FROM THE ARCHIVES: In Cordoban Skies… How a Moorish daredevil made aviation history
CORDOBA Airport is a non-descript local hub primarily used by small planes. Due to it’s diminutive scale, Malaga and Sevilla airports host most of the
FREED AT A BRUSHSTROKE. Recalibrating a Chapter in Spanish Art History
DIEGO Velázquez (1599-1660) needs no introduction. Perhaps the best-known painter in Spain’s Golden Age, Velázquez’s paintings became the paragon of excellence for the great Spanish
JACKS CORNER: Emergency Services on the Costa del Sol just got better
IF you found yourself among the commotion on the A-334 north of Almeria on April 24, you are probably wondering what the frenzy was about.
Ladies man: Spanish free-thinker Luis Vives was the world’s first Renaissance Man and championed education for all women back in the 16th century
IMAGINE for a moment an individual who witnessed his family burned at the stake for their beliefs. Then, rather than seek revenge, have the fortitude
Driving on sunshine: Are solar cars the future?
THE Spanish government is preparing a law to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2040. It is part of a concerted effort to
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: The controversy in a small Valencian village over plans for a massive solar power array
IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was a
Better luck this time! Spain’s chequered history in the FIFA World Cup
TODAY – November 20 – marks the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. While rightly surrounded in controversy for many reasons, Spain will
Life is Easy with Eyes Closed… (But opened for John Lennon in Spain’s Cabo de Gata!)
A little-known fact: John Lennon had terrible eyesight. By today’s standards he would have been considered legally blind without his glasses. He was severely myopic,
THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF SPAIN’S COUNTRYSIDE: CONCERN AS COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS TURN MEGA
IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was a
James Bond inspired by iconic expat and British spy Alan Hillgarth who lived in Mallorca
The author confessed ‘the Bond character is a compound of all the secret agents I knew'
What do King Solomon, Andalucia’s Rio Tinto mines, NASA and Mars have in common?
One of the most common reactions to visiting the Rio Tinto mining complex is a comparison to a Martian landscape - and that’s not so
LONG READ: Jack Gaioni reveals the fascinating story of Lola Montez, the fake Spanish dirty dancer who captured a king’s heart
Lola mimed the crushing of spiders that had invaded her undergarments
Beer today, gone tomorrow?: The history of cerveza in Spain
‘I drink beer when I have occasion …and sometimes when I have no occasion’ - Jack Gaioni agrees with Miguel de Cervantes
SEEDS OF HISTORY: SCIENTISTS USING OLIVE SEEDS TO PROVE BIBLE STORIES
OLIVES and Spain! Spain and olives! It’s no surprise to those of us who live here that the two are virtually synonymous. Chances are that
Meet the last shepherds eeking out a living on Spain’s ancient pastoral routes
MEET Valentin, his dog Hooky, and Alberto. We occasionally see each other on my walks near Requena, a rural area in Valencia province. Full disclosure:
How scientists in Valencia are pinning hopes on protecting the oldest living species on earth
WITH three eyes, hundreds of legs, and elongated antennae, these critters are not going to win any beauty contests. Yet they are fascinating organisms. In
Wind of change: Two sides of the ecologist movement clash as Spain debates renewable energy
OUCH! Another electric bill arrived today as more evidence of the skyrocketing price of energy. Electricity costs have quadrupled – yes quadrupled! – from February
World Water Day: What you should know about the rain in Spain
IT is painfully obvious that, in spite of some recent rainfall Spain is experiencing a prolonged drought. Average rainfall this winter is 33% of normal
Given the bird: How falcons are used to protect Spain’s airports from the dangers of bird strikes
BIRD strikes, (airplane engines and/or landing gear colliding with birds), are a growing problem as they have become frequent, very expensive and sometimes fatal. In
SPANISH AUTHOR CARLOS ZAFON: The pen is mightier than the camera…
CARLOS Ruiz Zafon needs no introduction. Arguably the most recognised contemporary writer in Spain, he has an equally successful international reputation. Translated into over 50
Dredging up history: Galicia clean-up project could shed light on mysteries of Spanish Armada
The true aftermath of the Spanish Armada has been buried by the sands of time … until now, writes Jack Gaioni
Basque magic: How Spanish children ended up playing in English teams before ‘foreign players’ became a thing
WAS it a cultural thing? Nature vs.Nurture? Was there something in the water? Their DNA? What follows traces the plight of six Basque adolescents, their
She’s Dynamite! (literally): Civil War heroine who took the fight to Spain’s men
Dynamite! It’s a form of slang that refers to the essence of something rather than the explosive device. For example, we might say: “Penelope Cruz
Jack Gaioni explores the horrors of a Civil War concentration camp and Franco’s grip on the Spanish press
IF you were hoping for a ‘feel good’ article, read no further. If you were hoping for some logical, ‘moral-to-the story account’ – again, read
Anarchy, Andalucia and free women: How women in Spain plotted to bring down the patriarchy
Women in Andalucia were some of the first in Spain to join the fight against General Franco, writes Jack Gaioni