Spanish Sounds

Thinking about Spanish sounds flamenco music quickly comes to mind, and rightly so, but what about those other sounds? Like young men driving around in their cars beeping their horns to celebrate the winning of yet another football cup. Or the tail of cars, beeping their horns, following an expensive looking vehicle dressed for the occasion with flowers and bows, transporting a wedding couple from the church to the party venue. Or the extremely loud bangs, which unfortunately create a lot of fear in most animals, used to mark the start and finish of a local festival, and this on a daily basis for as long as the festival lasts. Those typical Spanish festivals with live music starting at midnight on the local square, lasting till five or six o’clock in the morning. Most villages also hold an annual main village festival which usually includes a fair with lots of loud attractions, each trying to outshout each other with their own deafening ‘disco’ music to attract people. Those festivals that usually end with a firework display with again an overdose of loud bangs. You could easily come to the conclusion that Spain is a very ‘noisy’ country and that the Spanish are very sound tolerant.

Sunshine and water in Spain,

I live in Spain and this means I get to see a lot of blue sky, orange glows created by late-afternoon sunshine on mountain ranges and ever changing horizons whilst the sea is playing with a large spectrum of blues and turquoises, which is, quite frankly, absolutely marvellous. Bring into the mix the light from the south of Spain in general and you get an excellent inspirational elixir, especially for artists like me. I don’t have to paint landscapes with olive trees, amazing skies above a dark indigo sea during a winter sunset in the La Herradura bay for it to become evident that I am influenced by all this. Looking at my body of work over the years it becomes very clear that the light and many hours of sunshine have influenced my art. The colours in my paintings have become brighter, livelier and more intense. I don’t use models for my paintings but like to observe and I get a lot of inspiration from just watching people and enjoy the variety of what’s on ‘offer’ in La Herradura.

Especially during the spring, autumn and winter season it isn’t very difficult to distinguish between the different types of people. Without wanting to generalize you could say that those who live here permanently notice their bodies adapt over the years to the summer and winter temperatures, becoming more tolerable to high temperatures, but less tolerable to the cold, which their winter dress codes clearly shows. Working on a tan also becomes less important. Those who escape the winter months in their home country can often be recognised by their sun tanned skin and more summery clothing, but possibly with a jumper draped over the shoulder. Then there are the holidaymakers who run around in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops whilst the locals and permanent expats put on an extra jumper and shiver in the corner of one of the sea-front cafes.

But now, the beginning of June, summer has truly arrived, like it does every year. Everybody has got their summer gear out and I watch a group of women passing by the table where I am enjoying a milky coffee and some wholemeal bread with tomatoes, salt and extra virgin olive oil. There is an invasion of flip-flops, uncomfortably looking flimsy footwear in bright colours, exotic designs with or without a wobbly rubber flower. I am surprised by the audacity and guts of some of the female owners. Flaking nail polish on too long toe nails proudly peeking out into the open air. Cracked heals carry the smooth legs freed from unflattering hair. I am also fascinated by the ease some classy women show off their strangely shaped feet, deformed by having been squeezed into pointy tight stiletto heal shoes for too many years. Their expensive leather flip-flops revealing the fruitless attempts of yet another pedicure. Corns, dried out blisters and plasters a little black around the edges catch my attention…. I seem to be surrounded by damaged, not very attractive feet. Nobody seems to care… I wonder why I do.
So I take my attention back to the colourful mixture of people strolling along the seaside attracted by the sea, the sunshine and some ‘lucky ones’ who will be able to go back to a villa with a swimming pool to wash away the heat. Something worries me though. Most people, the tourists, the expats and also the Spanish often seem to take water for granted. Excessively watering the plants in a much loved-garden, leaving the tap wide open when brushing teeth, cleaning vegetables or freshly caught fish, and long showers to sooth a sun-burned skin or a warm bath to pamper a chilly body … it all feels so normal.

Nobody seems to even wonder where all this water is coming from. When it rains, which is quite frankly not happening anywhere near enough, it does usually pour down and streets can turn into rivers in no time, but to my amazement I then often hear people moan about it. Although it is rare to have a week without sunshine, it can sometimes happen that it rains every day of a week which happened in the beginning of May. For people who have come here for a sunshine holiday to then finding themselves in a rather chilly and wet week, this is understandably a little sad, but if you are in the privileged position to call this beautiful country your home for longer periods during a year you might want to look at the rain as a gift.
It is so very necessary in Andalusia, also in La Herradura. The local economy is based on agriculture, like avocado and tropical fruit farms, and tourism and both need large amounts of water. In a sense we are lucky that there is a large underground water reservoir in La Herradura, but to keep that full it has to rain during the winter months. When there is too little rain the salty sea water mixes in with the fresh mountain water and water from the tap will become salty, disastrous for the farmers and not so handy if you want to shower off the salty sea water.
I pay for my breakfast and realise that I am having a moan about the moaning but I also realise that I am one of the lucky ones to call this beautiful, inspiring little seaside village my home. That is something I will never take for granted and guess what…

I feel a painting coming up!

If you like to know more about La Herradura this is now possible on the new website, www.laherradura-cultural.eu that I have created together with Ferry Verhoeve. Lately Ana Espildora has also joined our team and we are working on getting La Herradura better known as the cultural hotspot that it already is.
You can subscribe for the La Herradura-cultural web magazine with useful information and interesting articles about La Herradura and surroundings, events, sports, people, art, environment, recipes and where to go. It is free to subscribe. Your support as a subscriber will be greatly appreciated. Check it out here and subscribe on the right-hand side.

And if you like to purchase my book Reflections from La Herradura, please click here.

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Kissing in Spain

To kiss or not to kiss is not a very original title and certainly been used by many bloggers and writers alike, but it actually is a serious question when you have decided to pack up and move country or even when visiting friends or loved-ones who have undertaken the expat journey and might introduce you to the locals.

Being a European citizen is interesting in itself with all the different languages, but what might seem normal in one culture can be totally not done in a neighbouring country. Living in Spain comes with its own challenges and to kiss, how to kiss, or not to kiss is one of them. With such an array of nationalities flocking to the Spanish coasts you can easily be forgiven to get rather confused.

I am Dutch and in Holland we do not kiss when we meet someone the first time. A friendly handshake and a smile is a more common way of greeting. However, when you get to the next level and become acquaintances, friends, or are members of the same family, kissing the cheeks will be normal and three is the number of kisses exchanged.

Having been living in Spain for over twelve years I have become used to kissing total strangers when I am presented by someone I know … two kisses are the norm. I usually end up doing the air kiss whilst receiving a wet or not so wet kiss on my cheek. In a business situation the very first meeting might be a handshake, but when you walk out of the door, don’t be surprised to get two kisses as that is what happened to me a few weeks ago when I sealed the deal with a printer in Granada, who I had never met before and who is taking care of the print of my latest book about La Herradura, 'Reflections from La Herradura'. Luckily he was a handsome fellow!

I personally am not sure whether there is an ‘official’ side to start the kissing, but I usually start on the left. This can sometimes be a challenge - especially when presented to an old, more or less toothless goat shepherd - as there is always that fear that we do not start on the same side and end up planting a kiss full on the mouth, followed by awkward laughter and trying not to wipe your mouth too obviously.

I also have a lot of friends and acquaintances from other nationalities, among others many British but also German, Italian, French and

people from Scandinavian countries. The habits of kissing vary as some like to give 4 kisses; some just kiss once, but many people kiss twice, including the Spanish - and it is even common for men in Spain - as it is in many Mediterranean countries - to kiss each other in public when they meet up, and should you visit my home, my enthusiastic dog Choppy will try and greet you with a French kiss… a nice slobbery one.

So kissing in Spain can be an adventure and finding out specific rules and regulations seems to be a hard task. My advice: just go with the flow and see where it leads, or … go for a hug!

Yes a hug, as this is something that seems to become more and more accepted and normal; a hug instead of a kiss when greeting someone you know! In many northern and southern European countries the hand-shake, with or without a kiss, might be preferred on first presentation, but once acquainted, a hug may be part of the greeting. Most of my friends and people I have met several times hug so I get my fair share of body contact. I never really think about the intimate character of pressing my body against the body of another male or female but it is usually a rather pleasant sensation. Curiously, the kiss is not necessarily used when you are hugging someone.

But who cares, in this world of anger, hate, war and so many awful events it is simply nice to hold someone for a few seconds, allowing your heart to greet and connect with the heart of your fellow hugger.

And what has all this to do with living in Spain as an artist I hear you think? Well, nothing really apart from the fact that writing a story is a creative, artistic process!

The two paintings are oil paintings by me. For more information about my art or my books feel free to visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com

And if you like to purchase Reflections from La Herradura, please click here.

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Growing old(er) in Spain

It is well known that a lot of pensioners chose to live or spend longer times of the year in the warm Spanish sun and who can blame them. Everything seems to be less squeaky when you wake up with the sun warming your face.
However, on the Spanish Costas there are various seaside resorts where, especially during winter months, you might wonder whether you have ended up in an open-air home for the elderly, with plenty of greys strolling along the boulevard or enjoying a coffee or a drink on one of the many pavement cafes. Their brown and sometimes weathered skin being a give-away of their lifestyles, but larded with an overdose of sunshine it all looks rather jolly.

And God is kind when we get older as we start seeing each other in a lovely haze where wrinkles and age spots are non-existent, living in a bit of a blur until the glasses come out to read the menu. Those glasses that suddenly appear in our lives.

So we are living in Spain, and getting older and we all have a story to tell. Me too. I used to have excellent eyesight and I could easily read the small prints on products in supermarkets, but then I started postponing the inevitable till my arms were no longer long enough to hold whatever I was trying to read. Nowadays it is a constant struggle of finding my reading glasses and swapping them for my long-distance glasses so I don’t trip over a lost trolley in the middle of the isle. The realisation that I had been using my husband’s shaving cream instead of fixation foam when styling my hair every morning for quite a few weeks, thinking it was the fixation foam lying next to it in the draw of the bathroom cupboard, made me realise that my eyesight had gone down rapidly… OK still being half a sleep didn’t help. On the bright side, the shaving foam worked equally well.

There is, however, another really positive side about growing older in Spain. There seems to be no age discrimination. I can only speak from my own experience in Holland where, in my hometown of Arnhem, age discrimination does happen, in the sense that the old and the young hardly mix for pleasure. In the town centre there is an area with lots of bars and pubs but every place seems to have its own age group. I remember being in my late forties, feeling like a near-death-experience - as in incredibly old - when I walked into a pub and found myself surrounded by only minus-twenty year olds, giving me the distinct feeling that I did not belong there.

I have never felt like that in Spain and during the recent launch of my La Herradura book this became pleasantly clear to me once again. There was such a nice mix, in the La Cochera music café, of people over sixties, even over seventies, below twenty year olds and every age in between. Everybody happy to accept each other, mingling in conversation, in laughter, dancing and enjoying the live music. It was a great reminder of how much I love growing old(er) in Spain. And let’s be honest, considering the only alternative, the good thing about growing old is growing old.



‘Reflections from La Herradura’, my latest book is a compilation of stories told by people from a great range of ages, all living in Spain or coming over for a large part of the year. You can still get your signed copy for the discount price of 15€ instead of 19.50€ till the end of April. (This is excluding shipment) All you have to do is send me an email via renate@renatevannijen.com The book is available both in Spanish and in English.

For more information about my art or my books feel free to visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com

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I wasn’t even nervous

Last Sunday was an important day for me. A day that I had worked towards for many months. It was the day of the launch of my latest book ‘Reflections from La Herradura’ which is also available in Spanish ‘Reflejos del Paisaje Humano de La Herradura’. When I started working on this book, about a year and a half ago, I could not have foreseen the journey that I was to embark on. Interviews with interesting artists, inspiring people, some difficult and full of ego, others super relaxed and easy going, but all worthy of a story. My book was born. Officially last Sunday, when the launch of the book took place in La Cochera, a fantastic arty café on the seafront in La Herradura. La Cochera, an artwork in itself with fantastic decorations and influences from all over the world, also features in the book so it was the right place for it.

Weeks prior to the launch were filled with finding a good printer, getting the book ready for print both in English and in Spanish and spreading the word. I often felt as if I was running around like a headless chicken but beneath the chaos there was structure and things did get done. Then I came down with hefty cold turning into a serious bronchitis which told me I probably had overdone it and asked too much of myself; stress and plenty of worrying had taken its toll. I was forced to take a step back and get some extra sleep - I was so tired and ill I could not even stay awake if I tried – and this did get me back on track again.
There were ups and downs, problems and solutions, great results but also some disappointments. The result of the crowdfunding that I had organized to raise some funds for the printing only covered about a quarter of the costs; nevertheless it was a welcome contribution to my project, so a big thank you to those who kindly donated some money! However, not having reached my crowdfunding amount did mean I had to make a decision…. Was I going to take a risk and order a big stack of books which would result in a scary negative bank balance, or was I going to play it safe and call off the celebratory launch and start small?

I believe you have to take a risk sometimes and in my case to have faith that the book I have created is worth reading. It is an inspiring book which leads the reader into a fascinating world, describing life in a small Spanish seaside village both in the past and present and also offering an interesting account of what inspires painters, writers, dancers, musicians and other creative souls. Why are they in La Herradura? What drives them?

Some of the artists in La Herradura

I decided to take the risk and spread the word about the launch. I was so busy with the preparations that I did not even had the time to feel nervous. The only silent give-away that I probably was, were my moments of indulging in foods that are not necessarily good for me. Comfort foods that made my top feel even tighter than it was when I was last wearing it. But Sunday came and went. My presentation in Spanish and English was well-received, the atmosphere super and the live music fantastic. People dancing and enjoying themselves. Thanks to Antonio, the owner of La Cochera who kindly offered me to have the launch in his establishment and Mel O’Gorman, who has been a great support, help and rock throughout the entire process, I can now look back on a wonderful day.

Did you miss it? Are you interested in a signed copy of the book? Please let me know. I will extend the discount price of 15€ ex. shipment till the end of April, after that it will go back to its original price of 19.50! Please contact me via renate@renatevannijen.com

For more information about my art or my books feel free to visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com

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“I can’t paint” he said, and I was going to prove him wrong!

At 7.30 that morning I dragged myself out of bed, still aching from standing on my feet for too many hours the day prior to the painting workshop. A slightly swollen knee and fasciitis plantar suggested I should just put my legs up, but adrenaline kicked in and I went into the kitchen to do some last minute preparation for lunch which was included in the workshop. I whizzed up a tomato and basil paste, mashed a ripe avocado with garlic and lemon and combined soaked dates and raisins with cashew nuts in a blender to then turn them into bite size sweets coated with coconut flakes (try it, it’s delicious). The six beginners, as they explained, rang the doorbell at 10.30, bang on time. They introduced themselves with a handshake to then be greeted by my dog Choppy who does his name proud when visitors come to the house. I was pleased that his attempts to do a bit of French kissing were welcomed with smiles and laughter. I invited my guests into my studio at the back of our house and explained some of the principles of creating a painting. Having given painting classes and workshops for quite a few years I have seen a variety of levels in painting enthusiasts and I know from experience that I can inspire someone to get to their next level and surprise people about their own abilities.

This time I had a group of beginners, six friends from Norway who came for a day of fun and creativity. I like the challenge of teaching beginners. “I can’t paint” said one of the budding artists, but I believe that everybody can paint as everybody can draw a more or less straight line and a more or less perfect circle. Painting is not about perfection but about creativity, observation (if you work from an object, photo or scene) and balance. It is fairly normal, when starting a painting, to encounter feelings of self-doubt and self-criticism. It is hard to believe that those first attempts of colouring the drawing you just created from example; that drawing that you don’t find good enough and don’t really like, could turn into something that can please the eye. But that is where my creativity comes in. I know what will happen as I have seen it before. I love pointing out accidental and not so accidental splashes of colour on the canvas-paper to boost self-believe and hope. I don’t have to pretend, I don’t have to lie, because there is always something done well and where things can be improved I can make suggestions.

Today most of the group used one of my flamenco paintings as an example. Having a group working on the same subject can give interesting results that can then be compared. It is not about exactly copying a painting, it is merely an exercise of observation and then interpreting what you see, within your abilities. The atmosphere was great as everybody was really going for it and nobody even noticed the earthquake that took place whilst we were in this creative flow. Time was forgotten and we enjoyed lunch, which was planned for 13.30, one hour late. I had prepared a large number of vegetarian tapas which went down well and turned out to be a welcoming break. After lunch it was time to put the finishing touches to the works of art and all were pleasantly surprised about their own capability to create a colourful image the very first time they picked up a paint brush. An image that will look pretty nice with a passe-partout in a colourful frame. Self-doubt had turned into enthusiasm, which was really nice for me. Some even want to continue painting as one of the ladies said “I was completely involved in the creative process, I did not think of anything else and that was a very relaxing and nice feeling, I want more of that”.

Their appreciation was meant and felt and that is what made it all worth my while. And the worst self-critic of them all? Well he had created a great, colourful, slightly abstract painting; actually very arty … I had proved him wrong! It fills me with joy when I can inspire people or just give them a nice day where daily worries vanish into a wave of colours, relaxation and fun. We said goodbye with a hug and smiles and after having cleared up the studio and the kitchen I came back into my body, the adrenaline subsided and I suddenly walked like a 90 year old with a severe case of arthritis. Every muscle in my body ached and my legs and feet just wanted to be vertical. However, my heart and soul were filled with satisfaction. The smile on my face told me that I would do it again, and again, and again...

Would you like me to proof you wrong? Would you and a group of friends like to surprise yourselves and discover the artist within whilst enjoying a fun day of creativity in La Herradura on the Spanish Costa Tropical, then feel free to contact me via renate@renatevannijen.com for more details. For more information about my art and books you can visit my website www.renatevannijen.com. If you would like infomation about painting holidays click here and for more information about painting workshops and classes click here

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From euthanasia to butterfly

“I really like that about you” said my friend, “you can be so profound but at the same time you can deal with things in life in a really light-hearted way”. The reason for my friend describing me this way was my reaction to a spoken message she left on Whatsapp about seeing the urn of a loved-one when visiting relatives. “It was so big” she said and somewhat apologetic she wondered whether it would bother me that she would talk about something like that. A smile adorned my face when I spoke into my phone, my finger holding the speech button in Whatsapp …”My father and mother used to go for a walk in a beautiful forest and moor area near our home town of Arnhem in The Netherlands. When my mother ‘prepared’ herself to die she expressed the wish to have her ashes scattered on the moor. ALS, a progressive, neurodegenerative disease, had turned her body into a prison and after careful consideration by various medical doctors, and bearing in mind her very short life expectancy, she was allowed euthanasia. We held her when she peacefully went to the other side. Months later my father told me he had been to the moor to find the right place for her ashes. A white butterfly, totally out of season, kept him company, he explained. ‘She’ was fluttering from tree branch to shrub on the side of the path; staying in front of and close to my dad. Then he came to a crossing; it was the exact spot where my parents always stopped to decide to take a longer or a shorter route back to the car. The butterfly landed on a heath bush and did not move again. My father took it as a sign.

Butterfly mandala

A week later, on a beautiful sunny day in October, we walked the same route both my parents had walked so many times. My dad was carrying a very large cardboard cylinder with my mother’s ashes. We stopped at the crossing. Just when my father opened the cylinder and started shaking it to liberate her ashes a strong breeze came up. He was covered from head to toe with her ashes and although I was standing a couple of metres away, my shoes were covered as well. For a split-second we were in shock to then burst out into laughter. It was so funny and through our tears of laughter and farewell we both felt it was my mother who had made it happen. I was sure she was laughing too and saying… ‘cheer up, I escaped my prison, I am happy!’ To this day, almost 16 years later, I am reminded of that special moment, probably on a weekly basis as white butterflies can be seen throughout the year on the Costa Tropical where I live. It is always a nice feeling, triggering a memory or simply ‘love’ when I say hello to the butterfly with a smile on my face.”
I believe there is more after death, but whether that is true or not doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you can sooth or even change certain feelings, and this can lead to changing situations, through the power of thought and imagination, through visualisation. This has been scientifically proven. Imagining that the butterfly is a sign from my mother changes my state of mind, it makes me smile, calm and happy. I have been fascinated by visualisation for many years and last year I decided to write a series of books with visualisations which I have combined with images of mandalas that I have created. I feel that creating, colouring or simply focusing on a mandala can take you to a meditative place where visualisation becomes powerful. The series of seven books is called ‘The art of feeling better’ and so far I have published three. ‘ I am feeling better’ , relaxing visualisations to make you feel better, ‘I can forgive’ , relaxing visualisations to help you forgive, let go and create and ‘I feel better with astrology’, star sign visualisations for daily use. They are nice give-away books that can help you focus on a perceived problem and whilst doing the visualisation your energy and/or state of mind around it may change.

You can order the books from amazon, or if you like, order a signed copy directly from me via info@renatevannijen.com

In today's blog I also like to offer you a little present. A free butterfly mandala. Do you want to experience the calming effect of colouring a mandala? Then feel free to download my free-hand butterfly mandala here, print it out and start colouring: www.renatevannijen.com/butterflymandala.pdf

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