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.