EDITORIAL GUIRI

GO ON A GRANADA TAPAS TOUR

2011-03-02T13:50:00.000+01:00

A NEW STAR IS BORN IN LA ALPUJARRA

2010-05-04T14:07:00.009+02:00

To open a new hotel in these difficult economic times could be seen as an act of madness. At a time when the Spanish government is steering the country towards bankruptcy, while at the same time imposing austerity measures on its good people; why would you open a new business?
Well i recently met Marie Cruz in the charming town of Pampaneira. For many visitors to Spain this is the first stop off point when they visit the delightful La Alpujarra mountains. As I've stated previously, the people of La Alpujarra are the most genuine in Spain. Friendly and fortunate to live in such a beautiful area of Spain.
Marie Cruz is the daughter of Juilo Estevez. Together with her parents, sisters and brother she already helps to run the superb family bar and restaurant Casa Julio. Find it. It's up some steps and the last bar past some shops selling traditional local textiles and gifts. The home made Croquetas stuffed with ham and cheese are possibly the best I have tasted anywhere on my travels around Spain. Yes, you heard me right, home made. No get it out of the freezer, slam it in the microwave and ding food here. That bad habit that is the curse of many a Spanish eatery has no place at Casa Julio.
Now Casa Julio has a couple of rooms above where weary travellers can rest their heads and legs. Not content with that, the family are going one better. Or, to be precise, 19 better. Rooms that is.
You pass the new hotel on your left as you leave the village in the direction of Bubion. There is some open ground opposite where you can park and the family will be happy to show you around. The hotel is elevated above the centre of Pampaneira. It's called Estrella de las Nieves (Star of the Snows). Marie Cruz took me on a guided tour of the spanking new facilities at the 21 bedroom hotel. Air conditioned for those few summer days when it is hot enough up in La Alpujarra to require more than the cool, fresh mountain air. Heating and lighting are computer operated. Many of the bedrooms have balconies on which you can sit and sample the splendour of La Alpujarra. Why anyone would watch one of the big screen TV's provided when they have a view such as that on offer here, i do not know.
The hotel has an underground car park in which each room has a designated parking space. It boasts a large restaurant and state of the art kitchen. The bathrooms are big and tiled to a high standard. The rooms are spacious and furnished in a style so favoured by the Spanish. But the family look forward to welcoming all nationalties. Indeed Marie Cruz and her sisters are each having English languages lessons in nearby Orgiva.
No expense has been spared. The total cost of renovating the building and constructing the hotel is over 1.2 million euros.
It's a bold move, but if anyone can make a success of a new business venture in these difficult times, i suspect it's Marie Cruz and her delightful family. I wish them well.

GARDENS OF ANDALUCIA - A NEW BOOK

2010-04-17T18:31:00.007+02:00

A new book, "Gardens of Andalucia" will be published in 2011. Published by Guiri Books, you can pre-order your copy now, without any financial outlay, by e-mailing greenspain@live.com

The book will include features on public gardens in Malaga, Granada, Córdoba, Cádiz and other locations in Andalucia. It will cover both public gardens, such as the Generalife at the Alhambra Palace in Granada and Viana Palace in Córdoba. It will also feature private gardens created by residents throughout the region.

Written by experienced hands on gardeners living in Andalucia, the book will tell you what grows best in each province and advise you on what to plant and how best to look after your Spanish garden, terrace or patio.

It will also feature some of the best garden centres. The book will include superb photographs. The book will be a must have pocket/handbag sized guide for all keen gardeners living in, or visiting the Andalucia area of Spain.

It will cost you just 10 euros or pounds plus postage to anywhere in the world. Place your order now.

IMAGES OF SPAIN - FOR SALE

2009-07-19T08:52:00.010+02:00

To purchase unique photographs of people, places and life all over Spain, contact me. I have hundreds of images from right across the country. Landscapes, characters, cities, beaches, quirky photos of local events and rituals. All photographs for sale to members of the public or publishing editors. If you have a specific request for a photographs of something or somewhere in Spain, let me know via e-mail verninspain@gmail.com

MEET STUART CONQUEST - BRITISH CHESS CHAMPION

2009-06-23T16:57:00.014+02:00

Stuart at rest in beuatiful Haro and in competition

The first time I had lunch with Stuart Conquest I knew instantly that he played chess. It took him half an hour to pass the olive oil!
Seriously, if anyone knows how to make the right move it is Stuart. This summer in Torquay he will defend his title as British Chess Champion. It's been a busy year since he won the title in Liverpool in 2008. His crucial final play off game from last year can be seen via this you tube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsNVKdneNpQ&feature=related

I first met Stuart in his home town of Haro, La Rioja in the summer of 2005. I asked him just what an International Chess Grandmaster was doing living in Spain?
He told me: "In 1997 I boarded the ferry to Bilbao. I was going to compete in a tournament in Andorra. On board I met a lovely Spanish girl who came from Haro. I wouldn’t miss a Chess tournament for a woman so when it was over I visited her there and I have hardly left the town since. Today Haro is home.
"The population is just 8000 and everyone seems to know each other. The Spanish lifestyle suits my relaxed nature and Chess is respected here as a serious sport. I never felt that was the case in the UK."

Stuart was born in Ilford, Essex but became well known as a child chess prodigy when still at school in the coastal town of Hastings. Spain is a country he has known since he was in his twenties and which he now travels across when competing in Chess tournaments.
"Chess is a great incentive for me to see more of Spain. Since I have lived here I have been seen much of the country and just love the place"... (More)

To purchase this 1500 word feature in full, for publication, contact verninspain@gmail.com

GRANADA TAPAS BOOK - ON SALE IN THESE BOOKSHOPS

2009-03-21T14:54:00.004+01:00

The new guidebook, "Granada Tapas Tour - 100 tapas bars in Granada" is for sale at an increasing number of outlets throughout Granada province.

In Granada itself, go to Metro Books in Calle Gracia. Dave runs this shop that includes a fine selection of books in both the English and Spanish language, many of which you cannot buy elsewhere in Granada. Metro Books has the added advantage of being close to some of the best tapas bars featured in the Granada Tapas book. The full address for the shop is c/ Gracia 31 - Granada 18002. Telephone 958 261 565. E-mail

On the Costa Tropical, the ever friendly and efficient internet shop in Almunecar, Zen Net, which is a haven of peace and tranquility. One of those rare beasts, an internet shop that is so quiet you can hear yourself think and concentrate on checking e-mails and working remotely.

HOTEL CHANCILLERIA, JEREZ, ANDALUCIA

2009-02-23T15:18:00.010+01:00

The Hotel Chancilleria, in the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, is a delight.

It accurately bills itself as eco-friendly. Located centrally, with street parking close by, it is a haven of peace in an otherwise busy and bustling city.

Jerez is posh - at least by Spanish standards. The locals here look down their noses at people from Seville who, in turn, believe people from Granada are beneath them.

No such attitude snobbery exists at the Hotel Chancilleria.

Run by an English woman, her Spanish husband and their sons, the hotel is deceptively large. Light and airy it is immediately welcome. No imposing check in desks. Just a simple table and chair at which one of the family will greet you in a friendly and laid back manner.

The rooms are splendid. Smart, large, sensibly laid out and able to cope with very hot temperatures in summer.

If you stay in many hotels across Spain you get used to the fact that certain things do not work. Find a TV station with a clear picture and you will be pleasantly surprised.

No such problems at Hotel Chancilleria. The large TV's mounted to the wall of the rooms at Chancilleria work just fine. So does everything else. Breakfast works. The food on offer is vast and varied. You do not need to ask for something to be topped up or replenished. A discreet watching eye ensures the member of the staff anticpates that situation before you do. The views from the outside dining terrace are memorable.

As is the in hotel restaurant. Believe me, restaurants in Spanish hotels are generally to be avoided at all costs. They are often dreadful. "Sabores" (flavours) in the Hotel Chancilleria is great. Tastefully decorated, superb service and quality food. Words I have used very rarely since I began travelling around Spain in 2005.

The management have coupled efficency with a laid back approach. It is a "we are here if you need us, but we are not in your face" attitude that i found most refreshing.

There is free use of a computer on which you can check e-mails etc and a delightful exterior garden - in which you can take a drink or enjoy a full meal on warm, sunny evenings.

If you are visiting Jerez there is much to see in this fine city. If you need a hotel room, there is only one place to stay. The Hotel Chancilleria.

www.hotelchancilleria.com
Address:- C/Chancilleria 21. Jerez de la Frontera
Telephone: +34 956 301 038
E-mail info@hotelchancilleria.com

GARDENS of ANDALUCIA FEATURE

2009-02-07T16:23:00.008+01:00

Now that the height of the tourist season is over with, it is a good time to tour some of the splendid public gardens that exist in Spain. Do so in the generally sunnier climes of Andalucia and the chances are you will be warmer whilst doing so. Not all of the gardens charge an entrance fee and those that do are a bargain.
For example it is possible to view the Generalife Gardens in Granada without also paying to see the adjacent Alhambra Palace.
It is there that I speak with Nola Lyttle of www.granadagardens.blogspot.com
She says: “Some gardeners admit to me that they are overwhelmed by the grandeur of the Spanish gardens they visit. They wonder how they can create a garden in Spain as good as those I show them on my personalised tours.
“The answer is that you cannot hope to compete with long established gardens but you can learn from them. Carry a notepad and pen with you. Write down the Latin names of those plants and flowers you admire. Do not try to be too ambitious. A garden to impress your friends and enjoy yourself can be constructed without spending a fortune.”
As with so many of the gardens open to the public throughout Spain, water is the driving force in the Generalife. The water stairway, known as the staircase of the Lions, leads to the uppermost part of the Generalife. This unique staircase is divided into three flights with circular landings that are separated by small fountains.
A short distance away is the often overlooked Carmen de los Martires. It is home to a wide variety of trees, including large palms. The gardens are vast and surround the splendid villa from which there are magnificent views of the City of Granada... (More)

To purchase this 1500 word feature in full, for publication, contact verninspain@gmail.com

BUY CHEAP PROPERTY in SPAIN FEATURE

2009-02-07T16:06:00.006+01:00

a 5 bed traditional village house with two roof terraces, for sale for 290.000 Euros via www.forsaleinspain.blogspot.com

Whilst the maxim ‘you get what you pay for’ is largely a true one; when it comes to the Spanish property market, it is still possible to get more for your money. This is due in part to a slightly depressed market, but is chiefly a consequence of the more realistic pricing of properties by owners selling their homes.

Never has researching an area been more important than in the current economical climate. In Andalucia large family homes in white washed villages are increasingly for sale. This is due, in great part, to the fact that the children have grown up and the houses are too large for aging parents. Young professional Spanish couples do not want to live in the house in which they were brought up. They want modern apartments and town houses that boast the mod cons their parents could only have dreamed of.
It is possible to acquire elements of both old and new in a property, but it is undeniably rare.
A large, modernised five double bedroom house is for sale in the Lecrin Valley, near Granada, with www.tropicanaproperties.com
Close to beaches and the Alhambra Palace, it is a 250 year old, substantial property ideal for holidays, or more permanent living. The asking price is 290.000 Euros.

TO BUY THIS ARTICLE IN FULL e-mail editorialguiri@hotmail.com

1070 words plus 4 high res photographs for 250 pounds sterling

SPAIN'S THREE 'R'S - RELIGION - FEATURE

2009-02-07T15:58:00.005+01:00

I will go to my grave not understanding the Spanish fascination with letting off fireworks during daytime hours. To mark the beginning of the latest, supposedly religious holiday (the Immaculate Concepción), I was awoken by bangers being let off in my village... at 6am.... in the dark.
Not proper fireworks, just the usual bangers. That means some silly so and so arose from his own bed around 5am, got dressed and then came out only to let off bangers directly outside several houses where men, women and children were sleeping soundly.
All this noise in the name of whom exactly? God? The Vatican?
The bangs heralded the arrival of a religious celebration in a country that grows more secular week on week. Today my local, very historic, church will be two thirds empty. The elderly will keep up tradition and attend on the day that marks the aforementioned Immaculate Concepción. Meanwhile, the younger members of the community will be wearing a glove, holding a firework in their hand and then lighting it.
And these people call the Muslims crazy!
The history of the impact of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain is a horrific one. In the name of religion, unspeakable atrocities have been undertaken in Spain. The impact of the Vatican within the country over past centuries makes the Mafia look like an organisation you would trust to mind your children. For example, any study of what took place during the years of the Spanish Inquisition will leave you shuddering with fear... (More)

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FUTURE of FLAMENCO FEATURE

2009-02-07T15:37:00.006+01:00

Were I granted the chance to be literally born again I would have but one wish.

It would not be to score a Cup winning goal for Sheffield Wednesday – some ambitions require longer than one lifetime!
Instead I would crave the opportunity to be able to play flamenco guitar so well that I could wow an audience the world over. Ironically, it is very likely that I would have to travel overseas for a such skill to be appreciated. Flamenco in all its forms is under threat in its home country, Spain.
As I walk around my home city of Granada there seem to be fewer shops making and selling the flamenco guitar. To see one being made is a spectacle, but it seems this skill is a dying art.There is still a demand for owning a flamenco guitar, but not from within Spain... (More)

To purchase this feature in full, for publication, contact verninspain@gmail.com