Motril's Azucenas Beach described as "excellent" for Bathing.........

Recent analytical reports submitted by the Ministry of Health have determined that the waters of the beaches in the municipality have a health status "excellent" Azucenas, Carchuna-Calahonda, Playa Granada, Playa Poniente and Torrenueva.

The area of ​​Tourism of the City of Motril has released the results of microbiological analyzes performed on the bathing water from Motril, submitted by the Ministry of Health so far this summer 2012, and who also value the data obtained in the previous three years.

Current law classifies a bathing water, depending on its quality as "poor", "sufficient", "good" and "excellent" rating obtained at the end of the bathing season by a statistical treatment of results microbiological analyzes carried out at the water every 15 days during the period from June 1 to September 15.

Thus, the report reveals that the quality of bathing water on the beach of the Lilies, Azucenas, has been rated as "excellent" in the last test, just as they have obtained this classification Carchuna waters, Calahonda, Granada beach, Playa west and Torrenueva.

For this reason, the City of Motril encourages all residents and visitors to enjoy the beaches this summer the municipality, whose waters and other installations are quality benchmark in the region of Andalusia, as guarantee the prestigious blue flags and of 'Q for Quality' who fly them.

HMS Daring returns to Gibraltar on her way home.......

HMS Daring arrived in Gibraltar yesterday,  but it was not announced that she came after visiting Barcelona and, before being allowed into Gibraltar she  had to visit a  Moroccan port, because the UK's 'valued ally',  Spain,  does not allow UK warships to come direct to Gibraltar from a Spanish port.


Gibraltar Panama   27-07-12

The Royal Navy's first Type 45 destroyer, HMS DARING, first visited  Gibraltar at the start of her maiden deployment in January this year.
She will return on Thursday en route  to Portsmouth, staying for just 24 hours.On board will be her Gibraltarian chaplain, Father Charles Bruzon.

HMS DARING has spent the last seven months east of Suez, safeguarding sea lanes and working with the UK's allies in the region. She will be in Gibraltar very briefly but her Commanding Officer, Captain Guy A Robinson Royal Navy, said: "It is always a pleasure to visit Gibraltar particularly in this instance at is has marked the start and end to a successful first Operational Deployment for HMS DARING."

DARING is the first of six £1bn Type 45 destroyers, five of which have now been handed over to the Royal Navy, with three currently deployed on Operations.

Gibraltar Panama  27-07-12

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HOW DARE THEY!

The Armando LaGrande Column
HMS Daring in Barcelona before coming to Gibraltar
So, HMS Daring came to Gibraltar on a day last week for a rushed 24-hour visit. And do you know why it was a 24-hour visit?

There was that small (too small I thought!) news item in Panorama on Friday which let the cat out of the bag, I must say, and just as well.

It so happens that the destroyer dared to visit Barcelona before coming to Gib. Since there is a Spanish restriction that naval vessels cannot go directly to or from Gibraltar from a Spanish port, HMS Daring had to visit a Moroccan port before coming here. So, we were rewarded with a 24-hour, rushed visit, enough for the presentation of a painting of the ship to take place!

Oh dear, dear me.

And the Foreign Office keeps reminding all and sundry that relations with Spain are important, a NATO ally, friend and valued partner.

Yet, they keep in force a restriction that was imposed when Spain was a dictatorship, so some people do ask if the dictatorship lingers on as far as Gibraltar is concerned?

But there you are, dear chaps, the MOD having to bow to such unfairness, a far cry from what truly valued relationships are like!

And how come that in the days of the 'excellent' relationships flowing from the Tripartite Talks, such an anomaly between NATO allies, friends and valued partners was not ironed out?

It would appear that we were taken for a ride on that one, too! What do you think?

Gibraltar Panorama   30-07-12

 

A to F of Seville......

Abril, Feria de – The main social event of the year in Seville, when men and women in frilly dresses and horse-riding outfits drink and dance, day and night, for a whole week. You need serious amounts of stamina, something the Sevillanos are never lacking.

Alcazar

 Alcazar – the fortress-palace built by King Alfonso the Wise and his son, Pedro the Cruel, in the 14th century. With its dramatic castle walls, beautiful gardens, hidden grottoes, and extraordinary Salon de las Embajadores with its gold-domed ceiling, Seville’s Alcazar is impossibly romantic. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site.


 Azulejos – glazed ceramic tiles, as seen in the Alcazar and countless other palaces, museums, pavilions, churches, offices and private houses around Seville. These ceramic tiles are made in Triana, and have been for centuries. Some of the more recent ones were made at La Cartuja. The word, like many in Spanish, comes from the Arabic – zellige, meaning polished stone.

Calle Betis

Betis – the Phoenician name for the river Guadalquivir was Baits, later Betis. Hence the name for the Roman province of Hispania (Spain) – Baetis, within which Hispalis (Seville) was located. (Three Roman emperors were born in the city of Italica, outside Hispalis – look out in the next section, G-L). The city’s second (in longevity) football team adopted its name – fans are Beticos. There’s also a lively bar-lined street by the river, in Triana, where everyone ends up at some point, on a night out, whether they like it or not. Note: don’t say Be-tiss, no-one will understand you; say Be-teee.

Casa de Pilatos

 Casa de Pilatos – This is a 16th-century palace in the eastern part of the old city, with Roman statues, exquisite tiling and peaceful gardens. So-called because it is thought to resemble Pontius Pilate’s house in Jerusalem, where the Marques de Tarifa had been before setting about his magnificent mansion, the Casa has been used as a film location many times, including the mediocre 1492 (about Columbus), and The Kingdom of Heaven (about the crusades). Don’t hold that against it, though.

back entrance

Cartuja, La – A former Carthusian monastery (full name: Monasterio de Santa Maria de las Cuevas) which has enjoyed a strange and varied history: Columbus stayed there before setting off on his voyages (his tomb is in Seville’s cathedral); Napoleon’s occupying troops set up camp in its cloisters during the Peninsula War. Then, in the mid-19th century, an Englishman called Pickman built the now-iconic tall, conical chimneys and turned it into a tile and porcelain factory;  La Cartuja de Sevilla tableware is still going strong, though now made in another location, and a set is still a sought-after wedding present for some. Restored for Expo 92, for which major event it served as headquarters, the complex of buildings now houses a contemporary art museum and held three major art biennales in the 2000s. Sadly, the crisis put a stop to this welcome influx of cutting-edge creation. You can still visit the art exhibitions and permanent collection; chapels, refectory, patios and other rooms; outdoor concerts are held here in summer; and its outside spaces are a welcome haven from the city all year round.

 Duquesa de Alba – one of Seville’s most popular and enduring (literally) characters, the twice-widowed Cayetana wed for the third time in October last year, to the suspicion of her family and the delight of her public. She has a priceless art collection, including a Goya of her antecedent, as well as works by Rembrandt, Titian, Renoir, Picasso and Dali; a good number of palaces; and about 50 titles (including Duchess of Berwick).  Cayetana’s sense of dress is original, her sense of humour is sharp, and her sense of fun is irrepressible. She loves flamenco, Semana Santa, Feria and bullfighting. Which is why this octogenarian is still the darling of the media, the fashion world, and everyone in Seville.

Expo 29 and 92 - Both of these <em>Exposiciones Universales (Universal Exhibitions, or Expo for short) left fascinating but sadly under-documented, under-publicised, and in more recent cases, under-utilised legacies. On each occasion, countries from around the world (Ibero Americano in 1929, with Europe and Asia  as well in 1992) built pavilions which represented their history, architecture or artistic heritage. Many are extraordinary buildings, a microcosm of their culture with amazing decorative detail, such as the Pabellon de Peru, now the Casa de las Ciencias. The city was modernised before each Expo, with whole areas being razed or radically cleaned up of undesirable elements. The 1929 Expo was located in Parque Maria Luisa – most of its pavilions now have a second life as museums or offices – and the 1992 on Isla la Cartuja. Some of the latter’s pavilions are still used, and tours of the site have recently started to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.

Flamenco – who can visit Sevilla without thinking of dark-eyed, foot-stomping gypsies in swirling dresses? The music, with its anguished wailing, makes your hairs stand on end, sends chills down your spine, and a host of other cliches. Its passion and pain, its staccato rhythms, its strong but graceful movements, make flamenco one of the most rewarding performances you’ll ever see (if it’s authentic), while its inestimable importance made UNESCO list it as “intangible cultural heritage” in 2010. Toque (guitar), baile (dance) and cante (singing) are the elements of this art form, whose roots go back to Morocco, India and Arabic countries. Everyone should experience it live at least once.



http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2012/07/12/a-to-f-of-seville/

Nerja Town Hall says it is usual for British residents to be 'confused'.......

 A British Resident in Nerja who was going the wrong way up a one way street at 3pm on Tuesday, has knocked a local councillor from Nerja Town Hall off her moped.

The councillor was heading to Maro on the old N340 and suddenly saw the car driven by the Briton coming towards her. She tried to avoid a collision, but was unable to do so and she was hit by the car which then headed off towards Nerja without stopping.

The British driver was followed,  thanks to two National Policemen who were in Nerja on holiday,   to his house in Calle Úbeda, where they advised the Local Police and waited for them to arrive.

The Local Police took over and breathalysed the Briton said to be in his 60’s who gave a positive result to the test.

The Councillor was taken the Axarquía District Hospital in Vélez Málaga, where she was attended to for cuts and bruises.

A statement from the Town Hall said   ‘It is usual for the British residents to be ‘confused’ and when they leave their urbanisations,  they drive into oncoming traffic’.

The King Who Was Sacked.......

King Don Juan Carlos I, the darling of the Spanish, has been sacked as head of the World Wildlife Fund; a position that he held in an honorary capacity.
The King was caught on camera, holding a hunting rifle in front of a slain elephant, whilst on safari in Botswana.

The exceptionally brave King Juan Carlos poses during his Botswana safari having, allegedly, shot this magnificent, beautiful elephant.

Now, the King had every right to do this, because the controlled killing of elephants is not illegal in Botswana, but you can’t realistically retain the office of honorary chairman of an international wildlife preservation body having just blown away an elephant… At least, that is the way that 85,000 people in the online community felt when they registered their disapproval.

Anyway, the vote to abolish the position of honorary president was carried by a 94% majority, so it was hardly a close run thing. But it was done very diplomatically because rather than removing him from his post, the post was removed from existence, which was a more face-saving arrangement.

 The King is beset with family problems, with a son-in-law; the ex-Olympic sportsman, Iñaki Urdangarin, being investigated for corruption and if that weren’t bad enough, his wife; i.e., the King’s daughter is looking increasingly ‘involved’ in the dirty dealings. But it doesn’t end there because the family of the future Queen of Spain, Doña Leticia, is also under investigation for fraud.

The King’s health is also on the blink;  him constantly being in and out of hospital for treatment to a hip transplant.

The Spanish Royal Family, through an unspoken accord with the national press, has never had to undergo the sort of harassment that the British press gives to Queen Elizabeth and Co., but that now seems to have become a thing of the past, not because the press have become greater predators, but because the Spanish Royal Family has lost a lot of respect amongst the Spanish royalists.
One thing should be remembered however, the Spanish are more Juan-Carlistas than Royalists.
Most just feel sorry for this aging, affable, out of touch symbol of the Spanish Transition.

The Sweet Smell of Spain.....

Which of your senses do you use when holidaying in Spain?
Sight, obviously. There are some wonderful sights to see in Spain.
Your ears, quite possibly, as the sounds of Spain are a crucial ingredient of life in the country.
But what about your nose? Can you smell Spain?
Yes you can.

Spicy Spain

 Take a spice market for example. There is a large open air market alongside the grand cathedral in the great city of Granada. It is a popular location for people to visit who wish to choose from a vast array of spices, and not just spices;  they also sell fresh tea from all over the world.Is there a sweeter smelling street in Andalusia?
Well there is plenty of competition for that title.

At your local market, wherever you may be holidaying in the country, you can sample the pleasure of a spice stall. The chances are that the person selling the produce will let you have a good sniff before deciding whether or not to buy.
Rarely does a week go by without me breathing in those spicy smells, or buying some fragrant leafy tea.

Market shopping is one of the essential joys of holidaying in Spain. Be sure to spend a morning   soaking up the sights of a fruit and vegetable market.
 I defy you to walk past the van selling roasted chicken without breathing in that glorious smell.
 And there are plenty of organic markets to experience, especially in Malaga.

Fruit and veg in Spain actually smells how it should, how it used to smell in the days before chemicals and supermarkets made it so that, were you to be blindfolded, you could not distinguish between a strawberry and a banana.
 Strawberries on sale in a Spanish open air market actually smell of strawberries. It’s a revelation!
And as for fennel,  I do not have the vocabulary to pass on to you the sensation of smelling freshly picked fennel, as such as is sold by Fernando at my local market.

 One of my favourite smells in Spain is that of the pine forests. They are the perfect place to step out of the summer heat and cool down. So often people associate Spain only with beaches and swimming pools.
 There are some wonderful natural parks and forests to stroll in or, for the fit among you, to cycle through.
 A pine forest is where I head to on a sweltering day in Spain and then I collect a few pine cones en route for the garden, of course, and speaking of gardens…

Breathe in the Fresh Air and Smell the Pine Trees

 The plants of Spain also give off a wonderful aroma. You can find roses growing in Spain, especially in public gardens and special places such as El Carmen Aljibe del Rey. This tucked away attraction is often missed by people wandering around the distinctive streets of the Albaicin quarter of Granada.
It opens on Saturday mornings and public holidays.
While the majority of visitors follow the guide downstairs to learn more about the history of water usage in Granada, I always head for the garden; especially around May time when there is a profusion of colour from a vast collection of roses. They smell delightful. This is one the glorious, but less well known about, gardens of Andalusia. Do try and visit the place.

 And roses are far from alone in giving off a lovely scent. The double flower variety of Oleander also sets your sense of smell tingling. So often people whizz past the Oleander that grows wild in the central reservation of motorways and do not admire the vibrant colours.
You will see Oleander growing all over Spain, in parks and public places; It is a too often ignored plant that has a bad public image.
Get your nostrils up close and personal to the flower. You will not regret it.  Be careful though, as all parts of the plant are poisenous and never use it to light a fire or inhale the smoke.

And what about orange blossom? Each spring in the sheltered Lecrín Valley, south of Granada, you will see thousands of orange and lemon trees creaking under the weight of their fruit. And the fields, pavements and roads will be covered in fallen oranges.
But the most overpowering smell, in a nice way, is when the orange trees flower. The scent of orange blossom carries on the air far and wide. At that time of the year I simply stand still and breathe it in. It has to be one of the strongest smells of all those on offer.
And, in summer, oranges are used in the refreshing salads served in local restaurants. Which brings me to another smell of Spain…

The sumptuous smell of cooking food. Many of these smells are unique to Spain, such is the variety of dishes made every day in kitchens up and down the country. Be they in the home or emanating from a restaurant.

If you have rented a holiday home along the Costa del Sol in the past, you will be accustomed to those special smells that waft over the beach come lunchtime. In Spain that will be around 2.30 in the afternoon. Lunch may start late in Spain, but it goes on for a long time.

Is there a smell more likely to set the tastebuds racing than that of sardines being grilled on a Spanish beach? Possibly not.

What about the smell of a pig roast?  Now this will not be to the liking of everyone. A vegetarian friend ran for cover when they began roasting a pig in one of the lovely mountain villages of La Alpujarra. I waited around so that I could add the taste of Spain to the pleasure of smelling a good old fashioned hog roast.

And then, of course, there is the smell of a big paella cooking at one of the many fiestas celebrated annually in Spain. I have watched this cooking process from start to finish. When an enormous dish of paella big enough to feed an entire village is prepared with the fragrant ingredients, including saffron, and then stirred with the largest wooden spoons imaginable. If paella smells good, it will certainly taste even better.

 Then there is the smell of the sea, of the sandy beaches, of sun lotion; all the smells we associate with a sunny holiday taken on one of the many welcoming coastlines that Spain has to offer.
Perhaps  the sultry in summer, still warm in winter, beaches of the Costa Tropical.

There are lots of reasons to spend a holiday in Spain, and there is so much to do here. 
When you are writing up your list of things to do, add these two words.
Smell Spain.



adapted from a Blog by:  Vernon

Vernon is a London born, former Fleet Street journalist and, for 25 years, a television producer for ITV, BBC, SKY & C4. In 2002 he began travelling the length and breadth of Spain. In 2005 he settled south of Granada, and is co-author of a guidebook to the 100 best tapas bars in the city and province of Granada.

Government to regulate all types of fishing activities in Gibraltar waters..........

The Government is revising the Southern Waters of Gibraltar Management Scheme which, as existing, is weak and inadequate. The protection regime which had been in place until now is therefore being supplemented and will include the regulation of all types of fishing activities in Gibraltar waters amongst other issues affecting Gibraltar’s marine resources, said environment minister Dr John Cortes in parliament this week.


The clear show of weakness of the Government of 1999 in ignoring technical advice and entering into an agreement tantamount to likewise ignoring Gibraltar’s laws, was the clear trigger for the declaration by Spain of a European SCI within Gibraltar waters.

He added: This admission by the then Government of its inability to administer protection of our marine resources will have been mischievously used in a decision to take the law into their own hands and treat our waters as if they were theirs. But this is hardly surprising if our own Government essentially agreed to Spanish law governing activities in our waters.

The best way to tackle this problem, he said, is by demonstrating that we are willing and able to offer a protection regime that is scientifically robust and will encourage the recovery of our marine habitats and species and only allow sustainable use of our resources. This will mean that the regulations that we will be introducing, which have been discussed with all relevant stakeholders in our Marine Consultation Process, will require certain restraint and control of activities currently taking place, but in the end will ensure thriving marine life with added possibilities of sustainable use.

 "For the avoidance of doubt, let me state that these are regulations that we have been preparing since December to govern activities such as angling, diving and spear fishing, to replace the former Government’s inadequate and ill-conceived Marine Leisure Act proposals".


"Sound conservation science is the overriding principle that drives all our environmental work, be it in relation to local use or in relation to Spanish fishermen. It is imperative that all recognise and accept what the world already knows, that unless we protect what little remains now, there will be nothing left in the future".

"It really is sad, that neither the present Leader of the Opposition realised that in 1999 when he had it in his gift to resolve the issue once and for all, nor the Opposition now, can find it within themselves to publicly state that what I am saying is true and that what we are doing is right," said Dr Cortes.

Panorama - Gibraltar 11-07-12

¡Adios España!

 The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy’s announcement last Wednesday 11 July of a new, €65 billion austerity plan means Spaniards look set to be hit harder than ever by the economic recession that is ceaselessly ravaging the country. With unemployment figures even higher than Greece at 24%, there is a stagnant feeling among many that the situation is likely to remain this way for a very long time. With the light at the end of the tunnel growing dimmer and dimmer, young graduates and older professionals alike are setting their sights beyond Iberian borders in search of work. 

Many Spaniards are heading abroad to look for work as the economic crisis worsens.

When I arrived in Madrid last October beggars here looked like beggars you might find in Paris, London or New York. Hard on their luck men and women, disheveled and homeless, they would wander the metro or sit on street corners asking for money. More recently though, another category of beggar has become more noticeable. Last week on the metro man got on. He was wearing trousers and a shirt, smart, but creased and fading, as if they had been worn for a few days in a row. His face was tired and the bags under his eyes weighed heavy. He explained, almost embarrassedly, to the carriage that he was out of work, received no benefits and had a family to support. Any help would be most appreciated. Passengers averted their gazes awkwardly, many, I’m sure, not wanting to confront what the recession is doing to people, and could quite easily do to them. 

While many average Spaniards are getting by with a sharp tightening of their belts, the new wave of people being driven to beg surely points to a worsening situation, one that is becoming precarious for many families. Especially those without savings, who could go from relative comfort to poverty in a matter of weeks if the main breadwinner loses his or her job. The sense of doom at an unknown future is causing many Latin American immigrants to return to their home countries - figures for emigration are now higher than immigration - and many professionals to look for jobs abroad. Lots of people are already teetering on the edge, and many would prefer to jump into the unknown of working abroad than wait and see how bad the Spanish crisis gets. 

Noelia Soriano, 24, has just graduated from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid with a degree in Nursing. She has been unable to find a job related to nursing or otherwise, and estimates that only around 20% of her classmates have been successful, “It is practically impossible to find work when health workers are being made redundant throughout Spain,” she says. For Noelia’s classmates, further study seems to be the best option, as most are currently pursuing postgraduate qualifications. But, however well qualified you may be, the situation in Spain is worrying, and unemployment figures are set to continue to rise with the new bout of cuts.

“Moving abroad is definitely something I haven’t ruled out,” says Noelia, who acknowledges the importance of language skills in making the decision to move, “Knowing more than one language definitely means you are likely to find work abroad that would be impossible to find here in Spain.”

One language in particular is top of the list for Spaniards looking for work abroad - English. There had been a huge surge in the number of professionals taking English classes during the economic crisis. Parents, more than ever, want their children to learn English from a young age in order to give them better chances in life, while English after school clubs and summer camps are more popular than ever. In fact, the teaching of English is perhaps the only sector in Spain that is flourishing rather than suffering.

Mariano Rajoy's announcement of more austerity measures has angered many Spaniards

 The number of Spaniards looking for work abroad has risen by 22% since 2008, when unemployment figures reached record levels. The top destinations for Spaniards seeking work abroad are the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland; the United Kingdom having seen an increase of 16% in the number of Spaniards moving there since 2008. Browse the internet and you will discover the array of websites and companies now offering to help Spaniards relocate and find work abroad, the business of moving itself is one that is booming.

The United Kingdom is, without doubt, the top destination for Spaniards. They can legally work there under EU law, unlike the USA or other English-speaking countries. It is also close enough and has good enough air links that they can regularly return to Spain, for you find that Spaniards, on the whole, are moving out of necessity and not because they want to leave their beloved country.

Spaniards are particularly attached to their country and the Spanish way of life is one that can be difficult to emulate abroad, especially in radically different countries like Britain or Germany. According to a Spanish friend of mine, Spaniards would much rather stay in Spain earning less money, but retaining the same lifestyle, friends and family than move abroad in search of higher salaries.

But with last Wednesday’s news of yet more cuts, Spaniards will find it increasingly difficult living in their own country and inevitably, the number of Spaniards leaving Spain will only continue to soar.


Por: Jessica Jones | 18 de julio de 2012


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 :following article from the Olive Press

Spanish unemployment falls for third month

PUBLISHED: July 12, 2012 at 3:19 pm  •  LAST EDITED: July 12, 2012 at 4:15 pm
  •  1 Comments

52 per cent of under 25s remain unemployed

SPAIN’S unemployment figures dropped by 100,000 in June, the third consecutive monthly fall, according to the Labour Ministry.
The cut in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits – down to 4.6 million – is the largest margin ever recorded for the month of June.
But Spain still has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, 24.4 per cent at the end of March, with 52 per cent of under 25s currently out of work.


Comment:

stefanjo

July 18th, 2012 11:44 pm

Ridiculous, a drop in dole claimants does not equate to a rise in employment. It just means entitlement has run out.