Here I am at the Bernabeu stadium last summer (I had the best seat in the stadium!) pity real madrid weren't playing!

They are my fave football team and it was great to visit their grounds, next time I plan a visit for when they will be playing!

Aqui estoy al estadio de Bernabeu el verano pasado (tuve el mejor plaza ) lastima que Real madrid no jugaban ese dia!

Son mi equipo favorito, era muy guay visitar el estadio la proxima vez intento venir cuando juegan!

me in madrid

this is a photo of me taken in madrid last summer. It was taken in a park, but I can't for the life of me remember its name only that it was very big and there were fountains and statues and it was close to the motorway (I believe the m5) but can't be sure about that!

Aqui estoy en madrid en verano del ano pasado. No recuerdo el nombre del parque donde estuve, era muy grnade y con fuentes y estatuatas, era cerca del M5 (creo) pero no estoy muy seguro!

andalucia on a personal note

I first visited andalucia back in 1977, when I stayed at the maite apartments in benalmadena, a fairly new tourist resort about a 15 minute drive along the coast from malaga airport. Back then there were only a handful of hotels in this area, there was a snack bar at the corner of the road where we stayed and a few hundred yards along the road was a small restaurant owned by a dutch man who spoke english and we went along there most days to eat a very untypical meal of chicken and chips!! Down on the beach we found a row of restaurants and one of those we frequented was aspanish restuarant run by a guy called Antonio and he made the best paella valenciana ever! I guess it helped that he came from valencia which is where they say the best paella is made, Antonio worked durnig the summer months there in benalmadena and returned to valencia in the winter months. Anyway it was my first time eating this splendid dish which is based on yellow coloured saffron flavoured rish , seafood such as calamares and prawns , chicken, peppers, peas, really anything can be added to paella its a matter of taste, if made at home as long as you use the rice and add what you like, wedges of lemon are added at the end to be squeezed over each individual portion. Anyway this is turning into a cooking manual so I'll get away from the food subject!

What i was trying to say was this particular area wasn't so built up back then. I go back to the same area every year and each year theres more hotels, apartments, bars and restaurants added, there used to be a lot of open spaces and countryside but slowly but surely its all getting lost, to see the real spain one needs to travel further afield, about an hours drive or about an hour and a half by public transport brings you to Rhonda up in the mountains and that is worth the visit, look it up in the internet to see photos, the views from this mountain village are breath taking, its a charming place which I really enjoyed visiting.

Another mountain village worth a visit is mijas which is closer to benalmadena, there are lovely views of the coast from up there, I haven't been for a few years now , I remeber you can take a "donkey taxi ride" around the village , its about a half an hour from benalamdena by bus.

Malaga capital has plenty to offer, I haven't been in the city centre for years apart from getting off the metro and crossing to use the main train staton, which has been renovated recently and its like a whole shopping centre right in the station before you even go into the city! Malaga port is worth a visit and of course theres beaches right there in the city as well. Its a very good shopping centre, with big stores like "el cort ingles".

Thats all I'm writing for now another day I will add about my visits to other andalucian cities, I wanted to write about Malaga and surrounding area as that has always been my base. This is also called costa del sol or the sunshine coast.

andalucia
Andalucia is Spain’s largest region and it’s the one which evokes the most powerful images of a country famed for its flamenco, fiestas, bullfighting and raw passion.
Famous Andalucians
It’s a land which has both spawned and inspired great writers, poets, actors and painters. Andalucia gave birth to Pablo Picasso and the 17 th century royal painter Velasquez and it held an enduring fascination for novelists Ernest Hemingway and Laurie Lee. It’s the setting for the most performed and famous opera of all time, Bizet’s Carmen. And it’s a unique place where east meets west in an exotic melting pot of Jewish, gypsy, Moorish and Christian cultures.
Andalucia and its Arabic background
After the Moors invaded Spain in the 8 th century the region became the mighty kingdom of El Andalus and the capital of Cordoba was transformed into a centre of unimaginable wealth, sophistication, culture and learning unrivalled anywhere in either the western or Islamic eastern worlds.
According to Islamic legend, the people of El Andalus asked Allah for five favours – clear blue skies, seas full of fish, trees laden with every kind of fruit, beautiful women and a fair system of government. Allah granted them everything except the last favour on the basis that if all five gifts were bestowed, the kingdom would become an unearthly paradise.

ask me anything you want to know about Spain

I can't guarantee I've got the answer, but I lived in spain when I was younger for nearly 3 years, and I go there every year. I have a good knowledge of spanish if anyone needs a translation, I love the country, its culture, history, way of life, the people, climate, so come on, fire it at me and I'll try to answer any questions.