Archive for March, 2006

What’s your favourite Spanish food?

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Pop by the forum and let us know!

Written by Ben Curtis

March 23rd, 2006 at 3:01 pm

In quotes: Eta ceasefire

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A good summary of important reactions to the ceasefire on the BBC news site.

Written by Ben Curtis

March 23rd, 2006 at 11:12 am

Notes from Spain Podcast 33 – ETA ceasefire

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Ben and Marina talk about today’s historic decision by the terroist group ETA to call a permanent ceasefire and seek solutions via democratic means.

Please join in the discussion via the post on the Notes from Spain forum.

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Written by Ben Curtis

March 22nd, 2006 at 10:44 pm

ETA announce permanent ceasefire – podcast tonight

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ETA have announced a permanent ceasefire in a video emitted on Basque Television – “The aim of this decision is to promote a democratic process in the Basque Country… The end of the conflict is possible here and now. This is the desire and wishes of ETA.”

My first reaction is one of amazement. I’ll be researching the story more today and Marina and I will report on it tonight in a podcast. Certainly this must be the most historic moment in Spain since the end of the civil war.

BBC story here
El Mundo coverage here
Comment in our forum here
ETA in books and film

Written by Ben Curtis

March 22nd, 2006 at 2:34 pm

Help us brainstorm future podcast ideas!

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Forum post: What do you want to hear on Notes from Spain?

Written by Ben Curtis

March 22nd, 2006 at 10:03 am

Join the Notes from Spain Flickr Group

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In a response to a question on how to post photos in our new forum, I have set up a Flickr group for Notes from Spain. This is a place to share your images of Spain with us and the rest of the web, so do please join in and add some images to the group. I’ll post the best picture (in my humble opinion -or maybe I’ll work out a way we can all vote) at the end of every month here on the blog, perhaps we can even get a competition for the best ever going later on in the year.

You will need a flickr account, which is free and easy to sign up for.

This also provides a great way of adding photos to your posts in the ‘Your Notes from Spain‘ section of the forum, that we really hope you’ll use to tell us about your experiences of Spain.

P.S. Resident ex-pats welcome too!

Written by Ben Curtis

March 21st, 2006 at 1:59 pm

Posted in General

Amateur India Traveler Interview

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Thanks to Chris at the Amateur Traveler podcast for deeming me interviewable! You can hear me talking to him about the India trip in last Sunday’s episode here. AT is a great podcast with travel news and views from around the world.

Hopefully the next Notes from Spain will be out tomorrow, sorry for the wait! Meanwhile we’ve uploaded a new Notes in Spanish podcast en español, claro.

Written by Ben Curtis

March 20th, 2006 at 8:47 pm

Posted in General

El Lobo

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  Eduardo Noriega stars in this gripping true-story film about a police informant that infiltrates ETA and helps the police achieve one of their most important historical attacks on the group’s internal structure. Action packed, moving, passionate, (with the obligatory doses of highly-charged sex that few Spanish films go without…) Highly recommended if you like a bit of historical political intrigue.
Pick up a copy at:
Amazon.com (USA)
 

Written by Ben Curtis

March 20th, 2006 at 11:17 am

Posted in Film,Spain Books

Cuisine from Spain – New Podcast no. 1 – Pantumaca and Olive Oil

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Welcome to the first podcast from Cuisine from Spain. In this edition we talk about olive oil, we taste different types (Arbequino, Hojiblanca and Picual) and also prepare Pantumaca, which is a very simple and delicious recipe.

Pantumaca’s ingredients are:

Rustic bread (white flour and rye)

2 garlic cloves

2 or 3 very ripe tomatos

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the open side against the toasted bread, then do the same with one of the tomatoes, until some of the pulp and juices have soaked in. Then drizzle on the olive oil. This can also be eaten with other ingredients on top such as Manchego cheese, Iberico ham or smoked Salmon.

Olive oil and traveling:

On the roads of Southern Spain, mainly Andalucia, Castilla la Mancha and Extremadura, you get endless rolling hills full of olive trees. If you like the idea, I would recommend either visiting Jaen province (which is said to have as many olive trees as the whole of Italy) or Cordoba. Another great way to enjoy the olive tree fields is taking the fast train (AVE – http://www.renfe.es/ave) from Madrid down to Cordoba or Seville during the day time, it has breathtaking views!

Related forum topic: Is extra-virgen olive oil too expensive for everyday use?

Written by Ben Curtis

March 19th, 2006 at 3:08 pm

Welcome to New York Times readers!

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Notes from Spain received a small mention today in the New York Times ‘Spring Travel’ magazine (also on-line, see ‘Pod Potatoes’ half-way down this page).

If you have just checked out Notes from Spain for the first time as a result, then welcome! You can find a list of previous episodes here, or ask any questions you like about podcasting or Spain in our forum.

Written by Ben Curtis

March 19th, 2006 at 12:59 pm

Posted in General