Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Probably everyone has been caught out at some time whilst driving in Spain. Sometimes you know you’ve taken a risk and perhaps allowed your attention to  drift from the speed dial. Other times it’s a genuine lack of awareness. This can be particularly common when you’re […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Learning another language isn’t easy. There are all those verbs to learn, tenses to navigate, masculine and feminine to commit to memory and many words that sound so similar but one wrong vowel and it could change the whole meaning. So any little help along the […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. We rely so much on our services that when they are cut off it comes as something of a shock. If you lose your electricity in Spain, in particular, you suddenly realise just how much you rely on it. There’s no television, internet, phone line. You […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. There are many wonderful holiday destinations in Spain, and they don’t just involve lying on a beach. A fantastic holiday experience I have had was walking the ´Camino de Santiago’. To walk the ‘Camino de Santiago’ or the Way of St. James is included on the […]

Last updated on April 22nd, 2020 at 01:33 pm. When you tell people that you live in Spain or have a house there, their first thought is usually of hot weather and beaches. The Spanish coastline is famous and people from across the world like to holiday here for just that reason – it’s hot […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Spain has a good reputation for the construction of its Spanish high-speed trains. Its AVE are the fastest trains in the world with a speed of up to 300 km/h (186 mph). Spain manufactured the first high speed train in the middle east and has been […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. The subject of blanket trips in Spain seems to attract very different opinions. For some people these ‘free’ trips with a hidden agenda are something to be avoided. For others they are a good way of spending a day at someone else’s expense. In case you […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Ideally, every driver should have to have an induction into the main rules operating in their new terrain. In practice this doesn’t happen and foreign drivers find themselves dropped in at the deep end in a system that can be quite different from the one they’re […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. When asked about the cost of living in Spain, most people will reply that in most respects it is cheaper than they are used to in their home country. The cost of food, drinks, even taxes, can be significantly lower. However, one cost that seems to […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. What does Christmas mean to you? Is it a time to reflect and remember, a time to look forward and plan or a time – just to get over? The yuletide season has a habit of bringing out the best and worst in people. Families squashed […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. There’s one story that keeps cropping up every so often in the free paper. The story goes like this. Someone receives a water bill for an extortionate amount of money and hasn’t got a clue why. Burst pipes are a common problem in Spain. It’s a […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Just because you live in Spain does not mean that you don’t need a holiday! That’s one of the reasons why the Spanish Imserso holiday programme has been so successful. Imserso is subsidised by the Spanish Government and enables resident pensioners in Spain to access affordable […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. You might not expect a legal and tax form to have much to do with children. Generally we don’t – except for looking after our own! However, we do recognise that not all children across the world are as privileged as our own offspring. ‘Save the […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Difficulties with communication is a major issue for many foreigners in Spain. It is a wonderful country but you can feel confused by legislation, documentation and procedures. People often don’t know who to ask or trust. We know that. This is one reason why we are […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Being able to communicate well is very important, no matter what your job. However, if you work in an international organization like Ábaco Advisers it’s not only important to communicate in your native language but in other languages too. We’re quite a multi-lingual lot! Between us […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Although there are many similarities with Christmas traditions in other countries, Christmas in Spain has many differences too. Spending Christmas in another country is a good opportunity to leave some of your old routines behind and try something new. Here are the most important dates in […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. ‘Las Fuentes’ means fountains in English and those you find close to the town of Calloso d’En Sarría are a particularly fine example. It’s made up of a number of small springs which converge to form a waterfall and some small lagoons. The spring waters are […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. It’s a pity we have to resort to animal protection at all. However, the fact remains that wherever you are in the world, there are those who treat animals cruelly. In Spain, thousands of abandoned dogs in Spain  each year. Without the survival skills of the […]

Last updated on April 9th, 2020 at 12:24 pm. One of the great things about Spanish eating, is tapas. Little plates of different snacks, that can be shared. Perfect if you don’t want to fill up but just fancy a nibble with your drink. Of course, you can fill up with them too, if you […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Do you remember Eldorado? It might have been the worst Soap every recorded, but if you have chosen to make Spain your country as a British expat or even if you are just a visitor, it might still hold some level of fascination.  Could it be […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. In some parts of Spain, especially during the dry summer months, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d found yourself in a desert. Tumbleweed, cacti and plenty of dry, sand-like earth can give it an appearance worthy of the Sahara. A view that some Hollywood film […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. For many people used to driving in other countries, the rules and regulations that surround them are a complete mystery. You can feel for years that every time you approach a roundabout in Spain you take your life in your hands. What confuses most people is […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. The variety of landscape in Spain as you travel from one region to another never fails to amaze me. From the greenery of the north to the deserts of the south, you’ve got every shade in between. The southern province of Almería is certainly inspiring with […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. If you live in or near a major town or city, there should be a cinema within your reach. The difficulty for many non-Spanish residents, is, as you might expect, that the films will be in Spanish. If you are lucky some cinemas do show English-speaking […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:11 am. Everyone recognises how important it is that historical artefacts are preserved and displayed for as many people to see, enjoyed and learn from as possible. But when one is taken out of the country from under your noses only days after discovery, it’s no wonder that […]