The Canary island of El Hierro

21 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Valverde © Mataparda/cc-by-3.0

Valverde © Mataparda/cc-by-3.0

El Hierro, nicknamed Isla del Meridiano (the “Meridian Island”), is the smallest and farthest south and west of the Canary Islands (an Autonomous Community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 11,000.   read more…

Castellon de la Plana on the Orange Tree Coast

14 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Casa Alcon and Casa de les Cigonyes on Independence Square © Joanbanjo/cc-by-sa-3.0

Casa Alcon and Casa de les Cigonyes on Independence Square © Joanbanjo/cc-by-sa-3.0

Castellón de la Plana is the capital city of the Province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Tree Coast) by the Mediterranean Sea. The population is at 174,000. The mountain range known as Desert de les Palmes rises inland north of the town.   read more…

Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country

2 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union Reading Time:  6 minutes

Plaza Virgen Blanca © Mikelcg/cc-by-sa-3.0

Plaza Virgen Blanca © Mikelcg/cc-by-sa-3.0

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of Basque Autonomous Community and of the province of Álava in northern Spain. It holds the autonomous community’s House of Parliament, headquarters of the Government and Lehendakari’s (Prime Minister’s) official residency. It is also the largest city in Basque Country with a population of 242,082 people (2014). The dwellers of Vitoria-Gasteiz are called vitorianos or gasteiztarrak, while traditionally they are dubbed babazorros (Basque for ‘bean eaters’).   read more…

Almuñécar on the Costa Tropical

7 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Almuñécar Beach © Paul Munhoven

Almuñécar Beach © Paul Munhoven

Almuñécar is a municipality in the Spanish Autonomous Region of Andalusia on the Costa Tropical between Nerja (Málaga) and Motril (Granada). It has a subtropical climate. Almuñécar lies in the Province of Granada, and has around 26,000 citizens (2006). Since the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, the town of Almuñécar has become one of the most important tourist towns in Granada and this section of coast is now called the Costa Tropical. Almuñécar has good transport connections and a football (soccer) stadium. It is an important setting in Laurie Lee’s account of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, referred to as “Castillo” to disguise people’s identities.   read more…

Them Week Galicia – A Coruña

28 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  11 minutes

Port of A Coruña © Marrovi/cc-by-sa-2.5-mx

Port of A Coruña © Marrovi/cc-by-sa-2.5-mx

A Coruña is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country. The city is the provincial capital of the province of the same name, having also served as political capital of the Kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and as a regional administrative centre between 1833 and 1982, before being replaced by Santiago de Compostela. A Coruña is nowadays the richest region of Galicia and its economic engine. There have been various changes in the city’s structure over the last few decades—it now shares some administrative functions with the nearby city of Ferrol. Companies have grown, especially in sectors such as finance, communication, planning, sales, manufacturing and technical services, making A Coruña the wealthiest metropolitan area of Galicia. The port itself unloads large amounts of fresh fish, and with the increase in other port activities like crude oil and solid bulk, which make up 75% of Galician port traffic.   read more…

Theme Week Galicia – Pontevedra

26 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez/cc-by-sa-3.0

In the beginning of the 19th century Pontevedra was little more than a small backward town. Fishing, arts and crafts kept the economy going. Yet, with the establishment of new provincial divisions in 1833 Pontevedra suddenly saw itself transformed into a provincial capital. Pontevedra then grew and slowly became an administrative centre. The introduction of the railway also reconnected the city with the rest of the country, after having lost its harbour. All in all, Pontevedra sees in this century a cultural, economic and urban revival.   read more…

Theme Week Galicien – Ourense

25 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

Parroquia Maria Auxiliadora Collegiate Church © Zarateman

Parroquia Maria Auxiliadora Collegiate Church © Zarateman

Ourense is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of 107,000. The origin of the town can be traced to the Romans and the presence of hot springs called the Burgas. These can still be seen today. There was also the need to fortify the place to protect one of the easiest ways to cross the Miño River. After the Romans, Ourense was part of the Suebi (Suevi) kingdom during most of the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries and was destroyed by the Moors in 716. It was later rebuilt by Alfonso III of Asturias about 877. The Norse invasions as well as attacks from the Arab warlord Al-Mansur once more laid the city to waste. It was only under Sancho II and his sister Doña Elvira that the city was resettled during 11th century. The definitive urban impulse did not arrive until the 12th century when Ourense became an important center of services. Recently the city has made many efforts to provide new parks, bridges, fountains and geothermal springs installations to make the city more attractive.   read more…

Theme Week Galicia

23 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  11 minutes

Carnota © Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Carnota © Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Galicia is an autonomous community in northwest Spain, with the official status of a historic nationality. It comprises the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra, being bordered by Portugal to the south, the Spanish autonomous communities of Castile and León and Asturias to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the north. Galicia has over 1,660 km (1,030 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands and islets, among them Cíes Islands, Ons, Sálvora, Cortegada, and—the largest and most populated—A Illa de Arousa. Hundreds of ancient standing stone monuments like dolmens, menhirs and megalithics Tumulus were erected during the prehistoric period in Galicia, amongst the best-known are the dolmens of Dombate, Corveira, Axeitos of Pedra da Arca, menhirs like the “Lapa de Gargñáns”. From the Iron Age, Galicia has a rich heritage based mainly on a great number of Hill forts, few of them excavated like Baroña, Sta. Tegra, San Cibrao de Lás and Formigueiros among others. With the introduction of Ancient Roman architecture there was a development of basilicas, castra, city walls, cities, villas, Roman temples, Roman roads, and the Roman bridge of Ponte Vella. It was the Romans who founded some of the first cities in Galicia like Lugo and Ourense. Perhaps the best-known examples are the Roman Walls of Lugo and the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña. During the Middle Ages, a huge quantity of fortified castles were built by Galician feudal nobles to mark their powers against their rivals. Although the most of them were demolished during the Irmandiño Wars (1466–1469), some Galician castles that survived are Pambre, Castro Caldelas, Sobroso, Soutomaior and Monterrei among others. Ecclesiastical architecture raised early in Galicia, and the first churches and monasteries as San Pedro de Rocas, began to be built in 5-6th centuries. However, the most famous medieval architecture in Galicia had been using Romanesque architecture like most of Western Europe. Some of the greatest examples of Romanesque churches in Galicia are the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the Ourense Cathedral, Saint John of Caaveiro, Our Lady Mary of Cambre and the Church of San Juan of Portomarín among others.   read more…

Theme Week La Rioja – Haro

31 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Wine barrels of the famous wine of Haro in the City Hall, waiting for the beginning of the Haro Wine Festival © Bigsus/cc-by-sa-3.0

Wine barrels of the famous wine of Haro in the City Hall, waiting for the beginning of the Haro Wine Festival © Bigsus/cc-by-sa-3.0

Haro is a town and municipality in the northwest of La Rioja province in northern Spain. It is known for its fine red wine and every year the Haro Wine Festival (Batalla de Vino) is held where locals hold a wine battle.   read more…

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