Cadiz Carnival in Spain in February 2012

Spain loves a Fiesta and they can be encountered in most towns and cities throughout the year. Of course, Springtime is the best time as the weather is improving. Most Festivals or Fiestas take place somewhere outside.

 The Spanish people love to live outside as much as possible. February is the month of the Cadiz Carnival which starts at the official beginning of Lent.The week before Ash Wednesday, starting on a Friday. Fancy Dressers arrive on the Saturday for the ten day event.

               It will be ten days of raucious fun and music, a time to let your hair down and let off steam. Costumes play a big role in the traditional garb - so it's very much fancy dress time.

               Concerts, Puppet Shows, singing in the streets, comedians and fireworks are some of the elements that make up this carnival that started way back in the 16th century.

     More Carnival information on this site about Andalusia


Dressing up at Carnival time is about making fun of all that is authority in Cadiz. Mimicking politicians and Famous Figures is part of the fun. The tradition of Los Gaditanos, the name of groups of people who like to show their indepence by expressing themselves in this way continues today in spite of Franco banning them in 1937. Los Gatidanos continued their Carnival behind closed doors singing songs with hidden lyrics that would mock whoever they pleased.

It was only after Francos death and the formation of a new Government that Carnival was once again a legal activity and went back out to the streets.

People travel from all over Spain to take part in the Carnival - although signs of it can be found in the famous Chueca district of Madrid and in Barcelona.

More on Fiestas in  Spain can be found here

Art Madrid 2012 Spain

Art Madrid

Art madrid begins on the 15th of february and can been seen up until the 19th of february.
 It will be held at   del Pabellón de Cristal de la Casa de Campo

 It's sure to offer the viewer and art lover a good mixture of works of art from most of the top galleries around madrid and Spain.  The accent being on Contemporary Artists of most mediums. this will be its 7th edition. Prices can be found at the website which I have linked. last year it was around thirty Euros a person. there may be optional prices for how long you stay and group prices is normal.
      

Pabellón de Cristal de la Casa de Campo de Madrid
Avenida Portugal s/n
28011 Madrid
España


Art Madrid 2012

Women Painting Women: Linda Lee Nelson

Women Painting Women: Linda Lee Nelson: Wassily Chair , oil on linen, 36" x 36", 2011 Linda Lee Nelson

Living in Spain and being a Writer

Living in Spain can lead to many options for work and occupations. For many it means taking up work as a language teacher but with all the experience that one accumulates, writing about something is a great temptation.

Building a knowledge of the English language through teaching English and then developing a liking for it can be a good starting point for learning to write about the place you live in - Spain. In a way it was for me.

 I teach English and I enjoy it immensely - even though I probably have a lot to learn I won't let that stop me from practicing writing about the place I live in. You might think that I'm talking about Travel Writing, but I'm not.

I love cities and I live in the city of Madrid in the centre of Spain. A nice climate that chops and changes with the seasons but still retains its Spanish promise of hot summers and, sometimes, mild Winters. The attraction of cities for me is the people and the atmosphere that these people, its inhabitants, create. Their desire for a life that will offer them better than they knew before moving here. Madrid has a very large population of immigrants. Mostly South American.

I love to write and so have begun to write a novel which is based in Madrid. It starts in Afghanistan and then Paris but ends up in Madrid and plays out its slice of life in the capital amongst the criminal world. you can read more about it here at my other website. At the website about my writing you can find posts about my experience writing a novel for the first time. The ideas that I have discovered to work and what is most important to concentrate on. First Draft, Notebooks for Writers, Writing an Outline to keep track of where you are going. You will find something of interest there, for sure.


If you enjoy writing about the place you live, even if it is also Spain or not, let me know about your experiences and thoughts on writing.

The Best Supermarket of the Year

Lidl Supermarket in Spain has won the award for best Supermarket of the year 2011. 162 other Supermarkets competed in the competition last year.

There were 38 different types of Spanish Shops and 15 different categories to choose from for the Judges.  With over 100,000 different variables on products to choose from.


The prizes was given at The Hotel Arts de Barcelona to a collection of runner ups, Yves Rocher, Brico Depot, Media Markt, Decathlon y Women'Secret.

                       Sean , Madrid , Sunday 21st Jan.

Winter in Madrid

I was expecting it to be a very cold and chilly Winter in Madrid this year. It's normally cold,icy with the occasional snow flurry. Not this year, so far.

Early Mornings there is a  sharp and crisp bite to the Madrid air but that soon disappears as the day progresses.
By Midday the air is pleasant and the overcoat is too much with the sun shining and a bright blue sky that raises the spirits. People tell me it's not normal to be so mild. Well, I say, Winter isn't over yet.

                       I went for a walk in The Retiro Park close to El Passeo del Prado. It was a beautiful day and lots of Madrileños were taking advantage of the fine Winter weather by sitting around on the grass or lounging on the statues situated by the artificial boating lake. An ice cream and then a hot-dog seemed appropriate.

                      The area offers a great advantage for tourist and locals in Madrid. The Retiro Park is very close to the Botanical Gardens which has an entry cost of about 2 Euros. Then farther along the main street the Prado Museum proudly dominates the landscape, dwarfing the Ritz Hotel which stands next door. A bit farther down the road towards Atocha Renfe Station, you can find the Thyssen Museum Collection of paintings. Excellent value at about 10 Euros entry to the main exhibit. There is also a current exhibition running that changes about once a month.

                    Winter in Madrid doesn't have to be tough and cold. It is Spain after all and you'd expect the sun to shine most of the time. I'm enjoying it.

Expat Exchange - 10 Tips for Living in Spain - spain, living in Spain, Moving to Spain, expat spain

Expat Exchange - 10 Tips for Living in Spain - spain, living in Spain, Moving to Spain, expat spain