# your town in spain



## rangitoto (Apr 25, 2011)

go on sell your town/village to me tell us what good/bad about the place you live in spain


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

rangitoto said:


> go on sell your town/village to me tell us what good/bad about the place you live in spain


It's the smell of fresh baked bread. It's big fat cows in green pastures. It's the smell of strolling through the Eucalyptus trees and taking deep breaths after a rain shower. It's the celtic culture: bagpipes mainly . It's freely flowing clear trout infested rivers. Mountains covered in snow nearly all year. The market, the bars, the neighbours. It's taking a drink with the locals before the bus takes us door to door to see Sporting lose again, its the local game where it is illegal to drink beer but the dustbins behind the coffee bar are full of ice and tins of estrella. It's the narrow guage railway that runs all hours. It is the beach with sand, rocks, and Atlantic surf (well some days). It's tomatoes grown locally that weigh more than half a kilo. It's people growing vegtables on the land beteen the safety fence and the cliff edge. It is 'preñados' - chorizo cooked in bread rolls. Its helios 50+ ice cream flavours that I scan everytime and still always have Crema Catalana. It's that the local bar makes the final round free whenever I am going away to Madrid or the UK. It's watching someone gut 30 sardines and the waiting queue just chat and wait. Its the bagpipe and sardine and shell fish and meluza and ...... fiestas. It's that only a short distance away is a beech just for me. It's the cats that run wild but when the council wanted to get rid of them the neighbours came to their defense and saved them. It's very few foreigners. It's old boys who sit and watch the world go by. It's the failed attempts of the council to reduce the number of seagulls that **** on the cars by importing falcons. It's where even if I'm away for 6 months the butcher never lets me forget when I asked for "cubitos de cerdo" (ok trozos would have been better ). It's where there is a local museum for fish caning. And so much more.

Ain't nowt bad about it 

It's just a little ex whaling village on the coast of Asturias where people went out of their way to tolerate me


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

With the name Rangitoto, shouldn't you be on the New Zealand forum

Here we have the climate of eternal springtime, no heating nor air-conditioning, although I do own a pullover. Our cost of living is for many commodities somewhat cheaper than the U.K. or the Iberian peninsular. Our diesel is still under one Euro a litre, this is because we have our equivalent of V.A.T. pegged at 5%. Internal flights and ferries for residents are just above half price

We are very isolated, it is a pig to get here, at least two flights, but this has its advantages, we are not inundated with summertime lager louts, roast beef Yorkshire pudding full English breakfast bars. Here it it Canary island and Venezuelan culture and cuisine.

A possible down side is the language, if you cannot speak Castellano you will indeed struggle.

The down side at the moment are the earth tremors, almost 12,000 since June, and the underwater volcano that is erupting to the south of the island.

By the way, I live in a city the capital, Valverde, and it is far smaller than Batley 

Photos on the link below


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

My pueblo (halfway between a village and a town) is a pile of white boxes on the top of a hill at the southern end of the Sierra de Cadiz, and overlooking the Alcornocales natural park. Its 5,000 inhabitants include about 20 _guiris_ and disproportionate number of old folks because the younger generation have had to go look for work in the cities.

Everybody knows everybody's business and looks out for their neighbours. It's the most sociable and mutually supportive community I've ever lived in.

The things I love about it, apart from the people, are the fresh food (our local cheese was judged one of the world's top 50 at the International Cheese Awards last week!), the amazing scenery, the clean air, the spring flowers, the cacaphony of animal noises from bleating goats to braying donkeys, and the fact that in 40 minutes you can be on one of several gorgeous beaches of the Costa de la Luz.

Less delightful characteristics are the ridiculous number of dogs, the steepness of the hills, and the relentless east wind (Levante) that rattles the whole house.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

This is actually my lane, our house is at the bottom, (with the little balcony and the street light) then it's campo.

Panoramio - Photo of Yegen - camino de Gerald Brennan hacia Almería

Also see

http://translate.google.co.uk/trans...alucia+wiki&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=687&prmd=imvns


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

Ooh, stay away from here, you wouldn't like it. Loads of those funny Spanish types & way too many Brits.

Terrible place really



Doggy


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

owdoggy said:


> Ooh, stay away from here, you wouldn't like it. Loads of those funny Spanish types & way too many Brits.
> 
> Terrible place really
> 
> ...


lane:No - you wouldn't like it here either.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Wow, those places look and sound great, much nicer than where I live!
This town is nothing special and its attractiveness has been pretty much destroyed by aggressive knocking down, re building and building plans. The population has gone from nearly 14,000 when we came in 1994 to over 30,000 now. 
However, we don't live in the town, but in an urba 10 - 15 mins walk away with a communal pool and our own small garden. We have beautiful walks all around us in the hills and mountains. Madrid is 40 mins away for extra cultural input should we need it, El Escorial 15 mins, Segovia 1 hour, Toledo 1hr and a half...
Beach is a bit further though! But I don't miss it at all.
It's not heaven, but I'm not exactly pining for the UK either.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Our pueblo has a great bar


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

My Puebla - What can I say!! It has about 200 houses, a few Brits, friendly Spanish, 3 bars, municipal pool, gym at 5 euro a month including exersize classes, sports ground and street gym, women's association, which organise day trips on a very noisy coach which stops every hour for the toilet and food!

I never lock my door or my car, the locals wander in and out at random, hoping I have made cakes. I come home and find buckets of oranges, melons etc. on my doorstep. There is no crime, and children wander about freely. The local school has about 20 children.

It is relaxing and a great place to be. Only an hour from the beach, but we tend not to bother, though the Spanish think if you go to the coast you have to stay over night as it is so far!!!

My house is too big and I hope to downsize, but i will be staying in the village. We went back to the UK for 2 weeks and my Spanish neighbour was in tears when we came back as she thought we had left!

The only bad thing is it seems to be a dumping ground for unwanted dogs, I find this hard as I think most Brits would, fortunately the local vet comes once a month to humanly put them to sleep. I think this is a problem all over Spain though, but is gradually improving.

Caz


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## rafiki (Sep 4, 2011)

Within a few minutes walk we are in Doñana - which was the reason for us moving here. With a natural park and a national park which is a World Heritage Site for Nature on our doorstep we are very privileged. Oh, and then there's Bar Tómas of course!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

rafiki said:


> Within a few minutes walk we are in Doñana - which was the reason for us moving here. With a natural park and a national park which is a World Heritage Site for Nature on our doorstep we are very privileged. Oh, and then there's Bar Tómas of course!


You are privileged indeed! Which side of the Guadalquivir are you? I've only been to Doñana for half an hour on a boat trip from Sanlúcar, but managed to see deer and boar from the hide and loads of different birds, I'd love to do a proper trip with a guide. When do you think would be the best time of year to go?


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## rafiki (Sep 4, 2011)

Avoid July and August as the heat keeps the bird and animal life lying low most of the day. Other than that you can see plenty the rest of the year but best is during the migrations in Spring and Autumn. Of course, you are probably aware that the National Park proper is out of bounds to visitors; it's the surrounding Natural Park that you would travel in. There are a few tours allowed into the NP but they are usually on a schedule, follow defined routes and can only stop for a limited time even if there is something of special interest.

We are to the west of the Guadalquivir at the north end of the park.


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## truck1 (Nov 27, 2011)

hi Cazzy , i live in a very friendly village not far from you , El Rubio , lived here nearly 7 years now, we don't want to move from here, well maybe if we win the lottery, we've never had a problem since we came here ,only about 15 permanent English just the way we like it


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

truck1 said:


> hi Cazzy , i live in a very friendly village not far from you , El Rubio , lived here nearly 7 years now, we don't want to move from here, well maybe if we win the lottery, we've never had a problem since we came here ,only about 15 permanent English just the way we like it



I guess we might know you then, as we know a lot of people in El Rubio!!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

It seems to me that most of us who are quite content in Spain, live in villages. As for my village (Pop just under 5,000 and shrinking), the comments of others apply here too: warm, friendly, open, kind, generous, loving, affectionate (too much so at times according to SWMBO when yet another chica comes up to me and gives me a big hug and kiss - almost all of the locals here {both male and female} tend to be a bit touchy-feely).

For photos of the village go to my albums on the forum. This is not what I would call a pretty white village, because there are not that many tourists so people, here, have to work for a living and any white paint isn't for show it is to reflect the heat of the summer sun.


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## JuiceGirl (Dec 7, 2011)

Sevilla.....can't wait!


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## truck1 (Nov 27, 2011)

we sometimes go to pakis bar in marinaleda, iam a Londoner and the wife is Scottish, we are both pensioners, i think your village is a bit out in the sticks for us to live in


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

truck1 said:


> we sometimes go to pakis bar in marinaleda, iam a Londoner and the wife is Scottish, we are both pensioners, i think your village is a bit out in the sticks for us to live in


No we don't know you!! You would be surprised how much goes on in our village!! If ever this way and you want to meet up for a coffee PM me.
Caz


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## neilmac (Sep 10, 2008)

*Montichelvo*

Montitxelvo - where? you might ask...

The Valencia Region and situated between Valencia and Alicante.

Its a VERY small village with 600+ inhabitants, only 4 of which are Brits . It dates back to the 1300s as a Moorish settlement characterised by its narrow streets which become highly decorated during the annual Fiestas!










The surroundings are lovely agricultural landscapes leading one way to the Penyes Albes mountains and out into the Vall d'Albaida the other. At the moment locals are busy harvesting their oranges and olives.










Its a very friendly place and somewhere that we have come to love in the 5 years that we have been here.










The village is also only 20 minutes away from the beautiful Mediterranean coastline of the Costa Del Azahar with miles of unspoilt beaches.

Montichelvo, sometimes spelled Montitxelvo or Montixelvo


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Nice pics! What are the coloured blobs on the road for?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

neilmac said:


> Montitxelvo - where? you might ask...
> 
> The Valencia Region and situated between Valencia and Alicante.
> 
> Its a VERY small village with 600+ inhabitants, only 4 of which are Brits . It dates back to the 1300s as a Moorish settlement characterised by its narrow streets which become highly decorated during the annual Fiestas!


Beautiful. So many of the Spanish villages put on a display that quite large towns in UK would be jealous of. I wonder why.

Why don't you set up an album, here on the forum and post some of the pics in it so that those who don't necessarily subscribe to this thread can enjoy them as well?


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## neilmac (Sep 10, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> Nice pics! What are the coloured blobs on the road for?


It's a good question and I'm not too sure why they are 'blobs' on this street. It is traditional that on the eve of Montichelvo's annual fiesta (1st weekend in May) that the ladies in the village paint their streets.

This is normally to a theme like the weather or political satire or the credit crunch etc but the blobs? Maybe just abstract.

The paint stays in place afterwards and is gradually worn away before the event is repeated the next year. The actual fiesta lasts for 5 days and is mayhem!

Each morning starts at 7 - 8am with fireworks being thrown in the streets followed by a mulo and trailer bringing hot chocolate and churros to each house, followed by our marching band and procession to church.

After lunch there is the customary siesta (needed to catch up on rest - especially by day 3, 4 and 5) then the band comes round again with processions, more church ceremonies where the young adults are 'presented' in front of the villagers with much pomp and ceremony.

You might think it would end there but after midnight very loud (& impressive) rock bands play at full pelt on a huge stage constructed in the townhall square until 5 or 6am then it all kicks off again as above 

Sleepy village?..... Sometimes.



baldilocks said:


> Beautiful. So many of the Spanish villages put on a display that quite large towns in UK would be jealous of. I wonder why.
> 
> Why don't you set up an album, here on the forum and post some of the pics in it so that those who don't necessarily subscribe to this thread can enjoy them as well?


The thing that we find the most amazing is that these fiestas (and there are many - not just the annual one) are held just because that's what they do. They're not put on for tourists, although of course they are welcome, they just have a great time! It's actually a privilege to live amongst these people and be a part of it all.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding a photo album, I may well do that


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

neilmac said:


> It's a good question and I'm not too sure why they are 'blobs' on this street. It is traditional that on the eve of Montichelvo's annual fiesta (1st weekend in May) that the ladies in the village paint their streets.
> 
> This is normally to a theme like the weather or political satire or the credit crunch etc but the blobs? Maybe just abstract.
> 
> ...


us mods thought it was such a great idea that we have started a sticky thread where you can all put photos of where you live or have visited http://www.expatforum.com/expats/spain-expat-forum-expats-living-spain/96732-pictures-spain-thread.html


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