Raining In Valencia - The Gota Fria

It's the time of year again when the floods take everyone by surprise, schools get closed to the pleasure of the teachers after all they have been working for almost a month since their last holiday and the next one is still two weeks away, roads get cut off, garages get flooded and images of floating cars drift across our TV screens. The Gota Fria has got to Valencia.

So for those who are unsure what then is the Gota Fria? It is a breaking of the summer that arrives in Monsoon fashion and results in things like those shown in the video below. Enjoy it and remember this usually lasts just a few days up to a maximum of a week or a week and a half in the worst case scenario. Be prepared for the Gota Fria but remember that Valencia gets about 300 days of sunshine per year to enjoy talking about how bad the Gota Fria was this year.



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Oh and by the way here is an explanation about how my other site "Houses For Sale in Spain" works

Free Computers For All

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

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

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

Fallas Photos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 .."