In the 8th century, the Iberian Peninsula saw the arrival of Arabs and Berbers who mixed with the Roman-Visigoth inhabitants, engendering what was known as Al-Andalus. This successful medieval Muslim civilisation extended, at its peak, to most of what is today Spain and Portugal, until its downfall in the late 15th century. read more…
The European Route of Historic Thermal Cities is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. The route is supported by the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), founded in 2011, a nonprofit organization with currently 26 members in 11 European countries (including Turkey). In the spring of 2013 EHTTA was awarded the “Cultural Route of Europe” by the “European Institute of Cultural Routes”. The Press Office of the City of Baden-Baden calls the European Route of Historic Thermal Baths the European Bathing Route. read more…
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a Prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, “to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe”. read more…
The Costa Brava (“Wild Coast” or “Rough Coast”) is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, consisting of the comarques (counties) of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva in the province of Girona. Costa Brava stretches from the town of Blanes, 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Barcelona, to the French border. In the 1950s, the Costa Brava was identified by the Spanish government and local entrepreneurs as being suitable for substantial development as a holiday destination, mainly for package holiday tourists from France and Northern Europe. The combination of a very good summer climate, nature, excellent beaches and a favourable foreign exchange rate, which made Costa Brava a relatively inexpensive tourist destination, was exploited by the construction of large numbers of hotels and apartments in such seaside resorts as Blanes, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar. Tourism rapidly took over from fishing as the principal business of the area. Between beaches and hidden coves surrounded by vegetation, are 199 locations in the coastal regions of Costa Brava. read more…
The Alcázar of Segovia (literally, “Segovia Fortress”) is a castle, located in Segovia in Castile and León, a World Heritage Site. Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of two rivers near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape – like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. It is currently used as a museum and a military archives building. read more…
Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa), also known as Ibiza Town, is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza. The city, which has a population of 50,000, is the capital and most populous settlement of the island. read more…
Sant Antoni de Portmany (Spanish: San Antonio Abad) or San Antonio is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as “arguably the clubbing capital of the universe”. For two thousand years, Sant Antoni was a small fishing village that rose from the Roman natural harbor Portus Magnus, but it began to grow in the late 1950s when many hotels and tourist resorts were built as part of a mass tourism initiative which took place across Spain. As the number of tourists grew, the development of bars, hotels and other tourist infrastructure spread right around to the other side of San Antonio bay, as far as Cala de Bou which lies in the adjacent municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia. Along the harbour of San Antonio there are various boats and ferries that have multiple connections to beaches such as Cala Bassa, Cala Compte, Pinet Playa, Es Puet, Cala Grasió, Cala Salada and Port es Torrent. These have daily departures from may until end September or October. Also once a week there is a ferry to Formentera. read more…
Santa Eulària des Riu (Spanish: Santa Eulalia del Río) is a coastal town on the south eastern seaboard of Ibiza. The town is located on the designated road PM 810. Santa Eulària is the third largest town on the island and also has the only river on the island which flows into the sea at the western end of the town. There are two famous Hippy Markets which attract large numbers of tourists and locals: Punta Arabi, located in Es Canar runs all day every Wednesday from April through October. Las Dalias, near Sant Carles de Peralta, runs all day every Saturday, throughout the year. Las Dalias also has a “Night Market” which runs Monday and Tuesday evenings from June through September. read more…
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