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Notes from Spain Podcast Spain Travel

Las Fallas – Notes from Spain podcast 57


[Download MP3]

Las Fallas, Falleras

Recovering from just one day at Las Fallas this year means that is has taken me nearly 5 days to get this podcast, video, photos etc together. I highly recommend listening to the podcast before you watch the video below, but that may be just a personal preference – I always find it better to let audio work on the imagination before seeing the real thing!

Bits and bobs:

Las Fallas, Falleras

More Fallas photos can be found in our Flickr set

31 dogs go missing (Spanish article) in Las Fallas, scared out of their wits by endless explosions!

Spartan edge has some more great photos and a video of a buning Falla.

Wikipedia has more on the history of the event.

Come and join the discussion in our forum!

Categories
Spanish Culture and News

Seville worried about hooligans ruining party

Maundy thursday, April 5th, is one of the big days in Seville’s Semana Santa Calendar. Easter processions will be taking place across a packed city that takes itself very, very seriously at this time of the year. The processions themselves involve solemn lines of devotees dressed in robes that look alarmingly like the Klu Klux Klan’s official garb, something which must be exceedingly annoying for the Spanish, who obviously dressed like this first. These parades will be spectated upon by the rest of the city, who all turn out in their best smocks and suits.

So what happens when you drop a few thousand drunken English football louts into this staunchly traditionalist environment, at a time of year when even simple tourists in shorts and T-shirts are practically hissed off the streets? Well, we are about to find out. April 5th sees a home game in the city between Sevilla FC and Tottenham Hotspur. Seville town council has asked football’s governing body, UEFA, to reschedule the match to another date after Easter, and, much to the town council’s horror, UEFA said no. As one of the tourists that has been tutted at for daring to dress down at Easter in this often obnoxiously precocious city, I am tempted to say ‘Bring it on!’ But that would be childish. Let’s hope both parties behave with dignity and mutual respect on this important occasion. Some chance of that! 😉

More in Spanish here.

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500 things Spain Travel

500 things: Taking it easy in Murcia city

You still have ten days left to enter our competition and help us make a fantastic book about the very best things to do in Spain. Debbie Jenkins, from www.NativeSpain.com sent in the latest entry, about Plaza Cardinal Belluga, in Murcia City:

“Nothing could be more relaxing than making the short drive into the city on a Sunday morning, and sitting in the Plaza Cardinal Belluga with your newspaper (La Verdad for Marcus and El Semanal for me – I like the pictures!) and a coffee and tostadas, watching the world go by. On many occasions we’ve been entertained by marching bands, balloon sellers or by watching cars magically appear out of buildings.”

The region of Murcia (map) is off the map for many travelers to Spain, but is increasingly popular with British holiday makers and second home buyers. Do you know anything else about the region? A Murcia secret you’d like to enter into the 500 things to do before you die competition?

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Spain Travel

“Take me there”

Kaliyoga

“Oh my God, take me there” was Marina’s reaction when she saw this photo, by Fred Shively. Now I have always had a funny relationship with yoga – I’ve taken it up and dropped it again three times in the last 4 years – but I’m right behind her on this one. How relaxing does that look?! Sitting high in the Alpujarras, south of Granada, with that view? Yes please! The photo was taken at Kaliyoga retreat if you feel in need of such an experience yourself…

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notes

Did you know about the Spanish videoblogs?

Just in case you missed the video blogging action over at Notes in Spanish – come and join in the fun!

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notes

Expat Interviews.com

asked me some questions…

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Spanish Culture and News

If you will play with bulls…

…you are going to get hurt. Yes, it’s the start of the goring bullfighting season again!

From Reuters:

In Valencia, Spanish matador Fernando Cruz remains in a serious condition after being gored twice during the fourth bullfight of the Fallas season in Valencia, Spain. The bull left a 20 centimetre deep incision in the bullfighters left buttock leaving his femur bone open to the air, while the second broke his scrotum.

There’s a video too!

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500 things Notes from Spain Podcast Spain Travel

Notes from Spain Podcast 56 – A Year in Europe


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La Cartuja

Ben and Marina talk to Scott and Sheryl who gave up everything for a year on the road, and have just spent two months in Andalusia. To follow them as they continue on their adventures check out the great posts and podcasts at ayearineurope.com, and Scott’s photos on Flickr. The image above comes from Scott’s La Cartuja Flickr set, taken at the semi-abandoned Seville Expo site we discuss on the podcast. Would you consider giving up everything to make a trip like this? Let us know in the forum or comments below…

Scott also came up with an entry for our 500 things competition (keep the entries coming in!):

La Mesquita in the Morning

Experiencing one of the jewels of Mudejar Andalucia is something you’ll never forget. Make your way to Cordoba and visit La Mesquita first thing in the morning, right at opening time. As you walk through the courtyard you are teased by the bricked up Moorish arches that were originally open to the interior. When you enter through the tall wooden doors, and once your eyes adjust to the darkness, you’ll see what makes this place so breathtaking. Stretching seemingly into infinity is a forest of columns, connected by graceful white and red arches and dimly lit by hanging chandeliers. Wander through the streams of morning light, splashing pools of color onto the marble floor. If you’re lucky, you’ll pass through a wisp of orange incense in the air. Inside La Mesquita, you are transported to another time where you experience a special piece of ancient Spain. It is magic.

Mesquia, Cordoba

Photos above © Scott Andress

Categories
Spain Travel

I am not a tourist!

The best way to avoid being pick-pocketed, ripped off, abused even more by taxi drivers etc is, conventional wisdom would have it, not to look too much like a tourist. How do you achieve this? According to Dave Hall (aka Pepino) in a must read forum post on the subject:

“Avoid the absolute worst fashion crimes below, and you’ll be well on your way.

  • Dress for the season you’re in
  • Don’t have too much flesh on show (unless you’re on the beach)
  • Bikini tops are for the beach only (not for walking around shopping centres)
  • Wear subtle jewellery or single pieces of funky large accessories (not dripping in gold)
  • Try to avoid the typical British "combats/trainers/white socks/vest top” look (although, one individual part combined with something else can be absolutely fine)
  • Be careful with Burberry checks. Burberry’s still a great brand, but their famous check pattern has been hijacked by Chavs, so don’t touch it.
  • If you’re American, avoid the "nautical” look and DO NOT wear a plastic sun visor…. Ever! jeje
  • At the moment, big sunglasses are still very cool (Posh Spice’s are bigger than her head these days!)
  • No cheesewire knickers on show.”

What’s your top tip for blending in whilst in Spain?

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notes

An open letter to Easyjet

Dear Easyjet,

I am generally very happy with the service you provide between Madrid and London Gatwick. You even seem to have the ridiculous queuing system under control these days, with far fewer examples of the undignified and totally uncontrolled rush to get on the plane that were so characteristic of many of your flights last year. I suppose that since you introduced the ‘Speedy Boarding’ concept (money for nothing, great business idea), with people paying extra to get on first, you have to be careful about ruffling feathers.

Last night I sat with my wife on the 4.55pm Gatwick-Madrid plane, amused that we had missed our take-off slot as the stewards couln’t work out why there were four too many people on the plane. Turns out your check in staff were to blame, they let four more people through at the last minute but didn’t tell the gate dispatcher… could happen to anyone! Still, we were relaxed enough, pleased to see the captain giving passengers a quick tour of the cockpit until it was time to turn the engines on and head off once air traffic control gave us the all clear.

So far so good, just one request. If possible, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use catering firms who put caterpillars in their sandwiches. It quite put me off my red wine and mini-cheddars. In fact, having got two mouthfuls into my ‘soft cheese wrap’ before I discovered the bright green little fellow in the middle of the packaging (he had had a couple of bites of my wrap too by the way), I nearly had to reach for that little-used waxy paper bag found in the pocket behind your occasionally readable in-flight magazine. Thanks for the £ 3.50 refund and the offer, declined, of the replacement sandwich, but if it would be possible to do without the caterpillar next time, I’d be grateful.

Best wishes,

Ben Curtis, frequent easyJet traveller