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News and information from Spain
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International Edition - September 2019 |
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Welcome to the September 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.
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Floods in the news
The recent flooding in Spain as a result of the Gota Fría (Cold Drop) has made international headlines. There is no doubt that the torrential rain that occurred on the evening of 12th September caused a great deal of damage to many properties around the Vega Baja area in the Alicante province (Costa Blanca). Ábaco Advisers extend their sympathy to those who have been affected in any way by this.
Much of the greatest damage was the result of the Río Segura bursting its banks. This is the main river that flows through the Vega Baja and is usually a source of much needed water for the surrounding farms and villages. On this occasion, however, the extreme level of water reaching the river from surrounding highland led to the disastrous flooding that many of you will have seen in the news.
Although there can be no good news in reality to this story, the tragic course of events has brought out the best in many people. The wider community across the region has rallied to support those who have been most heavily affected. Collections of food, clothing, toiletries, school books and other materials have come in from numerous sources. The emergency services have been commended for the way in which they have selflessly come to the rescue of those trapped and stranded in the flood water.
There are many stories of heroism and resilience in the face of what might be called a natural disaster. Although much has been shared on Facebook, below are some links that can give you some insight as to what’s been happening.
The N332 site has many posts related to the flooding including the efforts of volunteers and emergency services as well as some dramatic pictures of the floods themselves:
The Guardian also shares some pictures of the recent flooding:
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Brexit
It is possible that when you read the next newsletter Britain will have left the European Union. Certainly it’s looking more likely than ever that there could be an exit without a deal taking place. There remains a lot of uncertainty about what this will actually mean for everyone. However, there are some factors that we can be more certain about.
GOV.Uk remains one of the most reliable means of finding out how you should prepare. Guidance on Brexit is included in this link:
This is the latest bulletin on healthcare access if the UK leaves the EU without a deal:
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What should you do if you lose your residency card?
This is a frequent query we receive on the forums. It isn’t as simple as just asking for a replacement. You have to apply again. In this article, David Ruiz explains what the process is:
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Private pension plans and annuities
Money Saver Spain provides a useful summary of some of the benefits and disadvantages of investing in a pension plan or annuity in Spain. They focus on individual pension plans and how to choose them, cancel them and what the tax implications are. In their annuities’ summary they consider the types available, the risks and the tax implications:
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Thinking about an out-of-season break?
If so and if you’re in receipt of a state pension and are a Spanish resident, then you might want to look at the option of an Imserso holiday in Spain. These are holidays in many of Spain’s main hotels that are subsidised by the Spanish government. The idea is that by encouraging people to take off-peak holidays at a discount price, hotels and holiday resorts are kept busier through the quieter times of the year.
Although Imserso is a Spanish programme, any nationality who qualifies can take part. We have written about this previously on Spain Explained and you can contact local participating travel agents to find out more:
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Hollywood Stars and their favourite Spanish haunts
And it’s not just Marbella and Ibiza. El País in Spain shares with us a few well-known faces and the towns and cities in Spain that they like to visit. Mel Gibson, Olivia Newton John and Gwyneth Paltrow are just some of the stars who feature and visit some rather unexpected destinations:
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Tours of the Alhama de Murcia castle
Murcia Today is a good source of information about the tours that are available in the region. Follow the link below to find out about those available to Alhama de Murcia castle. Most of these are conducted in Spanish but there are also tours in English available. The next ones are on 6th October and 16th November. You can book online and do some sightseeing for a cost of 3 euros for adults and 2 euros for children:
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Do you like paella?
20th September was apparently World Paella Day. Although Valencia is the home of paella, it is perhaps the main food associated with Spain by foreigners. Exactly how it should be made and what it should contain is a controversial subject. There are many who will argue that only the most traditional recipe of chicken and rabbit can really be considered to be the true paella.
In this article from Eye on Spain there are some detailed instructions for how to cook an authentic paella:
We’ve also our own Ábaco article about the original paella and the rules surrounding cooking and eating it:
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Potted guides to understanding Spain
If you like reading ‘lists’ of ‘things you should know’ then Culture Trips’ guides and tips might be for you. They’ve lots of lists of everything to do with Spain including delicious dishes, best souvenirs and the things you shouldn’t say to a Spaniard. Here we’ve picked on the ’16 things you should know before visiting Spain’ but this is only one of many more:
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International tapas day
You’ve just got time to take part in Torrevieja’s international tapas day. It’s being held on Saturday 28th September.Altogether 29 restaurants are expected to take part but you only have one day to take advantage of the many bars and restaurants offering this popular snack in and around the town centre. Each tapa with a drink will cost €2.50 and each venue has at least two different types of tapas on offer.
Here is a write up in English about it:
Here you can download the official bulletin with a list of all the participating restaurants:
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Watch out for the mosquitos
It didn’t come as too much of a surprise that following the flood the next problem that many parts of Spain would encounter would be mosquitos. So what is the best mosquito repellent and how can you protect you and your family?
There are all kinds of suggestions from ground coffee to beer. We’ve brought together a couple oflinks to suggestions how you might deal with this annoying little pest.
Although this article is aimed at tiger mosquitos avoidance it has plenty of good, general advice that you might like to take:
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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! |
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