Spanish News May 2008

Worst drought in Spain for more than fifty years....

Yes, and amazingly, Barcelona is having to bring water into the city by boat! From France! How embarrassing is that? The main problem is of course not enough rainfall. But also over the years not enough water storage facilities have been built. Also golf courses are often blamed for using huge amounts of water. On the Costa del Sol there are already water restrictions in place in Malaga.

Now then, most people would just love to be a celebrity….wouldn’t they? Well, here’s an example of someone who hates the idea so much, she went to court to try and stop it.
Yes, the sister of Crown Princess Letizia of Spain, wanted a restraining order to stop photographers taking her picture for magazines like Hola! and to stop TV crews filming her. Telma Ortiz, who’s 35, argued she was not a celebrity and that she was been hounded by the press.

But the judge basically said she’s a public figure whether she likes it or not. There you have it.

Ok, we’ve all heard about the credit crunch making it more difficult to get mortgages. Well, there’s been a knock-on effect for Spain. Less Brits in particular are looking to buy here, because they’re having trouble raising funds back home.

And of course the strong euro has meant that buyers from northern Europe are getting less for their money.

Away from money matters and onto a fishy tale of a shark sighting in the waters off Spain, near Valencia!

Yes, a fisherman reported seeing an enormous shark appear alongside his small boat off the coast of Sagunto. Experts say it was probably a pilgrim shark, which apparently only eats plankton. In fact, there have been only two reported shark attacks off the coast of Spain in the last five hundred years.

From a fishy hazard to a land hazard. Spanish matador Javier Valverde was seriously gored during a bullfight in Estepona in southern Andalucia. After being taunted for a while, the bull got some revenge by goring him in his right buttock! The wound was 25cm deep. That’s gotta hurt! What do you think of bullfighting, barbaric? Or a good Spanish tradition?

Ok, travel news now and in the near future there could be direct flights from the city of Malaga to the Caribbean, which would be big news for the economy on the Costa del Sol. Managers from the bankrupt airline Air Madrid say they hope to create a new airline which would be based in Malaga.

That’s right. The new airline is to be called Andalus Lineas Aereas and is run by a man called Fernando Guerrero. He says the old airline only failed because it was taken over by people who knew nothing about the industry. We’ll soon see if he’s right…

On the technology front, the town hall in Tenerife has put 3G broadband routers on a section of its Tram network. It means that nearly 50,000 Tram commuters will have FREE Wi-Fi for the duration of the experiment. If it’s popular, then it could be extended to the entire Tram network. An interesting idea…

Sport now and one of Spain’s most charismatic golfers won the prestigious PGA Championship at Wentworth. Miguel Angel Jimenez, who’s from Malaga, shot a hole in one on his way to winning his fifteenth golf title. The charismatic cigar-toting star, says he can never wait to get back Malaga, saying the food and the people are the best in the world.

And in entertainment news, it’s strongly rumoured that Madonna will be adding a Spanish date to her forthcoming world tour, to promote her new album called “Hard Candy”. The concert is said to be scheduled for the Montjuic Stadium in Barcelona on September 18th – though don’t blame us if she changes her mind!

Now, let’s take a look at some of the events happening in June, starting with the Marbella Feria. For those of you who don’t know, a Feria is basically a huge fiesta or fair, involving traditional Spanish costumes, great food and lots of beer.

Yes, each town holds its own special Feria – the Marbella one is called the Feria de San Bernabé, after the town’s patron saint. It’s one of the most colourful events in the year, held during the second week of June, and it’s not to be missed! And still in Marbella, the Dia de Musica festival will be held in the constitution park on the 21st of June.

What else? Ah yes, if you want to see something completely different, then the Cirque du Soleil are back in town. It’s a kind of modern mega-circus, with crazy stunts, amazing sets, wild music, but no animals. This time they’re performing in Malaga on the 5th of June.

And in the third week of June, the night of San Juan descends upon Spain. This is the Spanish way of saying welcome to summer, with huge bonfires on the beaches, fireworks, processions and late night partying. For the best of it, simply head to your nearest beach late at night, and join in!

According to tradition, if you jump three times over the bonfire, you’ll be spiritually cleansed. And then you have to bathe in the sea. Though careful with the fire bit, you could singe your bits! And you wouldn’t want to do that now, would you?

And don’t forget Granada International Festival of Music and Dance, which runs from the 20th June to the 6th of July. It includes classical Spanish music, dance, ballet, and lots of other cultural stuff!

Ok, that’s it for this month, we’ll be back for more fun and games next month.

Yes, see you then, bye!

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