Seville Cathedral

10 February 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Ingo Mehling/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Ingo Mehling/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. It is the fourth-largest church in the world (its size remains a matter of debate) as well as the largest Gothic church.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Oviedo

30 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  17 minutes

Parliament building of the Principality of Asturias © flickr.com - vicenmiranda/cc-by-2.0

Parliament building of the Principality of Asturias © flickr.com – vicenmiranda/cc-by-2.0

Oviedo (Asturian: Uviéu) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located approximately 24 ;km (15 mi) southwest of Gijón and 23 km (14 mi) south of Avilés, both of which lie on the shoreline of the Bay of Biscay. Oviedo’s proximity to the ocean of less than 30 kilometres (19 mi) in combination with its elevated position with areas of the city more than 300 metres above sea level causes the city to have a maritime climate, in spite of it not being located on the shoreline itself.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Langreo

29 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Astur1

© Astur1

Langreo (Asturian: Llangréu) is a municipality and town of northern Spain, province of The Principality of Asturias. It is the 4th largest town of Asturias with 43.000 inhabitants. Langreo is located in the centre of Asturias, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Oviedo. It was an important mining and metallurgical center. In the neighbourhood fruit and cider are produced, and there are still important coal mines, foundries, and factories for the manufacture of coarse cloth. The largest town is Langreo (43,000 inhabitants), formed by the most important districts: La Felguera (20.000), Sama (10.000), and Riaño, Ciaño, Lada and Barros.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Corvera de Asturias

28 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Elmolin

© Elmolin

Corvera de Asturias (Asturian: Corvera) is a municipality in the principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It shares a boundary to the north with Avilés and Gozón; to the east with Carreño and Gijón; to the south with Llanera and Illas and to the west with Castrillón. Its capital, Nubledo, has a population of more than 300 residents.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Avilés

27 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Calle Galiana © flickr.com - Ángel M. Felicísimo/cc-by-2.0

Calle Galiana © flickr.com – Ángel M. Felicísimo/cc-by-2.0

Avilés is a town in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main cities in the Principality of Asturias. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than 140 metres. Situated in the Avilés estuary, in the Northern Central area of the Asturian coast, west of Peñas Cape, is its national seaport. Avilés is mainly an industrial city. It is close to popular beaches like Salinas. It also has important churches like St. Thomas of Canterbury. Avilés has the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre (in Spanish: Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer).   read more…

Portrait: Juan Carlos I, King Emeritus of Spain

27 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  14 minutes

Abdictation of King Juan Carlos I © Ministry of the Presidency. Government of Spain

Abdictation of King Juan Carlos I © Ministry of the Presidency. Government of Spain

Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from November 1975 until his abdication in June 2014. In Spain, since his abdication, Juan Carlos has usually been referred to as the Rey Emérito (“King Emeritus“).   read more…

Theme Week Asturias – Pola de Siero

26 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Anual/cc-by-3.0

© Anual/cc-by-3.0

Pola de Siero (in Asturian and as official name La Pola Siero, and also known as La Pola colloquially) is a town in the autonomous community of Asturias on the north coast of the Kingdom of Spain. It is the administrative capital of the municipality (concejo) of Siero. Pola de Siero is located in the centre of Asturias, approximately 16 km east of the regional Capital Oviedo and 16 km south of Gijón.   read more…

Theme Week Asturias

25 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, Environment, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  21 minutes

Gijon © Labé/cc-by-sa-3.0

Gijon © Labé/cc-by-sa-3.0

Asturias, officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the province of Asturias and contains some of the territory that was part of the larger Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages. Divided into eight comarcas (counties), the autonomous community of Asturias is bordered by Cantabria to the east, by León (Castile and León) to the south, by Lugo (Galicia) to the west, and by the Bay of Biscay (Cantabrian sea) to the north. Asturias is situated in a mountainous setting with vast greenery and lush vegetation, making it part of Green Spain. The region has a maritime climate. It receives plenty of annual rainfall and little sunshine by Spanish standards and has very moderated seasons, most often averaging in the lower 20s celsius. Heatwaves are rare due to mountains blocking southerly winds. Winters are very mild for the latitude, especially near sea level. Asturias is also home of the Princess of Asturias Awards. The paleolithic art in the caves of Asturias is declared World Heritage Site with the Paleolithic Art of Northern Spain.   read more…

Theme Week Madrid – Plaza Mayor

26 December 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Veronika Bashak/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Veronika Bashak/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of Madrid, the capital of Spain. It was once the centre of Old Madrid,. It was first built (1580–1619) during the reign of Philip III. Only a few blocks away is another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is for the people of Madrid and tourists to shop, walk around, eat, and enjoy the outdoors. There is a bronze statue of King Philip III at the center of the square, created in 1616 by Jean Boulogne and Pietro Tacca. Giambologna‘s equestrian statue of Philip III dates to 1616, but it was not placed in the center of the square until 1848. The statue was a gift from the Duke of Florence at that time. It was Queen Isabel II ordered to move it from Casa de Campo to become the centerpiece of the Plaza Mayor.   read more…

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