In Spain secondary school runs from 12 - 16 years old, four years split into two cycles of two years. After this students can either leave school or opt for one of two paths: academic (choosing between four bachilleratos: Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities or Art) or practical (formación profesional) for a further two years. At the end of the this time, in the academic path, a series of external exams are taken (selectividad) which, together with the average of course work marks for the ten subjects studied, forms the basis for entry into university.

The curious element of this sytem is that it is based not as a percentage but as a mark out of fourteen, which is particularly strange given that the bachillerato course comprises ten subjects.

The travel magazine Viajar has just published an article entitled The 15 Most Beautiful Districts of Spain.

At Number 1 is the Albayzin in Granada.

The Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) 'Montevilla Chorreao' from the Granada municipality of Montefrío is the healthiest in the world for its composition in fatty acids, bisphenols and oleocanthal (a natural anti-inflammatory present in it that causes the sensation of itching in the throat when tasting it).

Or so the jury of the international competition The World Best Healthy EVOO 2021-2022 (The 10 Best EVOOs in the world), one of the most prestigious in the sector, in which EVOOs from all over the world participate, whose decision was recently announced.

Montevilla Chorreao oil, from the San Francisco de Asís de Montefrío cooperative, won the gold medal in the healthy composition category, along with others from Spain, Greece and Portugal.

Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in Andalusia. It combines a vibrant city full of life with astounding natural scenery of Sierra Nevada. It is one of the favourite places for expats looking for a property in the South of Spain to retire or to work remotely. However, even though the cultural heritage in the city is extremely well preserved, some of its urban natural resources have not been so well taken care of. This is the case of its principal river, the Genil.

One of the benefits of owning a property in Andalucía is enjoying the astoundingly vast and beautiful natural surroundings. From the seaside to the mountains, one can choose from such a vast collection of different routes and paths that getting lost in nature every so often becomes part of normal life. Often we come across new wonders by accident, but are the days of such accidental discoveries over?

While our parents and grandparents used to tackle excursions with nothing more than a map and their intuition, we have become increasingly more dependent on new technologies to do something so simple as getting from A to B. The arrival of GPS drastically changed the way we navigate the world, both figuratively and literally. In fact, scientists are now arguing that the excessive use of GPS is actually modifying our brain structure, making our hippocampus, the special place in the brain dedicated to special orientation, much smaller. Consequently, we are losing our natural orientation skills. When we force our brain to calibrate, identify landmarks and find our path, it expands its network of neurons and promotes connections between them. However, when we look at our GPS and just follow directions on Google Maps, the brain does not need to form those connections, and thus it loses its ability to form them in the future.

Spatial orientation, an intrinsic human ability that has allowed us to evolve over the years, is now in serious danger. It is a vicious circle: the more we use GPS, the more we damage our sense of direction, and the more we need to use it.

But it is not only our spatial ability that can be affected by the modern habit of following GPS directions. Because the hippocampus is also responsible for storing our memories, not training it properly can also lead to memory loss and an impairment of our mental abilities later in life. The brain, just like any other muscle in the body, needs to be trained periodically, and Google Maps is the equivalent of taking an elevator instead of using the stairs: convenient but not too good for our overall health.

We are often asked this question by clients intending to buy property in Andalucia. Very often it is because they have been asked to pay for "furniture" separately from the purchase of property and to do so in cash.

Firstly let's deal with how much cash you can bring into the country. Law 10/2010, of 28th April, on the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism limits the maximum amount of euros or equivalent in other currencies to €10.000 per person. Beyond this level each individual must make a declaration on entering or leaving. Obviously, if someone leaves with more than they enter, the supposition is that they must have earned/gained it while in the country, for which reason they may be liable to tax.

Secondly, within the territory of Spain there is a limit of €100.000 that may be moved in cash without need of declaring it.

Thirdly, in all transactions involving a professional (retailer, accountant, plumber etc.) there is a limit of €1.000 that may be paid in cash. This was established in Law 11/2021 of 9 July. Above this level, a bank transfer or credit card payment is necessary.

The Spanish long distance railroad network is known for its reliability and safety. Spaniards have embraced the train as one of the fastest and more convenient ways to move around the country. For Andalucía, the train is a vital infrastructure to ensure not only good connections with Madrid and Barcelona, the key business nodes in Spain, but also between the eight Andalusian provinces. Andalusia is the second biggest region in Spain by area. With 87,5 km2 and eight provinces, it has the largest population of any region in Spain, and thus it relies heavily on a strong train network.   

The first high velocity train route in Spain ran between Madrid and Seville. The AVE (which stands for Alta Velocidad Española, Spanish High-Velocity) was inaugurated shortly before the 1992 World Expo, held in Seville, Andalusia’s capital. It was a huge milestone for a country that was just recovering from an economic crisis, and wanted to show the world that it could get up to speed – both literally and figuratively. The route Madrid-Seville quickly became very popular and has already reached the milestone of 83 million passengers. 

Since then, Spain has been expanding its high-speed network which now extends to more than 4.300 kms, with a further 1.380 kms under construction, including seven routes in Andalucía. This positions Spain as the second country in the world in terms of a high-velocity train network. Only China has a more extensive network. 

There is another very popular train service in Spain, the AVANT, which is particularly useful for Andalusians. These trains, which are not as quick as the AVE but reach higher speeds than conventional trains, cover medium distances and Spaniards mainly use them for trips between neighbouring autonomous communities, or to travel to other provinces within the same region. 

Everybody has heard of tapas bars, most of us have eaten in them, they’re ubiquitous in many European countries. But what exactly is tapas? And where does it come from? 

According to the Real Academia Española, voice of authority on the Spanish language, a tapa, in this context, is a small portion of food served as an accompaniment to a drink, usually alcoholic, such as wine or beer. But where does the custom come from?

The origin is debatable. There are many versions as to how the custom started. Let’s look at a few of them. Before we do though, we should examine the meaning of the word tapa. 

 tapa = a cover (tapas is the plural)

tapar = to cover

 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 that a double vaccine passport would be required for entry into bars, restaurants and other indoor events, 7.300 more people have received a first vaccination. Far more effective than compulsory vaccination, which is controversial and risks resistance, is to restrict entry to the pub! There has been little negative public reaction to the measure.

The lack of public resistance to vaccination, together with the continued compulsory wearing of masks in any indoor situation, has so far prevented Spain's health system from suffering an overload to the same degree as many other countries. Although mask wearing in the street has not been obligatory since July 2021, anecdotally around 80% of people in the cities have continued to do so. And, although outdoor sporting events have taken place without restriction in numbers, it has been compulsory to wear a mask throughout the game.  

The Ministry of Health announced today, December 29, 2021, a reduction of the period of isolation for those who have been in contact with a person who has tested positive, from 10 days to 7 days. There is pressure from the autonomous regions to reduce this to 5 days as, nationwide, 90% of all Spanish residents have now been double vaccinated and 80% of those over 80 have received a booster dose. Currently anyone over 58 can receive a booster, often at walk-in clinics with no appointment necessary.

As of today's date, nationally 1 in every 12 hospital beds is occupied with a covid patient. Here in Andalucia it is 1 in every 16.

 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 are often revived and rebuilt in this traditional way using designs that haven't changed for centuries or new designs from the fertile minds of master stone layers. The desire for such traditional paving is not restricted to public spaces. Proud owners of carmens and new houses sometimes incur the expense of laying out their patio in thsi way. One of our new properties, currently under construction, had a new cobblestone patio laid down this past week. 

Speaking to the men laying the stones we were told that the white stones are sourced from rivers and the flat black or dark grey stones are from the beach. These darker stones are more difficult to obtain as there are now restrictions on the quantity that can be "harvested". The extent to which this type of work is still appreciated today is evidenced by the fact that their company only does this type of work and there is no shortage of clients. They travel all over Andalusia, and even outside Spain, to perform this skilful task.

There is a great varietyof design. In Granada it is common to see the shapes of pomegranates (the fruit from which Granada derives its name: granado in Spanish), leaves and flowers inlaid into the pavement, although there is really no limit to the plethora of geometric shapes, animals and objects that can be found.

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 Garcia Lorca centre and the one on the right in Calle Nevot, behind the City Hall and one of the most popular streets with residents and tourists alike to have lunch or dinner. At week-ends Calle Nevot is thronged with people at all times of the year.

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 them on newspaper!

Seen in Calle San José, Albayzin, Granada, on December 20, 2021

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 of late November. 

We are privileged to live in such a beautiful environmemnt!

Anastasia Bay

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 collector owns 250 works herself and these will be exhibited alongside works from fellow private collectors. She does not envisage this project as a commercial proposition but as a means to allow the public to view contemporary art, something which is lacking in the city despite the plethora of musuems the city already possesses.

Given the historic nature of the site and its protected status within the Alhambra Special Protection Area there are many bureaucratic hoops to leap through before the project can be realised, both at municipal and regional level. However, according to Ana Martínez her discussions with the various authorities have been entirely positive given that the authorities recognise the need for such a museum. The biggest difficulty, in planning terms, is that buildings within the zone of protection must be rebuilt in their former style and layout, which is unviable for an exhibition space. Fortunately, there is an exception for singular projects of this type. The fact that only the façade of the building remains standing after the interior was illegally demolished in 2007 will no doubt positively influence the opinion of the various bodies who must give their consent for the project to proceed. Currently the site has no viable use.

Rather than wait until 2023 when it is hoped that all necessary permits will have been obtained and work can start, Ana Martínez has acquired a second building, in the Gran Via de Colón, one of Granada's principal streets, where she will mount exhibitions of millenial art from Spring 2022, pending the construction of her main project.

The project will be entirely private and will not involve any public funding, at least initially. If it succeeds the city will owe Ana a great cultural debt. 

Good news for property buyers in Andalucia!

Semana Santa

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 August 2017, 92% stated thay had been raised Christinan (which in post-Inquisition Spain means Catholic) but only 66% remained Christian in adulthood as the graph below shows.

Of the 66% who consider themselves still to be Christian only 21% attend church at least once a month, slightly more than the U.K. but less than Austria, Germany or Switzerland.

Finally, the propertion of respondents who state that they are atheists, agnostics or have no religion is higher in Spain than all Western European countries surveyed apart from the Benelux countries and the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden.

This research depicts a country that perhaps few people outside of Spain would recognise. It is certainly one of the most tolerant and socially liberal Western societies with a less negative opinion of muslims and with gay marriage and same sex-adopition legalised since 2005.

Spanish Parliament Building

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, citizens rights and obligations, discussion of news topics etc.

Following on from my article about the decline in those who regard themselves as Christians (a fall from 92% brought up as Christians to 66% who remain Christians in adulthood) it is interesting to note that only roughly half of that percentage (35%) elect to tick the box on their annual tax return (la casilla de la iglesia) that diverts taxes to the Catholic church.

However, this diversion of funds deprives the state of approximately €250 millions annually, a figure that has not declined despite the crises of the past ten years. So, where does this money go to? Much of it pays the salaries of 22.000 priests who receive €12.600 p.a tax free together with their accommodation and associated costs such as electricity, water etc. and the salaries of 113 bishops and archbishops who receive €17.500 p.a. plus accommodation, a car and chauffeur.

These salaries account for roughly 70% of the diverted taxes, the rest is paid over to the various dioceses for other expenses. Although there is a tacit understanding between church and state that services for followers are provided free there are a vast array of additional services that the clergy charge for, whether directly or as chaplains to prisons, hospitals, brotherhoods, teachers of religion in schools or colleges etc.

Structural Change in Spanish Mortgages

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 by a decrease in the average interest rate charged due, in part, to fiercer competition between financial institutions. Wheres in early 2009 the rate was 5.5% by Autumn 2018 it has dropped to 2.6%.

With the recovery in the economy and increasing property prices, there has been a commensurate increase in the number of mortgages granted which have grown steadily since late 2013. At around 30.000 per month they are a long way from the heights of the boom but the new law on mortgages whereby the costs are switched from the borrower to the lender is expected to boost the growth considerably. This is likely to accelerate the annual growth in property prices which stood at +7.2% for the thrird quarter of 2018.

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 levels of mid-2011.

Whether this growth will be maintained is uncertain as, although the economy is growing well, recent changes in legislation affecting the costs that banks must bear when conceding mortgages may place a brake on the market until these institutions work out how best to make money in a new environment.