Spain began the New Year with the introduction of smoking ban in all enclosed public spaces such as bars, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs – as well as some outdoor spaces such as children’s parks, schools and hospital grounds. This is good news for residents and visitors who do not smoke.

But, have Spanish smokers really taken their last puff on January 2, 2011 when the new law took effect? Lighting up is very much a part of the Spanish way of life when enjoying a drink in a taverna or tapas bar. Die-hard smokers and bar owners concerned about the drop in business are not happy and believe that the new law will not work as the authorities do not have the monitoring capacity to enforce the smoking ban.

However, those who choose to ignore the new no smoking law do it at the risk of being reported by customers. It is a legal requirement for all public places to have a complaints book and to have a sign on the wall to advertise this. Apparently these complaints forms carry some weight in Spain. If a customer reports the business to the authorities, and it’s not just in regard to smoking, the penalties are heavy, if found guilty, so businesses do take them seriously.

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Madrid’s Prado Museum is extending the opening hours of its Turner Exhibition until 10:00 pm and is also opening an outdoor summer terrace.

From 1 July until 31 August visitors to the Museo del Prado can take advantage of two additional hours (Tuesdays to Saturdays) to visit this season’s major museum exhibition “Turner and the Masters”.

This Turner Exhibition, comprising 80 paintings loaned from European and American collections, is on till 19 September 2010.

In addition, and coinciding with the launch of this initiative, the Museum is opening its Terrace-Café Prado, located in a courtyard of the North Pavilion of the Villanueva Building.   It offers free access and late opening hours (until 10:00 pm) throughout the summer months.

More about the Prado Museum.

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When we say that “Spain is Fiestas”, that’s no exaggeration! On top of the ten national holidays, all over Spain, from small villages to large cities, the local populace devote a few days each year to their own local festivals.

You can land in Spain on any day in the year and there’d be a festival of some sort on.

So, a holiday to Spain is not only about the sun, sand and sea, but the opportunity to enjoy some of the local celebrations, learn about their festivities and cultural events and soak up the festival atmosphere.

Spain is Fiestas!

Whether it’s joining in the Rioja Wine Harvest Festival in Logroño, dancing to the rhythm and passion of  Tango in Granada, getting into the swing of Barcelona’s International Jazz Festival or watching contestants trying to outdo each other in the Flamenco Biennial Festival in Seville (home of flamenco), the atmosphere is bound to be electric.

The Spanish are passionate about their fiestas and you can be assured of a very colourful and exotic experience.

But Spain is also more than just fiestas and the sun, sand and sea. There’s excellent spicy food here, entertainment, arts and culture and the opportunity to visit some of the world’s greatest heritage sites.

More information about Spain:
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Spanish cheeses varieties are not as large as those available in France, and neither are they as well known. However one that I know well, as a taste sensation, is Manchego, which also happens to be Spain’s most famous cheese. Manchega features on our regular Friday night cheese platter, however, until recently, I wasn’t aware that a true Manchego cheese is made only from whole milk of the Manchega sheep. When we travelled through La Mancha, we of course heard a lot about the legend of Don Quixote, however nothing was mentioned at all about the Manchego cheese.  It would have been great to have tasted some over there.  Whilst we only have one variety available at our specialty cheese shop, the shop assistant tells me that back home there are so many different brand names and prices.

The Manchega sheep is raised in the “La Mancha” region and grazes on shrubs and grasses of the Dahesa.  They produce a thick, aromatic milk which gives Manchego its unique and distinctive character.  “La Mancha” region is a vast high plateau of more than 600 meters above sea level.  It adjoins the provinces of Toledo, Cuenca, Ciudad Real and Albacete, all in the Castile-La Mancha Region southeast of Madrid. Originally the rinds of the Manchego bore the impressions of the plaited esparto grass baskets into which the shepherd’s hand pressed the curds and of the flowers that were placed on top. Nowadays the same patterns are formed by the moulds in which the cheeses are pressed.

Manchego is an aged cheese, from semi-cured to cured, and unpasteurised or pasteurised milk. The base milk has to have a minimum of 6% fat. The milk coagulates at 28ºC to 32ºC after adding animal curd. The ageing process must be done in fresh areas, with a humidity level of 75 – 85%, for at least 60 days. Air-drying in caves is a ageing process.  The rind is closed, clean well engraved, of a yellow to a brownish beige colour. The interior is firm and compact, closed, with a few small air pockets unevenly spread. The color is ivory to pale yellow. The taste is very characteristic, well developed, but not too strong, buttery and slightly piquant, with an sheep milk aftertaste. Shaped cylindrically and with flat top and bottom surfaces, they are typically engraved with the “flower” left by the wooden presses. The sides also display a zigzag pattern which is produced by the mat-weed (esparto) of the moulds.  Today, even with industrial production of the cheeses, they have the same engraving, predesigned in the new industrial moulds.

Helen

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