Tag Archives: spain

unsafe travel stickers

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, sevilla, spain, tourism, travel, welcome

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unsafe
These two so-called “safe travel” stickers (apparently there are others) are being promoted by ICTE and WTTC but do little more then create a false sense of security. Anyone can get one of these online just by PROMISING to obey the protocols. No inspections, no control, no nuthin. Worse than useless, they are actually dangerous.

Since our borders were flung open again this past Monday, the very first day after our three-month lockdown, coronavirus infections have been on the rise throughout Spain.

What has really made me feel sick this past week is seeing people on Twitter discussing their summer holiday plans, saying shit like “let’s go to Spain or Italy, they have way fewer cases than we do!” as if… what?? Think about that for a minute. How is it okay for you to go somewhere without even considering the people who live where you are going? The people you are likely to end up infecting. And who the actual FUCK decides to go abroad on FUCKING HOLIDAY during a FUCKING GLOBAL PANDEMIC? The mind reels.

Just to be clear… I am far from anti-tourism. My entire business relies on tourists, and especially from the UK and US. But we have all seen the whole tourism thing spiralling out of control over the past few years so maybe this had to happen. Problem is that people keep refusing to believe things can’t just go back to the way they used to be. Well, they can’t and they won’t. Because they never should have been that way. So deal.

juana la loca

24 Wednesday Jun 2020

Posted by in fiestas, spain, welcome

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juana la loca
Today is San Juan, which is also my saint’s day. Since of course Shawn is John, which is Juan in Spanish and which is also…. Juana, John, Jack, Ivan, Ivana, Sean, Siôn, Shaun, Shauna, Ian, Jean, Jeanne, Joan, Jane, Janet, Giovanni, Giovanna, Evan, Ivan, Jan, João, Jenny, Vanya, Zane, Sinéad, Siobhán… just to give you a few other versions of my name, both male and female.

Growing up I hated my name big time. It was a BOY’S NAME (really, it is) and I wanted a cute girl’s name, preferably something ending in a Y. But later when I was older I kind of liked having an unusual name. And then I moved to Spain.

Can I tell you? Almost NOBODY can pronounce my name here. I get Chon, Chown, Chan and somtimes, when they see it written, Chwan. And of course over the years people have asked if there was a Spanish translation for my name and I’ve always said “noooooo…”. Why? Because I never wanted to be called Juanita (though an ex used to call me Chonita and somehow I was okay with that).

But I think I am about to change my mind about this. It turns out that Juana is quite a respectable Spanish name, and of course it always brings to mind Juana La Loca (a name that I think also suits me). So once I get back to circulating in society here and people ask my name I think I’ll say “Just call me Juana”.

100 days of solitude

22 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, health & happiness, sevilla

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unlock

Yesterday marked the official final day of lockdown in Spain. I started counting Day 1 as March 14th, so that makes it 100 days, but I see some other “official” numbers vary by a day or two. Doesn’t matter. For me it’s been 100 days of lockdown, which have been mostly spent alone, until a few days ago when I dared to meet a friend for lunch. Other than that, there’s been no human contact other than at the supermarket. My last hug was on March 11th. The only times anyone has even touched me since then was when I went to have blood taken, and the other day when the oncologist poked and prodded my belly. This has been hard for a girl who loves her hugs!

What else has been hard in terms of lockdown itself? To be honest? Not that much really. Sure I’ve been a bit bored at times (not often), worried, lonely, anxious, but I’ve also been surprisingly patient and even content, making sure my days include things I enjoy (cooking, chatting online with friends, cuddling cats, writing this silly blog) and I’ve even set up a workout routine for those days I don’t get out for a walk. But as I’ve said here before, I’ve already had training for this when I spent a year and a half basically “locked down” by cancer, chemo and several major abdominal ops. And then I read this very good article by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett which reminded me that I’d also had even more previous training with my agoraphobia, which used to made it impossible to leave my home.

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the new (illegal) covid tax

16 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, restaurants, sevilla, tapas bars, welcome

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covid tasa

You know, there are always the bottom feeders who try to milk every opportunity for everything they can squeeze out of it. Look at this bill from a bar in the Canary Islands, charging a COVID TAX for serving beer. So you know, this is totally illegal, just like the dread Bread & Service Charges that show up on bar bills throughout Spain, and you are not obliged to pay it.

This has been a public service announcement.

death takes a holiday

15 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in andalucia, coronavirus, sevilla, sevilla shutdown, spain, tourism, travel

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plague holiday
So remember when I was mostly concerned about tourists from the EU Schengen countries (and frankly, also from Spanish virus hotspots like Madrid and Barcelona) suddenly being allowed to travel freely throughout Spain from July 1st? Well it turns out those were the days!

In a blink of an eye the Spanish government caved once again and now we are opening our borders to Schengen countries NEXT MONDAY. That’s right, the very day that we are released from lockdown after 100 days. Without giving us any time at all to adapt and see how we do here with implementing the “new now” regulations as well as dealing with our own homegrown Covidiots. Like, we now have to deal with untested asymptomatic carriers coming here ON FUCKING HOLIDAY from day one. But okay, at least this new deal excluded tourists from the UK (aka Plague Island) so I thought that was at least one less worry. Except now it looks like it actually may become a worry, and a big one.

Ah who am I trying to kid? Of course our government is going to cave again and allow UK tourists in. Bear in mind there will be no testing or quarantining involved with anybody coming here. Just a quick temperature check (useless for infectious asymptomatic carriers, approx 40% of people who test positive for Covid), fill out a form, and welcome to Spain. The only question now is when? Also next Monday? Or will they stick with the original (still way too soon) date of July 1st?

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