UNESCO have recently been updating their ‘Intangible Heritage’ list, which recognises the value of special traditions and customs from across the globe, be they theatrical, musical, culinary…

Spain has proved rich in ‘intangible heritage’, boasting an impressive ten entries on the list. Below are just a few of the things that UNESCO has earmarked:

• Flamenco - dancing, singing and guitar-playing are all acclaimed
• Castells – original to Catalonia, these human towers are built by amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivals in the region
• The chant of the Sybil – performed in churches throughout Majorca on Christmas eve, three children parade through the church and sing a cappella, maintaining the Gregorian traditions of the island
• The whistled language of La Gomera Island in the Canaries - the only whistled language in the world that is fully developed and practised by a large community (more than 22,000 inhabitants)
• The Patum of Berga - a popular festival whose origin can be traced to medieval festivities and parades accompanying the celebration of Corpus Christi. Theatrical performances and parades of a variety of effigies animate the streets of this Catalan town to the north of Barcelona
• The mystery play of Elche - a sacred musical drama of the death, passage into heaven and crowning of the Virgin Mary. Since the mid-fifteenth century it has been performed in the Basilica of Santa Maria and in the streets of the old city of Elche in Valencia. It is a living testimony of European religious theatre of the Middle Ages.

Also on the list, but not exclusive to Spain, are the Mediterranean diet and falconry. To read more about each of these treasured Spanish traditions, as well as those of other countries, visit the UNESCO Intangible Heritage website.

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On Wednesday the 17th of November a film by Spanish film director Artur Balder debuted in New York City. Balder, who is also a writer, had stumbled across the story of the Spanish population in Manhattan that came to be known as "Little Spain". Many people have heard of "Little Italy", but the story of the Spanish in the great American city was little known.

The documentary, appropriately titled "Little Spain", traces the journey of Spanidards who abandoned Spain in search of a better life in New York. The Spanish migrants settled into Lower Manhattan, throughout the 19th and 20th century forming a deeply rooted community. The community's center was 14th street, the heart of "LIttle Spain", where many signs of the Spanish still remain.

In fact, there is a Spanish social club known as the Spanish Benevolent Society, or rather La Nacional, that still exists today on 14th Street between 7th and 8th Ave. It was the clubs archives that the filmmaker dug into in order to shed light on a little known story.

His work culminated in the documentary that starts with the founding of La Nacional club in New York in 1868, and the massive migration from Spain to the US after the Spanish Empire lost Cuba in 1898. The film moves on to document the wealth and affluence of the Spanish population in New York (Golden Age) after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the community's sharp decline in the 80s and 90s.

This prominent socieity, although little know, led to a 14th Street in New York where Spanish was heard and spoken well into the 1960s. Spanish businesses filled the streets including famous restaurants such as El Coruña, La Bilbaina, or Café Madrid and also Spanish bookshops and textile stores.

In order to emphasize the strength of the community, despite the recent downfall, the film shows that a very popular Spanish holiday, St. James Day (Santiago Apostol), was still celebrated in the area until the 1990s.

There is little left of what once was Little Spain, but with the documentary by Artur Balder, the Spanish legacy in New York will live on forever.

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On Saturday, the Spanish Film Academy announced the death of director Luis Garcia Berlanga, who died at his home in Pozuelo, a suburb on the outskirts of Madrid.

Aged 89 and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease when he passed away, Berlanga was declared one of the greatest film-makers of Spanish culture by Prime Minister Zapatero in a tribute on Sunday.

Among his most famous works was ‘Bienvenido, Mr Marshall!’ a satirical comedy released in 1952. He was also well-known for Academy Award-nominated ‘Placido’, a hit foreign language film, while ‘El Verdugo’ (The Executioner) was also critically acclaimed. Berlanga’s achievements include three nominations for the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Honorary president and co-founder of the Spanish Film Academy, he is celebrated as one of the most important film-makers of all time, and his death is considered a huge loss not only for Spanish cinema, but also for the country’s culture as a whole.

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A combination of both Olivia's advice and a need to entertain my dad on his short trip to Spain this past weekend meant that I too visited Segovia this past weekend.

Arriving late afternoon from a whirlwind tour of Madrid, this much smaller town seemed worlds away from metropolitan Iberia and had much more of an authentic Spanish feel as quaint buildings lined the streets and the stunning Cathedral and Alcázar created a magical background. Although a small town, the two distinct parts of historical centre and the more modern shopping area meant that it seemed substantially bigger, and the walk inbetween showed the graduation from ancient constructions, such as the Aqueduct, to a very recently built tourist information office.

When visiting Segovia, there are really three monuments of interest: the Alcázar, the Cathedral and of course the Aqueduct. Starting off in Plaza Mayor on Sunday morning, it was of course obligatory to try churros and chocolate in a small café, in which I was carmly informed by the waiter that it was going to snow... So much for sunny Spain! However, despite this weather warning and a somewhat harsh breeze, we braved our way across to the Cathedral.

Very reminiscent of Salamanca's in both colour and style, the Cathedral was of course stunning, although a little smaller than I had been expecting. The chapels that lined the walls were each unique and the decoration in some was magnificant. However being a Sunday morning, our ability to explore was limited and with the knowledge that Mass was planned to start soon, we quickly moved on.

In the guide book that was clutched by my Dad, and continually refered to in an almost biblical sense, it described the Alcázar as like a fairy like castle, however this barely prepared us for the beautiful sight as we got closer. The intricate decoration on the outer walls, along with the turrents, made for an impressive view against the backdrop of the valley, whilst the exhibitions inside were both interesting and very informative - and the artillery exhbition certainly captured my father's imagination. Last but not least here was the opportunity to climb the tower, and for the girl with a little bit of vertigo, no mean feat. However the view at the top was spectacular and well worth the small trauma ...

Last but not least on the monument tour was the Aqueduct, and well nothing can quite prepare you for the scale! The small puente romano here in Salamanca was more of the scale that I was expecting, however this towered above us, more on a scale of mountains than anything else, and really showed off the great scale on which the Romans built, and well deserves its role as a symbol of Segovia.

So how to finish off the day, Cochinillo of course! Anxious to find a good place to try it, we wandered the streets until we chanced upon a restaurant tucked away, but once we got inside the chef gave a large show of chopping this small pig in front of those waiting to eat it, not a sight for the faint heart I assure you! But alls well that ends well, and a simple yum is the only was I can describe this exquisite dish!

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On November 25-26, Salamanca will host a convention for European Schools to learn about Spanish schools in Spain.

don Quijote Salamanca Director

The objective is to raise awareness among European Institutions of Higher Education about the courses and full immersion programs offered in Spanish schools for foreigners in Spain.

The first day will be a general presentation, in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes, of the network of accredited Spanish institutions in Spain and the guarantees they offer. The event will open with a reception at city hall followed by a workshop in which each guest will present their experiences. Additionally, they will take a tour of Spanish schools in the city of Salamanca. On the second day the representatives of the Spanish schools will have meetings with the heads of the participating European institutions.

Julio Lopez, Councilor of Tourism, stated that the "priority is to reach out to teachers" because, according to market research focus groups, students claim that their teachers' recommendation directly influences their choice of where to study Spanish.

Participants include schools from Germany, England, France, Ireland and Portugal for the convention which will take place on the 25th and 26th of November. The event will open with a reception at city hall followed by a workshop in which each guest will present their experiences.

The don Quijote school in Salamanca will remain open for the event.

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Spain, a world leader in organ donation and transplants, is also the only country with a laboratory dedicated exclusively to the creation of bio-artificial organs from stem cells to be used in organ transplants.

The laboratory is located in the Gregorio Marañón hospital in Madrid, a leading center of regenerative cardiac cell therapy. The joint project is in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, the first center to create an artificial heart, and the National Organization of Transplants. With the new ground breaking techniques being used here, Spain hopes to become a world leader in organ regeneration.

The idea is to have a parent bank to produce new organs like hearts, livers, kidneys, or skin that in the long term could solve the problem of too few donations.

The technique involves using stem cells to create new organs from donor organs. They are currently working with hearts which must first be cleaned at a cellular level and then injected with stem cells from the donor who is to receive the organ.

This regenerative medicine could change the conventional way that transplants of organs and tissues are done. Although they have already made great advances, the organs they have created have not yet been used in humans. The objective is to be able to use their organs in a real transplant within 5 or 10 years.

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Just a few days ago, on the 27th October, Nestor Kirchner died following a fatal heat attack, aged 60. He was the president of Argentina between 2003 and 2007 and arguably one of the most influential politicians of the country’s history.

His achievements are said to include stabilising the Argentine economy in the midst of the global crisis, tackling poverty and significantly reducing unemployment in the country. He also made notable progress on a number of human rights infringements by the military government that ruled between 1976 and 1983.

His grief-stricken wife, Cristina Fernandez, who has been president since 2007, must continue her work without what many believe to be vital backing from her husband. Always seen as a political team, there is much speculation as to whether Fernandez will be able to fulfil the role of president alone, since Kirchner was largely agreed to be the power hub of the Argentine government.

On the other hand, Fernandez’s supporters see this as an excellent opportunity for the female power image in the country. While the idea of a woman successfully running the state has yet to be accepted by a huge number of people in what remains a male-dominated society (certainly not helped by the chaotic presidency of Isabel Peron previously) time will tell whether Fernandez, like her husband, will prove an influential figure in the Argentine, and indeed global, political spheres.

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As much as I love the golden buildings, and altogether more typically "spanish" appearance of Salamanca, change is never a bad thing, and with only a matter of weeks remaining in Spain, it was clearly time for another exploratory trip this past weekend!

After the Barcelona experience, I was a little wary of a long bus journey, and so upon discovering it was only a four hour journey to the north coast of Asturias where a university friend is doing a assistantship placement, it seemed like a viable but not quite so extreme option... However standing in the freezing cold on Saturday morning, I'm not going to lie, it didn't seem like quite such a good idea!

One of the things that really struck me as we passed through Spain was the varied landscape, going from sparse and dry fields to vibrant green mountains and pastures was a bit of a change to sat the least, especially when you fall asleep and awake to a very different view, I was a little disorientated to say the least!

But, in amongst the trees and grass, industry started to appear along with towns as I reached my destination, and there waiting in the wind and rain at Gijón bus station was a vision of blondeness and home! After a quick mission to find a supermarket in order to stock up, and provide us with the energy very definitely needed..

So what did we see there. Well for a girl who normally lives by the sea, the beautiful coastline was a sight to behold, and despite the roaring winds and torrential rain it was most definitely my favourite part of the day. Soaked to the skin however, we were forced to scurry back, and soak up the very English landscape from a safer (and dryer!) point of view.

Monday, as is typical in Spain for a bank holiday, everywhere was closed, and so what had planned to be an exploration of Gijón (pronounced more like a donkey noise than the french equivalent as I quickly found out!) ended up more as a sucessive eating experience, as we struggled to find anywhere open at all! But luckily a very typical Sideria opened its doors to us and so we wiled the afternoon away comparing our experiences and making plans for Spain at Christmas! A good, yet fleeting trip by all accounts

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Spaniards don't technically celebrate Halloween, but as with most commercial American holidays, every year the Halloween atmosphere grows in Spain, and you can see shops decorated in orange and black as well as some people/kids dressed up in costumes.

But it is not normal, not yet at least. This year, I, being the American I am and determined to maintain some of my holiday cheer, invited some Spanish friends over to my apartment in Salamanca to carve some pumpkins. The first feat was to find pumpkins.

Oh, you may ask yourself: "What? They have no pumkins?"

Of course they have pumpkins! But most are not the carving variety but rather the eating variety. Little do us Americans know that most of those yummy cans of canned pumpkin actually contain the eating variety of pumpkin rather than the carving variety. There are many varieties and most are not round and plump like a traditional carving pumkins but rather long and and skinny.

So, I invited people to come over and carve pumpkins (for the first time in their lives) on the 24th of October, they accepted, now I needed to find some pumpkins. I went to my husband's parent's village and after asking around we found someone who had pumpkins in a storage unit for feeding livestock. BINGO! They were round, well, at least most of them. Not the most beautiful pumpkins I have ever seen, but they were round, orange, and totally carvable. I chose some and we were on our way.

Next feat: Tools and Halloween carving designs! Yes, if we were going to do this I wanted to do it well! Luckily with the help of Facebook and a generous friend, I was able to get my hands on several sets of tools and pumpkin stencils.

It was fun, we only had one cut hand (my husband) several complaints ("What! I have to keep scraping!? Aggh!!"), one cut off set of horns ("I can't believe that after all that work to cut out the horns I just cut them off by accident!!!"), and an overall good result. They all hung out for awhile taking photos and commenting that they were, indeed, much more good-looking when the lights were out and the candles were burning brightly inside.

The end result: (the vampire peering over a tombstone is mine!)

The seeds are still drying in my house and I fully intend to bake them tonight and distribute them among the Spanish participants tomorrow. I hope we can repeat it next year!

Spaniards, during this time, celebrate All Saints day on the 1st of November. It is the most closely related holiday to Halloween and likely has similar origins. Read about All Saint's Day in Spain. In Mexico, a simliar holiday is celebrated: read about the Day of the Dead.

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I for one don't think I get enough sleep, and often as the alarm sounds in the morning I attempt to have just 5 more minutes of snooze time, normally therefore leading to a rush to get ready.

For many spaniards, a midday recuparative siesta has become an outdated practice, prefering instead to enjoy the daylight hours when they last, especially during the winter, however in Madrid a new kind of championship is out to change this!

Taking place on blue sofa's in the middle of a large shopping centre, any willing participants are invited to give it a go, and a clear range of outfits have been on show including comfy pyjamas, eyemasks or simply the good old trick of a jumper over your head.

No fear though, anyone taking part can't cheat, as all have pulse monitors attached and points are given depending on how much of the alloted 20 minutes that they are able to sleep. However on the bright side, special awards are given for the most original sleeping positions, most eyecatching outfits, and of course the loudest snore!

With an average of 50 people taking place everyday, the prize of 1.000€ is highly contested, and eight rounds of the competition running everyday, So who is the best Spaniard for taking a siesta??

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