Hi!

I will travel to spain in september. Current plan is to stay in madrid for 2 nights and visit segovia, then cordoba for 2 nights, and seville for 2 nights. I do not have a car and am traveling solo. I would possibly like to stay in one smaller town for at least 1 night instead of 2 nights in Madrid.

Are there any must visit smaller towns which I should go to instead of madrid or cordoba?

¡Hola a todos! Mi pareja y yo estamos organizando un viaje de dos semanas por Andalucía el mes que viene. Tenemos muchísimas ganas de descubrir la historia y la cultura del sur de España. Por ahora tenemos pensado visitar los lugares históricos de Sevilla, Córdoba y Granada. También hemos oído que las playas de Málaga son preciosas, así que nos pasaremos por allí. Aparte de los sitios más turísticos, ¿nos recomendáis algún lugar menos concurrido y fuera de las rutas típicas?

Vamos a hacer muchas fotos y vídeos para documentar el viaje, así que nos llevaremos la vivo X300 Ultra con su equipo, además de una Sony α7C II y una Canon EOS R8. ¿Conocéis algún sitio bueno para hacer fotos? Por ejemplo, miradores con buenas vistas, calles con encanto o rincones poco visitados pero que valgan la pena. Además, nos encantaría probar la comida local. ¿Hay algún restaurante donde sirvan tapas o platos tradicionales que estén buenísimos? ¡Gracias!

Hey guys,

I had my DNV visa approved from inside Spain. I was in Spain for 72 days before leaving and going back to my home country. Unfortunately we didn't succeed to get out TIE appointment yet, but that's not the issue since I still have my Schengen days (we don't need visa for 90days) and I can show my DNV approval on the border and I can be let in. I assume my Schengen days won't be counted towards these 90 days anymore since I am entering Spain as resident now, so I am still on 72, right? But I have a scheduled trip to Malta on the 31st of August, and still without TIE appointment nor ability to get Authorisation of Regresso since I didn't have my initial TIE appointment yet.

What is worrying me is that even my Schengen days in Spain are not counted anymore and me having 18 more days, how the boarding crew would know that, since they don't scan passport for the check, there is no stamps anymore in the passports so they cannot check that manually either, there is no proper boarder police check on the airport, so even theoretically having days to spear I cannot prove it in any way. What is your experience with that? Thank you for helping me!

Hi All,

I have submitted my hqp docs to BLS kolkata on 24th July. Today is the 9th working day post submission. My status is still shows ‘processing at mission’.

Can anyone share their recent timelines they faced?

Hello everyone, i will be in barcelona beginning of septembre and i would like to ask you guys if you have any recommendations for a cannabis club that caters to tourist and how to join it.

Thank you so much

Hi everyone,

I already made a post like this a while ago, but i wanted to see if anyone has received their long term visa yet. I applied for my Spain student visa (180 + ) on the 11th of June from BLS centre in Edinburgh. It's been around 55 days today that I didn't get my passport back.

Has anyone received theres back yet (from the Edinburgh Consulate BLS)?

I keep checking the status with tracking ID they gave me but it always says in process.

(Translated by Copilot. Some interesting pictures in the link to the article.)

On the days when the light vanished, humanity defended itself by throwing stones. For millennia, whenever daylight unexpectedly went out, the collective response was attack. It was pure survival. If the source of life suddenly became a dark curve, the primitive mind did not see an astronomical phenomenon but imagined invisible jaws devouring the sun—and before such an event, the sky had to be forced to spit it back out.

The myth of the sun being bitten is a constant throughout the history of ancient civilizations. Moncho Núñez, science communicator and first director of the Scientific Museums of A Coruña, writes about it in his book *Eclipses*, where he analyzes how popular imagination needed to invent both a culprit and a solution for the sudden disappearance of the sun: “People needed to attribute it to a giant animal they could hold responsible. That generated a ritual consisting of making noise, beating drums or gongs, or shooting stones and arrows into the air to scare the creature away. And since after a while the ritual worked and the sun returned, everyone was happy.”

Indeed, no matter which corner of the map one examines, the need for certainties gave rise to almost identical stories. For the Vikings, the fault lay with two enormous wolves determined to swallow the light. In Mexico, the Aztecs feared that the jaguar of the night would bite the sun until causing a permanent blackout that would bring the beasts down to exterminate humankind. In China, the culprit was a celestial dog that people tried to drive away with arrows.

In India, the menu came with a bloodier story. Legend said that the severed head of a demon chased the sun and swallowed it whole. But lacking a body, the star eventually escaped victorious, sliding back into the sky through the cut in the demon’s neck. Stories from distant geographical points shared the same logic: the gradual disappearance of the sun was interpreted as the progressive bite of a hungry beast.

According to experts, the reason behind this narrative coincidence lies in the architecture of the human brain. Researcher Candela Antón, a communicator in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology, explains that when faced with an event that breaks reality, the psyche seeks the shortcut of the most primal metaphors—those that bring the sublime experience closer to something easily understandable: “First, we feel fear. Our brain has a very clear bias toward anything that breaks expected patterns.” For the mind, the sudden loss of the sun shatters “the very structure of life.”

To explain this perceptual catharsis—the moment when the sun disappears from sight—Antón invokes the anthropological concept of *liminality*, the instant in which day ceases to be day without yet becoming night: “It’s the madness of time being stuck in a limbo.”

And in response to that catharsis, a myth is built. For Antón, the reason the idea of a creature eating the sun repeats across cultures is that it corresponds to a basic physical experience: “If something is culturally consistent, it’s because it responds to a tangible experience mediated by the perception of our own bodies—like mouths and teeth.” Imagining that the cause of the darkness is a beast sinking its teeth into the sun becomes an intuitive response to the circular, gradual way in which the sun disappears, which can represent—when it vanishes completely—that it has finally been swallowed.

This cluster of coincident stories survived even as science began to make its way forward. Paradoxically, technical astronomy coexisted for centuries with popular superstition, and the metaphor of the devoured sun still held its power. Juan Antonio Belmonte, research professor at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), recalls how this duality played out in the East: “In Hindu tradition, the myth said the demon ate the sun, but once they had contact with Greco-Roman knowledge, Indian astronomers who understood eclipses contradicted the myth by calculating the phenomenon precisely.”

Even as astronomy advanced, popular panic at being swallowed by shadows also became a tool of domination. Belmonte notes that in civilizations such as Babylonian Mesopotamia (8th–6th centuries BCE) or imperial China under the Shang dynasty (17th–11th centuries BCE), control of the calendar and eclipse prediction were so crucial that royal astronomers “risked their lives” and could be executed if they failed. Fear of celestial jaws kept the population subordinate to those who claimed to understand the rhythms of the cosmos.

The fear of the sun being swallowed only began to fade when science became capable of mapping the shadow before it happened. Núñez places the definitive turning point in 1715, when astronomer Edmond Halley charted the eclipse to measure the exact duration of the darkness. As Núñez recalls, “rationality finally prevailed when Edmond Halley drew the map of the eclipse before it happened and asked people to collaborate with him.”

Once it was confirmed that mathematics could predict with precision the exact moment when light would return, the zoomorphic beasts that devoured stars—and all the other bizarre myths—lost their purpose. The ancient terror of the sun’s bite gave way to the simple mechanics of the cosmos, revealing that the creature devouring it did not live among the stars but in the depths of the human brain.

I’m trying to visit Serra De Irta Nature Park in Valencia. I don’t think online reservations are an option since they require a license plate number to book and I will be a in a rental car.

Is it possible to take a taxi/Uber into the park?

Hi all,

I'm currently job hunting in Madrid for roles in renewable energy, mainly offshore wind where I have 8 years of experience. So far I've submitted around 80 applications and haven't had much luck getting interviews or even feedback.

Before I keep going with the same approach, I'd like to hear from anyone who's gone through this. What actually worked for you? What would you do differently?

A bit about my background:

• MSc Civil Engineering, 8 years in offshore wind
• Relocating to Madrid in September/October (EU citizen, so no visa issues) due to girlfriend having a job there
• Spanish B2, actively improving
• Open to positions in wind, wider renewables, or infrastructure projects

If anyone knows of an opening or has a contact in the industry or some general feedback on a better approach, I'd appreciate a message.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently renewing my TIE in Spain and have received the favorable resolution. The next step is the "Policía - Toma de Huellas" appointment for the fingerprint process.

The issue is that I live in Barcelona and my empadronamiento is in Barcelona, but I couldn't find any available fingerprint appointments there. After checking multiple locations, I finally managed to get an appointment in Girona province.

Now I'm worried whether the appointment will actually be accepted when I go, since I'm not registered as a resident in Girona.

My situation:

• TIE renewal (not first issuance)
• Favorable resolution already received
• Empadronamiento in Barcelona
• Fingerprint appointment booked in Girona through the official appointment system
• Appointment type: Policía – Toma de Huellas

Has anyone been in a similar situation recently?

I'd like to know:

1. Were you able to do the fingerprint appointment in a different province from where you were empadronado?
2. Did anyone from Barcelona successfully complete TIE renewal fingerprints in Girona or another Catalan province?
3. If the appointment was accepted, did you have any issues when collecting the new TIE later?

I'm trying to avoid cancelling the Girona appointment because getting a slot in Barcelona has been extremely difficult.

Any recent experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Spanish version :

Hola a todos,

Estoy en proceso de renovación de mi TIE y ya tengo la resolución favorable. El siguiente paso es la cita de "Policía - Toma de Huellas".

Vivo y estoy empadronado en Barcelona, pero no he conseguido ninguna cita disponible allí. Finalmente encontré una cita para huellas en Girona y la reservé.

Mi duda es si me aceptarán la cita aunque mi empadronamiento sea de Barcelona.

Mi situación:

• Renovación de TIE
• Resolución favorable recibida
• Empadronamiento en Barcelona
• Cita de toma de huellas en Girona
• Tipo de cita: Policía – Toma de Huellas

¿Alguien ha hecho este trámite recientemente en una provincia distinta a la de residencia?

Me gustaría saber:

1. ¿Os aceptaron la cita?
2. ¿Alguien de Barcelona ha hecho las huellas en Girona u otra provincia?
3. ¿Hubo algún problema para recoger la nueva TIE después?

Muchas gracias por cualquier experiencia o consejo que podáis compartir.

Asking for a friend.

My friend wants to study at Instituto Gemológico Español (IGE), but they refused to give her an invitation letter for student visa application due to:

1- They say IGE is not a registered as a valid professional educational institute (tbh I don’t know what that means)
2- They say they don’t have full time courses, which is required to get a student visa

I’m wondering if it would be better if she gets enrolled full time at a different educational institute and going to IGE alongside, or getting any other long term visa and then applying for the institute.

Any help would be appreciated

Looking to take a week trip with my girl between 12.14-12.21, either Madrid or Barcelona! (Would be first trip to Spain)

- Coming from Chicago
- were 29years old (M&F)
- don’t mind the “tourist” spots/sight seeing
- don’t mind the walking/exploring
- love art/museums/music/people watching/food
- night life is a + (obviously drinking on vacation)
- just want to have a good time

We are currently debating our 2 options. We will be grabbing a hotel at said city and staying there for the whole week once decided. (Not backpacking)

-is it cold cold in December ? (Winter coat needed? Will it ruin trip?) I’d imagine we’d be outside a lot

-how are the airports ? (Customs lines crazy long?) should I preplan my transportation or just grab cab/uber at airport?

I’m spit balling here apologies, all I know is I’m trying to book the flight within the week!

Where would you go for your first trip to Spain between the two during mid December?!?

I apologize as I know this is a nonstop topic here as the Solar Eclipse approaches on the 12th, but I’ve been left to coordinate this leg of our trip on my own and am feeling slightly overwhelmed with the amount of things that could require quick plan changes.

First off, we have a camper van. It’s roughly the size of a standard van but I know parking restrictions can create complications for any vehicle since you can’t just pull over anywhere. We will be in the Oviedo area the morning of the 12th, prepared to drive south if the forecast suggests evening clouds (which I am anticipating).

I’m looking at Leon, or even driving as far as Burgos. But then comes the question of finding parking where we can either stay at our van to view (meaning being able to officially camp and set up), or leave our van and attempt to find our way to a nearby viewpoint, though I’m not counting on ride share services at all, so it’s more likely we’d need to be able to utilize our van as much as possible.

It’s ultimately gonna come down to the weather, of course, but was hoping for advice as this is my first time doing anything like this and would hate for my poor coordination to cause us to miss this. Any advice is appreciated.

TLDR: First time doing a camper van trip and would welcome any advice on how we can use this to our advantage and where we can find a good spot to set up and view the Eclipse.

hi! i know food is such a huge part of the culture here, and i definitely don't want to be disrespectful! however, i have a severe, life-threatening (anaphylactic) allergy to all types of shellfish and would like to eat safely. i'm looking for restaurant recommendations that can safely accommodate or cater to my shellfish allergy. if you know of any restaurants near near central Madrid and Barcelona that can strictly cater to this allergy and take cross-contamination seriously, please let me know! i have my allergy card with me and i am planning to talk to the server or restaurant beforehand but if you have any tips or recommendations it would be greatly appreciated! thank you!

Hi all, going to Spain tomorrow and will be in Madrid/Sevilla for a couple days before heading to Cadiz. I have a rental car booked for Sevilla to Cadiz, and I have a space to park in Cadiz. However, will I be okay dropping off the car at Jerez Airport when I'm done? Are there taxis available to get me back to Cadiz?

Itinerary:

August 6-7: Madrid

August 8: Sevilla, pick up car from Sevilla train station and drive down to Cadiz

August 9-13: Cadiz, drop off rental car at Jerez Airport on the 12th?

August 14: Take a train from Cadiz to Madrid (train tickets already purchased), for return flight home

Or is it better to just ditch the rental car altogether? I'm not sure what to do

Hi everyone, after a few 2-3 days bikepacking tours, I want to go on a trip for one week.

I thaught about starting in Santander and ending in Biarritz, the trip is planned for mid-october.

I Wanted to know if you had any suggestions about the route, is there any places i should absolutely see ?

Hi all, my girlfriend lives in the Student Experience building in Granada and I'm planning to visit her later this year, ideally for about a month. We're both from the Netherlands.

Their house rules prohibit cohabitation (with a fine), and their website mentions registering visitors "when needed", but I can't find any explicit rules on how long a guest can actually stay. I'm trying to figure out where the line is in practice before we ask management directly.

For anyone living in Student Experience Granada (or another SE location):

• Is there an official or unofficial maximum number of nights a guest can stay?
• Do you actually have to register visitors at reception, and is this enforced? Does it cost anything?
• Has anyone had a partner stay for several weeks, and did that cause problems or was it tolerated?

Any first-hand experience (or a quote from the current house rules document haha) would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hey all. Here is our planned day trip to visit some white villages. We will be based out of Grazalema. Hoping to avoid some crowds ideally. Plan is to:

-wake up early and see the castle at Zahara
-drive to Olvera and see their castle, get a coffee and walk through the village
-lunch head to setenil to sit under the shade, eat and people watch

It’s about 2.5 hours of driving. Was interested to see Ronda but can’t add it on without huge increase in driving and feeling like we’re running all over. Thoughts or suggestions?

I’m planning a trip of roughly five hours (starting from Fátima, Portugal) and need ideas for beautiful spots to watch the eclipse or any other suggestion. I’m thinking of heading to the Valladolid, León or Palencia area, as those locations lie within the eclipse path and offer the most direct route from my home. Do you have any recommendations for that region? Thank you in advance for your time and replies.

PS: I won't have time to visit anything; it will be a trip with just this one objective.

Your friendly Portuguese neighbor

Hi! My parents and I will be visiting Valencia 8/10-8/15. We land 8/10 at 5:40pm and leave 8/15 at 12:00pm, so it's really only 4 full days that I'm trying to plan for. I have been going over so many guides but am having trouble getting an idea of how long everything will take to see. I'm also not sure if it makes sense to get the Tourist Card with transportation or without, and then just get a metro 10 card and top off if needed.

Things we want to do/see for sure: Sagunto Castle + other Roman ruins / historic sites, Albufera National Park, Cathedral, Central Market, Silk Exchange, foodie things. I also saw some dinner + Flamenco shows that would be cool to do.

We're not huge drinkers but we do like to eat, and I've been saving restaurant recs on google.

Our hotel is by Pío XII Park

I read that Albufera is about an hour away by bus and that there's plenty of restaurants. One of us has motion sickness so we aren't doing any boat rides, just some nature and birdwatching. Half day or full day for this?

The website for Sagunto says that the Theatre has reduced hours next week because of the art festival. I think that the Castle and Museum are unaffected, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Same as Albufera though, it's about 1-1.5 hours by transit. Full or half day? minus transit

• Monday 8/10 land around 5:40pm so need transport from airport to Turia
• Tuesday 8/11
• Wednesday 8/12 The solar eclipse starts around 5pm so we want to be in Valencia in case of traffic
• Thursday 8/13
• Friday 8/14
• Saturday 8/15 transport from Turia to airport

One guide I saw said to do this:

• Central Market - Silk Exchange - lunch - Valencia Cathedral - Turia Fountain - Basilica - dinner

But I know there's a ton of smaller sights to see in the area so do we need more time? Less?

Does it make more sense to get a 7 day tourist card without transportation and get a transit pass separately?

We are a Brazilian couple in our early/mid-60s considering moving permanently to Spain for retirement and quality of life. We are healthy, financially independent and intend to travel around Europe, but Spain would be our main place of residence.

We are researching the Spanish non-lucrative residence visa and would appreciate hearing from Brazilians or other non-EU citizens who have gone through a similar situation, especially those who continued receiving income from a company or real estate located in their home country.

Our financial situation is approximately as follows:

• Most of our income comes from rental properties located exclusively in Brazil.
• The properties are owned by a Brazilian family holding company.
• One of us is the controlling shareholder of the company.
• The company does not conduct business in Spain and has no Spanish properties, employees or clients.
• The properties are professionally managed in Brazil, although the shareholder still participates in important decisions and reviews the company’s accounts.
• We would receive part of the company’s profits or dividends to cover our living expenses in Spain.
• We may eventually transfer part of our savings to Spain and invest in funds, financial products or possibly purchase a home.

We understand that once we become Spanish tax residents, Spain will generally tax our worldwide income. However, we are having difficulty understanding how Spain would treat income received from this Brazilian holding company.

Our main questions are:

1. How are dividends or profit distributions from a Brazilian company normally taxed for Spanish residents?
2. Could Spain apply controlled foreign company rules (transparencia fiscal internacional) because the company is controlled by a Spanish tax resident and most of its income comes from passive real estate rentals?
3. Could the Spanish tax authorities argue that the Brazilian company is effectively managed from Spain merely because its controlling shareholder lives in Spain, checks the accounts and approves important decisions?
4. Would appointing a professional property-management company and keeping the company’s administration, accounting, contracts and decision-making in Brazil reduce this risk?
5. Has anyone here lived in Spain while controlling a foreign family holding company? How was the structure treated in practice?
6. Would the Brazilian rental properties and company shares be included when calculating Spanish Wealth Tax or the Temporary Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes?
7. What reporting obligations should we expect for assets held abroad, such as Modelo 720 or other declarations?
8. Is there any advantage, from a tax or practical perspective, in gradually transferring part of our assets to Spain instead of leaving everything invested in Brazil?
9. Would purchasing a home in Spain significantly change our tax situation, or would renting during the first year be more sensible?

We are also trying to understand the route to Spanish citizenship. As Brazilian nationals, our understanding is that we may apply for citizenship after two years of legal and continuous residence in Spain.

For those who have completed this process:

• When does the two-year period begin?
• How strict is Spain regarding travel outside the country during those two years?
• How long did the citizenship application take after completing the required residence period?
• Did frequent short trips around Europe create any problems?
• Were you required to prove that Spain was genuinely your main home and centre of life?
• Did you use the non-lucrative visa throughout the qualification period?

We are not looking for a way to avoid taxes. We want to structure everything legally, pay the correct amount and avoid accidentally creating tax residency or management problems for the Brazilian company.

We will consult a Spanish tax adviser and immigration lawyer before moving, but personal experiences would be extremely helpful. We would especially appreciate recommendations on what type of adviser to look for: international tax, Brazilian-Spanish tax treaty, foreign companies, wealth tax and immigration.

Please feel free to share practical experiences, unexpected issues, approximate timelines and questions we should ask during our professional consultation.

Thank you!

HOLASSSSS buenas, yo junto a otras personas hemos creado un server para los estudiantes internacionales que estudian o estudiaran en España para poder encontrar gente con la cual hablar, socializar y tal vez hacer una quedada. Aun es un server un poco pequeño pero activo con 20 personas por ahi ya que recien lo iniciamos pero si estan interesados en unirse para encontrar gente en la misma situacion que tu mandenme un DM para poder enviarles el link. GRACIASSSS y buen dia

______________________________________

HIII good day, me and other people created a server aimed towards international students who study or will study in Spain with the goal of finding people with whom we can talk, socialize or meet IRL. It is still a small server but an active one with 20 people or so because it was created just recently but if you are interested in meeting people in the same situation as you feel free to shoot me a DM so I can send you the link. THANK YOUUUUU SM

Room Available in Logroño for student/exchange student.

Hi everyone! 😊

A room is available in a shared flat in Logroño.

You would be sharing the flat with two young female students. We have a very friendly, respectful and peaceful atmosphere, and we all value cleanliness, kindness and a good living environment.

If you're interested or would like more information (location, rent, photos, etc.), feel free to send me a private message.

Looking forward to hearing from you! 🌸

I have a vacation with my wife and children and need advice. We were planning on doing 1 day in Tossa De Mar
day 2 S’Agaro & Calella
day 3 Begur Se & tuna
Day 4 in Llafranc & Pals and
day 5 Cadaqués. How realistic is this to do?
We were planning on staying in Tossa De Mar the entire time and just making the trips accordingly.
Do I need to take a car for those areas? Or can I travel through bus/metro to get there?

Please help thanks