Spain hopes to speed up Turkey's EU talks

Spain, which has assumed the rotating EU presidency, hopes to speed up Turkey's passage toward European Union membership, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Friday.

He said he hoped to open talks on another four of the 35 policy chapters that all EU candidate nations must successfully negotiate prior to membership.

Madrid has long backed Turkey's entry into the EU, a move opposed by heavyweights like France and Germany, which have proposed a "privileged partnership" between the bloc and the mainly Muslim country rather than full EU membership.

"We have four chapters in mind, and we hope to open them," Moratinos told reporters in Madrid.

The biggest hurdle to Turkey's EU membership is its lack of relations with Greek Cyprus.

Eight chapters remain totally blocked due to Ankara's failure to open its borders to EU-member Greek Cyprus.

Greek Cyprus itself has reserved the right to block six others.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey intervened in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the island with Greece.

"We are trying to get some progress in the talks" on Cyprus, said Moratinos.

"We know it's a very tricky issue, but I hope the negotiations about the future of the island will present some results, some openings," he added.

Spain will hold the EU presidency for the first six months of this year, making Moratinos' plan seem at least ambitious.

All the negotiators in the Cyprus talks, including Turkey and Greece, "are aware of the timing factor," Moratinos stressed, referring to elections to be hold in April in the island's Turkish north, when partisan hardliners could win the day.

Last month, Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and his Greek counterpart Dimitris Christofias agreed to intensify the United Nations-led peace process in efforts to reunify the long-divided island this year.

Source:hurriyetdailynews.com/

Italy - Minister Frattini in phone calls to his Spanish and Mauritanian counterparts to discuss the kidnapping of Italian nationals

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini spoke today on the phone with his Mauritanian colleague, Naha Mint Mouknass. The Mauritanian Foreign Minister assured Frattini of his full cooperation in the search being conducted by his country’s security organisations for the kidnapped Italian nationals.

Minister Frattini also spoke with his Spanish colleague, Miguel Angel Moratinos, who offered his country’s support through its embassies in Mauritania and Mali.

Minister Frattini expressed his deep gratitude to his two colleagues. He also confirmed his determination to maintain the utmost media reserve on the operational instructions issued and the contacts being established in the region by the competent institutions. This is to ensure the safety of the kidnapped Italian citizens.

The Foreign Ministry will also refrain from issuing news to the media on any analysis and assessment regarding the place where the van was found in a region very near the border with Mali. This desert area is fairly distant from the north-south route between Mauritania and Burkina Faso which, it seems, was the kidnapped couple’s intended destination.

The authorities are pursuing all possible contacts and information that might further their investigations and help them take the appropriate action to obtain the release of our fellow nationals.

Source:isria.com/

Spanish Inquisition: Is It All Downhill From Here For Barcelona

As the Blaugrana return home to celebrate their sixth title this year, Goal.com’s KS Leong explores the wise old saying that what goes up, must come down.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but the future does look rather bleak for Barcelona... but in a good, complimentary kind of way. And besides they were coach, Pep Guardiola’s own words, not mine.

But the former midfield maestro turned prodigy coach does have a very valid point. And he is making those declarations as a pre-emptive measure to play down any expectations from fans and critics that the team will effortlessly waltz away with 12 titles in 2010. Not that that’s possible, even for the wizards and magicians of Camp Nou, but you get the gist of what he’s trying to do.

Everyone at the Barca camp, including Pep himself, had remarked that it would be near impossible to repeat the kind of success that the club attained over the past 12 months.

Everything that Barcelona do from here on out, whether it’s Guardiola’s team or a completely different squad five, ten years down the line, will always be compared to the history-makers of 2009. Real Madrid had to live in the shadows of the Alfredo Di Stefano-led glory era from the 50’s and 60’s for a long time, while Milan had to contend with their own achievements from the 80’s. More recently, Arsenal have had to cope with a barrage of condemnation because the current young stars are struggling to revive the team of ‘Invincibles’ from the 2003/04 season when they won the league title without losing a single game.

Even now, Barca are drawing critique after critique for their performances, simply because they do not look as vibrant and as exhilarating as they did last season, eventhough they are still playing beautiful, possession football and getting the required results. One can only guess just how much they will be slandered and disparaged should they walk away with only the Copa del Rey in 2010.

The fact of the matter is, their achievements in 2009 do not need to be topped or even replicated. There’s no official rule in football saying that a club must win the same amount of titles or more one year after the other to join the annals of the all-time greats. The class of 2008/09 won the sextuple and it will be this group of players who will be recognised as the immortals of their generation.

But football, as with all things in life, doesn’t quite work like that. People will celebrate and embrace Barca’s unprecedented success, but in the long run, it is ultimately failure that will be remembered and revisited the most.

Which of these two games will people bring to light more often in the future: the 6-1 mauling of Real Zaragoza or the 2-1 home defeat to Rubin Kazan in the Champions League?



The bar has also been raised monumentally not just for the Blaugrana, but for the next administration who will take over Joan Laporta’s reign. It will be even tougher for Guardiola. There is absolutely nothing he can do that will top his outrageous achievements in his first 18-monts at the job. Such is the exaltation that has been showered on Pep that if and when he chooses to leave Catalunya to coach a different club abroad, he will forever have to carry the six winners’ medas around his neck wherever he goes, and be expected to deliver the same level of success, whether it will be at Roma, Brescia or Rubin Kazan.

While the harshest of critics will demand that Barcelona go on to win another six titles in the new year before they can be convinced that Guardiola’s Drean Team II are a champion outfit, there’s a small part inside the rest of us who do not want the Calatan behemoths to duplicate another hextuple-winning campaign.

Records are meant to be broken and the history books are there to be written on, but it’s always more unique and treasured when a crowning achievement is accomplished only once. If it happens to often and repeated too frequently, the allure and the myth will disappear.

And if everything does go downhill from here for Barca, they will always have 2009.

Source:goal.com

Real Madrid signs Marko Jaric from Grizzlies for rest of Spanish league season

MADRID, Spain — Real Madrid has signed former NBA player Marko Jaric for the remainder of the Spanish league season.

The six-foot-seven guard has not played for the Memphis Grizzlies this season.

Jaric will be reunited with coach Ettore Messina nine years after they helped Kinder Bologna win Euroleague and Italian league titles.

Jaric then made the jump to the NBA, where he averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 assists in seven seasons. He spent three years with the Los Angeles Clippers and three more with the Minnesota Timberwolves before moving to Memphis last season, where he averaged 2.5 points in 53 appearances.

Jaric, 31, was a member of then-Yugoslavia's world championship-winning team in 2002

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i0fnmuilyXoI50Zj6V8Q0yBPF_Lw

Art & Architecture At Its Best – Tailor-made Holidays In Spain

Spain may conjure up pictures of sunloungers, sandcastles and beer, but arguably the best thing about the country is its incredible collection of art. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Diego Velazquez were all born here, and a luxury holiday in Spain, tailor-made to explore the best of Spanish art, is the ideal way to explore this country’s impressive galleries and remarkable architecture.

If you want to sample the best of Spanish art, you can’t go wrong with a luxury holiday in Spain’s capital, Madrid or a short break to Bilbao to take in its magnificent Guggenheim Museum. Alternatively you could take a tailor-made holiday to Spain’s artistic and architectural mecca, Barcelona, perhaps incorporating a stay in a luxury Spanish villa.

Madrid

If you’re looking for the right location for an absorbing luxury holiday in Spain, Madrid is considered one of the top European destinations for visiting galleries. The Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado, has three galleries within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

First of all, there is the Prado Museum, with its unsurpassed collection of paintings by Baroque artists Velázquez and Goya. The Prado is the most famous of the three. The other two museums are the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum, where Picasso's Guernica hangs. For anyone interested in modern art, a tailor-made holiday to Spain would be incomplete without a viewing of this dark masterpiece.

Barcelona

Luxury holidays in Spain’s magical city of Barcelona are hugely popular, one of the main reasons being its extensive range of fabulous art galleries. Stay in a boutique hotel near to the famous Ramblas, or spread out in a luxury Spanish villa, and embark on a tour of all the best exhibitions.

Among the best of the modern art galleries are the Fundació Joan Miró, the Picasso Museum and the Fundació Antoni, and the Museu Picasso features many of Picasso's early works. The Dali Museum is a short train journey from Barcelona and an important addition to a tailor-made holiday in Spain.

But the most visible art to be seen in Barcelona is in the design of its buildings. The highly original and fabulous work of architect Antoni Gaudi can be seen and explored throughout the city., but Gaudi’s best-known building is the immense but still unfinished church, the Sagrada Familia. This elaborate building, which looks like something out of a fairy tale, is a must see for any art holiday in Spain. Tailor-made itineraries should also include Gaudi’s wonderful Park Guell and Casa Mila building.

Bilbao

Bilbao was not a traditional destination for holidays in Spain, luxury or otherwise, until what is now the most recognisable feature of Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum, opened in 1997. Built in shiny titanium, this fantastic building houses an unmatched collection of 20th century art, which rotates between Bilbao, Venice and New York.

US architect Frank Gehry based the design of the Guggenheim on the shapes of a fish and a boat, two important elements in the history of this former industrial city, whose chief activities were shipbuilding and fishing. The museum has injected new life into the city and tourists from all over the world are now flocking to take luxury holidays in Spain’s new area of cultural interest, Bilbao.

As well as being home to the famous Guggenheim Museum, the city’s Fine Arts Museum is recognised as one of the finest art galleries in Spain. A tailor-made holiday to Bilbao should include a visit to this highly prestigious gallery, which has over six thousand paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings and objects from the 12th century to the present day.

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlelibrary.com

Essential Things To Do When You Visit Barcelona

Barcelona is such a breathtaking city. If you are planning to target European cities as a vacation spot, Catalonia’s capital and Spain’s second largest city should be on the top of your visit list. Here, you have numerous beautiful places to see and explore and you will have a lot of activities to engage in to make the trip worth your while.

During your stay in this beautiful city, don’t miss out on visiting some of Antonio Gaudi’s world famous creations like the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (Holy Family Cathedral) which is one of Gaudi’s biggest buildings that is still unfinished even up to this day. The most popular park in Barcelona which is the Park Güell is also one of his designs. It has been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site. You can find here the famous dragon as well as unique monuments of unconventional shape and design. A spectacular view of the city can be seen from its terrace. The park is free for the public to visit and is open every day.

A visit to Picasso Museum at the center of the city will mystify and amaze you with some of Picasso’s famous works. A must visit also is the Maritime Museum. An art enthusiast can find dozens of museums in Barcelona.

Try taking a walk through the lively street of La Rambla. You can make a stop at the second largest opera theatre called “el Liceu.” This area is a popular place to dine, shop and most especially do some sightseeing.

If beaches are your thing, Barcelona has several to offer. Playa la Barcelona is just ten minutes away from central Barcelona. You could also opt for Sitges Beach which is outside the city.

For a visit to Gothic monuments, take a stopover at Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter). This place is filled with squares of bars and cafes with a busy market at its heart. If you visit the square on a Sunday you will get a chance to see some dancers perform a traditional Catalonian Dance called sardana.

If you are looking for leisure time visit some of Barcelona’s attraction parks like the one in Tibidabo or experience a three dimensional movie in IMAX Barcelona. If you have the extra time you can take a train for a one hour trip to an amusement park called Universal’s Port Aventura in Tarragona, a city near Barcelona. Take a ride in their roller coaster or enjoy the different country themes (China, Mexico, Polynesia, Mediterranean, and the Far West) that the park is offering.

Barcelona is also home to Europe’s largest aquarium. Enjoy the experience of seeing marine creatures, fishes, water flowers and animal invertebrates.

For a good night out, Barcelona has a lot of restaurants and bars. A nice dinner coupled with a glass of sparkling cava (local champagne) will prove to be a romantic evening. Try roaming through Port Vell where you will find Maremagnum Center for an array of shops, restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars. The Ribera, St. Gervasi and Gracia should also be considered.

When in Barcelona don’t overlook taking a taste of their delectable Catalan cuisine. Try sampling the escudella, suquet de peix and their wide array of fish and seafood dishes. For dessert, try crema catalana (custard with a caramel crust) and mel i mató (cottage cheese and honey).

If you haven’t done your shopping check out Eixample for fashion shops and jewelry stores. The Pesseig de Gracia is also abounding with commercial galleries. You can also find two department stores with designer boutiques in the Diagonal area. In Placa de las Glories Catalanes is a flea market called Mercat de les Encants selling unique antiques and trinkets.

You will surely enjoy your Barcelona experience. Visit Barcelona!

Great Places To Stay In Barcelona

A most populous and the capital city of Catalonia – Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the major economic center. It is one of the most lively and elegant cities in the world. The city has much more to see and offer from the historical buildings to skyscrapers, beaches, parks and museums bars, restaurant and typical Catalan dishes. The city has the honor of having the second largest airport in Spain.

Barcelona has a very strong historical background. It is still astonishing that such a dynamic and modern city still preserves its history. The traces of it can be seen in the Museum, which houses many relics. As it has a Mediterranean type of climate with dry winters and warm, humid summers the best time to visit this place is in the onset of summer or spring.

The city has many commercial complexes around 68 municipal parks of which 6 are forest parks, 45 urban parks 12 historic parks and 5 thematic parks. The Montjuic Park is the largest one, which is situated on a mountain. The ciutadella Park has several museums, zoo and the parliament building. The park itself is built on an old military citadel.

Barcelona is known for its fashion fiesta, food and fun, the city sizzles with the events happening round the year, discotheques, concerts, Shows, bars. Night is buzzing in Barcelona with its vibrant and lively cultural activities and amusement. Beaches in Barcelona are most happening places.

The oldest and the most visited beaches are separated by other beaches from the Olympic port. These beaches have pristine beauty and panoramic view and are the most popular leisure spaces.

The tryst with the city is incomplete without seeing the museums. There are many museums, which cover many areas and time period. These museums give you the complete picture of the city, lifestyle, civilization of the past and the development in the present.

It has all the track records of the events in chronological order and the historical figures. Sports in Barcelona are the center of attraction and the first choice of every individual. The FC Barcelona is the world famous sports club well known for its football team all over the world. It has successful hosted several grand sports event of football world cup, XFINA world championship, Eurobasket and the most coveted event the Olympics. Being in this city you will experience the modernity with the tinge of ethnicity.

In the friendly hotels in Barcelona you will find the world-class accommodation and services. It is more due to the tourist-oriented nature of the city, that you can find a hotel that is suitable for every budget. Restaurants in Barcelona offer some of the finest delicacies that make their way from around the globe.

It is such an advantage for the international visitors that they can find the best of culinary from their continent right in the restaurants of the city. The luxury hotels in the city offer air-conditioned rooms, health clubs and spas, airport pickup and drop facility, car rentals and many more services. It is best to make prior reservations before making your way to the city to avoid last minute hassles

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlelibrary.com

Costa del Sol holiday attractions, activities & things to do

There is more to the Costa del Sol than just beach holidays. For family entertainment, the Costa del Sol has a huge range of holiday attractions and activities to keep the whole family happy and busy during your holiday stay in Andalucia.

ADVENTURE THEME PARKS
Isla Magica is an exciting and modern amusement park located in Seville. It is divided into seven themed areas centred on a lake, each representing a different episode in Spanish 16th century history. The seven areas are Port of the Indies, Amazonia, Pirates Cove, Gate to the Americas, Fountain of Youth, Eldorado and the Fury of the Gods.

Tivoli World in Benalmadena is one of the best amusement parks you will find in Spain. There are a host of attractions including an amusement park, funfair rides, water flume, wild-west theme town, open-air theatre and a mock Spanish plaza offering a host of shows overlooked with cafes and restaurants.

DOLPHIN WATCHING IN GIBRALTAR
Fantastic opportunity for photographing and getting close to up to 3 different species of dolphin, 7 species of whale, turtles and flying fish, while enjoying a cruise around the spectacular bay of Gibraltar. Gibraltar itself is a great place to visit and less than a 2 hour drive from Malaga International Airport.

MINI HOLLYWOOD
The desert hills of Almeria were the location for many of the famous Spaghetti Westerns such as A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More. It is now where you will find the Mini Hollywood near Tabernas on the A370. A full-blooded Western Theme Park with realistic sets, saloons and staged gunfights throughout the day.

NERJA CAVES
Discovered in 1959, the Caves of Nerja have become one of the most visited attractions in Andalucia and each summer hosts the spectacular Festival of Music and Dance. They are truly worth a visit to see nature's creation of the great hall with magnificent limestone designs, the centrepiece of many theatre productions.

RACE COURSE AT MIJAS HIPODROME
The Mijas Hipodromo on the Costa del Sol was the first racecourse to open in Spain for 25 years. There are two concentric tracks, floodlighting for nighttime racing, a grandstand for 5,000 spectators and trackside seating for a further 5,000 people. Knowing that many horse ridings are also dog lovers, there is a dog hotel available where you can leave your pets.

SCUBA DIVING
There are several scuba diving and PADI dive centres near Nerja on the Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical in southern Spain. There are PADI dive programs for all levels of divers and snorkelling trips from beginners to advanced divers.

WALKING AND HIKING IN ANDALUCIA
Andalucia is one of the best walking regions in Spain because it has everything to offer the seasoned and novice traveller. It has a great climate, one of the highest mountains in Europe, fantastic towns and cities full of history and culture. There are also wild unfrequented areas filled with dramatic scenery and some of the most interesting flora and fauna to be found anywhere in Spain.

WATER-PARKS
There are many water-parks on the Costa del Sol so you shouldn't have much difficulty finding one near your holiday resort. Water-parks are a great place to spend the whole day as a refreshing alternative to the beach.

Aquatropic water-park can be found next to Velilla beach in the town of Almunecar, on the Costa Tropical. The park offers an array of water slides including the firm favourites like the kamikaze & ring-rapids, with a range of swimming pools with wave machine, waterfall, and revolving current with inflatables. There are plenty of green areas to relax and eateries offering snacks, meals and refreshments.

Aqua-Velis water-park can be found opposite the El Ingenio shopping mall in Torre del Mar. It has over 20 different rides for all ages including some super fast slides for the more adventurous. There is an inflatable ring ride and wave machine along with a large sun terrace for sunbathers and cafeteria serving food and drinks.

The water-park at Torremolinos is especially large, offering many water-based attractions including water flumes, huge slides, large pools, and artificial river with wave machine.

CONCLUSION
The Costa del Sol offers a host of holiday attractions and activities to help you make the most of your stay in Spain. As an alternative to a visit to the beach, they are a great opportunity for some fun, adventure and excitement for the whole family. Well worth a day out from a busy schedule of sunbathing and shopping.

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlelibrary.com

Travel in Spain: Great free pocket travel guide of Barcelona

Flashbooking chose to provide backpackers, students and families with a list of budget selected and independent accommodations worldwide, mostly run by locals, in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies. For this and other reasons Flashbooking is becoming a recognized source of information and services for who loves creating a trip by him/herself and book bed nights securely online.

Flashbooking cheap lodging solutions are all available for online bookings and divided by Countries. Travellers have free access to the updated list of Europe hostels and budget hotels, North and South America hostels, Caribbean and Central America hostels as well as for Asia cheap accommodations, Oceania youth hostels and Africa hostels.

Flashbooking's happy travellers can book their rooms and beds not only in cheap hotels or cheap hostel Barcelona but also consider other budget accommodations in Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouses, Campsites, apartments, farm houses and much more.

Flashbooking accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed with all relevant information about youth hostel and hotel location and map, description, services, hostel contacts, customer ratings, six pictures and updated prices inclusive of taxes and services together with instant real availability.

Having the reservation final price is also convenient as it does give the transparency our users pretend while booking. Having the final total amount of your booking means you do not have to worry about other extra surprises!

Other reasons to chose Flashbooking? Flashbooking helps you saving money with a special promotion that allows travellers to earn money and credits of 1,5 euros by inviting other friends to subscribe and receive the monthly newsletter, rich of information about hostel and hotel deals. For each friend that sings up, our travellers get 1,50 euros: it is possible to earn up to 40 euros! These credits are immediately registered in the user's personal online account 'My Booking' and at the reach of 40 euros they are automatically deducted to pay your online hostel reservations!!!

With the monthly newsletter, Flashbooking puts at travellers, students, volunteers free disposal some useful pocket travel guides of major European cities: the Amsterdam City guide, the London City guide, the Prague City guide, the Paris City guide, the Rome City guide, the Florence City guide, and the freshly issued Barcelona City guide!! For the Barcelona travel guide Flashbooking staff efforts concentrate on making it simple to read dividing the Barcelona centre in different districts with their relevant amenities.

The Barcelona free travel guide is full of essential hints on where to go, things to see, Barcelona's Museums, Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlò, Casa Milà, Palace of Catalan Music, Foundation Joan Mirò, Picasso Museum, Macba, CCCB, Mnac, shopping mall and flea markets, quality places reasonably priced where to eat Spanish famous tapas, the Catalan cream or drink cava wine, clubs and discos, budget hostels and cheap hotel deals to book, emergency numbers and more. The free City pocket guide of the Catalan City contains, in just 9 printable pages, all the essential information and very good suggestions divided by areas: Barcelona Ramblas, Barcelona Barrio Gotico, Barcelona Example, Barcelona Raval, Barceloneta, Barcelona Montjiuc and Barcelona Rivera.

Barcelona is renown for its open and friendly international people, art museums and Art Galleries, the sea, the movida and cheap lodgings, classic itineraries in the Catalan region and a lot more to make a visit worth wise.

In general, Flashbooking guides have been written for giving the essential information about the most visited cities in the world and in particular for any traveller or first-time visitor. For a short visit, a week-end, a city break, these free pocket guides are useful printable and downloadable tools available online.

In the Barcelona City guide students, families and backpackers can get a large selection of cheap or low cost accommodation with plenty of low cost solutions in budget youth hostels, Bed and Breakfast, guesthouses, cheap hotel deals.

Flashbooking policy tends to privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.

So mates, we are looking forward to finding you THE budget accommodation that meets your needs and pocket for your next trip! Last but not least, if you wish to help us, you can either give your personal ratings of some accommodations, lodgings, bed and breakfast Barcelona, youth hostels and budget small hotels where you stayed, or enlarging the hostel offer by reporting some new hostel contacts!

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlelibrary.com