Snow
on the ski slope
Sierra Nevada, Granada
Did
you know?
…there is an Anglo Spanish Society?
This
registered charity promotes itself as aiming
' to promote friendship and understanding between the
peoples of Britain and Spain through knowledge of each
other's customs, institutions, history and way of life.'
Sounds good to me! On their website they advertise a
number of events, some of which are exclusive to them
(and you do have to be a member) others are open to
the general public and anyone with an interest in Spain.
If you are a member of the society there are discounts
available on tickets etc. and in some cases additional
'extras' are organised. You can also download copies
of their magazine from the website. We're not saying
it can rival Ábaco's but it's worth taking a look: anglospanishsociety.org
…about Club Nórdico?
This
is a not-for-profit club for Scandinavians in the Costa
Blanca. It includes news items, events, activities and
articles to read: clubnordico.com
…about the Spanish/ Swedish chamber of commerce?
It's
aim is to encourge business links between Spain and
Sweden. They also hold events, publish information and
provide advice to their members: camarahispanosueca.com
Enjoy
reading about Spain?
Then
let us introduce you to this new site: books4spain.com
It advertises and makes accessible fiction and non-fiction
books about Spain. There are interesting reviews
and it aims to be 'personal' as well as comprehensive.
What always surpises me when looking at the lists of
books about Spain is how many young British authors,
poets and artists were prepared to leave the comfort
of their homes to travel to a foreign country independently
and fight in the Spanish Civil war. I personally, find
their idealism inspirational whatever you might feel
about their politics. They might have been naïve and
even misguided but they believed in a cause and were
prepared to be more than armchair commentators.
It's not all about war. There is plenty of fiction including
crime and thriller titles and you'll find biographies
and memoirs, art and architecture and a good smattering
of classics.
It's early days for this website. However, it looks
very promising. If you just can't get enough of the
country then read about it instead!
Do
you know what a blanket trip is?
I
didn't! Until I read some posts on a forum. Apparently
it is a trip that is offered free but has an ulterior
motive of showcasing products with the hope that
you will buy them. During the trip you might be taken
on a detour to a factory or other outlet to hear the
sales pitch. As suggested by the title, most of them
are trying to sell bedding and linen. A good or a bad
idea? The views on this forum are mixed:
www.torreviejaforums.com
I suppose a lot depends upon how much time you have
to spare. I'd be interested to hear what experiences
our readers have had.
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The
letter
After
many years of not much activity we are now seeing the
Spanish Tax Authority galvanised into action and implementing
the Spanish Fiscal Fraud Plan.
Agencia Tributaria (Spanish Tax Authority) have sent
out over 300,000 letters to residents and non-residents
against whom they have no record of a tax declaration
being made.
The letter advises you that you should rectify this
immediately before the Tax Authority begin an investigation.
To see a copy of the letter and to find out more click here.
If you are a non-resident and haven't made a tax
declaration, the deadline is 31st December. We strongly
recommend that you take the opportunity to present a
declaration now and avoid receiving the letter.
Now
here's a calendar for you!
Unfortunately
it's a tax one. The Spanish Tax Authority have produced
their own tax calendar IN ENGLISH and in depth.
I still think I need a translation though! Here it is:
aeat.es
If
you're not too clear what all this means then it's a
good job you have a fiscal representative. And if you
don't? Then perhaps now's the time to start.
In
the news
A shipwreck full of treasure – but who does it belong
to?
It's quite a story and fires the imagination. A sunken
Spanish ship and 370 million €'s worth of treasure.
How exciting! The ship Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes
was sunk by the British (they had to get involved somewhere
along the line) in 1804.
Now there is a battle for the ownership of the treasure
with the courts recently ruling in favour of Spain.
I wonder if the salvage company have managed to 'lose'
any of those coins in the meantime? Read more about
it: typicallyspanish.com
In the aftermath of the Spanish general election
It can be a worrying time when you live in a foreign
country whose politics pass you by. Particularly
when there's a recession. I found it reasuring to read
this article, which seems to suggest that whatever your
politics, left or right, at least extremism doesn't
seem to be on the agenda.
You
have your say…
Where would you recommend?
We
have had a request from a reader who wants some ideas
for visitors who are keen to sample the REAL Spain.
Granada, the Alhambra, Cordoba and the cave house villages
are on her list, can you recommend any more?
We asked around our offices and came up with:
- Cartagena
-
Guadalest
-
Riopar en Castilla laMancha
-
Altea for the almond trail
We also found this website:
downloadmytravelguide.com
It provides summaries of the major towns and cities
in the North and South Costa Blanca as well as the Costa
Calida. With suggestions for days out, it is worth taking
a look.
We'd still like your suggestions too: inf@abaco-asesores.com
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