished

A labour of love - Don Quixote film finished

It has proved to be a real struggle for Terry Gilliam to complete this film 17 years after it started. Let’s hope the end product is worth it:

Finally! Terry Gilliam finishes 'Don Quixote' film project that took 17 years

Don Quixote is very much running through the veins of Spain and you will find references to the book in many places. If you haven’t already read it, pick up a copy of an abridged version at least. Like most classics, you will find yourself wondering who are the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in your circle of friends.

Spain tops Erasmus choice

Spain tops Erasmus choice

Erasmus is a European Union student exchange programme in which 33 different countries take part and 4,000 higher education institutions. Spain is a particularly popular venue with many European students choosing one of the universities here. In this article we’ve written about Spain’s high-level of involvement:

Spain tops the list for Erasmus +

You might also be interested in this blog that identifies 25 universities that you can select from that deserve a special mention:

25 Most Incredible Erasmus Universities

You might have heard of cave homes but have you heard of cave hotels?

You might have heard of cave homes but have you heard of cave hotels?

In several parts of Spain you can find homes carved into the mountain side. They provide the perfect respite from the heat and are relatively warm in winter. You might not want to go as far as buying your own but what about staying in one for a holiday?

Murcia Today tells us about a rather interesting project near Granada:

Don't Miss Cuevas Helena On Channel 5's

Moors and Christians

 Moors and Christians

The summer is the time when the Moors and Christians processions takes place. This is a vibrant and popular festival that is well worth seeing at least once when you’re in Spain. Our article has a few tips for how to make the most of it:

Summer means the Moors and Christians

In this article we find out some more about the Moors heritage:

The Moor’s Last Stand and Blood and Faith review – the expulsion of Muslims from Spain

For information about the different Moors and Christians festivals as well as a good round up of what’s going on generally, take a look at Eurotourguide:

www.eurotourguide.com

It’s a useful calender of events to keep handy, especially if you have visitors and live in the Costa Blanca or Costa Calida.

What a tolerant country

What a tolerant country

It’s a good news item which reaffirms that overall Spain is a tolerant country. Or at least the majority of its people are. When it comes to attitudes to Europe, homosexuality and foreigners, the country comes out well in a number of surveys.

From what’s reported here and our own experience, the absence of a right-wing popularist stronghold certainly benefits those of us with different backgrounds. Long may it continue:

Reasons to be proud

Behind the scenes at Zara

Behind the scenes at Zara

Have you bought anything recently from Zara? This hugely successful fashion store has contributed substantially to the fortune of its founder, Amancio Ortega. However, this extraordinarily rich family are also renowned for protecting their privacy. So it is interesting to come across a little bit of an insider’s view into what’s going on in the Ortega household:

Who is Marta Ortega, the Zara heiress and most influential name in fashion you've never heard of?

Got visitors? Some money-saving tips

Got visitors? Some money-saving tips

t’s that time of year again when your property in Spain is likely to be in high demand and the washing machine does overtime in preparing the bed linen for the next round of holiday makers. It’s lovely to see them but it definitely has an impact on your time and your money. Money Saver Spain offers some ways in which you can entertain your guests whilst not breaking into the piggy bank:

Friends and Family Visiting? How to Save!

Emerging details for UK expats

Emerging details for UK expats

As the talks between the UK and EU are underway at last we’re beginning to see some plans emerging for those who are resident in Spain. This article in The Local notes that there is some good news in relation to pensions and health care; the two areas that many expats have had concerns about most. Talks are still in the early stages, but there could be some grounds for optimism here:

UK makes pension and healthcare pledge for British expats post-Brexit

San Juan safely over

San Juan safely over

The longest day of the year has come and gone and so too have the bonfires that are used to celebrate the San Juan festivities in many parts of Spain. On the evening of the 23rd it’s traditional to take to the beaches (if you have one locally of course) and prepare to watch the sun rise. Some people go to great lengths to mark the occasion setting out their dining tables, chairs and cutlery for the long night ahead. 

The tradition goes that you build your bonfire and jump over the flames to purge yourself of the bad things of the past and then you bathe in the sea. It’s an evening that is surprising perhaps in its relative level of safety and harmony and certainly the dip in the sea is very welcome.

Some neighbourhoods have their own celebrations and might have their own effigy to burn in the spirit of Las Fallas in Valencia. Alicante is well-known for its evening of celeberation, with many young people continuing onto the beach until the morning. 
 
In Alicante you can get a sense of the popularity of the event and the elaborate nature of the effigies from the pictures and information on this site:

hogueras.com 

In Torrevieja, the Molinos del Calvario neighbourhood celebrates in style with their own ‘cremá’ event:

CREMÁ HOGUERA MOLINOS DEL CALVARIO 2O17 

What interests you?

What interests you?

We would welcome any suggestions for future themes you would like us to cover either in the newsletter or in an article on Spain Explained.

Please let us know by email at newsletter@abacoadvisers.com.

Thank you!