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Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
I thought I might try this thread in view of the comments about success/failure and people failing to settle. We can have lists of the things people think will improve their lives in Spain. The maybe we can start another thread about the things they hate in Spain.
Things I hate in Britain which I think are better in Spain Cloudy skies Declining manners and courtesy Processed food unless one is paying high prices Life is lived indoors Short summers Pubs serving pre purchased food from wholesalers like Brake Bros Cost of prawns American influence creeping everywhere. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Just back from a few days in the UK. Was amazed that they bleep our swear words in tv programmes, even after 11.30 at night and that they can't print whatever that big brother contestant said to that other big brother contestant! Don't see that happening in Spain where they show 18 rated films at 3 in the afternoon!
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Oh, and UK supermarkets where you can't buy basic fresh foodstuffs like beans and lentils but where they have row after row of freezers selling chips.
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=Lochy;4917858]Just back from a few days in the UK. Was amazed that they bleep our swear words in tv programmes, even after 11.30 at night and that they can't print whatever that big brother contestant said to that other big brother contestant! Don't see that happening in Spain where they show 18 rated films at 3 in the afternoon![/QUOTE]
which, since I have kids..is one of the things I don't like!! |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Price of prescription medication.
Rosemary |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
I saw the exorcist in a free outdoor cinema which started at 19.30. Loads of kids. When I mentioned that I thought that may not be appropriate, people told me to stop being so British about it!
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
good thread.
Council Tax(rising above inflation every year) Stealth Tax on goods and services Lack of affordable, quality housing. Yob culture |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by SoJohn
(Post 4918485)
good thread.
Council Tax(rising above inflation every year) Stealth Tax on goods and services Lack of affordable, quality housing. Yob culture |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Yob culture has to be one of the worst things about the UK at the moment. Town centres across the country are dominated by young drunk people, so nobody else wants to go near. Never seen this in Spain, where they always tends to be a mix of people out and about.
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Lochy
(Post 4918531)
Yob culture has to be one of the worst things about the UK at the moment. Town centres across the country are dominated by young drunk people, so nobody else wants to go near. Never seen this in Spain, where they always tends to be a mix of people out and about.
Rosemary |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Lochy
(Post 4918531)
Yob culture has to be one of the worst things about the UK at the moment. Town centres across the country are dominated by young drunk people, so nobody else wants to go near. Never seen this in Spain, where they always tends to be a mix of people out and about.
I think alcohol abuse is a problem here in inner city areas. But I agree in general you dont get that feeling of menace from young Spanish people, like you can do in the UK. Binge drinking in the uk is an obscene phenomenon. And now theres a spate of those grim programmes when you see cctv footage of rough looking young girls on hen nights getting pissed, falling over and fighting. But then again the media in the uk is so negative, if you got all your information about England from the TV you would think you were going to be stabbed everytime you left your house, theres no balance in the way things are reported. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by lost in spain
(Post 4918729)
A Spanish friend of mine says this is a big problem in central Malaga and the government are trying to entice young people away from drinking excessively in certain outdoor areas in the city by offering alternative activities for them.
I think alcohol abuse is a problem here in inner city areas. But I agree in general you dont get that feeling of menace from young Spanish people, like you can do in the UK. Binge drinking in the uk is an obscene phenomenon. And now theres a spate of those grim programmes when you see cctv footage of rough looking young girls on hen nights getting pissed, falling over and fighting. But then again the media in the uk is so negative, if you got all your information about England from the TV you would think you were going to be stabbed everytime you left your house, theres no balance in the way things are reported. Spaniards do, apparently, consume more alcohol in an average week that Brits. As you say, though, what I'm talking about is this feeling of menace you get all through the UK due to the behaviour caused by binge drinking. It's a nice element of the spanish culture that if someone sees someone 'misbehaving', they still feel safe enough to confront them about it. This happens less and less in the UK. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Lochy
(Post 4918789)
There is a different attitude, i think, to alcohol over here. You'll never hear spanish saying that they're "off to get pissed" tonight, which a million Brits will be saying as we write. And it's not just a saying, that's what they're gonna do!
Spaniards do, apparently, consume more alcohol in an average week that Brits. As you say, though, what I'm talking about is this feeling of menace you get all through the UK due to the behaviour caused by binge drinking. It's a nice element of the spanish culture that if someone sees someone 'misbehaving', they still feel safe enough to confront them about it. This happens less and less in the UK. I was in the local supermarket when a group of lads came in for their party drinks, plastic cups, plastic plates etc. At the checkout I looked in their trolley and it was full of coca cola, orange juice, lemonade, limon, crisps and nuts. No alcohol to be seen and they were so jolly and excited about their party. Maybe this is partly due to the size of the town and the fact that everyone seems to know everyone else but I understand that it is really not the done thing to get drunk anyway. Rosemary |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=Lochy;4918789]There is a different attitude, i think, to alcohol over here. You'll never hear spanish saying that they're "off to get pissed" tonight, which a million Brits will be saying as we write. And it's not just a saying, that's what they're gonna do!
Yes, I agree. I never understood how people could be proud of getting so drunk they ended up peeing in the wardrobe of throwing up in their shoes. That is a part of the drinking culture in England, and I cant imagine a group of young English drinkers being tempted away from a night on the beers by classes in theatre skills or painting, which is whats on offer in Malaga province..... |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=lost in spain;4918838]
Originally Posted by Lochy
(Post 4918789)
There is a different attitude, i think, to alcohol over here. You'll never hear spanish saying that they're "off to get pissed" tonight, which a million Brits will be saying as we write. And it's not just a saying, that's what they're gonna do!
Yes, I agree. I never understood how people could be proud of getting so drunk they ended up peeing in the wardrobe of throwing up in their shoes. That is a part of the drinking culture in England, and I cant imagine a group of young English drinkers being tempted away from a night on the beers by classes in theatre skills or painting, which is whats on offer in Malaga province..... Rosemary |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
In the UK I love :
The green grass The fact that so much stunning scenery can be fitted into one small place Rivers with water in them Indian Take-aways Fish and Chips In the UK I hate : The lack of family values Political Correctness 'Nanny' State Consumerism and 'keeping up with the Jones's' Traffic! In Spain I love : Family values The sunshine The friendliness of the Spanish people Lack of Traffic Cost of living Laid-back lifestyle In Spain I hate: Bureaucracy Cruelty to animals Not being able to find an Indian restaurant Finding all clothes for womeen my age are 'fogeyish' Plastic Greenhouses Golf Courses |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=scampicat;4918868]In the UK I love :
The green grass/none in my part of Spain for around ten months of the year! The fact that so much stunning scenery can be fitted into one small place Rivers with water in them/Water???? River????? Indian Take-aways Fish and Chips In the UK I hate : The lack of family values /These are alive and well and flourishing in Spain Political Correctness/?Que? 'Nanny' State Consumerism and 'keeping up with the Jones's'/Shall I have one sardine or two? Traffic!/Empty Roads Highlighted in blue are my opinions ofdifferences between the two countries. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Political correctness & the Nanny state :frown:
Scampi ... you beat me to it! |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Interesting responses. Family values seems to be a very common issue. Spain has a rising number of single parents and non married co-habiting couples, recognises gay marriage but not civil partnerships. When I was a youth worker the kids would all discuss the films and videos they had watched when their parents were out. Silence of the Lambs was a favourite, much more gruesome than the Exorcist which is almost black comedy. It was them who told me about a certain website that specialises in photos of gruesome accidents, like Kennedy's autopsy pics and pictures of decapitations. I remember a bpook of adventure stories I had as a boy, All about people being boiled in oil and hung drawn and quartered. Perhaps the Spanish have got it right, let them watch with their parents ?? I watched Last Tango in Paris again last night and the sex scenes were tame compared to what we now have in mainstream TV.. I remember the fuss it caused when it first came out, likewise films like Sunday Bloody Sunday. Spanish kids socialise with their parents, they learn patterns of behaviour at an early age.
There is a really interesting programme called Sex with Mum and Dad currrently on BBC3. Radical, embarassing, but thought provoking. Where are the young getting their yob behaviour from?? It doesn't come out of thin air. Yes the Spanish do have their problems.. but I wonder if this is possibly because their young people are now seeing and acquiring different role models. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
The family values issues has always been very high on my list of what ultimately causes, or should I say contributes greatly, to yob culture. When I was a kid all our meals were together as a family. We did things at the weekend as a family. You felt like part of a family and you picked up respect and values.
Nowadays quite often the parents are out at work so much, kids have to cook their own tea, spend time on their own or go out on the streets and hang around on street corners. Here in Spain ... well in this area anyway, I notice the family unit is well intact. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
It does seem to be one of those generalisations which is true. We're brought up in the UK to believe that when we're teenagers, we shoudln't get on with our parents and that every teenager should be moody, depressed and rebellious. And yet that's not the case here - kids seem togenerally get on with their parents. SO much so that parents can't get rid of them out their house until they're 35.
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
But Spanish have single parents and working couples.. they just deal with it differently. The husband of my Spanish friends passed thru London on his way to a conference. When I asked where the kids were that night, as his wife has a busy academic career, he said they were at the uni with her !! Their kids stay up late in school hols...at the feria they decided when they were tired and wanted to go home. We cannot stop change, but we can examine how we deal with it. Watch Sex with Mum and Dad on BBC 3 if you can... a frighteningly novel approach to teenage sexual behaviour, but seemingly it works. And the sex therapist is Dutch, and Holland has much lower rates of teen pregnancy.
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
SOS adolescentes on Cuatro ( i think ) makes interesting viewing as well. Not sure if it's still on though...
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
(Post 4919062)
The family values issues has always been very high on my list of what ultimately causes, or should I say contributes greatly, to yob culture. When I was a kid all our meals were together as a family. We did things at the weekend as a family. You felt like part of a family and you picked up respect and values.
Nowadays quite often the parents are out at work so much, kids have to cook their own tea, spend time on their own or go out on the streets and hang around on street corners. Here in Spain ... well in this area anyway, I notice the family unit is well intact. We have always eaten together as a family in the evening.........thankfully now later rather than at 5pm, now that the kids are older........:D One english family I know, the kids eat at about 6pm, are in bed by about 7.30pm, so that mum & dad can eat together...in fact dad won't even have them in the same room while he is having his dinner:eek: Consequently the kids have no table manners whatsoever, and I dread them coming here to play with my kids.............although i have finally learned not to bother cleaning the dining room when they are coming....I swear more food ends up on the floor than in their mouths....and they can't sit on a chair for more than a minute! I mentioned this to the mum...a very good friend of mine.........she thought it was amusing:eek: |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
I hate to disagree with most on here, but even though manners in the UK are on the decline, they don`t exist in Spain at all. Maybe in a little town/village where they are delighted you are spending money, they are polite, but believe me in towns manners are non existant. We were actually told by a Spanish neighbour, that we don`t ever say por favor it`s only the tourists that do. Having said that it`s not a problem as you soon get used to barking out requests in shops without ever saying thank you, the staff don`t react any differently to you, indeed the staff almost have more respect towards you. A classic example is walking 2 abreast on a pavement towards a Spanish couple is always interesting as they usually walk straight at you, clearly expecting you to step out of their way. As holiday makers we use to as we had manners, but after a while you think FFS, why can`t you move for a change. So now we also walk 2 abreast and at the last second one of us will go behind the other. They usually continue 2 abreast and we collide. This usually is followed by a few Spanish expletives at which point we laugh at them.
Another example is how rude older men (sexist they certainly are) to female staff in shops, almost throwing the money at them and then waiting for them to pack their bags. Once you get over this you can have a real laugh, but please don`t make out the Spanish are perfect. Tom |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Tom, imho thats just because Spanish attitude is different ..... Brits are naturally polite sometimes to the point of painfullness.
Even though the please and thank you are not there around here, people still smile as they serve you, and apart from the odd old mad woman who bludgeons herself to the front of the supermarket queue with her bag of onions I haven't had too many problems :D |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
(Post 4920226)
Tom, imho thats just because Spanish attitude is different ..... Brits are naturally polite sometimes to the point of painfullness.
Even though the please and thank you are not there around here, people still smile as they serve you, and apart from the odd old mad woman who bludgeons herself to the front of the supermarket queue with her bag of onions I haven't had too many problems :D Rosemary |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by The Oddities
(Post 4920242)
I was told before I came here to live that the Spanish do not queue so wondered if I would ever get served in a shop. The reality is so different, whether in the supermarket, butchers or doctors I have found that they all check out who was first etc and if you only have a couple of items they always let you go first.
Rosemary Apart from the mad old lady with the bag of onions of course ... don't forget her! |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Hi all! I agree with all the above statements re thing to hate, ESPECIALLY the "Nanny State" and "Political correctness"! :curse:It seems we fought for freedom and now this is gradually being taken away from us to the point that we are all assumed to be "morons" unable to make decisions for ourselves!
Believe what you see on the TV news, it IS all true! :(Our young generation have largely become "binge drinkers" I work with a large number of young people who are really lovely people, and who I get on with extremely well. But the vast majority of them regularly binge drink to the point that they don't know what they are doing, turn up for work hungover and spend most of the next morning in the loo disposing of "the evidence". ;) At Christmas, the local authority install urinals on a piece of waste land in the City because of the problems of "doorway deposits". Ambulances and Police are constantly in attndance because of fighting or passing out through overdrinking. :ohmy: I think a lot of it is peer pressure, but of course this can only continue if family values allow or accept this type of attitude or behaviour. It is REALLY refreshing for me to hear that the young people in Spain CAN and DO have a good time without having to get drunk to be able to enjoy themselves. Isn't this strange when Spanish children are permitted to drink (albeit that it may be watered down) at home with the family from a very early age. Surely there is a lesson for us to learn here. HUGE big flashing red speed signs fitted in rural villages! :curse: HELLO, who is going to see them????? If they cut the hedges back motorists would be able to see the EXISTING speed signs! Resurfacing roads that don't need doing , and not resurfacing roads that do! :curse:They have spent a whole week doing a road about half a mile away. The road is about quarter of a mile long and they have just COMPLETELY resurfaced it, involving detours an' all. There are 3 or 4 houses down that road! Our road is crumbling to pieces and serves hundreds of people! Traffic light EVERYWHERE and as many per square mile as possible! :curse: No independent shops, only chain stores or franchises! I have got to stop myself here because I seems as though the list is endless! Since having been a member of the forum, have read hundreds of posts, but have yet to read anything which would deter me from moving to Spain. Nowhere is perfect, but it is more than good enogh for me! I am so looking forward to making the move (whenever that will be! God willing not too long!) You guys are SO lucky to be there already and clearly love your new lives. Savour it you are definately in the right place! :thumbsup: Chris XXX |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by chrisw
(Post 4921154)
Hi all! I agree with all the above statements re thing to hate, ESPECIALLY the "Nanny State" and "Political correctness"! :curse:It seems we fought for freedom and now this is gradually being taken away from us to the point that we are all assumed to be "morons" unable to make decisions for ourselves!
Believe what you see on the TV news, it IS all true! :(Our young generation have largely become "binge drinkers" I work with a large number of young people who are really lovely people, and who I get on with extremely well. But the vast majority of them regularly binge drink to the point that they don't know what they are doing, turn up for work hungover and spend most of the next morning in the loo disposing of "the evidence". ;) At Christmas, the local authority install urinals on a piece of waste land in the City because of the problems of "doorway deposits". Ambulances and Police are constantly in attndance because of fighting or passing out through overdrinking. :ohmy: I think a lot of it is peer pressure, but of course this can only continue if family values allow or accept this type of attitude or behaviour. It is REALLY refreshing for me to hear that the young people in Spain CAN and DO have a good time without having to get drunk to be able to enjoy themselves. Isn't this strange when Spanish children are permitted to drink (albeit that it may be watered down) at home with the family from a very early age. Surely there is a lesson for us to learn here. HUGE big flashing red speed signs fitted in rural villages! :curse: HELLO, who is going to see them????? If they cut the hedges back motorists would be able to see the EXISTING speed signs! Resurfacing roads that don't need doing , and not resurfacing roads that do! :curse:They have spent a whole week doing a road about half a mile away. The road is about quarter of a mile long and they have just COMPLETELY resurfaced it, involving detours an' all. There are 3 or 4 houses down that road! Our road is crumbling to pieces and serves hundreds of people! Traffic light EVERYWHERE and as many per square mile as possible! :curse: No independent shops, only chain stores or franchises! I have got to stop myself here because I seems as though the list is endless! Since having been a member of the forum, have read hundreds of posts, but have yet to read anything which would deter me from moving to Spain. Nowhere is perfect, but it is more than good enogh for me! I am so looking forward to making the move (whenever that will be! God willing not too long!) You guys are SO lucky to be there already and clearly love your new lives. Savour it you are definately in the right place! :thumbsup: Chris XXX |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by Sally
(Post 4921167)
What's your Blood Pressure mate?
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by chrisw
(Post 4921154)
Hi all! I agree with all the above statements re thing to hate, ESPECIALLY the "Nanny State" and "Political correctness"! :curse:It seems we fought for freedom and now this is gradually being taken away from us to the point that we are all assumed to be "morons" unable to make decisions for ourselves!
Believe what you see on the TV news, it IS all true! :(Our young generation have largely become "binge drinkers" I work with a large number of young people who are really lovely people, and who I get on with extremely well. But the vast majority of them regularly binge drink to the point that they don't know what they are doing, turn up for work hungover and spend most of the next morning in the loo disposing of "the evidence". ;) At Christmas, the local authority install urinals on a piece of waste land in the City because of the problems of "doorway deposits". Ambulances and Police are constantly in attndance because of fighting or passing out through overdrinking. :ohmy: I think a lot of it is peer pressure, but of course this can only continue if family values allow or accept this type of attitude or behaviour. It is REALLY refreshing for me to hear that the young people in Spain CAN and DO have a good time without having to get drunk to be able to enjoy themselves. Isn't this strange when Spanish children are permitted to drink (albeit that it may be watered down) at home with the family from a very early age. Surely there is a lesson for us to learn here. HUGE big flashing red speed signs fitted in rural villages! :curse: HELLO, who is going to see them????? If they cut the hedges back motorists would be able to see the EXISTING speed signs! Resurfacing roads that don't need doing , and not resurfacing roads that do! :curse:They have spent a whole week doing a road about half a mile away. The road is about quarter of a mile long and they have just COMPLETELY resurfaced it, involving detours an' all. There are 3 or 4 houses down that road! Our road is crumbling to pieces and serves hundreds of people! Traffic light EVERYWHERE and as many per square mile as possible! :curse: No independent shops, only chain stores or franchises! I have got to stop myself here because I seems as though the list is endless! Since having been a member of the forum, have read hundreds of posts, but have yet to read anything which would deter me from moving to Spain. Nowhere is perfect, but it is more than good enogh for me! I am so looking forward to making the move (whenever that will be! God willing not too long!) You guys are SO lucky to be there already and clearly love your new lives. Savour it you are definately in the right place! :thumbsup: Chris XXX |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Originally Posted by jdr
(Post 4921240)
So you are gonna have a big problem deciding on whether to go to the beach or stay by the pool when you get here then chris. ? :D
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Agree with you on the independent shops. Town centres in the UK seem to be clones of each other with identical top shop, burtons, river island, gap... All part of the plastification of the UK, everything neatly packaged and marketed by the big chains. How dull!
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Oh, and I'd like to add coffee to the list. Cannae get a decent coffee anywhere in Britain. Bland, overpriced and oversized.
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
Granted we are over polite (although the original poster mentioned it as on the decline in the UK) and staff in shops etc do smile. As an example whilst being served at our local market last Friday an older man quite clearly barked to the woman and waved his bag of fruit over my shoulder, wanting to be served straight away. She pointed she was serving us and he mumbled away behind us, she smiled in a form of apology.
Overall life is great I am just saying in the larger towns manners can be a little lacking, but once you fit in with this way of behaving you don`t really pay much attention to it. My wife wanted to add her viewpoint about Spanish men going into pubs she has worked in the West End of London, who would happily go up to the bar and click their fingers for service, despite lots of others already waiting. At least then she could choose to ignore them until it would be their turn. Fish, fruit, meals out, markets etc are all great and if there is anything like Branston Pickle that we fancy we do have a local English Quick Save (it amazes us how many people do their whole weekly shop in these places, considering they are not cheap). Tom |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=scampicat;4918930]
Originally Posted by scampicat
(Post 4918868)
In the UK I love :
The green grass/none in my part of Spain for around ten months of the year! The fact that so much stunning scenery can be fitted into one small place Rivers with water in them/Water???? River????? Indian Take-aways Fish and Chips In the UK I hate : The lack of family values /These are alive and well and flourishing in Spain Political Correctness/?Que? 'Nanny' State Consumerism and 'keeping up with the Jones's'/Shall I have one sardine or two? Traffic!/Empty Roads Highlighted in blue are my opinions ofdifferences between the two countries. |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=silverchick;4923719]
Originally Posted by scampicat
(Post 4918930)
I've just asked my Indian friends to teach me how to cook some Indian dishes so I can do some Indian diner parties for my mates when we're over there! |
Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=Lochy;4923738]
Originally Posted by silverchick
(Post 4923719)
Should be useful, one thing better in britain than spain is indian cooking!
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Re: Things we hate about Britain...and are they any better in Spain ??
[QUOTE=jdr;4923816]
Originally Posted by Lochy
(Post 4923738)
There, if you lived on our CDS urbo you would be near "Nirvana" the best Indian restuarant in Spain or UK.
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