Rajoy: “Brexit will not break our bonds with the UK” 

BRITISH prime minister Theresa May reiterated her support for her Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy today (Tuesday) over the Catalunya political crisis, and both said they hoped to see an agreement with the Brexit negotiations very soon.

Rajoy had travelled to London to meet Mrs May at 10 Downing Street, where they spent 90 minutes on a working lunch during which Brexit was, inevitably, a hot topic of conversation – but although they discussed bilateral relations between the UK and Spain, the contentious subject of Gibraltar's sovereignty was not mentioned.

Catalunya, equally as topical, was given plenty of air-time, since Mrs May has always stated categorically that she backs the Spanish government's 'defence of legality' in the face of the 'illegal' separatist movement, and that her Conservative government would refuse to recognise an independent State of Catalunya.

She reinforced this during today's meeting with the Spanish president, saying: “It is imperative that the law of the State should prevail and that the Spanish Constitution should be complied with.”

Rajoy thanked her for the UK's backing of 'the Spanish government and the people of Spain', adding: “Without respect for the rule of law, there can be no democracy, and what is happening now is a return to some of the worst past episodes in the history of humanity.”

The Spanish leader said in his press conference following the meeting that the relationship between Spain and the UK is 'as old as the history of the two countries' and rooted in 'a friendship' based on shared values of 'freedom, democracy, the separation of powers and the rule of law'.

He recalled that the UK is Spain's fourth-largest international customer and seventh-largest supplier, its main investment destination and that Spain 'is visited by more citizens from the UK than from any other country'.

Mediterranean Diet: Figs Can Lend You A Hand In Lowering Your Cholesterol

Held in high regard as part of an authentic Mediterranean diet, figs are a major contributor to the low levels of cholesterol people living in the Mediterranean region enjoy. Figs can lend you a helping hand to restore to normal your cholesterol if you do what Mediterraneans do: to make figs part of your daily diet. If you follow this recommendation, you will be surprised at the results in the not so long run.

Fancy a change from 'Jamon'? 

Although Spain is famous for its "Jamón" or cured ham, which in my opinion is the best in the world, there is also another cured meat speciality which is not as well known and as equally exquisite.

 

"Cecina" from León can be defined as a smoked dried and salted beef, which in a similar way to ham is taken from the the hind leg. The outer part of the Cecina has a toasted brownish colour which is caused by part of the elaboration process. It is similar to the Italian Bresaola.

 

 

Restaurants in the Province of Castellon

I am working my way through the hopefully better restaurants in our province with the emphasis on Castellon to start with. I will be recording results on the my Maestrat Park & info about Spain Blog

 

Instinto Carnivoro, Castellon        

Four of us went for lunch, and found friendly and helpful staff, a pleasant atmosphere and varied menu, not vegetarian friendly, as the butchers is part of the restaurant, tasty starters, delicious steaks. We all had different so we could try each other's and found all were excellent. Had a first class wine, and a bill that did not make me gasp.

El Pairal, Castellon      

Six of us went here for my birthday and did not regret it. Had degustation which included their choice of wine which was very good. Pricy but first class food.

Mesón Navarro III, Castellon         

Went for lunch good food, staff a bit formal, suggest share starters as way to much food. Very good for goat lovers, not the cheapest, good comfortable decorations.

Tasca del Puerto               

This is a fantastic fish and seafood restaurant, Staff helpful, food delicious and different. Not the cheapest but worth every penny

After more than half a decade of bad news followed by worse news, it seems that the fortunes of Castellon Airport have finally started to change for the better.

Following the establishment of new routes to the facility from Bristol and Stansted, Ryanair have confirmed that the occupancy level of the combined flights is above the expected target - standing at an average of 167 passengers over the 20 flights to date, or 88.4%.

Furthermore, news last week saw Romanian airline Blue Air confirm that they too would follow Ryanair's lead and create routes to Castellon.

However, the good news does not end there. Later last week Polish-Hungarian airline WizzAir also announced that they too would establish routes from Northern and Central Europe to the airport.

Ryanair's Director of Sales and Marketing in Spain, José Espartero, confirmed that whilst the route from London to Castellon was more popular than the flight to Bristol, the airline was nonetheless considering establishing further routes between the UK and Castellon to start next Spring.

Spain’s 'ghost airport' set for first flights

Spain's infamous ghost airport Castellón airport is set to open nearly four years after its official inauguration with football club Villareal FC being touted as first customers,

The airport has received approval to begin operations from the Spanish aviation authorities, Spanish newspaper ABC has reported.

Citing sources, the daily says the airport has already passed all the relevant tests and has the necessary certification from the public works ministry for flights to begin.

A final decision is expected on Thursday with paperwork to be finalized in coming days.

Jet2 linked to Castellon Airport

Jet2 Airlines is reportedly close to signing a deal agreeing to establish routes between the UK and Castellon Airport.

The question of the airline being linked to the airport was put to Max Buch, the Regional Minister for Economy, Industry and Tourism, to which he replied "this and other Airports".

The Airline has previously expressed an interest at the facility, however recent developments regarding the obtaining of licences and promotion of the Castellon province at the London Tourism Expo have renewed the company's appetite for serving the northern-Valencia region.

'Poor' Spain sees 24% surge in millionaires

There are now 465,000 US dollar millionaires in Spain, 24 per cent more than a year ago, a financial services giant Credit Suisse reveals in a new report which highlights the unequal impact of the country's crisis.

Catalunya calls off public consultation on independence

CATALUNYA'S regional president Artur Mas has decided not to go ahead with the 'public consultation', or non-binding referendum on November 9.

IMF: Spain will head 2015 EU growth

Spain, a country with a 25% unemployment rate, public debt levels of nearly 100% of GDP and no alternative to construction as an engine of growth, has managed to become the only European economy with improved prospects for 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The IMF Annual Assembly kicked off in Washington on Tuesday with mostly bad news: the global economy will grow by 3.8% next year, down from its July forecast of 4%.

But Spain’s economy will grow 1.3% this year and 1.7% in 2015, representing a gain of one tenth of a percentage point from July forecasts in both cases.

Nearly 1.7 billion euros' worth of pesetas still in circulation

AN ESTIMATED 1.7 billion euros' worth of pesetas remain in circulation in Spain, more than 12 years after the new common currency was introduced.

The Bank of Spain says it changes about a million euros in pesetas every month, and that this figure has been continuous since the country

Spanish village swaps bulls for giant balls

Residents of a Madrid village have changed their annual running of the bulls to a similar event with giant 125-kilo (275 pounds) polystyrene balls, a move animal rights groups are hoping will be copied in other parts of Spain. 

Tomatina moves to London's Hyde Park

LONDON could get its own version of the famous Valencian tomato fight, the Tomatina.

Councillors from Buñol, a town to the east of Valencia city with 10,000 inhabitants which is renowned worldwide for its messy, fruity fiesta, have been in talks with the management of Hyde Park in the British capital.

Castellón Airport is having test flights

Castellón Airport will receive its second flight this week, yes, test flight. The Valencian Government has reported in a statement that the facility will receive this week's flight calibration systems of air navigation radio aids, a mandatory step for the airport and received all necessary permissions to be able to open.

Spain now growing faster than Germany

The German economy tripped up in the second quarter, registering negative growth of 0.2 per cent, some way behind the 0.6 per cent growth clocked up by Spain in the same period.

Spain becomes world's biggest wine producer

 In their fields of vines in deepest Spain, the winemakers at the Jesús del Perdón cooperative smiled last August: the blend of rain and sun promised a bumper grape crop. They just didn't realize how big it would be.

The massive crop vaulted Spain to the world's biggest wine producer, forcing its vintners to compete abroad in a tough market to sell off the surplus.

Spain overall produced 50 million hectolitres (6.7 billion bottles) of wine in 2013, a 41 per cent surge from 2012, the Spanish agriculture ministry says.

Spain still a great option for retirement abroad

Spain still tops the list of favourite overseas destination for British retirees despite its economic woes and rocky property market, although that seems to be on the turn. The country still tops the polls as the number 1 destination followed by France, Australia, Ireland and Cyprus. 

Retiring abroad is a dream for many people. The thought of an easier pace of living, better weather and cheaper property than the UK is still proving to be a strong draw and even though Spain does have its drawbacks, in my honest opinion it still offers all of these advantages with only a short flight home. It may not be as cheap as it was in the past but it is still cheaper than the UK. OK it has its bureaucracy but you get used to it. I think Spain still has an awful lot to offer and can be a fantastic place to retire to if you do your homework correctly before moving.

Castellon Airport Update

Yesterday we witnessed the agreement between the Valencian Government and the Canadian company SNC LAVALIN at the head office of Tourism at the port of Castellón in order to start operating the new Castellon airport from November 2014.

They have signed a contract of 20 years, expecting approximately 200.000 passengers the first year, growing quickly to 1.200.000 per year within 10 years.

This will mean a boost for the local economy as 1800 new jobs will be created and hopefully an improvement for the tourist sector of the Costa del Azahar. At this stage they did not want to reveal any details about airlines, destination and origin of flights.

We hope to be able to inform you soon, once the company LAVALIN has discussed with the Airline Companies and Tour operators.

There are mussels... and then there are 'Clochinas'

The Valencian clóchina is a true delicacy, superior in taste and organoleptic qualities to its Galician, Catalan or even Scottish  cousins. ​ That said they are extremely scarce and highly localised in both region and season. The main difference in flavour is due to the breeding ground being in the Mediterranean sea which is saltier than other harvesting regions such as Galicia or Scotland. Quality control and technique also plays an important role. Modern cultivation of the Clóchina dates from the late nineteenth century and it all began on two mussel rafts positioned in the very same port of Valencia as we see today.

Reasons to Live in Spain

YOU COME TO SPAIN FOR A LIFESTYLE CHANGE IN GENERAL BUT THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE LAPSE INTO THEIR OLD HABITS FROM BACK HOME, WATCHING TOO MUCH TV, NOT GOING OUT AND NOT BEING OPEN TO NEW EXPERIENCES. HOWEVER FOR THOSE WHO INTEGRATE INTO THE COUNTRY THERE ARE THINGS THAT THEY DO MOST EVERY DAY AND HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THEM THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL MUCH MORE LIKE YOU ARE LIVING IN SPAIN AND BEING A PART OF SPAIN.

Have a siesta without feeling guilty. Siestas are one of the great reasons to live in Spain. However most people get to Spain and their conditioning doesn’t allow them to have a siesta without feeling extremely guilty. Don’t go there! The siesta is a fantastic thing to do and it doesn’t necessarily need to be after a long lunch. If you feel tired then just chill out, lay down and spend twenty minutes getting forty winks.

Go into your local bar and have a conversation. There is one thing that you must do in Spain, get out of your comfort zone. If you are willing to take this step there are two possibilities, firstly everyone thinks you are the local nutter and secondly you actually start to speak in another language and get used to speaking it outside of the classes you are taking (You WILL be taking classes won’t you?) The more you get out of your comfort zone every day the better your language skills will be and bear in mind one more thing, you might actually become friends with the other regulars in the bar.

Aim to take at least two hours for eating lunch out and make sure you have some wine with it. Not every day of course on this one because even though eating out is cheap in Spain it is much cheaper to eat at home. However you should always try to have a weekly meet up with friends, go for a menu of the day and talk for a long time afterwards while finishing off the wine.

Take Some Time Out To Daydream and Look Up. The number of people these days who walk around with their eyes constantly on their Smartphone never looking around or looking up is amazing. Looking up is important when living in Spain because there is beautiful scenery in so many places and the cities are visually stunning at times.

Go Into Local Shops and Ask For Things Rather Than Shopping in Supermarkets. It is easy to go to a supermarket and never actually say a word to anyone while buying 100 Euros of produce. It is not so easy to go into the butchers to buy your meat, go to the bakers for bread and cakes and then to the fruit and veg shop for everything else. This small change in your habits will be not only more beneficial for your language skills but also it will help you to get used to using the type of language that you use every day in Spain and get to know the names of everything.

Make time every day for a coffee with friends. Chatting and talking about life the universe and everything is an important part of life in Spain and this is best done in the company of friends in a local cafe. Make sure you do this often because firstly, you get to meet up with others and laugh and secondly, you get to have great coffee.

Be Grateful For The Weather And Climate. I woke up last week with the rain hammering down on the air conditioning unit outside and my thoughts were immediately, “Cool! It’s raining”. With 320 days of sunshine every year in the vast majority of the Spanish mainland, days of rain are welcomed rather than feared and when they come they are generally a welcome change. So when you are shading yourself from the sun don’t say “Jeez it’s hot” Just say “Nice innit!”

Relax, slow down, chill out and enjoy. I know it may seem a bit much to try enjoying your life in Spain but slow down and take advantage of a more relaxed way of life and a general calmness. If you can do this then you never know you may find that everything becomes a bit better.