The Visigoths ruled a very large  kingdom in southern France in the fifth century but often they  raid across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.

In both acts that as rulers of their large southern kingdom in France and as raiders into Spain they are acting as allies of the great Roman Empire.

Towards the end of the 5th Century in 475 AD the  Visigothic King declares complete independence from the Roman Empire and then he begins to extend his own kingdom and land that is under his control naturally for his own personal gain and benefit.

Spain when Euric declared his independence from Rome was of only secondary importance to say the territory that was already occupied and controlled by the Visigoths in France which was much larger and at that time of much more value to Euric's empire.

But at the start of the 6th Century in the year 507 AD Euric's son is defeated by the King of the Franks, Clovis just north of Poitiers in France.

This effectively reduces the territory and and that they control to the narrow strip from the mountains of the Pyrenees to the Rhône River.

Naturally having now lost a very considerable part of their original territorial Kingdom in the 6th Century they are now intent to extend and expand the territory that they control in Spain.

As with all rapidly growing powers and empires they have rises and falls in their expansion plans and there is a hold up in the south of Spain from 554 A.D. when the Byzantine emperor Justinian uses his military strength to re-capture the area from Cadiz on the Atlantic coast in the South West to Cartagena on the Mediterranean in the east.

This is a narrow coastal strip that runs more or less West to East of the Southern tip of Spain and represents less than 5% of the Country.

But within the relative short time span of only some 3 score years and ten all the territory has been recovered to be under Visigoth control.

In fact it is fair to say that all of Spain is controlled by the Visigoths during the seventh century.

They have an outstanding capital at Toledo just to the South and slightly to the West of the modern Capital Madrid.

During this time there are continuing hostilities between different tribes of Visigoth's so they are having internal power struggles not only between fellow Visigoth's but also with the original local population which would have included Huns and Catholic Christians.

Undoubtedly these would have been very interesting and some what turbulent times to say the least.

However history takes an interesting turn when the Moors are invited by the Byzantine General Julian for help in what was virtually a civil war between the various factions of the successors of the late Visigoth King Wittiza.

The Governor of North Africa Musa agreed to Julian's request for help and sent his deputy commander General Tariq bin Ziyad with a military army which landed at Gibraltar on April 30, 711.

The Umayyad General Tariq bin Ziyad led mainly an army that was composed of Berber's

They sailed from Ceuta in Morroco across the Straits about 17 miles or 27 Kilometres.

He first attempted to land on Algeciras but failed.

Upon his failure, he landed undetected at the southern point of the Rock from present-day Morocco.

The current flows eastwards and and this would probably have helped his army with their landing.

This is how Gibraltar gets its name deriving from the Arabian words Gabal-Al-Tariq (the mountain of Tariq).

As I have stated the Moors did not arrive in Spain initially simply to extend the territory that they already controlled.

However Tariq had a major victory later in the September of 711 when his Umayyad army defeated Roderic of the Visigoths at the Guadalete River.

The Guadalete River is located in the Spanish province of Cádiz, the source of thr river lies in the Grazalema Mountains at a height of about 1,000m, and it flows for some 172 km into the Atlanic Ocean in the Bay of Cádiz at El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is to the south of Cádiz.

The name of the river derives from the arab "River of Forgefullness" it flows by some of the famous white villages including Arcos de la Frontera.

As a result of that Victory and in accordance with the agreement that had been made by Julian they accepted land as a reward for their successful military service.

From here on in from a relatively small toe hold in the South west tip of Spain Islam begins to expand over the majority of Iberia including Portugal.

The Algarve a beautiful part of Portugal and it too derives its name from the Arabic for the west as it was the most western area in their sphere of influence.

The short journey across the straits of Gibratar in 711 which at its closest point is approx 8 miles or 14 kilometres is the start of Arab influence in Europe.

Whilst the distance is short the currents are strong and generally flow towards the East into the mediterrean due to the high evaporation so the Atlantic provides a continous supply of water.

There are strong tidal currents and to cross this Strait in 711 would have invlved some professional sailing and perhaps and element of good luck as well.

The bay of Gibraltar is a natural safe harbour for Ships and indeed the British Royal Navy have found it rather useful over hundreds of years and two World Wars. Nelson

As an aside in many English Church's the arches are often known as the Norman arch the type that the Normans took to England after 1066. However the Norman Knights found their Norman Arches in the Temples that the Arabs built in Spain.

As has often happened in History the invited Army take overall control and then divides and conquers.

Within a few months the Arabs drive the Visigoths from their own capital in Toledo.

Soon governors are appointed by the caliph in Damascus Syria who is now ruling much of Spain.

The Arabs continue to press on north and to the east as they gain control of the whole of Spain.

Their armies move out of Spain and into Gaul in France, and here at last they are stopped in their tracks - near Poitiers in 732. The very same city where some 200 years before where the Franks defeated Euric's son is 507. It was of course the Franks who stood their ground and defeated the Invaders.

In less than some 20 years the whole of the Iberian penisular that is both Spain and Portugal had fallen.

In real terms it is fair to say that the Invasion and occupation of Spain was not really opposed.

Indeed how can it of been an invasion when they where initially invited.

The Moslems respected the indigenous people as being people of the book meaning the bible. Jesus is regarded highly in the Muslim faith and there are many links between the three largest religions of the world if one cares to look a little beneath the surface.

Indeed in those times these three religions co-existed very well to-gether often sharing places of worship and attending each others festivals and holy days. After all most of them all work around very similar timing in their events.

The social intercourse between the various religious groups helped considerably to minimize tension in the early centuries.

However in time as the years gently pass to centuries it does sadly provide many opportunities for persecution.

It is said that there were lower taxes and incentives to those in Spain who did actually convert.to Islam.

Also the indigenous people were probably more worried of the war like Franks who lived above the Pyrenees than they were of the Berbers from North Africa whom they had known for many years as trading partners and people of commerce.

Similar again in History to the Roman invasion of Southern England in Ad 43 where the local population whose leader was known by an adopted Roman name the local population had traded with and had known the Romans for some two hundred year as in indeed the Spanish population had known and traded with the noble Berbers for many hundreds of years.

Conquering the rest of Spain back to Christian rule was the intention of the Christians immediately from the time of the occupation of the Muslims from the beginning of the Eighth century.

This is when the Visigoths who were Christians were confined to Asturia a small Kingdom in the North.

The idea of regaining Spain as a Christian country becomes the only aim of the medieval noble knight hood in Spain.

It takes many hundreds of years in deed some seven hundred years until at last Granada is finally handed over in 1492.

This is but one in a series of articles and in a brief article such as this one can only highlight some of the key points. For further information on Marbella Spain please go to Eating in Marbella

Marbella on the Costa del Sol in Spain is a place rich in history over many thousands of years. Many civilisations have made this one of their favourite places the Greeks, Phoenicians, Moors, Arabians, Huns and the Carthaginians to name just a few.

In the later half of the 20th Century Marbella became famous as a tourist destination starting form the early 1950's for the rich and famous.

Princess Margaret and Michael Jackson have both stayed at the Los Monteros Hotel now sadly closed.

The growth of Marbella as a tourist and area for the rich and famous to visit started after the end of the Second World War in 1945.

The start of the growth as Marbella as a place to be , to be seen, to relax and wine and dine started I believe as do many others with the Marbella Club hotel which was and is set in a beautiful spot by the sea.

It all started back in 1946 just one year after the second World War , when Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe together with his father, Prince Maximiliano came to Marbella with the thought of purchasing land.

The very next year in 1947, Prince Alfonso's family purchased a property known then as Finca Santa Margarita initially as a family home.

This Finca was originally an old farm that stood on some 18 hectares in a beautiful location adjacent to the Marbella sea shore.

As visitors, family and friends, to the 'finca' kept increasing so at the same time the property also had to grow and soon it was only a matter of time when the Prince with his own ever effervescent enthusiasm and forward thinking ideas that he started to make his own personal dream into reality by transforming his family's private residence into an exclusive club.

So with in some seven years of the original purchase of the Finca the Marbella Club Hotel opened its doors to the public and it would be fair to say that it has never looked back since.

When the Marbella Club Hotel opened there were two wings with 18 rooms in total eight rooms in one wing and ten rooms in the other. There was also one more room in the tower and this had a suite next to it.

The dining room, bar and lounge were still in the main part of the original converted finca.

Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe was actually born in Madrid the capital of Spain in 1924, and he was the first son of Prince von Hohenlohe and Princess Piedad de Iturbe. He was also luckily enough to be the godson of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia

He passed away in 2003 in Marbella the City that he loved so much and indeed helped to create.

He was so well liked and respected that the City of Marbella re-named one of their main roads after him , the Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso de Hohenlohe.

As the years passed the city quickly became known as the exclusive retreat of many international film celebrities'.

As one example Sean Connery had a villa here named Casa Malibu. It is said that he entertained the likes of many famous and well known film and sporting personalities such as Michael Caine, George Best, Richard Burton, Omar Sharif, Honor Blackman, George Best and the racing driver James Hunt.

I cannot in a brief article such as this mention all those famous who have visited Marbella but I must mention that Marbella has had for many years very good relations with the late King of Saudi Arabia King Fahd.

He had a beautiful palace built with the Sword of his country emblazoned in the garden and a very nice mosque on the Golden Mile.

He also had his own bank branch here (now closed) and his Motor Yacht - Shaf was kept and still is in the Harbour of Puerto Banus.

This all helped to make Marbella the internationally famous coastal resort that it is today, related to sailing, golf, wining and dining and of course tourism in Spain.

Marbella has had some problems in the recent past with planning issues but is rapidly recovering to yet again become the Jewell in the crown of the "Costa del Sol" in Spain.

Polo House Marbella Spain om the Costa del Sol  invites you to join us this Thursday 22nd October for a night of
fine dining followed by a special night´s entertainment Brazilian Style with
a "Rio Carnival" Dance show featuring stunning Brazilian dancers accompanied
by live music, DJ´s, exotic cocktails, and much more.....


Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, come to Polo House at Marbella , it's Brazilian Party
time!

Please book early to avoid disappointment; +34 952900380




*POLO HOUSE Marbella S.L.*
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*Bulevar Principe Alfonso Von Hohenlohe,*
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*29600 Malaga - Spain*
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*Tel: 0034 952 900 380*

Jacuzzi Spain

MISS BELLY DANCE MARBELLA 2009.

The Don Carlos Hotel was the venue for the MISS BELLY DANCE MARBELLA 2009 contest and Festival. Sponsored by the BYBLOS Lebanese Restaurant in Elviria.

COLOURFUL SPECTACULAR AND UNMISSABLE !!

Descriptions of this event the 6^th one of its kind for MARBELLA.

Groups of colourful female belly dancers of all ages, showed their skill in controlling their  coordinated body movements as they competed for the shared group prize.

Solo performers some with authentic Arabic movements and others with a definite Spanish interpretation delighted the 450 strong audience encouraging their favourite dancer to give of her best performance. Costumes were varied, themed and vivid in their colours. Music was mostly traditional, though there was some surprising originality in the sounds chosen.

One of the highlights of the evening Festival which followed on from the contest was a dance with no music, by one of the professional belly dancers, who danced only to the rhythm of the clicking heels of a Spanish Flamenco Dancer dressed in the male costume.

As is always the case the judges decision is never easy and after much deliberation the winners were chosen and well deserved audience appreciation echoed around the room.

Group winners 

3^rd Nosotros Reinas

2^nd Grupo Oriental Swing.

1^st  ARIM.

Solo winners .

3^rd Sara

2^nd Sarai

1^st  MISS BELLY DANCE MARBELLA 2009   XENIA.

Delicious tastes of authentic Lebanese food were  supplied by the Byblos Restaurant.

Lebanese Cuisine for those who are and who like to be kept up to date with latest trends is THE NEW FASTEST GROWING FAVOURITE CUISINE IN THE WORLD.

Thank you to Anandi from Bellydance Marbella the inspiration and pioneer of this annual event.

DO NOT MISS THIS SPECTACULAR EVENT IN 2010.

For further information on Marbella Spain please go to Eating in Marbella

Jacuzzi Spain

MR and MISS MARBELLA  Contest 2009.

Polo House recently hosted the Mr and Miss Marbella Contest.

The lovely Elisabeth Reyes, former Miss Spain 2006, Juan Carlos Morgon,

current Mr Malaga 2008 and Carmen Piedra designer of the elegant evening gowns worn by the girls were amongst the judges with the difficult task of choosing who would wear the titles MR MARBELLA and MISS MARBELLA 2009.

The event was sponsored by Vitaldent and Veuve Cliquot Champagne.

Other titles to be decided were MR and MISS NICE SMILE and MR and MISS POLO HOUSE 2009.

11 of Marbella’s hunkiest Hombres paraded first in swimming trunks and then in evening suits each hopeful of winning and going forward to do their best whilst representing Spain in the Mr. Universe Contest later in the Year.

Closely following 15 of Marbella’s  most beautiful Senoritas strutted their stuff in bikinis and stunning evening gowns. Each of them one step closer to  realizing their dream

of wearing the crown of MISS ESPANA  one day.

Winners were.

MR NICE SMILE              Manuel Munoz

MISS NICE SMILE        Bonita Guitterez   Each winning  1000 euros

MR POLO HOUSE 2009   Manuel Munoz

MISS POLO HOUSE 2009  Andrea  Mirarias.

MR MARBELLA  3^rd Runner up Manuel Munoz

MR MARBELLA 2^nd  Runner up Demetri Granix

MR MARBELLA 1^st  Runner up Carlos Vittorez

MR MARBELLA 2009     DANIEL RIBIERO

MISS MARBELLA 3^rd Runner up Bonita Guitterez

MISS MARBELLA 2^nd Runner up Celia Avila

MISS MARBELLA 1^st Runner up Tanya Torres

MISS MARBELLA  2009  BELINDA GUITTEREZ.

A  great evening was had by all and Polo House should be congratulated on their  coverage of this outstanding event. Hopefully this will become a Polo House  annual event.

Jacuzzi Spain

Marbella International Film Festival

Camera, lights, action all reel into action as The Marbella International Film Festival comes to Marbella on the 1^st October 2009.

Marbella Europe’s capital of  wow glitz and glamour will soon play host to the 4th Marbella International Film Festival. 

A much anticipated date in the Marbella social calendar, the 1st - 4th October will see, top line  actors, actresses celebrities, musicians and well respected key members of the film industry arrive in Marbella the playground of the rich and famous to celebrate the rich world of  film.

The Marbella Film Festival provides a platform for independent film
producers and emerging talent to showcase their work to an international
market. 

Out of  some 650 films that have been submitted for  the 2009  Marbella festival, only  50 independent artistic works of the highest calibre have been selected for the exhibition. There are no boundaries for the talented and this festival will present works from Europe, Canada, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia thus attracting a high level of international media coverage.

Marbella is a patron to young talent, encouraging the community to get
involved in this exciting star studded event. 

Kicking off this years festival is a 24 hour film challenge where each candidate is given the same brief to produce 4 ½ minutes worth of footage in 24 hours on a theme chosen by a film industry guest panel.

Each day of screening will feature a red carpet premier with events from
film themed showcases, fashion shows, musical entertainment and gala dinners at the Hotel Lorcrimar and Novelli’s, home to Jean-Christophe Novelli’s acclaimed restaurant. 

The closing ceremony and awards reception will take
place on Saturday 3rd October and will see idols of stage and screen award
up and coming talents of today’s industry with the Best Feature Film, Short
Film, Animation, Documentary, the winner of the 24 hour film challenge and the New Young Talent Award of 2009.

Spain’s answer to Hollywood closes in on the film maker’s industry gap as
the Marbella International Film Festival takes this years festivities to
new heights and helps Marbella regain its red carpet crown.

For further information on Marbella Spain please go to Marbella Spain

Jacuzzi Spain

The Mediterranean climate obviously takes its name from and is greatly effected by the closeness of the sea of the same name.

The key points of the Mediterranean climate are dry, hot, summers, mild winters with variable rainfall and sunshine for something like in excess of 300 days and a lack of frost.

No wonder so many people from colder northern climes come here to live. Not just the European snow birds but there are plenty of those even from across the Atlantic.

In this part of Spain you have many outstanding locations for living and sailing.

Marbella, Puerto Banus,Benalmadena,Cabopino and Sotogrande just to name a few.

The short spring and long autumn seasons tend to merge gently together forming one with no real winter season.

The Mediterranean climate is also known as a 'winter rainfall' climate and other areas around the world with a similar sunshine and rainfall pattern are also said to have a Mediterranean climate.

These can be found in the central and southern coast of California which has an amazingly similar topography, the south-western cape of South Africa, central Chile and south-western Australia.

All areas which are defined as having a Mediterranean climate lie between 30-45 degrees latitude irrespective as to whether they are to the north or south of the equator

Rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain but in Andalucia there is usually very little rain between June and September but a reasonable amount of rain between October to March.

The prevailing Westerly wind comes from the Atlantic Ocean and therefore western Andalucia is naturally wetter than the eastern part.

The area to the west of Ronda, is known as the Sierra de Grazalema and this is the wettest area of Spain with just under 90 inches of rain per year.

Tarifa, (where we get the word Tarrif from) lies at Andalucia's southernmost point where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean is a very windy spot indeed and is a haven for windsurfers here you can see the fantastic emerging city of Tangier rising on the distant sky line. Tarifa dates back to Roman times and beyond.

The mountain ranges are much cooler than the plains and have a higher rainfall with some snow in winter. The Sierra Nevada Mountains, rising above 3000 metres, are covered in snow for much of the year.

There is a very considerable difference in the climate between the inland and coastal parts of Andalucia.

Near the sea temperatures are more temperate in winter and cooler than inland during the summer months. During the months from November to February Inland areas have cooler temperatures often falling many degrees below freezing but then there also very high temperatures during the summer months.

For further information on Marbella Spain please go to Eating in Marbella

Jacuzzi Spain

Marbella in Southern Spain on the Costa del Sol has that famous motto "A Way of Life" and, undoubtedly that does convey in many ways the effervescent spirit of this outstanding luxurious coastal resort.

Like wise having a Marbella Hot Tub for entertaining and relaxing is also a way of life.

Here in Marbella you can find entertainment and the arts for varied tastes.

There are many art and fashion shows held in Marbella often for leading and exclusive brands.

Marbella still remains a favourite destination for many and has much going for it.

Yet again Marbella and its environs are becoming a desired location with the famous and those who enjoy the best in life.

In central Marbella there is the famous Orange Square, or "La Plaza de los Naranjos" it is a lovely Marbella square and really worth a visit. Here one can see interesting Marbella buildings, bars, restaurants, shops of all kinds including outstanding art galleries. Many outstanding fashion shops can also be found in Marbella.

One should have a good look round and make the time to visit all the surrounding narrow streets where peoples homes and shops just seem to merge to create a small village atmosphere reminiscent of the famous Brighton Lanes in England instead of a very busy town.

There are many varied and out standing restaurants to choose from around this Marbella square.

From this square it is a very short stroll to the sea front where there are also many pleasant Marbella restaurants.

The Marbella Marina and Port is now often a host to many top line cruise ships.

The views that one can find in Marbella are great in that you can have mountain views (of the La Concha Mountain) and able to see the Atlas Mountains in Morroco and of course Gibraltar.

La Concha is that very striking mountain that sits behind Marbella and its image changes quite strikingly depending on where you are viewing it from. It rises in height over 1,200 metres so is quite a height by any standards.

La Concha in Spanish transalates as the "The Shell" La Concha sits firmly and squarely at the end of the Sierra Blanca range.

Not far away is the equally famous resort and Marina of Puerto Banus or give it its original name Puerto Jose Banus. Another stunning location packed full of interesting bars and restaurants.

As always there are new restaurants opening and now we have Novellis at the Lorcimar Hotel (soon to change its name to Sisu Boutique Hotel) in Banus.

I have met Jean Christope Novelli and have had the fantastic pleasure of attending one of his workshops in Spain.

He is an outstanding chef and a real master of his art.

So this is an ever changing and growing area as I said Marbella   Spain on the Costa del Sol "it is A Way of Life".

Jacuzzi Spain