Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis

Notes from Spain Podcast no. 31 – Travel Answers

Post author By Ben
Post date February 12, 2006

Thank Goodness, another Notes from Spain podcast at last! We answer questions put to us on travel and life in Spain. Here is some of the info we promised to put on the blog:

Our favourite restaurant in Madrid: Taberna Miranda on Plaza Conde de Miranda

Nice, and cheap, hotels in Spain: NH and Tryp Hotels, and in Madrid,
Hostal Barrera on Calle Atocha – 55 euros for a double, phone number: 91 527 53 81, and the Hostal Macarena.

An amazing place to visit in May is the Sierra de Aracena, and partcularly the town of Almonaster la Real (an hour west of Seville and an hour north of Huelva).

See the in-madrid.com classifieds for a place to find intercambios.

Was this podcast interesting? Please let us know in the comments below!

Technorati Tags: spain, podcast, vacations, holidays, tips

Escape artists and Travelogues Spain Books

Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia

Post author By Ben
Post date February 12, 2006

		Chris Stewart really does live the broken-down-farmhouse dream. Lost in a river valley in rural Andalusia, he renovates his home with basic local materials, sheers sheep, and bemuses the bemusing locals. This book rightly deserved the huge success it enjoyed when first published in the UK, and marked something of a resurgence in ex-pats tales from Spain. Pick up a copy at: Amazon.co.uk (Europe) Amazon.com (USA)

Fiction Spain Books

For whom the bell tolls

Post author By Ben
Post date February 9, 2006

		More classic Hemingway. Set in the pine-covered hills beyond Madrid during the civil war, the American Robert Jordan joins a group of rebels hiding out from fascist forces, and sets out to blow up a bridge in time for a big Republican attack. All the typical Hemingway elements are here, bravado, earth-moving romance, glory, death and tragedy. An incredibly evocative slice of historical fiction which is almost impossible to put down once started. Pick up a copy at: Amazon.co.uk (Europe) Amazon.com (USA)

notes

This isn’t podfade, we promise!

Post author By Ben
Post date February 8, 2006

‘Podfading‘, whereby podcasters just give up and let that poscast slide, is not what’s happening with Notes From Spain, worry not! What is happening is total stress in the lead up to my India trip next week, and work overload for Marina. So, the travel hints podcast has been re-scheduled (for the last time!) for this Sunday… Still time for any more questions you would like answered on travel in Spain – why not record an audio question to send to us?

By the way, 43 folders, where I picked up the new word in the title, is a great website for helping to keep life stress free and, for converts like me, Getting Things Done.

notes

Still time (’til Sunday) for more travel questions.

Post author By Ben
Post date February 7, 2006

We still haven’t recorded this week’s Notes from Spain podcast, so there’s still time to include questions on anything you’d like to know about travel in Spain! Just add to the comments on the previous requests post here.

Technorati Tags: spain, vacation

Spanish Culture and News

Treasure hunting in Spain = Piracy!

Post author By Ben
Post date February 7, 2006

‘Pirates’ (Two Hungarian men and one American woman) were arrested this weekend for salvaging buried treasure off the South coast of Spain. Whereas in many countries it is legitimate to retrieve buried treasure from the sea floor, in Spain, where an estimated 1.5 billion dollars worth of loot lies amongst the sunken galleons, it is an arrestable offense.

But piracy? Well, according to the Guardian, apart from a few 17th century canon balls and Roman anchors, they did have five M-16s and a shotgun on board…

p.s. I picked this story up on a very interesting new news site called Newsvine. It’s still in private beta phase, but if anyone wants an invite, just e-mail me.

Technorati Tags: spain, piracy

Spain Travel

Flying to Madrid any time soon?

Post author By Ben
Post date February 6, 2006

Good luck to anyone sent to the brand new Terminal four! Reports abound of chaos on the first day of opening. There is an interesting podcast here featuring an interview with the architect, Carlos Lamela.

Technorati Tags: spain, Madrid, airport

notes

Any Spain travel questions? For a NFS in English

Post author By Ben
Post date February 6, 2006

It’s time you started concreting those plans for your 2006 trip to Spain, and we think it’s time for a good old Notes from Spain podcast full of travel tips and ideas. We’ll record it, hopefully, on Tuesday night, so, if you have any questions or great ideas about a trip to Spain, comment below or e-mail us direct. Thanks!

Technorati Tags: spain, podcast, travel, vacation, ideas

Film Spain Books

Jamon Jamon

Post author By Ben
Post date February 5, 2006

		Everyone trashes Jamon Jamon, but it’s one of Ben’s all time favourite Spanish films. Plenty of ham, naked bullfighting, deserted Castillian landscapes, adultery, a brothel, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. What more could you ask for? So Spanish, so funny, this is a classic piece of cinema. As the cover says, “A film where women eat men and men eat ham.” Pick up a copy at: Amazon.co.uk (Europe) Amazon.com (USA)

notes

How we love our Frappr Map!

Post author By Ben
Post date February 3, 2006

Haven’t put your pin on our map yet? Come on, help us get to the 200 mark!