General Franco and US President Dwight D Eisenhower in Madrid, 1959

Welcome To Spain

While we all agree that Spain is a GREAT place to live, many of us do not realize just how great. So why not delve a little deeper into the history and culture of our new home? Of course anyone who lives here will know that there is more to Spain than sun, sea and sangria, and yet, in spite of this have continued to travel in expat circles and not really scratched the surface. It is quite alarming how many people have never journeyed far outside of their chosen town, and have no notion of how many autonomous regions there are in the country or even the name of the current President!

Therefore popular Spanish Teacher, Jane Cronin has developed a series of talks, entitled ‘A Portrait of Spain’, which are designed to give residents a further insight into all aspects of Spain from history to contemporary society, and essentially allow them to feel a little more Spanish! Jane explained that the project spawned from her involvement with the ‘Crossroads’ social club many years ago, where she sensed that the majority of expats were extremely keen to integrate and yearned to learn more about Spain and its people, but were not sure where they might obtain this information in their language.

SUCCESS

The first series of talks were held at Los Arcos Restaurant, Avenida Baleares, Torrevieja, last November, and proved so popular that on the first week, Jane arrived to find that the queue for registration trailed out through the doors of the restaurant and round the corner onto the street. She said that “Having spoken to former students from my Spanish courses I knew that this was what people wanted, and that it would be popular, but I never imagined to what extent!” It is on this basis that Jane has launched a second edition of talks, which will take place at Los Arcos every Monday and Wednesday between 11:00 and 12:30.

FRANCO

The first presentation will be given on Monday 23rd November, and entitled ‘Spain under Franco’. It describes Franco as a person and how his life evolved after joining the Military, as well as the impact that he had over the nation during his powerful dictatorship, the events that led to the civil war right through to his death in 1975.  The second talk, entitled ‘From Dictatorship to Democracy’ will be heard on Wednesday  25th November and highlights the transition that Spain passed through following Franco’s death, the societal changes and peace that many people felt could never be restored.  The third talk taking place on Monday 30th November takes a look at the ‘Geography of Spain’, taking in the diverse terrain, beautiful landscape and distinct cultural traditions of each region.

MOORS

This is followed on Wednesday 2nd December with a presentation of Moorish Spain, which looks at how the Moors influenced the appearance of towns and cities throughout the country with their ornate architecture as well as altering tradition with the infusion of their own beliefs. The historical journey dates back some 800 years and will undoubtedly reveal a number of new discoveries about your Spanish surroundings. The following week brings us more up to date, commencing on Monday 7th December with a look at ‘Spain after the Moors’, taking listeners on a whistle-stop tour of the country’s colourful history. The series concludes on Wednesday 9th December with a look at where the country stands today. Under the heading ‘Contemporary Society’ the audience will learn about modern day Spain enabling them to see just how drastic a change the country has undergone during recent years.

TICKETS

Jane said that since revealing details of the latest series she has already received a great response, stating that “It is evident from the number of people who attended the previous series and who wish to attend the next that the British are interested in learning more about Spain and not just living in ghettoes” the reference being to a controversial statement given by the Diputada Delegate for European Residents of the Alicante Province, Maria Asuncion Prieto Candela, last year. The entry price for each talk is just 4 euros and tickets can be purchased from the bar at Los Arcos Restaurant. Alternatively you may reserve a place by calling 968 183 258 or 619 488 903.