Tue, 13 May 2008 08:44:37 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://spainforvisitors.com/images/logo.gif http://spainforvisitors.com/ webmaster@mediterraneanblue.com http://spainforvisitors.com/Article219.htm The room housing Picasso's Guernica in the Reina Sofia Modern Art Centre has been remodelled to allow it to be seen better. Before this, viewers were obliged to stand too close to the enormous canvas to be able to get a proper perspective of the picture, or look at it from an angle. This is the first in a series of innovations announced by the Reina Sofia's new director, Manuel Borja-Villel, who has emerged as a leading figure among museum directors. Read more about the Guernica, Picasso, the Spanish Civil War and Borja-Villel. Tue, 13 May 2008 08:44:37 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article218.htm The Portugal News reports that Portimão has spent €1.7 million dredging and improving its harbour with the aim of attracting the new, larger cruise ships used by companies like Royal Caribbean. This has also attracted ferry operators, and Canaries-based Naviera Armas will not only begin to operate a regular Portimão-Madeira route on June 15th, but will connect the Algarve with the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife and Gran Canaria. More of this story. Mon, 12 May 2008 09:36:02 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article217.htm Spanish and Portuguese rural villages have joined to create the first European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation, the Duero-Douro EGTC. The 175 municipalities involved are joined by the River Duero (Douro in Portuguese) and separated by the border between the two countries. On both sides of the border, the Duero-Douro region is wild and mountainous. and more than a little backward economically, its main economic sectors being tourism and agriculture, notably vines for wine production. The main purpose of the EGTC are to "facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and regional cooperation" but it also allows the area direct communication with Brussels, for example to apply for regional development funds. For the moment, the application has been presented and approval is expected. The Duero-Douro EGTC will have its headquarters in Trabanca, Salamanca (population 251), within the Arribes de Duero nature reserve, the Spanish answer to the Portuguese Parque Natural Douro Internacional. Click here to leave a comment, but for the moment there is little more to read of this slightly bureaucratic story. Thu, 08 May 2008 12:14:48 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article216.htm RENFE, Spain's state-owned railway company, took advantage of the May 1st long weekend to introduce whopping price increases on the Madrid-Barcelona line. In some cases, such as the "Web" fare for the AVE high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona, these new prices are nearly 25% up on the "old" ones, which furthermore had only been in effect for a little over two months. I would prefer not to see this as a one-finger salute to consumers by the railway giant, but unfortunately I find it hard to interpret any other way. The first to protest have been the mayors of the AVE Cities Network, which includes Madrid, Barcelona, Lerida, Seville, Córdoba, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Calatayud and, significantly, Saragossa: Saragossa's Expo 2008 is just over a month away, and the tourist-class Madrid-Saragosa ticket has risen in price from 40 euros to 51.90, an increase of nearly 30%. More of this story. Thu, 08 May 2008 11:12:16 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article215.htm Ryanair is the low-cost airline which connects the largest number of destinations in mainland Spain and Portugal. Now, with the stated aim of increasing the number of passengers checking in on-line and reducing hold baggage, Ryanair is to raise its baggage and check-in fees. Ryanair says that the checked-in baggage fee "will rise from €9 to €10." Other sources say this increase will be "£6 to £8" (the conversion jjust doesn't work mathematically for me). Similarly, the airport check-in fee is to be increased "from €4 to €5" according to Ryanair, or "from £3 to £4," according to my other sources. Ryanair calls itself a "low fares airline," other sources call it a "no-frills carrier." Read on for more of this story. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:12:45 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article214.htm The appalling Gran Scala casino development plan for the Monegros semi-desert in Aragón has "deflated," reports El País. The main reasons the Spanish newspaper cites are opposition from locals and ecological groups and, especially, the suspicion that the consortium behind Gran Scala is a sham. I am sure El País is right, but I have another reason to add: the bursting of the Spanish property bubble. It is too early to let our guards down altogether but, whatever the explanations, all right-thinking persons will rejoice that the wonderfully unspoilt Monegros are less likely to be desecrated by what was intended to be the second-largest casino complex in the world, the Las Vegas of Spain. More of this good news story. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:13:49 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article213.htm Basques are good eaters and demanding ones, and the Basque version of tapas - pinchos or pintxos - tend to be both more filling and more elaborate than ordinary tapas. San Sebastian Tourist Board announces that it is launching pintxos.sanse, a kind of pincho workshop. Its scope is a little larger than that, though, and they promise that you can "Know San Sebastian through its pintxos." So the workshops begin with a visit to San Sebastian's La Bretxa market, continue around specialized shops, bars and places of interest in the historic city centre and end with the class making twenty or so pintxos under the guidance of the teacher - and consuming them, of course, with a suitable wine. More information and contact details here. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:07:45 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article212.htm Former mayor of Benidorm Pedro Zaragoza died yesterday, aged 85. Zaragoza turned Benidorm from an impoverished fisihing village into the major resort it is today. He is most famous for allowing bikinis to be worn, in the face of opposition from Spanish conservatives including the Catholic Church, which threatened him with excommunication. However, his vision was broader and more far-reaching than that, for he was the first person to see the importance of vertical tourism, a concept which shaped the development of Benidorm (I have to point out here for the benefit of those who have never visited Benidorm that it is a fine town, with broad avenues and all its 330 skyscrapers facing the sea. In other words, it is a nice place). And you have only to look at the awful mess that the recent explosion of low-level development has created on both Spanish and Portuguese costas to see that he was right. If the tourism sector had heroes, Pedro Zaragoza would be a great name, an Alexander Fleming, a Marconi or a Descartes among resort planners. More of this story. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:55:17 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article211.htm "You aren't going to leave all that!" my fellow lunchers exclaimed. "All that" was a 5-euro note I was leaving as the tip, the bill for the Italian meal for four having come to just over a hundred euros, paid for (by someone else) with luncheon vouchers. "Less than 5 per cent. Sure, that's what I'm going to leave." The waitress came back a couple of minutes later, as if to prove me wrong. "What should we do with this?" she asked uncertainly, indicating the solitary note. And it was not because it was too small a tip, but the contrary - it was too big. Read on, or see this article for a more detailed guide to Tipping in Spain. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:52:03 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article210.htm Spain is a tippler's country, with a splendid variety of drinking experiences to offer. Now I am not talking about Brit-style binge boozing here, drinking for the sake of it, getting ratted in Magalouf or sotted till you fall off the balcony in Lloret, though farbeit from me to censure if that is how the whim takes you. No, I am referring to traditional customs in which alcohol happens to play a part, the dipsomaniac side of Spanish culture, from the kalimotxo to the queimada, cider pouring to sangria and from the day-to-day tapeo to sherry by the bottle at a feria. Read on for my Top Ten Drinking Experiences in Spain. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:11:25 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article209.htm While the Socialist victory in last weekend's Spanish general elections is of considerable interest, it pales beside the real news: Rodolfo Chikilcuatre and his rap Baila El Chiki Chiki have improbably been chosen to represent Spain at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Now, while I abhor a spoiler as much as the next man, I do feel there is a serious danger of Chikilcuatre being misunderstood by non-Spaniards and Brits in particular, so allow me to point out that IT'S A JOKE! Do NOT take seriously! You can see the act with barely helpful subtitles clicking the "Play" button in the MySpace window on the next page, together with more of this story and a short Spanish lesson covering the essential vocabulary of Spanish humour: cachondeo, guasa, hortera and cutre. Oh, and perrear and chiki chiki itself (adults-only language lesson ahead). Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:09:15 -0500 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article207.htm The very alternative Boom Festival, Portugal (this year being held August 11th-18th), has issued a press release reminding that pets in general and dogs in particular are not allowed. The reasons run from the obvious (to everyone except a particularly obtuse kind of dog lover) - that it would be unkind to the animals to subject them to days of intensive, loud music, that they are likely to suffer dehydration and heat stroke, they are unhygienic, they are likely to stress out and fight and/or bite people - to the fact that the festival location is within a leishmaniasis zone. This was something I had only been dimly aware of before, not being a pet owner, so I checked: most of the Mediterranean, including southern Portugal and Spain, is considered a canine leishmaniasis zone (humans are not affected here, thank goodness), and it is thought that a dog has a 30-35% chance of contracting the disease. Read on for more about the Boom Festival and leishmaniasis here. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:50:05 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article206.htm May 2nd is one of Madrid's public holidays, commemorating the Dos de Mayo Uprising against the French of 1808 and the beginning of the Spanish War of Independence. It's always a good time to visit Madrid, as hundreds of thousands of Madrileños take advantage of the long weekend and head for the costas or sierras (May 1st is a national holiday as well, so in Madrid this break is almost as important as Easter), leaving the city relatively uncrowded (but not as closed up as in August), at a time of year when Madrid's weather is usually at its best. This year is the bicentenary of the uprising, and looks like being a celebration to remember. Special attention is being paid to the field of art, and an exhibition programmed in the Prado Museum of Goya in Times of War looks likely to attract attention. His two masterpieces related with the event are being especially restored, these being the Dos de Mayo, 1808, and the even more famous Tres de Mayo, 1808, otherwise known as The Charge of the Marmelukes and the Executions on Principe Pío Mountain, respectively. If you are not a Goya fan, there will be other events and, more importantly, I think there should be a general festive feel to the city that weekend. Read more. Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:44:25 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article205.htm At last! From February 20th on, 17 high-speed trains a day now connect Madrid and Barcelona, with a travelling time between them of 2 hours 38 minutes (or even less) for a journey which until a couple of years ago took 12 hours. It has been a long wait, for the Madrid-Barcelona AVE line has been on the drawing board almost since the first Spanish high-speed railway link opened in 1992 to connect Madrid and Seville, then hosting Expo 92. Making it even more attractive to visitors is RENFE's new, low-cost airline-inspired pricing scheme, which provides whopping discounts for Internet bookings more than a fortnight in advance. It is possible to get a one-way ticket for €40.55 in this way, when the full price is over €100, but RENFE is known to be unhappy about this (the ticket price has been dictated by the government) and does not make it all that easy for customers. For more about how to get these discounts, see this article (when you come to book, remember that the AVE goes from Madrid Puerta de Atocha, not Madrid Chamartín), or read more of this story. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:12:13 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article204.htm Nearly 1,000 ruined holidays at the Beach Club Hotel, Torremolinos, between 2000 and 2002 have cost tour operators dearly. Or more spoilt Spanish vacations than that, that "thousand" being the number of claimants who fell ill at the Beach Club with one sort of intestinal malady or another, mostly Norovirus, so it does not include healthy but miserable family members. Thomson Holiday (TUI) and JMC (Thomas Cook) have had to pay out over £2.5 million to 790 aggrieved holidaymakers. Five anonymous tour companies settled over 200 claims out of court, but Thomson and Thomas Cook continued to deny liability until a few days before the case was due in court. The settlement package has been approved by Birmingham High Court, where the three-week case would have been heard. Read more about this case on the next page, where I will also point out that, far from being a thing of the past, complaints about the Beach Club Hotel and "the dreaded bug" are very much ongoing. Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:03:49 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article203.htm While I was putting the finishing touches to the new Spain and Portugal for Visitors Map of Portuguese Wine Regions, I came across a recent article in the Boston Globe by one Stephen Meuse. It discusses the negative effect of the strong euro / weak dollar on European wine prices in the US (the situation must also exist in the UK, less acutely), but points out that Portuguese wines are an exception, being notably underestimated (and underpriced) in comparison to other European wines. Meuse says that "modest" Portuguese wines will cost "a dollar or two" less than Spanish or Italian ones of the same quality, and that he has "actually found some entirely drinkable $5 or $6 Portuguese offerings - a number that's quite unthinkable elsewhere." I don't entirely agree with the article, as I believe one reason for the low prices of Portuguese wines to be the fact that the industry has simply not made the kind of progress in recent years as the Spanish wine sector, for example, but you might like to read on for more and to see Meuse's list of great value Portuguese wines. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:39:39 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article202.htm The image of Seville's XV Flamenco Biennial is a picture of flamenco dancer Yolanda Heredia by Colombian artist Ruvén Amador. The fact that she is nude in the picture is far from obvious at first sight, which does not stop the press from getting excited about it, and even the artist is quoted as gushing that it "depicts the nakedness of the flamenco woman in the perpetual light of summer." I must point out that the Biennial is a much more interesting affair than this story would suggest, being one of flamenco's greatest festivals, expectations for which are always all the greater for it being held every two years rather than annually. It is held in the autumn - this year's dates are September 10th to October 11th - and showcases the flamenco elite, especially but not only in terms of flamenco dance. Key figures featured in the 2006 edition, for example, included Vicente Amigo, Diego "El Cigala," the Amador family, and Pepe Habichuela, and the dance companies of Antonio Gades, Belén Maya, Mercedes Ruiz, Carmen Cortés, Eva Yerbabuena and El Flamenco Vive. A list like that makes flamenco enthusiasts' pulse rates quicken, and there is no reason to think that this year's biennial will be any less interesting. Read more or visit the Spain and Portugal for Visitors flamenco pages. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:52:29 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article200.htm Ryanair actually announced the donation as RYANAIR HANDS OVER €70,000 TO ANGELS QUEST CHARITY (complete with capital letters), under the nose-thumbing headline "MUCHAS GRACIAS SPANISH PRUDES!!!" The latter is a reference to the Spanish consumer group FACUA which complained about the calendar which has raised the money. It contains pictures of alluringly and improbably undressed Ryanair stewardesses, and I am afraid I have to say I agree with all sides of the argument, here - yes, it is insulting to women, yes, the protests did give more publicity to the calendar, and, yes, if they want to take their clothes off, why not? Bless 'em. With any luck, there'll be another one next year. Read on for the full story. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:05:46 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article201.htm Businessman Tomas Delgado knocked 17-year-old Enaitz Iriondo off his bike and killed him in 2004. He is now suing the dead teenager's family for €20,000 for damage suffered by his Audi A8 and the inconvenience of having to rent a car, El País reports. Delgado was speeding and almost certainly over the alcohol limit at the time of the accident, which occurred outside a campsite in La Rioja. More of this story. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:01:48 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article199.htm Granada's Fine Arts Museum, located in the obtrusive Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra, has reopened. It has been closed for renovation since 2003. The museum's exhibits are now organized with Granada as the central theme - Granada as subject, artists of Granada, and Granada's contribution to world art. Read more. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:46:18 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article197.htm One of Spain's most exuberant carnival celebrations, that of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, is about to get under way. Easter is earlier than usual this year (Carnival Tuesday falls on February 5th) and Carnaval Las Palmas needs longer than most, with its murgas (satirical choirs), comparsas and desfiles (parades), fancy dress parties and, especially, its Carnival Queen Galas, the competition to become the conventional Carnival Queen and its drag queen version. Carnival is the most pagan, irreverent of festivals, and the choice this year of Olympus and the Greek gods as the Carnival theme promises. Read more. Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:37:07 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article196.htm The competition to select lyrics for the Spanish national anthem (which I reported back in October) has a winner. The anthem has been wordless until now (except for a short-lived, best-forgotten, Francoist verse), and the initiative to provide it with lyrics came from the COE, the Spanish Olympic Committee, apparently embarrassed that Spanish sports fans are used to accompanying the music by singing "Naa naa, naa naa, na na na na," and so on (I take the opportunity to point out in advance that the proposed new lyrics are not an improvement). The COE and the SGAE, the Spanish Writers' and Songwriters' Society, which has organized the judging process, are miffed because the news has been filtered to the press - the result of the competition should not have been announced until January 21st, when Placido Domingo will sing it at the COE's annual ball (apart from being a great singer, conductor and director, Placido Domingo will do anything for a laugh). At least, that's why they are supposed to be miffed - I suspect they are more than a little ashamed - the new lyrics are simply dreadful. There is still a long way to go before they become official, though, and my bet is that they won't make it. Update - 16/01/08. I didn't expect to be proved right so quickly, but the Spanish Olympic Committee has announced that it is withdrawing the proposed lyrics for the Real Marcha, the Spanish national anthem, though it insists that there will be some sort of words for it before this summer's Olympic Games. Frankly, I doubt that, as well. More of this story. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:54:24 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article195.htm January 18th to March 9th is the Garoinada, the sea-urchin season (in the gastronomic sense), in Catalonia's Baix Empordà (the Lower Ampurdan, on the Costa Brava). In Palafrugell, particularly (which includes its three resorts, Tamariu, Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell), a set menu is offered by various restaurants consisting of a first course of garoines, sea urchins, and second course cazuela de calamares y escamarlán, a dish of squid and Norway lobster, with Peralada wine, dessert, and coffee thrown in for 35-45 euros. More of this story. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:41:32 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article194.htm Air Madrid went under and Vueling changed hands; the Alhambra failed to make it into the New 7 Wonders of the World but the America's Cup held in Valencia was so successful there is a good chance of it being used as the next venue as well; jellyfish caused more alarm than pain on Spanish beaches; the number of Britons living in Spain topped the million; various new air and ferry routes brought Spain closer to the rest of the world than ever; the extension to the Prado Museum finally opened; and the spine-chilling project for a vast, Las-Vegas-style complex in the Monegros desert in Aragón was announced. One of the year's most entertaining stories was Ryanair's "shameless publicity stunt" (in the Guardian's gleeful words), a calendar of its stewardesses undressed in unlikely places. But I did not report what I hope will prove to be most important 2007 story from the point of view of Visitors to Spain and Portugal: the Spanish Environment Ministry produced the initial document,for what it wants to be its future Strategy for Sustainability of the Coast which, if any of it ever gets actually implemented, is entirely to be applauded, especially as it relates to the other big story - the end of the Spanish housing boom, one of the main factors working in detriment of the costas. More 2007. Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:23:19 -0600 http://spainforvisitors.com/Article193.htm Spanish railway company RENFE has introduced a pricing system similar to that of budget airlines. This rewards ticket purchasers with a 40% discount for booking a week in advance via Internet, and a very substantial price cut - 60% - if they book more than a fortnight in advance. Find out how to get your Spanish train ticket discounts here. Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:06:41 -0600