November 2008, The Autumn Cool Down
November 2008 – Autumn cool down… written by Martin Bright of Tropicana Properties

November sees earlier darker nights, and fresher mornings – but when the sun shines the sky blues offer fantastic seascape opportunities attracting budding artists of all abilities. After the heat of summer the hills and mountains turn from a mellow yellow to a rich green; and after the last weekends rains even the Sierra’s are now topped by the brilliant white of snow. Autumn has arrived, and even on the coast the more experienced residents are with their jumpers and scarves!

The feast of San Martín – usually the 11th November, is the time when mountain villages and rural communities look to slaughtering their "home-grown" pigs. Preparing for the winter-time and drying the hams and sausages, at a fiesta that is popularly known as la matanza – (literally, the killing). The day begins with the killing of the pig and is spent butchering, later to be followed by preparing the stews and cooking various meats on the barbecue, while at the same time stuffing spiced sausages and making rich black puddings. If you are invited either this weekend or the next, then expect to be received with a large amount of eating and drinking.

Other events this month include on Saturday November 8, in the Plaza Kuwait (between the new Almuñecar Aquarium and the municipal market) here in Almuñecar - the first "Celebration of the Tropical Cultivations" fair.  With music provided by the group Cubanisimo, the support of local bars and restaurants, the town hall tourist office and the Chirimoya growers authority there should be plenty to see, taste, and drink as the town honors it's tropical fruit and vegetable trade. Many of the areas finest restaurants offering their own take on culinary and tropical inspired dishes are to be represented - Mesón Gala, Restaurante Jackie Cotobro, Mesón la Muralla, Mesón La Parrilla and Casa Morgan; to name just a few. Feasting begins from midday onwards…

In La Herradura’s Civic Centre theatre from November 17 to 22 the XXIV Andres Segovia Classic Guitar competition takes place from 6pm on Monday. This world recognised competition offers the winner a cash prize of 9,000 Euros and a guitar worth more than 7,500 Euros donated by the Granada based guitar maker, Paco Santiago. Last years winner, Bertrand Pietu, will join the jury together with classical guitarists from conservatoires in Granada and Madrid. For lovers of the guitar and Spanish music this is a superb opportunity to hear some of Spain’s future specialist musicians.

On the property front-line - already this month we have seen a fall in the Euribor rate (which should hopefully trickle through to borrowers by the next quarter) and so help with reducing mortgage payment costs for us all. Also it has been reported by Spain's Ministry of Development that the number of planning approvals in Spain fell by 59% to 199,146 in the first 8 months of this year. The effect being that the number of housing starts has dropped to a level not seen in Spain for more than a decade.

In the same week Spain's Labour Ministry announced the number of unemployed people in Spain had reached a 12-year high of 11.3%, representing one of the highest levels in Europe. The number claiming unemployment benefit rose by 192,658 to 2,818,026 - the highest since April 1996. The relentless slowdown in the construction industry has been sited as  the main cause of the economic slowdown in Spain with some regions like Valencia, Almeria and Malaga affected far more than others. This month the Spanish government has set out a plan to help unemployed people who have difficulty keeping up with mortgage payments.

Seems the race is on between all our European countries not be the first to the title "Officially in Recession"… we all wait patiently to see what happens next.

Martin Bright moved to this area in 1995 and has more than 30 years experience in the service and tourism sector.  He joined the team at Tropicana Properties in Almunecar in January 2000. For more information on property sales contact Martin on 0034 958 630 320 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  His website is www.tropicanaproperties.com   and  http://www.spaincostatropical.com

Martins´ current article can be seen here .

Other articles by Martin can be seen here.