22 Aug 2016 11:18:

@Marie. I know France quite well - and we've owned a place in Provence (Cassis) for over thirty years. The Brits I've come across in Provence have been scattered randomly among the locals. I've never known anyone buy in a particular place because they'll have Brit next-door-neighbours, an Iceland to shop in and the local bar with Brit bartenders serving Wayneys & full-English breakfast. Never come across that, I'll admit. But live and learn - pse post a link to the equivalent of somewhere like Camposol. Sacre bleu!

 

Thread: New to Spain..Any suggestions?

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21 Aug 2016 23:25:

@Roberto. The Guyline.  A nice ring to it. lol. Well, this could degenerate into a "The Real Spain" argument that we see on these pages from time to time. I admit I have my prejudices. I also drive around Spain a lot, and get to visit the Costas a couple of times a year - but more often drive north of the Guyline. And live in Extremadura. South of the line is ugly, there's no other way of putting it, and most Spanish I've spoken to on the subject agree. If you want a bucket and spade holiday then Estepona or Benidorm would fit the bill. And there's no doubt that Cordoba, Grenada Valencia, |Cadiz, Seville.... are wonderful cities. But for non-stop gobsmacking beauty you can't beat Galicia, Asturias, Extremadura, and the north. I know they say it rains a lot on the north coast, but I've never found it to be the case. I think the main reason Brits chose the Costas is because they'll find communities of fellow Brits. (The Brits that go to live in France don't have these communities - I don't think there are any -  they all live in amongst the French.) Brits in Spain often have a sort of laager mentality, circle the wagons and keep a watch out for redskins.

All I'm trying to suggest to the OP is consider the whole country.

Thread: New to Spain..Any suggestions?

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19 Aug 2016 20:34:

I'd definitely chose one of the fabulous cities on the north coast - Vigo, Gijon, Ovieda, Santander, Bilboa, San Sebastian. You also couldn't go wrong with Madrid. Or else, Santiago, Orense, Salamanca, Leon, Burgos, Logrono, Valadollid or Toledo. Failing which, try Lisbon or Porto. That ought to be enough to get on with. Draw a line from Lison through Madrid up to Barcelona. Stay north of it.

Thread: New to Spain..Any suggestions?

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12 Aug 2016 23:44:

@johnzx

John,you have my sincere respect. Most of us like the idea of learning Spanish, but speaking for myself, are too idle.

Thread: Spanish Lessons

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25 Jul 2016 19:51:

I've cut and pasted the following from todays El Pais (automatic translation to Spanish). It's interesting that it appears since the lower £ the UK supermarkets are making the Spanish accept the same £ Sterling price regardless of the fact that the pound has fallen. I can well imagine Tesco selling a punnet for £1 and saying to the importer, "we'll pay you 50p a punnet take it or leave it." Also note that the Spanish exporters are worried that UK might introduce new inspection and regulation regimes. Whereas in UK they are worried the EU will do this to them. I think that the businesspeople and exporters in all countries will stop the politicians from making life difficult for exporters. Exporters are the backbone of economies.

"Only in 2015, Spain exported 33,500 tons of strawberries UK- ie 10% of exports and 16,000 tons of other red fruits'm representing 40% of envíos-.

UK being one of the main recipients, the immediate consequences of Brexit are not waiting. The price of fruit has fallen nearly 10% by the depreciation of the pound, which has fallen by 7.48% by the surprising result of the referendum. With this collapse, farmers are experiencing losses in production in the last fruits of the season: blackberry and raspberry. The average price of a carton of 125 grams has not changed in the supermarket after the vote: 1.16 euros approximately, according to entrepreneurs. If the price is stable and the value of the pound falls, earnings for these are much lower.

The big question is what kind of trade agreement will have UK with the European Union. For Dominguez, export policies are already quite demanding: "inspections could be increased, deterring the entry of products," he says. "We understand that the UK could trigger campaigns and adopt regulations for the marketing of food to the detriment of third countries like us," he adds."

 

Thread: BREXIT

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