Will international football soon be on its way to Gibraltar?

There are a couple of areas of discussion where a recently arrived Brit in Spain should tread carefully when interacting with the locals: politics and football.

Politics is always a touchy subject for any country at any time, and times right now are pretty tough for the average Spaniard. So it’s best to steer clear.

And football? Well, with Spain current World and European champions twice over – plus boasting arguably the two biggest clubs on the planet in the form of Real Madrid and Barcelona – and England nowhere near their level (and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland even further out of sight), it makes perfect sense to keep schtum…

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Spanish consumer confidence levels are going in the right direction

April saw consumer confidence in Spain improve by 4.6 points, according to the country’s Sociological Research Centre (CIS).

Following the increase, confidence now stands at 56.7 points along the Consumer Confidence Index, which is based on a scale between 0 and 200 points. Any rating over 100 points is considered an optimistic level of confidence, while those below 100 indicate widespread negative or pessimistic opinions…

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The Russian connection - a welcome shot in the arm for the Costa del Sol

Barely had the ink had time to dry on the new agreement between Air Europa and Málaga City Hall to establish daily low-cost flights connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg with the Costa del Sol, than Vueling also announced its own initiatives.

The launch date of the Air Europa service is still to be confirmed, although following a meeting in Madrid between representatives of Málaga City Hall and the president of tour operator Globalia, Juan José Hidalgo, it’s expected to be announced imminently…

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Food forethought: Trobado's solution to economic woe is a smart one

It’s an innovation that is both a sign of the times and an encouragement for the future. A restaurant in Spain’s Catalonia region has devised a solution for people who cannot afford to eat out: dine there, then give up an hour of your time to work there – serving, cleaning or clearing up…

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Is it time for you to checkout of the UK?

With many of life’s key decisions, you’re usually given fair warning of why a change is needed. Finding a new job becomes paramount as soon as it becomes untenable. You know a new car is on the cards when that rattling noise in the engine just won’t go away. And you can tell it’s time for children when you find yourself cooing at each and every passing baby you see.

But how can you tell that it’s time to move to Spain? Sometimes the signs are easy to spot. Other times, you don’t even realise that your current lifestyle is steering you towards the airport exit lounge. So here are three handy signs that I think mean you’re ready to ditch Blighty and hop on a plane to Spain…

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Driving in Spain is a lot safer these days than it was a decade ago

Amid a debate about whether Germany should abolish its speed-limit-free autobahn rules comes some encouraging statistics that shows the dramatic improvements Spanish motorways have made in recent years.

This incredibly detailed data, published in The Guardian, boasts a wealth of figures comparing and contrasting European countries’ road deaths, looking at the proportion that occur on motorways as compared to rural or urban roads, and the overall total of road deaths per annum…

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Telling John Lennon’s unique story through the eyes of his first wife Cynthia and their son Julian, this is the first time that the ‘Beatles Memorabilia – The Julian Lennon Collection’ has ever set foot outside Liverpool…

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Have people's opinions of the Costa del Sol been tainted by films such as Sexy Beast?

Depending on which circles you move in, it’s either a little- or well-known fact that the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) used to be known as the Costa del Viento (Coast of the Wind) until some sharp-witted marketing man had their bright spark of inspiration.

In truth, the Costa has been the del Boy for all sorts of monikers over the years. A tabloid favourite – exhumed in the wake of the dramatic recent arrest of British fugitive Andrew Moran – is the oft-quoted Costa del Crime.

Evoking images of sun, sex, sangria and ‘Cockernee’ wideboys living the life of Riley on the run, the ‘Costa del Crime’ tag has always carried an element of danger and glamour. Following Moran’s arrest, even the normally mild-mannered The Guardian newspaper has been swept up in the fervour, (mis)labelling the Costa del Sol as the haven to end all havens for UK criminals keen to lay low for a while… Continue Reading

Darryl North (left) and colleague, Vitaly Smorodinov

Darryl North is a master craftsman who has spent the majority of his career making exquisite creations, first in the kitchen… and then within his clients’ homes.

But although he has always worked with his hands, his first job – straight from school as a coal miner – didn’t need such a meticulous touch.

After ten years, the coal mine shut in 1992 and Darryl was given the opportunity to choose a career to retrain into. He chose to retrain as a chef, and went from working down a Doncaster coal mine to working as a chef at some of London’s top dining establishments, such as the Hilton and the Bluebird.

So what then took him from being a top London chef to hanging €2,000 rolls of wallpaper in Marbella? Find out in our interview with Darryl North from Perfection Painters… Continue Reading