The countdown has begun! Only 24 more sleeps and Christmas day will be upon us. For most people in the UK this day conjures up a warm feeling inside and thoughts of a cosy family gathering. Children and grown-ups get presents from Father Christmas, houses get decorated with pine trees and tinsel, while mince pies […]
Traditional paella originated in the Valencia region of Spain. It’s believed that its origins are a blend of Roman and Arab influences. The Romans introduced irrigation in this area and the Arabs brought rice. The rest of the ingredients would be what was local to the region and accessible for the peasants who traditionally cooked […]
Spanish is spoken by around 500 million people throughout the world, and by 350 million as their first language. It is the official language of 22 countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Venezuela. […]
One of my favourite words in English is moreish. The word moreish does not have an exact equivalent word in Spanish. We surely have the concept but this needs a long and winding clarification in Spanish that just kills the beauty of this word’s self -explanatory nature. It might look like a plain and unpretentious […]
SPANIARDS ARE GENERALLY LOUD FACT: We speak generally a couple of notches louder than inhabitants from other nations. ALL WOMEN LOOK LIKE PENELOPE CRUZ. ALL MEN LOOK LIKE ANTONIO BANDERAS MYTH: Erm, nope. We don’t. Unfortunately. Spain is a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities. Although the combo dark eyes/dark hair prevails, we have […]
Living in Britain we are never short of small talk material. Are we? I once went on a half hour train journey talking to a stranger about nothing but the weather: the unreliable, surprising, out of the blue, crazy old British weather. Much disliked, yet so handy when conversation is dwindling, especially in the summer. […]
Listen to the Spanish text here Once on a warm Spanish summer night, my friend S. and I were walking to the pub when our lives were changed forever. A 12 year old boy approached us smiling and without a warning asked my friend, “¿Tiene hora?”. When he left my friend turned round and asked […]
7th July, San Fermin. Today Pamplona celebrates its Patron Saint, Saint Fermin with the running of the bulls. Over a million people take part in this festival every year. Thanks in part to Hemingway’s The Sun also arises, this event is now famous worlwide and the most renowned fiesta in Spain. See this morning’s bull […]
There are 45 million Hispanophones in the United States who speak Spanish as their first or second language. The Spanish speaking community rose from 10% of the US population to 13% from the year 2000 to 2010. This means that the US is the second largest Hispanophone country after Mexico. And somewhat surprisingly, there are […]