Where in the world did Marina and I spot this Dali elephant today? (Clue – it wasn’t in Spain!) 10 points for the first correct answer in the comments below! Meanwhile, the NFS Flickr group continues to grow, there are nearly 80 photos in there now and it’s time to pick another monthly winner. So, have a flickr through the images and help us choose this month’s best. Gracias!
The week’s headlines from the travel blog network at Blogads, a group of the best independent travel blogs on the web:
– Far away, so close! – Beijing, China (Travel Blogs)
– Copenhagen: Have Booze, Will Binge (Shortcut)
– Video Episode 2 – Driving Tour of San Francisco (time-lapse) (Amateur Traveler Podcast)
– College Town Getaways: Berkeley’s Classy Shopping (Womantraveler)
– Revived Morgan Library blends old with new (NewYorkology)
iAudioguide.com has a free mp3 audioguide to Barcelona. I haven’t had time to check it out yet (… currently weighed down by a 150 page powerpoint translation from hell…) but if anyone uses it some time do come back and tell us what you think.
1. You will live longer. Spaniards have the highest longevity rate in Europe, and some studies suggest that this is simply because they have so much fun. The willingness to have a good time, all of the time, is reason enough to move to Spain alone, but if you live longer as a result? Fantastic! Of course the famed Mediterranean diet helps too.
2. Learning the lingo. With a bit of effort you will quickly become fluent in Spanish, and eventually as close as damn it to bilingual. Bilingual people are also said to stay saner longer in old age, something to do with using more of your brain, so, combine that with point 1 and once again, like the Spanish, you’re laughing!
3. Broadening horizons. Living abroad for a while cannot help but broaden your perspective on life. As you compare Spain’s vibrant culture to your own, enjoy new sensations, hear new music, see new film, you will learn a little bit more about the world than you knew before. Plus, overcoming intitial cultural and linguistic barriers strengthens hitherto wasted degrees of independence and confidence.
4. Not forgetting… the climate, the tapas, the fiestas, the outdoor lifestyle, the diversity of the landscapes, the wine, the sea, trains that run on time, no fighting on Friday nights when the bars shut, great domestic football/soccer, world class art, Flamenco, Andalucia, Cordero Asado…. etc…
5. It can only go wrong. Inertia is what stops many a potential ex-pat from making the break to Spain, that and fear of the unknown. But really, how bad can it be? What can possibly go wrong? You can turn round and head back to your old life whenever you want. But you probably won’t, beleive me 😉 I came for a month, and have nearly racked up 8 years…
Did I miss anything? Comment below >
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An edge-of-your-seat look at the snuff movie phenomenon and a real Spanish classic. A young student at a university in Madrid is preparing her thesis on screen violence when she accidentally comes across a terrifying video of a sadistic murder. Is there a link between this and the girls that have been disappearing from her college over the last few years? And which one of the two new men in her life is hiding a dark secret? So good its a wonder Hollywood hasn’t re-made it yet… Pick up a copy at: Amazon.co.uk (Europe)  Amazon.com (USA)  |
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Amor, love, has been voted the most beautiful word in Spain by over 3,000 voters, a clear winner in the Escuela de Escritores competition to find the most beautiful word in Spanish. Second place went to libertad (freedom), followed by paz (peace), vida (life), azahar (orange blossom), esperanza (hope), madre (mother), mamá (mum), amistad (friendship) and libélula (dragonfly).
The top 26 are listed on the Escuela website, but why not join us in the forums, where we’re putting together a list of our own.
This is a simple, healthy specialty from Cordoba, prepared and served cold, and ideal when the weather starts to warm up.
Ingredients
1 Kg of tomatoes
1 garlic clove
A 10 cm chunk of white baguette (it’s ok if its hard/a few days old)
2 tbs Vinegar
1/8 litre of Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 Boiled egg (optional)
100 gr of chopped up serrano ham (optional)
Preparation
This recipe really needs the use of a powerful blending machine – if you don’t have one you can use a hand mixer as long as you use a "pasapures†(mouli) in the final stage.
Start by immersing the bread in a bowl full of water, then wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. When the bread has softened, get it out of the bowl and get rid of the excess liquid by squeezing it with your hands, then place it along with the tomatoes in the mixer jar.
Add a peeled garlic clove cut into quarters, a pinch of salt and then start your machine for 4 to 6 minutes.
Check the texture, it should be quite thick, but if you think it’s too dense for your taste then you can add from 1/2 to 1 glass of cold water. To do so start the mixer and add the water little by little stopping every now and again to check if the texture is right.
Taste for salt and add more if needed, start the machine for a few seconds so it mixes properly and repeat the procedure until the salt is just right.
Then proceed to add the vinegar, again start the machine for few seconds to allow proper mixing. Stop the machine and taste again, if you think it needs a little bit more, add more vinegar.
Finally, add the oil gradually, starting the machine at a low speed setting. Again, stop to taste.
I know it might be annoying to start-stop so many times but I find that is the only way to get the taste that one likes, which as a matter of fact also depends on the acidity of the tomatoes, so the taste might vary each time. It is also important to follow the order, for example water should always be added before the oil.
To present the Salmorejo, serve in small bowls or small earthenware dishes. You can eat it alone, or for a more filling dish you can add a spoonful of boiled egg chopped very finely and/or a spoonful of serrano ham, also cut into very small pieces – these are sprinkled onto each bowl just before serving.
– Marina
Franco bilingual, who’d have thought it? Prizes for anyone who can actually work out what he’s talking about…
If you’re in Madrid this Thursday and feeling cultural, it’s book night from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Well-known Spanish writers including Soledad Puértolas and Javier Reverte will be reading and signing their latest offerings in bookshops around the city, and hosting ‘tertulias‘ (literary chats) in famous venues such as Café Gijon and Café Central. There are street concerts as well, including soprano Teresa Loring and pianist David Mason in Plaza Velazquez (next to the Prado museum, at 8.30 p.m.), Big Band jazz in the Plaza Mayor (6.30 p.m.), a string quartet in the Puerta del Sol (7.30 p.m.), and ‘gipsy swing’ in Plaza de Santa Ana (8 p.m.)
For more details (in Spanish) check out elmundo.es
— Marina
I know this isn’t exactly pleasant news about Spain, but I feel obliged to follow up on the story about the government’s shock tactic attempts to reduce road deaths ahead of the Easter holidays. Last year the total number of deaths over the Easter week was 105. This year? At midnight last night, Sunday, when nearly everyone should have been home in time for work today, the total was running at 101. What can you say? What can be done? Time for new tactics next year, that’s all.
Horror photos, a video, and debate (in Spanish) over at elmundo.es.
Update: Official total is 107, two more than last year…
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 