How about the 'obby 'oss in Minehead and Padstow and the furry dance in Helston. The Somerset night carnivals in November are unequalled anywhere in the world as far as I am aware. I've never seen a Flower Show anywhere else than England nor a Victorian Street fair.

It is not certain. To exception of the Catalan and Basque nationalism, we all feel Spanish. Even inside the Catalan nationalisms and Basque is many spanish feeling. The regionalisms don't impede that we are of the same country, and the test you have it in the soccer World Cup. Outside of Spain, if you eat something from Spain, somebody from Murcia, Madrid, Toledo or Asturias will tell you that you are eating Spanish food, but maybe inside of Spain, say that what you are eating is of a certain region of Spain

The things I miss about the UK are many, but I always enjoy a walk around the centre of London, and judging by the number of foreign tourists I see, they must feel the same way. I could go on about the Cairngorms and a thousand other places but it would take too long.

The Plaza Mayor in Madrid takes some beating too and even Gibraltar amazes me, I always think – what the hell are the Brits doing there?

Years ago I visited the Berlin Wall, now there was something to make you think – how could that have happened?

How on earth is the UK losing its identity?

But you do have internet and all newspapers are available online and most are free as are millions of pages of whats on in the UK.

What on earth has this thread got to do with Spain?

There is plenty of "britishness" still in Britain, not just bonfire night, but the scenery, the villages and most small towns are all as they always were, pubs, post offices, policemen, double decker buses, even the much maligned council estates are typically british. Yes there are some foreign influences creeping in, trick or treat is essentially american as are the OTT christmas lights on houses, but thats happening everywhere and will continue to do so since world travel and communication is getting easier and more accessable. Its happening in Spain too and we have to accept it as progress!

Jo xxx

I actually saw my old house in England on TV the other night, in a BBC3 programme called 'Still Folk Dancing After All These Years' - the little town where I lived has one of those strange morris dancing type groups who dance all around the town every Easter Saturday and our street is on their route - that's one tradition that's still going strong, long may it continue.

I like to see old customs kept up in whatever country I am living in or visiting, it's one of the things that makes travelling so interesting.

I hate the globalisation trend that is making every town centre almost indistinguishable from the next, with only the same chain stores everywhere you go.

Yeah, I do think some people are just too quick to 'take umbridge' on this forum. It's an Expat Forum. Anything that interests Expats in or interested in Spain is fair game for discussion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and it's not offensive to ask if British culture is still alive and Kicking or, perhaps whether people prefer the Spanish way of adhering more firmly to their traditions. I notice Anonimouse likes to start threads like this, which may or may not interest other people. As he/ she says. If you aren't interested... Just ignore the thread. It really is that easy!

..they call it globalisation, slowly the big corporate companies move in to exploit the communities...the siesta will be lost then Sunday trading will be the norm...then savings will go out of fashion and credit cards and debt will become the in thing to buy the luxuries of life, cheap imports from Asia...then wives will also have to work to make family ends meet by working for the big corporate companies.

They call that progress.

I know what you mean, But its progress as in moving forward in time. Ultimately, it means families get the luxuries and lifestyles they want. Afterall how many young spanish have aspirations to ride donkeys through lemongroves??? Hence alot of pretty little villages, both in the UK and Spain are losing their youth to the big towns and cities to find work!

Jo xxx

I did say he was entitled to his opinion
I did NOT say his post was offensive.
Anionimouse and I are entitled to have a mature dicsussion.

This site is is an Expat site, have a look here but is divided into countries so that people, say on the Spanish forum don`t have to read crap from Oz, USA, or UK.
Anything off Spain topic should go in Siesta time or the Lounge or even better TIO.

You may well be right, but in my opinion they should be careful what they wish for.....land, family life, fresh own grown food and living to work rather than working to live without the so called luxuries that do not on the face of it bring happiness, has got to be better than what many of us think is wealth, when in fact it is not.

Yeah, but the world isnt like that anymore. The latest fashion, music, fast cars...... They do work to live, but they want to "live" a different kind of life and want to work in a trendy profession! Very few youngsters want to live in a village eating home grown produce, in fact there are few financially supporting jobs in the "old world" to be had anymore!

They're no different to most other european kids or people. I have to say that if living a village life meant that I had to do my washing in a stream or by hand instead of a washing machine, I wouldnt want it in any country! Progress may not sound nice and cosy, but overall it has improved lifestyles, living standards, poverty and hard graft for no rewards

Jo xxx

Nothing wrong with labour saving devices, but all these things should be giving people more free quality time, instead they are more interested in earning and borrowing more and getting caught up in the rat race. Once you lose the old style/way of living it is hard to get it back again. Many may say that is a good thing but I have my doubts.