Author: Ben

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Spain Glossary Spanish Culture and News

Chapuza – NFS Glossay

Chapuza

Chapuza – A Spanish word for those little DIY jobs around the house (that rarely get done in this one!), and for DIY or building type work that tends to have been done rather badly.

Take the situation in the communal hallway outside our front door, as seen in the photo above. The wires on the right are feeding electricity out of a neighbours house (who has not lived there for years), into the communal passageway lights (err, isn’t that techinically theft?) They have been like this for some time, and as you can see, the haphazard way they are hanging from the ceiling indicates a chapuza total – a hack job done quickly to save time. Still, seeing as the electricians in charge come back looking completely drunk after lunch every day, this is probably a fairly impressive piece of work – it’s a wonder they haven’t electrocuted themselves by now!

Anyway, learning to live with chapuzas on a national level is one of the joys of living in Spain, and it’s my duty as a long term resident to try to fit in. At least that’s what I tell Marina when she comes home from work and declares my latest plumbing/carpentry/painting job not quite up to industry standard. Oh but is, I tell her, just take a look outside our front door 😉

(Got a photo of a great Spanish chapuza? Send it in!)

Categories
Spain Travel

There’s nothing like a good Spanish fiesta: Bilbao

This photo, which I found in the NFS Flickr Group, completely sums up the joys of a Spanish summer fiesta. I thought it was just what’s needed on a cold winter’s day (in Madrid it’s pretty cold anyway!) The photo was taken by pikaluk, whose partner David explains here what is going on:

“We were in Spain in 2002 and just happened across the festival in Bilbao. It centred around the town hall and I think there was some tradition of using the large mannequins (are they called ‘geants’?) to rush the first-floor, the winning team being the first to get their giant inside, up the stairs and out onto the balcony overlooking the square. Everyone was spraying fizzy wine of some sort (doubt it was champagne) over each other and hurling flour. It was exceedingly good-natured – bit of a surprise for me, never having been to Spain before, expecting any large near-riot to turn nasty and instead just finding it fun. It was just before Batasuna was proscribed – or just after -and the Batasuna HQ was on the square, and there was a vaguely political tinge to the affair.”

Categories
Spanish Culture and News

Save the Duero – Sign the petition

From http://www.savetheduero.com:

“Save the Duero is a group of concerned citizens and wineries who have gathered together in the fight against a potentially disastrous decision recently made by the Spanish government. Internationally renowned wineries in the Appellation of Ribera del Duero in the region of Castilla y Leon, Spain, are facing a critical situation that threatens to destroy the unique territory that lays claim to some of the world’s greatest wines.”

Basically they want to build a 6 lane motorway through some of the finest wine land in the Duero region. More info and a petition to sign over at www.savetheduero.com

Categories
Spanish Culture and News

Favourite all time Spaniards?

Have you seen the post in the forum about great all time Spaniards from the past?

My favourite so far is this suggestion from forum member teapotmonk:

“I’m drawn towards Padre Jose Maria Llanos, who for those not familiar with the man, spearheaded, in the 1950’s, a group of catholic adolescents to ‘molestar’ smooching couples in parks and to remove amorous postcards from kiosks – as part of his reactionary crusade against immorality. He even played a role as Franco’s spiritual guide for a while. So why does he get my vote?

Well, in late 1956, after digesting a breakfast of churros and a copy of ABC, he underwent a sudden and immediate crisis of direction both politically and spiritually. Something that occurs to me too if I overdo the churros. Overnight he became a militant communist (an illegal organisation at the time), erased his falange and francoist past and left the reactionary crusade business to work as a missionary in one of the numerous shanty towns on the outskirts of Madrid.”

Who would you add to the list?

Categories
Notes from Spain Podcast Spain Travel

Monasterio de Piedra – Notes from Spain Podcast 53


[Download MP3]

Monasterio de piedra

Ben and Marina visit a stunning area of natural parkland full of waterfalls, just off the road from Madrid to Barcelona (Road map here).

More photos over at Flickr

Categories
notes

“Spain Shared” – ‘by Ben’ – new writers at NFS

The idea behind NFS has always been to make one of the best websites on the net about Spain. And to involve you lot as much as possible – hence the forum and the Flickr group. With this in mind there was one clear winner in the recent forum discussion on a new motto for this site: Notes from Spain – “Spain Shared”. Thanks Greytop! I’ll add it to the header pic soon.

You may also notice that this post now says who wrote it. That’s because Marina and I recently decided that another great way to keep moving in the right direction was to get more talented people involved in putting great posts on this, the front page of the site. After all, much as we’d love to, the two of us can’t give you an idea of everything that’s happening in this wonderful country all on our own – we just don’t get out of Madrid enough!

So, we’d like to welcome our first contributor, Dave Hall, who will be sending us his own notes from Barcelona. Dave, who many of you know as Pepino in the forum, recently arrived in Barcelona and has a great eye for the fascinating side of life in Spain. Keep an eye out for Dave’s first post later today, and for more contributors in the coming months.

Categories
notes

If you are in Madrid this weekend… “Mercado Palma 69” Christmas market

1. It should be a lovely sunny weekend so it’s a great excuse for a walk around the wonderful barrio of Malasaña…

2. … where you’ll find a great little market run by local shops from the barrio, at Calle la Palma 69, full of wonderful home made clothes – far classier than anything you’ll find at on the Calle Serrano.

3. It’s open from 12 pm until 11 pm, until Sunday 17th

4. Say hi to Chris, a friend of mine, at the Frutas de Estacion stall, and get some more of your Christmas shopping out of the way!

Categories
Spanish Culture and News

Now I understand why Telefonica doesn’t give a damn.

Just about every dealing I have had with Telefonica has ended in extreme annoyance, large bills, or infuriating delays. I know I claimed in the expat manifesto that it is no good complaining about life in your adoptive country, but Telefonica has pushed more than the occasional expat and just about every telecommunicating Spaniard to the limit of their patience at one time or another.

And today it became crystal clear that this may never change. Why bother with the angry little consumer who should have had his ADSL line installed last week when you are busy buying your way into China? Why worry about honouring that 2 week domestic line installation promise when you are the largest corporation in Spain and the fourth largest telecommunications company in the world (source: wikipedia)? It’s all about infrastructure. If you own the wires – and they do in most of Spain and much of South America – then you call the shots. As Borat would say, ‘Nice!’

Categories
Living in Spain

The end of an affair? Brits may stop moving to Spain…

Yes, I find it hard to believe too, but I’ve spent the last 10 mins (unsuccessfully) trying to research the source of an article on Expatica.com that claims the UK Government is warning Brits about the realities of growing old in Spain.

“British officials in Spain are devoting more and more time to elderly Britons who cannot manage alone. Many of those who come for help have neither learnt Spanish nor learnt about how the welfare system works.”

Note to Expatica, please link to your sources! Like this!

Anyway, the result of the googling was very a interesting article on thisismoney.co.uk entitled ‘We don’t love Spain anymore‘. According to the article:

“Britain’s long property love-affair with Spain is going cold. UK nationals who emigrated with dreams of a carefree retirement are returning home in increasing numbers… Experts say there are several factors behind the change of heart. These include:

• Widespread corruption among planning officials that could result in properties being repossessed.

• Rising crime and noise pollution.

• Reports of older expats living in squalor because of the lack of care provision.

• An influx of too many Brits destroying the local culture.”

Of course the comment about Brits destroying the local culture, which in turn stops other Brits from moving here, is ironic to say the least. Or maddening. But, there is a valid point here, and one that has been made before: make sure you know just what you are letting yourself in for before you leave for a knew life in Spain. Or more importantly, make sure you have an “exit stratergy” in case things don’t go as planned (don’t mention the war!)

Categories
Cuisine from Spain Podcast Spanish Food and Drink

Pollo en Pepitoria – Cuisine from Spain Podcast 18


[Download MP3]

This wonderful Castillian chicken dish seemed to go down quite well in the Catalan kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 Kg (4.4 Pounds) of Chicken (Drum sticks and thighs)
1 Chopped onion
3 Garlic cloves chopped roughly
3 Boiled eggs
2 Bouquet Garnis (or 2 bay leafs)
White wine (1 ½ glasses)
Water (1 ½ glasses)
White Flour (Enough to cover a plate)
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

Start by sprinkling salt over each piece of chicken and coating them in flour. Cover the bottom of a cast-iron frying pan with olive oil and let it heat up. When the oil starts to smoke, fry the pieces of chicken lightly in two lots for about 5 minutes each, then take them out and leave them on one side on a plate.

Using the same oil (or if there is too much oil get rid of about 1/3) cook the onion and garlic over a low heat with the bouquet garni for about 15 minutes. Next add the wine and water and leave to boil for 10 minutes, allowing the flavours to come out. Then add the chicken, check it is completely covered by the liquid (if not, add some more water), and cook everything very slowly for 30 minutes. Finally, chop the egg whites and crumble the egg yolks before adding them to the stew, and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes and a green vegetables.


Above: Bouquet Garni from Terrasa market