christmas in spain holiday rentals marbella holidays in spain rental property in costa del sol 
For those of you who are new to living in Spain, you need to be warned about the dreaded ´puente´ in December. The Puente (meaning ´bridge´ in Spanish) is the term given to the period of time adjoining the 2 Spanish national bank holidays that fall on the 6th and the 8th December.
Most businesses in Spain choose to ´bridge´ the gap in the holidays by adding a 3rd day to the vacation (the 7th), meaning that the country grinds to a standstill for 3 entire days. I can´t quite imagine any other country being able to afford to down tools for 3 days a couple of weeks before Xmas.
christmas in spain gibraltar holiday in spain marbella rental property morrisons gibraltar The thought of yet another public holiday in Spain on 6th January was seriously starting to depress me – no shops open, too cold to sunbathe, fed up of seeing my family for what feels like the 50th time in the last 2 weeks, too fat for another long lunch with friends.
What should I do?
I know, I´ll go to Gibraltar!
I made sure I checked my facts as Gibraltar is a strange place. Where else boasts proper British bobbies, traffic lights, road signs, a Morrisons supermarket and cheap fags, yet driving on the right hand side of the road, and all within 45 minutes of Marbella? Continue reading »
christmas in spain january sales in spain marbella property new year in spain spanish chrsitmas Ok, ok, I admit it – I´ve had a great time here in Marbella….and it seems the whole of Spain has enjoyed itself as well. What am I talking about? Well, it´s now the 6th January, and most Spanish workers have been off work since 24th December.
First, we had the traditional Xmas festivities concentrated around the 25th December, and although Boxing Day is a normal working day in Spain, many workers weren´t inclined to go anywhere near their workplace as it fell on a Friday…and who can blame them!
Perhaps some staggered into work for the last 3 days of December, but I can guarantee that there won´t have been many! After all, what´s the point?! Continue reading »
andalucia property christmas in spain murcia property puerto banus property regions of spain sales in spain stores in spain three kings day As the Spanish people tend to attach more importance to their celebrations for Three Kings Day on January 6th (as opposed to Christmas on 25th December), the traditional ´New Year´ sales in the stores in Spain usually start on 7th January.
However, this year is different. Normally in Spain, whilst stores are allowed to have ´promotions´ at any time, they are only legally allowed to use the term ´rebajas´ or ´sales´ during dates that are specified by the government.
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christmas in spain costa del sol costa del sol property fuengirola iceland overseas marbella property supermarkets in spain For the first 7 years of my expat life on the Costa del Sol, i became accustomed to the typical Spanish supermarkets, amongst them Mercadona, Supersol, Euromarket. Imagine the scene in each – a row of bread, a row of olives, a row of tuna…oh, and a row of jamon. Ok, maybe this is an exaggeration, but for years I would be crying out for a little variety and a selection of ready meals.
In fact it got so bad that whenever I left my Marbella property to venture to the UK, I used to stand transfixed in Tesco, just dumbfounded by the range of products and the choice of fresh and chilled food available….and don´t get me started on Marks and Spencer food – my God, if there was one reason to return to the UK, this was surely it!! I swear I had to be dragged out of the Edinburgh M&S food hall the last time I went to see my sister!
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As we approach Christmas in Spain, it got me thinking about what my friends and family will be getting up to back in the UK.
I´m due to be visiting the UK at the weekend, and I´ve just realised what I can expect.
The last time I went back to England the weekend before Xmas, I stayed in the beautiful city of Bath, with its rich cultural heritage and magnificent architecture.
christmas in spain costa del sol crime in spain malaga airport pickpockets supermarket Christmas is coming and the peak present-buying season is coming up. We are carrying more cash around with us than normal and unfortunately this has also brought a spate of petty crime to my local shopping centres, airport and town centres on the Costa del Sol.
Over the past three weeks, three of my neighbours/acquaintances have had money or bags taken from them.
The first was a pensioner who had come over to see his daughter and her family. A pickpocket carried off one thousand euros in Malaga airport. This was so fast that he has no idea how it happened or even has a clue about who did this to him. Continue reading »
