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LOVE AND ROSES – AND BOOKS – ON DÍA DE LOS ENAMORADOS IN SPAIN
February 11, 2025
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INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN MADRID A SMASH HIT!
February 2, 2025
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STATESIDE STORIES: Trump in Office as 47th US President
January 30, 2025
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A SECOND OPINION: Trump Sentenced
January 14, 2025
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TRAVEL WITH GUIDEPOST: “Cuba, Paradise Lost”
January 13, 2025
ON THE TOWN
Restaurants and bars, movies, theater, dance, sports arenas, even the home… Keep abreast of what’s going on where, and how you can have the greatest fun.
LOVE AND ROSES – AND BOOKS – ON DÍA DE LOS ENAMORADOS IN SPAIN
"Spaniards have this inbred distaste for commercialism. And Valentine’s Day, with its surfeit of commercial opportunism, is not the most important holiday on the calendar. That said, Spanish lovers accept Valentine’s Day as a day for romance and make special concessions."
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN MADRID A SMASH HIT!
The record-breaking edition of Fitur reflects the robust recovery in 2024 of the global tourism industry which saw 1.4 billion international arrivals, spiking up tourism-related revenues worldwide to US$ 1.9 trillion.
TRAVEL WITH GUIDEPOST: “Cuba, Paradise Lost”
The Cubans, in the idyllic Carribean Island that impressed Christopher Columbuis so much, are a very cheerful and hospitable people. They are friendly and outgoing and seem very happy despite their hardships. There is color, music and joy wherever you go – and safety. A great tourist destination.
AN INVITATION TO THE (PRESUMABLY) BEST STREET PARTY WITHIN AN INFINITE RADIUS!
Come on in, join the party! Get into the spirit of thigs!
THE BUSKER WHO WANTED TO STEAL CHRISTMAS
Hey greedy Scrooge, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. Give unto Christmas its due. Give the Season a chance!
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN: “WE ARE REARMING TO THE TUNE OF $840 BILLION”
"This is Europe's moment, and we must live up to it. ReArm Europe could mobilise close to EUR 800 billion for a safe and resilient Europe."
FEATURING VALENCIA, A THREE PART SERIES. (3) A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “Valencia,” 6 June 1986
"The very mention of Valencia brings to mind sun-splashed beaches, groves of sweet orange trees and the world-famous rice dish called 'paella'. Perhaps the most “Spanish” of Spain’s cities, Valencia is a wonderful introduction to a country where it’s always springtime and the people are as warm as the trade winds blowing in from the Med."
FEATURING VALENCIA, A THREE-PART SERIES: (I) The Banda de Musica is Definitive of the (Unofficial) Music Capital of Spain
In Valencia there are more bandas de musica than the municipalities that comprise the Autonomous Community. They are definitive of the Valencian essence.
FEATURING VALENCIA, A THREE PART SERIES: (2) The Most Musical Town in Spain Losses Billions to the Deadly DANA
The Valencian music industry has been brutally impacted by the DANA, especially those businesses located in Horta Sud, the comarca that suffered the worst damage. The double jeopardy of it is that many of the businesses are micro and small businesses and are therefore doubly vulnerable to the disaster, with very little to fall back on. -
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “THE SPANISH SCENE: Cheers for the Cheese,” 24 March 1972
"Family dynasties have risen and fallen, town elections have been won or lost, and enterprising locals have made it big or fallen into disgrace, all on the basis of how well -- or how bad -- they made their Idiazabal cheese. Now it was announced that a monument commemorating Idiazabal cheese would be built."
THE FAST-CHANGING CHRISTMAS IN ULTRA-TRADITIONAL SPAIN
Suddenly, as though rousing from a deep slumber, the Spaniards have scrambled up with characteristic zest at the beginning of November, hanging garlands of light. And if the fact that the Little Drummer Boy came rather too early smacks kind of commercialism, so what? ’Tis the Season to be Jolly, the earlier celebrated, the happier. And for every extra euro that goes into the till, there's an undeniable Christmas spirit to it too.
TOURISM, A FABULOUS FONT OF JOBS IN SPAIN!
"The number of Social Security contributors in the tourism sector of Spain continues to show positive data in the first full month of autumn 2024. In October, contributors linked to tourism activities increased in absolute terms by 98,845 people, reaching a total figure of more than 2.75 million workers."
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “The Quixotic World of Spanish Teaching,” 21 March 1986
"A report for the Spanish Culture Ministry says that Spanish ranks second only to English as the foreign language most studied in Europe, and in many English-speaking countries it is the first foreign language choice of students. But the Ministry of Culture in Madrid complains that Spanish is taught abroad without official support from the government."
THE EUROPEAN UNION IS STANDING BY UKRAINE IN THE ADVENT OF THE NEW TRUMP ERA!
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: “Today’s positive assessment by the Commission of Ukraine’s €4.1 billion payment request is further proof both of Europe’s steadfast commitment to Ukraine, and of the country’s impressive progress in driving forward important reforms to advance on its EU path while fighting an atrocious war."
NEWSFLASH! EUROPEAN UNION CITIZENS AND NON-EUROPEAN UNION CITIZENS, YOU’VE GOT TO READ THIS!
What's in it for you in the European Union? You'll be surprised! Find out now!
THE REAL MADRID
Any and everything about the fascinating capital city of Spain — and the Autonomous Community of Madrid — from its rich history through its vibrant present to what the future holds, recounted from every angle imaginable.
This category, however, goes beyond Madrid; it embraces stories of what occurred, are occurring, and will probably occur in the Spanish nation whose capital is Madrid.
TAKE NOTE: NO POST-IMMACULATE CONCEPTION HOLIDAY FOR MADRID!
People in Madrid aren't as fortunate as those in Andalusia, for example. On Monday, the 9th of December, they’ll be going back to work like any regular working day since their Autonomous Community has chosen not to "contaminate" the day after the Feast of the Immaculate Conception!
MADRID’S COCKTAIL CULTURE
Chicote, the iconic watering hole where local and international celebrities have left and will continue to leave their mark, is where you´re bound to have guanranteed great gin and vodka cocktails in an unbeatable ambience.
KICK OFF YOUR SUMMER IN MADRID GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE JAPANESE KIMONO
Getting better acquainted with the Japanese kimono this Summer in Madrid, via the exhibition “Kimono, Identidad Cambiante: Un Siglo a Pie de Calle (Kimono, Changing Identity: A Century Out in the Street),” and the conference-demonstration "Cómo Vestir el Kimono Japonés: Kitsuke (How to Put On the Japanese Kimono: Kitsuke)."
COOL CARABANCHEL, DIVINE WHEN NOT FLAWED
Working-class Carabanchel, complete with a colorful population, an animated street life, a surprisingly urban scene not overly sullied by unsightly graffiti, and a notorious prison to remind one that evil has a stealthy way of lurking in a democratic country, is on its way to becoming Madrid's So-Ho and is one of the coolest barrios in the world into the bargain!
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S WAKING DREAM
There’s a slight breeze. It’s summer night at its best. Madrileños are out to enjoy it. And yet it's the eve of the eve of Spring. Madrid has a quasi-pathological penchant for acting as though the sun (or, in this case, the moon) is always up there shining on folks -- the chosen people -- whatever the weather.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “Madrid’s Public Transportation–‘Best in Europe’,” 15 September 1972
"Madrid’s system of transportation has to be the best in Europe and the most varied because Spanish society has placed a heavy burden on it. That burden is the custom of the siesta which means that, unlike Paris or London, there are four rush hours in the nation's capital instead of two."
IT’S THE WITCHING HOUR. CINDERELLA & PRINCE CHARMING, YOUR CARRIAGE WAITS!
The municipal government of Madrid has beefed up its fleet of night buses in an attempt to attract night-outers: the midnight Cinderellas and their Princes Charming as it were, as well as workers on the night shift. Fondly called “buhos” (night owls), these sustainable, eco-friendly, and cost- effective buses ply their routes from 23:30 to 6:00 AM. All aboard now!
THE AMAZING LIFE IN TIMELESS MADRID
"In Madrid, there’s time for everything because life lasts longer here. In the city that follows the pace you set, time is measured in quality of life, days of sunshine and opportunities. There’s always time to learn, make progress, launch a project or simply live better here. Madrid is the ultimate capital for those who are the masters of their time. In Madrid, time always starts with you. Madrid is the city of your time."
