8pm, Saturday 21st April 2012, Camp Nou. Be there, in front of a TV if needs be, but just don't miss out on a Spanish cultural phenomenon; El Clásico.

The mighty Real Madrid are heading to Catalonia to take on their long-time rivals, Barcelona FC. It's easily the most polemic issue confronting Spanish society; not naming a Eurovision candidate, or deciding on the best way to sort out the economy, but which team to support. It is a rivalry that is steeped in history and politics, linked to regionalism and identity, and always promises to be a fantastic match! Madrid is currently at the top of the Spanish liga, but with Barca only 4 points behind, it's all to play for tomorrow.

But, a study published this week shows that El Clásico will be more exciting than you might have predicted. In fact, football is SO exciting, that fans get as excited watching a big game as they do during a night of passionate love-making!

Oh yes. Soccer is like sex. It’s scientifically proven! The study, conducted by researchers from Spain and the Netherlands focused on the 2010 FIFA World Cup final and found higher levels of the hormones testosterone and cortisol in fans during the match than on control days. Spain became world champions in 2010, with Andres Iniesta scoring the decisive goal four minutes before the end of extra time against the Netherlands, so no wonder the Spaniards enjoyed themselves!

For anyone as clueless about science as I am, cortisol is a hormone released into the body in response to stress. The study found that secretion of this hormone was greater in people who were more fanatical about football and according to lead researcher Leander van der Meij, from Amsterdam's Vu University, the findings were "consistent with the social self-preservation theory." This means that the fans, especially younger and more devoted fans, experienced a threat to their social esteem if their team did not win. Which just goes to show how important this rivalry is!

The study was published on Wednesday in the journal PLoS One. They also found that the testosterone increase experienced during a footy match was not related to fans' gender, age or football fanaticism.

So, I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys the Madrid V Barcelona game tomorrow!

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Dominican Republic is a shining pearl in the heart of Carribean to learn Spanish and an excellent choice for its golden beaches and green forests to have a rest.

The Dominican Republic has the second largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region and tourism is the main sector of the economy. The country's year-round golf courses are among the top attractions. Music and sport are of the highest importance in Dominican culture, with merengue as the national dance and song and baseball the favorite sport.

The culture and people of the Dominican Republic, like its Spanish Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the cultures of the Spanish, African, and Taíno natives.
There are at least four things that exist nowhere else in the world. They are all in the Southwest: larimar mine, the shortest river in the world (Los Patos), the world's smallest lizard (gecko on Beata Island), and the world's largest gypsum mine open (Barahona). Apart from the places mentioned above there is a list of seven wonders which have been selected by the local people and magazines to discover Dominican Republic. So you should definitely check these out when you have the chance!

Fort San Felipe de Puerto Plata which is called in a short way Puerto Plata is located in the north where you can take the cable car to the mountain Pico Isabel de Torres on the top a beautiful botanical garden and a statute of Christ the Redeemer will welcome you.
Columbus Lighthouse (Faro a Colón) is a monument situated in Santo Domingo paying tribute to Christopher Colombus. The lighthouse spreads the light beams so powerful that, it can be seen from Puerto Rico.
Baoruco Mountain (Sierra de Baoruco) is in the southwestern corner of Dominican Republic . Here you can come across the volcanic stone larimar also called "Stefilia's Stone", is a rare blue variety of pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean.
Salinas bay, where salt is produced is famous for its Sand Dunes, that has the largest sand dunes in the Caribbean.
The First Cathedral of America, (Cathedral of Santa María la Menor) in the colonial zone of Santo Domingo. It is the oldest cathedral of America. And other must-see places are Immaculate Cathedral of La Vega, Basilica of Higuey (Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia), Bay of the Eagles , Hoyo de Pelempito, Constanza and Jarabacoa, the Morro of Montecristi, the Samana Peninsula.

It will be quite an experience to see the modern and the antique, the sun, crystal blue seas and relaxing atmosphere while you are learning Spanish. It is high time you pushed the pause button in your life and Dominican Republic might be the perfect place for it.

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The London 2012 Olympic Games starts in exactly 100 days (and as a Londoner, I am very excited!). While preparations are still underway in England, athletes everywhere are getting ready for the biggest sporting competition in the world. The Juegos Olímpicos promise to be a very exciting event, and here are some Spanish speaking athletes to look for, all with great chances for that medalla de oro!

Spain, as you may be aware, are still basking in the glory of their football World Cup win in 2010. Can they take another world title? The Spanish lost the final on penalties in Sydney’s 2000 games, but can they make it that far again this year? They will have to battle the liked of Uruguay, champion of the Copa America 2011, who are feeling very hopeful thanks to Argentina’s failure to qualify. Since the Argentines hold the previous two football gold medals, this tournament is anyone’s for the taking!

Argentina has high hopes for Las Leonas, their women’s hockey team. These formidable ladies have won two gold medals and one bronze in World Cup tournaments, two bronze medals and one silver from Olympic Games, and an impressive four titles in the Champions Trophy. These lionesses really live up to their ferocious team name!

Benjamín Hockin was part of Britain’s winning 100m relay swimming team for the Beijing 2008 games, but due to his dual nationality will be representing Paraguay this year! Impressive as his track record already is, Hockin has the dubious honour of swimming for a country that doesn’t have an Olympic size pool! "Unfortunately here in Paraguay, we don’t have the infrastructure for swimming " Hockin has said. "We train in pools of 25 metres and most international competitions in swimming pools are 50 metres." Hopefully Benji’s Olympic success this year will promote swimming in Paraguay.

Bárbara Riveros Díaz is also one to watch. The Chilean athlete is having a great year on the world circuit, in her chosen sport of the Triathlon. Barbara has risen from number 25 in 2009 to first place today at the World Championship classification, and joins the likes of swimmer Kristel Köbrich (the record holder in South American for the 1500m) as Chile’s athletes to look out for.

In Mexico, hopes are pinned on Paola Espinosa for diving. She has been the only one to break China’s monopoly of the 10-metre platform in recent years, with her gold medal at the World Championships in 2009. Cuba has a very strong athletics reputation; Dayron Robles is returning to defend his world title in the 110m hurdles, and Yargelis Savigne, the long and triple jumper, with a personal best of 15.28cm!

The next Olympics is to be the first ever Games held in Latin America (Rio de Janeiro has the honour of hosting in 2016), and Madrid is in the running to host in 2020. Yet London is looking to be a great Games for Spanish speakers! Buena suerte to all the competitors!

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Spanish speakers are taking Tinseltown by storm; Jennifer Lopez has released Spanish language albums, Oscar Winner Penelope Cruz had a madrileña career before cracking Hollywood, Sofía Vergara currently stars in the hit show Modern Family, Antonio Banderas, Enrique Iglesias, Eva Longoria etc etc etc. The list goes on. And on and on and on.

These are some of the reasons I started learning Spanish. I want to live la vida loca with Ricky Martin, I fell head over heels for Javier Bardem, I sympathise with America Ferrera in Ugly Betty. Their fluency is something I aspire to.

But what of the non-native speakers! Those among the 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide who have had to learn subjunctive rules, conjugate for the third person imperfect tense, and other less glamorous aspects of mastering a language. I know it seems hard to believe, but there are a lot of celebrities slaving away learning Spanish the hard way like the rest of us!

Take David Beckham for example. Talented sportsman though he is, Golden Balls is not well known for his academic attributes, yet he has done press conferences in Spanish! Of his linguistic education, Becks has said “I'm progressing little by little. Spanish is very difficult for me, although I am getting used to it. But if I can conquer Spanish, it will have been a great achievement.” ¡Bien dicho! Gary Lineker is also fluent in Spanish after years of playing football there.

Jessica Alba, despite her Hispanic heritage, was not bought up speaking Spanish, as her parents feared they would be marginalized. Yet she’s considering moving to a Spanish speaking country for a little while. “Even if it’s just a month or two, because I think at the end of the day that’s how you really learn.” ¡Si será cierto Jess!

Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter’s first word was apparently “agua”; the star has said “She says a lot of words in Spanish, I speak to her in Spanish sometimes because I want her to learn”. After spending time in Spain as a teenager, Gwyneth Paltrow fell in love with the country and vowed to learn Spanish proficiently.

Other actors who have mastered español include Danny deVito! The 68 year old actually recorded the Spanish and Latin American versions for the voice of his character in the upcoming film The Lorax. And Dakota Fanning, just a cute child star?! Aparentamente no. After needing Spanish for the film “Men in Fire”, she carried on learning through personal classes. Viggo Mortensen learnt Spanish while living in Latin America and even funny man Will Ferrell habla español!

US President Barack Obama is learning Spanish, as is NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Other notable hablantes include, but aren’t limited to; Audrey Hepburn, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Emma Thompson, Charlie Sheen, Matthew McConaughey, Sharon Stone, Sophia Loren, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Efron, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Vinnie Jones, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant, The King of Morocco, Jackie Kennedy, the Pope (since there are around 500 million speakers of Spanish, some of them had to be famous I guess!)

Join the likes of these famous Spanish speakers and learn today!

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Although you can be forgiven for being Easter-orientated this week, there are other eggs this time of year to get excited about other than the chocolate variety!

Each year between July and December, hundreds of thousands of rare sea turtles visit Nicaragua to lay millions of eggs along the country's coasts, and this time of year is hatching season! Nicaragua, a country abundant in nature and adventure, found in-between Honduras and Costa Rica in Latin America, is one of only four countries believed to have turtle hatchings of such large proportions.

Throughout the whole world, there are seven species of sea turtles, and five of those can be seen in Nicaragua; Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, the Leatherback Turtle, the Loggerhead turtle and the famous Olive Ridley. All of these are endangered species.

On both sides of Nicaragua (the Pacific and the Caribbean coasts, both of which are Wildlife Refuges) the turtles use almost the whole coastline to spawn. Nicaragua's majestic turtle migrations occur in waves, called "arribadas", or arrivals in Spanish, usually occurring once a month. During each migration, several thousand female turtles come ashore to lay more than 100 ping-pong ball-sized eggs each. Remarkably, the turtles are said to return to the exact same beach where they were born themselves, a phenomenon scientists still don’t fully understand. Between one and two million baby turtles emerge from the sands and make their way to sea.

The Nicaraguan government is working with wildlife protection agencies to help educate the local communities about the importance of protecting turtles for future generations. Turtle nurseries have been set up, which have created local jobs, improved education about the environment and brought in tourists. They ensure that the turtle eggs are kept safe from poachers and predators, meaning this fantastic natural phenomenon can carry on for years to come.



However, turtle migrations are becoming increasingly rare, as the sea turtles are endangered species. Besides natural predators, we humans also pose great threats to the turtle population. Fishing nets trap turtles and cause many to drown, destruction of their natural habitat and also the use of turtle shells, leather, oil, and calipee to produce ornaments, jewellery, and the like, all threaten the turtle population.

Poaching also remains a constant threat for turtles around the world. The turtles' eggs are considered a delicacy and an aphrodisiac in Nicaragua which means they are traded on the black market. However, while turtles are still widely abused used for tourism products (which can use the eggs, meat, skin, or the shell) tourism income generated by marine turtles is almost three times as much as income generated by selling products derived from the turtles. So hopefully the turtle population will flourish long enough for me to go and visit!

Learn Spanish in Latin America and see the turtle migration while you’re there!

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Further meetings and discussions are about to come to an end about the construction of EuroVegas Complex in Spain.

Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate and the chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has plans to build a replica of Las Vegas complex in Spain. The financial entrepreneur has already made clear in public statements that Eurovegas be built in Spain, although without specifying yet what the final location. Up to now two cities have been competing to get the opportunity and Madrid has stepped up a little. As the limit on the height of buildings in Barcelona will be a real obstacle for the project in Catalonia, the company turned their eyes to Madrid. Both city delegations and the Minister of Economy of the Community, Percival Manglano got together with Adelson to discuss further details about Spanish legislation and investment process.

The company will invest €27million and the macrocomplex is thought to be constructed in an area near Barajas. Although the development plan for the "EuroVegas' is a scale replica of Las Vegas, Adelson plans to a particular internal structure of buildings. The casino resort would include a 50 floor hotel capacity of 36,000 beds, 18,000 slot machines and three golf courses. In most of its resorts, the casino occupies the central part of the hotel, around which are organized restaurants, various entertainment and access to the rooms.

Adelson is clear that the city which is selected to host the "EuroVegas" will become the European capital of large conventions, a nonexistent service in Europe. The complex which offers a casino and leisure facilities will provide job opportunities as well as economic growth in the area. Adelson estimated that in Spain he would create 160,000 direct jobs in 10 years. There will be a lot of work for architects and engineers.

Although some issues like infrastructure, facilitation of visas for executives and a ban on smoking in casinos are also still on the table to be discussed and there have been oppositions for the project, approximately fourty five days later the company will make a decision on the spot for EuroVegas. Either Barcelona or Madrid is selected, the Spanish culture, cuisine and energy will fit with the project and will create a remarkable success.

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I couldn’t decide what to write about this week; a lot has been going on in Spain that, not being very economically minded, I thought I’d leave to the experts. So I turned to Latin America for a topic, and found an abundance!

In Colombia, the last 10 military hostages have been successfully liberated! FARC (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) have been fighting for power since the 1960s, and took military hostages with the intent to use them as bargaining tools for the release of captured guerrilla soldiers. Some of those released today have spent 14 years in captivity, and finally regained their freedom today after the Brazilian military flew them to an airport in Villavicencio, capital of Meta department . Even their pets were freed! A peccary, a kind of wild pig, and a monkey, befriended in captivity, after 14 years together were clearly to precious to leave behind.

Today also marks the 30 year anniversary since the start of the Falklands War, between Argentina and the UK. The conflict in the Malvinas, as they are known to Argentina, lasted 74 days, and a total of 255 British servicemen and about 650 Argentines died. Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner paid tribute to the "hundreds who came to fight here, to this territory, to the islands, and to the hundreds who laid down their lives". British Prime Minister David Cameron saluted the "heroism" of the soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines who served in the conflict.

In Mexico, the presidential race has officially started. There are a potential 78 million voters due to cast their ballots on July 1st, and as many as a third are apparently still undecided. There are four candidates running;

• Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which governed for 71 years until 2000, is currently the front runner.
• The first woman to ever run in the Mexican Presidential elections, Josefina Vazquez Mota is representing the governing Christian Democratic Party PAN.
• Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, who was runner up in the last presidential election.
• Gabriel Quadri de la Torre of the New Alliance Party, which is closely associated with the powerful teachers' union.

The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez is returning to Cuba for another round of cancer treatment. The 57 year old, who has lead the country since 1999 is having radiotherapy after surgery to remove a second tumour from his pelvic area in February. The Venezuelan leader said he was determined to overcome cancer and win re-election in October.

And last but by no means least, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador has decided to boycott this month's Summit of the Americas in Colombia, because Cuba is not invited. He wants all 8 members of the leftist Bolivarian Alliance - which includes the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Bolivia - all boycott the summit, which countries including the USA are expected to attend. Ecuador has recently been suffering mudslides from very heavy rainfall, and as many as 4,700 have fled their homes. Unfortunately, the rain is predicted to continue.

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The rental prices of apartment balconies have risen during the Holy Week in main cities like Seville and Malaga.

The price range is between 4,000 and 12,000 euros for the whole Holy Week, and the other balconies cost 600 euros for seven days. The hotels are almost close to 80% occupancy rate and considering the amount of people coming to Seville to see the processions, renting the balconies is a great opportunity for extra income during crisis.

Earlier in the Passion Week, the virtual billboards are reserved with full attention that all Spanish Festivals are lived with the same passion. This is the case in the area of La Campana, where the official start of the race and all the processions of the city take place.

Advancing in the official race, and increasing prices for these privileged viewpoints, it is seen in the portal mybalcony.com, a proposal for good places with a capacity of 12 people at a cost of €1,450 every day from Monday to Holy Thursday, and for €2,900 'the Madrugá' and Good Friday.

But this is not unique to Seville, a little further south, in Malaga, with capacity for 20 people on the street Larios, the rent price ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 euros a day. It is said that those who are interested for these spaces are usually companies or wealthy families.

As for flats and apartments, Triana and the center of the city are certainly the most quoted, but it seems that over the classical form of lease. After consulting with several real estate agencies, all indications are that they wash their hands in short periods and are the particular contract or not, those who reach agreements on line.

The options are varied. Renting a 62 squaremeter apartment in Triana can cost €600 for a week. Yo can have a contract which both sides show their acceptance on any mishaps.Another option is to rent a room in Juan Luis Montano at San Vicente (city center) for 50 euros a night including breakfast and private bathroom. It is available to find more than 200 deals on the internet.The profile of the occupant of these rooms responds to mainly foreign tourists, for the most important is the possibility of mobility and swing without cancellation or penalty.

To live the excitement of the Spanish festivals passes through the heart of the streets and to get a better sight passes through your wallet.

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Easter holidays are lived with passion and excitement and it is a real joy to see the celebration of the Holy Week with Spanish traditions in every place.

It is a wonderful time to discover Spain, catch the special moments and live the traditional festivals differing from region to region but one thing is common. Almost every person participates in the acts and traditions. Marching parades, music, colorful flowers and the art of religious sculptures creates a moving and vivid image of Spain. There are 16 well-known Holy Week celebrations of International Tourist Interest. Six are held in Castile and Leon, three in Andalusia, three in the Region of Murcia, two in Castilla-La Mancha, two in Valencia and one in Extremadura region.

Holy Week in Andalusia - especially in Seville - is without doubt one of the most important religious holidays recognized in the world. Especially in the capital of the province where it receives the largest number of tourists from Spain. The week starts from Palm Sunday until the following Easter Sunday, and each day is full of presenting images depicting the Passion and death of Christ. The members of the various brotherhoods, dressed in characteristic robes walking through the streets with the beat of drums and music, some carry candles, rods or banners depending on their level of seniority. The most senior is the president who carries a golden rod. Each guild comes out of his church and has established its own course, although all must go through the "official race" that begins at Campana Street and ends with the departure of the brotherhood of the Cathedral.

In Salamanca, the celebrations are one of the deeply-rooted traditions which combines the beautiful integration of the parades and fraternities. Places like the Plaza of the University or Casa de las Conchas host the marching parades and during the commemoration the mixture of conventional and modern merge together and it is also notable that on Holy Thursday the professors are dressed in the academic regalia.

The Holy Week is a bit more distinguished in Lorca and this year it will be celebrated distinctively with great effort after the earthquake of May 11 which affected both the city and its people. This week is also known as the 'Whites and the Blues'. The grand parade which is called as La Carrera include groups of people dresses as Egyptian troops, Roman emperors or gods going in carriages with religious sculptures. This festival was organised by the society of Lady of the Rosary, known as White Brotherhood. One year later, the society of Farm workers, also known as the Blue Brotherhood, set the first group base in the Old Testament called ‘Street of Bitterness’. During these days Lorca splits into white and blue people. But there are other brotherhoods participating to give contents and symbolism to this Holy Week: Purples, Red, black and Resuscitated brotherhoods.



Every year during April, Spain is covered with tranquility and joyous atmosphere of the Holy Week and it is a must-see week even if you are religious or not.

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The American actor, is mainly known for his comedy performances, comes with another movie and makes a remarkable move. In his new movie Casa de mi Padre, he not only speaks Spanish but also sings in Spanish.

Along with Ferrell, famous Mexican actors Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal and the beautiful Genesis Rodriguez co-starred with him. The movie is about Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) who has lived and worked on his father's ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch faces financial problems, Armando's younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiancée, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) and pledges to settle all his father's debts. It seems that Raul's success as an international businessman means the ranch's troubles are over, but when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul's business dealings turn out to be less than legit, the Alvarez family finds themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

The idea came when he watched a telenovela on TV and started to work on project. He started working with a translator about a month prior to filming. “And then it was literally every day and every night. I started dreaming in Spanish." he said.

Quite surprisingly Ferrell's speaking Spanish seems to confuse everyone but it turns out to be a genius move as the film opened its first week grossing an estimated $2.2 million and come in No. 9 among the Hispanic spectators. It will be a real entertainment promising a modern world Western spaghetti and a bit of Tarantino flavour. Considering the vast number of Hispanics living in the U.S., it is important to remember their culture and Spanish language. Maybe Hollywood can see it as a sign and increase the number of Spanish productions.

The English subtitled movie also offers a chance of taking a glimpse into Mexican world and Spanish. Why don’t you take a look at the trailer and see whether Ferrell succeeds in speaking Spanish or not.

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