Barcelona has has a superb location on the Mediterranean, a vibrant street life, fascinating Gaudi architectures, superb cuisine and a world famous football team. The perfect city for a long weekend. In a weekend you’ll get a taste for the magnificent capital of Catalonia which will have you wanting to return over and over again. And why not with budget airlines offering great deals into Barcelona airport all year round and the easy accessibility of Girona airport to the north.

Best place to stay is near the Ramblas and in the Gothic Quarter so the most important places are not far away: Gaudi’s masterpiece, the unfinished Sagrada Família Cathedral, and Parc Güell in the north, etc.

In the evening there are plenty cafés and restaurants around the Ramblas but you might like to head down to the harbour to dine at Port Olímpic or in a traditional paella restaurant in the La Barceloneta area.

Source: Spanish Fiestas

During the summer season, when the beaches are the chief popular getaways for both locals and tourists, expect the scenario to be a little bit more frenzied. However, this is the best time to gain new friends and also to flaunt that stylish beachwear that you have been longing to put on. But then again, there may be times that you need not have the best beach get-up, as being topless is utterly acceptable in some of the beaches. Don’t forget to put on some sunblock though!

Lifeguards are present usually only during summer, particularly in the bigger beaches. The smaller beaches do not have lifeguards, but there is no need to worry as the beaches are generally safe and with tranquil waters. Safe swimming areas are marked by beacons. The available beach facilities are usually stated on billboards at the entrance of each resort.

So, plan your own beach holiday now and escape the busy city life for a short while. Work on having that auburn complexion while enjoying the golden sands and the crystal clear blue waters of Minorca beaches.

Son Bou
Son Bou is the longest beach in Minorca, stretching for around 3 kilometers. The beach is a favorite spot for swimming and sunbathing due to its calm waters and fine sand. It is also a popular place for windsurfing and water slides. There are also bars and hotels to be found nearby and the ruins of a Minorca Christian place of worship is situated at the eastern limit of the Son Bou beach.

Els Canutells
Els Canutells beach boasts of its golden sand and outstanding swimming area. It is to be found at the last part of a narrow, charmingly sheltered cove that cuts deep into the island of Minorca

Cala Binisafuller
Cala Binisafuller is to be found sandwiched between Punta Prima and Cap d’ En Font, and it measures around 40 meters or 130 feet. For the most part, this particular seashore is mainly used by tourists with accommodations at the nearby hotels.

Cala Binibeca
Cala Binibeca is a broad and spacious seashore and is to be found close to Binibeca Vell. There is a car park and a restaurant nearby.

Cala Alcaufar
Cala Alcaufar is to be found on the south east coast of Minorca, and runs along the bay.

Punta Prima
Punta Prima is also one of the most glamorous beaches on the island of Minorca. Punta Prima conceits of its fine white sand, splendid vistas, and contemporary amenities. There are bars, shops, and a car park nearby as well.

Cala en Porter
Cala en Porter beach in Alaior , Minorca is a contemporary beach with all the facilities of an established resort, including beach bars and easy parking.

Sant Tomás
Sant Tomás beach is a lengthy, narrow of soft white sand with hills as backdrop. There are beach bars in the resort, plus good parking area. Water sport facilities are also available.

Cala Mitjana
Cala Mitjana is a privately owned coast to be found down a small roadway off the main thoroughfare from Ferreries to Cala Galdana. It has a heavenly bay that faces the south, bound by impressive wooded cliffs. Parking space is available for a small fee.

Cala Galdana
Cala Galdana is located in Ferreries, Minorca and is more popularly known as the “Queen of the Calas.” Its alias is totally justified due to the attractive pine trees that line along the bay. The beach is also equipped with all the contemporary facilities a resort is supposed to have. It also has bars, restaurants and water sports to complete your beach holiday.

Cala Macarella
Cala Macarella is to be found in Ciutadell, Minorca. It has a beach bar and a scenic view to delight yourself with. They also have sunbeds and other facilities for rent. This coast can be reached by car from the outer circle road at Ciudadela, or by foot from Cala Galdana.

Arenal de Son Saura
This beautiful cozy cove called Arenal de Son Saura can be found in Ciutadella. It conceits of its fine white sand and private, relaxing ambience. Parking space is available.

Son Xoriguer and Cala’n Bosch
These two small beaches both have pure white sand and crystal clear waters. Both beaches are slowly gaining popularity due to the growing number of people who engage in water sports in these areas. Perfect beaches in every sense of the word, Son Xoriguer and Cala’n Bosch can easily be reached and provide sufficient parking space available.

Cala Pregonda
Cala Pregonda is to be found at the western part of Fornells. This coastline is simply stunning and is wonderfully bordered by pines and tamarisk. The beached can easily be reached, even with just a short walk from Binimella.

Source: Menorca Travel Guide

Paradors are luxury hotels which are mainly housed in ancient buildings such as medieval castles, Arab fortresses, monasteries, ancient manor houses and palaces. All of them have been refurbished and operate to the highest modern standards. They are luxurious places to stay combining outstanding architecture with fascinating history, gourmet cuisine, ambience and impeccable service. They are truly unique places to stay.

The idea of converting such historic buildings into state run hotels dates back to 1926 when King Alfonso XIII gave his support to the idea of rescuing and restoring landmark sites in Spain as well as promoting tourism in lesser known parts of the country.
The first Parador opened in the Gredos mountains to the west of Madrid in 1928. Today there are 91 paradors located al over Spain of which roughly a third are historic buildings. The others are tastefully designed lodgings constructed in styles befitting their regions, often located in picturesque villages or idyllic coastal
spots.

Because there are now so many Paradors spread throughout Spain it is possible to plan a whole holiday around them. Particular routes that are recommended include the land of Don Quijote, a tour of Andalucia’s white villages, discovering the Pyrenees and a journey along the pilgrim’s trail of the Camino de Santiago. Such routes are recommended on the official Parador website.

Source: Hike Now

Murcia in Spain

Cathedral of Murcia

This is definitely one great landmark to see whenever in Murcia , and it has become the city’s symbol because of its amazing tower that can be seen even you’re miles away. This Cathedral situated at the Plaza del Cardinal Belluga possess several access doors, each of them having a distinct majestic character. The Puerta del Perdon (main entrance), Portada de las Cadenas (north door), and Portada de los Apostoles will lead the way into the remarkable capilla (chapel) which is embellished with lots of gold. There is also a Diocesan museum inside the Cathedral wherein many ornaments and artifacts are on exhibit. For amazing views of the cityscape, go up the 92 meter tower which was started in the year 1519 but not finished until the 18th century.

Bishop’s Palace

The Bishop’s Palace placed in close proximity to the Cathedral . It was constructed in 1748, and it has two fantastic facades to witness. Furthermore, its innermost patio, focal stairway, Bishop’s Balcony , known as “El Martillo,” and the Palace chapel should also be seen.

Glorieta de España

The Glorieta is positioned not far from the Cathedral and near the River Segura which runs through the city. It is a pleasant place to unwind in after shopping or visiting the attractions in Murcia. From this spot, there are also lots of other attractions to visit.
The Convent Church of Santa Ana is an 18th century place of worship and is the third church that was built on this location, the first church built in 1490. To maximize your visit, it is a must to try the freshly baked pastries, baked by the nuns, the Sisters of the Enclosed Order. They serve the goods through a gyratory hatch.

The Church of San Miguel stands on the site of an earlier church. The 18th century church has wonderful colored altar pieces.

The Almudi Art Palace was constructed in 1602 and was previously the storage space for the community’s corn harvest, collected as tithes. It was put back into better working condition in 1985, and it now houses the art center and city archives.

Source:  Travel Guides Directory

The Toledo tourism and tourist information office is situated just outside Toledo’s main gate and provides useful information on tourist attractions, popular sights and opening hours. There is also a smaller tourism and tourist information office close to the town hall. Some of the top attractions in Toledo includes the magnificent cathedral - housing some beautiful stained glass, delicate wood, stone sculptures and a large collection of paintings, El Alcázar (The Alcázar of Toledo) - a fort that was founded almost 1,000 years ago, Museo de Santa Cruz (Holy Cross Museum) - with a large art collection including a wide selection of El Greco and the Museo de Taller del Moro (The Taller del Moro Museum) - with interesting information about the construction of Toledo cathedral.
Toledo is situated near to Madrid, the capital of Spain, and is full of many charming narrow, winding streets which are almost like a labyrinth. Most of the Toledo hotels are located at the Plaza de Zocodover, which is known as Zoco to the locals, and there are also a good number of excellent restaurants and bars in this area of Toledo.

The diverse architectural styles that traverse the centuries from Gothic to Baroque have benefited from the city’s ties to the Christians, Moors and Jews. Boasting a plethora of fine arts including works by El Greco, Goya and Velaquez, Toledo is one of Europe’s most visited sites and very accessible on foot.

Source: World Guides

The Museum of Modern Arts was created by the Diputació of Tarragona in 1976 with the purpose of preserving and showing its artistic patrimony. The Diputació collections were actually started at the beginning of the sixties, upon acquiring all the works by the sculptor Julio Antonio that had been kept by his sisters. From that time on, and with the advic of Lluís M. Saumells, director of the School of Arts of Tarragona other collections were purchased, namely those by the sculptors Santiago Costa i Vaqué, Salvador Martorell i Ollé and the painter Josep Sancho i Piqué. Since 1943, yearly at first, and biyearly later on, the Diputació awarded the Julio Antonio Prize of Sculpture and the Josep Tapiró Prize od Painting, eeping the winnimh works. Some of them were kept as deposits in other institutions, and, at one time, some were sold for reasons unknown. All in all, and for the most part, the winning works have been displayed in the Diputació premises. In 1976, and following the moving of the Workshop and School of Arts From Santa Anna St. to its new location in Sant Pere Sescelades, part of the Casa Martí, the previous seat of the school was made aviable.

Source: Spain-Guides

Balearic Islands

There are piano bars to go to if you opt for a more subdued atmosphere. The English-run nightclubs tend to be larger and more contemporary. Bars are open the whole day serving coffee and tea as well as other munchies to satisfy your craving. They cater to a general clientele and people of all ages. These establishments usually wait for the last customer to leave, and then that is the only time that they will close. Discos meanwhile don’t usually open until at least 11:00 pm.
There is also the option of doing something completely new on your Menorcan holiday too - amongst the island’s exciting hotspots are a selection of glamorous casinos in Spain. Here you can enjoy Spain’s juegos de casino, having the opportunity to win some more holiday spends - maybe even enough for another trip or some island hopping! To give yourself the best chance of doing this, put the practice in beforehand - organised nights with friends and family or at home, online. Playing online can help you learn the game or help sharpen already hot skills - and ready you for impressing your friends on holiday nights out!

Nou Bar (in Calle Nou 1)
This bar proves that modern architecture does not have it all. This bar is probably frequented by the locals who are after the cozy hometown atmosphere, an ambience that continues to be reminiscent of the earlier days. The Nou Bar is a shabby ground floor café with unkempt armchairs. Nevertheless, it is still a favorite place of the Menorca locals to have a drink or two.

Bar Akelarre (in Moll de Ponent 41)
If you are looking for bubbly music or live singers to perk up your holiday night-outs while enjoying sips of wine, this is the place to go to. Bar Akelarre is one of the island’s most stylish and contemporary bars. Its vaulted ground floor went through a major renovation and is now a bar positioned at the base of the old city fortification. At the rear end of this bar, there is a small lovely garden that serves as veranda.

Café Mo Blues (Calle Santiago Ramon I Cajal 3)
Café Mo Blues is a basement bar that plays easy jazz and the latest RnB tunes to satisfy its clientele who are mostly young professionals in the 20’s age bracket. Come to Café Mo Blues if you are looking for some wild and youthful fun.

Café Mares (Placa Conquesta)
Café Mares is to be found in a narrow passageway of Placa Conquesta. The place offers panoramic views of the port. This smart café bar, with its modern furnishings and pastel painted walls, is one of the most popular spots amongst the locals.

Latitude 40
The Latitude 40 Bar boasts of their wonderful staff that provides great service. The ambience that this bar has makes it a well-loved place, a top choice amongst boat owners even for late night drinking sprees.

Mambo
There is just too much to enjoy in the Mambo Bar. This bar serves the best Mojito in the whole of Menorca and their mixed drinks also live up to their unequalled reputation. The outdoor veranda of this bar also is a great place to hang out, especially during the summer season. Add the playing of great music, this bar will surely top the charts of night strollers.

Jazzbah
Jazzbah is considered to be one of the hippest night spots in the island of Menorca. It is located at the Placa de Sant Joan in Ciutadella. Cool music radiates every night from this establishment, which is certainly one of the reasons why Jazzbah is frequented by many locals and tourists.

Source: about Menorca

Source: Sol.com

Every other weekend when FC Barcelona play at home in their 98,000 seater stadium there are thousands of visitors in Barcelona from all over the world who have arrived specifically to see a game in this magnificent stadium. For some matches you can buy tickets in Barcelona for games but on many occasions there aren’t tickets available to the general public on the few days preceeding the match so it’s a good idea to buy tickets online before travelling to avoid disappointment.
Barcelona FC Kick-Off Times
League matches are played on Saturdays and Sundays though the day and time is only confirmed a little over a week before the game so if you do buy tickets make sure that you’re in Barcelona between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning as games can be at various hours between late Saturday afternoon and Sunday night. Check the Spanish Football Association website to get confirmation of kick off days and times by selecting “Calendario” then the date of the weekend of your visit. European Champions League matches always kick off locally on a Tuesday or Wednesday night at 8.45pm.
Getting Tickets for FC Barcelona
Here are the main ways of getting hold of match tickets:

1. Buy your tickets in advance from Spanish Fiestas and have them delivered to your hotel reception. These tickets are provided by a fully bonded travel agency that is an official agent of FC Barcelona. Buying from this source is totally guaranteed and gives you total peace of mind to the point that we even provide an emergency local phone number (902-903-912) in case you have any problems on arrival.

2. Phone the club (+34.93 496 36 00) in advance to find out exactly when the tickets will go on sale and queue at the ticket office (taquillas) on Travessera de les Corts before the taquillas open.

3. Wait at the entrance gates on the afternoon of the game and ask if anyone has extra tickets. This does sometimes work as members sell off their friend’s ticket who couldn’t make the game.

4. Try your luck with the ticket touts who usually stand in front of the ticket office on the day the tickets go on sale and on matchday. Not recommended as the language barrier often means you get ripped off excessively with high prices and seats located in a different place than you were promised.

5. A few of the city’s upmarket hotels have been known to have access to tickets (at a price). Try the reception at the Hotel Colón (Avenida de la Catedral, 7).

6. Some last minute tickets go on sale at the Easy Jet internet café on the Ramblas.
Getting to the Nou Camp Stadium
Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium lies about 3km north west of the Ramblas. If you book your tickets with Spanish Fiestas return transport is provided to the match from the bottom of the Ramblas. The Metro service is by far the best public transport option on match day although bus and taxi services are also available.

(1) By Metro

If you’re staying near the Ramblas you can get on the green Metro line 3 at Plaça de Catalunya or at Liceu (right outside the Opera House and on the same side of the Ramblas) heading in the direction of Zona Universitaria. Get off at Maria Cristina Leaving the underground by the exit marked “Sortida: Av. Diagonal”. As you come out of this exit you will see two huge black towers owned by La Caixa on the other side of the road. Keep them to your left and walk about 200m along Avinguda Diagonal where you’ll see a road sign for FC Barcelona and Joan XXIII.On the other side of the road you’ll see the Hotel Princesa Sofia. Cross the main road (the Avinguda Diagonal) here and take a left after the hotel heading down Joan XIII. You will see the stadium about 200m ahead of you. Some fans prefer to get off at Les Corts which is slightly closer, just follow the crowd.
After the match with thousands of people looking for transport the metro is by far the best way to get back to the Ramblas area if that’s where you’re staying. You can get a beer at a bar on the way to the station to let the crowds die down a little as the Metro operates until 2am.

(2) By Bus

The following bus lines serve the Nou Camp Stadium: 7, 15, 43, 67, 68, 74, 75, L12, L50, L60 and L62, however, with all the traffic on match days it’s a much better idea to use the very fast and efficient Metro system.

(3) By Taxi

A taxi to the stadium from around the Ramblas area shouldn’t cost more than €12, however, the traffic can be so bad that the meter creeps up even further. After the game there are no taxis available for a long time after the final whistle and all the streets near the Nou Camp are packed with traffic making the Metro the best public transport option.

Source: Spanish Fiestas

So, in Spain, the fight is divided into three acts.

Act 1: Is designed to size up the bull and wear him down.  With help from his assistants, the matador (killer) attracts the bull with the shake of the cape, then directs the animal past his body, as close as his bravery allows.  The bull sees only things in motion and in red.  After a few passes, the ‘picadores’ enter, mounted on horseback. to spear the swollen lump on muscle at the back of the bull’s neck.  This tests the bull, while the matador watches studiously.  It also lowers the bull’s head and weakens the thrust of his thorns.
Act 2: The matador’s assistants (banderilleros) continue to enrage and weaken the bull.  They plunge brightly colored barbed sticks into the bull’s vital neck muscle.  The barbes have hooks in them which will not come out unless forced through backwards (like a fish hook).
Act 3:  The ‘matador’ tries to dominate and tire the bull.  The matador thrusts a sword between the animal’s shoulder blades for the kill. This is the ‘coup de grasse’ or the kill shot.  A good kill is swift, a poor kill is long.  (If you have ever seen a good shot, the bull drops immediately to the ground like the crock hunter after a sting-ray shot)

So in Portugal, things are different!

In Portugal, the bull is not killed in the ring.  The Portuguese practice a system called the “Portuguese corrida de touros” which in many respects is different from the Spanish style.  The Portuguese style has four main figures.  Here is how it goes:

Act 1:  Cavaleiro - A horseman (rider), dressed in traditional 18th century costumes fights the bull from horseback. The horses are Portuges Lusitanians, specially trained for the fights. These horses are usually skilled in dressage, and may exhibit their art in the arena. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four ‘bandarilhas’ in the back of the bull. Horseback bullfighters are frequently members of old aristocratic families.
Act 2:  Forcados - are a group of eight men who challenge the bull directly, without any protection or weapon of defense. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a ‘pega de cara or pega de caras’ (face catch). The front man secures the animal’s head (usually it is a violent choke) and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued.  Ok, this is the way messed up part of the Portuguese bullfight.  In normal speak, a guy jumps on the bull between it’s horn straight on.  When he is exactly between his horns, his boys jump on the bull and drag it down, Compton style.
Act 3:  Matadores - Same as the Spanish matadores, but they do not kill the bull in the end. They tire out the bull.
Act 4:  Bandarilheiros - These men with capes are the matador’s and/or cavaleiro’s helpers in the arena.

So, big differences you would notice as a tourist:

Spain: They kill the bull, and you see it.  It is speared by the ‘matidor’ with a sword through the shoulerblades, it’s graphic, and I assure you. (Specifically, in July, you can attend a world famous spectacle, the Sanfermines in Pamplona.)

Portugal:  They taunt the bull but don’t kill it in your view. Some jerk-off jumps on the bull with his buds and pulls him down.  In the end, it dies none-the-less.  Much better?  Who cares.

Source: the Astronomicon