San José beach, in Níjar, one of the Blue Flag beaches in Almería.
San José beach, in Níjar, one of the Blue Flag beaches in Almería. (R. I.)

Almeria's beaches in Spain's top 10 for Blue Flags

The province has achieved this recognition for 38 of its coastal areas, which is three more than the previous year, placing it seventh in the country and second in Andalucía

Alicia Amate Almería
  • Gardening in southern Spain: Breath of heaven
    Coleonema pulchrum. (Wikimedia)

    Green fingers

    Gardening in southern Spain: Breath of heaven

    Diosma has fine, needle-like aromatic leaves and white, pale pink or deep pink, scented flowers which appear after the summer, through autumn and into winter

    Denise Bush |
  • José Miguel Carrera: The 'great freedom fighter'
    His bronze bust in Cadiz. (SUR)

    Foreign influencers in southern Spain

    José Miguel Carrera: The 'great freedom fighter'

    Born in Chile in 1785, Carrera arrived in Spain in 1808 and joined the Spanish Army, distinguishing himself in heroic battles against Napoleonic forces

    Tony Bryant |
  • Past and present: Berlin's enduring international appeal
    The Bode Museum (r) with the Fernsehturm TV tower (l). (A.S.)

    City break

    Past and present: Berlin's enduring international appeal

    Whether visitors travel to German capital for its history, art, architecture or nightlife, everyone will find something captivating amid the city's fascinating contrasts

    Emma Blanch |

The Bottom Line - Opinion

Don't call it high speed

Back in 2008, when the AVEs had been running for a few weeks we asked when the travel time between Malaga and Madrid could be reduced to two hours; now the journey takes three hours, complains columnist Ignacio Lillo

Ignacio Lillo

The Music Maker

Spring into action

Watching swallows go about their springtime business is one of life's little luxuries; they bring a sense of optimism and renewal to the world, says columnist Peter Edgerton

Peter Edgerton

The Bottom Line

Coming together to heal

Rare diseases like Epidermolysis bullosa (butterfly skin) often fall into the shadows of pharmaceutical research because the "market" is too small. This is where the expat spirit shines brightest

Dilip Kuner

Food and Drink

National drinks

Beer, wine, or something stronger - most countries have multiple traditional drinks, says Andrew J. Linn

Andrew J. Linn
  • Long-eared owl
    Asio otus. (Mark Begg)

    Andalusian bird society

    Long-eared owl

    The Andalucía Bird Society recommends looking out for the Asio otus this month

    Peter Jones |
  • The Euro Zone opinion

    Keeping at arms' length

    Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez issued a royal decree permanently banning exports to and imports from Israel of all military equipment this week. Columnist Mark Nayler delves into the detail

    Mark Nayler |
  • The Music Maker opinion

    Another brick in the fall

    Coming from a land where any tradesman worth his salt expects a homeowner to offer a minimum of five gallons of tea per day to anyone plying their trade on their property, columnist Peter Edgerton assumed it was international law to do so

    Peter Edgerton |
  • Food and drink opinion

    Wine myths in the cinema

    Not holding the glass by the bowl won't spoil the experience - our hand's heat makes negligible difference and can even help open up a too-cold white, writes columnist A.J. Linn

    Andrew J. Linn |
  • Last Chance Saloon
    Marcus Rashford. (EP)

    A look at La Liga opinion

    Last Chance Saloon

    Marcus Rashford's advisors need to sit him down and read the riot act after his latest show of unprofessionalism, writes columnist Rob Palmer

    Rob Palmer / ESPN commentator |
  • The Bottom Line opinion

    'Lol' and an avocado emoji

    There are some WhatsApp conversations that last longer than some relationships, writes columnist Ana Barreales

    Ana Barreales |