As 2010 dawns to a close, we look forward to a prosperous 2011. Idealspain looks forward to a bright future and lots of new travels.
We would like to thank all our loyal readers and wish you all a very Happy New Year.
LATEST MAGAZINE PUBLISHED
The latest issue of the Idealspain magazine is published today and can be found here
It's packed with travel features, news and advice about Spain. There are a few new videos to see too. During 2011, the magazine will be published quarterly as Idealspain will be relocating and exploring a new part of Spain.
Best wishes
Steve and Sandra
Idealspain
Friday, 31 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Our weekend travels
A weekend in Cadiz
Taking advantage of the warm December sunshine, we planned a weekend away in Cadiz. This wonderful southern city has always held an attraction for us but our last two visits were far too short.
You can’t help but love Cadiz whatever time of year; in the summer the beaches are unbelievably clean and draw huge crowds. In the winter, there’s nothing finer than exploring the historical city centre.
Over two days, we covered almost every square inch of the city, including all the plazas and parks, the two cathedrals, 11 churches, towers and so much more. We found Cadiz to be one of the cleanest cities we have ever been to and wherever we went we received a warm welcome.
Our hotel was just outside the city gates, in the new part of Cadiz. It was just a few minutes’ walk into the old part. The highlights of the trip were the Plaza Espana with its monument of huge proportions and a trip up to the top of the Tower de Poniente. Opened to the public this year for the first time.
See our video report here
Baelo Claudia – Roman city
On the way home from Cadiz we called in to see the Roman city of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia. This third century city, although in ruins, makes an interesting visit. The new visitors centre houses a museum of finds and with free entry for EU citizens so it’s great value too. We were a little disappointed that the staff wouldn’t let us into the complex with the video camera in order to make a video for the website. However, the problem was solved as we headed down to the beach where a perfect view of the city can be had. We ended up with a nice video after all.
Baelo Claudia is the most complete Roman city in the Iberian Peninsula and shows the forum, baths, market, stores and several temples.
See our video report here
Taking advantage of the warm December sunshine, we planned a weekend away in Cadiz. This wonderful southern city has always held an attraction for us but our last two visits were far too short.
You can’t help but love Cadiz whatever time of year; in the summer the beaches are unbelievably clean and draw huge crowds. In the winter, there’s nothing finer than exploring the historical city centre.
Over two days, we covered almost every square inch of the city, including all the plazas and parks, the two cathedrals, 11 churches, towers and so much more. We found Cadiz to be one of the cleanest cities we have ever been to and wherever we went we received a warm welcome.
Our hotel was just outside the city gates, in the new part of Cadiz. It was just a few minutes’ walk into the old part. The highlights of the trip were the Plaza Espana with its monument of huge proportions and a trip up to the top of the Tower de Poniente. Opened to the public this year for the first time.
See our video report here
Baelo Claudia – Roman city
On the way home from Cadiz we called in to see the Roman city of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia. This third century city, although in ruins, makes an interesting visit. The new visitors centre houses a museum of finds and with free entry for EU citizens so it’s great value too. We were a little disappointed that the staff wouldn’t let us into the complex with the video camera in order to make a video for the website. However, the problem was solved as we headed down to the beach where a perfect view of the city can be had. We ended up with a nice video after all.
Baelo Claudia is the most complete Roman city in the Iberian Peninsula and shows the forum, baths, market, stores and several temples.
See our video report here
Monday, 6 December 2010
Bank holidays and local scum
Constitution Day (Día del Constitución)
The 6th December is a national holiday in Spain and marks the ratification of the new Spanish constitution of 1978 after the death of Franco. After the death of Franco in 1975 a general election was held in 1978 and the new parliament (Constituent Cortes) drafted a new Spanish constitution. This was eventually passed by King Juan Carlos on the 27th December and came into force on the 29th December.
Since that day, the 6th December has been a public holiday and 99% of businesses are closed. The Spanish use the day for family outings and the restaurants fill to capacity.
The 8th December is also a public holiday to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This means that the 7th December, in the middle, although not an official holiday, is also often taken as a day off. This is called a ‘puente’ or bridge.
Petty crime in Spain
Spain is no different to any other country, where petty crime is rife and tourists are often seen as easy targets. Tourists tend not to be as street wise as the locals and are often unaware of the typical methods used by street thieves. That’s not to say that locals are not at risk too. We, personally were subjected to a typical theft just this week.
Whilst sitting in a street café, my coat was placed on the back of the chair. A group of 3 Moroccan men came and sat behind me and placed their coats on the backs of the seats. They were only there 2-3 minutes and sat sipping water from bottles. Suddenly two of them got up and left in a hurry whilst one went to pay the bill inside.
A few moments later I realised that one of the men had dipped into my coat pocket and stolen my mobile phone.
We managed to get in touch with Vodafone within an hour and had the number blocked and the sim card replaced. This was made easy as I had kept the original sleeve in which the sim card came. This had the original serial number on it. Without this number it would have been impossible to stop the card and retrieve the number: a lesson to all.
Although losing a £100 mobile to a scumbag was difficult to swallow, I feel I came off lightly. It could easily have been my wallet.
This event has inspired me to re-write information about stolen mobiles on our website here and about stolen credit cards here.
The 6th December is a national holiday in Spain and marks the ratification of the new Spanish constitution of 1978 after the death of Franco. After the death of Franco in 1975 a general election was held in 1978 and the new parliament (Constituent Cortes) drafted a new Spanish constitution. This was eventually passed by King Juan Carlos on the 27th December and came into force on the 29th December.
Since that day, the 6th December has been a public holiday and 99% of businesses are closed. The Spanish use the day for family outings and the restaurants fill to capacity.
The 8th December is also a public holiday to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This means that the 7th December, in the middle, although not an official holiday, is also often taken as a day off. This is called a ‘puente’ or bridge.
Petty crime in Spain
Spain is no different to any other country, where petty crime is rife and tourists are often seen as easy targets. Tourists tend not to be as street wise as the locals and are often unaware of the typical methods used by street thieves. That’s not to say that locals are not at risk too. We, personally were subjected to a typical theft just this week.
Whilst sitting in a street café, my coat was placed on the back of the chair. A group of 3 Moroccan men came and sat behind me and placed their coats on the backs of the seats. They were only there 2-3 minutes and sat sipping water from bottles. Suddenly two of them got up and left in a hurry whilst one went to pay the bill inside.
A few moments later I realised that one of the men had dipped into my coat pocket and stolen my mobile phone.
We managed to get in touch with Vodafone within an hour and had the number blocked and the sim card replaced. This was made easy as I had kept the original sleeve in which the sim card came. This had the original serial number on it. Without this number it would have been impossible to stop the card and retrieve the number: a lesson to all.
Although losing a £100 mobile to a scumbag was difficult to swallow, I feel I came off lightly. It could easily have been my wallet.
This event has inspired me to re-write information about stolen mobiles on our website here and about stolen credit cards here.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
A rainy day on the Costa del Sol
What to do on a wet day in Spain?
We decided to visit the Museum of Fuengirola. Not the biggest museum in Spain but a nice visit anyway.
The entry fee is just €2
There are several rooms of exhibits and the museum centres around the Venus of Fuengirola, a Roman statue discovered in the 70's when excavations were underway for the new railway. There's also an original Jabega on display - a fishing boat typical of this area.
The only fault with the museum is that there are no notes in English.
See our video of our visit here
We decided to visit the Museum of Fuengirola. Not the biggest museum in Spain but a nice visit anyway.
The entry fee is just €2
There are several rooms of exhibits and the museum centres around the Venus of Fuengirola, a Roman statue discovered in the 70's when excavations were underway for the new railway. There's also an original Jabega on display - a fishing boat typical of this area.
The only fault with the museum is that there are no notes in English.
See our video of our visit here
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