Seriously: Would you buy these products?

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Cost of Living, Laws and Customs

I often have a little chuckle to myself when I am shopping in a Spanish supermarket.

Seriously, would YOU buy some of these products?

Nelly hairspray

Bonka coffee

Bimbo bread

Now, call me fussy, but I can’t bring myself to wash my clothes in Colon Vanish washing detergent!

or (possibly) even worse, Flota Spa washing powder!

But, being a northern lass (originally from Lancashire in England), I always find some consolation knowing that at least I can always find Somat f’ert dishwasher! LOL

Have you spotted any products in other countries that sound strange or amusing in your own language? You will let me know, won’t you? LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Roadside Advertising: Not just a Load of Bull

Travel Theme: Signs

Classic Andalucía: La Alhambra, Granada

East of Málaga: Old men on benches

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Marianne under Photo challenges

Sometimes they will be wearing cardigans. Often they have on their hats.

Sometimes they sit in the shade and other times in the sun (depending on the time of year).

One thing´s for sure – if there´s a bench in one of the white villages of Andalucía – there will be some old men sitting on it!

Bless ´em!

Related posts:

Travel Theme: Benches

English Language Publications for FREE!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Laws and Customs

Whilst you are visiting any town or village throughout the Axarquía region, a selection of English language newspapers and magazines is available for you to collect, free of charge.

These publications, including Spanish Insight, SolTalk, Streetwise, Marketplace, Grapevine, Sentinella and Euro Weekly are useful for both tourists and residents alike. Each contains information about ‘what’s on’ in the local area as well as some well-written articles on a wide range of topics, recipes and items for sale – including properties. (You can CLICK on the links to be taken to the online versions of the publications).

Sadly, in order to make-ends-meet with their budgets, these magazines contain more advertisements and fewer articles as time goes by, but I guess that happens round the world.

You will find these free magazines in many estate agents, bars, cafes and other such popular places.

How do you like to discover what’s happening in your local area?

Spanish football: Estadio La Roselada, home of Málaga CF

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Marianne under Laws and Customs, Places, Slice of Life

Málaga Club de Fútbol is based at Estadio La Roselada in Málaga. The team currently plays in Spain’s top football league, known as La Liga.

If you are staying in Málaga Province and you love football, why not look out for match during your stay?

[Image credit: (cc) Miwipedia]

The 29,000-capacity La Rosaleda Stadium (The Rose Garden) is a two-tiered bowl with a great atmosphere on match day. Located to the north of the city, the stadium is well-served by public transport.

If you’re travelling by car, you should be able to find a free parking space in La Rosaleda Shopping Centre Car Park – a couple of hundred metres away. Failing that, there is usually plenty of space to park on local streets.

For most games, getting seats on match day is generally fairly easy – the obvious exceptions being the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid games.

When considering the list of home fixtures and ticket availability and pricing, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Spanish Football Association only release information regarding which games are to be televised one week before the fixture. So when you are planning your visit, you need to ensure that you are in Málaga between the Saturday afternoon and the Monday morning for your chosen weekend. Confirmed kick-off times first appear at the Spanish FA Website.

If you can’t get to the match, you can always watch live coverage of most English and Spanish football matches in many bars around the Axarquía.

Have you ever been to a football match in Spain? Who did you support?

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CBBH Photo Challenge: Reflection

Spanish Football: It doesn’t get any bigger than this!

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A Celebration of Fried Breadcrumbs: Migas Festival in Torrox pueblo

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Fiestas and Festivals, Laws and Customs

You might not expect ingredients for the perfect Christmas party to include 2000 kilos of flour, 500 litres of olive oil and 3000 litres of sweet Moscatel wine, but that´s exactly what´s required to cater for the 40,000 guests who visit the annual Migas Festival in the village of Torrox.

Many towns and cities throughout the world have unique dishes that encompass their overall culture and tradition. Migas is a traditional Andalucían peasant dish often made from breadcrumbs, although in Torrox the migas are made with flour. Normally served as an accompaniment to a main dish, of fried fish for instance, migas comprises of fried bread crumbs liberally laced with garlic, and may also contain small pieces of chorizo, ham or peppers.

Each year, on the last Sunday before Christmas, (so, this coming Sunday – December 23rd 2012) this gastronomic festival which has been declared of “National Tourist Interest” by the Junta de Andalucía, will serve more than 40,000 visitors.

Whoever said “there is no such thing as a free lunch”, obviously had never visited Torrox pueblo!

From early in the morning, teams of cooks prepare the migas for free distribution to local residents and visitors to the festival. The ringing of a bell is the signal for everyone to come and collect their plate of migas, which is served with a glass of local wine and an “arriera” salad (made with oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and olives) to accompany the meal.

There is plenty to do during a day at the Migas festival because as well as free food and drink there are many craft stalls, traders selling fine cheeses, chorizo, cakes, nuts and sweets, the opportunity to enjoy guided walks through the village, and street artists, as well as choirs and local dance groups, who all help to create a wonderful festive atmosphere.

Of course, in true Spanish tradition, this is just another excuse for a party, but on a warm, sunny December day, why would you not pursue that with some vigor?