20 Jul 2009 4:21 PM:

"There are beaches are far as the eye can see, and we've got 4 pools to choose from in the Urb where we live, so if we want to go out and about. where on the Costa Del Sol do we go?"

 

Guess I will start packing and move on over to Duquesa for a few weeks then!!!!!!!!!!

Thread: Holidays in Spain ... Yeah!!!

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16 Jul 2009 1:46 PM:

I was born and bred in Tranmere on the Wirral, and for many ,many years, used to go to watch Tranmere on Friday nights, play football Saturday morning, over to Anfield to watch Liverpool, and play football again either Sunday morning or afternoon. Great days they were.

I know Chester very well, lovely part of the world,  I used to go there a lot usually shopping, or playing football at Sealand Road once or twice. A far cry from living in Spain!!!!

Thread: Sky TV Change Viewing Cards

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16 Jul 2009 12:05 PM:

Hi firsteuro,

Thanks for the info, I shall bear that in mind in the future.

PS. Your avatar encouraged me to upload mine. By the way, my next door neighbour and friend here in Spain, who has a holiday apartment, is a Director of SWFC and his responsibility is Finance. I don't know whether you want me to shake his hand or throw him of the balcony!!!!

Thread: Sky TV Change Viewing Cards

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16 Jul 2009 12:00 AM:

SKY card change over

You may have heard about changes Sky are making.  Anyone that watches Sky TV through a Sky Viewing Card (be it in the UK or abroad) will eventually need to change their viewing card.  Sky are doing this to replace the chip on the card and to make updates to the system for the future.  For all of you watching Sky outside of the UK you need to be issued with a new white sky card (providing it is being paid for through a SKY contract).

You have been warned.

Thread: Sky TV Change Viewing Cards

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16 Jul 2009 9:54 AM:

Hi shropshall,

The very point of my previous point was that you CAN drive around the UK for 40 years,and if you are a law abiding citizen you will NOT get stopped, nor come across any 'road blocks'. Here in Spain they stop you indiscriminately, for no apparent reason other than to find some reason to 'fine you'.

Justin in a post below (in one of his more serious moments), commented that he found their actions both "unecessary" and "intimidating". Often there will be one or two officers standing in the middle on the road with arms folded pointing at drivers to pull over for no apparent reason. What their criteria for stopping you at that time, may well vary depending on time of day and location.Police along the Costa del Sol are very active in this regard, and it strikes me as being very strange that this area has the highest density of expats and tourists than anywhere else in Spain, which can be 'rich pickings' for them.

As for 'fines', it is true what 'alarmred' said in his post below, about handing cash over to officers as 'fines' without receiving a ticket, receipt or other paperwork.This has not happened to me personally, but I do know of many people personally that has experienced this sort of behaviour. The authorities are well aware this sort of thing goes on and to be fair to them, they do occasionally do something about it. Only a few months ago, two local police officers in Marbella were arrested as a result of a 'sting' operation, where 'decoys' were used to incur 'on the spot fines' without receipts or paperwork.

To be honest, I don't want to enter into a crusade against the police, either here or in the UK as they both have a diffficult job to do. If they treat expats any different from local Spanish people, in some respects who can blame them, when you see the way some British 'holidaymakers' behave here. They even made a 'fly on the wall' documentary a couple of years ago, where TV cameras followed local police, going about their business in Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos, and Puerto Banus. We all witnessed the very worst excesses of British youth that had been transplanted from many UK cities to these shores.

I just feel that given the extraordinary financial circumstances we all find ourselves in, both in Spain and the UK, where tourist figures are down, property prices have plumetted,small business and many restaurants are closing, that the actions of the police doesn't exactly encourage people to go out and enjoy themselves. In some respects, coupled with a Spanish attitude of putting prices up when visitor levels fall, it has the effect of driving people away from Spain, instead of encouraging people to come and enjoy the very best of what Spain DOES have to offer.

Best wishes

Thread: Driving in Flip Flops

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