Saturday, December 31, 2011

The New Kindle Fire, Sponsoring a Child and a Good Meal Out | Houses for Sale in Spain

http://www.houses-for-sale-in-spain.net/houses-for-sale-in-spain/the-new-kind...

This is what we offer for next year and next year is just a few hours away

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Friday, December 30, 2011

On Being A Mobile Content Creator | Blokes on the Blog

"I am a prime target for mugging. I carry a lot of stuff around and it is all because I am a mobile content creator. So today I thought I would tell you what I carry about to make me into a mobile content creator and how this is used in my business."

http://www.blokesontheblog.co.uk/on-being-a-mobile-content-creator/

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Why Spain doesn't fit the narrative of a spendthrift Mediterranean country.

Why Spain doesn't fit the narrative of a spendthrift Mediterranean country. 

But the Spanish government then proceeded to run a balanced budget on average - that is to say, its borrowing was zero - every year until the eve of the 2008 financial crisis.

And as Spain's economy grew rapidly, its debt ratio fell to a mere 36% of GDP by 2007. Germany's, by contrast, continued to rise.

So, given this record, why are markets telling us that they fear Spain may not repay its debts, while they think Germany's debts are the safest bet within the eurozone?

The reason is that Spain is facing an impossible economic dilemma.

When Spain joined the euro, interest rates fell to the much lower levels typical in Germany.

While the Spanish government resisted the lure of cheap loans, most ordinary Spaniards did not.

The country experienced a long boom, underpinned by a housing bubble, as Spanish households took on bigger and bigger mortgages.

House prices rose 44% from 2004 to 2008, at the tail end of a housing boom, according to ministry of housing data. Since the bubble burst, they have fallen 17%.

During the boom years, Spaniards earned more and spent more.

That helped to flatter the government's finances. More economic activity means more tax revenues.

But it also helped push Spanish wages up to uncompetitive levels.

Unit labour costs in Spain - a measure of the cost of employing an average Spaniard - rose 36% from the euro's creation in 1999 until the end of 2008.

Read the rest of the story here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15734280

Amazing story in Spanish about the CAM bank

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/12/26/castellon/1324901160.html

If you don't understand Spanish then use Google translate but here is the basic story.

A businessman is convinced to invest 36000 Euros in preferential shares in 2006 with the CAM bank. Now he wants to recover the money. The CAM say he cannot do so until the year 3000!! And apparently it is not a mistake

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Image taken from El Mundo newspaper online with full story here 

Interesting Flat For Sale In Central Valencia. Reduced by 35k

A very interesting property in central Valencia for sale. Why is it interesting? Well firstly it has high vaulted ceilings but currently they are painted. They need a good sanding to get the treated wood back. Secondly the living room is a very large open space with great possibilities therefore. Thirdly the two bedrooms are large and there are two bathrooms but if you are not ultra thin you will struggle to shower in the second one ;-) There is a kitchen with gallery and wash area too. 

Very well positioned near to the town hall and railway station, an excellent flat on the second floor with an upstairs store room and shared roof terrace.

Imposing Utiel Villa For Sale

Reduced now by over 120k this almost new build villa for sale in Utiel on the Casas de Medina Estate offers really good value for money. Five bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a huge open plan living room and an exclusive design, the villa needs a good owner who is going to use it as it is a real shame that it currently is unused most of the time. Just 225000 Euros for a quick sale reduced from an original 349k!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

pinch of salt: How to make a Spanish tortilla: guest blog

You will probably be overindulging over the next few days but here is simple food done well and is probably just as, if not more, gorgeous as anything you will eat. (is that good English)

Taken from the following blog

a London food blog

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

How to make a Spanish tortilla: guest blog


Spanish tortilla

Done right, a Spanish omelette is a simple but gorgeous beast. My boyfriend Jon Yeomans, a fellow journo, writes an excellent blog about all things Spanish in the city called Vidalondon.net. Jon lived and worked in Valencia for 2 years, where he was taught the secret of a perfect tortilla. So I asked him to write a guest blog post for Pinch of Salt (which doubled as a cunning way of getting him to make a big fat tortilla for lunch). Over to Jon...

How to make a Spanish tortilla

All self-respecting Spaniards know how to make a tortilla de patatas, and they are all connoisseurs of the dish. A good tortilla will be met with a nod of knowing appreciation. The life expectancy of a Spanish tortilla should be very short indeed.

   
You'll need a good quality non-stick pan, but, crucially, it mustn't be so heavy that you can't perform acrobatics with it later on.

Everyone has their own way of making a Spanish tortilla, naturally enough, but all you need to know is the purist's form, with precisely two ingredients: eggs and potatoes.

Get some nice white, waxy potatoes. Peel them, and slice them into the thinnest possible strips.

Add enough vegetable oil to the pan to almost submerge the potatoes, and put it on a high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, slide in your potato shards and fry them on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they are golden and soft. Don't let them get too brown and burnt. You're making tortilla, not fried potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk up your eggs. My Spanish flatmates in Valencia reckoned on a simple formula of one egg per person plus one for luck. Depending on how big you want your tortilla, you may want to chuck in one or two on top of that.

Whisk your eggs in a bowl with a fork, like you're having a w*nk, as my flatmate's one-time, yokel boyfriend described it to me. Some cooking tips really stick in your head, don't they?

Add a little salt to the eggs. Once your potatoes are nice and soft, lift them out of the oil and drop them in the egg mixture.

Drain away most of your oil, leaving just tiny specks in the pan. Put it on a high heat and then pour in your potato-and-egg mixture.

Your tortilla should start to form in the pan. With a wooden spoon, scratch at the bits that don't have any potato in them; this will actually help shape the tortilla, even if it seems like you're tearing holes in the thing.

After a minute or so your tortilla should have a pretty solid skin underneath. Now comes the fun part. Turn the heat down and cover the pan with a plate (a plastic plate will be lighter and may help this next bit).

Hold the pan over the sink, in case it all goes horribly wrong. Place one hand on the middle of the plate. Flip the pan and the plate over. Remove the pan. Your half-fried tortilla should be sitting on the plate (ideally, someone else should shout "olé!" and clap at this point. If no one's around, you can shout it yourself).

Put the pan back on a high heat. Slide your tortilla back into the pan and fry the underside. Press down on it with a wooden spoon to get a nice golden colour.

After a minute or so your tortilla will be done. If you're feeling cocky, you can flip it again and serve it with first side you fried pointing up. If you don't want to tempt fate, just slide the tortilla out of the pan onto a fresh plate.

Serve with mayonnaise and a bit of guilt-assuaging salad.

Of course, like any omelette, the recipe can of be adapted to include garlic, onion, peppers, cheese, chorizo - anything you like. I once had an excellent potato and apple tortilla at a vegetarian restaurant in Valencia. But for some Spaniards, the only way to make a tortilla is the purist's way.


Friday, December 23, 2011

The Most Expensive House in Spain

Do you fancy paying out 50 million Euros for this place on the Golden Mile in Marbella. For me it seems just a tad overpriced. What do you reckon?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Entrevista Will McCarthy RE: FOLK-JAZZ-ARABE y 24/7 VALENCIA RADIO COPE VALENCIA.

Entrevista Will Mc Carthy.mp3 Listen on Posterous

If you understand Spanish then have a listen to this audio interview with Will McCarthy editor of 24/7 Valencia and also leader of a band in Valencia that plays an eclectic mix of folk, jazz and Arabic music, a really good mix for Valencia

Very Light Flat in Valencia

Reduced by 58000 Euros to 110000 Euros if you can get past the fourth floor without lift then you might love this place right in the centre of the Carmen with a mezzanine floor bedroom and a roof terrace, sloping but a roof terrace all the same. A one bedroom flat in Valencia for someone wanting to live near to everything

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Areas To Live In Valencia: The Carmen | Houses for Sale in Spain

There are many areas to live in Valencia and each has their own charms and history. Valencia is a conglomeration of villages brought together to make a city of almost 1 million people in the metropolitan area. In the first of our occasional series we talk about living in the Carmen area, the traditional Old Town. To see more of our properties in the Carmen take a look at our properties for sale in Valencia City page.

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http://www.houses-for-sale-in-spain.net/houses-for-sale-in-spain/areas-to-live-in-valencia-the-carmen

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Spanish Citizenship Test | Houses for Sale in Spain

I wrote this a couple of months back but as a Christmas treat I thought you might like to read it again. And see if you can get all ten questions right again. The Spanish Citizenship test (Taking the Mickey version)

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100 Tips For Moving To Spain - YouTube

The whole of the 100 tips for people Moving to Spain. A YouTube playlist by Valencia Property. 

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Attic Flat in El Carmen Valencia. Strange layout but great value

This attic flat for sale in Valencia is large and inviting on one of the most interesting streets in the Old Town. There is a lift up to the third floors where the first floor of the flat is. The upper floor has two terraces coming off it and as can be seen in the photos these offer great views over Valencia. Very well worth looking at.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

100 Tips For Moving To Spain Number 100 Use The Services of Valencia Property

Last year i did 100 tips for moving to Spain. This video was the last one in the series and summed up everything in three words, "Use My Services" Check out the whole video series on the YouTube Channel for Valencia Property.

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Cafe Nueve in Cocentaina - YouTube

If you are passing near Cocentaina going from Valencia to Alicante, as I will be tomorrow, then you could do a lot worse than stopping off for a coffee and a chat in Cocentaina, a small town near Alcoy. Mark runs Cafe Nueve in Cocentaina and would be delighted to welcome you in. Take a look at the video as Mark tells you what to expect and where it is near. And I have attached a map so you can find it too.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Amazon.com: Laptop Entrepreneur - how to make a living anywhere in the world

The new book is now on Kindle. Superb value for reading on your Kindle or iPad for only $9.20. Get your copy of The Laptop Entrepreneur at the link

260000 Euros Attic In The Heart of Valencia With Garage and Storeroom.

This property will fly. Right in the centre of Valencia, overlooking a plaza where one of the main Fallas attractions is planted every year with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and that holy grail of Valencian City Life, a terrace of 60m2 getting the morning sun. Totally as new and ready to move in. It has a garage space, storeroom and central heating with double glazing and even room for a small extension off the living room in the form of a conservatory.

3 Bedroom Apartment For Sale In Central Valencia.

Another great central Valencia flat at 180k. Three bedrooms in the 79m2 with a bathroom, open plan kitchen and living room and totally modernized just four years ago. New windows, central heating through air conditioning and fast broadband internet and just a couple of minutes walk away from the station and town hall. It is a fourth floor without lift so will not suit everyone but if you want to avoid the need to join a gym and go on the stair machine then this could be the place for you
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A Few Bargain Valencia Properties Down in Price | Houses for Sale in Spain

Three properties in Valencia reduced in price for various reasons. Two properties for sale in Villamarchante and one villa for sale in Olocau. All of them have at least four bedrooms and they range in price from 158000 up to 360000 Euros. Take a look, tell us what you think and get your wallet out if interested.

http://www.houses-for-sale-in-spain.net/houses-for-sale-in-spain/a-few-bargain-valencia-properties-down-in-price

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Video marketing is hot on LinkedIn apparently

We got an email this evening that Slideshare had placed our presentation about Video Marketing on the homepage in the LinkedIn section. Take a look and see what you think. 

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Thursday, December 08, 2011

http://www.culturespain.com/2011/12/06/laptop-entrepreneur-the-anti-crisis-book/

"The Laptop Entrepreneur" is finally here after around a year of writing, editing and making it ultra relevant. If you have a business that you want to promote better online or if you want to know how to start a business online then is is essential reading. 

Sunday, December 04, 2011

On the beach right now at Javea

Captured with 360 Panorama in 42.8 seconds.

Nice innit?

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Sent from my iPhone

Ebay Auctions of Spanish Stuff

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Today is a new day, the sun is in the Sky. I wake up this morning and greet the new day.