Spain Travel News 03/24/2011

She is already a high-profile character in both the art world and the prensa rosa, and today Tita Cervera, more formally known as the Baronesa Thyssen Bornemisza, former beauty queen, now one of the world’s foremost art collectors, came to Malaga to open her new museum. And it really is hers – the paintings are from her own personal collection, amassed over the past 30 years, and the museum is called Museo Carmen Thyssen – she’s even more personally name-tagged than Mr Guggenheim; she’s Spain’s JP Getty.

The Minister for Employment, Valeriano Gómez, thinks there is little more black economy in Spain than in other countriesValeriano Gómez – Photo EFE

The Spanish Government has announced a new plan to attack the country’s submerged or black economy. It’s one of the obligations being placed on Spain by Brussels

Spain, a country dripping with culture and bursting with history, has so much to offer for the culture vultures. To completely immerse yourself in the Spanish culture, take your pick from the plethora of cultural activities on offer, from ancient sports to traditional dances to local festivals. Whether you are just visiting for a weekend or a month, you can easily add these cultural activities to your itinerary in Spain and dig a little deeper into the Iberian culture.

Home to some of the world’s most famous culinary delights—think paella and sangria!—Spain has good reason to be crowned the culinary capital of the world. From good old-fashioned tapas to creative nouveau cuisine, Spanish gastronomy is as diverse as it is extensive.

The Juan Carlos I Royal Marina in the Port of Valencia will be base camp for the TP52 World Championship 2010. This point in the Mediterranean will be welcoming the crew members of an elite flotilla featuring some of the best sailors of our time.

These sailors will be battling it out to steal the title away from the reigning world champion Alberto Roemmers. Ten teams from nine different countries have already signed up to the 2010 edition.

Finally, Spring is here! Back home, Spring is usually a slightly warmer but equally wet and gray time of the year, but here in southern Spain? The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and I’m counting down the days until I can lay out on the beach (usually possible in April!) Okay, I also know it’s warming up outside because a mosquito bit me (on the face!) twice in my sleep last night and my crazy neighbors are getting louder (coming out of hibernation, perhaps?!) Moving on…

So what else do I adore about Spring other than the weather and it being the perfect time to travel? It makes for great photography. Enjoy a few of my favorite shots from springtime in Europe:

When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. But, even with the help of Jiminy, a cricket who the fairy assigns to be Pinocchio's conscience, the marionette goes astray. He joins a puppet show instead of going to school, he lies instead of telling the truth, and he travels to Pleasure Island instead of going straight home. Yet, when Pinocchio discovers that a whale has swallowed Geppetto, the puppet single-mindedly journeys into the ocean and selflessly risks his life to save his father, thereby displaying that he deserves to be a real boy.

For many Barcelona is inextricably linked with the work of Anton Gaudí. People from all over the world visit the city to wonder at his highly original organic buildings and sculptures. Barcelona wouldn’t be the same without these iconic works.
Looking beyond Gaudí Barcelona has a selection of other permanent more modern sculptural works that have been significant in defining new periods and adorning public spaces in the city. Sometimes it’s easy to pass by the open air gallery that is Barcelona so keep your eyes peeled the next time you wander its streets and ´plazas’. Here are some worth checking out.

IT wouldn’t have bothered Bond.
But it was a bit of a bore for Aston Martin when rain and hail washed out the worldwide launch of two of their new cars in Andalucia.
The company – made famous by the James Bond movies – chose the mountain town of Ronda for the second time to showcase the new Virage and Vantage S supercars.
The only dampener was keeping the 150 journalists who had flown in from around the world dry.

Here in Spain it’s very popular to rent a rural house (casa rural) for the weekend or week, and spend time with family and friends in the countryside. This casa rural tradition is especially popular with city-slickers who need to get away from it all. Barasoian, however, is not really the countryside, but an authentic Spanish village with about 500 people calling it home.