One of the county’s most famous singers, Rocio Jurado, died this week. Details here (and more detailed reports and bios in Spanish here.)
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Author: Ben
‘La Sexta’, the Spanish TV channel with the rights to show the world cup in Spain, has commissioned ‘El Koala’ to rewrite one of his chart-topping songs, to provide a fitting theme. Here it is, “Opa vamos a por el Mundial” (Let’s win the world cup!) (direct link):
And here, in turn, is a (much better) overdub/rewrite, showing the real faith the Spaniards have in the chances of their national team. Presenting, “Opá, no viavé el mundial” (I won’t be watching the World Cup!) (direct link):
I’m surprised the World Cup hasn’t been mentioned in the forums yet, oh well, here goes!
I pick up most of my on-line news on Spain from three sources: El Mundo (one of Spain’s biggest daily papers), Expatica, and Newsvine (all fed into my RSS reader, Bloglines). Are there any I’m missing? Do you have a favourite source of Spanish news?
Comment below or in the thread I’ve started on this in the forums.
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NFS Flickr Group Pic of the Month
Look at the colour of that earth! This was taken in the Ribera del Duero region, but you see striking soil colours all over Spain, especially the rusty reds you find on the way down to Valencia from Madrid. Thanks to Cata Vino for posting the image (you may want to check out his great site on Spanish wine too.)
Honourable mentions should also go to Enrique NYC for his Semana Santa pics and Pau.cc for his panoramics (click through to his site to see them move – very cool!) There were many more excellent images posted this month, but I can’t choose all of them!
Keep ’em coming, the NFS Flickr group is really getting going!
Technorati Tags: photography, Spain
As the temperatures rise in Madrid, Marina decides it’s time for that summer classic, Gazpacho!
Ingredients (4 people)
1 Kg of Ripe Tomatoes
1 Italian Green Pepper
1 Cucumber
1 Medium Onion
1 Medium Garlic Clove
1 Slice of bread
1 Small glass of water (Wine size)
1 Teaspoon of salt
2 Dessert spoons of Vinegar
6 Dessert spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparation
Place all the tomatoes (except one), cut into quarters, in the blender, with a slice about 5 cm wide of green pepper, a slice about 5 cm wide of peeled cucumber, half of the onion and the garlic. Then blend for 5 minutes or until the mixture is completely smooth. Then add the water and salt and mix again. Taste to check that the salt is ok, then add the vinegar and mix again. Finally when the vinegar level is ok, add the olive oil and mix in at a slow setting until it mixes in completely.
Let it cool in the fridge for a few hours before serving. It can be served either as a drink in a glass or as a starter in a bowl with garnish or "pispirrisâ€. To prepare the pispirris cut the tomato, the remaining green pepper and cucumber, half an onion and a slice of bread into very small cubes then place each in a separate bowl. Take these bowls to the table in a tray and let each person choose what they want to add to their own Gazpacho.
Comment on/discuss this podcast in the forums.
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Princess Leticia and Spanish TV
Princess Leti does a Marilyn, somthing you just can’t get away with on Spanish TV! (Direct link)
Marina and Ben visit the Feria del Libro (book fair) in the Retiro park and discuss the rise of the book in post-Franco Spain. The image above is of Mario Vargas LLosa, author of the extremely powerful ‘Feast of the Goat’. Other titles mentioned include ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ and ‘The New Spaniards‘ by John Hooper.
Comment on/discuss this episode in the forums.
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10 years old and still one of the clearest insights into the sociology and culture of Modern Spain available today. A must. After the death of Franco, Spain underwent social and cultural changes on a level previously unseen anywhere else in Europe. One moment it was illegal to kiss in public, a year later the streets were awash with liberalism, democracy, creativity, pornography, and reemerging cultural distinctions. This incredibly informative book really is essential to an understanding of how Spain made that change. Pick up a copy at: Amazon.co.uk (Europe)  Amazon.com (USA)<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=booksonspainc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0140131914" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" |
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A photo from out recent trip to Ibiza. Photo by Ben.
Isn’t that a lyric from a Beatles song? Lennon and McCartney must have been on holiday in Spain when they wrote it. The point is this: when you pass a neighbour in the street in the UK, you say ‘Hello’, or ‘Morning’ to each other. In the same situation the Spanish will usually say ‘Hasta Luego’, or ‘Adios’ (See you later/Bye…) to each other as they pass.
Plus, it is a common to say ‘Buenas Noches’ (Good Night) when you walk into a house/bar/restaurant at night, a phrase I would only use just before heading for bed. I wonder if that tells us anything about the two cultures…
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 