This week especially there has been so many topics about the negatives of living in Spain, we have had,
Demolitions,
Bullying in schools,
No work,
You are going to get burgled if you have a satelite dish,(the foreigners get robbed) quote!
Racism,
Guardia racism,
people stabbed, murdered, raped etc.. it all exists, you just dont know about it ! 'quote'
So what are the good points? Why are you living here?
What do you actually like about Spain?
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Michaelinland
- Andalucia.com Amigo
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:38 pm
- Location: Granada
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princess peach
- Andalucia Guru
- Posts: 3961
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:17 am
- Location: Chester,UK
oh at last.....what we all need...well done michaelinland for posting this question:D
here we go...
I like the climate-even the winter(as you know its not here for long)
I like the quality time i have with my husband and child(phone never rings constantly from the boss)
I like not having to work.
i love the people.
I love the peace and quiet-living near the edge of the campo.
the beaches are fantastic.
The wildlife is amazing..even the creepie crawlies..
I just love everything..the views are spectacular...scenery is amazing...
I also love the fact,that although we have scourching hot summers,we never have hosepipe bans.(we are all just -i hope ...respectful with water)
I could go on and on....but will let someone else get a word in.xxxx
here we go...
I like the climate-even the winter(as you know its not here for long)
I like the quality time i have with my husband and child(phone never rings constantly from the boss)
I like not having to work.
i love the people.
I love the peace and quiet-living near the edge of the campo.
the beaches are fantastic.
The wildlife is amazing..even the creepie crawlies..
I just love everything..the views are spectacular...scenery is amazing...
I also love the fact,that although we have scourching hot summers,we never have hosepipe bans.(we are all just -i hope ...respectful with water)
I could go on and on....but will let someone else get a word in.xxxx
We have the best of both worlds, uk and spain. when i am not in spain i long to be but know i can return to the uk and earn a few quid when i need to. very little crime in our area and people are friendly enough but then i dont go out getting bladdered and causing a scene. nice food and a few beers. The spanish are totally different to the brits and the dislike of brits in the big towns is all our own fault for the way alot of us behave, mainly through drink.
the only thing i dont like about spain is when its cold and wet it always seems cloder then the uk, mainly because we have carpets n the uk and marble floors in spain.
It seems that every now and again we have a negative attitude to spain on this forum.
the only thing i dont like about spain is when its cold and wet it always seems cloder then the uk, mainly because we have carpets n the uk and marble floors in spain.
It seems that every now and again we have a negative attitude to spain on this forum.
The weather....Fantastic...January and it's gorgeous sunshine!
My Children able to come home from school and play outside around the garden, bounce on thier trampoline etc (rather than being stuck indoors)....
To be able to drive home from work in 3 mins, looking at the sea....
walks along the beach at sunset with the dog
activities with the kids are cheaper and therefore become more regular....
tonight I will get home at 5, and I am taking the littles for a game of crazy golf, before taking them to the driving range for half hour (which BTW costs me €2 for each of them to have a bucket of balls!)
I love living in a place where there are lots of holiday makers (which generally makes for a happy environment)
NEVER driving to or from work in the dark!
Ferrias, the color and way all ages are involved
Going to meet with clients that are based in Puerto Banus (how cool eh, before I would be on the tube around london or even the home counties, now it's a lovely port with sun and shiny boats!!!!)
Having friends come to stay and spending proper quality time connecting with them...rather than the few hours we used to spend together where we only really spoke about how FINE everything was....(spend 4 days with someone in your house and you get to know how they are below that "fine" front that we all wear!)
Sledging in Sierra Nevada on Saturday, lunch on the beach on sunday!!
Eating out more often (more affordable and child friendly)
Not being caught up in the consumerist society that I was stuck in back in the UK....
Cheaper petrol!
A swimming pool in the garden....
A bathroom for every bedroom....
My children are nearly fully bi lingual....
Cigarettes at €3 per pack (although i do really want to quit, honest)
People in the UK constantly reminding me how lucky I am!
The view from the coffee shop in Mijas Pueblo....
Visiting a shopping center because I want to buy something rather than because "thats what you do at the weekend".....Then being able to move when you are there!
Not feeling obligated to buy something I don't really need, or can ill afford simply because I can buy now, pay nothing for a year, then enjoy 4 years interest free credit!!!
The mix of old and new (watching a new mercedes waiting to pass an old guy in a horse and cart!)
knowing the life I have now is a concious choice as opposed to just working to live where I have always lived (although this could be true of any relocation, not just Spain)...
Chiringuitos
palm trees (although I do miss a wood full of oaks)
noisy little old ladies
Beautiful Golf courses everywhere (even though I dont play as often as I would like)
Increased respect people (most of them) have for the police/guardia (oh how effective a gun and menacing looking uniform are eh)
Airport parking that doesnt require a small bank loan!
I'll finish there reserving the right to add more!
My Children able to come home from school and play outside around the garden, bounce on thier trampoline etc (rather than being stuck indoors)....
To be able to drive home from work in 3 mins, looking at the sea....
walks along the beach at sunset with the dog
activities with the kids are cheaper and therefore become more regular....
tonight I will get home at 5, and I am taking the littles for a game of crazy golf, before taking them to the driving range for half hour (which BTW costs me €2 for each of them to have a bucket of balls!)
I love living in a place where there are lots of holiday makers (which generally makes for a happy environment)
NEVER driving to or from work in the dark!
Ferrias, the color and way all ages are involved
Going to meet with clients that are based in Puerto Banus (how cool eh, before I would be on the tube around london or even the home counties, now it's a lovely port with sun and shiny boats!!!!)
Having friends come to stay and spending proper quality time connecting with them...rather than the few hours we used to spend together where we only really spoke about how FINE everything was....(spend 4 days with someone in your house and you get to know how they are below that "fine" front that we all wear!)
Sledging in Sierra Nevada on Saturday, lunch on the beach on sunday!!
Eating out more often (more affordable and child friendly)
Not being caught up in the consumerist society that I was stuck in back in the UK....
Cheaper petrol!
A swimming pool in the garden....
A bathroom for every bedroom....
My children are nearly fully bi lingual....
Cigarettes at €3 per pack (although i do really want to quit, honest)
People in the UK constantly reminding me how lucky I am!
The view from the coffee shop in Mijas Pueblo....
Visiting a shopping center because I want to buy something rather than because "thats what you do at the weekend".....Then being able to move when you are there!
Not feeling obligated to buy something I don't really need, or can ill afford simply because I can buy now, pay nothing for a year, then enjoy 4 years interest free credit!!!
The mix of old and new (watching a new mercedes waiting to pass an old guy in a horse and cart!)
knowing the life I have now is a concious choice as opposed to just working to live where I have always lived (although this could be true of any relocation, not just Spain)...
Chiringuitos
palm trees (although I do miss a wood full of oaks)
noisy little old ladies
Beautiful Golf courses everywhere (even though I dont play as often as I would like)
Increased respect people (most of them) have for the police/guardia (oh how effective a gun and menacing looking uniform are eh)
Airport parking that doesnt require a small bank loan!
I'll finish there reserving the right to add more!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=1157
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4320
Oh, I nearly forgot, Chufa, could not live without my daily dose
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4320
Oh, I nearly forgot, Chufa, could not live without my daily dose
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palmtrees
- Andalucia.com Amigo
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- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:14 pm
- Location: andalucia and gibraltar
- Contact:
Everything princess peach says and:
Very fresh veg
Cycling to town - and further (the roads are wider and there is a two metre rule here - we both hated cycling when we went back to the UK)
Being able to repair the vehicle in the street in the sun in the middle of winter (even if you can't wash it in the street)
Walking down to the beach
The space - we have a small house - but as soon as we walk outside, there is so much space (and a sea view)
Being a foreigner living abroad (we would have made good colonial Brits)
All round cheaper cost of living
Not having to dress up all the time/at all (unless we go to Málaga)
Being able to learn a new language - and use it
The way strangers merrily chat to each other on the bus or in the bank queue
Overall politeness in our village - people you only know by sight always say hello, well buenas actually.
Someone else's turn.
Very fresh veg
Cycling to town - and further (the roads are wider and there is a two metre rule here - we both hated cycling when we went back to the UK)
Being able to repair the vehicle in the street in the sun in the middle of winter (even if you can't wash it in the street)
Walking down to the beach
The space - we have a small house - but as soon as we walk outside, there is so much space (and a sea view)
Being a foreigner living abroad (we would have made good colonial Brits
)All round cheaper cost of living
Not having to dress up all the time/at all (unless we go to Málaga)
Being able to learn a new language - and use it
The way strangers merrily chat to each other on the bus or in the bank queue
Overall politeness in our village - people you only know by sight always say hello, well buenas actually.
Someone else's turn.
It's always bright, in the UK I always feel I could touch the sky it seems so heavy...
The tast of the fresh fruit, quality and price of fresh seafood...
The long summer holidays... Spending more time as a family...
Being able to plan day's out without having to worry about the weather...
We can go out for a family meal and not have to leave by 9.30 because we have children...
Churros... Tapas...
Scenery...
My son can play outside even in January without needing hat,scarf,gloves... Hearing him laugh as they go on a 'bug hunt' through the trees...
Listening to my neighbour as he plays flamenco in the street on his guitar and his young daughters sing...
How friendly the Spanish are to us...
Cost of living...
Quality of life...
The tast of the fresh fruit, quality and price of fresh seafood...
The long summer holidays... Spending more time as a family...
Being able to plan day's out without having to worry about the weather...
We can go out for a family meal and not have to leave by 9.30 because we have children...
Churros... Tapas...
Scenery...
My son can play outside even in January without needing hat,scarf,gloves... Hearing him laugh as they go on a 'bug hunt' through the trees...
Listening to my neighbour as he plays flamenco in the street on his guitar and his young daughters sing...
How friendly the Spanish are to us...
Cost of living...
Quality of life...
Spanish life normally falls into one of two types of day....
Good Spain Days
Bad Spain Days
you either have a good Spain day or bad spain day...bad ones usually involve the things you take for granted in the UK that are just Spain...so not really a major issue..red tape, process and the speed things get done are all about Spain...but that is life here, the Good Spain days are pretty much everything else....
The major differnece is the colour of the light in Spain..to me, it is what makes you come alive.
Good Spain Days
Bad Spain Days
you either have a good Spain day or bad spain day...bad ones usually involve the things you take for granted in the UK that are just Spain...so not really a major issue..red tape, process and the speed things get done are all about Spain...but that is life here, the Good Spain days are pretty much everything else....
The major differnece is the colour of the light in Spain..to me, it is what makes you come alive.
I totally agree....and quite often a "bad spain day" is transformed very quickly into a "good spain day" just because of the light and warmth of the sun...... I would have a "bad" day at the office in the UK and then have to travel for an hour on Tubes and trains to get home (often walking in to children who have been unable to "excercise" because of the weather and are "highly strung", with Mrs A pulling her hair out) none of which changed my state (in fact things normally went downhill!!!...I have a "bad day" at work here, drive for a couple of KMs looking at the sun glistening off of the Sea, pull up at home to the kids playing in the garden and Mrs A not pulling her hair out....I'll get a coffee, sit watch the sea for 5 mins and my state changes, making for a pleasant evening!
Ok, Ok, James, enough all ready 
I'm looking out of my office window, into swirling rain and the winds howling around the building.
I don't care about the property crash (if it actually exists) I already have my little house on my little piece of Spain.... I just want to live in it all the time!!!
Now, where is that calculator, bank and share certificates!
Cant wait the sooner the better!
One Green eyed Kmoppz....
I'm looking out of my office window, into swirling rain and the winds howling around the building.I don't care about the property crash (if it actually exists) I already have my little house on my little piece of Spain.... I just want to live in it all the time!!!
Now, where is that calculator, bank and share certificates!
Cant wait the sooner the better!
One Green eyed Kmoppz....
I have to say I'm not bowled over by some of the "fresh" vegetables. If they were produced in a tunnel, and most are, they are fed a cocktail of plaguicidas, pesticidas etc, some of which are not even legal. Those delicious strawberries are leeching nitrates into Doñana at a frightening level.
2. Spain cracks down on use of illegal pesticides in vegetable production.
In late December, German authorities found traces of the illegal substance isofenphos-methyl on peppers imported from the Almería region in southern Spain. In January 2007, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland also detected traces of the unauthorised substance. In response, the Spanish government immediately issued an alert to stop the sale of peppers and followed up with vigorous inspections. Over 20 greenhouses were closed down and the owners were charged with crimes against public health, and fined up to €120,000. Criminal investigations are ongoing.
2. Spain cracks down on use of illegal pesticides in vegetable production.
In late December, German authorities found traces of the illegal substance isofenphos-methyl on peppers imported from the Almería region in southern Spain. In January 2007, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland also detected traces of the unauthorised substance. In response, the Spanish government immediately issued an alert to stop the sale of peppers and followed up with vigorous inspections. Over 20 greenhouses were closed down and the owners were charged with crimes against public health, and fined up to €120,000. Criminal investigations are ongoing.
Regards, Frank
No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?
No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?
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Don
And more recently (ie last month) : The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) congratulated the Spanish Environmental Police (Seprona) for its successful operation, “Don Limpio”, which resulted in the detention of eleven suspects and the seizure of 2,200kg of illegal pesticides in Almería, Southeast of Spain. The pesticide industry reiterated its demand for improved enforcement and policing operations to reprimand those who sell and use illegal pesticides.
The detainees are accused of crimes against public health and infringement of Intellectual Property Rights. The eleven suspects, allegedly belong to a criminal network of illegal pesticide trafficking, were operating in the Southeast of Spain. Their modus operandi was to introduce illegal pesticides onto the Spanish market through an importer, who sold them to intermediaries, who sold them to the final users, farmers.
Since the illegal pesticide, isofenphos-methyl, was found on exported Spanish peppers throughout Europe earlier this year, Seprona has detained more than 15 people and seized about 4,000kg of illegal pesticides.
The detainees are accused of crimes against public health and infringement of Intellectual Property Rights. The eleven suspects, allegedly belong to a criminal network of illegal pesticide trafficking, were operating in the Southeast of Spain. Their modus operandi was to introduce illegal pesticides onto the Spanish market through an importer, who sold them to intermediaries, who sold them to the final users, farmers.
Since the illegal pesticide, isofenphos-methyl, was found on exported Spanish peppers throughout Europe earlier this year, Seprona has detained more than 15 people and seized about 4,000kg of illegal pesticides.
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Don
Like most places in the world, if there is money to be made through illegal activities, criminals have a go. But on the positive side the Spanish authorities immediately started to tackle the problem and are delivering impressive results in terms of ensuring public conumer safety. Although some very dangerous pesticides such as DDT are banned from sale and supply these days, you will still find some stocks stashed away on British farms (good stuff dont you know, keep it just is case gov cos it really works).
Edit for the "benefit" of the poster below, if you took the trouble to read and understand what is written you might see that this is a positive fact about Andalucia and Spain. Press releases which are out of date and misleading do nothing to help the presentation of what is really happening here in Spain. Please try and contribute to the thread and stop sniping at others.
Edit for the "benefit" of the poster below, if you took the trouble to read and understand what is written you might see that this is a positive fact about Andalucia and Spain. Press releases which are out of date and misleading do nothing to help the presentation of what is really happening here in Spain. Please try and contribute to the thread and stop sniping at others.
Last edited by Don on Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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princess peach
- Andalucia Guru
- Posts: 3961
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:17 am
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oh behave you two(Don and Frank)this is a very happy thread..and you have just spoiled it all with your gripes about toxic junk on our fruit and veg. 
Shall we say then ,That the fruit and V tastes better here then coz we have the sun on our backs..pesticide or no pesticide???
Come on everyone..keep it up,this is very nice,and positive for a change
Its what we love not hate...
Shall we say then ,That the fruit and V tastes better here then coz we have the sun on our backs..pesticide or no pesticide???
Come on everyone..keep it up,this is very nice,and positive for a change
Its what we love not hate...
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Michaelinland
- Andalucia.com Amigo
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:38 pm
- Location: Granada
I buy a lot of fruit and veg, I also grow a lot. It's cheap plentifull, tastes nice, I have never been ill through it!
I wonder how many posts this ends up with. Compared to the negative ones?
I enjoy life in Spain, it makes me feel healthier, happier, we are enjoying it, so for the time that's enough from me.
Mike
I wonder how many posts this ends up with. Compared to the negative ones?
I enjoy life in Spain, it makes me feel healthier, happier, we are enjoying it, so for the time that's enough from me.
Mike
I love the little quirks I find in Spain.
Like when I visited my local post office to collect a parcel, only open half an hour a day, the person in front of me wanted to post a parcel. The postman took it off her, left the office, crossed the road and went into the veg shop to way the parcel
Cheers
Gerry
Like when I visited my local post office to collect a parcel, only open half an hour a day, the person in front of me wanted to post a parcel. The postman took it off her, left the office, crossed the road and went into the veg shop to way the parcel
Cheers
Gerry
Gerry Harris
I'm all for you being positive, but you mention the lovely fresh fruit, as if it's something that is so much better than UK. The fact is a lot of it isn't.princess peach wrote:oh behave you two(Don and Frank)this is a very happy thread..and you have just spoiled it all with your gripes about toxic junk on our fruit and veg.
And the brilliant beaches?
Depends what you are used to, I'm probably spoilt in that respect, so find the CDS beaches very disappointing. It's an ongoing job to put new sand back after every winter. For nice beaches, Costa de la Luz will beat it every time. A bit windy, but so much nicer, and with a lot less people.Regards, Frank
No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?
No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?
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