Spain drew 1-1 with Serbia last night, putting their chances of playing in the next world cup in serious jeopardy. They have the best domestic league in the world, but when it comes to international games, they are rubbish.
I’ve even heard this blamed on the old inter-regional problems polemic – the Basques don’t like the Madrileños, who don’t like the Catalans etc., meaning that it is impossible for them to play well together – but that sounds a little far-fetched…
It seems to me this crisis is being totally mismanaged. Perhaps the most rousing attack I have heard was by the Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, in a radio interview. This is a must-listen piece of audio. Click here to listen.
I would be very interested in any comments on the situation from American readers of this blog. Use the comments link below to let me know what you think. Thanks. I really hope they get this sorted out ASAP.
Hmmm… that sounds like a title from a book… Anyway, we are on holiday on a small island near Ibiza, surrounded by white sandy beaches and swimming pool seas… Tomorrow we head for 5 days in the UK, from where we hope to upload the latest podcast (back in English again this time), and our whereabouts now will be fully revealed!
Right, back to the beach! Hasta luego!
The photo at the top of the page is of a Moorish castle on the Almerian coast, in the Cabo de Gata National Park – one of the dryest, wildest, stoniest, most scorpion-infested and beautiful parts of the coast of Spain.
The podcasts are going to be carrying on, hopefull at a rate of about three or four per month minimum, but I’ve had positive responses to the idea of vidcasts (or vcasts or video casts – just what are they called?) So now my thoughts are, what to put in a vid cast? I was thinking of short snippets on aspects of Spanish life, not me in front of a camera with a microphone, but something visually impressive – which makes me wonder where the video comes in when a stills camera does that so well already? So, beyond a few thoughts of my own, I’d love to hear from anyone with ideas of what a Notes from Spain vidcast should consist of, and if you have any requests for the podcasts or the blog while we’re at it, then all are really welcome!
Leave comments on this post or email me if you prefer. And thanks in advance for any input!
Could it be true? Apparently showers are expected right about now in Madrid. I haven’t seen it rain properly (more than a few drops on about two occasions) for around 9 months. Sometimes it seems like it will never rain again.
And yet not once have we been told to ration our water. The council continues to wash the streets at night with thousands of litres of water, golf courses and sierra house owners keep pouring water onto their grass… even London has had to drop its water pressure this summer to avoid loosing too much precious water to leaks… But no one seems worried here. The resevoirs keep going down, more golf courses keep opening up (65 new ones are planned in Valenica by 2015, and this is a region threatened in the long term by desertification!)
Well, let’s see if it manages to rain – I hope so, it always makes me feel nostalgic for those rainy days in the UK…
Back after a trip to the Uk, wondering if video-casting might be a potentially interesting addition to the Notes From Spain set up… The podcasts will continue no matter what, but it’s only a matter of time until it’s just as feasible to download video as it is audio. So would anyone be interested in seeing the occasional bit of video footage of all things Spanish? I’m thinking outloud, but comments are welcome if you have any ideas… How to do it anyway? Must start investigating….
I am no longer an English teacher, wow, I think that deserves a celebratory podcast! Working full-time from home now as a translator and jack of various other trades (web design, writing… podcasting!…)
Slightly concerned about going mad with no-one to talk to all day – anyone out there who works from home got any tips on that? So far so good anyway.
“…the Tube’s great these days – not nearly as busy and nearly always a seat to be had.”
From JH, London based businessman.
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 