ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Visit ‘Pride’ in Spain – You Won’t Regret It!

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Pride 01Pride in Spain – Always!!!

What is it like being gay in Spain? Well like any question of this ilk, it depends on what you are looking for; but for any Spaniard it means one thing – BEING PROUD TO BE A SPANIARD.  They have pride in their country and their culture. Some of the major cities have a thriving LGBT culture, with clubs and bars, and other venues, but most often you will find that in Spain being gay means you have to travel if you want to socialise. That is not to say you won’t find gay friends in the small towns and villages, but it is difficult unless you are using the internet and apps on your phone – and remember internet access can be expensive in Spain, but a lot of bars/restaurants/cafes offer free internet so the possibility is there.

The following cities run Pride events during the season:

Pride in Bendirom

barcelona-viewpoint

Indeed this year the Benidorm Tourist Foundation,  travelled to Stockholm, along with Turespana and the Valencian Tourism Agency for the Stockholm Pride 2016 LGBT Festival. The objectives of Visit Benidorm where two fold, firstly to promote Benidorm Pride, one of the resort’s most important LGBT assets; and secondly to demonstrate to Sweden’s gay community that Benidorm can offer year-round advantages including LGBT accommodation, beaches, food, sports and leisure opportunities.

 

A visit to Cullera, Valencia

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The drive from Real Monasterio DeSanta Maria de la Valldigna to Cullera is a relatively unexciting drive, it takes you along the CV 600 then the CV605 and takes about 28 minutes.

 

Part of the way is well signed, but when you get close to the town then things got slightly more difficult, but with luck and guesswork we found our way to the metal bridge at the Oliva/Gandia end of town and then down to the beach area.  Parking was relatively easy, as at this time of the year there was free parking up to 8.30 pm – please note that during the various holiday seasons parking charges are in force, don’t get caught out, it does get costly.

Cullera Beach - 1

Cullera Beach – 1

Cullera Beach - 2

Cullera Beach – 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having successfully parked and made our way to the beach we walked up to the restaurants strip, and Eli my guide took me to her normal eatery – the service was attentive, and the food was lovely.  It was added to by being able to sit outside and look out over the sea and beach area and to see families and individuals enjoying themselves. There was a fair cross-section of ages, and a lot of those on the beach appeared to be Spanish.

Having finished and paid for our lunch, we then decided to go for a stroll looking at the few shops with things to sell – a lot of it was you would guess for the tourist market, but there were still some items of interest.  There was no point of us walking into the main part of the town, as it was Saturday and after 1.30pm which meant that the local shops had closed for the weekend.

At the end of the strip but the blue fountain, we were able to get a glimpse of the castle on the hill – or more rightly I should say  it is a fortress built in the 13th century over the old Moorish fortress.

Cullera - Fortress -2

Cullera – Fortress -2

Cullera - Fortress -1

Cullera – Fortress -1

It was then back to the car, calling into the Ale-Hop – a shop which seems to have a wild mix of items, but for myself I loved the books which they had for drawing and writing – wonderful exotic backs and covers, and not expensive for what you where getting.

 

ale-hop-cullera

ale-hop-cullera

The drive back to Oliva was uneventful, and everyone went home having had a wonderful day, both in terms of place and weather.

 

Links:

Real Monasterio De Santa Maria de la Valldigna

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Today I had the lovely task of chauffeuring two friends to see the Real Monasterio DeSanta Maria de la Valldigna, followed by travelling to Cullera for lunch.  Both of these locations are located in Valencia, and both for completely different reasons are worth seeing.

Valldigna - Two Friends

Valldigna – Two Friends

 

The monastery is set in superb grounds, in a lovely valley, with a lovely backdrop of mountain ranges.

…The monastery was founded in 1297 by James II of Aragon. Since the beginning, it was one of the most important monasteries of the Cistercian order. It was founded by the monks of Santes Creus in the Tarragona province. The whole Valldigna valley belonged to the monks, according to a royal order.

The monastery was inhabited by monks until 1835, when a revolt in the Valldigna valley took place after the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. After that, the monks were forced to abandon the monastery. Most of its goods and works of art were sold, plundered or destroyed….(Wikipedia)

I was immediately taken by the tranquility of the location, of the range of buildings and outhouses, and with the internal art work shown in the main building in the grounds.  The interior of the main building shows only a flavour of what it must of looked like at the high of its occupation by the monks.

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Valldigna – Interior

Valldigna - roof atrium

roof atrium

 

I fell in love with quietness of the location, and with the beauty of the craftsmanship and thought which had gone into the plans for the monastery.  It obviously was a place of work, but also of contemplation and spiritual retreat.

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I have been smitten by this monastery and will be returning at least once a  month so that I can sketch and paint some part of it, and also to take time out to recharge my batteries.

 

Links:

Wonderful Cities to Visit in Spain

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I urge you to visit the wonderful cities of Spain, at every turn you will be dazzled by what they have to offer; each has its own unique nature and culture, however in this article, I hope to draw your attention to a shortlist of these wonderful cities to visit in Spain; I am not listing them in any particular order, but hope that you will during your travels attempt to see some if not all of them:

Spanish cities are wonderful, unique, full of character and surprises.  It is worth the effort to plan to visit them during your visits to Spain, to revel in their colour, vibrancy and also the wonderful food and people.

Travel, enjoy, and most of all spread the word about the wonderful cities to visit in Spain

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View a map of the wonderful cities of Spain here

References:

  1. Escape Here – http://www.escapehere.com/destination/the-12-most-beautiful-and-underrated-cities-in-spain/
  2. Touropia – http://www.touropia.com/best-places-to-visit-in-spain/

Viva Espana

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This is my first blog entry in relation to my dream to move and live in Spain.  Over time I hope to develop my knowledge of Spain, its culture, customs and its language.  In the meantime I will keep my eyes open for appropriate and interesting articles to start the ball rolling.  Call To ActionAre you moving or living in Spain, if you have interesting stories or have information then please pass it on to ACOMSDave and his Viva Espana.

 

Want a great work-life balance? Then head to Spain

Author: Ian Clover  |  June 15th, 2015

There are many Brits who live on the Costa del Sol who never intended for their extended holiday to turn into a decade-long spell in Spain. Those early, carefree days of life in Spain can stretch out across the long and languid summer like the calm seas of the glistening Mediterranean, but there is always that nagging voice inside saying “this will not – cannot – last!”

But while expats who treat life on the Costa del Sol as one long, sun-kissed holidayare in for a shock, those prepared to balance living life with knuckling down will find that Spain is actually one of the best places in the world to strike the right balance…

A recent report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that Spain ranks second behind Denmark at delivering the best work-life balance in the world.

Denmark is a fine country, with excellent public services, high wages and superb beer, but its climate gives Scotland a run for its money in the ‘bleak and chilly’ stakes. Spain, blessed with abundant sunshine and the highest average temperatures in Europe, is a fantastic place in which to enjoy the ideal work-life balance.

According to the study, Spaniards who work full time actually devoted a greater portion of their day to personal care and pursuing leisure activities than any other nation in the world, racking up an impressive 16 hours a day doing things like sports, hobbies, dining, sleeping, meeting with friends or spending time with family.

What’s more, just six per cent of Spaniards worked more than 50 hours a week. And if you’re thinking that this may play a part in Spain’s recent economic woes, then think again – rich, stable, prosperous Denmark has just two per cent of its workforceclocking up more than 50 hours at work each week.

“Finding a suitable balance between work and life is a challenge for all workers, especially working parents,” said the OECD report. “The ability to successfully combine work, family commitments and personal life is important for the well-being of all members in a household.

“Evidence suggests that long work hours may impair personal health, jeopardise safety and increase stress.”

The report formed part of the OECD’s ‘Better Life Index’, which ranks the quality of living in all OECD member nations. Spain scored highly in many other areas, including housing – the country has some of Europe’s finest, most affordable property – community and health, with Spaniards living longer than most other nationalities in the world.

However, there is still room for improvement, with Spain performing below-average on environmental quality, education and income. These things, however, are all improving as the country continues its economic recovery.

The finer things in life – friends, family, health and happiness – Spain already gets right, although most Spaniards would admit that an extra bit of cash in their pocket each month would not go amiss…