Public Holidays

 

                                                  Francisco de Zurbarán 

Today is a public holiday in Spain – La Inmaculada Concepción, which, as its name suggests, is a religious feast day.  In the UK there are also plenty of public holidays, usually known as ‘bank holidays’ because, in the past, the banks were closed.  The name has stuck, though most of us now do online banking and it makes no difference to us whether we actually go into a branch of our bank or not.

Most bank holidays are moved to a Monday, so the Spanish idea of a ‘puente’ doesn’t exist. The ‘puente’ idea comes from the fact that if a Thursday, for example, is a public holiday, and you take the Friday off, you have ‘bridged’ the public holiday with the weekend, thus giving you a 4-day weekend in which to go on a little trip, or simply relax.

The religious holidays in UK are 25^th December, Good Friday and Easter Monday (whenever they fall).  Boxing Day, the 26^th of December, is also a public holiday to recover from the excesses of Christmas day.  If this happens to fall on a weekend, as it does in 2026, then the day will be celebrated the following Monday (known as a substitute day).

Apart from those days, the following are also bank holidays: 1^st January, two in May (early May bank holiday, and spring bank holiday) and one on the last Monday of August (summer bank holiday). That makes 8 in all.  There are sometimes a few regional holidays too, such as St Patrick’s in Ireland, or St Andrew’s in Scotland.

In total, the UK and Wales enjoy 8, Ireland 9 and Scotland 10.  In Spain there are 8 national holidays and then each region and municipality has its own, so some years there are up to 14 public holidays, which are thoroughly appreciated by all of us!

"Heroes"

 

David Bowie’s “Heroes” turns 47 today (which I find hard to believe!)

Released on 14 October 1977, “Heroes” is one of David Bowie’s most haunting works. Recorded at Hansa Studios in West Berlin with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti, it captures both the creative liberation and the political tension of a city divided by the Wall.

Bowie had run away from Los Angeles, where he had been leading a less than salubrious life, to rediscover himself in Europe, along with his mate, Iggy Pop. In Berlin, he found an atmosphere charged with danger and possibility, which was an ideal backdrop for experimentation.

Although the actual music to this, the title track, had already been composed, there were no lyrics. What inspired them was producer Tony Visconti’s secret kiss with his lover beside the Wall.  Apparently, Bowie was looking out of the window of the studios when he spied them locked in an embrace, and the fragility of the moment may have caused him to think of the couples that had been separated by the Wall.

What stands out most about the song is its humanity: amid Cold War gloom, Bowie carved out a moment of hope. When the single was released, it certainly wasn’t an instant success: its most memorable moment would come 10 years later, when Bowie performed it live at the Platz der Republik Festival, right across from the studio in Berlin where it was conceived. “I’ll never forget that” he recalled. “It was one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever done. I was in tears. They’d backed up the stage to the Wall itself so that it was acting as our backdrop. We kind of heard that a few of the East Berliners might actually get the chance to hear the thing, but we didn’t realise in what numbers they would. 

"And there were thousands on the other side that had come close to the wall. So it was like a double concert, where the Wall was the division. And we would hear them cheering and singing along from the other side. God, even now I get choked up. It was breaking my heart. I’d never done anything like that in my life. And I guess I never will again.”

The song has become something of an anthem - even if you’ve never heard anything else by Bowie, you will surely have heard this. I’ll leave you with the performance. I can’t watch it without getting goosebumps.

 

 

 

Summer's (almost) gone.

No one can say it in a more melancholy way than Jim Morrison, and that just adds to my feeling of 'where did it go?'.  I know that many of you, in Valencia, at least, are looking forward to the cooler days and have suffered from lack of sleep thanks to tropical nights where the thermometer didn't go below 29º. You can't wait to put on jeans and jerseys, thick socks and boots, snuggle up under the duvet with your hottie (that's English for nothing more exciting than a hot water bottle). However, I think we all know that summer hasn't really gone and the cooler weather won't kick in until after the 9 d'octubre holiday, as has been the norm for the last few years.  But it is time to think about taking a look at the backpack and seeing if it will last another school/uni year, seeing if you've got enough notebooks and other items of stationery, and mustering up enthusiasm for the 'back to school/uni/work' week that is looming. The first days seem hard, but every year you get back into the swing of it and before you know it, it's...Christmas!

Summertime

  Menorca

Summertime (and the livin's easy)

So, most of you will be on holiday, or, like some of my students, doing a last minute cram before taking a Cambridge exam. Where would you rather be than in a classroom for hours on end practising all those exercises that seem to be a requirement to prove you know English?  Maybe lazing around on a beautiful beach in Menorca, like the one above. Don't get me started!

With temperatures soaring, and aircon and ceiling fans on full blast, those of us who remain in the city are trying to make the most of it. In between class prep and making exercises for this blog, I'm catching up on series I've been meaning to put my feet up to all year. Hence the review for Sherwood that I've just posted. I'm a sucker for those British detective dramas and this one caught my eye as it has a historical background, so you feel you are learning something at the same time as trying to work out the clues and point to the perpetrator before the experts do. Plus, this one has an all-star cast and you get to see pretty gardens and trains.  What's not to like?

Have you, like me, got a summer to-do list as long as your arm?  Or are to going to take it easy in August? 

                Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Summertime

 

Easter

 

 Easter

I imagine most people are enjoying the Easter break (ok, so some of you are studying hard for the looming exams) and we’re lucky enough to be enjoying some fantastic sunshine here. So, what is Easter all about?

It’s one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, and its origins are a fascinating mix of ancient traditions, seasonal change, and religious meaning. Long before it became a Christian celebration, spring festivals were held all over the place to welcome the return of longer, warmer days. These early festivals often included symbols of new life, such as eggs, flowers, and rabbits, many of which still make an appearance in Easter celebrations today. Go to any supermarket in the UK and you’ll see shelf upon shelf of chocolate eggs and bunnies, and a popular handicraft at school is egg-painting.

The name “Easter” is believed by some to come from Eostre, an ancient Germanic goddess of spring and fertility, though historians can’t quite agree about this. What’s clear is that by the second century, early Christians began using springtime to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, linking their faith to a time of hope and renewal. In many cities, Sevilla being a prime example, there are processions which reenact the Passion and Death of Christ.

However you choose to spend these days, I’m sure you’ll make the most of them to rest and enjoy some quality time with family and friends!

                          Easter Parade, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire