Spanish airline Air Comet suspends all flights

Spanish airline Air Comet announced today that all its flights have been suspended owing due to financial problems due to which it is unable to pay its debts. The airline has a fleet of 13 planes and around 1500 passengers use its services everyday.

The airline, which specializes in flights to Latin American countries, has said that the main reason behind its problems is the decision by a commercial court in London on Friday which allowed the German bank ‘Nord Bank’ to deny the airline the right to redeem the mortgage against its debt. It is reported that the debt amount was close to 20 million dollars or 14 million euro.

This has ruined travel plans for a large number of passengers, and that too at a time of the festive season and holidays. The airline is also gearing up for staff lay-offs and declaring its inability to clear off the debts.

Source:spanishnews.es/

Ship with £375m cocaine cargo is seized

Police have smashed a London-based drugs gang after a ship carrying a record £375 million of cocaine was seized off the Spanish coast.

Spanish police boarded the 150ft former coastguard vessel, named Destiny Empress, yesterday after it crossed the Atlantic from the West Indies. Armed officers swooped on the boat with support from the Spanish Navy.

The raid was co-ordinated by Scotland Yard's Central Task Force with support from the Spanish police and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beyer said the cocaine haul was the biggest the Met had ever seized. He added that the drugs were destined for London and the seizure would have an effect on the price of cocaine in the coming months.

"We target the people at a higher level. We want to catch people who import the drugs in large amounts and we have made a huge dent in that," Mr Beyer said.

The gang was linked to a network stretching between London, Spain, the Caribbean and Colombia. The vessel, which had been tracked across the Atlantic from Trinidad, was carrying at least 1.5 tonnes of cocaine.

Its crew was arrested and other arrests have taken place in London.

Source:thisislondon.co.uk/

Speaking Spanish In Spain

One of the best ways to experience a Spanish speaking country is to be able to understand what is being said around you. So, why not learn Spanish? It’s not as difficult as it may sound. You can actually learn to speak Spanish from the comfort of you own home with your personal computer as your teacher. Luckily, there are a number of online programs that will teach you what you need to know to communicate once you get to Spain.

In addition to getting a better feel for the Spanish culture by speaking the language, there are other benefits of leaning the language as well. Once you return home from your trip, being able to be bilingual is very coveted by employers and may open up a whole world of new jobs to you.

Learning Spanish Online

The biggest benefit of learning Spanish online is that you can gear the course to your speed. You do not have to worry about keeping up with the class, you can do as much or as little as you want each time you sit down to learn. When you get on the internet and conduct a search you will notice there are a number of websites that offer Spanish courses from home. Some are free; others will charge you for the classes. Generally, those that charge do have more to offer and a more comprehensive learning program.

The largest worldwide Spanish instruction organization is the Instituto Cervantes. The whole goal of the organization is to promote Spanish culture and the teaching of Spanish worldwide. It was founded in 1991 as a public institution in Spain. Now it is spreading out and is in four continents.

These courses are very detailed. They do teach all the areas necessary for speaking Spanish such as the spelling, grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. But, they also teach the importance of Spanish culture, and about socio cultural issues.

Once You’ve Completed Learning Spanish Online

While taking courses is a good way to learn the language, the best way to know you are ready to use it and to become more fluent is to immerse your self in a situation where you must speak Spanish and see how well you do. Traveling to a Spanish speaking country is a good way to be surrounded by the culture and traditions as well as be surrounded by the language.

There are also programs called language immersion programs in Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. These are considered the by-far fastest way to learn the language and become fluent.

The immersion classes are geared towards smaller groups of students with a number of activities where you must use Spanish and only speak Spanish. In addition to classroom time there are many times you will be out in the public and interact with people, honing your skills.

When it comes to accommodations you may be put in an apartment with another student, or be hosted by a local family which will be a great opportunity to learn the culture of the country first-hand.

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

Holidays in Aragon (Zaragoza, Teruel, Huesca)

The region of Aragon can be found in northeastern Spain and comprises the provinces of Zaragosa, Huesca and Teruel. The region lies approximately with the historic kingdom of Aragon and is bounded to the north by France; the south by Valencia; the east by Catalonia and on the west by the regions of Castilla la Mancha, Castilla Leon, Navarre and La Rioja. The official spoken language in Aragon is Castilian Spanish, although in some of the valleys of the Pyrenees it is possible to hear the original language of Aragonese.

Aragon is traversed by the river Ebro, which offers fish of such numbers and proportions that the Ebro is considered one of the best locations in Europe for Cat and Carp fishing. With a population of just over 1.3 million people living in Aragon, and half of them living in the capital city of Zaragoza, the region is mostly deserted with beautiful, mountainous scenery to the north, and mainly barren land in the south.

The greatest peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains can be found in Aragon with Aneto, the highest of them all, being found in the province of Huesca. In amongst the mountains can be found some beautiful secluded valleys, which remain largely un-spoilt due to their inaccessibility. Spread thinly through the valleys and plains can be found small towns and churches with great views of the rugged landscape.

The region of Aragon has three provinces whose capital cities Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel take the same names as their province. There are many, small towns all across the region, and especially in the province of Teruel where out of the 236 municipalities, more than half the villages have a population of fewer than 200 people. In-between the villages the land is mostly deserted and quite barren.

Zaragoza, capital of Aragon
The huge Plaza del Pilar is the social centre of Zaragoza, looked over by some wonderful old monuments and fine fountains. Here can be found the Basílica del Pilar; whose domes and towers dominate the city and this is where legend has it the Virgin Mary appeared. To the west of the city centre can be found the La Aljaferia palace. An Islamic-fortress, it was once the residence of Arab kings and later by Christian kings, Aragonese kings and then by Spanish monarchs. Nowadays, the building houses Aragon's regional parliament.

Aragon Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
Located 30km southwest of Jaca, this monastery church that is dedicated to saint John, is situated beneath a huge overhanging rock. The monastery has had special significance since Muslim times where pilgrims would stop here in the hope of viewing the Holy Grail, a Roman chalice which was hidden somewhere in the monastery. The Roman chalice is now on view in Valencia Cathedral. The lower church represents the heart of the monastery that was founded in 920. On the second floor is the Pantheon where can be seen the tombs of noblemen from both Aragon and Navarre. Inside the apse of the High Church of San Juan can be seen a replica of the Holy Grail which was kept inside the walls to protect it against Muslim invasion.

Ordesa National Park
Declared a national park in 1918, an area of more than 15,600 hectares is now protected in the Biosphere Reserve or Ordesa as declared by UNESCO is 1997. Most of the park is limestone and a retreating glacier still exists on the north face of Monte Pedido, the third largest mountain in the Pyrenees. The park's dramatic mountain scenery comprises of limestone cliffs, canyons, caves, chasms and crystal-clear streams with forests of pine, birch, ash, willow and oak. Great birds fly the skies including the royal eagle, hawks, royal owls, ospreys and the snow partridge, while on the ground can be seen the marmot, wild boar, chamois and the red deer. The park is open all year round but the months between April and October offer the best conditions for walking and hiking.

Aragon is a wonderful region of Spain to visit. The Pyrenees Mountains offer wonderful dramatic scenery to the north and the ancient cities of Zaragoza, Teruel and Huesca have many important historical buildings. If you are looking for a different holiday experience in Spain, Aragon may just be the location of choice.

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

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus as born in 1451 and died in May 1506. He was a famous explorer and trader whose most significant voyage was crossing the Atlantic Ocean and landing in the Americas on October 12, 1492 .

Although his actual nationality is a question of debate, this most famous voyage was done sailing under the flag of Castilian Spain. Columbus is the man most often believed as to having ‘discovered’ America , although there is evidence that other explorers had made the crossing before him. It was after Columbus ’ crossing that marked the start of the Spanish and Portuguese colonisation of South America .

Like many of the educated people of the period, Columbus believed that the earth was spherical in shape. He argued that he would be able to reach the Far East plotting a westward course. His main opposition to his notions was not that others believed the earth to be flat, but that nobody knew if it was possible to sail around the world without running out of food or running into windless areas.

Columbus ’ early career started in 1474, nearly 20 years before reaching America . He spent a year on a Genoese backed ship bound for the island of Khios , in the Aegean Sea and it was while he was there, he began to recruit sailors of his own.

Two years later, Columbus embarked on his first foray into the Atlantic Ocean , which, sadly ended off the Cape of St. Vincent in Portugal , when his fleet came under attack from French Privateers, who burned his ship and Columbus was forced to swim six miles back to shore.

After this, he settled in Lisbon , in Portugal , which had become a hive of maritime activity with ships setting sail to destinations across Europe and Africa . Columbus worked for some time with his brother as a draftsman, but soon returned to the sea, joining a Portuguese fleet bound for Iceland , Ireland and also West Africa .

There are two sides to Columbus – some view him as a man who, through his explorations, encouraged a Western expansion. Others, however, see him as being responsible for the deaths of many indigenous people, through the European exploitation of the continent and the West Indian slave trade.

One of Columbus ’ conditions with the Spanish monarchs before his voyages was that he claimed governorship of the new territories. Columbus was an excellent navigator, but his administrative skills were poor and he was soon stripped of his governorship in 1500.

Christopher Columbus was always a very religious man, and he would often give ‘the conversion of non-believers’ as one of the reasons for his explorations. In later life Columbus grew even more religious and took to wearing a Franciscan habit. He would claim to hear divine voices and even lobbied for a new crusade to capture Jerusalem .

Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid on May 20, 1506 . He was quite a rich man thanks to all the gold he had gathered in his earlier years.

After his death, his body underwent excarnation – where the skin is removed so only bone is left. He was first interred in Valladolid and was then moved to a monastery in Seville . At the behest of his son, Columbus ’ remains were then moved to Santa Domingo. When the French took over 200 years later, he was moved to Havana , and then in 1898 after Cuba ’s independence, they were finally moved to the cathedral in Seville .

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