I was shocked to read of the deaths of 3 British holidaymakers who stayed at a hotel (Diamante Beach Hotel) in Calpe.

Apparently 20 people have contracted Legionnaires disease whilst staying in the same hotel, half of them are British. The 3 who died were all aged over 70.

From what I remember of the Legionnaires disease bugs it can be tricky to get rid of from places where they have lots of shower units, and let's hope the clean up operation works so no more more go down with this killer.

 Legionnaires' disease is a bacterium called Legionella pneumophila. People catch Legionnaires' disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air, which contain the bacteria.

According to one medical guide the disease thrives in these conditions:

• a suitable temperature for growth, 20 to 45^oC;
• a source of nutrients for the organism, eg sludge, scale, rust, algae, and other organic matter;and
• a way of creating and spreading breathable droplets, eg the aerosol created by a cooling tower or spa pool.

Unemployment in Spain is getting worse according to Spain's National Statistics Institute. The unemployment level in December rose to 22.85 per cent, the worst figures in over a decade. The European Union's average unemployment rates are half that in Spain.

Unfortunately the young are hardest hit. with over 51 per cent of 16-24 year olds out of work. The result has been that young people are having to stay at home with their parents for longer, and some are seeking job opportunities outside of Spain and moving abroad, even going as far as the US and Australia.

A new documentary is being made about the struggles many expats in Spain are facing right now.

The exchange rate between the pound and euro has resulted in many people with fixed incomes, often pensioners, having less money to spend. Savings are being hit hard. The lack of employment prospects for those who need work, falling property values, or just simple homesickness can all have an impact on life, and can put a big strain on family relationships.

Due to the fact that so many expats are trying to tough it out, hoping for better things, or have just given up and returned back to the UK, I have included some information on my site about how to get involved in this topical subject and to tell your story about being a struggling expat in Spain.

My brother loves tapas dishes. And, on his visits to see us in Spain we would often stop off at a local tapas bar on the way back from picking him up from the airport. We would also sometimes go out and have a tapas meal when visiting one of the larger towns.

Anyway, he told me that back home in the UK his local Tesco store had started selling small containers of prepared foods, each containing a different tapas dish. They cost £2.50 each, or you can buy 5 for just £9, a saving of £3.50.

He and his daughter decided on potato tapas, basque beef, prawns and chicken paella, garlic mushrooms and a vegetable paella.

All were pretty good, apart from the garlic mushrooms, which they thought much too creamy, and it didn't 'go' with the rest. All down to personal taste of course.

Their advice for anyone thinking of buying some tapas dishes from Tesco is instead of the taps mushrooms to buy the garlic mushrooms from their 'Finest' range. These mushrooms are not creamy at all, but have a very strong garlic flavour, and will go much better with the other tapas dishes.

Nice to see some of the big UK stores starting to sell some of the Spanish 'typical' dishes anyway.

If you thought it was already tough for people living in Spain hold on to your seats because things are set to get even worse.

That's if the new Spanish government implements its announced reforms in an attempt to turn the faltering economy around.

They want to cut public spending by 8.9bn euros. This will be done partly by temporary tax hikes and a pay freeze on the salaries of civil servants. In addition, Spain is putting a freeze on virtually all government hiring.

So, Spain continues to take the medicine in order to get well, and the suffering of both nationals and expats must continue until the economy gets back to full health.

At last the government is doing something about the rip off charges some airlines (and other companies) are making on credit and debit card transactions.

It has long been a bone of contention where consumers are forced to pay high fees to use a card for making a purchase, particularly in those cases where there are few if any alternatives.

Take booking with low-cost airline Ryanair for example. You can't pay by cash or cheque, you have to pay by card. And on most transactions the additional cost bears no relationship to the actual cost the airline incurs by accepting card payments. The cost of booking a Ryanair return flight with a debit card has risen 15-fold to £12 since 2004. Yet, the actual cost to them for a debit card transaction is roughly 20p. And, to make matters worse, every passenger incurs the extra charge, even though a single booking/payment is made.

All the so-called 'extras' charged by budget airlines such as luggage and checking in online make up a high proportion of the airlines' profits, but many charges are hidden to say the least.

Of course Ryanair are already claiming that its card charges are for 'Admin costs' rather than for the actual cost of processing the cards, which is a load of nonsense. And I suspect that a lot more companies will find a convenient excuse to get round any new laws.

The European Union is to ban excessive card fees levied by airlines from 2014, though why it will take so long is a mystery.

Funny how some companies feel the need to charge for card use, yet go into a store and but a newspaper and a loaf of bread and pay by card and you won't get charged.

A lot has been written over the past couple of years about the unfairness of the Social Security system as it applies to those who have retired to live abroad. Hundreds of thousands of expat pensioners are missing out on upratings to their pensions because of the rules applying to the particular country they have emigrated to.

With this in mind an e-petition has been started here, entitled 'End the Unfair Frozen Overseas Pension Policy.'

Also, another petiton has been set up concerning 'The right of British Families to return to the UK.'

I see that Ryanair has hiked prices up for such things as luggage, especially luggage paid at the airport, rather than paid for in advance online. In some cases prices will double, which will put a big strain on families. It certainly makes sense to pay online in advance for any luggage you may wish to take with you on your flight. Even pre-paid for luggage is costing more for peak time flights, though price increases aren't as steep as they are by paying for it at the airport.

Ryanair reckon that more than 70% of their passengers won't be affected by the changes, as they just use the free of charge 10kg carry-on allowance.

And for any passenger who forgets to print off their boarding pass the news is just as bad. From 15th January they will be charged £60, up from £40, for the privilege of having a boarding pass printed off at the airport. The words "rip-off" spring to mind.

Anyone remember the days when you simply paid your all-inclusive air fare, took a reasonable amount of luggage, got your boarding pass at the airport at check-in, and got a meal on the plane? Nowadays virtually everything is an 'extra' including the charge they make for using a debit card to pay for the flight and additions online. The countdown is on to the time low-cost airlines will be charging passengers to use the toilets!

Most of our readers of this blog are either thinking about moving to Spain or have done so already. Often when one moves abroad they still have some financial duties in their home country such as loans, rents or just some support of their children or relatives.

Sending money back to the UK or anywhere else in the EU can be very expensive as your banks charge you between 3% to 6% or even more. In addition the exchange rate for EUR-GBP is usually not good, plus you can end up paying some hidden fees. That means for sending back home a few hundreds of EUR it could cost you the price of a nice meal here in Spain.

But you can save that! I've been reading about an innovative company which was set up to cut some of the costs usually associated with money transfers. Let's face it, we are all wanting to cut unnecessary costs, and with the economy as it is right now anything that makes it cheaper to send money has to be worth looking at.

Transferwise, a UK currency exchange provider, offers an online service for money transfer between EUR and GBP and vice versa with the following benefits:

-    True mid-market exchange rate
-    Transfer fee from £1
-    No minimum transfer
-    100% secure transactions

Company also owns all required certificates and permissions of Financial Authorities in the UK.

The service is lately getting a lot of attention and rapid growth as more and more British expats and others are using it to send money home or abroad.

Why spend money on hidden fees and high currency exchange commissions? Visit Transferwise and save some money.

Costs of health are rising everywhere, and it looks like the government of Baleares - the Balearic Islands - have had enough. They are clamping down on people who are fraudulently using the health facilities on the Balearics which means the government there is losing out big time.

Tourists to Spain from other parts of Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card. Those who do not present a Spanish or European health card at the time of treatment will be given a 30 day period to pay or present their card. Figures suggest that a further 8 million euros would be collected after this rule is put in place.

The problem is that the health system is being abused by some foreigners who travel to Spain just to get treatment, but the bill is being footed by the Spanish. Some immigrants are travelling to the Balearic Islands for surgery using cards that don't belong to them, but have been passed around.

If Health Cards had the individual's photo on them that would help cut down fraud. And really there is little excuse for not carrying a card, as they are issued free (certainly true in the UK). And with costs ranging anywhere from 59 euros for a consultation, through to an average 17,269 euros for heart surgery, it's easy to see why  costs can mount for the beleagured Spanish economy.

Things look set to get worse in Spain before they start to get better, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The global economic outlook in general is pretty gloomy, so Spain isn't alone. The OECD reckons that Spain will go in to a recession in 2012 with a 0.3% reduction in GDP.

Banks are still taking a hit due to the downturn in property sales and house prices. The housing slump is of course affecting the real estate sector particularly badly. Expats there are still finding it difficult to sell their houses and are having to come down in their asking prices in what is very much a buyers' market.

And perhaps gloomiest news of all is that the current unemployment rate of 21.5% is likely to rise further to 23% during 2012, so little respite for those of working age in Spain.

For Brits who are living in Spain who are seeking work the prospects of finding a job don't look good. At less than half the unemployment rate of Spain, the UK (8.3%), looks a picture of health relatively speaking, though it's hard enough finding work there too. But, sadly, it's a fact that not being able to find work is one of the main reasons expats return home.

We have been hearing it for a long time now - Spain has one of the worst unemployment records in the EC. But, as if 21.5 percent out of work isn't bad enough, let's remember this is just the average. Some parts of Spain have much higher levels, such as in the region of Andalucia, in the south of the country. Here, 31 percent of the workforce is unemployed.

Things have gotten so serious that in the gothic cathedral in Seville a number of out of work teachers are staging a sit-in. Some of those teachers are under 25 years of age, and in that age group the rate of unemployment stands at a staggering 53.7 percent. Cuts in public spending have cost a lot of people, including some teachers, their jobs. The universities of Spain are generally very good, and it's such a shame that young people are leaving with qualifications but can't find work.

It's understandable that some countries like Italy, Portugal and Greece have got themselves in a big mess because those governments have overspent and not collected taxes as they should. But generally the Spanish government hasn't really done a lot wrong in financial terms since joining the Euro.

Much of Spain's problems were created by the housing bubble, house prices increased by 44 percent between 2004 to 2008, and homeowners took on bigger mortgages. Wages rose, and people spent more. The government then received more income from taxes on people's income, and from VAT, so they were happy. The problem is that Spaniards were becoming uncompetitive because of their wage levels. Add to this the fact that property prices have plunged. The boom turned to bust!

And of course we can't forget the banking sector woes that took place in 2008, which affected virtually the whole world, and certainly Spain's banks are still suffering from that, with more government intervention being likely to help prop them up.

Bottom line is that higher unemployment means a big increase in the Spanish government having to pay more out on benefits, and falling tax revenues means less money available to pay out. All in all the net result is that Spain has to borrow more.

Meanwhile, British expats are still finding that despite the Eurozone problems the Euro itself is still relatively strong against the pound. This means those who receive money in sterling are finding they get less when they exchange to Euros. And for those wanting to sell up and return home their properties aren't selling, or if they do sell many owners are having to drop their prices quite drastically in order to achieve the sale.

Airline pilots on occasions have to contend with poor weather conditions, technical problems, unruly passengers and flight delays, but as if that wasn't bad enough now something else has been added to the list - laser lights!



Local nightclubs in Alicante have been accused of putting aircraft traffic at risk as planes arrive and depart at Alicante’s El Altet Airport. The same problems arose at Malaga some months ago.

Alicante City Hall has been asked by AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea) - the Spanish Airports Authority - to exercise more controls over discos sending laser lights up into the night sky. Clearly if pilots have been complaining in increasing numbers there must be a serious problem. Let's hope it doesn't take an accident before the Alicante City officials take the necessary steps to reduce the levels of numbers of laser lights allowed. I'm sure they enjoy the income tourism and with that the nightclubs bring into the city, but passenger safety must come first and foremost before profits.

The producers of the film "Larry Crown" starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have been fined 30,000 € (just over £25,000) for breaching the rule banning "any publicity, in print, audio or video that may incite excessive speed, reckless driving, situations of danger or any other circumstance involving conduct contrary to the principles of the law".

In the promotional poster the couple are riding a scooter without safety helmets.

It all just seems a bit inconsistent, when a company is fined for this kind of thing, yet in a lot of areas you will see scooter and motor-cycle riders not wearing helmets, and nothing is done about it by the police.

Maybe the Spanish authorities were making an example of the producers, or, saw it as an easy way to make some money through a fine.

It's so sad that an elderly couple lost their lives on Friday when they got caught up in a flash flood whilst in Finestrat, near Benidorm, about 40km north of Alicante.

The couple were sitting at a marketplace cafe when they were swept away by a wall of water after torrential rain had caused a river to burst its banks and water travelled down a dried up ravine at great speed.

Market traders regularly set up their stalls in that area, though reports suggest the local council shouldn't have allowed them to operate on the promenade.

Cars and stalls were smashed in the torrent of water, and there were injuries to a couple of people. Maybe an investigation will take place to see if this flooding could have been prevented if the town's council hadn't paved the ravine bed last July without permission.

They must be bonkers! Three guys who jumped from the top of the Hotel Bali in Benidorm last month and now posted on YouTube.

They got up to the top by climbing on top of an external lift. Glad to say the base jumpers all appear to have got to the bottom safely, but is putting your life at risk in this way really worth it?

Chances are if you are a British expat, living in the Alicante area, (though not exclusive to that area), you will bank with CAM Bank, or the Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo. The CAM Bank is very popular with people living along the Costa Blanca, as it is well known on the High Street as it has a lot of branches which make for customer convenience.

But, over the past few months much has changed with the CAM Bank. It was taken over by Spain's central bank under the Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring. The bank had almost 3 billion euros injected in to it due to ailing finances, and amid charges of corruption by some of its top bosses.

Now, as part of its restructuring program, the CAM Bank is set to be auctioned off. The problem is that Spain's banks, in general, aren't in a great position themselves, so are unlikely to be able to afford the money to invest into the CAM.

Some would argue that rather than Spain having to pump even more money into the bank (estimates of 7 billion euros have been mentioned) just to keep CAM's creditors happy, it would be better to liquidate it instead. Should governments keep on bailing out loss-making financial institutions, putting their own finances in real jeopardy?

Meanwhile, the average expat who uses the CAM is left wondering how safe his money is, with many customers preferring to switch banks rather than take the risk of losing their savings.

The smoking ban which came into force in Spain back in January 2011 has to be applauded. Let's face it, over 70% of Spaniards are non-smokers, so the law was put into place for the majority. But, does it go far enough?

Smoking in such places as bars, restaurants, outside hospitals and schools is no longer allowed, true. But, what happens when you want to eat a meal outside a restaurant? On a hot day most of us don't want to sit inside a stuffy bar or restaurant (unless perhaps it has air conditioning). So, we prefer to eat or drink under a sunbrella outside. Whilst smoking is not allowed inside, it is still permitted outside. And somehow when ever I am sitting outside I always seem to attract the smokers who light up around me, totally unconcerned about their smoke blowing my way.

This means customers still have to put up with the filthy habits of others, so too the staff who have no option other than to work in the vicinity of 2nd hand smoke.

And it isn't just the Spaniards themselves of course who use tobacco, us Brits are just as bad. I've even seen people finish a cigarette, coughing their heads off, then literally within seconds light up another one. Where is the sense in that?

Meanwhile until governments think much more about the rights of the majority who don't smoke we will just have to put up with the selfishness of those who do.

One small step the government in the UK has taken is to ban the use of vending machines to sell cigarettes in England. The ban takes place from today, 1st October. This should go a little way to deter some youngsters from buying tobacco products too easily.

At last the cowardly "sport" of bullfighting has been banned in one of Spain's regions - Catalonia. The last bullfight took place at Barcelona's Monumental arena yesterday.

Bullfighting was banned after a vote by the regional parliament of Catalonia back in July 2010 following huge campaigns to have it outlawed. Over 180,000 signatures were collected in a petition which led to the debate on this cruel and senseless act of bloodthirst which has no place in any decent society.

Some view the matadors as brave heroes. Personally I find a fight against a bull that's half dead when it enters the arena rather pathetic.

We all know that Catalonia has its own reasons for breaking with Spanish tradition, one being its spirit of independence from the rest of Spain. I'd also like to think that they also genuinely have the welfare of animals at heart too.

Whatever the motives, let's hope the rest of Spain follows suit and bans this barbaric spectacle, which by all accounts isn't approved of by the majority of Spaniards anyway. The tide could be turning, the sooner the better!

It seems that some of the souvenirs on sale in Barcelona have upset the authorities. Badges are being sold which depict some of the seedier sides of life in the city.

The set of lapel badges and fridge magnets have been banned from sale in Barcelona's municipal museum shops. Bag-snatchers, prostitutes and other undesirable elements of life are pictured, and this has really upset the people who run the city.

Why the manufacturers of these items brought them into production in the first place, and why shops have decided to sell them is anyone's guess. They don't show Barcelona in a favourable light, but, let's face it, crime of this sort isn't unique to any one city, it happens all over the world.

Were those selling them simply trying to have a laugh, or is there a serious message behind the badges? Perhaps a bit of both.

Either way, Town Hall officials aren't joining in the fun.

Spain, a country of sun, sea and sangria, where surely everyone wants to live, right? Wrong!

Ok, so not everyone has ever wanted to live in Spain, but, for a number of years there have been more immigrants to Spain than those leaving. That is all changing, due mainly to the economic state of the country.

Jobs are hard to get with more than 20% out of work. Many of those in jobs are seeing their wages reduced or frozen. Skilled workers can no longer command good wages, and graduates are leaving university with fewer prospects of employment.

So, the net result is that Spaniards are moving to where the work is, and that doesn't just mean moving to another part of Spain, but moving country, or in some cases even continent.

The population of Spain grew by 700,000 between 2002 and 2007. Then, in 2008, net migration dropped to 400,000, in 2009 it fell further to just 47,000, with a small recovery in 2010 to 62,000. Expats to Spain from places like the UK dropped off as employment prospects looked bleak, and the exchange rate between the pound and the euro got worse. Pensioners were unable to survive on the income they'd be getting with the pound so weak.

And this year things have got even worse as Spain lost 70,000 residents between January and June. Fewer immigrants, higher numbers of emigrants, and the result is obvious. Despite the fact that most of the world in an economic crisis, those with the right qualifications will find work, which is why so many Spaniards can successfully relocate in places like South America, Australia, the US, and other parts of Europe.

More on emigration figures for Spain.

It's understandable that when Spain made the transition to the euro a lot of the old currency in Spanish pesetas remained in circulation.

But, wouldn't you think that over the years the amount out there would have dwindled right down? Not so, according to the Bank of Spain, who tell us that at the end of July a staggering 901 million euros in peseta notes, and 812 million euros in peseta coins remained in the hands of the public. This means a total of 1.7 billion euros worth of pesetas sat around in drawers, stuffed under the bed, or trapped in the sofa.

Considering Spain's dire economic situation if I had any of those pesetas I'd get down to the bank and change it to the stuff I could spend, rather than letting it gather dust doing nothing. But, maybe much of those pesetas are owned by the richer class who have no need to trade them in! Too, some of those pesetas will be outside of Spain in the hands of foreign tourists from pre-euro days who have kept hold of them, perhaps for nostalgia's sake.

There is some good news for expats living in Spain. Although the economy is still in a bad way with high unemployment, tax rises, and a slow property market, increases in prices of basic goods have slowed down.

For the fourth month in a row Spanish inflation is expected to fall in August according to the INE, Spain's Consumer Price Index. The final figure will be confirmed during the second week of September, but is likely to be 2.9%, a small drop from July's inflation figure.

The main factors which have helped the fall in inflation are fuel, lubricants, food and non-alcoholic beverages.

The Spanish government is actively trying to stimulate new house sales. They are halving the rate of IVA/VAT on new property until the end of the year.

With the Spanish Professional Football League, LFP on the one side, and the Spanish Football Players Association, the AFE, on the other, it seems that talks about players wages are deadlocked.

This could even mean the start of the season in the Spanish 1st and 2nd Divisions could be delayed.

It seems some players are waiting still for their wages which are months overdue. The AFE claims that 200 players were owed around 50 million euros at the end of last season. They want the LFP to create a ‘wage guarantee fund’ so the money owed will get paid, and also wants to see clubs which have not paid their players to be sanctioned.

Although football players get paid quite a lot of money, if they don't actually get paid it doesn't really mean anything does it?

Picasso, Miro, and Gaudi - just three renowned artists with a strong connection with Barcelona. Visitors to Barcelona are almost certain to come across the works of these painters, or in the case of Gaudi his architectural works, somewhere in the city.

Because of the artistic influence seen throughout the city I have written about Barcelona for art lovers. Discussed are museums and church buildings  where the works of these skilled men are to be seen.

Although many visitors may only spend a day or just a few hours in Barcelona and will only have a limited time to take in its sights, those who have longer to spend there are sure to enjoy at least one of the art museums.

Travelling to Paris in my younger days and looking around the Louvre, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands and taking a tour round a museum where Dutch artists' works are on display, took me back to a bygone era. And let's face it, these paintings are something that can never be replaced.

A lot of Brits move to Spain with preconceived ideas about what life 'should' be like and how everyone else will have to fit around THEM. But, it doesn't work that way. As the saying goes, "When in Rome do as the Romans do."

I've put together five key points to help anyone who is moving to Spain to settle in more quickly. It's my Survival Guide for Expats which, if followed, will hopefully mean Brits will become more content expats in Spain who are less likely to miss what they had at home. Let's face it, moving to go and live in another country is hard enough already, without making life more difficult by expecting too much from others, or that 'different' is somehow wrong and so on.

A great way to get involved in Spanish society, which is all part of the survival process, is to learn some of the local language. Although it's true that expats often form their own communities of like-speaking people, it is always handy to know at least some of the lingo. With this in mind the article Quick Tricks to Learn Spanish was written.

I'm often surprised at how many Brits still think that if they move over to Spain they will be able to find work easily.

As today's demonstrations in Madrid demonstrate, employment is not easy to find over there. Spain's austerity measures have resulted in around a 21% unemployment rate. As I keep saying, if the Spanish themselves can't find work what chance do foreigners have?

Just like in other countries, Britain included, some organisations are asking workers to take a cut in pay - or lose their jobs! An example is the Estepona Town Hall. Public services are of course often the hardest hit when it comes to governments slashing costs, and local services are always hit hard. So, in an effort to lower the wage bill the Estepona local authority has asked its municipal workers to accept a pay cut, but not just to keep their jobs, but just to get paid this time! They would do this by scrapping all extra or bonus payments by the end of the month citing the ‘desperate situation’ they are in.

If any Brits are contemplating moving to Spain right now they should have a job lined up if they will need an income from within Spain. If not they should make sure they have sufficient funds of their own, perhaps an income or pension from abroad which will be enough to live in Spain comfortably.

The banking crisis of a few years ago is still having an impact on some banks in Spain.

Whether directly or indirectly the economic downturn is hitting banks hard.

Consider the Alicante-based bank known as Cam, Caja Mediterraneo for instance. It is heavily involved in loans to the property sector, especially along the Mediterranean coast. We are all aware of the problems with the selling of new properties in Spain. Loans have gone bad, and naturally the bank Caja Mediterraneo has suffered as a result.

And now the bank has announced it is to close over one hundred branches. That represents around 25 percent of its branch network, as it seeks to make major cuts in its costs.

Savings banks in Spain as a sector could lose much of their value over the next five years according to some forecasts.

How will the ECB's decision to raise interest rates to 1.5% in the Eurozone affect the various countries involved?

The problem is that "one size fits all" just doesn't work where European interest rates are concerned, as what is good for some countries isn't necessarily good for others.

The fear for the better off countries such as Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, is that inflation could pose difficulties in the future, due to their anticipated growth rate, anything from 1% to 3%.  Higher interest rates should help to cut back on inflation, which of course is fine for those places.

But, countries which are in an economic mess - Ireland, Portugal and Greece, will be hit even harder than they are at the moment with this rise. I suspect Spain too would have preferred rates to have been kept where they were, at 1.25%.

As for the UK, great for exporters as their products get cheaper, bad for importers as the pound drops against the Euro, and bad news too for anyone taking a holiday in the Eurozone as the pound will buy fewer Euros.

It seems Ryanair doesn't appreciate the complaints made about it by Spanish consumer group FACUA.

In fact the Irish low-cost airline has actually gone to a Spanish court over the matter, asking the judge to prohibit FACUA from making any ‘public manifestations and statements’ about the airline. In other words, Ryanair hates bad publicity.

Ryaniar hadn't sufficiently proven that FACUA was conducting a smear campaign against them, and the judge said that FACUA had acted in its right to the freedom of information, and in its obligation to guard the defence of the rights of the consumers.

Ryanair has to meet the costs of the case. They can appeal if they wish to do so, within the next five days.

Some companies like train and airlines have been overcharging their customers for a long time. In what way? In the fact they often charge for travellers to pay by credit or debit card.

Now the Office of Fair Trading in Britain has reported that they will be clamping down on companies which use 'administration charges' as an excuse to get more money off their customers.

Let's face it, if you book a flight by Ryanair you have to do it online. There is no other way. But, pay by most cards and you will pay something like £6 per person per flight. So, book for two people, take a return trip from the UK to Spain, and you pay £24 in charges. The fact is it doesn't cost Ryanair anywher near that much to handle the payment. They pay about 20 pence. So, one transaction, one charge of 20 pence, not £24!

On credit card payments there is a bit more reason why customers should pay for their use. 2% of the amount charged is apparently the amount Ryanair have to pay to the credit card provider. One transaction even if involving more than one passenger should, therefore, on say £300 pre-administration costs, come to £6. Again, nowhere near the £24 or so they charge.

Let's hope these crazy card charges soon stop, and the airline companies start playing fair with the travelling public.

I booked through Ryanair today to fly to Alicante in September. Going for a couple of weeks which I'm really looking forward to.

Are Ryanair getting any better at being more upfront about their charges? I think so, though I still can't begin to possibly comprehend how they can charge £6 per person in each direction for using a debit card when there are so few options to pay any other way.

For two passengers this adds an extra £24 to the cost, and I just can't see how this can be justified. They call it an 'administration fee' but to me it's a simple way to get more money out of us. Funny why they need to charge for the use of a debit card when very few retailers find any need to.

Although the cost is made clear at the outset, I also can't understand why the need to pay £6 per person each flight for the cost of a boarding card which passengers have to download themselves! Yes, that's a further £24 which to me is inexplicable.

Add the taxes plus baggage and the price shoots right up, though Ryanair on this particular journey are still cheaper than any of their main low cost carrier competitors.

I see Barcelona is getting tough on tourists (mostly Brits) who are baring too much flesh in the city.

Residents and local businesses have campaigned to change the laws. The sight of tourists wandering around the streets, dining in restaurants and visiting shops in various states of undress has upset many locals, and who can blame them for getting fed up with it.

So, wearing just a bikini, or men wearing nothing on their tops, can incur a fine of up to 300 euros. Anyone going completely naked away from the designated nudist beach could face fines of between 300-500 euros.

The urban police force will be able to impose on the spot penalties to those who refuse to cover up, though it must be a matter of discretion about what is and isn't considered decent attire.

Half a million Brits travel to Barcelona every year, and those there for things such as stag parties are going to have to tread carefully, otherwise they could return home with a lighter wallet than they expected.

Be warned that if you travel to and from Spain (or anywhere else for that matter) using the low cost carrier Ryanair you must print off your boarding card before you travel.

As the experience Lily Allen had demonstrates if you arrive at the airport and want Ryanair to print your boarding pass off for you it will cost you a staggering £40. And as Allen twittered you'll have it in your hands for not very long (in her case 7 minutes) then it gets taken back off you.

Ryanair states on its website: 'Passengers who have lost/forgotten their printed online boarding passes will be required to pay a Boarding Card Re-Issue Fee in order to receive a new boarding pass at the airport. This facility is available up to 40 minutes prior to the scheduled flight departure.'

Personally I think it's just another moneymaking stunt by Ryanair. The airline charges even for paying by debit card through its website, even though there is no alternative to paying by card.

I'd advise anyone thinking of travelling with them to be fully sure of all the so-called 'extras' before commiting themselves to the booking, because the price posted at the beginning of the transaction will bear little resemblance to that paid at the end.

The Chairman of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, is unhappy with plan by the Spanish Airport Authority, AENA, to make Ryanair use passenger airbridges.

In Spain's worst earthquake for 50 years at least eight people have died with dozens injured after an earthquake hit the town of Lorca, 120km south-west of Alicante.

Thousands spent the night outdoors, fearful of further tremors. Buildings have been toppled in the 5.2 magnitude 'quake.

The congregation at the funeral of Seve Ballesteros included players, caddies, administrators, and  Spain's Crown Prince Felipe.

Seve Ballesteros' funeral was held at the church of San Pedro in his hometown of Pedreña in northern Spain.

Five-time major winner Ballesteros, died on Saturday at the age of 54 after a three-year battle with a brain tumour.

Unemployment in Spain reached a record high during March. The jobless rate increased by 0.8 per cent to 4.33 million people in Spain are jobless, a rise of 0.8%. 

No wonder it is so hard for British expats who live in Spain to find employment when the Spanish themselves can't get work.

I think a lot of expats will view the idea of the Spanish Government holding 'Road Shows' in UK and in other places in Europe as a bit of a joke.

Figures show that 31.5% of foreign buyers of property in Spain came from the UK in the year 2009. Buyers also come from other places to be visited on this tour such as France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia.

Yet, a great many of property buyers in Spain face problems in a sector where controls are too lax, and problems with transactions are commonplace.

Before the Spanish Government start trying to convince us about the ‘transparency and legal security’ of the Spanish Property Market, they ought to fix the problems first. How can buyers have confidence in a system where deceit, corruption and lies are rife, and so much is done 'under the table' with little real transparency?

It is proving to be a bumpy ride for Spain's rescue plan of its regional banks as private investors and ratings firms raise questions about whether the lenders have admitted to all of their property losses.

Raising private capital to bail out Spain's private savings banks, or cajas, will not be easy, especially since the market became convinced that near neighbours  Portugal would need a bailout.

Eight of Spain's cajas must present their capital-raising plans to regulators. Savings banks have been sounding out hedge funds and private-equity funds, with others pursuing initial public offerings.

But investors have raised questions about the level of reserves that the banks hold against the property risk in their portfolios. 

The austerity plans of the Spanish government haven't gone down too well in the airline sector as workers seek to protect their jobs.

From March 7th the Spanish Government is reducing the maximum speed on Spain’s motorways from the current 120 km/hr to 110 km/hr to save fuel.

This is part of package of urgent energy-saving measures which the Government considers necessary given the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.

The new speed limit applies to all motorways in the country, whoever actually owns them. Although the Spanish authorities say there is no risk of petrol or gas supplies running out it hopes these measures will help Spain through the oil crisis, claiming the lower speed limit will see savings of 15% in petrol and 11% in diesel.

At last! Named and shamed the worst offenders in charging card fees when booking flights.

According to the Which? magazine here is a list of airlines ripping us off. holidays. Which? has calculated that for a family of four to book flights costing £100 per person return, the charges passed on by the airline would be:

* Ryanair and Aer Arann- £40 for both debit and credit card payments
* Manx2 - £36 for debit card payments and £39.60 for credit card payments
* Flybe - £36 for debit card and £40 for credit card payments
* FlyThomascook - £20 for both debit and credit card payments
* Air Southwest - £8 for debit card and £32 for credit card payments

These rip-off charges have to be stopped.

Maybe it is the cold weather we have been experiencing here, or the financial state of the country perhaps, but I am seeing more enquiries both from people writing in to me and posting around the forums from Brits thinking about moving to Spain.

The key is to really understand living over there, how much it will cost, exchange rates, your own sources of income, and of course property prices.

It is no good moving then realising there are insufficient funds to maintain the lifestye you want. Jobs are still hard to get in Spain, the economy is still in poor shape, though housing is perhaps bottoming out as far as prices are concerned.

Doing your homework is vital, otherwise you might be left with little money and having to return to the UK. to live.

Spanish state television drops bullfighting as too violent for children

Radiotelevision Espanola (RTVE) has said it will not show bullfighting on its channels given that the evening corridas usually occur during peak viewing times for children.

RTVE has classed bullfighting as "violence with animals."

Pro-bullfighting groups are complaining it is based on political rather than commercial decisions, but that is denied by RTVE.

Hopefully the move to stop all bullfighting will gain strength and follow  the lead of Catalonia which became the first region within mainland Spain to outlaw it.

The move by the Spanish government to declare a "state of alarm" was expected to allow some of the thousands of British tourists trapped in Spain to start returning home after being stranded at airports.

Up to 20,000 were trapped by the sudden closure of local airspace on Friday afternoon after Spain's air traffic controllers walked out in a dispute over working hours. Military law was applied from midday yesterday, allowing them to be arrested and charged if they did not return to work.

One of the sites I've admired for some time is the Great Website Guide. I've always thought that you are doing rather well if your site is listed with them.

Anyway, I decided to have a go at getting Expats in Spain reviewed by them, and I'm happy to say that it is now listed here under Expats in Spain - people.

Spanish wines have proven to be very popular around the world, so I thought it was a logical move to add a page on my site looking at some of the wines we know and love.

It looks at some of the better known wines, along with the regions, and the variety of flavours each one produces.

It seems that Ryanair's profits aren't good enough for their boss, who plans an increase of around 10% on air fares.

Ryanair's profits are  forecast to hit €380m-€400m. Their revenues are expected to rise by almost a quarter as fleet expands and ticket prices are set to  increase.

All fares have gone up from today by varying percentages as the passenger departure tax goes up, the minimum being 9% for European flights from £11 to £12.

And, O'Leary being the greedy boss he is, also plans an increase in baggage from next summer. There's a difference between making profits and fleecing customers!

Think of Spain and many people will think of that great Spanish tradition of Flamenco dance.

And, as it is one of those things that visitors and those who live in Spain take time out to see I thought I'd discuss the beauty of Flamenco dance.

Wherever you tavel in Spain there should be somewhere close where you can experience this flamboyant dance.

No postal deliveries in places, trains cancelled, flights from the UK to Spain cancelled,  some TV channels off air, and sea ports very quiet - just some of the effects of the general strike taking place in Spain today.

 Andalucia, Murcia and Galicia are three areas badly hit according to the unions. They are claiming 70% support for their action which is to protest at the government's austerity measures which have affected the public sector most.

How sad!

Lawmakers in Catalonia, Spain, have put a stop to traditional bullfights, but have now voted to keep the flaming bull festivals, in which shorts sticks with flaming wax are attached to bulls' horns while they charge some idiots who are running around the place.

It is no wonder animal rights groups are so angry.

Apparently the politicians don't think  'correbous' are a way of torturing animals. Interesting. Maybe the same short sticks with fire or fireworks attached should be stuck somewhere the sun doesn't shine and see how the politicians who voted 'yes' like running around getting rather hot in  certain places.

A pilot for budget carrier Ryanair came up with a new money-saving idea Tuesday after the firm suggested axing co-pilots on flights - replace the airline's boss with a flight attendant.

But news that he is trying to persuade authorities to let his aircraft fly with just one pilot claiming that a flight attendant could do the job of a co-pilot if needed appears to have gone too far for some.

O'Leary is good at dreaming up crazy ideas to cuts costs on his flights. Now he's trying to alienate his own staff.

Will our flights to and from Spain be the same again?

I see some motorists in Spain are escaping getting ticketed for transgressing the driving laws.

It's all over a pay cut imposed on traffic police who have seemingly been protesting by issuing fewer speeding tickets to motorists.

Civil Guard traffic officers apparently earn less than other police units, so their 5% cut in pay hasn't gone down well with them, as one might expect. The wage cut was part of the Spanish government's austerity measures which were introduced recently to help balance the books in Spain. The police have also been complaining about not having enough officers and want more recruitment to take place.

Figures show that fines fell in June by one-half compared to June 2009. But, it isn't about revenues said the Interior Ministry, it's about keep Spain's roads safe. And an appeal has been made for traffic officers to resume normal working and enforce the law fully.

The good news is that fatalities on Spanish roads over the holiday period were actually down to 364, their lowest level since 1962, despite some concerns that the traffic officers' actions might lead motorists to drive less carefully.

Being such a busy tourist destination it can mean that motoring in Spain can be dangerous at holiday times in particular.

Being away from our mother country can sometimes cause anxieties and stress we might easily cope with if we were at home in the UK.

Costa Blanca Samaritans is a charity which has been set up to provide help to those in need. I've added a page which explains the fine work the CBS in Spain is doing. Hopefully they will continue to grow, and be there for those who need someone to speak to.

I see that Santander, who have taken over several UK banks recently, is now offering to let customers from the old banks such as Alliance and Leicester withdraw money in Spain at no charge.

So, using a debit card via a service till could save someone anything from possibly £2 (depending on what their minimum charge was), up to, well any amount, depending on the amount withdrawn, though normally there is a limit of say £250 or £300.

To qualify for  free withdrawals customers in the UK have to have at least £1,000 deposited in their bank accounts each month. Still, it should make a small saving for some visitors to Spain.

32 people suffered injuries as a bull jumped from the ring into the crowd at bullfight in Tafalla in Northern Spain.

One man was gored in the back, a woman had a crushed vertebrae, and a young boy suffered “abdominal trauma” after the bull fell on him.

Others received cuts and bruises and several were treated for shock by paramedics at the Plaza de Toros.

So, not just the matadors who get their comeuppance then.

Bullfighting is just a barbaric so-called sport which is sickening. What on earth do parents think they are doing anyway, taking kids along to see this spectacle?

There's some conjecture in Spain about the cancellation of a meeting between the Spanish Prime Minister and  top constructors.

Some newspapers are claiming the Prime Minister himself cancelled the meeting, while others are suggesting the constructors backed out at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Spain is bracing itself for a possible increase in its taxes as it tries to balance its books. Any increase would be deeply unpopular among businesses, politicians, and of course among the general public.

Another holiday travel company has gone bust. Sun4u is based in Birmingham. It deals with holidays in Spain, and reports say that around 1,200 holidaymakers are already in Spain now waiting to get home.

It seems that the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud problems earlier this year hit the company's profits hard. 40 members of staff were told of the collapse of their employers at their call centre.

The problem for some is that some Spanish hotels are asking Sun4u clients to pay again for their roooms and food etc, in effect paying twice, as the hoteliers haven't all been paid by Sun4u.

Although holidaymakers are protected by ABTA and ATOL it'll take some time to get their expenses reimbursed unfortunately.

According to statistics by Tescos, Spain isn't exactly the cheapest place to go on holiday (but you knew that anyway, yes?).

Taking into account a number of costs Barcelona came out 3rd priciest.

Reykjavik, Iceland      £3,383
Rome, Italy     £2,836
Barcelona, Spain     £2,375

Eastern Europe is the cheapest holiday destination this year. A week spent in Bulgaria would cost a typical family of four £1,221.

According to research by Tesco Bank, Bulgaria's costs have dropped 22% since last year making it the most affordable holiday destination.

The data is based on holiday expenses including accommodation, car hire, eating out and family entertainment for a family of four.

However, at the other end of the scale, Reykjavik, Iceland is most likely to be the destination that burns the biggest hole in your wallet. The expenses for a family of four will set you back a massive £3,383.

At long last! The cruel sadistic 'sport' of bullfighting has been banned in Catalonia, Spain.

Opponents are right when they argue that bullfighting involves gratuitous animal suffering that has no place in a modern society.

Over 180,000 Catalans signed a petition circulated by anti-bullfighting group Prou! (Enough). The Catalan parliament could hardly ignore the call for a ban.

Unfortunately the ban doesn't come in for another two years, but it's better than nothing. That's when the the last  bullring in action in Catalonia's capital, Barcelona, would be shut down, along with the few remaining rings in Catalonia.

Seven of the 91 European banks that underwent stress tests have failed the not-so-strenuous stress tests.

As expected, Spain's banks haven't come out too well. Five Spanish banks - Diada, Espiga, Banca Civica, Unnim and Cajasur failed, though it has to be said they are among the smallest of Spain's banks.

Somehow I can see a few of them being eaten up in takeovers by the bigger banks before too long.

A British man is in hospital awaiting surgery after being gored by a bull on the third day of Pamplona's famous bull run. The man, aged 20, needed surgery on the wound in his left thigh which doctors said was serious following the morning bull run, the third run of the nine day festival, which was described as "tense and dangerous."

Do I feel sorry for this fool? Not one bit! Anyone who thinks it's brave to run in front of terrified animals and happens to get injured in the process gets what they deserve as far as I'm concerned.

The economic crisis in Spain is having a knock-on effect for both individuals and businesses there.

Bad debts have in fact reached their highest figure since June of 1995.

Spain views 'doubtful' credit as the point when a person or a company goes three consecutive months without payment. Spain's doubtful credit increased by 476 million euros in just one month. And it seems the Caja savings banks are worst affected.

An average of 15.1 million viewers watched  BBC's World Cup coverage, compared with 3.3 million for ITV. That's about right, BBC had better commentators, better panelists in the studio, and didn't of course have those awful adverts every few minutes when the football wasn't being played.

And many more millions of viewers around the world watched as Iniesta became the hero of Spain, after the 1-0 win over  Holland in the World Cup final.  Those Spanish who watched the match in the country's bars and public places of Madrid watched one of Spain's  favourite sports in anticipation, and that turned to joy when that goal went in.

Although the game wasn't a classic (the Dutch made sure of that by forgetting it was the ball they were meant to kick around, not other football players), it was still quite exciting. The goal came just a few minutes from the end of the 30 minute period of extra time. At least that meant there was no need to go to penalties.

After the Dutch side picked up so many yellow cards for their dirty play, and the one red card, anything other than a Spain victory would have been unfair. Holland might have had a chance of winning if they'd stuck to football instead of hacking at the opposition.

So, well done to Spain, the first time they've won the World Cup, just two years after winning Europe. I'd like to say commiserations to Holland, but I can't, they don't deserve anyone's sympathy.

I see that Dutch footballing legend Johan Cruyff is torn between his allegiance to his nation of birth, and his adopted country - Spain. At least this is true in the matter of the upcoming Word Cup final to take place on Sunday night.

Cruyff has in fact said that a win for Spain would give him great joy. The great Dutch player of the 1970's hasn't turned his back on Holland. It's just that he prefers the way Spain play their football. And, as he now lives in Barcelona, Cruyff should know all about Spanish football, being heavily involved in the game over in Catalonia.

I just don't get it. The budget airline Ryanair carried many more passengers during the first 5 months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009. It's a hugely profitable airline.

Yet Ryanair now plans to reduce its services from a number of its UK bases in airports like Stansted, Liverpool, Luton, Birmingham, Bristol and Belfast.

Costs are at the forefront of its decision to cut services, as some airports have higher take-off and landing charges than others, and it's these Ryanair is targeting.

Let's see. Fewer flights could result in...higher fares. As if flying back and forth to Spain wasn't bad enough. And Rynair is also increasing its luggage charges shortly. Soon there'll be no such thing as cheap travel to Spain.

Police in Scotland bought emergency supplies of chocolate and drinks for a planeload of Ryanair passengers who were close to mutiny after spending four hours on the tarmac without any food and drink.

Strathclyde police were called to the Ryanair flight at Prestwick airport in Ayrshire yesterday after the plane was held on the runway due to delays caused by an air traffic controllers strike in France.

The flight, to Girona in Spain, had been due to leave at 2pm but by 6pm the flight's besieged crew called the police.

The 168 passengers, which included a number of young children,  became very angry after the crew refused to open the refreshment trolleys, saying they were forbidden from doing so until the flight was in the air. No one was allowed off the plane.

Officers decided to buy Mars bars, Double Deckers and water at the force's expense and brought the supplies on board. The flight eventually left shortly before 8pm.

Ryanair said it was unable to allow the passengers to disembark.

Apparently a loud cheer went up when the police brought supplies. But, how can it be a plane is kept on the tarmac for so long? Passengers would have no doubt preferred to have been kept in the departures lounge for the whole time of the delay. Six hours sat on a plane going nowhere isn't much fun.

12 people are dead after a train speeding through a seaside rail station plowed into a group of youths taking a shortcut across the tracks to get to a beach party. Around 14 are injured.

The youths got off a commuter train in the popular beach resort of Castelldefels outside Barcelona shortly before midnight Wednesday for the party marking the start of summer. About 30 climbed down off the platform and tried to cross the tracks instead of using an underpass to leave the station, witnesses said.

A long-distance train that was not scheduled to stop at the station barreled into the youths at high speed, its whistle shrieking.

It was Spain's deadliest train accident since 2003.

100 people had to be evacuated from their homes for five hours on Saturday night when a campo fire broke out in the area of Las Ventanicas and Puerto Marina of Mojácar.

The fire started at about 2130, and the people had to be evacuated at 0200 on Sunday ‘as a preventative measure’. A hotel on the Paseo was evacuated for a time, but the guests were allowed back a short time later.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

When Spain took on the Euro I wonder f they really knew what they were letting themselves in for?

A Central Bank that dictates bank interest rates. The adjustment in bank interest rates is one of the main waepons most governments use to control inflation.

At one time everything seemed on the up.  Almost 800,000 homes were built in Spain during 2007. That figure is more than in Britain, Germany, and Italy combined. There are currently  1.6m unsold properties in Spain, six times the level per capita in the US.

No wonder British expats are finding it so difficult to sell up and move back to the UK. There are just so many properties on the market, and prices are flat.

As part of the new government's desire to save money it seems they will attempt to put an end to winter fuel payments for those expats living in places like Spain.

Winter fuel payments are designed to help pensioners pay their heating bills. A cut for expats would save around £14m a year. But, the cut could yet be blocked under European law.

Around 65,000 British expats, living in places like Spain, France, Greece and Italy, currently receive the winter fuel payments, which had been designed to ensure that pensioners were not left without the means to pay for heating during the colder months. The argument is that as they live in warm countries, British expats don't need the payments as much as those living in the UK.  Having said that, £14 million is a drop in the ocean compared to the £2.7 billion spent by the Department for Work and Pensions each year on total winter fuel payments.

For anyone in the UK who might be worried about banking with Santander, the Spanish bank.

Santander's British operation is self-funding, raising cash from British savers so it doesn't require capital from its Spanish parent. Under the British Financial Services Compensation Scheme Santander's British subsidiaries' individual savers are protected.

This means that should it be necessary and the worst happens, 100% of the first £50,000 lost per saver per bank or building society can be paid out.

Santander is actually one of the strongest of financial institutions. Both Santander and Santander UK are focused on retail banking with no exposure to toxic financial products. Their UK business is strong and has a standalone credit rating of AA.

The banking sector is under more scrutiny in Spain as over the weekend the Bank of Spain took over the small savings bank CajaSur.

Signs that the Eurozone debt crisis is getting worse? Maybe so. It looks like it's spreading from Greece to elsewhere in Europe.

The IMF is  urging Spain to do more to overhaul its banks. And now the Bank of Spain said that four Spanish saving banks are planning to merge to dilute risks as they all suffer from toxic property and mortgage loans.

Spanish matador Julio Aparicio was recovering in hospital on Saturday after suffering a horrific goring during a bullfight in Madrid.

The half-ton bull caught the torero under his chin after he lost his footing and stumbled while executing a pass with his red cape at the Spanish capital's packed bullring.

The horn of the animal tore into the bullfighter's throat and emerged through his mouth in a dramatic goring on Friday evening that had the crowd screaming in horror.

The evening bullfights are watched by sell-out crowds at the 25,000 seat Las Ventas bullring and are broadcast live on cable television. Six animals are killed in each bullfight.

Many of Spain's newspapers carried the photograph of the exact moment of the goring, sparking arguments on their message boards. Some viewers thought the image too shocking. Others used it as a chance to call for a ban on bullfighting altogether.

Hmm, I don't like to see anyone injured, but I struggle to feel sorry for this person.

I'm hoping that by September the Icelandic volcano issues will be over with. Flights from the UK have been disrupted yet again over the weekend and today, due to the amount of volcanic ash coming over the UK.

I plan on travelling back and forth from Spain to the UK sometime in September, so by then just maybe the problems will be over with. Here's hoping!

Although the economy in many countries is bad, people are still managing to go abroad on holiday.

Over the past few months it's surprised me just how many people I know personally who have gone to mainland Spain, or one of its islands, on holiday. Hopefully the Spanish tourist industry will soon recover from the recession.

Prices in Spain April rose by 1.1 percent, taking the annual rate to 1.5%.  It’s the highest annual level of inflation since December 2008.

The biggest contributors to the increase were clothing and footwear, up 9.5%, transport up 1.5% and housing up 0.7%.

More pain for Spain looks on the cards as sweeping austerity measures were announced today by the Spanish government.

Civil service pay is to be cut by 5 percent this year, then it will be frozen in  2011. There is a  cut in investment spending and pensions too. As if unemployment isn't already bad enough in Spain,  (currently standing at 20%), 13,000 public sector jobs are to be axed.in a drive to meet EU deficit targets.

Public finances were severely hit by the collapse of a construction bubble in the 2007-8 credit crisis, and that is still having a massive impact on the Spanish economy.

Spain has closed almost 20 airports including Barcelona on Saturday because of the cloud of ash blowing south from a volcano in Iceland.

Over 400 flights were cancelled, which meant around 40,000 people stuck in airportsright across the north of Spain.

Air traffic was expected to be affected until 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, at which time flights would gradually resume. However,  a chance still exists the cloud could still be affecting Spain next week.

Spain's commuters are having to turn to more trains,  buses and boats which are  being laid on to help people reach their destinations.

Spain is on track to bring its public deficit within an EU limit by 2013, its finance minister said on Wednesday after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut the country's credit rating.

"We have a plan to reduce the deficit, we are putting it in place, we are meeting one by one all the timelines which we have set," Elena Salgado said during an interview with public television TVE.

"I believe the markets will evaluate the situation this way. When the situation in Greece is resolved, I believe things will return to their right place," she added.

Trip Advisor has named its top 25 cities in Spain, and prizes have been awarded for the best destinations in Europe and the World.

The top 25 in Spain are the following-

1- Granada
2- Sevilla
3- Santiago de Compostela
4- Barcelona
5- Ibiza
6- Cadaqués
7- San Sebastián
8- Tarifa
9- Tossa de Mar
10- Formentera
11- Puerto Morgán
12- Jávea
13- Fuerteventura
14- Oviedo
15- Palma de Mallorca
16- Santander
17- Ciudadela
18- Astorga
19- Valencia
20- Almería
21- Salamanca
22- Bilbao
23- O Grove
24- Gijón
25- Ronda

It must be extra nice reading if you happen to live in one of those places.

Amid mounting frustration over taxation and banking problems, some overseas Americans are taking the drastic step of renouncing their citizenship.

The Federal Register, the government publication that records such decisions, shows that 502 expatriates gave up their U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status in the last quarter of 2009. Just a tiny portion of the 5.2 million Americans estimated by the State Department to be living abroad.

Still, 502 was the largest quarterly figure in years, more than twice the total for all of 2008, and it looms larger, given how agonizing the decision can be. There were 235 renunciations in 2008 and 743 during 2009.

Some U.S.-based banks have closed expats’ accounts because of difficulty in certifying that the holders still maintain U.S. addresses, as required by a Patriot Act provision.

Due to the Greek financial crisis S&P has now cut its rating on Portugal by two notches to "A-," raising worries that the crisis would spread to the so-called PIIGS. In addition to Greece, they include Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

So many visitors travel to Spain each year that Spain isn't too happy about the number who are involved in so-called ‘health tourism.'

Under current European law a person is allowed to search for health care in another member state. The way round it is for the other member country to make the process so difficult that it does not happen.

The UK and some other states want it so that citizens can use private or public facilities in any member state but that this should be paid for by the country of residence of the patient. The Spanish aren't happy with this because of the high number of foreign residents residing in Spain, many of them older people. Spain claims it puts an unfair strain on their healthcare resources, which is probably true. So, they want the country of origin to pay for foreign residents' healthcare.

The coffin holding former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, draped with the Olympic flag, has been taken to the Catalonia state headquarters.

The former International Olympic Committee president died on Wednesday at age 89 in the Quiron Hospital in his home city of Barcelona.

Tens of thousands of Britons have been stranded abroad, many of those on holiday in Spain and its islands, due to the volcanic ash from Iceland.  Ferries from Spain are incredibly busy as people are looking for alternative ways to get back home to the UK.

Even when flights are resumed it`s likely air travel will be disrupted for a while after. It`s very difficult for people to plan ahead because no one actually knows when the air space over the UK and other parts of Europe will be opened up again.

Compared to some of the dangers from certain animals you might come across in places like Africa, Asia, Australia, or Latin America, most places in Europe are considered fairly safe.

Having said that, there are a few dangerous creatures in Spain. If possible it is best to avoid these wherever possible. Some creatures pose very little danger in themselves, but allergies to some venoms can be toxic in rare cases. Being forewarned is being forearmed, and I have created a page here on the site dealing with some of the more common beasties which expats in Spain might come across for the first time in their lives.

Saturday’s El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona ended up in a 2-0 victory for Barca.

Lionel Messi showed once more why he is rated as one of the best players in the world, not just La Liga. He scored the first goal on 33 minutes, with Pedrito scoring the second on 56 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo was definitely second best to Messi on the night.
   

Proof that Spain is still suffering from the effects of the severe recession is shown in their latest jobless figures for March.

Jobless claims rose by 59,088 and now stand at a total of over 4 million unemployed. The forecast was an increase of around 30,000 to 35,000 claiming unemployment benefits, so the actual  figures at almost double make gloomy reading.

For someone thinking about buying a home in Spain now could be one the best times possible. It seems that property prices there are now 25% cheaper than they were in 2007.

Now it is Spring it could see the start of new constructions on the rise, though I`m sure that it might mean  smaller margins for a while yet for construction firms.

A group of protesting flight attendants with the bankrupt Spanish airline Air Comet have posed in the nude to publicize a row with their employers over unpaid wages.The nine girls stripped off for a calendar to raise money after they were owed up to 9 months in wages.

 

Air Comet went bust and filed for bankruptcy last December, owing around 160 millions euros.

The girls hope that by their display they will raise awareness of their grievences and get paid out from the company`s assets.

I`ve added a poll on the Home Page to gauge visitors` opinions on whether bullfighting in Spain should be banned.

I thought it would be useful to add a Spanish phrases page with some common words and phrases. Although a lot of Spaniards speak English to some degree, particularly in bars, restaurants and shops, it`s always good to now some Spanish words to express yourself. They appreciate the efforts you make, even if the pronunciation isn`t quite perfect.

 Millions are set to take part in "Earth Hour" on Saturday as their way of protesting about the lack of efforts to tackle climate change. For one hour up to one billion people will switch off their electricity switching off TV sets, computers, lights etc.

Thousands of cities and towns in more than 100 countries are going to be involved in Earth Hour. The idea of Earth Hour started in 2007 with just one country taking part - Australia - and has really mushroomed since then.

In Spain there will be a race for the planet organized by Earth Hour WWF.

Earth Hour in Spain

*  The Race for the Planet is not a sports event, you can come with your parents, your children or your dog. You can make the route running or just strolling. The important thing is to come to enjoy with us and to cooperate in fighting climate change!

* The Race for the Planet is a party unite people of all ages and backgroundsIn a collective gesture by weather.

* The race will begin and end at the Independence Gate Retiro park (opposite the Puerta de Alcalá) at 19:30 just an hour before the outage occurs.

The Euro is taking a beating partly caused by the faltering economies of  both Greece and Portugal.

The IBEX 35 had lost 2% by lunchtime yesterday . The Euro is at a ten month low against the dollar as the ratings agency FITCH has reduced the credit rating for Portugal.

Alistair Darling`s budget didn`t excite many people in the UK, and the markets were unimpressed, though steady.

British Airways has cancelled most of its flights between London Heathrow and Madrid over the strike action which started on Saturday.

This is because cabin crew at BA have been called out on a 3 day strike which is affecting mainly short and medium haul routes.

These strikes will affect business people much more than tourists or expats returning from the UK, as most in those groups use budget airlines.

Over half a million Britons who retired abroad are not going to get their pensions increased in line with inflation. Thirteen expats had taken their case to judges in Strasbourg, but the European court rejected their appeal.

British expats in Spain are alright, as they get their pensions increased annually. But, expats in more than one hundred countries which include Australia, Canada and South Africa do not see their state pension increased annually in line with inflation, as happens in Britain and the EU.

Thus, by way of example, a pensioner who began drawing a full pension in Australia in 1981 will still be receiving £29.60 a week, although the basic UK state pension is now £95.25 a week. That pensioner will by now have lost out on many tens of thousands of pounds.

Watch out Spain! If the Germans have their way you could be one of the countries in line to be expelled from the Euro.

Spain has massive debts, as does Greece. Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Finance Minister, was interviewed by the Financial Times Deutschland. In his interview Schäuble said that Germany would be prepared to expel and countries which fail to meet the requirements from the Euro.

It doesn`t look to be getting any easier for Brits living in Spain, especially those who are relying on money sent from the UK. The euro is valued at 0.91 GBP at the moment. That means that the exchange rate has resulted in a fall of around 30% on the value of the pound since this time four years ago.

Southern France and north-eastern Spain have suffered the worst snowfalls for decades.

Hundreds of motorists had to abandon their vehicles on the French motorway. Emergency accommodation was sought in hotels and sports halls.

Train passengers spent the night sleeping on their trains on the French side of the border.

 Snow ploughs are working to clear the autoroute between France and Spain at Perthus and La Jonquera on the border.

Barcelona hasn`t seen snow like this for 25 years, with around three feet falling on high ground. Much of the snow in that area is clearing now though.

To make it for visitors to read the pages I`ve increased the font size. I have also added a new page Books on Spain.

Now, on all pages, my latest blog posts can be seen. They will appear down the left hand side. I like to blog so that anything new on the site, or of course anything relevant to life in Spain can be posted.

How sad! The Spanish have decided to put off a debate i parliamenmt about the proposed smokin ban. Instaed they want to get a consensus for more support for a ban.

Consensus? You must be kidding.  In Spain depending on the size of the premises no smoking areas should be put in place. Yet,  figures suggest that just over 10% of the  350,000 leisure establishments have created smoking areas or banned smoking.

The medical establishment in Spain has long urged a total ban, describing smoking as one of Spain's top public health problems, resulting in more than 50,000 deaths every year.

The recent figures from Spain`s traffic authority showing a 33% reduction in deaths on Spain`s roads in February has to be good news.

The figure of 92 is the first time in years it has dropped below 100.  The fall is despite poor weather conditions. Perhaps fewer motorists took to the roads because of the weather?

Whatever the cause, it is still good news.

At last I`ve got my new header for my site, Expats in Spain. I wanted a header that really showed up what the site is about, the fun, excitement, food and drink associated with being in Spain.

I see that Spain has 18 representatives in 7 sports in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I also see that thus far Spain has won not one medal.

No surprise I don`t suppose. Let`s face it, Spain is hardly a country full of ski slopes, ice hockey arenas, and ice skating venues. True, Spain does get some snow, but not enough to make an olympic sportsman or woman out of its inhabitants. To be honest though, if you could be outside in the sunshine would you go looking for snow to practise a winter sport 8 hours a day in?

Take a look at the leading nations, the US, Canada, Norway, Germany, and what is the common denominator? Snow, ice, and cold.

It appears that consumers are spending more in Spain for the first time after two years of recession. The public sector and the real estate industry are still holding back any real road to recovery though.

I don`t suppose it helps much that Spain`s banks are still reluctant to lend to small businesses and apparently rejecting one quarter of the credit applications being made by small businesses. The banks in Spain now have a poor reputation for access to lending, with about half of applicants compared to those in France finding loan applications successful.

Los Montesinos is a lovely village/town close to the coastal town of Torrevieja. A number of Brits now live there, and a new page has been added to the site. A lot of new property has been built in Los Montesinos over the years, but with the current economic situation in Spain there are a lot of properties up for sale.

I`ve been spending some time this morning on the site creating new links, making other links stand out, and making some of my page titles longer.

I`ve also added more content to one or two pages to give more detail and facts I think will be of interest to visitors.

Spain`s smoking related deaths are down 1,500 a year since the anti-smoking legislation was introduced in 2005, says the Spanish Society of Epidemiology.

Passive smoking in the general population has fallen from 50% to 20% of the population over the past 5 years. Hopefully those figures will be further reduced if the Spanish government gets its way and all smoking in public places is banned later in 2010.

The first race of the 33rd edition of the America’s Cup sailing competition was postponed again because of high waves off Valencia, Spain.

The first meeting will be held in two days, officials said today. The race was originally due to start on 8th February, but that was delayed, and now it`s been delayed again due to the weather off Spain.

It seems the waves are too high, though the wind is now about right.

Oh well, I don`t own a yacht so it won`t affect me.

The defending champions Spain have been placed in Group 1 with Czech Republic, Lithuania, Liechtenstein and Scotland. The 2012 European football championships are to be played to be played in Poland and Ukraine.

I imagine Spain will be very pleased with their group.

As for England, they are in Group G with Switzerland, Wales, Bulgaria and Montenegro. Having only 5 teams in this group should be of benefit to England with less games to worry about. Capello must be delighted.

I`ve now added a Guest Book to the Expats in Spain site so that I can get some feedback on how the site looks.

Friday 5th February is the 25th anniversary of the opening of the border between Gibraltar and Spain.

Franco closed the frontier on the 8th June1969.  It took another 13 years for Felipe González the Prime Minister, to reopen the border, though only for pedestrians. It took two years after that for vehicles and merchandise to be allowed to cross.

I see that like some other countries like the UK and Germany the retirement age will rise to 67 from 65. In Spain this is to take effect from 2025, and that`s when the retirement pension will be paid out for those aged 67.

It had to happen, with the shift towards an aging Spanish population, the poor state of the government finances and the rise in increased life expectancies.

The question is, can it end there? Fewer workers supporting more retired people.

If the Spanish people themselves can`t get work what chance for the rest of those living there?

The number of unemployed in Spain is at record high levels, with the number reaching  4,048,493. During January 124,890 became unemployed,  joining the dole queue..

The services sector was the worst hit, with 82% of the new lost jobs, then  industry and construction. Unemployment increased in virtually all areas of Spain. The largest increases in unemployment were in Cataluña and Andalucía.

Although many Brits go out to live in Spain and are perfectly happy to remain there, unfortunately it doesn`t work out for everyone.

I`ve added a page about Expats who Return from Spain for a variety of reasons. Being forewarned of these reasons could help some reach an informed decision about whether or not to move to Spain in the first place so as to avoid what could be a costly mistake.

One of those paradoxical situations. But as Spain`s economy gets worse and more people have been getting benefits such as unemployment, there are now almost three quarters of a million fewer people paying into the Social Security system than there were a year ago.

Add to that the report that the number of building licences for new homes in Spain during 2009 was less than half those in the year before, and things don`t good  right now in Spain.

Spain is having it hard right now with a slump in the sales of properties to foreigners, especially the Brits. According to official figures, sales are down by 99% in 2009 on the Costa del Sol.

It seems that hopes for improved house sales are now being pinned on German buyers as over there a recovery looks like happening sooner rather than later.

It`s a good time for buyers though in one way, as the lack of demand for second homes has sent current prices on some properties plummeting by 90,000 euros.

As tighter anti-smoking legislation looms for non-smoking in many public places in Spain later this year hard hitting photos will appear on cigarette packs.



Rotten teeth, impotence and diseased internal organs all feature in the various photos.



Already this type of thing is seen on cigarette packs in the EU, such as the  UK, Belgium, Romania, along with countries not in the European Union.

Let`s hope the shock tactics win, although it has to be recognised that a lot of people don`t want to face the facts about the dangers of tobacco.

                                                  

ADECCO, the part time working agency, claims that the average wage in Spain remains 20% below the EU average. Data from Eurostat was used, putting the average wage in Spain in 2008 at 21.500 euros.

The average wage in Spain is half that in the U.K. which actually came out top of them all.

In most other European countries the highest wages are found in the services sector, while in Spain it is manufacturing which is better paid.

Something to think about for those thinking of going to live and work in Spain, though of course the actual cost of living is lower in Spain than many other countries.

Oops! A photofit mugshot of terror chief Osama bin Laden has been withdrawn by American officials working for the FBI! Why? They used a Spanish politician's face.

The "wanted" image of the al-Qaeda leader as he might look now without his trademark long beard and turban was posted on the internet by the FBI.

The problem is the photo is actually based on one of a Spaniard - Communist MP Gaspar Llamazares. Blame an overzealous FBI technician!

I think a lot of Manchester United supporters will have been very surprised when they read the financial report for their club last week.

The Americans who bought Manchester United did so after borrowing heavily to pay for it. The club is massively in debt to the tune of £700million!

Now it seems United are considering selling Old Trafford and their Carrington training ground, and to rent them back from new owners.

The scary part is that if it wasn`t for the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80 million, United would have actually made a loss, instead of a profit for the year.

The Bilbao to Portsmouth route has been making ‘unsustainable losses’ according to P&O so will close on the 27th September 2010.

Workers have all been told the news yesterday, and the company has said it is trying to relocate the some 252 workers involved with the ferry.  Until the service finishes normal service will be maintained.

It looks like full body scanners will be fitted in airports in Spain after the Spanish Minister for Development, José Blanco, met up in the US with senior American diplomats to discuss the ‘open skies’ agreement between the United States and Europe.

Although the European Parliament rejected body scanners two years ago things have moved on as security is once again top of the agenda.

Blanco`s big concern was about privacy being safeguarded, but aside from that it seems virtually inevitable the body scanners will be seen in more countries, including Spain.

In the UK more scanners are being ordered, at £80,000 each. At least it removes the need for `pat down` searches.

Currently the scanners are being trialled at Manchester airport. In the US they are in use in 19 airports though that figure is expected to rise over time as the terrorism threat worsens.

It`s amazing that some Brits will just go to Spain assuming that jobs are easy to find and they`ll be able to pick one up no problem.

That isn`t usually the reality though.  Just like in the UK for every job that`s going there are dozens if not hundreds after it.

I`ve created a page in which employment prospects for Expats in Spain are discussed, along with which types of work may be available for the fortunate few. The saying  `fail to prepare - prepare to fail` is very true when it comes to finding a job in Spain. To avoid disappointment it`s essential to do your homework properly before leaving to take up your new life over there.

I`ve added a new page about the town of Albarracin, otherwise known as the Eagles` Nest, due to its location among the mountains in north east Spain. I think this will be of interest to anyone visiting that part of Spain, in the Teruel area.

Looks like it isn`t just us in the UK who have `neighbours from hell!`

I see that despite being fined in the past one woman loved pigeons so much she kept putting food out for them.  The problem is that in many places pigeons are considered a pest. And, following yet more complaints Malaga City Hall fined the woman over 3,000 euros for re-offending.  Neighbours said the building was filthy due to the pigeons feeding there.

Putting food out in the garden for a few birds is one thing, but for pigeons, I ask you?

Like most countries at this time the Spanish government is having to look for increased revenues into their coffers.

What sorts of the things can Spain look forward to during 2010?

Price fixed electricity is rising by over 2.5% which will mean higher energy costs for some households and small businesses. It won`t have an effect on poorer people like pensioners or some unemployed though. Bottled gas has increased in price too.

RENFE train tickets are up 4% for AVE high speed and long distance routes. Local Cercanías and medium distance trains see a 6% rise.

There will be a general tax of 18% on savings. Capital gains up to 6,000 euros get hit by 19% tax and for larger amounts 21%.

A 1% increase in the amount of contribution pensions takes effect. Pensions will rise though.

The Minimum Wage has gone up 1.5% to stand at 633.3 euros a month.

Stamps go up in price by 2 cents on all letters. They will cost 34 and 64 cents.

IVA/VAT is being hit hard with an increase by 2% from 16% to 18%, and from 7% to 8% in July. The 4% rate will remain unchanged.

My last post for 2009 is about the economy.

For those of you thinking of leaving the UK and taking up residence in Spain I thought the following points may be of interest-

The Spanish Prime Minister has warned of more unemployment in 2010. That`s bad news because if Spaniards can`t get work in their own country then `foreigners` are even less likely to. Having said that, there are often jobs such as pool cleaning which many Brits prefer to have other Brits carry out for them.

Apparently the Spanish stock market has ended the year with a 30% rise, but let`s face it from the lows it has been during the year that doesn`t mean all that much.

The Government in Spain has spent 73% more than it earned this year. That means it will have to claw some of it back. Guess what? Taxes in some form or another are probably going to be the main weapon to increase the Government`s revenue.

In short, for those of you who are very self sufficient financially it might not be too much of a problem. For those who might have to rely on work out in Spain, or if your money is tight, you might want to think twice before taking the plunge at this moment. And remember that if some or all of your income is derived from the UK the exchange rate between the Euro and pound will impact upon your real income.

I`ve not seen many of those Polaris World ads on TV just lately. Now I know why!

Polaris World has six residential complexes in the Murcia Region. I see though that like a lot of other companies, particular those involved in property development, things are looking bad.

The property developer is reported to have applied to the courts for an additional three months to continue negotiating its debts with its creditors. If agreed it means that Polaris World will at least have that period of time to try to come to arrangements with its creditors.

The Spanish flag is quite detailed in comparison to most flags.

The flag has undergone a few transformations over the centuries, the last change being in 1981 when the eagle was removed.

Take a look at the two columns - the Pillars of Hercules. Apparently they represent Gibraltar and Ceuta on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar. I imagine Spain continues with its aspirations to one day get hold of Gibraltar from the UK.

And around the pillars you can see the Latin word `PLUS` on the one, with `ULTRA` on the other. So, `more beyond` which refers to the discovery of the New World by Colombus.

All in all as flags go not bad.

My site is pretty well just how I want it now. I`ll constantly be looking for ways to improve it of course as long as it`s for the good. I`m going to move my `Blog` link from down the side to the top menu where I think it will fit in better.

I`ve got a cold right now so I`m not particularly in the mood for working on the Internet, but it`s quiet right now at this time of year, so I can afford to take it a bit easier than normal.

According to the Spanish Meteorological Office there will be more more torrential rain today across virtually all of the south of Spain. All the holiday costas are affected by the alerts from the Atlantic to Alicante, although the Levante coast escapes the worst of the weather.

The law in Spain has changed to help stop phone spam.  It covers all types of misleading and aggressive practices in business.

The new regulations prohibit telephone spam and aggressive sales tactics by bringing increased protection to consumers and more strict control over unfair competition and unlawful or misleading advertising.

Congress has approved the list which covers the law on consumer protection, on unfair competition, on advertising, and legislation covering retail trade.

Bullying tactics, duress, force or undue influence will be stopped if this law is enforced. Unfair competition includes leading a consumer into making an on the spot decision with the pretext that an item or service is available for a limited time only when that is not, in fact, the case.  Presenting information in a manner which is unclear or ambiguous, and misrepresenting the goods or service offered as comparable with a competitor’s will be prohibited.

In short, it ought to put a stop to unfair and unethical practises on the phone.

For those who may think Spain is warm all year round. That`s not the case of course. It`s expected that tonight temperatures will fall to minus twenty degrees Centigrade in some areas. In the capital, Madrid, it will fall to -6ºC and it`s unlikely to get above freezing all day tomorrow.

 The problem is that Spanish homes aren`t really built for the cold, with a lot of them not having central heating installed. That`s one thing expats in Spain will notice a big difference in compared to life in the UK.

Bullfighting is very controversial in Spain. Personally I think it`s barabaric, and when people call the Matadors `brave` I`d prefer to call them overpaid cowards. Nothing at all brave about going in a ring armed with swords against an animal that`s frightened has often already had the tendons in its neck severed.

Thankfully the Catalonia government has taken the first step to banning this hideous `sport` in a vote at the Catalan parliament. The ban won`t come about though until it`s finally voted upon next year.
Although the ban would end las corridas (bullfights) it would stop street fiestas where sometimes bulls are cruelly treated by having balls of fire attached to their horns.

Like a lot of countries Spain`s drivers have to be eeducated not to use mobile phones when driving. Drivers can get a 150 € fine and lose three points for manual use of a mobile phone.

There was a move to pardon anyone who`s been punished if they install a hands-free Bluetooth system within a month but the debate in parliament was lost on that.

It seems at last Spain is geting tough on smoking. The Health minister Trinidad Jimenez has spoken about putting a bill before parliament next year to stop smoking in all bars and restaurants.

She tried to allay the concerns of some by saying that in other countries whereh this has been done the economy hasn`t suffered.

It can`t come too soon in my opinion!

The threatened strikes at BA  will cause a lot of disruption I would think with domestic and short-haul flights, such as those to Spain.

Usually the airlines tend to protect the long-haul flights at the expense of others because it`s easier for travellers to use other ways to get to nearer destinations, such as by use of car, train, ferry and so on.

I reckon though that for most expats or holiday makers going to and from Spain over the holidays it shouldn`t cause too many problems - if any. Most of these passengers will be using either charter, or, low cost budget airlines, rather than the much more expensive national carriers.

I doubt few would argue with the award for Lifetime Achievement going to top golfer Spaniard Seve Ballesteros this time around.

Seve has won 5 majors including the Open and the Masters during his career.

He`s still recovering from a brain tumour which meant enduring several operations, and the award was presented at his home in Spain by another well known golfer - Jose Maria Olazabal

I see the residents of Catalonia are being asked in an unofficial referendum to vote on whether they want independence from the Spanish government in Madrid.

There are around 700,000 eligible voters in that region of Spain, and Catalonia already has a certain amount of freedom which they`ve fought for over the years. They even have their own language, Catalan.

There`s a lot of discord between Madrid and Barcelona (the capital of Catalonia) and the organisers of this referendum  hope it will pave the way for an official one.

No wonder there is a great deal of rivalry between Spain`s top two football teams as both come from each of the `capitals` there.

Although Spain have never won the football World Cup they are one of the hot favourites to do so in 2010 in South Africa.

Between June 11 and July 11 they`ll be taking on some of the very best soccer nations, though their draw in the first stages in Group H looks easy enough.  Chile, Honduras and Switzerland are the other countries in Group H.

Spain, the current European Champions, are at the top of the FIFA world rankings. They easily qualified for the World Cup, winning all their qualification matches.

British expats have been protesting the withdrawal of  free healthcare by marching through Alicante.

The Valencia government has taken the  decision to withdraw their access to free healthcare. The taking away of this concession  affects those who took early retirement and are not otherwise eligible for free public health care in the region. Protesters want the concession which was granted back in 2003 to remain in force. If the government doesn`t back down it`ll mean that those wanting healthcare will have to pay 270 euros per quarter. That means about £1,000 a year at current exchange rates.

The fact this affects people in just the one region may pursuade British expats going to Spain to look for property elsewhere.

At a time when expats are feeling less well off because of the poor exchange rate between sterling and the euro, this is the last thing that`s wanted.

Wasn`t the news about the 75-year old gran who with her dance partner Nicko won `Spain`s Got Talent` fantastic? 

          

Paddy Jones is the lady`s name. She moved to Spain in 2001 with her husband David to live in Gandia, near Valencia. Sadly, David died in 2004, but Paddy chose to stay on in Spain.

The couple won the prize money of €10,000 by dancing the Salsa, a very energetic dance for anyone, never mind someone in thir 70`s. Nicko is half her age, and is her dance teacher. Mrs Jones actually took up dancing when she was just over two  years of age, doing ballet and tap. It was after her husband`s death she decided to look for an interest, and as she had a background in dance (as a professional at ballet), that`s what she went for.

Paddy and Nicko have toured the world with their dancing, and it looks like the grandmother has no intention of retiring soon. Well done to her. It shows age isn`t always a barrier.