Archive for the ‘Spain’ Category

Guest Post: Bilbao – A city regenerated and on the budget airline map

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Karen Bryan

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In this guest post author Paul Kilduff, interviewed last year on the Europe a la Carte Blog, tells us about his recent foray to Bilbao in Spain, explaining why he decided to construct a free photo guide to the city.

Flower Puppy, Bilbao

Puppy by Jeff Koons, Bilbao

Despite being Spain’s fourth largest city (after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia), no one would have wanted to visit Bilbao just a decade ago. At that time it was a port city and an industrial hub where the only visitors were executives in suits attending unexciting trade fairs. But recently thanks to the local government, Bilbao has been transformed into a tourist destination by some state of the art buildings and features.

Playa Moyua, Bilbao

Plaza Moyua, the hub of Bilbao

Here’s how Bilbao was simply transformed – the city’s dirty port was moved 12 kms away to a new coastal location ;Norman Foster built a cool Metro system ; an eco friendly riverside tramway system was built ; a striking airport and the Zubi-Zuri footbridge were designed by Santiago Calatrava ; the tanker-like Euskalduna conference centre was voted the world’s best such centre, and Canadian Frank S Gehry designed the stunning Guggenheim Museo, or ‘El Goog’, which is very first building you see as you arrive into the city from the airport. At the same time the city authorities preserved the historic old town (El Casco Viejo), they pedestrianised the streets and they promoted art, culture and nightlife.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

I have spent the last three years writing books about Ryanair, or Ruinair as I prefer to call them, but to reach Bilbao from the UK, you must fly on the more civilised easyJet from London Stansted. I researched Bilbao online before I went but all I found were long pages of dull text. I wanted to see Bilbao. A picture tells a thousand words. So here is my revolutionary free photo guide plus handy tips to Spain’s best kept secret. .

Visit La Lonja de la Seda in Valencia

Thursday, May 14th, 2009Heather Cowper

La Lonja was one of my favourite sights to see in Valencia when we visited last Spring. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and had recently re-opened after restoration. It’s free to enter and luckily it wasn’t too crowded on the day we visited, so we could enjoy it’s cool stone halls and tranquil, cathedral-like atmosphere.

 La Lonja, Valencia

La Lonja de Seda or Silk Exchange was founded in the 15th century and in the past would have been filled with Valencia’s merchants going about their business. We entered through the Sala de Contratacion (The Contract Hall) with its twisted stone pillars reaching up to the vaulted ceiling resembling skeins of twisted silk. At one side is a small, shady courtyard, with orange trees scenting the air and by walking up an external stone staircase you find the first floor chamber with it’s beautiful coffered ceiling and patterned marble floor.

Courtyard garden at La Lonja, Valencia

On the ground floor, off the courtyard there is the Pavillion of the Consulate, where the Merchant’s tribunal would sit. At the height of summer I’m sure the merchants would have found it a cool and shady oasis to retreat from the bustle of the street outside.

See more photos of Valencia from Heatheronhertravels on Flickr

Easter Sunday in Alcalá de Henares, Spain

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009Marcus Cederstrom

My experience of Easter has always focused on candy, Easter egg hunts, and ham. Lots and lots of ham. So spending Easter Sunday in Alcalá de Henares was a far cry from what I had grown accustomed to.

Catholic processions are held throughout Spain during the Holy Week, many starting on Palm Sunday. Just about 35 km northeast of Madrid, the Holy Week processions through the streets of Alcalá de Henares are fascinating. Hundreds of people, dressed in traditional Catholic garb march through the city. Some are dressed in the classic penitential robes and walk barefoot. Others take penitence to another level and walk through town in shackles.

Easter Procession - Alcala

Many of these processions are accompanied by a group of penitents carrying a float. Perched atop the float religious imagery looks down on the people. Often times these images are large sculptures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or other Catholic saints.

Easter Procession Float - Alcala

The streets are lined with Spaniards and tourists alike. All watching in silence. Some make the sign of the cross reveling in the religious and holy experience that the procession represents. Others, like me, watch simply in awe of the unique experience.

To be honest, despite my being absolutely enthralled by the whole experience, it left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. Not because of the religious aspects, but because of the penitential garb. Having grown up in the United States, I struggled to reconcile the religious aspects of the dress with the awful racial history that it is so often coupled with.

Penitential Garb - Alcala

Despite my hang-ups and regardless of the reason for lining the streets of an Easter Sunday procession in Alcalá de Henares, it is an unforgettable experience. One that can’t be matched by candy, Easter egg hunts, or ham. Even lots and lots of ham.

Photo tour of the Andalucian city of Ronda

Friday, March 13th, 2009Karen Bryan

The city of Ronda in Andalucia is one of the most ancient cities in Spain. It’s situated in the north western corner of the Malaga province. We visited Ronda during our reccy trip of southern Spain, on a well deserved day off from the property search. I have to say we were really impressed by Ronda, especially after all the modern built up areas around the Costas.

We started our visit to Ronda by walking on part of the old city walls.

View from city walls, Ronda

View from the city walls, Ronda

Vewi from Ronda city walls

View from the city walls, Ronda

As we walked up the hill we stopped to admire the Iglesia del Espiritu Santo and the surrounding square with it’s 18th century collonades.

Ronda square

Iglesia del Espiritu Santo

A little further up the hill, a wall mural of Ronda, painted on tiles, caught my eye.

Ronda mural

Ronda mural

At the top of the hill lay the defining geograhical feature of Ronda, the 120 metre gorge straddled by the Puente Neuvo or New Bridge. It took forty two years to build the bridge, which was completed in 1793.

Ronda bridge

Puente Neuvo, Ronda

Ronda Bridge

Puente Neuvo, Ronda

There are many buildings perched on the cliff sides on both sides of the gorge.

Ronda

Gorge side buildings, Ronda

Gorge side buildings, Ronda

There are some fantastic views over the surrounding countryside as you walk toward the bullring.

Video of panoramic view from Ronda town walls

Ronda view

Views of the surrounding countryside from Ronda

Ronda is home to one of the oldest bullrings in Spain but as I’m not a fan of watching bulls being taunted and there was an entry fee of six euro I didn’t venture in.

Ronda bull

The Bull sculpture

I recommend that you visit Ronda if you are in the Malaga area. Ronda lies around 100 kms from Malaga but the drive up is very dramatic and scenic. Have you visited Ronda, what did you most like about Ronda?

Four top spots to enjoy Spring in Europe

Friday, March 13th, 2009Andy Hayes

spring in europe

Well, the days are starting to get longer, the spring flowers have sprung, and despite a few flurries here and there, it is feeling distinctively like spring here in Europe. Now’s the time to start thinking about your next European holiday – often good airfare deals and hotel discounts can be had this time of year as the post-Christmas holiday rush has ended and folk are not quite yet planning summer holidays. As well, the economic climate means there are even more travel deals out there today. Here’s a few destinations to put at the top of your list for spring:

Madrid
Spain’s largest city is full of life any season of the year, but the summer weather can be brutally hot. During April and May the city has less rain than in winter and temperatures are very comfortable, even though snow can still be found in the nearby mountains. Don’t miss the Prado, which will also be less crowded at this time.

Amalfi Coast
Tucked away just south of Rome, this portion of the Italian cost can be well overcrowded in summer. But the fresh breeze from the sea brings warmer temperatures and less crowds in spring, meaning you can take time to enjoy the view and the neighbouring attractions such as the ruins at Pompeii.

Santorini
The tourist season starts in Santorini on March 1st – go any earlier and you’ll find many restaurants, B&Bs, and attractions closed. The weather can be very hot in summer but very comfortable in spring, and similar to Amalfi, you can relax and enjoy those stunning seaside views without all the hassle.

Prague
While the Czech capital will not be as warm and cozy as its southernly cousins in this list, spring is still a great time to go and enjoy the “real” Prague, avoiding the hordes of tourists that hit this town en masse come summer. See Charles Bridge at sunrise without a cast of thousands. Go to some of the city’s more popular restaurants without a reservation. Sit in one of the city centre squares and enjoy a cold Pilsner. You’ve earned it.

Three great museums to visit in Valencia

Thursday, March 12th, 2009Heather Cowper

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is the perfect place for a long weekend or city-break with something for everyone to enjoy. There are many art galleries and museums to enjoy but here are three that we visited which give you a glimpse of different sides Spanish and Valencian life and culture.

The Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas
For those that appreciate fine art and beautiful surroundings, I’d recommend the ceramics museum, housed in the Palacio de Marques de Dos Aguas. You’ll find much more than ceramics here though, as the building in which the museum is housed is the most delicious concoction of over-the-top baroque and rococco.

Ceramics Museum in Valencia

The exterior is covered with ornate marble decoration in sugar almond shades and the huge carved alabaster entrance was designed by Hipólito Rovira and alludes to the two rivers Turia and Júcar of the Marques’ title. There’s even a painted-gilt Cinderella coach to greet you in the entrance and the marble decoration continues inside as you walk up the stairs.

As you progress through the first floor of the Palacio you pass through room after room smothered with colourful plasterwork and marble decoration with enormous chandeliers sparkling in the gilded mirrors – its like a mini Versailles. There’s one large room with lovely impressionist paintings and on the top floor there’s a replica of a traditional tiled Spanish kitchen with hand-painted tiles.

Ceramics Museum in Valencia

The Bullfighting museum
A complete contrast is the small bullfighting museum which is beside the bullring near the main station and is free to enter. After seeing the museum you can take a look inside the bull-ring itself, although it wasn’t possible for us as they were preparing for a bullfight the next day. Free booklets in English and other languages were available with information on the museum, the bullring and some background about the bulls and bullfighters.

The main exhibits were the costumes of the bullfighting greats with information about the matadors who had worn them. The costumes known as Traje de Luces or ’suit of lights’ are beautifully embroidered and skin tight and there was an interactive presentation where you could dress the matador, which explained the different items of clothing. We noticed one green and gold costume with a large gash in the leg and on looking more closely we discovered that it had been worn by the torero Manolo Cortes on the day of his death.

Bullring Valencia

Further on there was a large stuffed bull called Gitano who had been ’sacrificed’ age 15. The most interesting part was the short film which is shown at intervals, showing the bull’s life from the stud farm to the bull-fight and its death in the bull-ring. It had no commentary, so no problems with the language but the images spoke for themselves, and I might not take in younger children as they could find it upsetting.

It shows how the bull is first engaged by the junior bullfighters with their purple capes and by picadores on heavily armoured horses who spike the bull in the neck with lances. Finally the star bullfighter, or torero elegantly twirls his purple and yellow cape for the bull to charge, then taking the smaller red cape he plunges the sword into the bull for the final kill. The torero receives the adulation of the crowd as two horses drag the bull’s body out of the ring.

The bullfight is a deeply embedded tradition in Southern Spain and many animal lovers might not want to visit the museum, but if you’re undecided then keep an open mind and visit the museum.

Sculpture at Fallas museum, Valencia

The Fallas Museum
A fun museum for younger children is the Museo Fallero, near the City of Arts and Sciences. The Fallas festival in Valencia takes place every year in March when each neighbourhood sponsors enormous papier mache sculptures which are put on display and then burned in a pyotechnical mania which grips the city. The sculptures are like cartoons and are often a satire on political characters or situations.

Each year, one of the smaller figures or ninots is voted the best and is ‘pardoned’, saved from burning and sent to be displayed at the museum. The figures date from the 1930s through to the present day, and its interesting to see how the early figures are quite simple, while the more recent become more satirical or risqué.

Sculpture at Fallas museum, Valencia

It’s a great place to bring children who will enjoy the cartoon-like aspect of the figures while adults might appreciate the satire and sense of humour. Also on display are some of the stylised posters for the festival each year and the portraits of the Fallera Major or the Queen of the Falleras, who is appointed each year.

All photos by Heather on her travels on Flickr

Guest Post – Teguise: Lanzarote´s Historic Former Capital

Thursday, March 12th, 2009Karen Bryan

In this guest post, Nick of the Lanzarote Guidebook tells us about the town of Teguise, formerly the capital of the island of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands.

Whilst Lanzarote is best known as a modern, sunshine holiday destination this small Canary Island also boasts some wonderful historic attractions. Such as the former island capital of Teguise – which is a real treasure trove of colonial architecture.

Teguise

Teguise by ratatumba

Teguise (or La Villa as it´s known locally) was in fact the first settlement established by the Spanish conquistadores in the Canary Islands. Dating back to 1402. And was named after the last princess of the vanquished pre-Spanish Guanche inhabitants.

Today the town is best known as the location for Lanzarote´s weekly market. Which is one of the biggest events on the island – attracting thousands of tourists and locals alike to Teguise´s cobbled streets and pretty squares.

Teguise was originally selected as the capital of Lanzarote thanks to its elevated position in the centre of the island. Granting panoramic views down to the coastline – and providing an early warning for the islanders who lived in constant fear of pirate attacks throughout the 16th and 17th Centuries. Thanks to Lanzarote´s position as a trading post between the New World and the Old. As Spanish galleons laden with Inca silver would stop to restock and refuel before heading on to the Spanish mainland.

Teguise

Teguise by avatar-1
These riches stirred the interest of many a pirate (or privateer, depending on your viewpoint), including the likes of both Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake. Along with fortune seekers from other established maritime nations such as Holland, France and Portugal.

In 1618 the fears of the islanders proved well founded – as a huge armada of 5,000 Algerian buccaneers completely overran the town. Murdering and pillaging at will. A cataclysmic event that is marked to this day in a small street in Teguise called La Sangre (The Blood) – which stands as a memorial to the mayhem.

This bloodshed, combined with Lanzarote´s growing economic importance to the empire, forced the Spanish to bolster the security of the capital with the construction of the Castillo Santa Barbara. Which is located on Mount Gaunapay overlooking the town. And which today is home to the islands fascinating Emigration Museum. Which charts the migratory patterns of the many islanders forced to seek out new lives aboard as a result of economic privation and the volcanic eruptions of the 1730´s.

Local folklore has it that the Castillo is connected to the oldest remaining building in the town – The Palacio Marques (built in 1452) – by a secret tunnel. Which was designed to provide sanctuary for the villagers in the event of further pirate attacks.

Teguise is also home to a host of other historic buildings – such as the Convento San Domingo and the towns main church, Neustra Senora de Guadalupe – which dates back to the early 1500´s and which is located in the main square, the Plaza de la Constitucion. Opposite the Palacio de Spinola, an excellent house museum, which provides an insight into the lifestyle of an affluent 18th century merchant.

Our Own Place in the Sun – (4) Why we won’t be buying a property in Spain

Monday, March 9th, 2009Karen Bryan

SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:

After our reccy trip to Spain, we’ve come to the conclusion that we won’t be buying ‘Our Own Place in the Sun’ anytime soon in Spain.

PRE-VISIT BACKGROUND

Our idea of purchasing a second/holiday home for avoiding the British winter/renting out in the summer (also, possibly using as a permanernt future home) had become less attractive soon before our visit. This was because of the drop in the value of the UK pound against the Euro, meaning that we’d have to pay more for a property.

COSTS

1.The additional costs of buying a property in Spain can add 10% to the purchase price. With a purchase price of £120,000 that’s an extra £12,000 to find. I’m not sure that property in Spain will appreciate in value in the near future to cover this – in fact prices are currently stagnant and/or falling.

2.Annual property taxes amount to 1 -2 % of the property’s value. If you then add on maintainence costs to a property worth say £120,000 you are looking at least another £2000 a year. If you were travelling to a second/holiday home you’d have to pay for flights on top of this and for electricity during your stay, provide and clean your sheets and towels. Whereas I reckon we could have two quality off peak holidays a year for around £2000.

LOCATION, LOCATION AND LOCATION

We covered 2,000 kilometres (well over 1,000 miles) fom Valencia to Torremolinos over 9 days. Sometimes we had to drive through some towns/villages when unable to avoid them because of the road system, and, when possible, bypassed them if they looked very heavily built up when approaching. Although we did visit some lovely inland locations (e.g. Rhonda), our search concentrated mainly on coastal areas.

We found that the majority of seaside locations right down our search area were extremely heavily built up, even more so than we expected, with some seaside places even featuring skyscrapers (e.g. see a view of Benidorm from the very fast, very busy road, below). Not exactly our idea of a quiet place to relax!

Benidorm

Benidorm

There were some notable exceptions, particularly in the La Manga area immediately East of Cartagena where the lay of the land forms a type of enormous sea-lake with a small exit to the sea. There the Spaniards have built (and occupied!) before the holiday home boom and the villas, gardens and general area are well designed and attractive (albeit more expensive).

Cartagena

Cartagena by chris fries

Another very attractive area was the Cabo Gato national park, east of Almeria, with some beautiful urbanizations in difficult to access seaside locations (e.g. Los Esculios below). In general, the more inaccessible/less ’sandy beach’ areas around Cartagena and as far west as Almeria were the least disturbed by runaway development.

Las Negras

Los Esculios, 1st stop at the Cabo de Gato National Park, east of Almeria

PROPERTY TYPES AND ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION

Most of the property marketed in Spain as second/holiday/retirement homes is situated in urbanications, large housing estates, many of which are located on the periphery of towns, next to busy roads or in the middle of nowhere. Anything nice in a better, quieter location, close to the sea was way above our £120k budget.

The popular “Buy a Place in the Sun’ genre of TV programmes tend to concentrate mostly on the property itself, with not too many shots of all the surrounding properties on the urbanication.

When we were siting on the balcony of one apartment there was the noise of the neighbours heating fan and we tried to imagine what it would be like in Summer when everyone had on the air conditioning.
Buensol appartments

Buensol Apartments, Torremolinos

The final straw was one night in our holiday apartment when were trying to get to sleep and it was impossible between our Spanish neighbours chatting loudly (through paper thin walls) and the incessant whir of their heating fan. We were longing to be back in our quiet bed at home.

OTHER COSTS

We found Spain to be more expensive than the UK for buying food, even in discount supermarkets like Lidl. Eating out was a similar price to the UK but slightly cheaper if you drank alcohol.

FEBRUARY WERATHER

It was dry every day and up to 19 degrees Celsius on a couple of days. However there was a prevalent nasty cold wind which often meant that one side of you was hot and the other cold, very unpleasant. It was prety cool overnight at around 3 degrees. So although it was warmer than the UK I found it hard to maintain a comfortable temperature.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

RENTING PROPERTY OUT WHEN NOT IN USE

This might be very difficult, as there is incredible competition. It’s possible for a holiday maker to rent a one bedroom apartment through an online bed bank for as litle as £15 a night. If you were renting out your own second/holiday home and paying letting agent fees, paying for cleaning between lets etc on top of a low rent would leave you with virtually no profit.

OVERALL CONCLUSION

If you are presently (March 2009) looking for a place in Spain for winter sun, you’d most probably be much better off NOT BUYING but renting instead. You can get excellent value due to the huge choice of people renting out properties in a variety of locations with minimum financial commitment and not tying up capital or taking on an expensive mortgage.

Although prices for the least desirable properties might have fallen substantially recently and are still falling, it is still not good overall value to buy until BOTH property values have dropped much further AND the pound/euro ratio improved substantially.

I’d therefore only recommend that you buy a holiday or second home in Spain if you can easily afford a second property and are able to overcome such adversities in the short term. It may be possible however to find a desirable area and strike a good deal, and so do well in the future, but do your own thorough research first!

As for us, we are satisfied to have come to a firm (even if negative) conclusion. Although we are not exactly holding our breath, we might re-visit this issue sometime in the future.
The Our Own Place in the Sun story

(1)The idea

(2)Where in southern Spain?

(3)Planning the reccy to southern Spain

(4) Why we won’t be buying a property in Spain

Guest Post – Arabic Influence in Granada, Spain

Friday, March 6th, 2009Karen Bryan

In this guest post Nellie Huang of Wild Junket highlights the Arabic influence in Granada, Spain.

A tranquil city in Southern Spain, Granada exudes a mystical sense of beauty that not many overcrowded Spanish cities can compare to. In contrast with the tourist-dominated beaches along the coast, Granada is so elegantly poised with Arabic-influenced architecture, gypsies-inhabited caves and thick Iberian culture.

Albayzin

White-washed houses of the Albayzín

As the last city to be returned to the Christian conquistadors after several hundred centuries of Muslim ruling, Granada still bears evidence to its Arabic influence to this day. The Alhambra Palace was built during the Moorish reign in the 15th century, and still stands proud and majestic on the hills of Granada.

Alhambra Palace

View of the Alhambra Palace

Its brown walls, Muslim arches and intricate carvings give the impression of what used to be, an extravagant Arabic palace. From the Palacio Nazaríes in the Alhambra, you can get a stunning view of the old part of the city- with white-washed houses and gypsy caves dotting the slopes of Sacromonte.

Other signs of Arabic influence can be seen in the Albayzín, one of the oldest areas in Granada. Perched on the hilltop across a canal from the Alhambra, it consists of steep cobblestoned paths and quaint authentic white-washed houses known as el Carmen. Arabic teahouses and Moroccan shops line the narrow street that leads up to the hilltop. The perfect way to relax after a day, is to smoke some Arabic waterpipe (Spanish name is Cachimba) in the dimly-lit aromatic teahouses (teterias).

Arabic teahouse

In the city center right next to the Cathedral, the Alcaicería stands out, like a typically Arabic souk (bazaar) that attracts many tourists and locals alike. Glittery Moroccan lamps, colorful silk and leather products never fail to enchant me each time I visit.

Colorful shops of Alcaicería .JPG

Colorful shops of Alcaicería

Guest post – Exploring Lanzarote: Cesar’s Empire

Thursday, January 15th, 2009Karen Bryan

Nick of the Lanzarote Guide Book, which offers in depth information about the island, describes how the efforts of one man, Cesar Manrique, helped temper the over development of Lanzarote as a holiday destination.

“The small Canary Island of Lanzarote is best known as a beach holiday destination. Thanks to the fact that this small speck of Spain is located just
79 miles off the coast of Africa and enjoys a year round clement climate, which is often likened to an eternal Spring with temperatures averaging 21 Celsius, even in the winter months.

Lanzarote by BK59

Mix in manageable journey times, with flights to Lanzarote taking just four hours from all major UK airports, over 90 great beaches and a high quality of accommodation in all of the main resorts and it´s easy to see why over 800,000 British tourists spent their holidays in Lanzarote during the course of 2008.

But despite the islands undoubted popularity as a tourist destination and the legacy of the Monty Python Lanzagrotty tag, Lanzarote remains largely unspoiled. It is in fact an island of enormous natural beauty. The three main tourist resorts are all well contained, advertising hoardings are outlawed and high rise buildings are banned, offering visitors much more than just bucket and spade beach holiday alone.

Salt Water Lake, Lanzarote by BK59

Much of the credit for this can be attributed to an island born artist and architect called Cesar Manrique who fought against untrammelled development as package tourism started to take off back in the 1970´s.

Manrique had been studying in New York and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol in the early 1960´s. But feared that his birthplace could soon become submerged beneath a sea of high rise hotels – a fate already befalling swathes of the southern Spanish coastline and larger Canary Islands such as Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

As a result Manrique returned to Lanzarote and lobbied the island government to implement a policy of controlled development. So leaving much of the island as nature intended today.

Manrique also sought to create a series of tourist attractions that united the unique volcanic beauty of Lanzarote with his own artistic aesthetic. As an alternative to the water parks and golf courses springing up in other Spanish sunspots.

Resulting in the creation of attractions such as the Jameos del Agua – where Manrique converted a collapsed lava tube into an underground auditorium and night club. The Mirador del Rio – a former naval gun battery dating back to the 1890´s which was transformed by the artist into a unique lookout point across to the neighbouring island of La Garcuiosa. And his own incredible underground home and studio – fashioned out of five volcanic bubbles.

Thanks to the work of Manrique Lanzarote was declared a UNESCO protected biosphere in 1994 – the first island in the world to enjoy such status.”