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 .."