Issue Nº 3

April - June 2012

Are you thinking of movingto Spain?

Would you like advice on which area is best foryou & your family? Find out how to avoid payingImport Duty if you take your UK car with you ...

You can save a lot of money by talking to theexperts and taking the right steps before you-

make your move...

The first step towards a successful relocationto Spain is to contact ...

www.ccbspain.com

Tel: 00 34 952 48 68 06

Expat & Relocation Services

Contents Pagepg 4 CCB Spain: Important Updates for Foreigners in Spain

pg 6 Move to Madrid: Reasons for moving to Madridpg 8 Graham Hunt: A family Day out in Valencia

pg10 Peter Tatford: Walking in Sevillapg12 Rachel Webb: Ramblings from a family in Jaenpg14 Alex Bramwell: Alex introduces Gran Canaria

pg16 La Rosilla Catering: Recipespg18 Annie B´s Spanish Kitchen: Almond Recipes

pg20 Molly´s Spain: Rediscovering Traditionpg22 Costa Women: It takes a long time to become young

pg24 Dave J Bull: Campo or Coastpg27 Paul Ellis: Another UK Bank Rip off

pg28 Money Saver Spain: A to Z Guide to Savingpg30 David Rogers: When more is less

pg32 Holiday Property Expert: Child Safety Tips for Holiday Letspg34 The Spanish Brick: The Spanish property Market 2012

pg 35 SpainPropertyWeb: The Complicated Maze of Property Salespg36 Books4Spain: Book Reviews

pg38 Jajaja Books: What are your experiences of learning ...pg 40 RoundaboutSpain: Port Aventura

¡Bienvenidos! Welcome! to the third edition ofour Family Life in Spain Newsletter.

We are really happy to introduce some new contributors fromdifferent areas of Spain and the Islands. They will be sharing theirown peronal experiences of the part of Spain they have chosen tocall their home. Please feel free to contact them with any questionsyou may have.With Semana Santa festivities out of the way we are quicklyheading towards the Summer . After such a mild and dry winter,what can we expect this year? No matter what it is, we hope youall have fun and continue to enjoy your Family Life In Spain.

Family In Spain

Important Update for Foreignersliving in or moving to Spain ...

In response to the question “Does your Spanish NIE expire after 3months?” … The answer is “No”!

Some companies are telling people that their NIE expires after 3 months.This information is not totally true and is very misleading.

As we have previously explained , if you are planning to stay in Spain formore than 3 months then you no longer need to apply for an NIE , you canregister as a foreign resident , receive the green certificate (which hasreplaced the old residency cards) and consequently save yourself time andmoney.

However, if you require an NIE to purchase a property or a car then youwill receive the white sheet of paper with your NIE number, which is anumber assigned to you for life. At the bottom of this paper you will seethe words “caduca en 3 meses”. This basically means that the certificateis only valid for 3 months, however your NIE will not change and can beused for legal and bureaucratic purposes.

Due to recent changes to the law in Spain, it is no longer possiblefor a lawyer to apply for a client’s NIE using a Power of Attorney.

To apply for a NIE in Spain, you must now make the application personallyat the corresponding police station.

NIE numbers may still also be applied for at any Spanish Consulate orEmbassy, in your home country, although this process will take longer,usually between 3 and 4 months, which will delay any planned propertycompletion.

If you are planning to buy property in Spain, you willnow need to allocate extra time for a NIE applicationappointment, especially if you are scheduling ainspection trip to Spain.

NIE Updates ...

www.ccbspain.com ... Expat & Relocation ServicesProviding essential information for foreigners living in

or relocating to Spain

info@ccbspain.com Tel: +34 952 48 68 06

Buying a Second Hand Vehicle in Spain … Informe de Cargas

Before buying a second hand vehicle in Spain we strongly recommend thatyou always request an “Informe de Cargas” for the second hand vehicleyou intend to buy.

The “Informe de Cargas” is a document that informs you of any outstan-ding debts or embargoes the vehicle may have. An online copy of thedocument can be found here . Once completed, the document is to besubmitted to the traffic department office (Jefatura de Trafico) or if youhave a digital signature you can present it online at www.dgt.es .

If you do not speak Spanish or are unable to navigate the online servicethen it is advisable to ask the company that are processing your paper-work to carry out this service before you decide to purchase the vehicle.It is a step that should be taken before handing over any money. Youshould not pay any more than around €35 for this service.

Unfortunately, we hear of too many expats in Spain who buy a secondhand car in Spain and do not carry out the correct procedure relating tothe paperwork.

If you have any doubts about the correct procedure to follow, do nothesitate to Contact Us: info@ccbspain.com

On a final note: If you pay for a second hand car in Spain and a few monthslater decide to complete the necessary paperwork to register the vehiclein your name, you may well discover that it is not possible and yourvehicle is embargoed due to outstanding debts of the previous owner. Isthat a risk you are prepared to take for €35?

For other articles relating to Traffic Laws in Spain you may like to readmore on our website www.ccbspain.com

In a nutshell, Madrid is a human-sized capital city. For expats, this meansthat you will be able to find anything you need here, including food fromyour home country, without feeiling the pressure and high-speed lifestyleyou can feel in other capital cities such as Paris, London or even Rome.

Madrid still has deep Spanish roots, and you will not feel in a cosmopolitancity, as you may in Barcelona, but rather in an international but still tradi-tional Spanish city.

Of course, if you are looking for the best weather and beaches, you alre-ady your income assured and you want to live mainly with other expats,head to the coast. Madrid is rather a great mix between good career op-portunities, great lifestyle, access to verything you need and an environe-ment where you can find exapts if you want to, but also integrate yourselfwith Spaniards and live the Spanish life.

Madrid has a large expat community, 17% of its population being foreign(according to 2008 censushttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demograf%C3%ADa_de_Madrid).

The economic climate, since the start of the crisis in late 2008, is bearishin Spain. However, Madrid still is the best place in Spain to find a job inmost cases.

Madrid is about 25-35 % less expensive than London, Paris or New Yorkaccording to the great website Expatistan.com, which enables you to com-pared all cost of living thanks to user generated data.

On the other hand, Madrid's average salary is also about 30% inferior toLondon, Paris or New York's average salary (see monster.com and xe.comfor converting currecny for more data).

My personal opinion is that real estate is getting cheaper in Madrid, andthis is making living in Madrid even cheaper. Eating out and having a drinkwith friends i so much cheaper in Madrid: 10 € for a 3-course menu anyday of the week in average in Madrid, 4-5 € for Gin Tonic or any othermixed drink. You pay twice as much for the same things in Paris, Londonor New York.

Reasons for Moving to Madrid

Yours Madridly,

Pierre

The only issue really is that with the crisis, salaries are not improving, andmy feeling and experience is that there are some big gaps betweenmanagerial and junior positions in Madrid. In Madrid, you can start in abig company for as little as 15-25K€ a year, and the legal minimum salaryis only 640 €, but your salary can raise quite fast in 2 to 5 years.

Housing will be your main concern when you arrive, since the quality flatsare hard to find, and you have to know where to search, how to negotiate,and make the deal fast knowing all the implications of what you aresigning.

The healthcare system in Madrid is very good, one of the best in Europe.Either you are a Spanish employee and/or European Union citizen, andyou get access to the good quality public system, or you will have to get aprivate healthcare coverage with Sanitas or Adeslas for instance, whereyou will great value deals.

Madrid has as many as 40 private schools with bilingual or 100% englishcurriculums. You can see a map with all these schools here:

http://maps.google.es/maps/ms?msid=211911632451438651677.0004b15097cf2e5905793&msa=0

The weather in Madrid is really great, since the summer (my definitionbeing "the period during which I can have a dring at a terrace with friendswithout being cold") goes from March until November most of times.However, August can be very hot, with other 40-45ºC - make sure you haveair conditionning !-, and during the winter, every other year we get snowfor christmas in Madrid. But you will nearly never get negative temperatures.

For more information and facts about living in Madrid have a look at

http://moving2madrid.com/

We have had some friends visiting from Asturias.And today we had other mutual friends coming upfrom Santa Pola in Alicante to visit. This means ofcourse that I actually took some time off from thebusiness and we decided to go out. So, thequestion is what does a family day out in Valenciainvolve?

So we get up early and quickly scoff down some breakfast before headingoff out into Valencia.

Meeting at 11am we find that the City of Arts and Sciences Oceanographichas never been so busy, ever. The oceanographic is one of the mainattractions of the City of Arts And Sciences, Spain's biggest touristattraction in case you didn't know. It is the biggest aquarium in Europeand has an area devoted to each of the World's oceans and a ratherspectacular setting.

We were clever. We avoided the queues, and thewere huge, by having bought the tickets the daybefore (You can buy online too at www.cac.es andjust pick up) The oceanographic tickets cost about24 Euros but if you live in Valencia or visit oftenthen get a yearly pass for the whole City of Arts andSciences which costs the same as two daily passesand you can go in as many times as you likeincluding all of the shows at the IMAX cinema fornothing.

A few hours marveling at the brilliant architecture,the dolphin shows, the tunnels being surrounded bysharks and seeing walruses playing catch we leaveto get a paella or three in El Palmar.

El Palmar is in the middle of the Albufera lake where the rice paddiessurround it. As the rice is grown in this area then rice dishes abound. The13 of us got three rather large paellas to share, extra salads, braves,drinks, desserts, coffee and more for less than 20 Euros a head. Follow

A Family Day Out In Valencia

this up with a boat ride around the Albufera,Valencia's freshwater seaside lake for an hour forthe exorbitant price of 3 Euros per head ;-) andyou have a perfect way to digest your meal whileusing the supplied binoculars to spot the ridicu-lous number of birds that abound in the area.

So, finishing that, we go in convoy back intoValencia and park under the Plaza de la Reina tohave a coffee overlooking the Plaza de la Virgensquare while the kids run around the squarechasing pigeons. An hour and a half of no pressureselling from the waiters, watching the shadowslengthen as the sun goes down and the Cathedralgets lit up and the end to a perfect day beforeputting the kids in bed.

A nightcap and bed before writing this for Lisa's Mon-day deadline.

So no mention of the Bioparc, the Beach, The Fallasmuseum, the Gulliver Park, The Casino, The RiverbedPark, the Carmen, the America's Cup SuperyachtPort, Formula One or the nightlife.

What would you do if you came to Valencia for a few days?

Graham Hunt has an estate agency in Valencia www.valencia-property.com.

He also produces the Spain Is Different magazine which you can find at www.houses-for-sale-in-Spain.net/Spain-is-different-magazine

What do you think of first when someone mentionsSeville? Oranges, barbers and perhaps Don Juan?With a little more thought you might add a dash ofSpanish passion in the shape of bullfighting andflamenco, the summer sun, and palaces with shadedcourtyards full of a dazzling array of colourful flowers.Seville does indeed have all these things, and muchmore besides. For a start, it ’s a city with a lot of

history, stretching right back through the long Muslim period to Roman times andbeyond, and fine examples of the art and architecture of almost every period canbe found here, from the stretches of city wall and iconic Torre del Oro (GoldTower) dating from Islamic times, through the Mudejar style Alcázar Palace, theGothic splendour of the 15th century cathedral, the Renaissance town hall andthe baroque splendour of the Archbishop’s palace to the neo-classical TobaccoFactory.

But Seville isn’t just a museum, it ’s also a living, working, evolving city, and it ’sthat city that the visitor actually comes to. On my walking tours I try to show howthe modern city developed out of the old, and how the past has left its mark onthe present, as well as take people to a few of my personal "hidden gems".

Seville is a city that is designed, or has grown, to deal with a hot climate. It maycome as a surprise, but it has more trees than pretty much anywhere else inSpain, including not only those ubiquitous orange trees that seem to line all thestreets and squares, and whose delicate, whiteblossom, known as azahar, gives off the wonderfulscent that is Seville in springtime, but alsoJacarandas (the ones with the amazing purpleblossoms), Moreton Bay Figs (the big ones withthe hanging roots), and many others, all of whichprovide shade and breathe moisture into the dryair (as well as just being beautiful, of course). Theclimate is also one of the reasons for all thosewinding little streets it’s so easy to get lost in, andthe style of building with interior courtyards and colonnades; it all serves toprovide a relief from the midday summer sun.

For me, there are really four specific must-see sights - the Alcázar palace and gar-dens (invest in the audio-guide, it ’s worth it), the Cathedral and Giralda tower(yes, you do have to climb to the top, but you won’t regret it), the Plaza España,built by Ánibal González for the 1929 Spanish-American Expo in the distinctive

Walking in Sevilla ...

neo-mudejar style (along with an astonishinglylarge number of other buildings all over thecity in a burst of modernisation), and, to comeright up to date, the Espacio Metropol Parasol,an ultra-modern structure only completedand opened early in 2011, and one of my fa-vourites for its surprise factor.

Beyond these, Seville is very much a city for just strolling around. The mostfamous neighbourhood is the Barrio Santa Cruz (also known as the old Jewishquarter, although its more than five hundred years since the last Jews wereexpelled), which despite the large number of tourists is still a delight to explore,with its narrow streets and little squares with their cool ceramic benches,balconies and tapas bars.

An excellent example of the mixing of modern and historical can be found on thetramway that runs along San Fernando street and Constitution Avenue, now widepedestrianised streets with shops and pavement cafes, but running past the OldTobacco Factory, the Archive of the Indies, and the Cathedral to the Town Hall,some of the oldest and most historically important buildings in Seville, the wholewalk having a pleasantly light and airy feel to it.

I also enjoy walking down by the river. Until the early 1990s this was a rather rundown area that used to be part of the port of Seville, and which in earlier timeswas where the ships plying the trade routes to the Americas would arrive withtheir cargoes of gold and tobacco, the source of the wealth that built many of thecity’s palaces and public buildings. Since then, initially for the 1992 expo, theriverside has been opened up for walking along almost its whole length.

Finally, no visit to Seville would be complete without stopping at one of the foodmarkets, Triana and Encarnación being my favourites. The colourful displays offresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat will certainly give you an appetite, evenif you’re not buying.

Seville is a perfect place for long weekends and short breaks. Not too big or toosmall, with plenty to see and enjoy from the grand and impressive to the smalldetails, vibrant, lively and romantic. Not for nothing is it known as the jewel ofthe south.

Peter TatfordAzahar Sevilla Walking Tourshttp://azahar-sevilla.com/walking-tours/

Hello from Jaén one of the most northerly provinces in Andalucia. Pronounced“hi-en”, this is probably the least knownof the eight provinces in Andalucia as wellas being the most difficult to pronounce.But don´t let that put you off, it´s worth avisit.

Within its boundary is the largest protec-ted area in Spain, Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas which is the sourceof the mighty Guadalquivir River that crosses Cordoba, Sevilla and entersthe Atlantic in Cadiz province.

Jaén is the third largest province after Seville and Cordoba with 13,496 sqkm within its borders; it has the least, after Huelva, number of inhabitantsand the most olive trees out of the 300 million in Spain.

Jaén is known as paraiso interior or inland paradise and I agree, it´s beenmy home for the last 16 years. I moved from the south-west of England in1996 with my husband, Nick and then, two sons who were 5 and 3. Nowthree sons, four crazy escape-artist chickens and a lovable but not veryclever dog later, we live surrounded by olive groves and our only closeneighbour is a horse.

I was, as usually happens, asked to giveEnglish lessons which has now become afour-hour every week day occurrenceduring term-time. A job that is both incre-dibly frustrating and rewarding at the sametime. I´ve some lovely and not-so-lovelykids that hopefully will end up with betterEnglish pronunciation than my Spanish!

I also twiddle the keyboard with my www.andalucia-for-holidays.comwebsite , www.andaluciaexplorer.blogspot.com and www.camping-in-spain.blogspot.com. I´m a great fan of Twitter which is where I firstdiscovered this great magazine and why I´m here sharing with you today.

Ramblings from a Family in Jaén

We have a holiday rental house which we bought with some friends in anearby hamlet six years ago. We renovated it and now rent it out accor-ding to the local government guidelines. Our tourist board registeredhouse, Casa El Regüelo, keeps us fairly busy with guests but also with afairly big garden we are learning (slowly) how to ´grow our own´.

Nick is an engineer by training, a plumber,electrician and Solar Panel installer withSpanish qualifications but a gardener he isnot. He´s made a rotavator and uses italong with a strimmer under my watchfuleye. Otherwise I find weeds strimmedaround and my prize flowers gone!

My eldest son, a trained luthier, is renova-ting a workshop next to Casa Rural El Regüelo to make his own Spanishguitars. Maybe one day he´ll do some guitar making workshops which iswhat he did and when fell in love with creating from scratch a work of artthat sounds so beautiful.

Our part of rural Andalucia has loads going for it, day trips are possible toCordoba, Granada, the UNESCO cities of Ubeda and Baeza as well as Jaéncity and of course the numerous smaller white towns in between. All ofwhich have an amazing amount of historical sites going back to the Romanoccupation.

Moorish watchtowers abound on almost every hillock between the silverygreen olive trees and reddish ground. Summers get very hot and winterspretty cold. The poet Antonio Machado often referred to Jaén as ´silverJaén´. He lived and taught in Baeza for a while and wrote many piecesabout the Jaén province….

“Fields, nothing but fields - and white farmhouses scattered betweenolive trees”

That´s my Jaén. Worth a visit?

Rachel Webb, www.casa-rural-el-reguelo.comCasa Rural El Reguelo, 23610 Fuensanta de Martos

Jaen

Alex introduces Gran Canaria

Las Palmas: My Kind of City

It ’s very fashionable for ex-pats tolounge on the Las Canteras beach frontsipping cold Tropical beers and moa-ning about Las Palmas. “It’s too busy …there’s nothing to do except go to thebeach … I miss the winter … they can’t

do chips … etc”. The pettiness of it used to annoy me. Now with one-yearold baby and a full timetable I’m too busy to care. I just sip my rum andcoke and watch the Canarian families going by.

I grew up in the hills behind the city and the bustle of Las Palmas excitedme every time we came down. My parents made a weekly pilgrimage tothe main Santa Catalina square for the Sunday papers, stopping for acoffee while the bucket men washed the car with water from the fountain.I explored the little bird market or pestered the old men playing chessunder the palm trees. In the 1980s there were still horse-drawn carts onthe streets, and the papers were always a week old.

I still get the same buzz from Las Palmas now. Okay, so it ’s not theprettiest city in the world! Some of its 1970s and 1980s buildings arepolitely best described as functional. The streets are dusty, the traffic getsridiculous and parking is utterly impossible. But then you walk onto theLas Canteras beach front and none of it matters.

Unlike the resort beaches in the south of Gran Canaria, Las Canteras is aliving, vibrant, local beach. Spanish families set up camp and picnic behindscreens. Tourists roast away on the sun loungers, adding some pink to theyellow of the sand and the green of the sea. The sky is almost always blue.Endless streams of surfers sniff out the best performing breaks.

Sit at a table by Las Canteras for long enough and everyone you knoweventually walks past. Getting from one end to the other should be a shortwalk. At the weekends it takes hours because of all the stops to gossip,catch-up and share a beer. It plays havoc with our son Ben’s routine.

Las Palmas is a big Spanish city but it has a much more Latin feel than any-

Alex works as a photographer, writer and translator. His photos are repre-sented by the prestigious Getty Images agency. He specializes in providingquality visual and written content to Canary Island tourist businesses viawww.alexbramwell.blogspot.com.es . He believes that the best way of pro-moting the Canary Islands is to show everyone just how great they are.

where on the mainland. The language sharesas much with Cuban Spanish as with Castilianand the music is more Salsa than Flamenco.Canarians drink rum. Everyone has a cousinin Venezuela!

Away from the beach Las Palmas isn’t aninstantly rewarding city. Its best bars aretucked away down dark staircases and its quality restaurants rely on theirfood, rather than their façade, to attract customers. I think this is what Ilike about Las Palmas: It doesn’t give up its secrets easily, but has to bediscovered slowly. There is always one more restaurant that “does the bestcalamares in the city” or “has the best steak this side of Uruguay”.Everyone seems to have their own version of Las Palmas, marked out withfavourite spots

My version of Las Palmas is a loud, Latino city with plenty of rough edges.There’s no polish applied for the tourists who pour off the cruise ships orbus up from the south. I’m not saying that a few signs in English and a cou-ple more pots of flowers wouldn’t improve the place. However, Las Palmasis alive in a way that the resorts in the south can never be. It has, for wantof a better word, authenticity.

It seems to take seven years to decide whether you like Las Palmas: Mostex-pats either leave after that time, eager for green grass and level pave-ments, or stay for ever. We have been here eight years: Who needs freshpastures when you have warm sand?

La Rosilla – Lifestyle & Food.Home cooked seasonal dishes served with style.

Personal inland tours of the Axarquia, bringing local food, culture & knowldge together for a true experience of real family life in Spain.

Private dining, Mountain 'Supperclub' & Event Catering.

www.larosilla-catering.comThe first broad beans of the season, are ready to be podded. Mychildren enjoy sitting in the sun with a bowl and pod away. I loveto serve them as an appetizer in a broad bean and fresh pea dip,delicious spread on warm bruchetta.

BROAD BEAN AND PEA DIP.

A big handful of podded fresh broad beans.A small handful of podded fresh peas or defrosted frozen peas,

Juice and zest of 1 lemon.1 clove of garlic, chopped.

Good glug of olive oil.A handful of freshly grated Parmesan.

5 mint leaves chopped finelySea Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

•With a blender, whizz, peas, beans, lemons juice, olive oil and garlic.•Stir in Parmesan, mint and seasoning.•Serve, with crudites, warm pittas or piled on bruchetta.

I love dishes that you can taste the sunshine in, using fresh home-grown ingredientswhere possible .Here’s a favorite of mine for you, can be enjoyed as a side dish to accompany fishor barbied meat or simply , I like it for lunch, with a hunk of homemade bread, tomop up the Juices and a chilled Fino to sip.

Summer Roasted PeppersServes 4

2 Large red peppers, cut in half through the stalk.4 ripe Tomatoes, cut in quarters.

1 fat clove of garlicOlive Oil

Fresh herbs ( I use Rosemary or dried oregano that I dry myself)Anchovy Fillets.

Method

Oil a baking dish, and lay the peppers in it.Drizzle the inside of the peppers with Oil, season with Salt & pepper, and put ineach some slithers of garlic.Stuff the peppers with the tomatoes.Drizzle with more oil, S & P, and sprinkle with herbs.

La Rosilla – Lifestyle & Food.Home cooked seasonal dishes served with style.

Personal inland tours of the Axarquia, bringing local food, culture & knowldge together for a true experience of real family life in Spain.

Private dining, Mountain 'Supperclub' & Event Catering.

Top with anchovy fillets.Bake in a hot oven for 25 mins, till tender and oozing.

Other ideas, not too keen on anchovies, top with Goats Cheese, or once out ofthe oven, shavings of Parmesan.. Delish too!

Nothing beats putting a large rustic earthenware dish full of Mediterranean go-odness on the table, for one and all to enjoy, taking big spoonfuls, tasting Sum-mer, washed down with a ‘Big fat Rioja’, And some Mosto for the kids .

ONE POT MEDITERRANEN MARVELChop each ingredient to a similar size.

Serves 6.2 x Onions

2 x Green Peppers3 x large tomatoes

2 x Handfuls of Mushrooms2 x handfuls of Small potatoes

1 x Chorizo1 x Courgette

Place everything in a large dish suitable for the oven.•Add 4 cloves of garlic peeled.•1 x handful of chopped rosemary•Add Olive oil, to coat ingredients and mix with hands.•Season generously with good sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.•Cook for 40 Mins, until everything is golden and softened.•Then Sprinkle the dish with tasty grated cheese.•Make 6 ‘wells’ in the cheese and crack in 6 eggs.•Put back in oven for 5 / 10 mins until eggs are set to your liking.

Enjoy with Chopped salad with fresh herbs, and Home baked bread.I bake Olive tapenande foccacia, to enjoy with our flavours of the med…you can'tbeat it.

AlmondsWhen the Moors arrived in Spain in 711, they brought with them many oftheir staple foods which are now part of the everyday diet here: aubergi-nes, saffron, honey, oranges, lemons, rice as well as the glorious almond. Almonds play a hugely important role in Spanish cuisine, particularly inAndalucia where they are plentiful. Flying into Málaga in January/February,the land below looks as if it ’s covered with cotton wool balls when thealmond trees are covered with blossoms in full bloom. They are robusttrees and develop long roots which seek out water far underground.Raw almonds aren’t just an ingredient – they are a protein and a superfood in their own right. Their high nutritional value is now recognisedworldwide. They contain 54% fat, as well as iron, calcium, phosphors andVit B. In fact there is as much linoleic acid in just 2 almonds as there is in1.25 litres of milk. Their high fat content means that they are not low incalories but even eating a few will leave you feeling quite full. They releaseenergy into your system upon consumption which makes them a brilliantenergy snack. When packing for climbing Kilimanjaro last month, myessential Kili kit contained 2 kilos of raw Andalucían almonds for the 4 ofus to snack on for energy as well as to add to the porridge we were servedfor breakfast every morning – which also pushed the almond up there asan essential flavour enhancer!One of my favourite dishes from Andalucía is the spectacular, energizingAjo Blanco, the famous white gazpacho made from raw almonds and garlic,then served ice cold with frozen quartered grapes acting as ice cubes.When ground with water, a whole almond releases it ’s milkiness whichgives the appearance of Ajo Blanco actually having milk or cream as aningredient. The history of this delectable delight emanates from the fieldsof Andalucía where the workers had a plentiful supply of old bread, garlic,almonds, spring water, Olive Oil and Sherry vinegar. Using a mortar andpestle, they would pound the garlic, almonds and bread, trickling in coolwater as they went along. Nowadays we have modern gadgets such asliquidizers to do the hard work but there are still ladies in my village whoalways use a mortar & pestle for making Gazpacho. I add an apple to myAjo Blanco, adding yet another source of goodness. If ever I’m feeling inneed of an energy boost, particularly on a hot summery day, Ajo Blancoalways does the trick. It ’s quick and easy to make. I will add an ice cubeto the glass I serve it in if there’s no time to cool it down. Please start yoursoup before it gets warm!Frying almonds and cubes of stale bread together, then grinding with amortar and pestle to make a thickener for sauces and stews is still done

Join Annie B’s Facebook Group for up to date happenings in theworld of Spanish Food and Wine ... (click the link below!)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/75297567843/

in most traditional kitchens. Traditional dishes such asPerdices con Salsa de Almendras, Chocos con Almendrasand Pollo con Almendras are all prepared with the preciousalmond.Almonds can be used in every course of a delicious dinner. As a canape -my favourite tipple, Manzanilla, tastes at its best with a few saltedAlmonds. As a starter - the divine Ajo Blanco. As a main course – Rape(monkfish)con Almendras. As a dessert, an Orange & Almond cake, whereground almonds replace the flour content. And also as a soothing afterdinner sweetness – Turrón.Spanish Turrón must be one of the most ancient of ‘sweets’ in the world.This delicacy was also brought to Spain by the Arab conquerors – honeyand almonds being its main ingredients. Turrón blando, the soft turrón,is so because of the addition of almond oil to the basic Turrón Duroingredients of almonds, honey & egg whites.

AJO BLANCO x 82 small slices day old bread with crusts removed

A little water for soaking the bread1 large crispy apple peeled, cored & chopped

200g blanched almonds4 peeled garlic cloves

600ml water150ml olive oil

40ml/8tsp sherry vinegarS and P

Grapes, preferably Moscatel

Begin with washing and cutting in half or quarter the grapes. Remove seeds andthen freeze in a single layer.Soak bread for a few minutes.Put almonds, garlic, half of the half apple and bread (squeeze slightly to removeexcess water) in a blender. Whizz until a paste is formed and then gradually addthe water until smooth.With motor running slowly, add OO and vinegar. Add remaining apple. Add morewater if needed to reach desired consistency - it should be the consistency of sin-gle creamSeason to taste then put in fridge or freezer to chill.

Serve with frozen grapes, toasted pine nuts and/or diced apple floating on top.

Buen Provecho

I love Starbucks, free wi-fi connection, High speed trains and tweeting justas much as the next person, but I also love to wander around Little streetsin Spain finding the most traditional shops and the oldest businesses thatare still trading.

I had a recent stroll around Granada to see what interesting examples Icould find. I found many shops, here are some of the highlights.

One of the first places I came across was this lovely grocery store, on San.Anton street right in the city centre.

The sign above the window means Dairyproducts and the other sign Hueveriameans Eggs shop but as you can see fromthe fantastic window display they actuallyspecialize in all kinds local produce. FreshFruit from the Costa Tropical, freshly bakedbread from Alfacar, Honey and Jams produ-ced in the Alpujarra mountain villages,delicious cakes and pastries of all varieties

from the most traditional villages in the province, aromatic cheeses fromGranada, yummy salchichon, chorizo and other delicatessen items. Doesit just make you want to eat something reading all this?

I found this little gem of a shop near to thecathedral, selling wooden items made fromOlive wood. They have all kinds of wicker worktoo, baskets in all shapes and sizes. I noticedthat they also sell the traditional Andalusianwicker chairs too with painted legs with colou-red flowers on. All these things makeinteresting and unique souvenirs or practicalgifts for the home.

Miroc, This Hatmakers has been trading since the 1900´s They have dozensof hat styles, Panama Hats, a varied selection of Fedoras, summery Strawboaters, the elegant Cordobes hats for the Feria, Flat caps, Bowler hat,

Molly´s Spain ... Rediscovering Tradition

the traditional birettas for the University ce-remonies, you name it, it´s there. This shop isjust above Plaza Trinidad near the Cathedral andreally has a sense of tradition to it.

The most traditional place to eat an ice cream isLos Italianos on gran via who have been tradingsince 1936, they open on St Joseph’s Day everyyear and close on the Pilar festivity on the 12thOctober. On her visit to Spain in 2010 MichelleObama had a 3 chocolate ice cream her in theHot August sun. The business has been run bythe same family for over 75 years, descendantsfrom Italian immigrants, hence the name of business.

For all the festivities in Spain, weddings, the Crosses in May, Romeria,Feria, christenings and holy communion ceremonies, the Spanish certainly

need a lot of lace and trimmings. These Merceria´s(haberdashery shop) are dotted about all over theplace. Selling lace, edging, tassles, fringing and trimsin an infinite variety of colours and qualities, theydecorate the colourful processions and the horsesbridles in festivals all through the year. For the day youwear your Flamenco dresses to the fair they sell diffe-rent accessories, scarf pins, clips, and traditional haircombs called Peineta to support the lace shawls. A realtreasure trove of trinkets.

These shops and businesses are dotted all over Spain they give us aninsight into Spanish culture and tradition. When next wandering in a townor city pop inside and see what unusualthings you find. Certainly adifferent way to find conversation-starting gifts rather than buying thestandard bottle of wine.

Molly originally from Nottingham, moved to Spain in the 1990´s, initially basedin Barcelona, for the past 6 years is living in Granada, Andalucia.Working in Technology sector in PR & Communications, she has also a Postgra-duate in Institutional Relations & Protocol from Granada University. Find Mollyon Twitter: ww.twitter.com /@piccavey

Read her updates on her blog: http://www.piccavey.com

DDeeaarr YYoouunnggeerr MMee,, This month the big number in front of our age is changing! Here’s my gift to you of 5 thoughts that I would like to have known at your age - so grab a chair and Ben and Jerry’s!:-

Never memorize something that you can look up. ~ Albert Einstein Do you remember at school having to learn logarithms – trying to get your head around something that probably 1% of the population need to know when you could have spent more time reading or painting? Einstein was pretty smart so if he thinks you don’t need to memorise things that aren’t useful… don’t!

Someday is not a “day” Why put off to “someday” what you could do and enjoy TO-day? Life is short and time is precious. Burn those candles, get the stuff out of the cupboard saved for another day (it only collects dust anyway). The problem with saving for a rainy day is that it rains! Spend time with family and friends. Enjoy your kidulthood! For each worry that comes knocking think to yourself “will it matter a day from now?” and if the answer is “no” then don’t hang about worrying about what might happen. Live in the moment – it’s fun; trust me! It’s great to plan for the future, but sometimes you need to stop saying “someday I will” and JUST DO IT.

"It takes a long time to become young." Pablo Picasso

I actually don’t feel any different today than when we celebrated being 21, 30 or 40. The person who said, “behave your age, not your shoe size” probably didn’t own a single pair of Jimmy Choos.!

!

We live in an age of youth culture, why not continue in your youth. If in doubt, take this survey http://www.blogthings.com/whatagequiz/ By the way, our results were:- You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.”) Nuff said?

"You don't stop having fun because you get old, you get old because you stop having fun!" An Unknown Author Make more mistakes, eat more Ben & Jerry’s and less wheat (which as you get older you will be allergic to anyway). Have lots of “moments”. Don’t spend time with negative people you can’t learn anything from them.

Become what you might have been Don’t waste time doing things that others have already done before, go and find a new path and forge it. Decide who you want to be, where you want to go, who you want to spend time with and become that person you always wanted to be. Shakespeare said “All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts;, His acts being seven ages”. Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself. Enjoy all those the seven ages!

Your older self x P.S. On our Vision Board is a birthday card for our 90th birthday, so you’ve got a lot of living still to do! X Ali Meehan runs Costa Women, a social and business networking group for women living in Spain. Members live across mainland Spain & the islands, as well as Women who are dreaming Spain The fun starts at: http://costawomen.ning.com/ Facebook/costawomen Twitter: @costawomen LinkedIn: Costa Women Entrepreneurs

!

!

CAMPO OR COAST?

For lots of people thinking about moving to Spain the decision is whether to buythat tumble-down farmhouse and spend some time and effort working on itamongst the olive trees or hit the coast and relax?

I’ve been asked many times by people thinking of making the move to Spain.‘Where is it better to live? in the country, or on the coast? I’ve done both andenjoyed both but it really depends on what you are looking for in Spain.

If you have visions of living in the countryside and driving past meadows of cowsand buttercups then you need to research whereabouts in Spain you may want togo as you may be looking at the wrong country...

Spain being (mostly) a hot country replace that image of green fields with olivetrees, or lemon, oranges, figs or vineyards. But don’t come to Spain expectingrolling hills of the Yorkshire dales or the South Downs as you won’t find them.

Spain (at least the region around Alicante - where I live) isn’t all that pretty to behonest but remember that all that looks pretty doesn’t necessarily mean it’s goingto be pleasant (look at Naomi Campbell…) and having said all that there are plentyof breath-taking views and sites to visit in the region, Gata de Gorgos is one withits stunning waterfalls (where they filmed the Timotei ads –I was busy thatweekend…).

The coast offers cooler temperatures in the summer and of course the beaches andlarger expat communities that have established themselves close to the Medite-rranean. For the new arrival it’s always tempting to head where the majority ofyour countrymen are where for one thing the language is less of an obstacle andalong the coast as many businesses employ English speakers and are set up to caterfor the expat.

Inland it can be a different story and a little more challenging for some but that’swhy we’re all different I guess. The richness of Spanish villages, all sun-baked inhistory and tradition is emphasised in small wine-growing towns in my region suchas Hondon de las Nieves, La Romana, Fortuna, Abanilla, Pinoso to name but a fewbut here you will find more of traditional Spain than on the coast. While the seasiderestaurants and café bars have adapted and evolved over the years to cater for thehuge influx of foreigners during the year, but especially in summer, the ‘Campo’ isstill very much the Spain of anywhere between twenty and sixty years ago. Believeme when I say too that that is not a criticism either. For those that still think thatSpain is ‘behind the rest of the world’ try and remember that the farmer you sawtoday driving the ancient tractor will be driving about in his Mercedes a little later

Dave Bull has lived in Spain for twelve years and now writes about his

experiences in expat publications and on blogs. Read more of his observa-

tions on everything from getting arrested by the Guardia Civil to cutting his

lip (and his son’s eye) while fighting a wasp (and losing) in front of a packed

bar terrace at www.loadofbull.es or follow him on twitter @davejbull

(ok possibly with Sean the sheep in the back), along with his brother, the builder,who’ll have a similar badge on his car too.

Along the coast you can get pretty much anything you want, somewhere – there’soften more choice too. I’m not necessarily talking about the dodgy sunglasseslabelled ‘Cocoa Channell’ or the t-shirts with a puma smoking a joint and the logo‘FUMA’ below it. but everything you need is there, whether it’s your favourite brandof tea-bags from back home or some decent fish and chips, or of course thattraditional British meal of Tikka Masala.

However, inland you’ll find things often harder (or further away) to get hold of butbeing a place where everyone still knows everyone else (and probably theirbusiness) the ‘locals’ will soon get to know you and with a bit of luck (and a fewpractised words in Spanish) you’ll be part of the community.

Nowadays with Spain’s superb modern roads you can pretty much get anywherein a reasonable amount of time (did I mention we rarely get a traffic jam here –inland or on the coast, unless the shepherd’s about…) and the routes either fromor to the Campo to the beach and back, or into major towns and cities are straight-forward and swift these days, if you want them to be. Access is also good now toall the airports including Alicante – which seems to have been built with thepossibility that the whole of China (and India) might be flying in any time soon...?If you’ve not yet made the move, but are thinking about it and are reading thisbook to get an idea of what to expect, it’s well worth considering what you reallywant out of Spain, campo or coast? Traditional or convenient? Plenty of fellowexpats, or just a few? Easy access to shops, bars and services, or a bit of a drive?Sheep in the car, or not? (optional).

Whatever you decide it’s worth some serious thought before you spend too muchmoney but my recommendation to anyone not sure would be to head for the coastand get into the ‘life’ first and then visit the campo once you’ve settled to see ifthat could be the future for you. Many have chosen that option and found thatgetting to know Spain (the easier way) by living along the coast before headinginland and enjoying the rural side of Spain after a few years.

Whichever way you go one thing is for sure in Spain - you’ll be made to feelwelcome and spluttering along in broken Spanish for a while will earn you abucketful of respect from the natives…trust me.

www.familylifeinspain.com

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ANOTHER UK BANK RIP-OFF

(HOW TO SAVE £000’S ON REGULAR TRANSFERS)

If you currently receive on a regular basis money from theUK into Spain, whether it be for pensions, mortgagepayment, salary, etc, your UK High Street Bank could becharging you hundreds of pounds each year in unnecessaryfees. On top of which, many Spanish banks still apply areceiving fee (this can be a set amount or a % of the valueof funds received

Want to know how to avoid these charges altogether and put your well-earnedmoney direct into your own pocket?

Here is a typical example:

£1,000 per month pension transfer to Spain £1,000UK Banks charge on average £25 per transaction £975Typical exchange rate 1.15 1,121 eurosLess Spanish bank receiving fee 9 euros

Amount received 1,112 euros

Currencies Direct operate a simple UK Direct Debit system, which can be appliedmonthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annually. You can select from four collection dateseach month and there are no hidden costs, charges, fees, or commission:

£1,000 per month pension transfer to Spain £1,000No Charges £1,000Exchange rate 1.17 1,170 eurosNo Spanish bank receiving fee (guaranteed) 1,170 euros

A difference of 58 euros. Multiply this figure by 12 months and you could be lookingat an annual saving of 696 euros.

For more information on how to avoid bank charges and obtain superior

exchange rates, contact Paul Ellis at paul.e@currenciesdirect.comAlternatively telephone our office on 952 906 581

A-Z Guide to Saving in Spain

A+ and above appliances save on your electric bill (tariffs toincrease substantially in Spain) and in many regions you can get agrant for part of the cost (non-means tested). Break habits. If you always shop at the same stores, use pricecomparison sites. Try www.Kelkoo.es for general items,www.acierto.com for car insurance and www.supertruper.es

(available in English) for supermarket items.Cashback sites can be a great way to pay less for your online shopping. Trywww.EBonus.es or Cuestamenos.com if you buy in Spain, or check out sites in yourhome country if you buy online there.Delivery to your door can work out cost effective for heavy repetitive shoppingitems (nappies, soft drinks, etc.). Try www.Alice.es.Extra earnings. Don’t leave too much cash in a 0% current account, check outsavings accounts rates in Spain at www.HelpMyCash.com.Foreign exchange shouldn’t be done automatically through your bank, check ratesevery time you need to exchange. Normally a specialised foreign exchangecompany will be cheaper.Gas-guzzlers can find the cheapest place to fill up their car at www.elpreciodelaga-solina.com. Just need to put in your town / city to see prices.Hire instead of buying. Need furniture or baby items for a short period of time?Don’t go to the expense of buying when you can hire in Spain.Impersonate a tourist! At El Corte Inglés just show your passport and you’ll get a10% discount on loads of items. When your friends and family come over they cando this too.Jewellery online outlets. Check out brands such as Swarovski or Guess in Spain for50% off bargains. Buy presents in plenty of time for birthdays and Xmas.Keep fit on the cheap. Spain has a great climate for keeping fit outdoors, but if youwant to join a gym ask for special rates at times when there are less people. Alsodon’t pay for a year upfront even if the rate is attractive – give it a 3-month trial tomake sure you use it first.Language learning can be free, without having to put up with strangers in exchangegroups. Try an online option such as www.busuu.com.Mini cards have a variety of discounts and special offers for restaurants, themeparks, tourist attractions, etc. Just pop into any hotel and pick a few up, they’reaimed at tourists but why shouldn’t you use them too?Nothing, naught, nowt. Everyone loves a freebie, so when you’re in a perfume orcosmetics store ask for “muestras” (samples) – great to take on holiday when you

just have hand luggage.Online shopping is on the rise in Spain, but still lags behind most of Europe. Hencethere are plenty of bargains to be found to attract shoppers. Like your favouritestores on Facebook so you don’t miss their promotions.Packages can be sent cheaply by using Spanish websites such as www.PackLink.es.Rates are up to 50% cheaper within Spain and up to 70% cheaper for abroad.Qué hago? What should you do if you have a problem with a purchase (goods orservices) in Spain? Request the Official Complaints Form (Libro de Reclamaciones)and you’ll get an answer from an official body.Reading in Spanish on the cheap. Use www.libroscompartidos.com; find a newhome for your unwanted books and get credits to exchangefor other people’s books.Second hand goods? Sell or buy at www.Segundamano.es.Limiting your sales to English language publications orwebsites will lower your chance of getting a good price.Try supermarket own brands. All supermarkets have theirown branded goods at cheaper prices: Carrefour Discount, Hipercor Aliada, Mer-cadona Hacendado. Just substitute one or two items in the weekly shop to see ifyour family notices. If you’re not convinced you can always change back.Underestimate your insurance at your peril! If you skimp on your home contentsinsurance and then make a claim, an inspection may decide that you’re not entitledto the full amount you’ve claimed for. Vat return. EU citizens aren’t eligible for this, but if you have friends coming overfrom non-EU countries, take advantage of their stay to get 18% back on goodsbought.Wills in Spain should be dealt with by a specialist, this is one area where savingnow could lead to major problems for those you leave behind.Xtravagance. This is what you can allow yourself after all this saving!Young at heart. If you’re under 31 (or know someone who is) make sure you get aYouth Card in Spain. The exact price depends on where you live, but it’s alwaysunder 10€ for a year and the savings soon make up for the cost.Zoos on the cheap. And theme parks too. If you use www.Tixalia.com a couple ofdays before you go, you get good prices on tickets, no commission and avoid thequeues when you visit.

Visit www.MoneySaverSpain.com for lots more info on how to save in Spain.Sign up for the weekly newsletter out every Thursday - includes great deals andoffers in Spain as well as news for consumers. Also on Twitter @MoneySaverSpainand Facebook too.

When Less Is More ...

We have a new Government, new policies,spending cuts and new taxes; yes theausterity measures that are being introducedthroughout Europe are now starting to affectus all.

This has recently been highlighted by the factthat on the 31st December 2011 the SpanishGovernment published tax increases thatapply for 2012 and 2013?

The changes relate to the amount of tax levied on interest, dividends,capital gains and income from savings and investments. As a result, thetax payable has increased, as a minimum of 19%, but on average, upwardsof 22% and in the worst case scenario has increased by 28%. That’s notthe amount of tax you pay, that´s the percentage it’s increased. If the bootwas on the other foot and you were to obtain a 28% pay rise I’m sureyou´d be delighted. However for the majority of us this is not the case andsimply wishful thinking.

In fact most are noticing income levels fall, little or no growth on savings,with goods and service prices rising not to mention exchange rates; Inshort it ’s tough out there and these tax increases are most unwelcome.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, in fact if I were to tell you that therewas an opportunity to legitimately avoid paying unnecessary taxes, you´dbe interested in that wouldn´t you?

Well here´s the good news: You can.

Well those of us that actually live in Spain can, because Spanish legislationallows us to reduce these taxes and in many cases avoid them altogetherand by doing so there´s more left for you. What’s more, it ’s a fairly simpleand straight forward process.

This is because as a resident of Spain you able to take advantage of thefavorable way in which Spain looks at collective investments. In this regardit is possible for a person who lives in Spain to open what are generally

known as Spanish Compliant Bonds, these are extremelytax efficient vehicles for holding invested funds and cashwhether taking income or not.

Furthermore by utilising the tax efficiencies provided bythese compliant structures you can further be protectedfrom the European Savings Directive rules on withholdingtax.

If you held funds on deposit in the general banking systemor you have funds invested in products and accounts thatare not compliant in Spain you are subject to taxes thatcould be reduced and/or avoided altogether. On that note, there are asubstantial number of Expats living in Spain that are not aware of certainadvantages open to them purely as a result of the fact that they live inSpain.In this regard many Expats living here have been sold and/or invested innon-complaint “off-shore” products or accounts that do not offer any taxadvantages. So if you have funds invested in this manner its worthestablishing of they are compliant here because you may be paying taxesthat could easily be avoided.

By simply restructuring your assets and utilsing solutions that arecompliant in Spain, there is not a more favorable (legal) way of dealingwith invested funds and as such this should be considered as an optionfor anyone living in Spain or anyone that has funds invested in either thebanking system or in non-complaint investment portfolios.

In short this is tax avoidance, not tax evasion and should provide yousignificant tax savings.

Why pay more than you need to?

To find out more please contact me on +34 622 345 558 or +34 952 816

442 or simply email me at david.rogers@blacktowerfm.com

The information contained in this article does not constitute financial

advice and you should seek advice from a professional tax adviser before

embarking on any financial planning activity.

Child Safety Tips for Holiday Lets(Part One)

The number of holiday properties to rentonline is on the increase. So too are thenumber of families who are quick to com-plain if things go wrong, turning to placeslike Trip Advisor, or worse, their lawyer!

The average rental owner is protected fromthe laws that see the big tour operatorswind up in front of Anne Robinson onWatchdog. Yet most would agree that

guest safety is very important, so here are the first of my top tips forsolving the hidden dangers in your holiday let.

On arrival

Most accidents occur within hours of arrival as children are naturally blaséabout danger outside their own home. So have a think about how to“arrival proof” your rental. Remove anything that may be a hazard foryoung children; bite-size objects, breakables left at toddler-height, or bot-tles of cleaning products within easy reach.

If your babies are all grown up now you could be forgiven for missing theobvious, so ask a friend with younger children to pop round and point outanything they think should be put away. The ornamental glass vasecertainly looks beautiful filled with fresh flowers for your guests, but willit resist inquisitive hands?

Balcony safety

The balcony can be a real stylefeature of your villa, from sleekglass panels to traditionalSpanish balustrades, it´s easy toforget what they are there for –to prevent accidents.

Best practice is for gaps in balconies to be nomore than 10cm wide. I have had many anHotelier in my time complain that “a babywould never get his head through that!” whenI asked them to remedy wide gaps. My replywas always, “well what about if they go feetfirst?”

But please don´t panic! It is easy to rectifywide gaps in railings. The simplest method is by covering the railings witha “tela metalica” (fabric mesh) from your local hardware store, or a trellispanel with small holes like those you can buy in Leroy Merlin. These canbe easily removed in the winter, or a more permanent solution would bePlexiglas panels or additional bars fixed between gaps. There is alwaysa solution for every budget, and it needn’t put you off renting out tofamilies.

Balcony safety is also important for adults - Spanish regulations requirebalconies to be 90cm high, when there is a drop of 6m or less. Anythingover a 6m drop needs a protective barrier of 1.10m.

Lindsay is an independent Holiday Rental Marketing Specialist and thelocal agent in Andalucia for award winning family holiday company, Tots

to Travel. A devoted Mum, self-confessed Tapas addict & lover of allthings Spanish, find out more at www.HolidayPropertyExpert.com or

Twitter and Facebook @LindsayinSpain

1. Better prices for buyers in 2012. Property prices have dropped in 2011,an average of 6,85% according to the Ministry of Public Work. Prices levelhas reached 2005’s figures and the economic climate suggests that furtherfall will come.2. The market is touching rock bottom. 2011 has probably been the worstyear in terms of property prices and sales drop. If the price fall in 2010was by 3% compared to 2009, the mentioned fall of 6.85% in 2011compared to 2010 confirms that the market is reaching its lowest at theright speed.3. Cash is king not only for Particular vendors but also for Banks and SavingsBanks. .4. Buy-To-Let still being the only short-term strategy for property inves-tors. Unless you are a high-end investor with your clients’ portfolio, theeconomic situation in Spain still does not give hope for reselling in theshort- and mid-terms.5. Once again and probably forever: location, location, location + pro-perty specifications. Avoid subprime properties. Subprime tends to beeasy to identify. Subprime properties in Spain are in poor locations andare bad-quality properties: poor building specifications, no lifts andfrequently they need expensive refurbishment.6. The best opportunities will come from those in need to sell. If youhave the time and ability to work locally, you have a higher possibility ofsucceeding in the Spanish market.7. Timing. At this moment (the beginning of 2012), Spanish propertybargains are most likely to be in the hands of private owners rather thanin Banks’ repossessed property portfolios.8. Banks will still be driving the market in 2012. Banks are the easiestoption but potentially not the best right now. It may chance shortly if theeconomic climate still hitting private owners.9. Banks’ mortgage restrictions are still tough and mortgage conditionsare not improving despite the fact that Banks tend to mask bad mortgageswith residual discounts: free arrangement fees, very low notary fees (thebank pays the notary bill), etc. You must shop around and find the bestmortgage. 10. THE TIP OF THE YEAR: As a starting point when dealing with a sellerdirectly, reduce your offer by 30% of the asking price. That is the way toguarantee a bargain in the negotiation process.

10 facts about the Spanish property market in 2012 !

The Complicated Maze of PropertySales in Spain...

Due to the high number of estate agents in Spain, it is common practicefor agents to share properties. This basically means that you will veryoften find the same property advertised on several websites, often atdifferent prices and with different information.

When you contact an estate agent in Spain requesting information abouta specific property, they proceed to list you as their client to protect theirfuture business with you. Whether or not you ever actually meet up withthis agent or even have any further contact with them, you will remain astheir client in certain property databases.

Why can this be a problem?In some situations, agents have been known to refuse property viewingson shared properties as a client appears to have registered with manyagents which would result in sales commissions being split several ways.As a purchaser you may not be aware of this but as an agent it can beextremely frustrating. All in all, it means that you are not receiving thebest service.

How can we disentangle this maze?By registering with www.SpainPropertyWeb.com, we will ensure that youare assigned to a suitable agent that will look after all your propertysearch requirements. As your representative, we will ensure that youreceive the highest quality service before, during and after the propertypurchase process.

Our trained customer service team will assist you with your search andwill be at hand to offer back up support and deal with any issues that mayarise along the way.

Thanks to our experienced team we are aware of the many tricks of thetrade that you may be exposed to and prefer to warn you in advance.

So, keep your eyes wide open and let's get this property search started ...

www.spainpropertyweb.com

CRIME FICTION/THRILLERS

The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Price: £3.99 with FREE UK shipping

(also available as eBook: £4.99/€5.99)

In an abandoned mansion in Barcelona, David Martin spends his nightsspinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his darkimaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deepwithin the house he finds letters hinting at the mysterious death of theprevious owner. Then David takes the offer a lifetime: In return for a smallfortune he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds.However, he soon realises that there is a connection between thishaunting book and the shadows that surround his home...

An Olympic Deathby Manuel Vazquez Montalban

Price: £5.99 with FREE UK shipping

As Barcelona prepares for the Games, the city is turned over to make wayfor new roads and a new stadium. Private Investigator Pepe Carvalho findshimself forced to work for Olympic entrepreneurs whose only game planis to make a fast buck. As Montalban's overweight hero cruises thebackstreets of Barcelona, finding dead bodies and broken socialistpromises, he remembers an older, seedier Barcelona hidden behind theshiny new Olympic City.

FOOD & WINE

500 Tapas Dishes by Maria Segura

Price: £5.99 with FREE UK shipping

In the sun-drenched streets of Spain, the lively tapas bar hung withsmoked Serrano hams provides a focal point for every community. Thiscomprehensive compendium of tapas dishes enables you to bring a taste

£1 off

500 Tapas Dishes

Code TAPAS500

of Spanish culture into your life. Choose from scallops with morcilla andsage, boqueronies, patatas bravas, and pannetone with rhubarb, to namebut a few. Be it an informal barbecue or sophisticated dinner party youwish to cater for, your only difficulty will be in the choosing!

A NOVEL

Sleeping Arrangements by Sophie Kinsella (writing as Madeleine Wickham)

Price: £4.99 with FREE UK shipping

(also available as an eBook)

Chloe needs a holiday. She's sick of making wedding dresses and her part-ner Philip has trouble at work. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered themthe loan of his luxury villa in Spain – perfect. Or is it? On arriving at thevilla they soon find Gerard has double booked, and offered his villa to hisold friend Hugh and his family, also in desperate need of a holiday. An une-asy week of sharing begins, and tensions soon mount in the soaring heat.But there's also a secret history between the families - and as tempersfray, an old passion begins to resurface...

CHILDREN’S BOOK

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Price: £3.99 with FREE UK shipping

(also available as an eBook)

1943. As war sweeps across Europe, Max Carver's father moves his familyaway from the city to an old wooden house on the coast. But as soon asthey arrive, strange things begin to happen: Max discovers a garden filledwith eerie statues; his sisters are plagued by unsettling dreams andvoices; a box of old films opens a window to the past. Most unsettling ofall are rumours about the previous owners and the mysterious disappea-rance of their son. As Max delves into the past, he encounters the terrifying story of the Prince of Mist, a sinister shadow who emerges fromthe night to settle old scores, then disappears with the first mists of dawn...Originally published in Spain as a young adult novel, THE PRINCE OFMIST is a mesmerising tale of mystery, romance and adventure.

If you would like to order any of these books or to see the rangeof Spain related books available at great prices, just visit the

website by clicking this link www.books4spain.com

What are your experiences of learning a language?

Do you have memories from school, feeling awkward and embarrassed ordid you embrace them whole heartedly and recite verb tables in yoursleep? When I was a private language tutor, I was often told “I just wantto learn conversational Spanish, I don't want to learn the grammar”,however the unfortunate reality is that if you want to learn a languageyou have to learn a bit of everything …..but you can make it fun!

The reason I started to write my books was firstly to combine all mypassions, but also to change people's perception of language learning andencourage parents to give their child that opportunity earlier. A youngchild when reading one of my stories is unaware or is certainly not put offby the foreign pieces of vocabulary slipped into context because it is setwithin a familiar context. When I then hold up a flash card picture of asnake and ask “¿ que es esto?” they already know I am saying “what is

this” because of my intonation and soon reply“SNAKE” (usually very loudly).Then when I ask “ butcan you say SERPIENTE?” - they shout even louder“SERPIENTE”.They love the challenge, they love theidea of the competition and even more when I letone of them hold the card. It's almost like a prize.They see this as a game and often don't want tostop! Admittedly you have to have quite an animatedway about you and a sing song voice but anyone whowants to teach children knows this.

Another trick I have learnt along the way is to always use a learning toolsuch as a twister mat or some music- anything that perhaps detracts fromthe fact that you are trying to make them learn. This is especially great

Genevieve was born in Colchester, Essex in 1978. She studied

at the University of Sussex and has a degree in Linguistics and

Spanish. Writing the books has brought the two of her passions

together. She has been a private Spanish tutor to children for

many years and picked up along the way, what interests children

and what makes them tick!

www.jajaja-books.com

for young children. I take a twister mat andtalk them through the colours with repeti-tion and then I ask “ who can get to rojofirst” and so on- they all rush to get to acircle and even if they don't pick up thecolour word instantly they soon learn bycopying the others. I then often finish asession with a song which is incredibly help-ful in getting children to just listen and absorb. They may not know whatevery word means as they dance along with actions but it is thesubmersion into that language that develops their listening skills.

Look for interaction and reactions- develop your communication skills.Keep it lively and interesting and they will develop a thirst for languageknowledge- it's not just science that has to have the exciting bigbangs- language can too!

Genevieve Yusufhello@jajaja-books.com

SPAIN’S BIG BOY OF THEME PARKS

For the Europeans who don’t want to travel across theAtlantic to visit the Universal Studios theme park,PortAventura in Cataluña is an excellent alternative.

PortAventura is the sixth most visited theme park inEurope and is the biggest resort in the south of Europe.

Located in Salou it is about an hours drive from Barcelona and sees somethree million visitors through its gates every year.

The idea for the theme park was conceived and built back in 1995 as ajoint venture by the Tussauds Group (which own Alton Towers), Anheuser-Busch (Busch Entertainment Corporation) and Universal Studios. In 1997Universal bought most of the park’s shares and the park was re-brandedas Universal’s PortAventura.

In the year 2000 two hotels and a water park (CostaCaribe) were built and then a few years later in 2004Universal sold all its interests in the park. Today itis owned and operated by La Caixa banking group’sinvestment vehicle Criteria and has also sincereverted back to its original name.

The park is divided into six areas. Visitors enter into the Mediterraneanregion which recreates a charming fishing village. Other zones arePolynesia, China, Mexico, Far West and Sesamo Adventura which isthemed on the Sesame Street characters and aimed at the youngerchildren. Meanwhile there are five resort hotels to choose from and over40 rides. You can stay in a choice of hotels within the resort, which thengives you express passes for rides as well as close proximity, or you canstay in one of the many hotels outside the park in Salou.

For the 2012 season the park will open a new rollercoaster ride in theChina area of the Park, Shambhala will open as a new major attraction and

RoundaboutSpain is the only online directory listing 'things to do' and 'places to go'

for children and families, living on, or visiting the Costa del Sol.

Web: www.roundaboutspain.com Email: info@roundaboutspain.com

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there will also be an enlargement of theAquatic Park. Shambhala is said to be thetallest coaster in Europe and reaches aheight of 76 metres and is named after themythical Tibetan kingdom.

PLUS POINTS:

Lots of shows and acts - up to 25 per dayduring the high season.Fantastic theming and landscaping and it is great to explore.

NEGATIVE POINTS:

Long queues for the rides during peak season, as with any theme park.Reports of pick pockets, as there often is at big venues, so watch yourwallet.

OPEN: March to January

PRICES: Adult tickets are anything from €44 for one day at PortAventuraor €38 for kids and €25 (adults) and €20 (kids) for the water park. Thereare special two day tickets and promotions to include transport often too.Book online and avoid the queue to enter the park

HOW TO GET THERE:

There are two airports within 30 minutes of the park including ReusAirport just 10 minutes away. There is a train station for PortAventurawhich has connections to Barcelona and Salou. PortAventura is locatedjust over an hour from Barcelona airport by car and has a direct exit offthe AP-7.

CONTACT: www.portaventura.esTel: 977 77 90 90

www.familylifeinspain.com

Sunday 3rd JuneLauro Golf driving range,

alhaurin de la Torre, malaga

Enjoy The big jubilee lunch

sports day races, live music, bouncy

castles & games galore ...