I’ve just got the bus to the metro stop and am now on the tram on the way into town. Granada. Where I live now. Again. I first lived here for two years when I came to Spain in 2014 after living in London. I lived in a small village in Almeria in the south-east of Spain for the last seven years. We have a … Continue reading Memento Mori on the Metro in Granada
As we live our lives, from time to time it can feel like we’re treading water and that we’re surrounded by the same old ‘greyness’ and it’ s true that the world can be a terrible place for all kinds of reasons, however there is beauty and joy in even the little things we see and do every day if we are open to seeing it … Continue reading It’s The Little Things
It’s 6am on the first day of November and quite dark outside. I couldn’t sleep and so I tiptoed through the house so as not to wake Mrs Cortado and our dog Grace to go outside and get my phone which I’d left in the car. On my way back, I promptly dropped it (clearly no coffee yet having an impact) and happened to look … Continue reading Sky Full Of Morning Stars
Perhaps this is something we don’t like admitting, but although we may want to get things done as soon as possible, sometimes it will just take longer. And that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I’ve just managed to get a Spanish driving licence for a friend. It’s been a process which started a few months ago and as is the case in … Continue reading How Bruce Lee Helped Me Get A Spanish Driving Licence
I’m sitting on a lovely, ever-so-slightly battered brown sofa in my favourite bar (Cafe Cyrano) in Almería, my recently adopted ‘big city’, listening to my new favourite album (‘Hey Mr Ferryman’ by Mark Eitzel) with a cortado coffee and an orange juice. I’ve just put my car in for a service. Not a big deal for most people, but not having owned a car until recently, … Continue reading Nothing Like A Coffee And Some Time
It’s Thursday, so it’s podcast day here at Away From The Noise and today we’re in the beautiful and perhaps under-rated city of Alicante. On the last few days of our trip around Spain, Mrs Away From The Noise and I have been travelling in the countryside and along the coast of the Costa Blanca and as a result of being here, the podcast this … Continue reading Do Less. More
It’s Thursday, so it’s podcast day here at Away From The Noise and today we’re in the beautiful city of Valencia. This week’s podcast was inspired by almost literally bumping into the National Ceramics Museum based here and how we need to be more aware and connected with our surroundings to live more happily. As always, the podcast is like the best pop singles – … Continue reading Things Are Looking Up (And Down And All Around)
Walking to the lovely Cafe San Gines in Madrid last week for their famous chocolate con churros, I was listening to one of my favourite bands The Aluminum Group. One of their songs is called ‘Without Erté’ and to be honest, I’ve never known what the title meant but always liked the mystery of the song. Wherever I am, I often like taking different routes … Continue reading Art Deco, Aluminium And A Bar In Madrid
If we were having coffee, I’d say that moving to a new area where you don’t know anybody can be a challenge and moving to a new country even more so. Although my Spanish is reasonable, there can still be a language and cultural barrier at times which can be frustrating, but that’s part and parcel of moving to a new country. There are inevitable … Continue reading If We Were Having Coffee… What’s Next Is Now
After living in London for 17 years, my wife and I decided to move to Granada in the south of Spain in 2014 to get ‘away from the noise’. Most people assume that the ‘noise’ was the urban-ness of the millions of people and the traffic chaos of the big city and to some extent that’s true, however in reality, it was more about the … Continue reading How To Get Away From The Noise?
As you know, this blog is called Away From The Noise and if you’ve read it before you’ll know that among other things, I like getting away from the noise by hanging out in cafes, listening to music, writing music/blogs and simply walking around Granada in the sunshine (it’s 34 Celsius / 93 Fahrenheit today – so, rather lovely and sunny). But as it’s the … Continue reading Gothic Gin And Tonic With A Bit Of Verdi
Hi There are many different reasons why we may want to get away from the noise of our daily lives and there are countless ways to help you do so. This blog is my way of doing that. I live in Granada in the south of Spain, write songs on my slightly battered acoustic guitar and laptop, teach English, coach people to be more confident … Continue reading Being Away From The Noise In Granada
Away From The Noise 