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Bjørn Heidenstrøm, from Oslo visited the Costa del Sol area last month, as part of the global journey, which he is undertaking by bicycle and hitch-hiking, to raise awareness of, and funds for the plight of refugees.
Bjørn, a football fan, is a supporter of Liverpool F.C., and Valerenga in Norway where he works as a Marketing Manager. He describes himself as 41 and usually normal!

So far he has travelled 6,000 miles, collecting signed football shirts which will be sewn together to create a flag to be flown at the 2010 World Cup, as a symbol of unity and passion for both football and the plight of refugees. As Bjørn says, the flag will symbolise the “football family standing together and not forgetting the small ones”
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The home emergency solution in Spain

One Call home emergency service is the newest and freshest solution to all your domestic plumbing and electrical problems.  Whether your home is an apartment or villa, owned, rented or just for the holidays, being a member of One Call will relieve you of the worry of finding suitable, honest and reliable tradesmen quickly, in the event of an emergency.

About the company

The idea of One Call came about simply due to the lack of a reasonably priced, reliable and swift emergency service for plumbing and electrical problems. Helen Parker, the Managing Director, previously worked in the construction industry in the Costa del Sol as a project manager, and was constantly asked about whether she could ‘recommend’ a good electrician or plumber. They are a rare breed here on the coast, and the ones who are  good are often hard to get hold of because they are so busy. The other issue is the cost - often the cost of getting hold of a plumber or electrician at short notice or at an unsociable time of the day is expensive - once you’ve paid the call out fee which can be between €50-60, you then have to take into account labour charges and parts, which can make the whole experience frustrating and costly. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas means a big celebration in Spain. The Spanish people enjoy the season as much for the parties as for the opportunity to celebrate their religious beliefs, which is what makes it incredibly appealing to most of the citizenry.

The Immaculada: Signalling the beginning of Christmas

The Christmas season in Spain officially begins on December 8 with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. A predominantly Roman Catholic country, most Spaniards believe that the conception of Mother Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, is enough a reason to celebrate. This triggers all the festivities leading to Christmas. As such, it is normal to see store displays lit up with colourful Christmas lights, Christmas trees, and other decorations. Churches share the festive atmosphere, too, as they are decorated with colourful floral bouquets and other adornments. Additionally, almost every home in Spain will be filled with Christmas decorations.
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Flamenco will never leave the shadow of Spain. This song-dance-and-guitar art is a significant part of the Spanish culture. With its uniqueness, color, and passion, Flamenco is now a loved ‘music and dance’ around the world. No wonder why many people of different cultures are interested to learn how this lovely dance started and what phases it underwent over the years.

The Birth of Flamenco

Even now, the origin of Flamenco is still vague. But there are some suggestions as to where it came from: the Flamenco we know today has originated in the southern part of Spain, most especially in the Seville province. However, Andalusia is pointed out to be its real birthplace.
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It is a unfortunate fact that Spain does not have a clean supply of electricity: power drops off and also spikes. The effect of dirty power on PC’s, printers and faxes can be devastating. The problem is that these power supply issues occur every day…in many other EU countries, the power supply is monitored to stop this happening…not in Spain.

What does a temporary power cut do to a PC?

It is not just a sudden cut-off in power that can cause damage, it’s a sudden drop off…the PC might not even switch-off…but damage is done.

You probably wouldn’t even know you’d had a mini power cut, it’s only sometime after when a certain file doesn’t work properly. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year thousands of people move to foreign countries to spend their retirement years. France, Italy and Spain come out on the top of the choices for aging retirees and millions of people choose these regions above others for the pleasant weather and lifestyle. However, many individuals, mostly Britons, these days are getting attracted to Spain for several reasons, including the sun, sand, sea, and a laid back lifestyle.

Retiring abroad is a popular trend widely accepted and considered by millions of people around the world and every year an increasing number of retirees actively search for a comfortable and quality lifestyle in order to live out their twilight years. The cost of travel and the opening of borders, especially within Europe offers retirees more options than ever before.
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