Email
April 28, 2008
I thought I would drop a quick line regarding the medieval fiesta in Castell de Castells.
I attended the above and was amazed how such a small Spanish community could put together a weekend-long fiesta that would put most UK cities to shame.
It was so fitting that most of it was held in front of an old church with both the young and not so young dancing, eating, drinking and enjoying the atmosphere.
The local band, which I think is called Primitiva, deserves a special mention; they played with such enthusiasm all weekend and never tired even after I dare say a few glass of the local wine!
There were so many different stalls some selling locally made produce, others showing how things were made all those years ago.
The whole village seemed to be in high spirits this extending to visitors like myself.
Being in Castells over the weekend was a treat to behold and one that no words could ever do justice to. The whole village should be proud of their achievement and community spirit.
Hopefully, you will find a small space to convey my thoughts.
Regards,
Name withheld as requested
Email
April 25, 2008
Dear Sir,
I enjoy reading the internet version of Costa Levante News (and sister editions) each week, but miss some of the regular features that appear in the printed version. However, we hope to be in Spain in a week, so will be able to read the complete works!
Regarding the F1 reports over the last several weeks, I wish you would correct the lap distance of the new race track at Valencia. 5,473.5 metres equates to 3.4 miles (not approx five miles).
Yours faithfully,
J Odell
Email
April 23, 2008
Things will get worse for those on low pension incomes and liable to be hit by the changes in tax announced in the budget.
After the revolt by labour MPs the chancellor has announced that pensioners will have refunds via the winter fuel allowance! Wonderful, but many expats do not qualify out here but still pay tax in UK. How are they to be reimbursed?
I have emailed both David Cameron and Frank Field who led the revolt in the House of Commons, but they say we don't need it...
Regards,
Russ Byford
Email
April 26, 2008
In response to:
Email April 19. Can anyone explain why state sick benefit in England is not taxable but in Spain it is classed as income, causing the person to lose most of the benefit? From Vicky and Colin Brennan.
In England, statutory sick pay is classed as earnings and is taxable. However, if that is the only income it would usually fall below the taxable threshold for the period it is paid as it is only £75.40 per week and earnings are usually taxed above £105 per week.
Even if these benefits are received from the state they would class as earnings. Not sure how the Spanish system works.
Janette
Email
Yorkshire
April 27, 2008
Hello,
I read with interest the letter from Sandra and Richard. I am sure they are not the only people in this position.
Please could you publish the legal expert’s reply for us all to see.
I have had to take a second job to help pay my Spanish mortgage. The increasing interest rates and poor exchange rate mean my monthly outgoings have vastly increased.
Combined with increasing flight prices, my holiday home is not used as much as what it used to be.
In the meantime, plod on, work hard and hope things can only get better!
Jo
Email
April 27, 2008
Hi,
I have read the letter you printed from Sandra and Richard regarding their property here in Spain.
We are currently looking to rent a house with option to buy but cannot find a suitable property.
Is it possible you could forward my email address to Sandra and Richard as we would be interested to know in which area the property is?
At the present time we are renting an apartment in Albir.
Thank you,
Christine Mort
Dear Christine,
We have forwarded this to Sandra and Richard and hope the contact has a happy outcome.
CBN
Email
San Miguel de Salinas
April 22, 2008
Dear Editor,
As a resident of Ciudad de Las Comunicaciones for 12 years, an urbanization that was originally private, which is why I and most other residents purchased properties here, I was concerned about the possibility of a school being started in what is our community centre.
Initially my fears were put to rest as I was informed that it was to be an academy and a licence had been applied for this purpose.
Lately noise of very young children screaming and shouting, especially around 11.30 in the morning is being heard from a playground that has been constructed next to the community centre, proving that it is in fact a school and not an academy.
Having been made aware of the history of this school and the problems that have been caused to the residents in Mar Azul, I am now fearful of the future.
I also notice that the school is now advertising in a free newspaper stating they accommodate infants, juniors and seniors; hardly an academy.
It seems amazing to me that despite the obvious illegality of this school and the obvious disregard for the residents of Ciudad de Las Comunicaciones and Mar Azul that nothing has been done to close it down.
Yours truly,
Alan Gunter
Email
Orihuela Costa
April 12, 2008
In Reply to Jorge Martinez Prefasi's letter, April 11:
Firstly I would like to thank the gentleman for taking trouble in writing to an English language newspaper. My husband and I often wonder what the Spanish people think of all the foreigners who have chosen to live here, especially us English.
We heartily agree that Spain has far more freedom of choice than the UK, and as smokers we totally abhor the laws that have made the UK a virtual Nanny State, but that is really one minor detail, and not a reason we chose to live here.
Now here comes the crunch. We did not come here and ‘ruin your coastline with ugly concrete and our greedy desire to get a sea view’. The Spanish landowners who sold their land to the builders did that, and it is none of our fault that the building is continuing, in fact, we are the ones who are trying to get it stopped.
We did not choose to live on urbanisations which resemble prison camps. The criminals and lack of good policing made us barricade our homes with high walls, shutters and grills at every window.
Some English people have paid hundreds and thousands of pounds to build beautiful homes on land bought from Spaniards, only to be told by their corrupt town halls after going through every legality properly, that their homes were ‘illegal’ or they lost some of the land they bought.
Please do not forget that many foreigners here have had the most appalling losses, their whole homes, all their money and livelihoods totally gone, because of your Spanish Laws, and I may add, this never seems to happen to a Spanish person.
As for CHIPS. Well, Spain is definitely NOT the gourmet capital of the world. As someone who has lived in Spain on and off since the 1970s, I take umbrage that the Spanish people think that we live on burgers and chips (an American ‘invention’ by the way).
Do you really think that we are happy to see a burger bar opening on our doorstep? Well actually no, but please, if you could tell us of a really good Spanish restaurant in our area, we would be happy to go there.
Yes, there are some in the backstreets of Torrevieja, and many inland, but with the drink-driving laws (thank goodness) a long car journey for a decent meal is not an option we like to take very often.
As for the ones we do know of, they are extremely expensive and we feel loathed to pay for a bottle of Rioja costing five times the price as it costs in our local Mercadona, so good Spanish restaurants are only suitable for very special occasions.
As for Tapas – nowadays they are no longer lovingly made by the chef in the back kitchen, but come in plastic boxes from outside catering companies, and are about as authentic in this area as a lady in a spotted dress doing a bit of Flamenco down at the local Pizzeria!
As for lager, you have to understand that unbelievably it is cheaper in the UK than here. The problem is the people who get drunk on it are not very nice, and we genuinely apologise for the bad behaviour of many British people who come here whether on holiday or to live. We despise them as much as you because they give us such a bad name – throughout the world not just in Spain.
I can only speak for myself, husband and our family and friends, that the only way to stop what you seem to think is the ruination of your country by foreigners, is to do something about it!
If you walk as you seem to have done, around the so-called commercial centres that are built at the end of every urbanisation nowadays, you will not see ONE Spanish establishment.
Not a restaurant or cafe Spanish owned and run, but why is this? Why have you allowed Chinese, Indian, Italian and English culture to take over our eating habits? Why do my husband and I have to take a polluting car drive to get a decent cup of coffee nowadays?
And please explain to us why the Spanish supermarket industry deems it necessary to open a branch on every bit of land going spare. This is not a case of supply and demand, but a complete misunderstanding of what you, the Spanish person, thinks that we, the English/foreign person wants.
What a shame that all those years ago, when the Spanish building boom started along this coast, that more thought was not put into the future.
I have said it before and I'll repeat myself. It may not be too late. You should take a trip to The Costa Del Sol, where people from other countries started moving over 50 years ago. Yes you still have Fuengirola, the coast's answer to Benidorm, but at least the province had the good sense to capitalise on the boom, and build a railway from Málaga to the coastal areas, and the Andalucian culture is still good and strong.
We know this from recently visiting Jerez for the MotoGP, and what a beautiful, unspoiled city it was, despite its tourism.
So, please do not blame or tar us with the same brush. Many foreigners like us live here in a peaceful and legal way, and have learned your language.
We get fed up with chips with everything so I use my Spanish cookery books and we eat at home most of the time.
In England, we both worked hard, and had no time to visit pubs of an evening, so see no reason to start now just because we have retired.
We love our home, and have spent a great deal of money in your Spanish shops into making it better.
Hopefully we are not unusual. Sadly perhaps we are a dying breed, and that's got nothing to do with eating too many chips!
If you love your country and are proud to have a mixed culture, then please try and find out ways of making it stay the way you want, and believe that it is what we would prefer as well.
Alan and Angela Edgley
Playa Flamenca
(A Town that came from nowhere, built for foreigners by Spaniards!)
Email
Manchester and Calpe
April 26, 2008
Hi,
We have a property in Calpe not threatened by LRAU or the coming Gota Fría (watch out folks – October is a mere six months away!) although we are surrounded by unsold villas and apartments.
One question I would ask Señor Martínez Prefasi with the greatest respect... Can he name me a single British builder who has erected property on the Costa Blanca or a single British mayor of any Spanish town on the CB who has approved said illegal building in return for a backhander?
Of course British, German, Scandinavian, French, Dutch and Belgian expats want property in the most wonderful environment and to live alongside the friendliest people in Europe – who wouldn't?
We don't build or illegally approve the real estate – we just buy it, sometimes to our regret.
This is not to say that ‘brown envelope’ corruption is exclusive to Spain. It is endemic throughout Europe including our 'Jewel set in a shining sea'.
Ian Royle,
Flixton, Manchester and (proudly) Calpe on the Costa Blanca
Letters can be emailed to: rwickman@cbnews.es,
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Costa Blanca News, Apartado 95, Benidorm 03501, Alicante.
Costa Blanca News reserves the right to edit contributors’ letters as it sees fit.
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