How to avoid Christmas: ‘Bah humbug’ thoughts from an expat in Spain
IF the thought of all this Christmas cheer is getting too much for you, then here are a few failsafe tips to avoid all the
Better luck this time! Spain’s chequered history in the FIFA World Cup
TODAY – November 20 – marks the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. While rightly surrounded in controversy for many reasons, Spain will
DEAR JENNIFER: Can you recommend a good travel insurance policy for British expats in Spain?
UNFORTUNATELY due to Brexit, the travel insurance company that we worked extremely well with for over 20 years is no longer able to offer cover
GBP/EUR exchange rate slumps as BoE forecasts a two-year UK recession
The pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fell sharply through the first two weeks of November as it became increasingly apparent that the UK economy has
WIDER TRENDS, EVIDENCE AND FINDINGS: Campbell Ferguson of Survey Spain presents his latest market report into Spain’s property sector
THE observant amongst you will have seen that we are now in our 19th year, having started Survey Spain on September 1, 2003. When I
Life is Easy with Eyes Closed… (But opened for John Lennon in Spain’s Cabo de Gata!)
A little-known fact: John Lennon had terrible eyesight. By today’s standards he would have been considered legally blind without his glasses. He was severely myopic,
Currencies direct: GBP/EUR exchange rate crashes as UK mini-budget triggers run on the pound before rebounding
AFTER stumbling through the second half of September, the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate then collapsed at the end of the month following the UK
WINTER OF DISCONTENT: Carbon emissions in Spain rise despite climate pledges
When I say a ‘winter of discontent’, I’m not referring to a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard III, but to the here and now. The stars
GBP/EUR exchange rate crashes as UK mini-budget triggers run on the pound
AFTER stumbling through the second half of September, the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate then collapsed at the end of the month following the UK
Regaining ground: GBP/EUR exchange rate bounces off 19-month low amid extreme volatility
THE pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fluctuated in a wide range through the first half of September, briefly touching a 19-month low before bouncing back.
THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF SPAIN’S COUNTRYSIDE: CONCERN AS COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS TURN MEGA
IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was a
James Bond inspired by iconic expat and British spy Alan Hillgarth who lived in Mallorca
The author confessed ‘the Bond character is a compound of all the secret agents I knew'
HOW LONG BEFORE ONE KILOWATT OF ELECTRICITY IN SPAIN COSTS €1?
THE thought that electricity could soon cost €1 a Kilowatt is frightening. We never thought fuel would be €1 a litre. Now it’s €2 a
What do King Solomon, Andalucia’s Rio Tinto mines, NASA and Mars have in common?
One of the most common reactions to visiting the Rio Tinto mining complex is a comparison to a Martian landscape - and that’s not so
LONG READ: Jack Gaioni reveals the fascinating story of Lola Montez, the fake Spanish dirty dancer who captured a king’s heart
Lola mimed the crushing of spiders that had invaded her undergarments
Don ‘Pijote’ and the Year of Lunching Dangerously
MARINES in Vietnam used to deal with the insanity around them by imagining that it wasn’t real life. It was an acid drenched inversion of
Climate change: When will we deal with the elephant in the room?
Eyes Wide Shut. NO not the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I refer to the inactivity of the world’s leaders
Currencies Direct: GBP/EUR exchange rate firms on hawkish Bank of England rate hike bets
THE past couple of weeks has seen the pound to euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fluctuate, before trending broadly higher in response to Bank of England
SANCHEZ HAS IT CRACKED: Or so Spain’s premier thinks when it comes to coping with global warming
WHEN it comes to talking about climate change, it is impossible to stay away from politics. They are completely intertwined. My recent columns have focused
Interest rates are rising in Spain and Europe but, despite inflation, Euribor remains below 1%
THE Bank of Spain has confirmed that the 12-month Euribor closed July at a monthly average of 0.992%, compared to 0.852% in June. This continues
Coming to a parlour near you: A taste of the ice-cream empire sweeping across Spain
WITH temperatures and temperaments running high it’s time for ice cream. Having licked my way through several hundred gelati during my 1990’s stint in Florence
Beer today, gone tomorrow?: The history of cerveza in Spain
‘I drink beer when I have occasion …and sometimes when I have no occasion’ - Jack Gaioni agrees with Miguel de Cervantes
Net zero by 2050? Fact or fantasy?
Read on.You decide. But first of all let me explain the difference between two terms frequently bandied about – Net Zero and Carbon Capture. NET
EXPLAINED: When and how to make a ‘denuncia’ in Spain
Victoria Wright of ALBA Consultas explains what you need to know about filing a denuncia in Spain
ADVICE: What British citizens need to know if they’re getting a divorce in Spain
Victoria Wright of ALBA Consultas explains why it can be easier to divorce in the UK using a good advisor based in Spain
Taking a break: Staying in Marbella beats flying to the Maldives, sort of
AS I write this gentle reader I am on the second day of my holiday. Now, before you all chime in, with me living in
