Spanish News April 2008

Round-up of April News and May Events 2008

Marbella Scandal
Police believed he received money in exchange for building licences during his time at the town hall, and may have pocketed something like 200 million euros! The scandal created huge shock-waves for the property market in Spain.
According to reports he has now been sent back to prison. Though the bail has been raised to 3 million euros Roca himself is still unrepentant. He told reporters: “Since my arrest in 2006, the state prosecutor, the regional government and the council of Marbella have blamed me for all the ills of Spain…”

Property Crisis
And Spain does seem to be having a few economic problems. Official government figures revealed that Spain's massive property boom is now officially over. The Housing Ministry says house prices fell for the first time for more than a decade.

No Noise Day
Spain held an International No Noise Day, when we were all supposed to shut up and appreciate the value of silence (pause). For those of you who live here, you’ll know that noise, especially in the cities, is a major issue here.

Mediterranean Diet
Apparently, the staple diet of Malaga is running out. The boquerones (or small white fish) don’t seem to be breeding as much off the coast of southern Spain. Yep, it could be due to global warming, over-fishing, or not enough plankton, which is what the fish eat. For the Spanish population in Malaga, it’s a disaster. No boquerones is like having fish and chips without the fish.

El Bulli
Still on the culinary front, Spain is now the officially the home of the World’s best restaurant! It’s called El Bulli in Girona, and is run by Spanish chef Ferrán Adriá. This is according to survey by 700 chefs and critics in international Restaurant magazine, which puts Britain’s "Fat Duck " restaurant in second place. Apparently Ferrán is a serious experimenter, but I have no idea what kind of food he serves up, so if you’ve been there, tell us!

Footie!
The European mega-clash between Barcelona and Manchester United continued, with thousands of British fans invading the streets of the Catalan capital for the first leg. It’s a huge boost to the local bars and restaurants that’s for sure, with each British fan estimated to drink an average of eight pints of beer during the course of the day.

Volvo Ocean Race
For all you nautical types, it’s been decided that this year’s Volvo Ocean Race is to set sail from Alicante. It’s a mammoth race where teams compete to sail around the world over a period of nine months. Preparations are now well under way for the October launch.

World Open Water
Staying with water, Seville hosts the World Open Water championships this month, including a 10km water marathon in the Guadalquivir river itself.

San Sebastian Jazz Festival
Now music. Liza Minelli and Lou Reed are to be the big stars at the coming San Sebastian Jazz Festival, announced for July.

Fun, Fun, Fun
For pure fun on the beach, there’s a famous beach club called Nikki Beach in southern Andalucia, which is holding their annual Mojito drinks party, while Cordoba launches its May Fiesta de los Patios – a competition to find the city’s most beautiful flower covered patio.

Spanish Festivities
Cordoba: There’s the huge festival of Flamenco to look forward to, called the Feria de Cordoba, and up in Madrid there’s the world’s largest bullfight festival, as they celebrate San Isidro, the Patron Saint of the capital.

Womad
And don’t forget the fantastic Womad music festival this month, where international music descends upon Caceres in Extremadura.

Bye for now!