In July it was time again, the 2012 Olympics. This time held in London. Among other things, Spain is known for its successes with soccer, tennis and basketball. But how did Spain really do?

Prior to the Olympics, high expectations were placed on the Spanish soccer team. Because Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, and the World Cup in 2010, a lot was expected of the team. Three European Championship players were going with the team to London. The team was named the favorite for the gold medal. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round of play against Japan. The game after that unfortunately also ended with a loss for Spain, against Honduras. After these two games, Spain no longer had a chance of winning.

After a somewhat difficult start, Spain eventually achieved great results with a total of 17 medals. This is one less than at the 2008 Games in Beijing, and only three less than the Netherlands this year. The highest number of medals ever won by Spain at the Games is 22. This was in 1992 when the Games were held in Barcelona.

Gold Spain won three golds. Sailor Marina Alabau Neira brought in the first gold victory. Spain won both gold and silver on the first day of the Olympic taekwondo tournament. The gold medal went to Joel González against South Korea. Success team Tamara Echehoyen, Sofía Toro and Angela Pumariega won first place sailing against Australia. During this sailing race, both countries sailed bow to bow until the Australian team lost control after which the helmswoman fell overboard into the water. This allowed Spain to sail on easily.

Silver
The Spanish athletes managed to bag a total of 10 silver medals. The Olympic basketball tournament had the same final as four years ago: Spain against the USA. Unfortunately, the men lost this game 100-107. Nevertheless, an achievement to be proud of! Further silver medals were won by Spain with the following sports; canoeing, synchronized swimming, taekwando, traitlon, water polo and swimming.

Bronze
Third place was achieved four times. This was with canoeing, synchro swimming, wrestling and handball.

Some big sports names from Spain unfortunately could not compete in the Games. One example is tennis player Rafael Nadal. The top tennis player who was actually chosen to carry the flag on July 27 did not feel fit enough to compete at the Games. “It's one of the saddest moments of my life,” he revealed. Nadal is still dealing with the effects of an injury to his left knee.

Because of the crisis in Spain, the country was forced to buy tenues as cheaply as possible. The Russian company Bosco made them for free, donating another eight million euros to the Spanish Olympic Committee. Unfortunately, there were many comments about this tenue. According to many, the tenue would resemble a canaval suit. The director of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, defends the choice: “If you measure the difference between paying one and a half million from taxpayers' money and free tenues, there is no discussion.”

Sport is very important in Spain. Therefore, the Spaniards can certainly be proud of the results achieved by the athletes at the 2012 Olympics!

Walk the Spanish streets and the first thing you see are the colorful, well-groomed and, of course, busy talking people. Spanish fashion means being groomed and dressed for the occasion. If you are going to a wedding, then as a woman you put on a beautiful dress. In Spain there is still a lot of emphasis on the male and female forms. Spanish fashion is appropriate, but with creative outliers.

People are concerned with their appearance. They want to look good. That's what's great about Spanish fashion; Spaniards like to look well-groomed. Of course, you know Spanish fashion from the big store chains like Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius and Blanco. These stores are all known for their beautiful clothes at reasonable prices. All of them stores that I love to walk into... And also one of the reasons that make living in Spain even more fun.

But Spain has more. Successful and internationally known Spanish designers include Aldolfo Dominguez, Amaya Arzuaga, Antonio Miró and Paco Rabanne.

During fashion week, they and many others show a taste of their latest creations. The biggest fashion spectacle in Spain is Madrid Fashion Week. Or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, as Mercedes is the main sponsor of this event. Twice a year, designers from all over the world gather here to showcase their designs. The models walk in colorful creations from which the passion radiates. The clothes are draped around their bodies as if each show is their last.

During Madrid Fashion Week, new talent also gets a chance to show their faces! This is possible during the EGO shows. A way of self-expression is shown where there is a continuous search for new styles and innovative trends.

With Madrid being the fashion capital of Spain, this fashion week is among one of the most important in the world. This, of course, includes big sisters New York, London, Paris and Milan. Other major fashion events in Spain are 080 Barcelona Fashion and Valencia Fashion Week.

Spain has many successful brands, but the big Spanish success story is Zara. Originally started in Barcelona, Zara has grown into one of the world's biggest fashion brands. And with 1,659 stores, Zara continues to grow. Today, Zara also sells furniture and other accessories to decorate your home, or Zara Home.

Zara stores are full of the latest fashions. Zara participates in bold trends (like now the gothic influence and many different materials!) and is not afraid to show its creativity. This is one of the many reasons why we love Zara so much. Zara is unique and the clothes can be combined endlessly. The Spanish Zara stores are all equipped with beautiful design which makes for great shopping!

If you really want to keep up with the latest fashion news during your visit to Spain, read the ¡Hola! This magazine will keep you updated weekly on all the news from Spanish fashion land (and practice your Spanish with it!) You will also discover all kinds of lesser known stores during your visit to Spain. After all, Spain is full of such treasures. Walk down a side street or two and you've already found another one. After all, the Spanish do know what is beautiful!

Full name is Rafael Nadal Parera and he is a famous Spanish tennis player. Born in Mallorca, Spain on June 3, 1986. Rafa is his nickname for both privately and on the tennis court. He became a professional tennis player in 2001. Rafa Nadal has won a total of over 46 million euros in prize money!

Rafa is currently ranked No. 2 in the world according to the ATP list. He is considered one of the best tennis players ever. Different tournaments also have different surfaces, for example, Roland Garros has gravel where Wimbledon has grass. Rafa Nadal is also called the King of Gravel. This name because of his 7 titles won on this surface. With this, he has surpassed Björn Borg. He is, according to some, the best gravel player ever!!! In total, Rafa Nadal already has 11 Grand Slam titles to his name. Nadal has also won a gold medal in 2008 at the Olympics, won 21 Master Series titles, which is a record number. The Spanish tennis player also plays on the Spanish national team and won the Davis cub with the team in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. After also winning the title at the US Open in 2010, he became the 7th person in history to receive the Career Slam, Rafael was also the youngest by the way! In 2012, he became the first tennis player in history to win an ATP title 8 times in a row, the Master Series Monte Carlo. Before Rafael Nadal became No. 1 in the world on Aug. 18, 2008, he first spent 160 weeks at No. 2 behind Roger Federer. Rafa remained the No. 1 until July 5, 2009, but on June 7, 2010, he regained the No. 1 position after winning his 5th title at Roland Garros. Since July 4, 2011, Novak Djokovic has been the No. 1 player in the world.

For all his professional tennis career, Rafael Nadal has been in a duel with Roger Federer. Off the court they are friends, but once they face each other in a semifinal or final, it is hard against hard and they give everything! These are therefore always beautiful and especially exciting matches to watch for the fans among us.

Private life

Rafael Nadal's parents are Sabastián and Ana María, also Rafa has a younger sister named María Isabel. Rafa is the nephew of former soccer player Miguel Ángel Nadal and his coach is his other uncle Toni Nadal. Nadal has been dating Maria Francisca Perello since 2005. A hobby Rafa pursues outside of tennis is golf. There is also an autobiography written about Rafael Nadal's life titled "Rafa," which came out in 2011. 

It is safe to say that Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal is among one of the best in the world. Not only now, but also in history he has broken many records. And I believe Rafa will continue that in the coming years now that he is at the top. 

Soccer in Spain, as in the Netherlands, is a true phenomenon. Within Spanish soccer, there are many different Spanish soccer teams with many different leagues as well.

Soccer is a national sport and is played throughout the country. In fact, there are thousands of Spanish soccer teams all competing in a league. Surely the clubs in the Primerá División (premier league) receive the most interest. Surely the top five clubs in Spanish soccer are Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Valencia CF, Levante and Athletic Bilbao.

In the beginning of Spanish soccer, Spanish soccer clubs could not hire foreign footballers. However, this changed after 2003, but to this day a maximum of 3 foreign footballers are allowed to play per club. This is because Spain wants to play Spanish soccer with Spanish footballers as much as possible.

Many Dutch people can still remember the 2010 World Cup final on July 11. It was the Netherlands against Spain, in which the Netherlands lost in the extension due to a goal by the Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta. While most Dutch people drifted home, there was a big party in Spain.

Spain's national team is known by the names La Furia Roja (the Red Furie) and La Selección (the Selection). Spain has participated in a total of 11 World Championships, but has only been World Champion once (July 11, 2010). Furthermore, Spain was European Champion twice (1964 (very first time in European Championship history) and 2008).

In general, Spain's youth teams perform better than the first team. These have multiple titles at the global and European level. There is also women's soccer, these play in the Liga Femenina.

The Spanish league is played in every region in Spain. There are a total of five different leagues. The highest and national league is the Primera División. The winner of this gets to call himself national champion, the three worst get relegated. Furthermore, you have the Segunda División A, Segunda División B, Tercera División and the Spanish amateur divisions (also called Preferente). You cannot play more than one team in a given division. Outside the Spanish league, there are also cup tournaments. The biggest is the Copa del Rey and is held among the Primera División, Segunda A and Segunda B. Then you also have the Supercopa de España, which is played between the cup winner and the national champion of that year. In 2000, the final of the UEFA Champions League (soccer tournament among all European soccer clubs) had a first, for the first time in history two soccer clubs (Real Madrid and Valencia CF) from the same country faced each other.

Some famous Spanish soccer players are: Andoni Zubizarreta (goalkeeper with most international matches, 126, retired), David Villa (top scorer and active player with FC Barcelona), Iker Casillas (goalkeeper with Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (defender with FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (defender and captain of FC Barcelona). All famous and infamous among the Dutch.

When most people think of the greatest Spanish contributions to the world, perhaps the most immediate things to spring to mind are flamenco music, tapas, and siestas. The Spaniards are not famed for the inventors. Painters, writers and poets perhaps; but it is a little known fact that Spain is responsible for some incredibly important, and some rather wacky innovations. Here is a rundown of 10 of the most significant and some of the most unusual inventions to come from Spain:

1. Chupa Chups- The famous lollipops that line cash registers across the world were initially created by the Catalonian Enric Bernat in 1958. An idea that sprung from seeing a child being told off for making a mess when eating sweets, evolved into an internationally, booming company. By simply placing a stick in a sweet, Bernat revolutionized the sweet world!

2. Mop- The first mop was invented by aeronautical engineer, Manuel Jalon Corominas, and his friend Emilio Bellvis, both worked to create the first mop and bucket. Although there is some dispute as to which of the two claimed the initial idea.

3. The Submarine- The first combustion-powered prototypes created date back to 1859, belonged to the Catalonian Narciso Monturiol, who designed a manually propelled submarine known as the Ictíneo I. Isaac Peral was a fellow Spaniard who also revolutionized submarine navigation using electrical energy.

4. The Beret- While everyone associates berets with the typical French stereotype, in fact its origins are Spanish! Shepherds in the northern Basque country were the first people to wear them, and they are still very common to this day!

5. Cigarette- Although tobacco is native to America, cigarettes are a Spanish invention, that emerged when beggars began to collect any tobacco waste and wrap it up in thin sheets of paper to smoke. By 1825, cigarettes were being packaged and marketed, with the first packs being manufactured in 1833.

6. Chess- A claim that is sometimes disputed, but it is widely believed that the origin of one of the world’s most played games is Spanish. It is claimed that Valencia is responsible for the origins of the modern game, with radical rules created that evolved from ancient games

7. Molotov cocktail- this improvised incendiary device was first used in the Spanish Civil War. Franco ordered Spanish Nationalists to use the easily made bombs as a weapon in fighting against the Soviet Union, who were supporting the Republicans.

8. Autogyro- a type of rotorcraft invented by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva, who wanted to create an aircraft that could safely fly at slow speeds.

9. Table Football- the first patent for the games belongs to Alejandro Finisterre, who credits his friend Francisco Javier Altuna with the invention. However there has been dispute over this claim, with some stating that it belongs to a Brit.

10. Coca-Cola- the citizens of Ayelo de Malferit, near Valencia, claim that the famous drink actually originates from them. Juan Mica claims that his family were the first to invent the drink, called Nuez de Kola Coca’, which he then took to the US and sold the recipe. However this claim is still shrouded in dispute.

While some of the array of Spanish inventions are disputed, whether it’s famous lollipops, clean floors or groundbreaking developments in rotorcrafts, Spain has definitely provided the world with some undeniably useful inventions.

The last kiss that had us talking was between Iker Casillas (Goal keeper of Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team) and Sara Carbonero (Sports reporter voted one of the world's sexiest) when the Spanish Soccer team beat the Dutch in a passionate World Soccer Cup final in South Africa in 2010. After the win, Iker gave Sara a passionate kiss that was broadcasted around the world.

Another famous Catalan footballer Gerard Piqué is now making headlines. He is a young (24 year old) central defender for FC Barcelona who happened to meet famous Columbian singer Shakira in South Africa during the World Cup. She sang the theme song for the World Soccer Cup and he played on the winning team, it seems like a match made in heaven.

Shakira at the time was involved in a long relationship and rumors starting swirling when she left her long time boyfriend and moved to Barcelona. Soon later, Gerard Piqué and Shakira celebrated their shared February 2nd birthday together in Barcelona with friends, as seen in a picture that the footballer kindly published on his Twitter page. Pique turned 24, Shakira 34,10 years his senior.

Recently, with a photo obtained by Caras magazine, all of the rumors have been confirmed. Although you could have asked any FC Barcelona fan and they could have confirmed it earlier based on how the seemingly distracted Piqué has been playing lately... The magazine cover shows Piqué tenderly kissing the Columbian singer at what appears to be their birthday celebration, based on their clothes.

Gerard Pique recently appeared before the press as the new spokesman/model for the men's line of Mango clothes when he was confronted with the picture which he has apparently not seen previously. When he was shown the picture by a reporter he chuckled and said that "it is a nice kiss". Pique took the opportunity to explain that this picture will never unseat the passionate and intense kiss between Sara Carbonero and Iker Casillas, although he carefully avoided using the singer's name. The FC Barcelona footballer went on to say: "I don't know if this is this is the happiest year of my life, but right now I am living a very beautiful moment. I am also in love, and I hope it stays that way".

In regards to his new role as a model for Mango, the handsome young footballer commented that he does not feel as comfortable in front of a camera as he does playing soccer. He also commented that he does not want to be the Catalan version of David Beckham and that "I would like to have a private life, it is difficult but I try to do it the best I can".

Karlos Arguiñano Urkiola is a popular Spanish chef, TV presenter and producer of his own cooking show: La cocina de Karlos Arguiñano (Karlos Arguiñano's kitchen). Karlos is famous for his practical cooking and presentation tips, cheesy jokes, amateur singing, and the catchphase "Rico, rico y con fundamento" ("Tasty, tasty and with nutritional value").

If you are in Spain, you can catch his show on Antena 3 at 20:15 Monday through Friday, which is just what I have been doing.

Tonight I am going to try my luck at an apparently easy and healthy recipe that I saw the other day on his show.

What are we making today? Cheesy Leek Crêpes with puree! I already bought my ingredients so I will let you know how they turn out tomorrow!

Okay, so I may know what you are thinking about... Leeks??? YUCK! I assure you that despite my dislike for leeks prepared in certain manners, if they are sauted nicely and mixed with other ingredients, they are great, add a nice crunch and are really healthy! Afterall, we all know that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest in the world!

Cheesy Leek Crêpes with puree

(serves approx. 4 people)

Ingredients for the filling and puree:

• 4 leeks
• 250 grams of fresh pumpkin (a little over half a pound)
• 1 potato
• 100 grams of cheese (about a 1/4 of a pound - cut in 8 strips)
• Water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Parsley for presentation

Ingredients for the Crêpes:

• 1/2 liter of milk (2.11 cups)
• 2 eggs
• 200 grams of all purpose flour (a little under half a pound, about 2 cups)
• a small spoonful of butter
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• diced parsley

Preparation:

First you need to prepare the pumpkin and potatoe puree. Peel and chop up the pumpkin and the potato. Cook for about 15-18 minutes in a small saucepan with water and salt until tender. Beat with a hand blender, strain, and set aside.

Next, clean and chop the leeks. Saute in a frying pan on medium heat with a small amount of olive oil and salt. Cover the pan so that the vegetables sweat (soften in their own juice without browning). Strain and set aside.

To prepare the crêpe batter, in a tall container suitable for the hand blender, add the flour, milk, butter, eggs, dash of salt and parsley. Beat all the ingredients together well and let stand.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat up a dash of olive oil on medium heat. Cook the first crêpe and discard it. To make crêpes, pour in the batter and extend it by moving the frying pan until a thin layer of batter is covering the whole bottom of the pan. When bubbles appear meaning that the first side is done, carefully lift an edge of the crêpe with a fork and then use your fingers (BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF) to flip the crêpe over. The second side will cook very quickly. Repeat the process but be sure not to stack the cook crêpes on top of eachother because if they are warm they will stick.

In each crêpe, towards once side, add a bit of poached leek and a strips of cheese. Roll the crêpe up and fry it lightly (until browned) on each side in a frying pan with a good amount of olive oil (extra virgin is not necessary for this step).

Presentation: Pour some of the pumpkin puree in the center of the plate, place two crêpes and decorate with a sprig of parsley.

¡Voila! ¡Qué aproveche! (enjoy your meal)

Check out other Spanish recipes at don Quijote

UPDATE: I changed the name of this dish because technically the pumpkin is only used to make the puree, but is not actually part of the crêpe!

Yeah, you heard me right, a Spanish woman from Salvaterra do Miño (in the region of Galicia) has "legally" claimed ownership of the sun towards the end of last month. It took her a couple of months to do so because when she presented her m it had to be legally checked out, but the notaries could not find any legal reason why they could not grant her claim.

Her grandiose idea came from an American who has apparently registered the moon an and many other planets in his name. She heard that he was selling some of his land on the moon to John Travolta when she thought that she could do something similar.

49 year old Ángeles Durán declared before a public notary that she owns the sun, a star of spectral type G2, located in the center of the solar system approximately 149,600,000 kilometers from Earth.

Ángeles does have her logic though, she stated: "Look, if electric companies can make money off of rivers, which belong to everyone, then I hope to make something off of the sun".

She states that she is not stupid and "knows the law" which dictates by an international agreement that no country may claim ownership of any planet or star... but the agreement says "nothing about individuals", she adds. She said that anyone would have done it, but it simply occurred to her first.

Her plan for the sun? Well, you know, the normal.. charge everyone a fee for using the sun... half of the income will be for the Spanish government (she is pretty generous) and 20% to help Spain's low pension funds. How much could this mean for Spain? Well, estimates calculate that it would mean 13 billion Euros for the struggling Spanish economy!

It gets even better! 10% will be for research and education, 10% to eradicate hunger in the world, and 10% for herself! Considering the amount of people forced to use "her sun" I am pretty sure that 10% will be a nice hefty sum of money!

I wonder if international monopoly laws can come into play....?

This is not her first "brilliant" idea. She also has registered in her name Tarzan's scream (yea, she owns it, seriously) and the longest musical score in the world which is related to the telecommunications industry. If you dial numbers, certain sounds are heard that create "musical scores", which of course, are all hers! :)

Hopefully I won't have to pay for the sun anytime soon, I already have a lighting bill. But hey, maybe I will get lucky since I live in Spain and most of the money will be directed to the Spanish government, well.. maybe we who live here wont have to pay for the sun!

[:D]