Eleena’s recent article (9 Famous Living Spaniards that Every Guiri Should Know) got me thinking more about the G-word.

Guiri is a word applied by Spanish people to foreigners in Spain, but not to all foreigners, mostly just those from Western European countries, the States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand… you know, us palid blondies There is a definite element of looking like a total tourist involved too (sunglasses, sunburn, camera round neck, silly sunhat, sandals), though this isn’t essential.

A question that worried me for a long time was whether or not it is actually a bad thing to be called a Guiri. I remember how Marina’s sister once called me Guiri not long after Marina and I had started going out, and I took huge offense.

Yet at a party on Saturday night old friends of Marina’s were bandying the word around all evening and it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I’ve started using the word quite a lot myself to talk about my fellow foreigners.

Being called a Guiri, I’ve discovered, is only a bad thing if it is said with spite (which is only about 20% of the time). Usually, however, it’s a friendly kind of a word, not nearly as demeaning as the way us Brits used to call the French ‘frogs’.

I think I am a bit of a guiri (despite my best efforts to Spanishify myself), especially in summer when I don much of the requisite kit (camera, shades, silly hat), but nowadays I really don’t mind in the least. Does the Guiri label bother you?

Notes: Frikipedia, something of a Spanish Urban Dictionary, has a great Guiri rundown in Spanish. Other classics include Gilipollas. As for the Urban Dicationary, see the entry on Spain, e.g.: “Spain: Builds SEAT cars, which are cheap but fun - Has gypsies who live in caves furnished with TVs, fridges, etc - Sells beer in McDonalds - Has awesome food and wine, making one realize the necessity of a siesta.” No comment.

It’s not often I use this blog to promote our activities over at NotesinSpanish.com, but I’m so excited about the project we’ve just finished that that’s exactly what I’m going to do now!

Marina and I have just spent weeks working on what we’ve called our ‘Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide’. It includes over 100 of the phrases and expressions that real Spanish people use every day on the streets of Spain, explained in nearly an hour and a half of audio, with accompanying phrase book.

I’ve always been obsessed with picking up these sorts of phrases, things like ‘¡Dejame en paz!’, meaning ‘B+@+er Off and leave me in peace!’, ‘Esta chica esta zumbada’, that girl’s totally crazy, and one of my favourites, ‘La madre que te parió’, literally ‘the mother that bore you’, a quite exquisite expression to use when you are really really pissed off!

We’ve also put together a great bonus to go with the pack, ‘How to Sound Really Spanish in 10 Words or Less!’, again based on audio that basically does what it says on the tin: it includes the 10 words or phrases that will have Spanish people doffing their cap to you in respect in seconds!

Check it all out over at Notes in Spanish, by following this link:
The Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide

Here ends the shameless plug of something we are genuinely really really proud of. Have a great weekend!

Hi everyone, a couple of things that will hopefully be of interest to you all. Firstly, many thanks to John from Frankfurt who emailed me the following:

‘I thought you might be interested in the article (book? It’s 240+ pages long) “Spain Going Places” by William Chislett. Very interesting and sponsored by Telefonica, which means it is free.’

I certainly was interested, and the book, subtitled “Economic, Political and Social Progress, 1975-2008″ is definitely required reading for confirmed hispanophiles. You can get hold of the mammoth pdf via this direct download link.

Secondly, for all you avid Spain photographers out there, don’t forget to check out, and hopefully join and add your images to, another addition to the NFS Flickr scene: the “Spain: Black and White Street Photography” group. I find street photography fascinating at the moment, and think Spain is a pretty fine place to practice the art!

Photo: Faces of Spain 1, from my La Virgin Dolorosa set.

Guest blogger Eleena (better known as Beckett in the NFS forum) is a New Yorker who has lived 1079 days in Madrid, just not consecutively. When she’s not teaching English to Spaniards, she updates her bilingual blog “Voices en Español” and posts fairy tales in Spanish over at Cody’s Cuentos.

You’ve packed your bags, said your good-byes and bought your one-way ticket to Spain. But before you board that flight to Barajas, have you brushed up on your knowledge of modern-day Spain? Besides Pedro Almodóvar, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, what other famous living Spaniards do you know? Well, in no particular order of preference, here are some names to get you started. The 9 Famous Living Spaniards That Every Guiri Should Know list. Don’t leave home without it:

1. Esperanza Aguirre - The president of the autonomous community of Madrid, this Spanish politician is a force to be reckoned with. Spaniards either love her or hate her, which means she must be doing something right! She plays politics like a Russian chess master, always one move ahead, and if she stays on the path she is currently on, she will probably become Spain’s first female prime minister in the next decade.

2. King Juan Carlos – ¿Por qué no te callas? ‘nuf said.

3. Santiago Calatrava – This architect, whose distinctive, soaring designs have brought modern flair to Barcelona and Valencia, is one of Spain’s hottest exports.

4. Ana Obregón – This 58-year-old actress puts the coo in cougar. Once known for her films, her current claim to fame these days is her Dorian Grey-like appearance – she was once called the “geriatric Barbie” by Victoria “Posh” Beckham — and her dating a male model by the name of Darek. Obregón is a frequent staple of the Spanish tabloids and Spanish gossip media. She’s kind of like an old Paris Hilton.

5. Almudena Grandes – A Spanish writer who has written several books and short stories that depict modern Spanish life.

6. Iñaki Gabilondo – This broadcaster has been in the journalism biz for four decades and makes no secret of his political views but he is well-respected because he asks tough questions. When Iñaki Gabilondo talks, people listen.

7. Fernando Alonso – Three years ago nobody in Spain cared about Formula 1 auto racing. Now everybody loves Fernando, well, almost everyone. And this Asturiano, who at the tender age of 24 became the youngest Formula 1 champion in the 2005 season, is now a national sports hero with his mug appearing everywhere.

8. Santiago “Torrente” Segura – This comic actor is Spain’s answer to Ben Stiller and the Farrelly Brothers. If it’s funny and crude, Segura is the guy. Never heard of him? Well, Segura’s movie “Torrente 2: Misión en Marbella” is reportedly the highest-grossing Made-in-Spain movie of all time. Take that, Almódovar!

9. Rodolfo Chikilicuatre – Spain’s entry to the 2008 Eurovision music contest. Chikilicuatre sang and breiki danced his way into the hearts of Spanish fans with his “El Baile del Chiki Chiki.” He’s got a pompadour that the original Elvis would love.

10. And for No. 10? We’ll turn that over to you. Who would be on your list of Living Spanish Famosos?

Photo King Juan Carlos courtesy wikipedia

Notes from Spain started slowly in March 2005, and since then, according to this wonderful Wordpress blogging software, there have been 736 posts and 5,582 comments, with, I hope, plenty more to come!

Many many (many!) thanks to all of you who keep reading and joining in. Without the encouragement, feedback, and occasional abuse, we would probably have stopped long ago!

It never rains in Cordoba. At least that’s what my friend Alistair and I thought when we took 24 hours out of Madrid to photograph the Semana Santa processions there this Easter Wednesday.

By 11pm that night, we were exhausted and soaking wet, having spent the entire day running around town only to discover that there was no way the vigines and accompanying processions were leaving the churches in a little bit of rain. We asked a barman what we’d done to deserve such bad luck. ‘Bueno,’ he said, ‘It’s rained here on Easter Wednesday for the last four years.’

Great. Easter dates change every year, yet it always manages to rain on that Wednesday, Miercoles Santo. Still, there was plenty to photograph - disappointed, damp Cordobans primarily…

… and the odd happy few that were sensible enough to stay in the bars…

For more Cordoba-Easter-Rain street photos from our damp, yet still immensely enjoyable 24 hours in Cordoba, check out my photos on Flickr, and more great images here, from my fellow photographer Alistair.

This post is inspired by the extraordinary discovery that the above photo, of the simple Sandwich Mixto, is the most viewed image in my Flickr Stream.

So here’s the question: You walk into a Spanish bar wanting a quick, satisfying, base food fix, something more that than the free tapa that comes with your beer. Maybe it’s eleven o’clock and you need a calorie boost, or something to take the edge off your hangover. What’s it to be?

Mine’s a Sandwich Mixto, two grilled slices of slightly oily toast, with cheap ham and cheese in the middle. The Spanish equivalent of a bacon butty. Can’t beat it. What would you order in similar circumstances?

Updates: On the coast this is often called a ‘Bikini’ - see comments. Plus, Chris from Spanish Sauce has the full Sandwich Mixto / Bikini recipe here!

This post forms part of an ongoing series about running an online business in Spain. If that is something that might interest you, read on!

Nowadays a lot of people including, I suppose, myself, are touting the dream of a live-anywhere, internet-based income. You know, the idea that you can chill out by the beach, check your email once a week, and watch the cash role in.

The reality is obviously a little bit tougher than that. Not only do you have to find an online business idea that works, you then have to lovingly pay attention to it, full time, for a very long time. Still, it beats having to commute to work every day, and yes, you can live by a nice Spanish beach if you want to!

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Hurray! I’ve been looking for this for ages, and now regular NFS commenter Parubin has found it! Here’s his great comment, from an earlier post, in full:

“@ Sandy : “Is there any website we can see a list of smoking and non-smoking establishments in Spain?”

As an example, in Madrid city there are listed :
- 139 bares y cafeterías.
- 297 restaurantes
- and only just 1 pub?? ”

Thanks to Sandy for the quesion, and Parubin for the link we’ve all been waiting for. Shame there are no non-smoking bars or restaurants listed in my corner of Madrid!

Dave Hall lives and works in Barcelona. You can read more of his great posts on his blog, and his guest blogging posts here on Notes from Spain. He is currently somewhat of an expert on life in a Spanish office:

After listening to the Notes in Spanish Advanced podcast about life in a Spanish office recently, I thought I´d write a little about my experience of some of the most striking differences from my viewpoint as a long term UK office worker now working in various Spanish offices over the past 18 months.

The biggest (and the most obvious) thing that I still struggle with at times is how to get my head around the well publicised relaxed attitude to timekeeping.

In my old UK company, we would routinely receive emails reminding us that 9 am was the start of the “working” day, and not the time you should be stubbing your fag out against the wall outside and thinking about dragging your lazy, no-good, workshy carcass into the building only to then go for an unfeasibly long pee, get a coffee and chat to your colleagues about last night´s television (OK, I´m paraphrasing). Something along the lines of “You should be at your workstation, ready to work at 9 am” was the usual message.

Lunch time was a fixed 45 minutes and the same rules applied then. In fact, this was so well drummed into us that, if you strolled back in 5 minutes late, your own dear colleagues (from outside your department) would look at you with scorn and pass comment either behind your back, or to your face in the form of a lame joke. The management had clearly done their job on us, as the staff were effectively policing each other in the form of an internalized company Gestapo!!! (Although, we´d of course swapped finger screws for finger pointing). A sad situation indeed.

Here in Spain, it´s very different. Last week, when I asked what the hours were in my new job, my boss kind of shrugged, expelled a lot of air, umm´d and arr´d , then finally said, “Well, come in about 9am ish, lunch is roughly 13.30 until whenever, and most people start leaving about 18.30, or earlier if it´s a Friday.” (She then immediately asked if I wanted to go for a coffee with her). Ah well, that´s clear then, thanks!

So, not a bad situation, but totally useless for an anally retentive, logically minded Virgo like me who can only cope with life if there´s a “rule” of some kind to help avoid unnecessary confusion! I still find myself rushing back to work after lunch, only to find an empty office, and then chastising myself for being such a pillock. For someone who prides himself on having done a reasonably good job of fitting into Spanish life, this work timetable thing is an irritatingly persistent problem that I still need to shake off before my hair falls out or I start cultivating a stomach ulcer.

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