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June 29, 2013

Britain in the Sun – Gibraltar

Filed under: Lifestyle — Tags: Britain in the sun, Casares, Expat, Gibraltar, live in spain, Living in Spain, Manilva, Puerto de La Duquesa, Sabinillas — Lucy @ 2:09 pm

We have been watching with amusement the Channel 5 documentary series following the lives of the residents on Gibraltar.

We love Gibraltar. It is a unique and interesting place steeped in history and full of characters from all over the world that have made Gibraltar their home.

When you visit Gibraltar you do feel like you have walked into a town in Great Britain. Except of course for the monkeys or Barbary Apes to be precise.

Monkey in Gibraltar on the look out for food

Watch out there’s a monkey about that might nick your food!

Gibraltar Barbary Ape enjoying stolen packet of crisps

Cheeky Gibraltar Monkey eating stolen bag of crisps

You see red telephone boxes dotted about and the police force wear a uniform that is similar to the British “bobby on the beat”.

Main Street Gibraltar is reminiscent of a typical British High Street with shops such as Marks and Spencers, BHS, Top Shop, Peacocks, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Next, Monsoon, Mothercare, Early Learning Centre, Hallmark and Burger King located there.

There is also a large Morrisons Supermarket and MacDonalds restaurant located a 10 minute walk from Main Street and recently Eroski Supermarket has opened near the border which stocks 100’s of Waitrose products.

Gibraltar holds a special place in the hearts of many British Expats who have chosen to live in Spain. Having Gibraltar nearby helps you feel closer to home and softens the impact of moving to a foreign country with a foreign language.

I know there are 100s of expats living in Spain who make a monthly trip to Gibraltar to stock up on their favourite British foods and buy cheap cigarettes and alcohol.

Gibraltar is also special to many expats living in Spain as it is their source of income i.e where they work.

Employment is in abundance in Gibraltar and the market is dominated by the finance and gaming industries.

Manilva, La Duquesa, Sabinillas and Casares have become very popular locations within the commuter belt to Gibraltar as they are just a 30 minute picturesque drive away and the quality of life is second to none.

If you are thinking about moving to Spain or Gibraltar or buying a holiday home and would like to know more about our area, I have written a 200 page guide on Manilva Municipality – An Expat Residents Guide To One Of The Best Places In The World To Live.

If you would like me to send you a free copy of this guide please email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu

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January 17, 2013

Learning Spanish

Filed under: Lifestyle,Local Events & Culture — Tags: learn spanish, Learn Spanish in Spain, Learning Spanish, Living in Spain, Manilva, Puerto de La Duquesa — Lucy @ 10:40 am

One of my new year resolutions is to improve my Spanish.

It is not essential to know Spanish if you live in Manilva. And I know several people who have lived here for many years who know little more than hola, buenas dias and adios. However if you do make the effort it will be worth it as it will enrich your life in so many ways and make living in Spain easier.

5 Great Benefits of Learning Spanish

1. You make new friends – those learning with you and Spanish speaking friends once you have learnt the basics.

2. It helps you understand special offers and official letters you receive if you rent or own a property here which can save you money, worry and stress later on if you had ignored them.

3. Whether holidaying, living here permanently or part-time, it makes day to day life easier and more enjoyable as you can communicate better when shopping or dealing with utility companies such as Telefonica and you can join in in more of the wonderful activities that are available here in Manilva.

4. It gives you the confidence to explore Spain and discover the fantastic places off the main tourist routes. We have had our best holidays venturing further afield within Andalucia and have discovered some amazing places.

5. It opens up a whole new world to discover – the Spanish speaking world – which not only includes Spain but many of the South American countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Cuba,Peru, Panama, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina etc.

Manilva Town Hall (Ayuntamiento de Manilva) actively encourages their non spanish speaking residents to learn Spanish.

They do this by providing a very reasonably priced Spanish course twice a week for residents and non-residents and by organizing “inter cambio” coffee mornings.

Manilva Town Hall Foreigners Department offers a “Spanish for foreign residents” program which currently costs just €70 for 1 hour lesson twice a week for 12 weeks (24 hours of lessons equivalent to about €3 per lesson!). This is a great course and is available at three levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced depending on your level. If you are interested in this course call 952 89 35 48.

The “inter cambio” coffee mornings are where foreign residents can meet local Spanish residents in a supervised environment and practice the Spanish that they have learnt. It is also good for the Spanish locals interested in learning another language and it fosters great inter cultural relations and is a great opportunity to make new friends.

This Friday 18th January the “inter cambio” coffee morning is being held at Kinsales in Puerto de La Duquesa from 10.30am.

If you don’t currently live in Manilva but are interested in learning Spanish, I will be posting some lessons over the next few weeks to get you started.

Please email me at lucy@barringtonhomes.eu or leave a comment at the end of this blog if there are any scenarios or expressions that you would like to know how to say in Spanish.