La Rambla in Barcelona

4 December 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Shopping Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Sergi Larripa/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Sergi Larripa/cc-by-sa-3.0

La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona. A tree-lined pedestrian street, it stretches for 1.2 km (0.75 mi) connecting the Plaça de Catalunya in its center with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. La Rambla forms the boundary between the neighbourhoods of the Barri Gòtic to the east and the El Raval to the west. La Rambla can be crowded, especially during the height of the tourist season. Its popularity with tourists has affected the character of the street, which has shifted in composition to pavement cafes and souvenir kiosks. It has also suffered from the attention of pickpockets. The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca once said that La Rambla was “the only street in the world which I wish would never end.” La Rambla can be considered a series of shorter streets, each differently named, hence the plural form Les Rambles (the original Catalan form; in Spanish it is Las Ramblas). The street is successively called:   read more…

Theme Week Navarre – Burlada-Burlata

26 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Town hall © Zarateman

Town hall © Zarateman

Burlada-Burlata (Spanish/Basque) is a commune in the Autonomous Community of Navarre (Comunidad Foral de Navarra) in Spain. It borders Pamplona and Villava to the north, Huarte to the east, Egüés to the south and Pamplona to the west. The town is located in the Pamplona valley and is part of the extended urban space of the Navarrese capital.   read more…

Theme Week Navarre – Valle de Egüés

25 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Zariquiegui

© Zariquiegui

Egüés (Spanish: Valle de Egüés, Basque: Eguesibar) is a municipality of Navarre, Spain, in the metropolitan area of Pamplona. Its population is 19,014.   read more…

Theme Week Navarre – Estella-Lizarra

24 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Mattana/cc-by-2.0

© Mattana/cc-by-2.0

Estella (Spanish) or Lizarra (Basque) is a town located in the autonomous community of Navarre, in northern Spain. It lies south west of Pamplona, close to the border with La Rioja and Álava. In 1927, Club Deportivo Izarra was formed who currently play in the Segunda División B. The town regularly hosts the GP Miguel Induráin.   read more…

Theme Week Navarre – Tafalla

23 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Iñaki LL

© Iñaki LL

Tafalla is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Tafalla is an industrial and agricultural town. It produces beef, mutton, pork and chicken.   read more…

Theme Week Navarre – Villava-Atarrabia

22 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario © Zarateman/cc-by-sa-3.0

Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario © Zarateman/cc-by-sa-3.0

Villava (Basque: Atarrabia) is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. The population is about 10,000, and the town is located 4 km away from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre.   read more…

Theme Week Navarre

21 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  10 minutes

Parliament of Navarre in Pamplona © Mgoni4

Parliament of Navarre in Pamplona © Mgoni4

Navarre, officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France. The capital city is Pamplona. The present-day province makes up the majority of the territory of the medieval Kingdom of Navarre, a long-standing Pyrenean kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost part, Lower Navarre, located in the southwest corner of France. Navarre is in the transition zone between Green Spain and semi-arid interior areas, and thus its landscapes vary widely across the region. Being in a transition zone also produces a highly variable climate, with summers that are a mix of cooler spells and heat waves, and winters that are mild for the latitude. Navarre is one of the historic Basque districts: its Basque features are conspicuous in the north, but virtually absent on the southern fringes. The best-known event in Navarre is the annual festival of San Fermín held in Pamplona in July. Navarre is one of the wealthiest regions in Spain per capita, with a diversified economy primarily focused on the energy sector, healthcare services and manufacturing.   read more…

Benidorm in Spain

14 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Alemanito

© Alemanito

Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotels were built, though it would not be until the 1950s that it became renowned as a summer destination for people coming from inland Spain, especially Madrid. Today it is known for its hotel industry, beaches, and skyscrapers and receives as many tourists from abroad as from Spain. According to the 2020 census, Benidorm has a permanent population of 70,450 inhabitants, making it the fifth-most populous town in the Alicante province and the ninth in Valencian Community.   read more…

Teatro Real in Madrid

24 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Carlos Delgado/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Carlos Delgado/cc-by-sa-4.0

Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) is a Spanish opera house located in Madrid. Known colloquially as El Real, the company was founded in 1818 and inaugurated on 19 November 1850. It closed in 1925 and reopened in 1966. Beginning in 1988, it underwent major refurbishment and renovation works and finally reopened in 1997 with a capacity of 1,746 seats. Founded by King Ferdinand VII in 1818, and after thirty-two years of planning and construction, a Royal Order on 7 May 1850, decreed the immediate completion of the “Teatro de Oriente” and the building works were finished within five months. The Opera House, located just in front of the Palacio Real, the official residence of the Queen who ordered the construction of the theatre, Isabel II, was finally inaugurated on 19 November 1850, with Donizetti’s La favorite.   read more…

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