Spain

Moving to rural Andalucia in 2004 was the start of a new life for my family and I. The usual reasons being to escape the rat race, provide a better life for my son and have the opportunity to live in beautiful, safe surroundings which were far beyond the reach of our budget in the UK.  The decision was life changing in so many ways and the gamble paid off but now as I sit in my office/bedroom/ meditation space, I realize that my new life in Spain is really just beginning. Eight months ago I got sober.  Before you stifle a yawn and imagine a middle aged lady drinking tea and doing crosswords every evening, you should know that although my story as a Brit living in Spain is my own, it is by no means unique. We drink. We drink because we can, normal rules don’t apply here, we drink because it is acceptable, encouraged even, we drink to practice our Spanish, we drink to overcome loneliness and boredom, we drink to cope with the stresses of Spanish bureaucracy, we drink … [Read more...] about My Spanish Story: How I got sober in Spain

Airline industry insiders have warned that flights between the UK and Spain are at threat if no Brexit deal is struck. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that 95 percent of flights between the UK and Spain could collapse in a no-deal scenario. IATA, which represents 290 airlines globally, said the routed between Spain and the UK were particularly at risk because of the large number of tourist traffic between the them. Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and chief executive, warned that a no-deal Brexit could lead to “thousands, millions of passengers” potentially grounded at airports after the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019. “If nothing is done it will be a nightmare in the European and UK airports,” he said, reported The Guardian newspaper. There are currently 5,052 flights operating between UK and Spanish airports each week. During 2017, 2017  just over 82 million tourists visited Spain, with … [Read more...] about Most flights between Spain and UK in jeopardy with no-deal Brexit

When the EU announced a movement to abolish the practice of daylight saving earlier this year, it particularly struck a chord in Spain, where many believe they are living in the wrong time zone. Current convention has it that all of Europe changes its clocks back one hour during the night of the last Saturday in October and forward again on the last weekend of March. The practice was introduced in the early 20th century as a way of making the most of the natural light and conserving fuel, but is considered by many to be obsolete. EU wide movement against it In August, the President of the EU Commission announced his plan to abolish the changing of the clocks after an online survey showed that Europeans are in favour of staying permanently on "summer time". Jean-Claude Juncker said he wanted to follow the wishes of the 80 percent of Europeans who voted to get rid of the seasonal changing of the clocks, so Europe could remain on Summer Time all year round. READ MORE: EU aims … [Read more...] about Why Spain should turn back the clock for the last time