spain - Secret Serranía de Ronda

21 Oct 2020

Lost in translation? Marketing cock-ups and brand name howlers

Sometimes companies choose inappropriate names for their products. Paul Whitelock has been investigating… Of all the brand…

20 Oct 2020

Spain issues listeria health alert for a goat cheese sold in Lidl supermarkets

News

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has issued a health warning for the presence of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes in the…

12 Oct 2020

Día de la Hispanidad – October 12 – a national holiday in Spain

News

Today is El Día de la Hispanidad. As we know shops and offices are closed, few people go to…

11 Oct 2020

HAS BEAN: International Day of Coffee. Did you miss it too?

October 1 was the International Day of Coffee. Did you miss it? Paul Whitelock only heard about it over a week later! He thinks it’s time to…

06 Oct 2020

The accent, smoking, beer and red tape!

When Paul Whitelock moved to live in the Serranía de Ronda in Spain there were just four things he did not like about…

23 Sep 2020

What’s in a name in Spain?

In most Christian countries it has been commonplace for two thousand years for parents to choose biblical names for their children.

20 Sep 2020

How to beat the shopping trolley blues in Spain

You can get Don Simon orange juice and Mahou beer at own brand prices if you know where to shop. Paul Whitelock has been investigating why shoppers are…

16 Sep 2020

Why can’t we have the vote?

THE ISSUE of universal suffrage has raised its head once again, over a century after Emily Davison threw herself in front of the King’s horse at the…

12 Sep 2020

Spain’s three police forces explained… and who does what!

Paul Whitelock has become a bit of an expert on the Spanish police over the last decade. Since he and his wife Rita moved house nine years ago…

01 Sep 2020

Christopher Columbus and the debt Spanish cuisine owes to him

Spanish cuisine owes a great debt to Cristóbal Colón, Christopher Columbus to us, writes Paul Whitelock. This Italian explorer and…

25 Aug 2020

The Spanish are as bad at languages as we are!

Brits bad at languages? What about the Spanish? Paul Whitelock discovers that all is not well with foreign language learning in the Iberian…

20 Aug 2020

Top 5 writers on Spain

Paul Whitelock started learning Spanish at the age of 18. Now 52 years later he’s read a fair few books about Spain, his adopted home. Here is…

14 Aug 2020

PHOTO FEATURE: Put a cork in it!

It’s sad to learn that the Spanish cork industry continues to struggle. Despite regular bumper crops every Autumn the price has fallen once again.…

12 Aug 2020

All TIE’d up! How to apply for the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero in Spain

Paul Whitelock has finally fought through the bureaucracy and red tape and has made his application for a TIE, basically a NIE with a photo. Here, he…

09 Aug 2020

From North Devon to South Spain in seven decades… Epilogue: ¡La carne de burro no es transparente! (You’re blocking the sunlight!)

Life quickly settled down in Montejaque where I was living with my German wife, Rita, who I sometimes refer to in these blogs as the Meter Maid

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Jun 2026

San Juan Pilgrimage 2026 in Algatocín

On the 26, 27 and 28 of June 2026, Algatocín will celebrate the Romería de San Juan, an event that in recent years has been promoted as a way to recover an old tradition, since in the past it was common for many people to travel to the vicinity of the Genal river to enjoy a day in the countryside with family and friends. The pilgrimage, organised by the Ayuntamiento de Algatocín town hall and Camping Genal, will take place in the Vega de la Curtida area. The programme of activities will begin on Friday at 6pm with motorcycle ribbon races, and a DJ will keep the party going until the early hours of the morning. On Saturday, the main day of the pilgrimage, a mass in honour of Saint John will be held at 9am in the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. Following the mass, the cart carrying the image of the Saint will depart from the La Ereta area for Vega de la Curtida. It will be accompanied by numerous local residents who will walk or ride horses along the approximately seven-kilometre route to the celebration site. The Algatocín Town Hall has also announced that a […]

Jun 2026

Anniversary of birth of Fray Leopoldo in Alpandeire

On Saturday 27 June 2026, the municipality of Alpandeire in the Serranía de Ronda will once again commemorate the birth of its most illustrious resident, Blessed Friar Leopoldo, who was born in this beautiful town in the Genal Valley on 24 June 1864, some 162 years ago. Fray Leopoldo Day has been celebrated in Alpandeire since 2011, with the participation of hundreds of residents and visitors who typically come to the village during the weekend of the celebration. The feast day of Friar Leopoldo will begin at 10.30 am in the Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua with a commemorative Mass. Following the Mass, shortly before noon, the eagerly awaited procession will commence, in which the image of the ‘beato’ will travel through the streets of his hometown on a beautifully decorated throne carried by men and women. It is worth noting that both the image of the friar and the throne were donated in 2010 by a local family after Friar Leopoldo’s beatification. Numerous people will accompany the procession along its route, which will pause at the Blessed’s birthplace and in the Plaza de Fray Leopoldo. At this location, a floral offering will be made at the sculpture. The […]

Jun 2026

‘Hecho por Ellas’ rural craft event in Atajate

Crafts, entrepreneurship and visibility for women from the mountains of the Serranía de Ronda On 27 June 2026, Atajate will host ‘Hecho por Ellas’ (Made by Them), a craft event created to highlight the work, talent and entrepreneurship of women artisans from the Serranía de Ronda area. This initiative, funded by the State Pact against Gender Violence and the Ministry of Equality, aims to highlight the fundamental role that women have historically played in artisanal trades, a task that for a long time has remained in the background despite its enormous contribution to the economic, cultural and social development of our towns and villages. ‘Hecho por Ellas’ will bring together several entrepreneurial women from the region who have turned crafts into their profession and way of life. Through different exhibition spaces distributed throughout the municipality, the participants will showcase their techniques, materials, and creations, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the value of traditional and contemporary crafts. Among the participating artisans we will find jewellery made with wire, creations made with esparto grass and other plant materials, artistic pieces made with resins and proposals based on natural elements and wrappings, among other initiatives that reflect the creativity and artisanal richness of […]

Jul 2026

Festival Pueblo live music in Atajate

Typically held in late June or early July, this is a massive free summer music festival that takes place at the local swimming pool’s esplanade. The experience: A lively night of outdoor concerts featuring a mix of Andalusian pop, rock, rumba and flamenco acts. The vibe: It features live music and DJs that keep the party going from late in the evening until the sun comes up, all with free admission.

Jul 2026

Blues Music with Fernando Neris in Jimera de Líbar

Fernando Neris is an authentic Spanish Blues artist settled in Belgium since the year 2000. He is an acknowledged specialist in fingerpicking and lapsteel guitar, who has a deep knowledge of the old pre-war acoustic repertoire, giving as much importance to music as to the rich lyrics. His abundant discography includes collaborations with many Flemish and French-speaking artists, from blues-rock to jazz-blues, gospel and folk. Since 2009 Fernando preferably performs in solo format, not only in Belgium, but also in Spain and even in Japan. Fernando’s repertoire, filled with human and heartfelt stories, pays homage to great classic Blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and Muddy Waters. As a songwriter, he has published dozens of songs that he performs sometimes as a songster, sometimes as a leader of other groups: The Hoodoogang, De Ferre Trio, Lucifer Mo’ Blues…

Jul 2026

Night trail race in the Genal valley

Two routes are available of 9 or 15 kilometres as the night mountain race celebrates its 10th anniversary. Registration open at www.dorsalchip.es/carrera/2026/7/18/Trail_Nocturno_Genalguacil.aspx

Jul 2026

Pueblos Blancos Music Festival 2026

One of the first cultural and musical events of its kind in Spain and in Europe! International bands and musicians stay in local villages, learn about the region and share their music with local musicians and music fans, through talks, workshops, excursions and concerts. This year it will offer four days of free concerts with over 25 great bands from around the world, including around 12 from Texas in the USA. They will take place in the ancient and spectacular Andalusian mountain settings of Ronda, Montejaque and Cortes de la Frontera, in southern Spain! Legendary international artists like Joe King Carrasco, mixed with great up-and-coming international bands, young indie-rock groups and local Spanish bands; playing free concerts every night, after-hours jam sessions with local and international musicians and shared activities with the performing musicians, local residents and visitors. Many of the bands come from Texas – many from Austin, the live music capital of the world. Thanks to the support of local councils, other local public institutions, sponsors, and local musicians, the concerts and events are free so that all music fans can attend.

Nov 2026

All Saints’ Day

National holiday

May 2027

May Day

National holiday

Navigation

Tag Archives: spain

Lost in translation? Marketing cock-ups and brand name howlers

Spain issues listeria health alert for a goat cheese sold in Lidl supermarkets

Día de la Hispanidad – October 12 – a national holiday in Spain

HAS BEAN: International Day of Coffee. Did you miss it too?

The accent, smoking, beer and red tape!

What’s in a name in Spain?

How to beat the shopping trolley blues in Spain

Why can’t we have the vote?

Spain’s three police forces explained… and who does what!

Christopher Columbus and the debt Spanish cuisine owes to him

The Spanish are as bad at languages as we are!

Top 5 writers on Spain

PHOTO FEATURE: Put a cork in it!

All TIE’d up! How to apply for the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero in Spain

From North Devon to South Spain in seven decades… Epilogue: ¡La carne de burro no es transparente! (You’re blocking the sunlight!)

San Juan Pilgrimage 2026 in Algatocín

Anniversary of birth of Fray Leopoldo in Alpandeire

‘Hecho por Ellas’ rural craft event in Atajate

Festival Pueblo live music in Atajate

Blues Music with Fernando Neris in Jimera de Líbar

Night trail race in the Genal valley

Pueblos Blancos Music Festival 2026

All Saints’ Day

May Day

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