When in Madrid – Buen Retiro Park (Jardines del Buen Retiro)

The Buen Retiro Park – Jardines del Buen Retiro – is a large and popular 1.4 square kilometre park at the edge of Madrid city centre, close to the Puerta de Alcalá and not far from the world famous Prado Museum. The park is large, well laid out and filled with sculptures and monuments, a lake and hosts a wide …

The Love A Child Foundation celebrates 10th anniversary

The Love A Child Foundation, based in Nerja, is celebrating it’s tenth anniversary this year and thanks to John Margetson, our volunteers and our wonderful supporters from all over the world, we have been able to help many children in Burma, Tibet and Ecuador. The Love A Child Foundation is an internationally registered charity set up to support children from …

When in Madrid – Puerta del Sol

Madrid is an interesting, beautiful and vibrant capital city and right at its heart is Puerta del Sol, probably one of the best known and busiest areas of the city. The Puerta del Sol – Gate of the Sun – was originally one of the main gates in the city wall that circled Madrid in the 15th century. As one …

The human tragedy

On my recent trip to Madrid, a beautiful and vibrant city, one thing that was particularly noticeable, and unmissable to even those who wear blinkers, was the number of beggars on the streets in the centre of the city. As you walk down the streets leading from Puerta del Sol, every few metres there is someone sitting on the pavement …

When in Madrid – Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid

The Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid – Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid – is an 8-hectare botanical garden located near Plaza de Murillo, next to the famous Prado Museum in Madrid and is a great place to spend a leisurely couple of hours, especially if the sun has got its hat on. The garden was founded on October 17th 1755 …

First trip on the AVE

The AVE high-speed train service arrived in Málaga some time ago now, and from day one I have wanted to try it out, mostly out of curiosity rather than to get anywhere in particular at a rate of knots. I finally got round to it the other day and headed off to Málaga Maria Zambrano station to buy a ticket …

Ronda and El Chorro by train from Málaga

There is now the possibility to visit the picturesque town of Ronda, as well as the gorges at El Chorro, on a day trip by rail from Málaga. The train service is daily and leaves Málaga Maria Zambrano station at 10:05, arriving in Ronda at 11:52. The return journey is at 16:55, arriving back in Málaga at 18:47. The train …