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
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
I haven’t posted here for a while. Not for any particular reason. It just kind of happened and maybe we need time away from things or even people to reflect and appreciate them more when they come back. I always wanted this blog to be about rallying against the negativity and cynicism in the world by seeing and appreciating the positive that is in the … Continue reading Bring It On…
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
Am travelling on a bus on a gorgeous, sunny day from Granada to Madrid. There’s nothing much going on. I’m staring out of the window and this is what I can see and feel: – The sun is shining – The colours are soothing – The gentle contours of the hills are beautiful – The music in my headphones is calming – The … Continue reading The Serenity Of The Long Distance Bus Traveller
After having written a few posts here, I thought I’d try something different today and so with this in mind, it seemed like a good idea to post a blog of the daily haikus I wrote in my first three months in Granada last year. For those who may not be familiar with haikus, there are a number of different types but the one I have … Continue reading 50 Granada Haikus
I’m feeling very lucky today as I’m sitting in a bar outside the rather awe-inspiring mezquita (mosque) in Córdoba in the south of Spain in the last days of December while listening to the David Bowie single ‘Where Are We Now?’ that was his comeback single a couple of years ago. At the time, I remember the music press and fans all desperately trying to … Continue reading Where Are We Now?
Even though it has definitely been winter in Granada recently, yesterday turned out to be quite a warm day. However, regardless of the cold reality of winter, my flip-flops are resolutely staying on. In my flat at least… When I lived in London, wearing flip flops for me was not simply a matter of footwear but more a sign of of hope for a warmer future and strangely, it seems … Continue reading I Want My Flip Flops
I started this blog in October, so at only a few weeks old of posting daily (including the transfer of a number of posts from a previous website I had) and since the end of the latest Blogging101 project, I thought I’d take stock of how things have gone. Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who follows me via email, Wordpress or Twitter (@awayfromnoise) and for all the … Continue reading So What’s Next?
The weather in Granada is usually pretty good, however a few weeks ago there was a hailstorm of almost biblical proportions, relatively speaking that is. It hadn’t properly rained here in months so hail, thunder, lightning and dark, dark skies were huge news! I popped into the nearest bar to hide from the elements and while I was in there I noticed a girl of about 5 running … Continue reading How Can Hailstorms Help Us To Be Happier
Away From The Noise 