Rip Off Spain

It is high time that the Spanish people and the rest of us that live in Spain get together and complain about the prices of some things here. In particular I am thinking about the high cost of internet and mobile phone tariffs. Have to get totally jealous of the services and the prices that the people in the UK are getting. I have seen where they are paying only ten pounds or maybe 12 pounds to get 20MB download speeds.

Here in Spain the stupid thing is that the slower the internet speed the more you pay….. No honestly it is true. Here I can only get 1mb and it is more expensive than the price that I could get 6MB for if I was living in an area that had that speed available.

I don’t know what it is that make the Spanish not complain about the high cost of the internet because they are not shy with complaining about other things. I have seen that when I have been working in the camping site

Orange MiFi

Today I am looking at the prices of the mobile phone plans, and they all seem to make it as complicated as possible. Most have this thing where you pay a certain amount per month and get x number of calls or x number of minutes. Then there is the different prices per minute of the calls depending on where you are calling. What is confusing me most is whether I will be able to get my iPhone unlocked so I can use it on another network. I really don’t like Telefonica and I would have stayed with Vodafone except for the fact that the iPhone was only possible with Movistar/Telfonica

Does anyone out there have any experience of getting a phone unlocked at the end of a contract. It would be great to be able to continue using it and preferably without a contract. That way I will be able to think about the possibility of the next version of the iPhone which may be available in June or July this year.

For me another consideration would be the idea of just having a cheap old phone because I don’t make many phone calls and then get an iPad. That would be nice. I would get the iPad without the 3G and then get a MiFi device that will give me a wifi bubble wherever I am. The deal that Orange have with one of those now is €19 per month an with a 1GB limit per month. That is much better than the €15 per month with Telfonica that only gives 200mb per month. How bad is that then?

Now have Electric but No Internet

Nice sunny day here in Spain which is great because it allows the electricians working out in the fields for the mains power electric provider here in Spain to fix the pylons that have broken. There have been about 30-40 pylons broken with the storm last week.

Wimax Internet

Because my internet comes in via the Wimax over the air signal and not directly through the phone line I have to wait until the antennae has power. It is right at the top of the hill and it could be a few more days before the internet is working back at the house again.

Today I have been able to use the internet belonging to my sister in law.

Snowed in – Costa Brava

On Monday the weather was blizzard conditions and since then we have had no electric, no phones and no internet. There is a possibility that the electric might come back today but I will not be holding my breath waiting.

It is amazing how much we depend on the electric. My neighbour was lucky enough to have a generator available but for the rest of us mere mortals we have to survive on batteries. I do have an inverter but it just gives me light to be able to see where I am going in the evening and to be able to read without messing up my eyes.

The news said there were about 30 or 40 pylons blown down with the wind on Monday. I think it will take ages to get back to the way things were before. If I had internet through the phone line then I could have internet before that but mine comes in through Wimax and that needs the electric power to work.

Costa Brava Church

Not remotely religious myself but a friend goes to the Costa Brava Church and if you are of a mind to visit then here is a web site to tell you more about it.

BravaChat Podcast 9 Debbie Green

Click on the picture to listen

Today I am talking with Debbie Green from Aigua Viva Parc which is on the road out from Vidreres to Lloret de Mar.
Debbie Green came to Catalonia a good few years as a sixteen year old looking for adventure and a life a bit different to what she could expect to have in the UK.
Apart from living in Aigua Viva parc she has just started up a new supermarket called British Foods Girona. In the interview I ask Debbie to tell me how she found herself living in this area and she has a very interesting story to tell about her life here in Spain.

Aside from the British Foods Girona store I hear about her love of animals and how she can’t help but to try and look after helpless creatures.

The store is quite small but is tardis like inside, in terms of the fact you can keep on finding one more thing you didn’t know was in there. The Spicy Bombay Mix got me as did the custard cream biscuits. I dare say that if there was something you were missing from the old country you could always ask if she might stock for you, worth asking as it may be viable and something that other customers would benefit from also.

Really enjoyed chatting with Debbie in a cafe beside the road going to Lloret de Mar, hence the background noises of an outside recording. The constant traffic rumbling by and also a caged bird and a small dog at the cafe.

Tony Tysoe and Word Portraits

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What on earth is a Word Portrait then? Tony who is the subject of the interview of this Podcast, BravaChat Podcast 08, makes word portraits, a book which is the life story of a customer as collected by a series of interviews. Tony listens to your story and turns it into a book. Essentially he is a ghost writer, but not at all scary.

Tony also talks about what it is like to move from England to live in Catalonia with his Catalan wife. He has been here for three or four years and for one of the years had work at Girona University. Tony uses his writing knowledge and skills to write short stories and novels. There are many competitions available for writers and it is a good way to help push past writers block by giving a goal to aim for and kind of helps makes the writing happen.

You can listen to the Podcast by clicking on the image above, or use the links below to start the podcast running in your browser.

Did you know you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and each time I put up a new podcast it will come to you automatically. Even though you go through the iTunes Store there is no charge to get the Podcast.

You could even go one stage further and subscribe to the Podcasts’ RSS feed. All you have to do is to use a feed reader. I like the Netvibes RSS feed reader and I have set it as my home page in my browser. I have quite a few web sites that I subscribe to and I save myself loads of time by not having to go to a site and find that it is the same as the last time I looked. I will post up a video soon which shows you how to use RSS. I may even do one which will show you how to subscribe in iTuners.

Girona Grapes revisited

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I quite enjoy heading into Girona on a Wednesday at the Cafe Pati Verd which is part of the Carlemany Hotel. The Girona Grapevine meets every week to have a chat about whatever in going on in the Girona area. it is great to be integrated and a part of the Catalan community but it is good sometimes to meet with English speakers and chill with it. Today I was in Girona again to meet with a group that is a splinter group of the Grapevine, the Writers group. The organiser of this is Sue Crampton and after our meeting of writers, or scribbling wannabee’s (that’s me) I interviewed Sue so she could tell us more about living in Catalonia and also about Girona Grapevine.

The interview with Sue was quite short and maybe I will be able to catch her again to pick her brains about other topics. There are other questions I could have asked but we were under the cosh as far as time was concerned. In any case I think you will find it interesting, have a listen.

The writing was interesting with six members present and all of the others had short pieces of writing to present and read to the group. I only decided that I would go to the group yesterday so was in listening mode. One of the group is a Catalana and was writing in English. I really do know how difficult it is to write in a second language however long you have been speaking it. Indeed being creative in written form in your mother tongue can be a bit of a challenge, Well done Eva.

Tony Tysoe wrote an interesting piece that was really challenging in terms of idea. Writing is one thing but getting creative and coming up with something that makes you rub a few brain cells together, that’s another level all together.

BravaChat Podcast 06 with Brian from Glasgow

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In this podcast I talk with Brian Buchanan and he tells us about getting work as a teacher of English both without the TEFL and with the qualification. Brian had a year in Japan which sounds like a real adventure and now has been here in Catalonia for just 10 weeks or so. We get the low down of his first impressions of Girona and Catalonia. Although it isn’t the first time in Catalonia, seeing as he did the TEFL course in Barcelona.

Brian has set up a shop with CafePress to produce tee shirts with a Japanese influence, maybe next he will do some designs inspired by Catalonia, perhaps the squatting figure that you can get here would be good on a Tee. What do you think?

Brian has an interest in music and he chooses the music for a show which is aired in Scotland each week. Sunday Night Leith time 10pm til 12 A900 SHOW or listen on FM 98.8. Links to Brian Buchanan can be found at leithal-music

You can even find Brian at MySpace

In the podcast I mention the British Society of Catalonia and the Witty Walks group. If you are a walker and like to get out and about in the countryside within reach of Barcelona, you can check out their web site. Not sure if you have to be able to tell jokes while you walk though, get back to me and tell me. I will drag out a few shaggy dog story jokes from the old but good still cupboard.

If you would like to contact Brian then fill in the contact form below.

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The Spanish way of doing business

photo credit: cecito

During the summer I worked in a Camp site next to the beach in Platja d’Aro. The job was OK and the new boss was trying to improve things by stamping his authority left right and centre. I once made a suggestion that when some turned up looking for the other camp site that people always got confused with due to a simiolar sounding name, that I should ask how long they were thinking of staying as they were turning around to leave. If they said a week I should tell them I could do a price match for them. It was about 50% of what the price was supposed to be.

I was thinking on the lines of 50% the normal is better than 100% of nothing. The campsite would have customers in that would otherwise be else where and perhaps spending a bit in the bar and supermarket also. The boss as typical of the Spanish way of thinking said no it was not possible and was totally fixated on the loss of the 50% of the standard price. ????? Duh !!

Today I have encountered similar thinking while trying to buy a TV. The one I have is old and CRT and small compared to the flat panel TV’s that are out now. CRT’s use a lot of electric too. SO I saw I TV that I liked in PC City in Girona. I know that they do Web prices and tried to order one via the web. €499 in the shop and €438 on the web. I had spoken with the sales person in the shop and he said I had to order via the web to get that price. So I went home and tried to place the order. Could have just said no problem let me sort that out for you now and you can take the TV with you today.

Of course there was another problem to encounter. I could not get that order to go through via the web for the Collect in shop type of purchase. The only way was with it being sent and I would have to pay an extra 28 Euro and wait for 4 days. So I put the order through with that and then printed off the papers and went back to the shop and asked them to go with that order and leave off the transport which would not be required.

The response was a Jobsworth answer that no they could not and I even asked the manager to sort it out. No joy at all. They said that the problem was that because there were less than five in the shop that they could not sell at that price. I would have to pay 499 Euro. They had four of that model of TV in the shop and would not do the deal.

I expressed my dissatisfaction and told them I would go to MediaMarkt and buy a TV there instead. The problem with the big company is that they don’t care about the individual customer and would rather lose a sale than break the rules that have been carved in stone.

The final act of the story is that I did some more searching online and found the TV for slightly cheaper including transport. I will have to wait a couple of days and I had to pay by bank transfer which will be quick because it is the same bank as I use so the TV could be sent out tomorrow or next day at the latest.

What are your stories of doing business here in Spain. Any stories like mine or do you have something good to say about being a consumer here? Leave a comment or fill in the form below to send me an email. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Interview with Chris Pinchen of Podcamp Barcelona

I met Chris this year in Mas Nou near Barcelona at the Podcamp Barcelona event. The Podcamp was all about new media, like blogging, audio and video podcasting, Screen casts, mashups and a sprinkling of politicians doing what politicians do (mostly talking rubbish). I presented a podcasting for beginners session and a couple of people turned up and listened even.

Chris tells us about what it is like living in Spain in a couple of different places and has lots to say about some tech type things here in Spain. He also talks about language learning from 2 perspectives, both the teaching English angle and also regards learning Catalan and Spanish.

You can click on the picture to the left to get the podcast. It is an enhanced podcast with clickable links. More links below for Chris also. You can contact Chris at Cataspanglish on WordPress and also at Podcamp Barcelona, he even has a web site about Spanish cooking called Spanish Sauce.

Check out Chris’s views on TV in Spain and the politics of internet and Telefonica. Have you wondered why we only get low speed broadband here in Spain?

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Chris’s blog post about living in Spain

His students blog about the programming for kids

and his students’ screencast page for office training

At podcamp Barcelona were people like Don McAllister of Screencasts online. Pim pam pum and their mash ups using Flickr and other sources.

There was Mark Pendleton from Coffee Break Spanish, You might like to subscribe to that to help you learn Spanish easily with a podcast.

You don’t have to have an iPod to listen to a Podcast. A Podcast is downloadable media that you can also view in your web browser, basically an internet radio show. Or an internet TV show if it is a video podcast like BravaChat Podcast 04 with the Catalan Human castles

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The Sponsor for the show is SkypeOut – A service from Skype that allows you to call ordinary phone very cheaply from your computer. I have used it and it does work very well.

What foods do you miss

photo credit: ginsnob

Me, I miss a few different food things. The small Soreen Malt loaf is a favourite of mine. On my last trip I brought back four of them. I would have brought back more if I had got space in my bag. Lemon curd can’t be bought here, but I have that one remedied with making my own which is actually nicer than than the stuff in the jars in the shops. In fact I have four lemons in the kitchen waiting to be turned into some delicious lemon curd.

As a vegetarian Spain is a bit of a problem, many of the restaurants give you a funny look when asking for the veggie options in the menu. The best that some chefs can come up with is an omelette. I wonder what on earth they get taught when they are learning to be a chef. Vegetarianism is not exactly a new concept. Having said that I have found a few Veggie restaurants, one I really like is called Amaranta and is in Girona. It is shear bliss to have a choice of things to eat instead of the usual omelette and a bit of salad or go hungry.

I was able to get Linda McCartney sausages for a while in Carrefor in Platja d’Aro along with some nice tasty Cheddar Cheese and even crumpets. Gosh all this talk of food is making me peckish…

I can get tea bags here now so I don’t have to bring a pile of them in the baggage now although they are a bit more expensive to buy in the local supermarket. I can get Tetleys tea and some times the PG Tips. Last time in Ireland I did get a box of Barry’s tea which was a treat. Trouble with the tea bags is that it is best to take them from the box so they pack better and it then looks like you are a drug smuggler, when the customs agents look in the bag. LOL

Jam doughnuts, can’t eat many of these now but just once in a while it would be great. here is the challenge for you though. Try and eat a Jam Doughnut without licking your lips once. Can’t be done….

I had a place to get Marmite but they stopped doing it and only had Bovril, they probably though they were both the same but Bovril is for meat eaters only.

What is it that you miss on the shelves. Use the comment area below to tell us.

Girona Grapevine

Went to check out the Girona Grapevine meeting in Pati Verd today and it nice to meet friendly bunch. Short podcast coming.

Hoped to have the podcast done this morning but I am on a collision course with a Ryanair trip to England. Leaving the house soon with my ruck sack on my back.

This image is from a previous meeting in the Pati Verd in Girona.

Languedoc Region in France

Just got back from a few days visiting the Pays Cathares which is kind of from Carcassonne down to the Pyrannees. This will qualify for this web site because it is a Catalan region. The road signs in many of the towns were in both French and Catalan.

This is a wine making region and just about which ever way you look there are vineyards. I don’t like wine myself so there was no wine tasting being done on the trip, but there were lots of Domaine de ….. wine tasting places where you can taste the stuff and buy it if you want to.

I am reading a book at the moment about the area called Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and it is one of those books that once you have started you can’t put down. In the book it is centred in Languedoc and in particular around Carcassone, Foix and the castles of the area like Chateau Montsegur. I can tell you it certainly looks impressive at the top of the mountain. Quite a climb to get to it.

Site News

I have a very short interview with a couple that were at the Girona human castles event. I didn’t have time to edit it before I went away for the few days in France. I have one more interview recorded but neither I not the interviewee is happy with it so we are going to re record it in the next few days.

Don’t forget to get in touch if you have something to say about living and working here Catalonia. Use the contact form below

Crazy Catalan Human Castles

The Sunday of the Girona festival there is the Castels where they send small children to the top of a castle of people all standing on each others shoulders. I am sure it would not be allowed in the UK. But here in Catalonia it is tradition and better to keep traditions going than lose your identity as some might say has happened in the UK.

The first time I saw this I was amazed and I nearly bit the ends of my fingers off let alone the nails, It looks so precarious when they go nine people high. The young ones have the sense to do what they are supposed to and get back down again quickly. Sometimes a group will get so far in the building the bottom layer stage and stop then start again if they are not happy with the stability of it. They practice quite a bit too, probably with harnesses when they are in the practice hall.

Here you are then here is the video of the Castels de Girona from Sunday 26th October 08.

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Penny Berlin and Calyenty Pool Heaters

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Podcast 03 Penny lives in Sta Cristina d’Aro and is a neighbour of mine. I was pleased that she was keen to be interviewed for BravaChat. She has a sales position with Calyenty pool heating and was keen to be able to promote the pool heaters that work by exchanging heat from the air. penny told me that these heaters cost about €1 a day to heat a pool and are very efficient using an eco heat exchange method.

I went with Penny to see one of the heaters in action and thought it was very neat looking and very quiet in operation. A shame I don’t have a pool at home to have the need of one of these heaters.

If you are interested in contacting Penny about the pool heaters her phone number is 645 978 595
This form below is for contacting Penny Berlin. If you want to contact BravaChat use this other form
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David in Spain

A little bit of everything

Category Archives: BravaChat

Rip Off Spain

Now have Electric but No Internet

Wimax Internet

Snowed in – Costa Brava

Costa Brava Church

BravaChat Podcast 9 Debbie Green

Tony Tysoe and Word Portraits

Girona Grapes revisited

BravaChat Podcast 06 with Brian from Glasgow

The Spanish way of doing business

Interview with Chris Pinchen of Podcamp Barcelona

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What foods do you miss

Girona Grapevine

Languedoc Region in France

Crazy Catalan Human Castles

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Penny Berlin and Calyenty Pool Heaters