Smoking in Spain

For quite a while now the sale of cigarettes and tobacco in Spain has been restricted to official tobacconists and to bars and resraurants with a vending machine.

A new law now permits any shop selling newpapers can now sell cigs, the thing is with new laws coming out which restrict smoking in bars etc, you may have trouble finding a place to smoke them!

Christmas Playground

An activity playground/tent will be open to children up to 12yrs of age in Lloret until 4th Jan. The location is Pere Torrent the cost is €4 with lunch included. This is a very good idea as there are loads of things to keep the kids occupied, last year there were more than 100 kids a day.

The parents could do a bit of shopping while the kids are playing, but there will also be a bar at the side for the adults while waiting for the kids....seems to me like there could be be quite a few visitors!

Smoking ban in Spain

The Health Minister has confirmed that Spain is to introduce an extended smoking ban next year, when, from and as yet to be confirmed date, ‘No Smoking’ signs will be seen in all closed public places. The legislation which has been in place since 2006 currently permits the smaller bars and restaurants to choose whether to allow smoking on the premises or not; if they do allow it, they must provide a separate closed-off area for smokers.

That option will no longer exist once the changes are brought in, but Minister Trinidad Jiménez has confirmed however that the stricter measures will not extend to open air premises, such as restaurant terraces and bull rings, where smoking will still be permitted.

Europa Press reports that the Minister said in a radio interview with Rac1 on Monday that the government’s decision is fundamentally based on protecting health, and said she believes that Spain is ‘culturally prepared’ for stricter measures to be adopted. There was no indication from the Minister on exactly when during 2010 the extended ban will be implemented, although she did comment that negotiations are in their final phase, with a large amount of support for the move amongst politicians.

The planned changes have however been criticised by the hostelry sector, where it’s feared that profits will see a sharp drop and many businesses may be forced to close.

The English Bookshop

Since the close of 'The Book Cupboard' at the end of October in Lloret de Mar, the owner Kevin has been searching for new premises. There is now good news as he has found a suitable place which he is hoping to renovate and open in March and will be named Busco Books.


At the moment you can still buy your books online or at the monthly market in Lloret at Placa Pere Torrent (the carousel square)
The new website BuscoBooks.com will keep you upto date on progress and gives the exact location of the new shop. These premises are more spacious with 3 floors so there will be many more books to choose from.
If anyone out there has any books which you no longer need I'm sure Kevin would appreciate it if you would drop them into the shop either to sell or part exchange...or if you really want them out of the way just give them to him as he will have a lot more shelf space to fill!

The Sky at Night!

The hot summer is now over and Christmas is almost here but the weather is still very good with hardly any rain so far. As the clouds start to roll in during the cooler winter evenings these are the beautiful views we can see almost every night from our balcony. These are completely untouched photos, with no colour enhancing at all, every night is different!