Live News From Spain As It Happens

SPAIN'S highest-up restaurant has just opened in Madrid, offering panoramic views of the capital and traditional Basque dishes but with a haute cuisine flair.

Elkar, which means 'together' in the Basque language, euskera, is on the 33rd floor of the Torre Emperador towerblock on Madrid's main business boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana, and is 160 metres above ground – just under 525 feet, one-tenth of a mile, or one-16th of a kilometre, or so far up that you would have to bend backwards to see the roof from the ground.

It may or may not be officially the tallest in Spain, but the multi-national corporate catering firm behind the restaurant that puts the haute in Elkar's cuisine believes it is, and has advertised it as such.

From the window, matchbox apartment blocks that look as though you could pick them up between finger and thumb mean diners are just as likely to head to Elkar for the selfies as for the food – and the optical illusion photos that are de rigueur for tourists in some of the world's most famous sites (pushing over or propping up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, kissing the Sphinx, holding up the Taj Mahal in your fingers from its tip, or arms outstretched with the Sydney Opera House pavilions being your wings – that type of thing).

Top celebrity chefs Sergio Ortiz de Zarate, who has a Michelin star to his name, and Beñat Ormaetxea, who runs the élite eatery Jauregiberria in Amorebieta (Vizcaya province, the capital of which is Bilbao) are the permanent hands and brains behind what appears on plates in the new Elkar restaurant, cooking there themselves at least once a week – the rest of the time, they will be continuing to run their own premises in the north – and with a hand-picked team of kitchen staff following their ideas, recipes and techniques on the other days.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

NOT all top-rated wines will set you back a week's salary if you buy them on home turf – and, in fact, six of Spain's best are on sale in mainstream supermarkets for between €2 and €9.

If you're looking for a 'Spanish-style' Christmas gift that looks as though you've put plenty of thought into it – and that this thought hasn't been based on 'how little can I get away with spending' – a few of the wines in the world-famous Guía Peñín will cover all these considerations.

Just make sure you check, if you're transporting said gift to the UK, how many of these bottles you can take in your suitcase this year: Customs rules have changed for Britain since the end of the Brexit transition period in February as it is now a 'third country' without the freedom of being able to take in and return home with goods that those living on the continent had when the nation was part of the European Union.

The Guía Peñín is an élite guide to exclusively-Spanish wines, comes out annually, and is available in English, German and Mandarin Chinese as well as in Castilian Spanish; the wine-tasting is not 'blind', so the judges do in fact know which brands they are trying out when they do so, but favouritism is extremely unlikely given that they get through about 11,500 wine samples a year and would be hard-pushed to remember individual ones for singling out.

A guide that has been produced every year since 1990, wines are tasted at the headquarters of their region's regulatory council, and given points between 50 and 100.

Below 70 normally means there is some defect, or possible defect, in preservation or ageing, and from 70 to 80 means there is nothing wrong with it but that there is nothing particularly special about it, either.

Anything over 84 is a good grade to earn, and from 95 upwards, a wine is considered 'exceptional' and almost unbeatable.

Why it's worth listening to wine critics

Naturally, a wine is only ever as 'good', 'defective' or 'exceptional' as the end consumer thinks it is, and many would argue that the only technical process needed in wine-tasting is to simply uncork, pour, and swallow.

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com

A 'FLYING taxi' unveiled at the World ATM Congress in October could be transporting passengers as early as five years' time, inventors Umiles have revealed.

Now dubbed Integrity, the pod-shaped drone – powered by four other drones – will be capable of distances of up to 300 kilometres and carrying up to five people at a time.

Invented by Spanish firm Tecnicalia, the national mobility company Umiles bought the patent for the 100% electrically-powered vehicle which the latter's CEO, Carlos Poveda, says would be able to connect Valencia, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands by air.

Speaking at the 'flying technology' fair Expodrónica, Poveda called it a 'drone of drones'.

“It's a drone made up of four different drones with four different engines which act independently of each other, achieving high stability, which translates to passenger and air-space safety,” the Umiles leader explained.

“At the moment, our initial model is only designed to carry one or two people, but by the June 2022 Expodrónica fair, we expect to be able to showcase a model with space for five people plus the pilot.”

He admits that the model displayed to date does not fly.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

WHICH is more economically viable in the short to medium term – buying a home with a mortgage, or renting?

Wherever you are in the world, the decision will always be a personal one and depend entirely on your own criteria. Many consider renting a permanent home is 'dead money' and that, unless there's a substantial difference which puts mortgage repayments out of their reach, prefer to spend their housing cash every month on something that will eventually become their own, will probably increase in value (whether that takes a couple of years or a lifetime), and which they may be able to release funds from farther down the line for anything from major renovations to elderly care costs. Others, especially if they are not sure they will want to be living in the same area forever, particularly if they are willing to relocate for the right job if this turns up, who are a bit nervous that homes may become incredibly difficult to sell at a later date and force them to stay put, or who feel there may be little or no demand among would-be tenants for the type of home they want to live in for now - making moving out of the area whilst renting their house to others until it sells could be nearly impossible - might prefer the relative ease of being able to simply pack up their worldly goods, hand back the keys, and collect another set in their preferred location.

For first-time buyers, the situation may be entirely financial: Unless they have a secure, permanent job or regular income, or are in the type of profession where they could pick up a new one practically the next week once their temporary contract expires, they may not be accepted for a mortgage; or perhaps they would, but know they would never be able to save up for the deposit and fees.

Very few banks will lend more than 80% of either the market price or the actual value, whichever is the lowest, on a main residence (typically 60% for a second or subsequent property), and future owners then have to factor in around 12.5% on top of the buying price for fees and taxes – slightly less when purchasing outright, as mortgage set-up costs are not involved.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

OCTOBER turned out to be an unexpectedly good month for the Costa del Sol tourism industry – especially among international holidaymakers.

A total of 455,055 hotel guests on the coast of the province of Málaga last month along translates to a 307% hike on numbers for October 2020.

And this has proven to be largely thanks to foreign visitors – although travellers from other parts of Spain also soared compared with the same month last year, by 139%, hotel guests from abroad increased sevenfold.

Latest figures from the Andalucía regional tourism board show holidaymakers from outside Spain taking their October break on the Costa del Sol were up an eye-watering 697% on the same month in 2020.

Throughout the Málaga province as a whole – including inland from the coast – hotel guests last month were not far short of 1.6 million, or the equivalent of about 3% of Spain's population descending on the area in the space of 31 days.

Overall, numbers for the entire province were up 542%, to 1,577,397, being an increase of 1,331,644 on October last year.

Visitors were tending to stay longer, too – although October is not peak holiday season, the weather in southern Spain is still very pleasant, warm and sunny most years, but not too sweltering to make sightseeing uncomfortable; as a result, it is a month when weekends away, city breaks and beach holidays are all feasible.

This means length of stay may be shorter in October than during the peak hot-weather months, but on average, trips to the province were 1.27 days longer than they were in the same month in 2020.

Tourist spending also rocketed – not only were more people choosing to visit Málaga in October 2021 and extending their stays, but they also shelled out more per head once there.

Known in Spanish tourism industry speak as the RevPar – amount spent per available hotel room – this rose by 313% year on year, to €70.97 per night's stay.

Costa del Sol tourism boss Margarita del Cid says between four and six in 10 people staying in Málaga-province hotels last month were from abroad, the majority from the UK, The Netherlands and France.

The Netherlands showed the greatest growth – 1,605.2% more of them than in October 2020 – although all international markets presented a marked year-on-year rise, Margarita del Cid says.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A COSTA del Sol city has been crowned finalist in the European Film Location Awards after it featured in scenes from a world-acclaimed British saga on Netflix.

Málaga's municipal auditorium and theatre, its Gran Hotel Miramar, C/ Molina Lario, the La Concepción Historical and Botanical Gardens, the Málaga Palacio Hotel, the Castañón de Mena military barracks, and the Monte Miramar Palace are just a handful of the locations put forward by the Andalucía Film Commission to Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television and Palma Pictures.

These and other parts of the provincial capital city were used in season four of The Crown – mainly because the Costa del Sol was easier and cheaper to get to for recreating scenes from Prince Charles' and Princess Diana's Royal visit to Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s for the Commonwealth Summit than using the actual, real-life venues on the other side of the world.

During filming, the Castañón de Mena barracks became a children's hospital in Sydney; the auditorium was 'decorated' to look exactly like Sydney Opera House with the Harbour Bridge in the background and crowds filling the steps in front; La Concepción gardens became Adelaide; the Monte Miramar Palace was the Australian president's residence in the capital, Canberra; Cártama bridge became Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, and Cártama Polo Club showed actor Josh O'Connor fall off his pony mid-Chukka.

Emma Corrin played Princess Diana to Josh's Prince Charles in seasons three and four, but in the forthcoming seasons five and six, Elizabeth Debicki will be the Princess of Wales and Dominic West will play the current heir to the British throne.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

AFTER a two-year absence, Torrox's huge Christmas fête will be back on the streets over the December bank holiday week – meaning residents and visitors can still do some festive shopping even when everywhere is shut.

Good news for the workforce, but inconvenient for consumers, this year's Constitution Day (December 6) and Day of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) fall on a Monday and a Wednesday – and many employees who are able to do so will take Tuesday, December 7 as annual leave, giving them a full five days to get away for a pre-Christmas break.

To this end, anyone outside Torrox (Málaga province) who is hoping to get to the fayre should allow plenty of extra time, as traffic is likely to be heavy nationwide in coastal and countryside directions and, on the Wednesday night, heading away from the coast towards larger inland cities.

Unless you live in a big city, you are likely to find your local supermarkets and smaller shops shut on both days, so you should make sure you stock up the fridge on Saturday, December 4 and again on Tuesday, December 7 – or check online whether a store near you is operating at reduced hours.

Given that there are only 17 days between the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ and his birth on December 25, leaving very little time to buy gifts for family and friends to celebrate the Messiah's coming, Torrox's traditional festive market is a great place to start ticking items off the list and beat the last-minute rush.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

IF YOU missed your chance to get an early 'Black Friday' cut-price rail ticket for travel in 2022, you can still get one from today (Tuesday, November 23) – although this time, only for trips between Madrid and the far north-eastern region of Galicia.

That's because the high-speed AVE network has now added another route, which is set to open on December 21.

Highly-efficient, typically about double the price of the Long Distance (Larga Distancia) 'snail rail', although about a third to a quarter of the journey time, the AVE is still thin on the ground in Spain, limited to the largest cities and mainly via Madrid; where it is in operation, though, the service is of a similar level of comfort and facilities as major cross-border rail connections such as the EuroStar.

As an idea of how quickly it gets passengers from A to B, the Valencia-Madrid AVE covers the journey in just 90 minutes, compared with about three to four hours by motorway or six hours by Larga Distancia including changing trains halfway.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN has proven itself almost unbeatable in karate this year – female world number one Sandra Sánchez has clinched a triple crown, and two of her compatriots are now world champion and reserve champion respectively.

Despite Tokyo 2020 being Sandra's last Olympics – not through choice, but because karate will no longer feature in the Games from Paris 2024 onwards – she rounds off the year with nothing left to achieve after taking every top honour in her sport.

The 39-year-old from Talavera de la Reina (Toledo province) had already won her sixth European championship before heading to Tokyo this summer, where she netted a gold medal, and was already preparing for the world championships practically as soon as she returned home from the Japanese capital.

This took place at the weekend in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and having already won it twice in her career, Sandra (first picture) made it a hat-trick by coming out top in the kata category.

It is her second consecutive world title, as she was already defending champion after winning in 2019 in Madrid.

Sandra's Chatanyara Kushanku scored her 28.46, ahead of her rival Hikaru Ono's Papuren, which earned her 27.42.

The Spaniard also beat Hikaru in the technical and athletic categories, with 19.88 and 8.58 to her fellow contestant's 19.32 and 8.1, meaning Sandra's Japanese rival took home the silver, or reserve championship.

“I'd been preparing for this world championship really conscientiously, and the effort has paid off, because the last few months have been really tough,” Sandra admitted afterwards.

“I'm so happy, I'm floating on a cloud. I never once thought I could ever achieve an Olympic gold, a world championship and a European championship in the same year. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ALL SCHOOLS in Spain will have a compulsory 'Child Welfare Coordinator' on the staff team in accordance with legislation introduced in the spring to protect youngsters against violence.

The rôle has been created by the ministry of social rights and Agenda 2030, led by Unidas Podemos' Ione Belarra, and the job description has been agreed after meetings with all regional governments.

According to Sra Belarra, the 'Child Welfare Coordinator' will be responsible for 'implementing plans and procedures in the field of education, leisure and sport for listening to children and teenagers and their warnings and worries about any type of physical, psychological or verbal violence, and for communicating the risks the child faces'.

Those employed in young people's leisure and sports facilities will go under the name of 'Protection Delegate', although their purpose will be exactly the same.

Regional education authorities will largely determine the functions their Child Welfare Coordinators will perform, and whether these will be nominated among existing school staff or an outside party employed.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BRITS who were in Sevilla this week may have wondered if they were hallucinating when they thought they saw the Household Cavalry parading through the southern city's streets – some 1,500 kilometres away from the monarch they are employed to protect.

A union between the two biggest regiments in the British Army, The Life Guards and The Blues & Royals, the Household Cavalry is a mounted security squad in place to keep Queen Elizabeth II safe, and if ever they ride by in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace, they can guarantee they will be surrounded by tourists from every continent frantically clicking at their cameras.

This year is the 30th anniversary of Spain's National Police force's Special Cavalry Unit's participation in the International Spanish Horse Show, or Salón Internacional del Caballo (SICAB), which takes place in Sevilla's Congress and Exhibition Centre annually.

It focuses entirely on the ubiquitous and much-loved Pura Raza Española – which translates as 'Spanish Thoroughbred', although these world-famous horses are completely different to English, Irish and French thoroughbreds of the type used in flat-racing, steeplechase, point-to-point, and often crossed with warmbloods or ponies for competition horses or Pony Club mounts respectively; the Pura Raza Española is closer to the Arab horse in stature, conformation and gait, smaller in height than a thoroughbred and more thick-set.

Pura Razas Españolas are known for being easy to school, with a natural penchant for advanced dressage, and extremely tractable and quiet – males are usually stallions, as they are already so reliable, predictable and laid-back that owners rarely bother to geld them. 

The SICAB is the largest and most famous equestrian event on earth featuring the Pura Raza Española, and this year's show had some special guests in the form of British Royal equines.

National Police 'mounties' and Queen Elizabeth's Household Cavalry paraded around Sevilla together, touring some of the city's key sites and monuments in the centre and in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THREE cities in Spain have made it into the latest list of the best for home-workers after the 80 most popular choices were revealed.

WorkMotion, a platform focusing on helping the global public find overseas employment, researched factors ranging from cost of living – including housing – level of taxes, general 'happiness' ratings of inhabitants, and the ease or otherwise of obtaining a work-from-home visa for those who, in the case of non-European Union citizens, or EU nationals moving outside the bloc, might need one.

Criteria were based upon objective analyses of each city's factors, rather than surveying workers to find out where they would prefer to live – a study that may well have produced different results.

In the top 10, only four were in Europe – the Czech capital of Prague at number five, the Estonian capital of Tallinn at number seven, Zagreb in Croatia at eight and Dublin, Republic of Ireland, at number 10.

Clearly, if mild winters and hot summers were among the requisites, Zagreb would be the only European city in the top 10 to make the cut, meaning locations in Spain may have found their way into this list.

But two Spanish metropolitan areas made the top 20, out of three which got into the best 25.

Melbourne, in the far south-east of Australia, which advertises its title of 'world's most liveable city', tops the list, and two hours north by air along the coast, Sydney comes third.

Second is Montréal, the capital of the French-speaking Canadian province of Québéc, and Wellington, New Zealand, is fourth.

Another Canadian city slots in sixth, Toronto, with Singapore ninth.

How Spanish cities compare with the other 77 'best'

Madrid comes in at 15 out of the 80, after Berlin, Germany; Glasgow, UK; Tokyo, Japan and Lisbon, Portugal, in that order, then Barcelona sits at number 17, separated from Madrid by Vancouver, Canada, at 16.

Spain's two largest cities beat Helsinki (Finland), Aberdeen (UK), and Hamburg (Germany), which complete the top 20.

Gran Canaria's largest city, Las Palmas – one of the Canary Islands' two provincial capitals along with Santa Cruz de Tenerife – is at 21, beating Warsaw (Poland), Vienna (Austria), Nantes (France), and Edinburgh (UK) to round off the top 25.

Melbourne is the only city scoring the full 100, and the top five all achieve upwards of 95.

With the bottom entry, Dubai (United Arab Emirates) earning 50 and, in descending order, Medellín (Colombia), Bangalore (India), Méjico DF (México) and Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) gaining below 60, all the top 25 scored at least 80 out of 100.

Madrid earned 83.22, Barcelona 82.12 and Las Palmas 81.06.

All three scored 72.4 for 'legal requirements', above Prague and Tallinn, and 75.6 for 'ease of compliance', beating Zagreb, Prague, Glasgow and Lisbon.

Las Palmas gained 87.62 for 'city affordability', whilst Madrid gained 78.92 and Barcelona 78.73.

All three got 79.7 for 'political stability' and 88.51 (Madrid), 88.41 (Barcelona) and 88.31 (Las Palmas) for 'safety and security'.

Distinctions in equality, healthcare, education, cultural attractions

For 'minority equality', the three Spanish cities earned 97.84 out of 100, and for LGB (lesbian, bisexual and gay) as well as transsexual equality, shot up several places in the ranking: Barcelona comes in sixth out of 80, at 99.34; Madrid is seventh at 99.31, both beating London (eighth, with 99.27), and Las Palmas 11th, at 98.94.

'Gender equality' is high-scoring across all the developed nations, with the three Spanish locations earning 98.99.

For 'quality in education', Oslo tops the list at 100 and Helsinki second with 99.4, whilst Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas, Melbourne and Sydney are very close: The UK cities score 84.77, those in Spain got 83.69, and the two Australian locations 83.61.

Spain also ranked highly for 'access to healthcare', with Madrid gaining 96, Barcelona 95.83 and Las Palmas 95.11.

JUST days after announcing that everyone vaccinated against Covid-19 with the single-dose Janssen formula would be given a Pfizer or Moderna booster, Spain's government has now revealed plans to treble-jab the population aged 60 to 69, as well as care workers and healthcare staff.

The ultimate decision for doing so will lie in the hands of each regional health authority, but it is likely that they will all follow central government recommendations to do so.

At present, all residents aged 70 and over who were vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca are being given a third dose, either Pfizer or Moderna, at the same time as their annual influenza jab, and this will now extend to those aged 60 and over as well as front-line medical and care home staff and those employed as home carers.

The 'flu jab is given automatically to all residents aged 65 and over, or younger if they have health problems that make them more at risk of either catching 'flu or becoming seriously ill if they did.

Those who have not already had theirs and are aged under 70 are likely to be given their third Covid dose at the same time, but those who have had the influenza vaccine or do not want to wait will either be summoned by their local health authority when the third Covid dose is in place for their age group, or can book an appointment specially.

This is strongly advised, in fact, since the date upon which third injections for those aged 60 and over will start has not yet been set, and it could be risky to delay a 'flu jab on this basis.

Under-70s of any age who are immune-compromised should already have been called for their third Covid jab at the same time as the 70-plus community.

Spain's president Pedro Sánchez said the aim was to keep the vaccination process running 'without interruption' in a bid to 'keep contagion rates low', given that the country has one of the lowest rates of Covid in Europe at present.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MÁLAGA residents have signed a petition on Change.org for a street to be named after one of Spain's earliest female football players, whom they describe as a 'pioneer'.

Ana Carmona Ruíz, known to friends and family as 'Nita', was born in May 1908 in the Costa del Sol city's Capuchinos neighbourhood, and her life found a new focus when she saw a group of British Naval officers playing soccer in the port, writes petition author Simona Frabotta.

Curiosity turned to passion and, several years later, she started playing for her local team – Sporting Club de Málaga – but in the early 20th century, women were completely forbidden from football, especially being on a men's team.

'Nita' had to dress up as a boy, cutting her hair short and 'bandaging her breasts to hide them', the petition text says.

But even then, she did not look 'manly enough' to hide her gender for more than a few matches, and when she was found out, suffered constant insults and physical attacks, and was arrested and charged with 'public order disturbance'.

To protect her, Nita's family sent her to live with relatives in the nearby town of Vélez-Málaga, but her ordeal did not put her off – once settled in, she started to play for her new home team, Vélez CF.

There, everyone addressed each other by their nicknames, so she became known as 'Veleta' and did not have to deal with the awkwardness of creating a new identity.

Although Nita got away with it this time, her life and footballing career were cut tragically short; aged 32, in 1940, she caught what was then known as 'green lice fever', and did not survive.

She was buried wearing her Sporting Club de Málaga shirt, at the city's San Rafael cemetery, and crowds of former team mates from both the teams she played for and who had known about and kept her secret attended the funeral.

Read more ast thinkSPAIN.com

RESIDENTS vaccinated against Covid-19 with the single-dose Janssen, or Johnson & Johnson formula will be called from this week for a booster using a Pfizer or Moderna, national health authorities have confirmed.

Most regions are now working through residents aged 70 and over who have had a double-dose jab – mostly Pfizer, but also Moderna and in some cases AstraZeneca – giving them a third dose at the same time as their usual annual winter influenza vaccine.

A few expect to wait until they have finished the 'flu and third Covid jabs before starting on a back-up ARN-messenger dose for those who have had the Janssen, a type designed originally only to need one injection.

This means their two will be the equivalent of a third dose for those who have had one of the other types, which needed two initially.

Third doses for the under-70s, except where they are immune-compromised, are not part of the health service's plan for the foreseeable future, but this may change depending upon how the virus evolves over the winter.

About 1.9 million people were given the single-dose Janssen instead of one of the double-dose formulae, for various reasons.

Initially, it was kept for the over-70s, although the majority of those were, in the end, given the Pfizer instead; it was later used on the over-40s, and mainly for convenience.

Janssen vaccine given to homeless, casual workers, offshore workers...

Those who received the Johnson & Johnson formula included the homeless, casual temporary workers who may not be in the country for more than a few months, undocumented migrants who were not registered as living in a specific place and did not have residence, those with very severe autism or other serious mental health issues that meant the vaccine process could be highly distressing for them, leaving them at risk of major agitation episodes, children in care homes, adults and children on psychiatric wards or in prison, disabled people in 'halfway houses' or residential care, people who were bedridden or totally disabled and who would have difficulty accessing a vaccine centre, fishermen who typically work offshore for very long periods, Spanish residents or citizens on overseas aid missions, and anyone else with the type of job that meant they may be out of the country for extended lengths of time and unavailable for when a second dose was required.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THE most international household name in Spanish cuisine, paella has now been awarded 'intangible heritage' status nationwide.

Not quite UNESCO status, but the national equivalent, the tag applied for in May this year by the Mediterranean region of the Comunidad Valenciana has been duly granted, and although paella needs little advertising in itself, global tourists in Spain will now be unable to escape the knowledge that it is these three provinces – Castellón, Valencia and Alicante – where the popular saffron-yellow rice dish comes from.

In applying for the status of Bien de Interés Cultural Inmaterial, or BIC Inmaterial (literally translated as 'Intangible Heritage Interest Asset'), the Valencian regional government explained paella was 'not just a dish', but a 'thread binding the region's society together'.

Like most national or regional cuisine anywhere in the world, paella's origins are humble and simple, and the BIC application pointed out that it continues to be the most 'democratic' and 'classless' of all dishes, given that it's relatively cheap to whip up a basic version and often comes as the main course in a cut-price set lunchtime meal or menú del día, which typically range from around €6 to €15 for three courses, bread and a bottle of water or glass of wine, but at the same time, highly-exquisite versions of paella are served up in the kind of multiple Michelin-starred eateries where a similar-sized meal would cost you a three-figure sum per head.

Pronunciation and preparation warnings: A quick survival guide

Given that so many variations of paella exist – and hundreds more that are not, strictly-speaking, paella but look and taste like it and come under the heading of 'rice dishes', or 'rice with' (arroz con or arròs amb) – there is no single, authentic, unchangeable recipe that, if you alter just one ingredient or quantity, ceases to be the 'real thing'.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THIS weekend sees the relaunch of Fuengirola's annual clubs and societies fair and charity market after the pandemic put paid to the 2020 version – 15 associations will be holding stalls in the Plaza de la Constitución from tomorrow (Friday, November 12) through to Sunday, November 14 inclusive.

Pre-loved goods and handicrafts will be on sale throughout the square, with the proceeds of sale going towards the sterling work of the charitable organisations based in the Costa del Sol town.

Councillor Rocío Rodríguez, who is project-managing the fête, points out that as well as showcasing hobbies clubs and charities and raising their profile, the flea market or rastro – as these are known in Spanish – will help encourage a circular economy, where unwanted goods can find a new home rather than clogging up landfill sites.

Also, the societies and clubs get a unique chance to network with each other and find ways to work together.

Locally born-and-bred residents and expats of numerous nationalities are behind the multi-cultural, multi-faceted hobbies and charities scene in Fuengirola, a coastal town which is immensely proud of its cosmopolitan nature – and many of them will be very keen to hear from those who would like to volunteer.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Valencia's world-famous 'Gulliver Park' is undergoing a massive overhaul, meaning it will be shut until late next year – but the city council promises it will be worth the wait.

And it's completely necessary, explain local authorities, given that the park's overwhelming popularity since it was unveiled in December 1990 means the structures have become worn out.

After all, the first children who ever climbed on it would be aged approximately in their mid-30s or even pushing 40 now.

This fairytale creation is based in the huge botanical gardens that were created in the bed of the river Túria, which once curved around half of the city centre but was diverted away from the urban hub after the 'Great Flood of 1957', when it burst its banks and filled houses up to 1.5 to two metres (at least five or six feet) deep in water.

The highly-novel idea of turning the now-dry river into a botanical garden and one of Europe's largest inner-city 'green lungs' was not only championed across the region, but residents elsewhere started calling for their own dry riverbeds to be turned into parkland.

Much of the Túria Gardens are simply grassland with footpaths and cycle lanes, although part of it is home to the BioParc, an open-air safari centre with such a high standard of living for wild animals that the globally-acclaimed chimp expert Dr Jane Goodall has heaped praise upon it.

Starting at the Serrano 'twin towers' in the city centre, which used to be one of the gateways into Valencia through its boundary walls, and ending at the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias ('City of Arts and Sciences', or CAC), a beautiful and futuristic complex you can read more about here, the Túria Garden is also home to an outpost of Lilliput. 

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com

WITH card payments having overtaken cash for first time in Spain as a result of the pandemic, more and more establishments are accepting plastic, mobile phone and Bizum for any amount, even a few cents – but consumers often feel embarrassed at not using cash for these sums, and a few traders are still insisting on notes and coins.

Can a shop refuse to sell you a loaf of bread or a carton of milk if you try to pay by card? And if so, where is the cut-off point? 

One of Spain's main consumer organisations, the OCU, has offered clarification.

“Under current laws, nobody is obliged to accept card payments,” it says, “but there are exceptions, such as taxis in most cities.

“In all cases, accepted payment methods must be displayed prominently.

“Any establishment is free to set a minimum expenditure for card payments, but this must be clearly indicated to customers where they can see it before deciding to make a purchase, in order for it to be valid.”

And there is a caveat: That minimum cannot, legally, be over €29.99.
 

If you spend €30 or more in one transaction, the seller cannot insist on cash

Long before the pandemic, a massive crackdown in Spain on all types of money laundering and tax evasion, and even hitherto 'legal' tax avoidance, meant cash came under rigorous scrutiny – legislation passed almost exactly three years ago paved the way for today's ever-growing panorama of people walking around with empty purses when shopping.

Royal Decree, or Bill of Law number 19/2018, of November 23, covering payment services and other urgent measures pertaining to financial matters, states that if the sum payable is less than €30, establishments do have the right to require cash-only payments.

But once the amount reaches €30, all traders are obliged by law to offer other payment options besides notes and coins – which can include debit or credit cards, cash cards, mobile phone applications, or even bank transfers depending upon the type of business...

Read Full Guide at thinkSPAIN.com

EDUCATION minister Pilar Alegría has announced a €43 million cash injection for special needs pupils nationwide, reinforcing school facilities to ensure children with 'more complex requirements' can get the best out of their learning.

It is not clear exactly how this chunk of the 2022 budget will be spent, as the ministry has to work out a strategy, but the spectrum of special needs is extremely broad and specialist.

They range from children with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, severe autism including the non-verbal variety, through to high-functioning autism or Asperger's, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and also 'academic' disorders such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, which can be overcome with specific measures such as having a scribe for exams or submitting oral instead of written assignments.

'Special needs' also covers children who are high-IQ or intellectually-gifted, who need constant stimulation and interesting, challenging tasks to realise their full potential.

It can, additionally, involve pupils with physical needs, such as bodily disabilities, who might require physiotherapists or personal care.

Foreign children who need remedial help to learn Spanish, or deaf children who need sign-language interpreters, would be included in the definition.

Pilar Alegría says a full debate will be opened up, involving regional governments and social organisations, once the State budget has been approved.

Until then, she cannot say precisely which areas will be given the most funding.

Special schools will be included, although research carried out by Sra Alegría's predecessor, Isabel Celaá, shows that of the 707,405 pupils known to have special educational needs during the 2018-2019 academic year, a total of 82.4% of them were in 'mainstream' schools.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FAMILIES in Spain will be buying an average of 43% of their children's new toys online this Christmas and 'Three Kings' – a trend the pandemic started and which shows no signs of waning at present.

According to the Institute of Technology-AIJU for children's and leisure products in the 31st edition of its annual nationwide toy catalogue and shopping guide – for 2021 and 2022 – physical shops are selling less, but the toy trade is not suffering overall since online sales make up for this fall.

Interviewing 644 families with children aged from birth to 12, the AIJU study found that just over half, 51%, bought online because it was 'easier, more convenient and more comfortable' to get deliveries at their homes or workplaces.

The fact they 'waste less time' buying online than browsing in shops was cited as one of the main reasons by 42%, and the same number said items tended to be cheaper on websites than in actual high-street shops.

It seems the issue of possible Covid contagion by being out of the house is less of a worry for shoppers nowadays – 35% said buying on the internet meant they avoided crowds and did not have to concern themselves with precautions such as hand-sanitiser, social distancing, and mask-wearing.

It is likely the number would have been much higher a year ago, when vaccines were not yet available and cases were starting to spike again after a trough in summer.

Most families use a mix of internet versus high street

The survey identified four typologies when it came to families buying toys and other gifts for their children – the first of these made up 27% of the total and were those who bought practically everything from a physical shop, or 90% of goods on average.

About a third of the total, or 34%, tended to do both, but leaned more towards online buying; another 30% used both methods but were more likely to make purchases from physical shops, buying between 50% and 89% of toys on the high street.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

EUROPE and, particularly Spain, have spent most of 2021 speaking about 'herd immunity' as the final breakthrough in the Covid-19 battle, which they set at 70% of the population's being vaccinated – yet outbreaks continue across the continent, and contagion and mortality rates in the UK appear to be on the rise.

Prestigious science journal The Lancet analysed whether European countries have achieved the much-desired 'herd immunity', and Spain was highlighted as an example of its success in keeping Covid rates low.

Incidence of the virus in Spain is currently 49 per 100,000 people, or 0.049% of the population, and The Lancet partly attributes this to high levels of vaccination – at present, 88.7% of residents have had both doses.

Spain's short, sharp total lockdown was key

Author of the piece, Tony Kirby, says the next few weeks and months will be 'crucial' in ascertaining whether strategies followed by the different European countries have turned out to be the right ones for controlling SARS-CoV-2.

He firstly highlighted the 'harsh lockdown' enforced in Spain between mid-March and mid-May 2020, thought to be the most restrictive in Europe and on a par with the confinement decreed in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the first Coronavirus cases of this type were detected.

Leaving the house could only be for 'essential errands', such as care duties, animal care, shopping for necessary goods, attending important appointments linked to legal and financial affairs, medical appointments or collecting prescriptions, but only one person was allowed out at a time, meaning couples could not go to the supermarket, and as children had no legitimate reason for being out of the house, were literally living between four walls for nearly three months unless they had to accompany a parent because there was no other adult at home to look after them.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THE BIRTHPLACE of one of Spain's most popular Christmas confectioneries is applying to the United Nations for global recognition – for November 7 to become 'World Turrón Day'.

Xixona (Jijona), in the province of Alicante, is where these thick slabs of almond and honey nougat are traditionally made, and turrón was already stacked high on prominent supermarket display units while Hallowe'en-themed goods were still on sale.

The two 'main' or 'standard' types of turrón are the blando, or 'soft', sometimes called turrón de Jijona, which has a peanut-butter-like consistency, and the duro, or 'hard', also known as turrón de Alicante, which is rock-hard with whole almonds in.

Anyone in Spain at the moment can expect to see them strategically-placed and in huge quantity in their local stores until approximately January 7, the day after the Christmas season 'officially' ends – and probably a handful of unsold turrón bars at reduced price thereafter.

Xixona wants to put its name and its chief industry on the map, and if the designation of 'World Turrón Day' is granted, will run numerous activities for visitors ranging from exhibitions to guided tours, make-your-own-turrón workshops, guided trips around the town's Turrón Museum, period-themed tours, and fêtes, fairs, markets and live entertainment in the streets.

All these are likely to be free of charge for participants.

Some are still ongoing in Xixona at present, even without having had confirmation from the UN of its 'World Day', and the sweet treat will also feature heavily at the forthcoming culinary fair in Valencia city, Mediterránea Gastrónoma.

As well as making a formal application to the UN, Xixona council has started a petition for November 7 to be declared 'World Turrón Day'.

A further schedule of activities and campaigning to the United Nations are planned for November 18.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

DRIVERS on Spanish roads are now all aware – or should be – that they are required to leave a 1.5-metre distance when passing cyclists, and that this is expected to increase to two metres, but cyclists themselves may not be fully conversant on their own rights and duties when sharing tarmac with other wheels; or, indeed, feet.

If you live in Spain or spend a lot of time in the country, and you're seriously contemplating getting on your bike – it's quicker than walking, doesn't involve parking problems or fuel expenses, and is emissions-free, which the planet will thank you for – then you need to do some homework first about what's allowed and what's not.

Or, simply read on and take advantage of the fact that we've done some of that homework for you. 

You're very welcome.

Stay off the phone – oh, and no headphones, either

The first of these may seem obvious – not using a mobile whilst riding – and, in any case, it's not easy to do as bikes tend to swerve and fall over if you let go of the handlebars or, if you use a hand-bike, it'll stop.

Just in case there are spiders in your family tree and you can comfortably spare two of your eight limbs to text your mates or watch baby kitten videos on YouTube whilst on the road, still don't – it means you're not watching what's in front of you and could cause an accident.

Also, it'll cost you €200 if you're caught and fined.

The latter may not seem quite so cut and dried – you might have suspected you could be hit with a €200 fine for taking a phone call using airPods and hands-free mode, but the 'no headphones' rule applies to music, too. And audio-books, and podcasts, or whatever else comes down the wires or the airwaves.

You may have grown up with a walkman in your coat pocket, attached to a dodgy metal Alice-band with spongy ear-bits that were always coming off, whilst biking around the streets of your youth. The reality is, though, that you cannot help but engage with what you're listening to, which means you'll miss 'sound signals' around you, and this could lead to accidents.

You might ask why this is considered a problem when, of course, a deaf cyclist would not be able to hear 'sound signals' either – but it's not so much about hearing as about focus, which includes what you see and how much you're concentrating on the road or path ahead of you.

Warn others if you're going to brake

In the interests of avoiding a pile-up, if there might be any cyclists, electric skateboard-users or runners behind you, make a hand-signal when you need to stop or slow down, and do the latter gradually if possible.

This is merely a recommendation by Spain's General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), not a requirement, since authorities are aware that it may not always be safe to take a hand off the handlebars or your concentration off the road; furthermore, it may not be safe to even take the time to warn anyone if you have to slam on the brakes to avoid someone or something in your path.

Where it's safe, though, and there's no emergency, it is strongly advised, in order to avert a bike-tangle and grazed knees.

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com

HOME-PRODUCED foodstuffs from Spain appear to be on a roll just lately – hot on the heels of a Spanish olive oil being named number one on earth, the country can now take credit for churning out the planet's top cheese.

And like the world's best extra-virgin olive oil, the first-prize winner in the 2021 World Cheese Awards is from the province of Jaén, in Andalucía.

Often referred to as 'the cheesy Oscars', producers who gain these prestigious awards instantly shoot to global fame and can almost name their price when selling the top pick.

That said, the winners in 2019, also Spanish, were being retailed for just €3 in Mercadona and Lidl, so they do not always have to break the bank.

This year's was one of 16 to reach the final of a contest that featured over 4,000 varieties of cheese from 48 countries on all five inhabited continents.

A goat's cheese developed by the dairy firm Quesos & Besos – which literally translates as 'cheeses and kisses' – based in Guarromán, Jaén province, is called Olavidia and appealed to the tastebuds of all 250 judges.

The 2021 World Cheese Awards took place in Oviedo (Asturias), and each cheese entered was passed around 85 tables where experts scrutinised their shape, scent, texture, feel, flavour, complexity of their creation process, and their presentation and packaging design.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A SPANISH-MADE extra-virgin has been named the world's best olive oil in the most recent annual guide to the 100 highest-ranked by international experts.

The EVOOLEUM 2022 (second picture) is now out – the sixth edition of the guidebook which covers all brands that have earned one of the global awards by compilers Mercacei, in conjunction with the Spanish Association of Olive-Growing Municipalities (AEMO).

Each type described is given a full breakdown of its qualities, along with details of where it comes from, its characteristics, olive variety, type of olive tree, tourism activities linked to its production, whether it is certified as organic, Kosher or Halal, the dishes it combines best with, a rating of its flavour and an overall score, as well as a photo of the bottle and label.

As is typical when producing the EVOOLEUM annual guide, over 800 samples from around 20 countries were received by the panel of judges.

Those which made the cut this year came from 10 countries – Spain, plus Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, the USA, Argentina and Slovenia.

Olives used for oil are hugely diverse – for the uninitiated, it may come as a surprise to learn that at least 15 varieties were among the entries that made the top 100, most of which are endemic to their countries of origin.

Spain's best included oils from the Picual, Hojiblanca, Cornicabra, Arbequina, Pajarera, Picuda and Pico Limón varieties of olives; Morocco's included the Picholine; Greek ones included the Koroneiki and Tsounati; Croatia's featured the Bianchera Istriana; and Italian oils were made with, among others, the Coratina, Frantoio, Bosana and Dritta.

Although Italian extra-virgin olive oils hog half the top 10, Spain is not far behind, with four, whilst Croatia gained a number-three slot with its Monte Rosso Grand Selection from Istria, made with the varieties Leccino, Bianchera Istriana, Pendolino, Maurino and Picholine.

Italy gained a second place with its Monini Monocultivar Frantoio Bio, from Perugia, made with the Frantoio olive, but Spain once again topped the list with its Olibaeza Premium Picual from Jaén.

The label and bottle designed by Isabel Cabello was as highly praised as the content, and earned 97 points from the judges.

Fractions of a point have not been stated, but given that numbers two to four were shown as having gained 96, it is likely these were involved, otherwise the EVOOLEUM Awards 2022 would have featured three joint second-placed brands.

The fourth- and fifth-placed oils were also Spanish – the Almaoliva Arbequino, from Córdoba, made with the Arbequina olive, and the Rincón de la Subbética Altitude, also from Córdoba and made with the Hojiblanca variety, earning 95 points.

Italy took the sixth to ninth slots inclusive, with the Schinosa La Coratina and the Di Molfetta Frantoiani, both from the Barletta-Andria-Trani areas; the Giove, and the Natyoure Organic, both Coratina-olive oils and from Bari, in that order, and each with 95 points.

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com

A MAP launched using US Intelligence service data has revealed which is the most-spoken second language of every country in the world.

This does not mean the languages most taught in the classroom, which are known in the educational community as a country's 'official second language' – even where very few adults understand or are able to use them once they finish compulsory schooling – but refers to the most-spoken native languages which are not the main national ones.

For example, although Irish Gaelic is an official language in the Republic of Ireland, English is the 'main' national tongue, insofar as all Irish natives necessarily speak and understand English even if their first, or preferred, language is Gaelic.

Naturally, Gaelic is revealed as the most-spoken second language – being second native language among the population – in Ireland, with about 40% of the country declaring it to be either their main native tongue or jointly with English.

In some countries which only have one official national tongue, or where co-official languages are regional only, the most-spoken second language is the mother tongue of the largest migrant communities.

This is the case with the UK, where, despite having several official languages – including Welsh, Cornish, Scots, and Scots Gaelic or Ghàidhlig – these are concentrated in regions, and the most-spoken native tongue other than English is Polish, owing to the large diaspora from Poland living in Britain.

It is also the case with Germany and Austria, where the largest migrant community, and German- and Austrian-born citizens with migrant parents or grandparents, is Turkish, meaning this is the second-most spoken mother tongue.

In the Americas, for example, pre-colonial languages that have survived alongside colonial tongues, and are co-official, are the most-spoken second native languages – in Perú, Ecuador and Bolivia, this is Quechua, even though Aymara is prolific in large parts of these in lesser numbers and, in Paraguay, Guaraní is almost as widely spoken as Spanish, with 46% naming it as their sole or joint native tongue and only 15.2% of Paraguayans being purely first-language Spanish-speakers.

This is also true of several African countries, although in others, the colonial languages are actually the second native tongues, even where they are the main or only official ones – French, in Algeria, and Portuguese in Mozambique, for example.

Some land-masses within the same countries are shown separately due to their most commonly-spoken second native languages being different – such as Greenland, which is part of Denmark, but where Greenlandic, an Inuit language, is the main and one of the official tongues, with Danish, also official, as the second native language; unlike the Danish peninsula itself where English is the most-found second native tongue, a situation also found in Norway, Iceland and Sweden.

In many cases, the most prolific mother tongue other than the main national language is dictated by geography – Italian is the dominant second language in Libya, for example.

Spanish still the world's second-most spoken native language after Chinese

The CIA published the data in its World Factbook, and the figures have been turned into continent maps by MoveHub.

These easily-accessible visual aids show Spanish is the fourth-most commonly-spoken second language on earth, in eight different countries or territories, beaten only by English, French and Russian, in that order and ahead of Creole, Arabic and Kurdish.

Portuguese, Italian and Quechua make up the remainder of the top 10.

Spanish is already the official national language of 19 countries in Latin America and in the west African nation of Equatorial Guinea, and is the second-most spoken as a first language on earth and fourth outright.

Mandarin Chinese has the second-highest number of speakers (14.6% of the global population – 12.3% speak it as a first language) beaten by English, which is spoken by 16.5% of the planet; followed by Hindi (8.3% of the world), and Spanish (7% of the world).

But when considering native speakers only, Mandarin Chinese comes first at 12.3% and Spanish is second, at 6%, beating English and Arabic, each at 5.1%, Hindi at 3.5%, Bengali at 3.3% and Portuguese at 3%.

Despite its comparatively low numbers of mother-tongue speakers, English is the most-spoken language on earth, as it has the peculiarity of being one of the few tongues in the world with more non-native than native users; French is similar, not figuring at all in the top 11 first languages but the fifth-most spoken on earth, with 3.6% of the planet being French-speakers including those who have learned it as a non-mother tongue.

Other dominant languages on earth are Russian, spoken by 3.4%, and the native language of 2.1% of the planet; Japanese, the first language of 1.7% of the world; Indonesian, spoken by 2.6%, a high percentage of whom are non-native speakers or who consider it one of two or more of their mother tongues; Western Punjabi, with 1.3% of the world being first-language speakers, and Javanese, whose mother-tongue speakers total 1.1% of the earth's headcount.

The six languages of the United Nations – Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish – are the mother tongues or second languages of around 45% of the earth's population and are official languages, solely or jointly, in over half the countries in the world.

Where is Spanish the second-most spoken native tongue?

English does not feature much as a second language in South America, other than in Surinam and Chile, but Spanish is the most-spoken second language in Brazil.

The USA is currently one of the top-three countries with the largest native Spanish-speaking population on the planet – despite the only official language in the United States, in the 32 out of 50 States which have one at all, being English, with the exception of regional tongues in Hawaii and Alaska.

Well over 50 million mother-tongue Spanish-speakers live in the USA, or more than the entire population of Spain itself, and beaten only by Colombia and México.

Other countries where Spanish is the most widely-spoken second language include the Caribbean island of Aruba, where the official tongues are Dutch and Papiamento, the latter being a creole tongue made up of a mix of Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, English, and with minor influences of French, Arawak and a number of African languages; Papiamento is the first language of 69.4% of the country but Dutch of only 6.1%, and 13.7% of inhabitants have Spanish as a first language...

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com

WHAT has Spain ever done for us? Except for creating an addiction to sunlight, colour, dramatic countryside and the world's best coffee (according to seasoned inter-continental travellers, anyway), making us feel 'something is missing' if too many weeks go by without a fiesta parade, a craft market, a fête, a live outdoor music gig or a bank holiday in the middle of a week (remember tomorrow, Monday, November 1, is one of these, so check out your nearest supermarket opening times online just in case – many of them will be shut), and getting us so used to having at least three months of guaranteed summer weather that we cannot understand why our relatives in colder climates have to call off a barbecue at the last minute (it's too hot for barbecues in summer in Spain. Keep them for spring and autumn).

Spain has done a lot more for us – as in, the global population – than we ever realised. More than most Spaniards ever realised, in fact. As well as having invented Coca-Cola and the radio, plus the traditional Andalucía flamenco music and dance, it turns out that anyone who smokes and is trying to give up or cut down has Spain to 'thank' for the fact it's just too easy to light up. Legend has it that beggars in Sevilla in the 16th century used to roll up loose tobacco they gathered from the streets in scraps of rice paper, which became the origin of cigarettes in packets that started being sold as we know them today from 1825. Had it not been for Spain, smokers would probably still be using pipes, and chances are, would have found the transition to e-cigarettes much easier, or pipes themselves would simply have gone out of fashion and nobody would have bothered for centuries.

Oh, dear.

But it turns out lots of other, healthier items, also useful for non-smokers, were invented in Spain. You just didn't realise it. 

Actually, neither did we, but we've found 10 of them which, we promise, are going to surprise you.

Read full article at thinkSPAIN.com