They'll give out awards for anything these days, won't they? The latest accolade that has been dished out is one for "cleanest city in Spain" - and Oviedo, in the north-western region of Asturias, has taken the prize.

Oviedo is not a part of the 'classic' Spain that most visitors to the country see. It's not famous for bullfighting, it doesn't have a history of making paella or drinking sangria and the famously sunny Spanish weather doesn't really reach this far north. But nor does it have the dog mess and the empty bottles from youths drinking in the street, according to this article: Oviedo voted the cleanest city in Spain.

But if it there isn't the usual Spain sights, what does Oviedo offer to a visitor (apart from cleanliness)?

One of the main cities in 'Green Spain', Oviedo is famous for its Spanish cider (a tradition it shares, with some differences, with the Basque Ciderhouses) and a cuisine that is a little different to the usual Mediterranean diet (the signature dish is fabada, a bean stew). It also has some beautiful Romanesque churches in the hills that overlook the city, as well as some of the most incredibly countryside in Spain, with the Picos de Europa mountain range a short drive away.

The north in general did very well in the cleanliness study, while the south did badly, reinforcing the stereotypes of Spain's north being ordered and the south being chaotic. Malaga fared badly, another reason it's in my list of Worst Cities in Spain for tourists.

Spain has had a good showing in this year's list of the best restaurants in the world.

Despite El Bulli, the esteemed restaurant by Ferran Adrià, dropping out of the list completely after announcing it will close next year, Spain is still the country with the most restaurants in the top ten - it has an incredibly three!

In fact, the three Spanish restaurants in the top ten have each moved up from last year, now occupying the second, third and eighth best spots.

For the second year running, Noma in Copenhagen takes the top spot. See the full list here: World's top fifty best restaurants.

Two of the three Spanish restaurants in the top ten are in San Sebastian (the other is in Catalonia). San Sebastian is a great city for the food lover, even if you can't afford a meal at one of these restaurants. The tapas in San Sebastian (called 'pintxos' locally) are the best in Spain and will rarely set you back more than 4€ a plate. Read more about San Sebastian.

See also: Michelin Star Restaurants in Spain

If you watch Spanish TV, Semana Santa is about piety, reverence and devotion to Catholicism. If you speak to the people in the street, you're probably more likely to hear that Semana is about road closures, a long weekend and early shop closing times.

But whichever one it is, Semana Santa is a big deal in Spain. Don't expect to get anything done, at least after midday, as most shops and museums will close. Even the train I want to get tomorrow morning to catch my flight has been canceled.

Check out these pictures I took yesterday in Malaga city center: Semana Santa in Malaga

See also: Semana Santa - Which City?

Why do airlines go through those long-winded safety announcements every time we board a plane?

Yes, yes, I know what you're going to say: "Erm, for safety reasons, dumbhead."

But if that's the case, then tell me, why don't they make the announcements in a language their passengers can understand?

At New Year I flew with Vueling from Valencia to Paris. The safety announcement was made in English and Spanish. I'd say about half the passengers were French.

This morning I flew from Prague to Madrid. Which languages was the announcement in? English and Czech, despite about 90% of the passengers being Spanish.

And to make matters worse, one of the cabin crew did actually speak Spanish. I'm sure everyone on the plane was relieved to know they could buy their duty-free with their credit card, even if they might have struggled to fit their oxygen mask in the event of a loss of cabin pressure. And heaven forbid if any of them missed the announcement saying you have to turn off your cellphone, because we all know what will happen if you ever forget to do that.

I asked a fight attendant if he thought the safety announcements were important and, if so, why they weren't in Spanish. He said that, yes they were, but English is an international language and did I really expect him to learn all 20 languages of the airports they fly to?

I tend to fly budget airlines on short-haul flights and the normal carriers for long distance flights (you usually don't really have much of a choice). From what I can remember, these more expensive airlines always make the announcements in Japanese or Chinese or whatever, regardless of the nationality of the carrier. But two budget airlines in a row that I've flown with have neglected at least half of their customers' safety needs.

By paying peanuts for your flight, you expect a little less luxury. No free, erm, peanuts, less legroom and the like. But we are constantly assured that safety is not compromised.

The crucial question is: if budget airlines can't stretch to employing bilingual staff or, at the very least, a recorded message in the language of every destination they fly to, how can we be sure they're not cutting corners in other areas of our safety?

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