Great website about Spain

I have come across the website www.spanish-fiestas.com/ and signed up for their newsletter, and they send me loads of interesting things about Spain each month which I really enjoy. This month it was the author's Top Ten Man made Things in Spain, which I found really useful, so I've included it below for your information. There's not enough space to put the full list, but you can sign up for the newsletter to receive the full article www.spanish-fiestas.com/newsletter/

1. Alhambra Palace in Granada- The Alhambra is Spain's most visited tourist attraction with over two million annual visitors. The city of Granada is also fabulousso time permitting don't be in too much of a rush to leave theplace.

2. Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - The Gaudi architecture of Barcelona is simply stunning and theSagrada Familia, his unfinished Cathedral, is the number one attraction.

3. Mezquita in Cordoba - The Mezquita (Great Mosque) is the centrepiece of the historical quarter and is truly one of the finest buildings in Europe.

4. Roman Aqueduct in Segovia - This magnificent aqueduct was constructed without mortar and datesback to 1AD, it is the best preserved Roman monument in Spain.

5. Plaza de España in Seville - Seville is the foreigner's stereotypical Spain with flamencodancing, bullfighting and sherry drinking. The city oozes charm anddeserves several days to soak up the atmosphere and see its manysights. The Plaza de España dates back to the 1929 Spanish AmericasFair and is located in the beautiful Parque de Maria Luisa.

6. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral - Santiago is one of my favourite Cathedrals, not only as a remarkable building but also due to the atmosphere generated by the thousandsof pilgrims who arrive there after completing the Camino deSantiago.

7. Toledo Cathedral - Toledo is one huge museum where Christians, Jews and Moslems once lived in harmony. The Cathedral is the main attraction which took over 200 years to build.

8. Plaza Mayor in Salamanca - Most Spanish cities have a Plaza Mayor but none are more impressive than Salamanca's, especially at night when it is illuminated.

9. Roman ruins in Merida - Merida has more Roman remains than anywhere in Spain, whilst neighbouring Caceres and Trujillo owe their legacy to thediscovery of the Americas when local men joined Francisco Pizarroon his epic voyage.

10. Monastery of Guadalupe - This has long attracted pilgrims since an image of the Virgin was seen by a shepherd. It's in quite a remote location in the beautiful Sierra de Guadalupe mountains.

The Spanish Rental Market is Booming

Don't be brought down by the general doom and gloom in the press, despite the slowdown in property sales and the drop in house prices, the rental market in Spain is actually booming.

There are still thousands of people moving to Spain each year and as house prices continue to fall, more people are opting to rent long term rather than buy leading to an increased demand for long term rentals.

As holiday makers tighten their belts, more are choosing the cheaper option of self catering accommodation. This means that although hotels have seen a sharp drop in occupancy, holiday rental accommodation is in more demand.

Property rental experts HolidayRentalontheWeb.com have seen a huge increase in rentals over the last few years and believe this is set to continue. The number of holiday weeks booked in 2008 was 302% higher than those booked in 2007, and in January and February 2009 this is already 242% up on the same period last year. They are estimating that their bookings in 2009 will be double that of 2008 and are very positive about the future for holiday rental accommodation.

HolidayRentalontheWeb.com’s founder, Tony Sidebottom, commented; “We would urge any owner of a Spanish property not to despair about the state of the property market. Property is a long term investment and it will recover its value after this slump is over. Don’t rush into selling your property, look into renting it out instead. Renting short or long term will offer you valuable income in these difficult times and safeguard your investment.”

HolidayRentalontheWeb, have produced a free guide to making the most of your rental property called ‘Secrets of Successful Rentals’. Visit http://www.homecareontheweb.com/ and click on ‘Free Insider Guides’ to download it.

What do you think about the gender pay gap?

The European Commission has launched a new information campaign to tackle the EU’s gender pay gap. The aim is to raise awareness among citizens and employers about the differences in pay levels that still exist between men and women. The pay gap is currently 17.4% across the EU – and in some countries it has even begun to widen. Click here to view the full article

Please let us know what your experiences are of this important issue. Do you feel you are paid less than your male collegues? Can businesses still get away with this? Do you have any experience with campaigning against unfair pay? We'd love to hear from you, please comment on this post.