Six other European countries have also been...
Friday Rainbow
My regular readers will be aware of my fascination of atmospheric effects, particularly as the sun disappears over the western horizon, but this afternoon, we...
Captain, This Ship Is Sinking!
"Lo primero, el empleo" was the Partido Popular's slogan in Spain's recent elections. There's a "des" missing somewhere from that phrase. Today's unemployment figures here...
Spain Weather – Friday January 27 2012
Persistent rain along the Levante coast and in Tarragona today. Locally moderate snowfalls in the north, centre and East of the...
RUS: Пенедес в феврале 2012 – Календарь событий, в том числе карнавалы: Ситжес и Виланова
. 3-5 февраляКалафель (Баш-Пенедес); в старом городе Фестиваль города: Festa Major de la Candelera4 февраля; в 17:00 ч., Plaça CatalunyaПарад каталонских гигантов; Cercavila gegantera Более подробная информация (на...
Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney Face Swap
The more I watch the media coverage of the GOP presidential primaries, the more I’m struck by just how different Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney...
Pisa bar fined €1000 for charging Spanish tourist €26 for 3 * (coffee + brioche)
Here. Apparently the barman thought the guy was from Barcelona and wanted to make him feel at home. Why on earth was crucifixion along the...
Lost US boat travels across the Atlantic to Spain
The Queen Bee has been found off Asturias more than three years after it disappeared off the coast of...
Heroic pets save family from Granada fire
They woke up the family one by one in the smoke-filled house, allowing them to escape...
Prosecutors accuse Olot carer of premeditated murder with malice aforethought
The instruction phase has now ended and Joan Vila will be tried for killing 11 of the pensioners in his...
Prosecutors announce appeal in Marta del Castillo case
They feel there is sufficient evidence to find at least one of the suspects who were acquitted guilty as an...
Warrant issued for arrest of ex Marbella councillor
He was found guilty and sentenced in the Minutas case, but has since failed to report to...
GER: Penedès im Februar 2012 – Veranstaltungskalender mit den Karnevalen in Sitges und Vilanova
Von 3.bis 5. Februar Calafell (Baix Penedès); in der Altstadt Stadtfest: Festa Major de la candelera 4. Februar, um 17:00 Uhr, Plaça Catalunya Riesen-Parade: Cercavila gegantera Mehr auf Katalanisch 4. und...
There Ain’t No Justice Part 1
Time for a South of Watford mini-series on what is already promising to be a vintage year for the Spanish judicial system. I'm hoping that...
Spain Papers Review – Thursday January 26 2012
The not guilty verdict against Francisco Camps and Ricardo Costa dominates the front pages of the papers in Spain...
Barcelona scrape through into the King’s Cup Semi finals
Real Madrid were considered by most to be the better side at the Camp Nou on Wednesday...
Union Rep
Nora was being particularly cute recently during her nightly routine of barging into my office to interrupt my work and inform me of the state...
Freedom for Francisco Camps! Death to Garzón!
Francisco Camps, former PP president of the Valencian autonomous community was today acquitted of corruption after a witch-hunt in Valencia's courts that has lasted nearly...
Spain Weather – Thursday January 26 2012
Snow in the Cantabria area and western Pyrenees, and locally moderate freezing conditions in part of the northern half of the...
Rita Barberà praises Francisco Camps manhood
The Mayor of Valencia said that she did not want to talk while the jury in the Gürtel suits case are...
Four Spanish researchers awarded amongst most promising scientists in the world
They have been selected by the Howard Hughes Institute as having the potential to be scientific leaders in their...
Secrecy order extended for a further month in case of missing Córdoba children
The only suspect in the case is the children's father, who experts have said has manipulative tendencies but no mental...
Marbella court takes victims’ statements in fraud case against Irish real estate firm
British and Irish ex clients have ratified their claim that the company kept money they had paid over to furnish their...
Justice Minister announces his priorities, including reform of the abortion law
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón is also introducing a new justice tax to be paid by those citizens who make an appeak against a first...
Oscar Nominations 2012
Sadly, the Catalan film Pa negre hasn't been nominated for this year's Oscars but the animated film called Chico & Rita by Fernando Trueba...
How the Ferrocarril de Sóller, Mallorca acquired an 80-year-old train, let it rust, and sold it for scrap
Over at treneando, via Xabier Cabezón. From press reports you might believe that the entire island administration is composed of thieves, but there are idiots...
José Mourinho declines to deny he’s leaving Real Madrid
Luis Suárez has said he thinks the Portuguese trainer is preparing his exit from Real Madrid at the end of the...
Ex UK Minister reveals deal for shared sovereignty of Gibraltar
Peter Hain says in his memoirs that the Aznar government pulled out just hours after agreement was reached in...
Ex PP Senator to be investigated in Carlos Fabra case
The case against Miguel Prim was originally archived, but there is now seen to be evidence of possible influence...
Norman Foster invested Doctor Honoris Causa in Madrid
Despite his four decades in the profession, the British architect says he has no plans to...
Olot carer says he will not apologise for 11 ‘mercy’ killings
He feels that he helped the terminally ill at the pensioners' home and it was the correct thing to...
Prosecutor supports Baltasar Garzón’s call for case to be closed
The National Court judge is on the accused bench of the Supreme Court on charges of exceeding his responsibilities by investigating crimes...
Comer chez el Agüelo
Los comensales: ¿Puedo mojar en tu huevo? Los postres: Gelat de framgüesa.See also:The secrets of Catalan cuisine: shave the sailor Several innovative figures of speech...
Sunny Madrid and Spain Books
Photo – Madrid’s Retiro Park It’s still unseasonably sunny here – I mean it’s sunny every day, hardly a cloud in the sky – no snow...
Patrick Leigh Fermor on taking a town for the first time
With details of a free, self-guided walk from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam's red-light district, for you, Sinterklaas, and all others of exceptional...
Penedès Agenda February 2012 – including the Carnivals of Sitges & Vilanova i la Geltrú
3-5 February Calafell (Baix Penedès); historic town centre Town Festival: Festa Major de la candelera February 4; 17:00; plaça Catalunya Giant parade: Cercavila gegantera Read more in Catalan 4-5 February...
Archbishop objects to Deputy Prime Minister giving Easter speech
The Valladolid Archbishop, Ricardo Blázquez, says she is not suitable as she was married in a civil...
Catalan police under investigation for murder suspect’s suicide
He jumped into a stairwell while under escort as officers sought the weapon he used to kill his...
Family appeal for Marta del Castillo trial to be declared as null
The four defendants in the case would have to stand trial again if their arguments are...
Human rights groups send observers to Baltasar Garzón’s second trial
Spain's suspended National Court judge is charged with exceeding his authority by investigating disappearances during the Franco...
British Consulate starts 2012 Open Day Programme with events in Ontinyent and Caudete
The British consular team will be visiting Ontinyent and Caudete on Thursday 9th February to hold two open days, the first of...
Why does do church bells chime every fifteen minutes?
Where I grew up, there weren’t any church bells that I could hear from my house, but there was one in the center of town...
Spaced out
Peter Harvey has discovered two spacious rooms, lightly high in the Alhambra. "Room of the beds" is the literal translation of "Sala de las camas,"...
Spain would veto an independent Scotland
Concerns about the aspirations of Cataluña and the Basque Country would bring the opposition from...
Café Royale
C/ Nou de Zurbano 3 : Liceu : Drassanes Café Royale website : Tel. +34 93 318 89 56 : Daily 11pm...
Male genital depilation and the End of the World
Better a vineyard than a field of weeds on Judgement...
Gürtel suits case comes to a close
Both Francisco Camps and Ricardo Costa say they are innocent of the charges of passive...
State of the Offspring Address – January 2012
We have had our first month of nocturnal ambulation. The first incident occurred while I was asleep in Nora’s room. Often, if Nora cries at...
Eight arrests after burglary of a business in El Raal goes wrong
The four owners of the shop decided to take matters into their own hands when they found four thieves...
English proficiency of the Spanish relative to other nations
La Información's reporter says that this publication by Education First, a teaching multinational with an interest in making target clients nervous, shows that of the...
The Gürtel suits case continues in Valencia
The judge has warned the jury, 'This is not a political case'. After six weeks it is approaching its...
Webcam found in hotel shower in Figueras
Three guests have taken the case to court where they could pick up 20,000 € for moral...
Graves of suspected stolen babies to be exhumed in Alicante
The families suspect the children did not die at birth, but were given up illegally for...
Fake Ryanair pilots sentenced for smuggling cocaine into Spain
One was a flight attendant for the airline and obtained the pilots' uniforms which helped them to bypass airport...
Trial for fatal Benalmádena coach crash starts in Málaga
The driver of the other vehicle involved is charged with causing 9 deaths and 26 injuries amongst the Finnish tourists who were...
Spanish treasury celebrates successful long-term debt auctions
More debt than expected has been successfully placed this morning. During this year the Spanish Treasury will emit debt with 86 billion €...
Ferrovial no longer controls BAA
The sale of 5.8% of the British Airport Authority has helped the Spanish company with its...
The essential problem isn’t SOPA but copyright law itself
Let's bring the term of protection back to life + 20...
Barcelona in great position to snatch title
Real Madrid have it all to do in the second leg of their Copa del Rey clash next week. Barca beat them last night at...
Why WWW is stupid
Back when the internet first began way back in yesteryear, there were many protocols (i.e. ways of transferring data). There was telnet for actually logging...
‘Tres Tombs’ and ‘Festa Major d’hivern’ in Vilanova i la Geltrú
Yet again we have celebrated Tres Tombs in Vilanova i la Geltrú, and either the event has developed or I am just better at reading...
Mariano Rajoy makes his first trip abroad as Prime Minister
Tradition indicates that the first foreign trip by a new Spanish Prime Minister is to...
Success reported in negotiations to bring Bruce Springsteen to the Canaries
The date for the concert is given as May 15, to be confirmed at a press conference at FITUR on...
Ricardo Costa asked Bigotes to intercede for him with Camps for a job in the Valencia government
More phone recordings have been played in court in the suits section of the Gürtel corruption case against the ex PP President...
Spain’s Foreign Minister greets British MEP with the words ‘Gibraltar Spanish’
José Manuel García Margallo made the comment jokingly to a European Parliament colleague he knows from his own years as an...
Guadalquivir dragged again in search for missing Córdoba children
The chief prosecutor has meanwhile said there is increasing evidence against their father to keep him on remand as a suspect in...
SOPA y PIPA
The internet has pretty much shut down today. Well, most of the sites that make the internet entertaining, such as Fark, Reddit, The Oatmeal and...
Alhaurín Mayor sentenced for bribery in Troya corruption case
The PP Mayor and his planning councillor have each been banned from office for 12 months and must pay a fine of...
Spain Papers Review – Wednesday January 18 2012
The appearance of National Court judge, Baltasar Garzón, on the accused bench of the Supreme Court dominates the front pages in Spain...
Judge Baltasar Garzon tells the Supeme Court the lawyers were a ‘nuclear part’ of the corruption
He said he ordered the recording of the conversations between the accused and their lawyers to try and stop the money laundering...
Why are the bulk of misspellings of Samuel Johnson (Jhonson) by South Asians and Spanish speakers?
Curious that someone values someone else's wisdom enough to quote him, but not enough to spell his name correctly. Checking in Google Books, is it...
British princes take hunting trip to Spain
Prince William and Prince Harry have been shooting game on an estate owned by the Duke of Westminster in Ciudad...
Victim of Sevilla hit and run announces his own legal action against British driver
He feels the Briton should be charged with more than the charge of causing injury which has been ordered by the...
Spain to commence Afghanistan withdrawal this autumn
Ten percent of the troops will return home this year, with the final stage of the pullout in...
Barcelona T10 price inflation vs general consumer price inflation
How the PSC screwed up transport pricing strategy for the 2010 regionals and 2011...
Vilanova is much more – thanks to Sitges and Vilafranca
Do you believe that the tourism sector can play a bigger role for the social and economic development of the municipalities around Barcelona and that...
Searching For Umami
No, not 'your mammy', 'oomaaaahmy'. Umami is alleged to be the fifth taste, after salt, sour, sweet and bitter, and it's a Japanese word that is...
The Supreme Leader Is Dead, Long Live The Dear Leader!
Silence descended last night on the deserted streets of the Spanish capital Madrid, as inhabitants of the country tried to come to terms with the...
Spain Weather – Tuesday January 17 2012
Winter has arrived in Spain and Tuesday will also see rain and snow across much of the...
British peer calls for abolition of time limit on expat voting
Britons who live abroad currently have no voting rights if they have been out of the country for more than 15...
Property owners not impressed by Junta’s decree on irregular property
A new decree from the Junta de Andalucía has not impressed the owners of irregular property, many of them...
Guardiola is not throwing in the towel
Barcelona FC and Pep Guardiola are not throwing in the towel regarding the Spanish league. Barca beat Betis last night at the Camp Nou and...
Spanish veteran politican, Manuel Fraga, has died
With a sixty year involvement in the politics of Spain he was one of the people responsible for the draft of the...
Water is running in the Patio de Los Leones in the Alhambra again
Restoration of the patio is almost complete, with just the white marble for still to be...
Catalonia reconsidering holding Spanish Grand Prix
It will be a sad day for Motorsport in Spain if two of the most watched sports are scrapped by Catalonia minister Andreu Mas-Colell. Apparently...
This one’s going to run and run
The lugs of François II of France and Speke, reasons to be...
20 year prison sentence for Miguel Carcaño, Marta del Castillo’s killer
Shock as his three friends, who are thought to have helped dispose of the body, have been found not...
Catholic teacher wins 11 year battle for her job back
Resurrección lost her job after marrying a divorced man. Despite the court ruling the Bishopric has said she's not getting her...
Alfonso de Bourbon, who claimed to be King Alfonso XIII grandson killed by a dust cart in San Diego
The eccentric man, who renounced his claim to the Spanish throne in 1933, had the habit of searching through rubbish...
The Return Of The Invisible Man
Rumours that Mariano Rajoy had been kidnapped were clearly exaggerated. The great man finally emerged from hiding this week to give his first media interview...
Catalan fascists PxC: Immigrant kids want all the sweets
It wouldn't be a 'traditional' time of year without the Catalan fascist Plataforma Per Catalunya party making an absurd racist statement on Facebook. This year's...
Spain Weather – Friday January 13 2012
Persistent fog in the plains of the north and in inland Cataluña. Moderate freezing temperatures in the northern half of the...
Friday the 13th is most common 13th
I’ve always been fascinated by superstition, and friggatriskaidekaphobia – or, to be more clear, paraskevidekatriaphobia – strikes me as a particularly interesting one. The origin...
New proceedings in the Spanair Madrid crash
Family circumstances and the extent of injuries need to be established before compensation can be...
AIFOS boss now admits paying Juan Antonio Roca
The testimony from Jesús Ruiz Casado changed from Wednesday to Thursday in the Malaya...
Successful debt auction in Spain today
More than double the expected amount was placed as the treasury saw the demand, and lower interest rates were...
Spain Weather – Thursday January 12 2012
Strong winds in the Strait, locally persistent mist on the northern plains and in the Ebro valley. Moderate freezing temperatures at...
Jury hears Camps phone calls in court in the Gürtel suits case
Several calls were played to the court, and they show the friendship between Francisco Camps and his wife and the Gürtel businessman,...
Suspect arrested over woman found murdered in Fuengirola
He is understood to have been known to the victim, who has been identified as a woman from...
Tourist dies in accidental fall on Gran Canaria
The body of the 25 year old man from Finland was found on the roof of apartments in Playa del...
The Andalucía Regional Elections will be held on March 25
The date was given by the President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, in Málaga...
Francisco Camps hand picked 76 contracts for Gürtel companies
The case in Valencia is going further than the payment for Francisco Camps suits, as it looks at the contracts given to...
Leo Messi gets third FIFA Ballon D’OR
Messi gets his third FIFA Ballon D'OR in a row and thus joins an elite club of footballers. He was presented the trophy by Brazil...
Spain Papers Review – Wednesday January 11 2012
The interview given by the Prime Minister to the EFE news agency yesterday leads many of the...
Spain Weather – Wednesday January 11 2012
Freezing conditions could be moderate in parts of the northern half and centre of the...
The Decree to regularize houses in Andalucia – Don’t be dazzled by the fireworks
Maura Hillen, president of AUAN has described the decree to regularise houses on non urban land, approved today by the regional government,...
Spain beats its own record for organ transplants
More than 4,000 transplants were performed last year and there are now 35.3 donors for every one million...
Another tourist arrested for defacing the Alhambra
A woman from Switzerland faces charges for using her nails to carve a heart with initials in the Comares...
Gold treasure trove and millions in cash seized from Colombian drug dealers in Spain
The gang was finalising the details of a deal to sell half a ton of cocaine when they were...
Man wins compensation after Ryanair refuses to let him board
The passenger had been robbed of his DNI identity in the airport, but the airline would not accept the official report of...
Spain Weather – Tuesday January 10 2012
Freezing conditions could be moderate in parts of the northern half and centre of the...
Sunset Flock
During the months when the northern hemisphere of our pale blue dot on which I reside is leaning away from our stellar space heater, the...
The Burger
Here it is then. The bottom part is a BLT - bacon, lettuce and tomato sitting on a blob of mayonnaise and topped with melted...
Benidorm tobacconists warn of contraband tobacco on sale in British bars
They have warned that counterfeit cigarettes brought in from China can be seriously harmful to...
Junta de Andalucía subsidies allegedly spent on cocaine and partying
The chauffeur to an ex top ranking official in the regional government is under investigation for fraud in connection with Junta...
Andalucía illegal homes decree to be approved this week
Properties built on protected land or in dry river beds are however left out of the new...
Catalan Government could end the Moto GP and Formula One races at Montmeló
The events could be scrapped because of the financial situation of the Regional Generalitat...
Spain Papers Review – Monday January 9 2012
The PSOE leadership battle, and cocaine becomes part of the corruption allegations in...
Revealed, the identity of the horny apparition in the story of St Benedict, the blackbird, and the nettles
A 19th century Roman historian says she's from the Roman Merula (blackbird)...
Catalan nativity scenes in Vilanova i la Geltrú
It has become a new Christmas tradition for our family to visit the exhibition of nativity scenes (pessebres in Catalan) here in Vilanova i la...
An interpretation masterclass from Les Luthiers
An old favourite, via...
Rubalcaba and Chacón fight to lead the Socialist party
Both candidates got the 25 endorsements they needed in the meeting of the party's Federal...
Great Buns
There are few things on this earth that can beat a really good beefburger. Sadly, like pies, some of the things that get passed off...
What to do with all those extra MIDI outputs
amanda steggell: The Emotion Organ (2007) is a synaesthetic simulacrum machine where players can explore the sensational interplay of feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling and motion....
Dangerously cool (interactive) synths
I was thinking about simple visual metaphors to communicate organ works, but digressed. Cue Nick’s World of Synthezisers. Favourite quote, from the slinkyfied Springatron: “I...
Philip K. Dick We Can Build You
“Time has passed us by,” Maury said at once to me. “Our electronic organ is obsolete.” “You’re wrong,” I said. “The trend is actually toward...
Unnacompanied into the woods?
The other day someone gave me the (impeccable) English translation of Gabriel Tortella's classic El desarrollo de la España contemporánea. Historia económica de los siglos...
The Three Wise Men arriving in Igualada
In the evening January 5, the Three Wise Men (or Biblical Magi) are welcomed all around Catalonia and Spain and many places almost compete in...
Neighborhood Kings Day Fire
On Kings Day, my family woke up excited to see what presents the Magi had brought us. We looked out our sixth story window and...
Chino de los mandados = errand boy
Chinese because of his servility and/or size, or a genuine Indiana Jonesian Short Round? From Bogota, and perhaps relatively recent, but here (it reappeared) is...
Spain’s El Niño lottery travels outside Madrid for the first time
Friday's draw takes place in Cádiz to celebrate the bicentary of the 1812 Spanish Constitution and of the draw in the city...
Spanish PM to make his first appearance before Congress in February
Mariano Rajoy has decided to wait until his return from the EU summit to explain his government's economic...
Spain’s longest-serving common prisoner announces new hunger strike
Miguel Montes Neiro is protesting the delay in applying the pardon he was granted by the...
Two appeals against the José María del Nido sentence
The Sevilla Chairman was found guilty of invoicing facturas to Marbella Town Hall for work which was not carried...
Spain Weather – Thursday January 5 2012
Moderate to strong winds along the Cantabrian coast and in areas of the NE of the mainland and...
I asked my mother for fifty cents
When my parents last visited, I got to hear my mother sing songs to my daughter that I haven’t heard since I was a child...
New government commissioner for Lorca to visit the town next week
He is in charge of the plan of action following the double earthquake last May which killed 9...
New search for missing Córdoba children
Waste ground near the Guadalquivir River, close to their grandparents' finca, was being inspected on...
Woman arrested in Alicante for taking her young daughter out of the US
She shares her daughter's custody with her parents and was under a court order to not take the child outside El Paso...
Benalmádena rubbish strike called off
Management agreed at an arbitration meeting on Wednesday to withdraw the 30% salary reduction which had been...
French man dies in Santa Pola fire
He appears to have been overcome by the smoke while trying to put out the flames in his...
“Todo lo encuentro barato”
Josep Pla on the rich during the economic disaster of the...
Viral Video Idea: Skydiving Proposal Gone Wrong
The video starts with an attractive, rugged adventurous-looking guy and a group of his friends out in a corn field at night pushing around a...
Hospital Island, Menorca
Rabbit Island, King’s Island, Bloody Island, Hospital Island ….. the island which lies near the port of Mahón, the capital of Menorca,...
The Alhambra as the opening titles from Mission Impossible
1966, and here's series 1, episode 1 of the Strine Bond: Let's rewrite that: Good morning, Mr. Irving, Your mission, Washington, should you decide to accept it,...
SWE: Penedès i januari; Evenemangs- och kulturkalender
1:a januari Spanien Allmän helgdag: Nyårsdagen Mer på spanska 5:e januari Igualada (Anoia); 18.00-21.00; i stadskärnan De Tre Vise Männens parad: Cavalcada dels Reis Mags Igualadas Festes dels Reis hör till de...
Mariano Rajoy takes up the reins of power, but where is he?
Typically Spanish Editor, Howard Brereton, thinks Mariano Rajoy should explain to the public why he has broken his promise not to put...
Spain’s telecommunications companies fall short on customer support
A new study has shown that their service and that offered by electricity providers does not meet minimum...
A Córdoba town sets a new record with the world’s longest bar of chocolate
The 250 metre slab produced in Montilla has been broken up into 9,500 portions and sold off for...
Granada Alhambra opens the Emperor’s Chambers to the public
The rooms were also used by Washington Irving during his stay in the Alhambra and are open to visits throughout this...
New Education Minister wants to see big changes
José Ignacio Wert, says a new national agreement is needed and more attention has to be paid to...
José Antonio Reyes heading to Sevilla
Negotiations are still underway but reports indicate the player is set to make the move from Atlético de...
RUS: Пенедес в январе 2012 – Календарь событий
1 января Испания Общественный праздник: Новый год Подробная информация на испанском языке 5 января Игуаладa (Анойя); в 18:00-21:00 ч.; в центре города Парад трех царей / волхвов (Каспар, Мельхиор и Бальтазар):...
GER: Penedès im Januar 2012 – Veranstaltungskalender
1. Januar Spanien Feiertag: Neujahr Mehr auf Spanisch 5. Januar Igualada (Anoia); von 18.00 bis 21.00 Uhr; Stadtzentrum Parade der heiligen drei Könige: Cavalcada dels Reis Mags Die Festes dels Reis in...
Three day strike for Benalmádena dustmen
The stoppage is planned to start on Wednesday, and a last minute meeting is taking place...
Free self-guided walk from Barcelona airport to Barcelona
Via the Llobregat delta, the Mercabarna wholesale food market, the Nissan car factory, a lively Sunday clothes market, decaying light industry and remains of slums,...
Interview with North Korea’s Spanish Lord Haw Haw
Alejandro Cao de Benós must have made a bit over the years from the travel agency monopoly for those whose belief in sadosocialism goes beyond...