The city of Granada offers no shortage of options for adventures and enjoying nature. Anyone who has explored it even a little bit will know that Granada has a ski resort just behind it, cave houses in its very centre, the countryside a quick walk from almost anywhere in the city and beaches under an hour away. However, did you know that the p

   Andalusia, and Granada province in particular, is well known for its beautiful dark grey and white cobblestone patios and squares. It is an age-old custom that can still be appreciated today walking through the streets of many of the towns and cities of Andalusia. It is rewarding to see that the tradition still lives on. Public squares

 According to recent press reports, by December 23, 202,  85% of the population of Granada province, excluding the under 5's and the  5 - 11 age group whose vaccination programme started in early December, have now received a double dose of vaccine.  Interestingly, since December 10, 2021 when the Junta de Andalucia announced th

  Here in Granada we live a privileged lifestyle. Hot summers, cold winters, with sunshine for over 300 days. The photos above were taken on December 4, 2021 and, as you can see, all ages could enjoy bright sunshine while eating on restaurant and cafe terraces. The photo on the left was taken in the Plaza de la Romanilla, near the Federico Gar

I have always admired the Japanese practice of removing shoes on entering a house and leaving them in the vestibule, usually in a cupboard designed especially for that purpose. I have never, however, seen anybody remove their high heels before entering a church with a cold stone floor. The owner of the red shoes in the photo even took car to place

  These views were sent to us by a client, MDR, who bought her property earlier this year. The views are taken from her house approximately 40 kms north-west of Granada. In the forground verdant olive groves, in the distance, approximately 80 kms away, are the peaks of the Sierra Nevada in the first week of December after the initial snowfall

According to media reports a thirty-year-old contemporary art collector, Ana Martínez Frías, has acquired a 1.800 m2 historic building in Plaza Santa Ana, Granada, where she intends to create a mueseum of millenial art. Works from both new artists and established artists such as Avery Singer, Kelly Akashi and Anastasia Bay will be exhibited. The co

      Good news for property buyers in Andalucia!   For the rest of this year, that is for all purchases concluded before 31st December 2021, the Junta de Andalucía has reduced tax rates with immediate effect.   This table shows the changes: Purchase Price Existing Rate New Rate Up to €400.000 8 % 7 % €400.000 - €

There has been a lot of controversy about the amount of money required to reconstruct France's most iconic cathedral and where that money should come from. The French government immediately committed to the reconstruction. It struck me that the Catholic Church itself, one of the wealthiest organisations in the world, would have been a better source

According to data just issued by the Bloomberg Global Health Index, Spain ranks as the healthiest country in the world, replacing Italy, the leader in the last survey. The index is based on various factors including longevity, infant mortality, rates of obesity and tobacco consumption, the health system and access to clean water etc.  Currentl

Although the overall level of property transactions are more than 30 % below their peak in the boom year of 2007, sales of existing houses, as opposed to new-builds, are fast approaching the levels seen in the boom. In 2018 422,500 used properties were sold compared to the height of 448.900 in 2007. More second-hand properties were sold in 2018 tha

The unemployment rate in Spain dropped, at the end of 2018, to its lowest level in a decade. From the peak of over 25% on 2013, the official rate has now fallen to 14.4%. Although still high compared to the EU average of 6.6% or the Eurozone 7.9% it is perhaps as well to bear in mind the prevalence of cash in the Spanish economy. Many people, altho

From 1st January 2019 the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez increased the minimum wage by a whopping 22%, the largest ever increase since the minimum wage was introduced. The level is now set at €900 per month in a 14 month year (double payments were traditional in May and August) or €1.050 per month if paid on a 12 month basis. There is even a

Recently published data on the number of mortgages conceded by financial institutions continues to show a modest but sustained upward trend as the graph from Idealist below shows. Rock bottom was hit at the end of 2013 but by late 2018 the number of mortgages granted, although a long way from the giddy heights of the boom years had returned to the

Partly caused by the banning of the minimum interest rate clause (la clausula suelo) in Spanish mortgages (see my earler article) there has been a dramatic shift from Base Rate Plus mortgages to Fixed Interest mortgages. At the end of 2015 Fixed Rate mortgages represented less than 10% of the total. By mid 2018 it was 40%. This has been accompanied

Banks, not borrowers, must pay the costs The Spanish government, under pressure from the EU, has clarified who must pay what in terms of costs when a borrower agrees a mortgage loan with a bank. Previously, all charges were paid by the borrower and they were onerous. Now all of the charges, except a valuation of the property, must be paid by the ba

I read an article recently which highlighted just how much Spain has changed since the death of Franco in 1975 and the adoption of the new constitution in 1978. Whilst many countries have experienced significant change in this period, Spain's transition from a dictatorship, under which industries producing poor quality goods were protected, to a mo

Spain is in an anomalous position with regard to separating the state from the Catholic church.  State schools are all lay institutions and religion is taught only as an option. In my daughter’s school the majority of students opt for Valores Éticos (Ethical Values) instead. This is an interesting choice encompassing debates about racism, citi

On a recent trip through Sevilla province I stopped to meet a colleague at a roadside restaurant near Marchena. I ordered a bottle of water while I was waiting. The waiter asked what tapas I wanted with the water. I opted for chipirones (baby squids). The dish arrived with a  potato and red pepper salad. Delicious. When I came to pay I could b

According to research by the Pew Research Institute a significant proportion of Spaniards who grew up as Catholics have lost their faith in adulthood. The drop in adherents in Spain is one of the most pronounced in Western Europe. Only Belgium and Norway have seen a greater drop. Of the respondents to their survey undertaken between April and Augus