2016 in Review

Wow, I had not realized I'd been away from this blog for a whole year! Well, for a year in review, here are my 2016 Spain related posts on Newsvine:

CANCIÓN DE NAVIDAD - Sara G (Video) The definitive Christmas song. Carols are not what they used to be...

From Weird to Wonderful: Christmas Traditions Around the World

Spain: "The bizarre Catalonian tradition of caga tió" (or 'defecating guy' / 'defecating log' in English) "involves creating a character out of a small log which sits on the dining room table during the fortnight leading up to Christmas. It has to be fed every day wit …

Spain's conservatives propose former government official linked to Panama Papers for World Bank head

The Economy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement late on Friday night that the Spanish government had proposed Jose Manuel Soria as executive director at the World Bank. Soria, who has denied any wrongdoing, resigned as minister in April following reports of alleged links to a …

Spain: Nine months and counting without a government

On Jan. 2, 1492, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon occupied Granada, completing their conquest of Moorish Spain. Ever since, Spain has always had a government — and occasionally two, when Napoleon invaded in 1808, and during the 1936 to 1939 civil war that split …

Why Is Spain's Economy Expanding So Robustly Without a Government?

Spain’s robust economic expansion is defying concerns that a political impasse, now in its ninth month with no end in sight, would tarnish one of Europe’s economic bright spots. But the pillars that have sustained Spain’s recovery from recession are showing s …

Botched Restoration of Fresco in Spain Inspires Opera

Four years after a well-meaning widow in a Spanish town botched the restoration of a century-old fresco of Jesus crowned with thorns, the episode is being celebrated there with a comic opera performed by professional singers and a local choir. The image in the altered fresco,  …

Chill out with these cold summer soups from Spain

Gazpacho seems to be the soup that most people associate with Spain. Indeed, it is very popular in the country, not only in the hot summer months, but throughout the year. However, it certainly isn't the only cold soup Spaniards love to dip into. For example, Spaniards love to g …

The Funniest Spanish-English Menu Translations

Untidy Eggs and Ham Drunk Chickens Strawberries with Scum

How Brexit impacted Spain's election

With markets in free fall after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Spanish voters turned away from anti-establishment parties Sunday and endorsed the perceived safety and security of ruling conservatives.  Europe has been watching Spain to see how anger at the stat …

Happy World Book Day! What are you reading? What's happening where you are?

Happy World Book Day! Doesn't that sound much better than 'Happy 400th Anniversary of the Deaths of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes'? Not to mention being much less of a mouthful. UNESCO chose April 23, the date when we commemorate the deaths of these two greats of w …

In Search of Don Quixote across the Spanish plains of La Mancha (Photos)

Caption: Fernando Ortega, 40, runs past the windmills in Alcazar de San Juan, Spain, April 5, 2016. REUTERS/Susana Vera

Mother, daughter and policewoman pal found guilty of murdering local politician

On the afternoon of May 12, 2014 Isabel Carrasco's life ended when she was shot three times while crossing a footbridge over the Bernesga river in the city of León, Spain. Today the three women accused of plotting and carrying out the killing were