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1 week ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 29 May 2025 • 10:04 • 1 minute read Maria Branyas Morera - Spain's adopted oldest resident. Credit: Commons.Wikimedia Maria Branyas Morera, who passed away last August at the grand old age of 117, wasn’t just Spain’s adopted oldest resident – she was a genetic marvel.
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2 weeks ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
In 1892, British traveller Richard Ford noted that Spaniards enjoyed lunch around midday and dined at a respectable 6 or 7pm. Fast forward to modern Spain, and you’d be forgiven for thinking your watch had stopped somewhere near Gibraltar. Lunch now begins at 2pm and stretches leisurely until 5. Dinner? Don’t even think about it before 9pm. Famished tourists stumble about from noon, searching in vain for food while locals look on, slightly bemused.
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3 weeks ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Last month, mainland Spain and Portugal experienced one of the most severe power outages in recent memory. Extending beyond nightfall, the blackout impacted tens of millions and brought widespread disruption to essential services – businesses, hospitals, public transport and telecommunications. At least five deaths were linked to incidents during the crisis.
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1 month ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 07 May 2025 • 11:00 • 1 minute read Thinking of tossing your hat onto the bed? Don’t! Credit: Shutterstock / sippakorn The number 13, often associated with bad luck in many cultures, holds a different fate in Spain. Tuesday the 13th (as is the case next week), NOT Friday the 13th, is considered an unlucky day, echoing the historical events of the Battle of Moclín, which took place on a Tuesday 13th.
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1 month ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 01 May 2025 • 12:00 • 1 minute read In the UK, people celebrate by dancing round the Maypole. Credit: Shutterstock / Oscar Johns While many associate May Day with placards and picket lines, its roots stretch far deeper and are considerably more cheerful. Long before workers demanded an eight-hour day, May Day was a joyful European festival marking the start of summer, celebrated on 1 May.
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1 month ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Forget champagne-soaked beach clubs and Michelin-starred indulgence: Marbella’s newest residents are flocking to a rather different hotspot. It’s called The Pool, but don’t pack your swimwear. This sleek, glass-walled co-working space on the Golden Mile has become the meeting point for young entrepreneurs, especially involved in start-ups, from over 30 countries. Welcome to “Marbella 2.0,” a reinvention of the Costa del Sol’s ritzy resort town.
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1 month ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 17 Apr 2025 • 11:00 • 1 minute read ‘The House of Secrets’ has also just been published! Credit: Nora Johnson Julia Wendell, a 22-year-old Polish woman, falsely claimed last year to be missing toddler Madeleine McCann, even appearing on the American talk show Dr Phil as @IamMadeleineMcCann. DNA tests disproved her claim, revealing she’s mostly Polish.
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1 month ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 10 Apr 2025 • 10:00 • 1 minute read Easter is one of the most fascinating celebrations in the UK and Spain. Credit: Shutterstock / BigKnell Easter, with its blend of solemnity and festivity, is one of the most fascinating celebrations in the UK and Spain. But beyond the familiar symbols of chocolate eggs and greeting cards lies a world of rich tradition, steeped in history and unique cultural pageantry.
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2 months ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
My good friend Natasha has just left the coast for Madrid to join her daughter at University there. The heir to the Dutch throne, Crown Princess Amalia, also studied there amid safety fears at home. Madrid is now attracting more and more attention and residents, not least the A-lister Richard Gere and his Spanish wife from Galicia. Madrid is the relatively new kid on the block when it comes to regal cities, at least compared with the grand southern giants of Seville, Córdoba and Granada.
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2 months ago | 
euroweeklynews.com | Nora Johnson
Columnists By Nora Johnson • Published: 27 Mar 2025 • 9:41 • 1 minute read Credit: Shutterstock / fizkes There’s a Mother’s Day celebration somewhere in the world nearly every month. In the UK, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, 30th March. In most of Europe (including Spain) and North America it’s in May. In Thailand and Costa Rica in August. In Argentina in October, and in Panama and Indonesia in December.
