Devaras Dehesa is an unknown Indian peasant but he was singled out of thousands of others by a journalist of "El Pais", one of the Spanish daily broadsheets. El Pais is a serious paper that does not mess about with gossips, celebs misdemeanour or the antics of the Doherty’s of this planet. It devotes regular column inches to Juan-Carlos and Sofia, the Queen of the British Isles (and remnants of a tattered Commonwealth that has a dubious wealth not common to all its subjects), Fre...
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It always surprises me that some people treat winter vegetables as being poor cousins to their more flamboyant relatives of the summer.

I think it has to do with the way they are presented. One eats first with the eyes. It gets the gastric juices going jolly and your digestion begins to take a turn for the better.

If you look at those pathetic little cubes of red peppers that some cooks insist on sprinkling on a salad there is very little chance that your teeth will have anything to convey to your...
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Well here it is again the season of goodwill! Some may call it the mad season, but I love the build up to Christmas, the Carols and parties, everyone smiling and being merry, there is a special magic in the air and I dearly love all the christmas shopping. It’s more pleasant to shop with a chill in the air instead of rushing around hot and sticky. Ok maybe I am still a child at heart, but then let’s face it, we are all children deep down. Although Spain doesn’t quite have the s...
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3 Brits die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the Christmas lights were plugged in.

142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all the pins from new shirts. 58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.

19 Brits have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations were chocolate.

British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after ...
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I discovered the bar one hot August evening. Its real name is Rincon del Cante which very loosely translated means

‘ Corner of Song’ , or in this case: ‘Flamenco Corner’!

I’d always known the bar was there but it had never looked so inviting as it did that evening with all the tables outside, crowded with customers. The heady scent of flowers wafted through the warm evening air lending a touch of magic to the atmosphere.

The welcome I received when I sat down was as ...
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Elephants may not be the first animals we think of when we imagine things that may have been instrumental in shaping the history and culture of Spain. Yet in May 218 B.C.E Carthaginian Commander Hannibal left Cartagena (in Murcia) on an epic march through Spain, Gaul (France) and across the Alps with a large mixed army of Africans and Spaniards together with some 37 African war elephants.

The Carthaginians (or Punic) are an important link in the history and culture of modern Spa...
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On 1 July 2006 Spain introduced new legislation governing driving licences with points.

Similar to the UK where point penalties have been in place for years and following the successful introduction of the points scheme in France which has resulted in a significant decrease in serious road traffic accidents, it was Spain´s turn.

So how does it work?

Well each driver of more than 3 years experience is allocated 12 points and those drivers of less than 3 years experience 8 points. For each dri...
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One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two h...
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It was on the 31st of August 2007, an August with a very sweaty end, notably more humid than most, as Augusts go, that with a little disbelief in my mind that it was finally happening, I set upon attempting a long held desire harboured within for a good few years now. The Sierra Nevada mountain range, well known amongst the general public as a winter holiday destination, also has an appeal to many walkers in the mountain they call Mulhacen, the queen amid the sparkling snow-capped peaks and, we...
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Hear about Santa and his reindeer landing on top of an outhouse? Santa looked around for a moment, then hollered "No no, Rudolph! I said the SCHMIDT house!"

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I hope Santa brings me that mistletoe belt I asked for!

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I think that Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live.

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No parent in their right mind would give a 6-year-old a drum set, therefore Santa exists!!

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The 3 stages of man: He believes in Santa Claus. He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. He is...
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Darth Vader is having a lightsabre fight with Luke Skywalker. Suddenly he backs off and says.

"Luke, Luke, I know what you’re getting for Christmas!"

"No, father, you don’t." Says Luke. "Now I must fight you."

"Luke…" Says Darth, backing off a bit more. "I KNOW what you are getting for Christmas!"

"No, father, you don’t." Says Luke. "Now are we going to have this fight or what?"

&nbs...
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MRSKYTV travel widely to serve their customers, from Colmenar to Campillos, Loja to Almogia. They install systems such as satellite tv, Sky Freeview, Sky and Sky Plus and free Spanish satellite. For simple, single-point installations, they carry what they need so it’s quick and easy. They also do relocations, realignments and dish moving as well as system expansions.

If you are wondering how to set up a system in your home, call John or Karl. They will come and survey your place and advise...
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A legend from Almeria

In Almeria there lived a rich nobleman called Don Antonio Acevedo who, having married Dona Victoria then had a daughter who they named after the mother.

From birth, this child grew into a wonderful young woman, the most loved in the city for her beauty and her virtues.

The young woman had the misfortune to fall in love with a young man called Don Florencio of Granada, of noble descent too, but whose family were mortal enemies of hers. For this reason, the pair didn&rsq...
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Sexy Spanish soldier

Hold the cam cream corporal. Interviú magazine printed the first photos of a Spanish soldier in the nude.Pilar Pacheco told the magazine that she goes topless on the beach and that she did not find it that difficult to pose naked. The 26 year old has worked for the past eight years in administration in the Army, based in Ceuta.

If she had not been a member of the armed forces, she said she would have liked to have been a photographic model. She says that she...
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Viva Via Verdes

While the rest of Spain is preoccupied with the high speed rail connections of the AVE, a 38km stretch of unfinished walkway gives you a direct connection to the golden age of rail travel. In the 20s it was decided to build a light railway between Almargen and Jerez de la Frontera Private enterprise paid for a rail line to be laid along the route. But they only got aAs far as the 38km between Olvera and Puerto Serrano before it went bust. They did, however, manage to build s...
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ALHAURIN EL GRANDE

From 1 Dec – View the City Belen in the Casa de la Cultura

14 Dec – Christmas Concert by students of the City Music School in Casa de la Cultura at 7pm

15 Dec – Stories and games for children in the Casa de la Cultura and Junior Gymkhana in Huertas Altas Park

20 Dec – Junior Cinema in the Casa de la Cultura at 7pm

25 Dec – Christmas Concert with the City Music Band and choir in the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation

27 Dec – Cinema and Coffee i...
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GRANADA Dec

1 to 31 Dec – Exhibition by students of Fine Arts School. Rey Chico Centre between 11 to 2, 5 and 9pm

13 Dec to 6 Jan – Exhibition in Gran Capitan Exhibition Rooms, Mon to Sat 6 to 9pm Closed 24,25 and 31 Dec 2007 and 1 and 5 Jan 2008

14,15 and 16 Dec – Play ‘La Senorita de Trevelez’ in Isabel La Catolica Theatre. 14th at 9pm, 15th at 7 and 10pm, 16th at 7pm

From 18 Dec to 6 Jan – Municipal Belen. View Mon to Sun at 10 to 2, 5 to 8.30pm. 24...
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16th December – Treasure Hunt – Cómpeta

Nerja Solutions are organising a great day out in order to raise funds for Cudeca with a Treasure Hunt on Sunday 16th December. The day will consist of various clues and fun activities and the trails will be centered around the beautiful Competa, Canillas and Archez areas. To enter you need teams of 4/5 or however many fit in your car, a digital camera/phone with a competent operator and a general knowledge of the area will he...
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The Route of the Caliphate

Set up by the Legacy of Al Andalus to promote awareness of the rich cultural heritage left by the moors, this route connects Cordoba to Granda. Travel through rolling countryside, wine country and the dramatic landscape of the Subbetica through fascinating places such as Zuheros, Luque and Baena. For full details of routes and things to see in the towns, check www.legadoandalusi.es Street market in Puerto Banus

Ceramics of Sorbas

In the potters’ quarter ...
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