http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:25:32 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com/news/spain-win-the-world-cup.html The oracle octopus was right yet again! With a 116th minute goal by Andres Iniesta, ‘la Furia Roja’ captured its first World Cup title ever last night. The historic Spanish victory came after a dirty match against the Netherlands with a record-high 14 yellow cards and numerous goal opportunities just shy of success. Packed Spanish bars erupted last night as seas of supporters dressed in red with their faces painted watched goalkeeper Iker Casillas lift the cup, surrounded by his teammates under a shower of confetti. Fans filled the streets, wrapped themselves in the Spanish flag with pride, and cheered “¡Yo soy Español, Español, Español!” long into the night. The victory comes on the heels of the team’s 2008 European Championship title, and some say the squad has started a new era for Spanish football. The German octopus ‘Paul,’ who had made seven consecutive accurate World Cup outcome predictions before the final, must have been proud to see his eighth and final prediction come true last night. “The octopus will be very popular in Spain,” said World Cup hero and man of the match Iniesta. Midfielder Sergio Busquets wore his newly updated kit with a single star on it to represent the Spanish World Cup victory as he celebrated after the match. Saying exactly what crazed fans across Spain were thinking, Busquets put it simply: “We’ve been waiting a whole life for this.” ¡Viva la Furia Roja! Source: The Olive Press News - Latest News Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:16:43 +0100 http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com/news/the-wine-guide-for-andalucia.html Wine in Andalucia has come a long way since the Phoenicians first planted vineyards in the fertile Cadiz area in 1100 BC. Today, there are over 40,000 hectares of vines planted in 20 regions, and Andalucia is slowly becoming revered worldwide as an important center for wine-lovers.From the historic sherry huses of Jerez, to the up-and-coming new vineyards near Ronda and Granada, Andalucia boasts numerous top-quality wines. News - Latest News Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:12:03 +0100 http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com/news/the-alhambra-granada-spain-s-most-visited-attraction.html The historical Alhambra and Generalife in Granada received 2.9 million visitors during 2009, which makes it the most visited tourist destination in Spain, despite having suffered a decline of 4.68% over the previous year.The director of the complex, Maria del Mar Villafranca, said in a presentation that although there was a drop in the number of visitors, entrances were up 8.93% to the Alhambra Museum (200,000) and 10.24% higher for visits to the Fine Arts Museum (166,000). These numbers, coupled with 242,000 people attending the activities and exhibitions held at the monument and 270,000 visitors to the outer perimeter of the Alhambra, make a total figure of 2.9 million people News - Latest News Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:15:22 +0100 http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com/news/the-best-of-andalucia.html A PAIR of landmark exhibitions of Spanish history have opened in Cordoba and Sevilla. The two shows offer a fascinating insight into the days when the Moors and Phoenicians made Spain one of their key strongholds.As well as providing the Roman Empire with three Caesars, Andalucia was also the centre of the world in the eleventh century with the Cordoba caliphate. Now more than 150 archaeological finds dating back to the period are on display at a new complex built within the medieval site of Medina Azahara, five kilometres from Cordoba. News - Latest News Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:18:43 +0100 http://www.ruralgranadavillas.com/news/an-interview-with-chris-stewart.html Chris Stewart, the autor of 'Driving over lemons' was interviewed by Jon Clarke of The Olive Press. Jon went to visit him at his remote cottage in the Alpujarras, and this is what he had to say: The fact that Chris Stewart gets regular visits from fans to his isolated mountain farm is nothing short of remarkable. On a recent visit to his 70-hectare Andalucian spread, the directions were so complicated that I was convinced he had sent me a curve-ball. News - Latest News Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:06:17 +0100