The Gran canaria (Pierre)

Dear readers, in this cold period, let's get some sun with a travel in the Gran canaria.

The Gran canaria is an spanish island in the Atlantic ocean. the second most populous island of the Canary Islands. 

It purposes a great diversity of activity related to water : to practice sports in a such beautiful place could be an amazing experience !

I will try to give you the desire to travel over there through the presentation of several activities and sports.

Wakeboarding in the Gran canaria
Do you know this water sport ? Created in the 80's and less famous than waterskiing, this discipline allows the most spectacular moves ! 

Wakeboarders are usually towed by a boat launched at a speed of 30/40 km/h. Waves allow the possibility of great jumps and moves. 
Then, this activity could be quite hard for beginners because of differents things : firstly it could be a little bit complicated to get out of the water (you're starting into water), secondly when you're falling with a speed of 30/40 km/h, water becomes like a wall and falling could hurt yourself. But if you're not afraid, it woud be an amazing experience with great sensations


Submarine exploration
If you're looking for softer activities, this one will suits you perfectly ! Indeed, what a pleasure to admire the underwater calm. 
There is no such things in the world in comparison of the submarine world's silence.
Then, I think you would enjoy this activity whatever your tastes or your mood because this is an universal experience of quiet and peace ! 
The fish diversity, the amazing colour of the sea, the corals are many reasons to get interested and to want to discover this universe.

Well, if you're not satisfied with these activities, reading or sleeping on the beach couldn't be that bad !

"The day of Constitution" (Justine)

What is the 6 December of 1978 ?

Cool, the Spanish are a public day the 6^th December! But what is it? The 6^th December is a public holiday for Spanish because is the “day of Constitution”.

The Spanish constitution was created and was endorsed after the referendum of 1978. This constitution governs the people’s rights and duties for 1978.

It’s a major turning in the history of Spain, because with this constitution, the monarchy was created and the authority of Franco was once and for all was ended.

Since 1939 to 1975, the chief Franco was governing Spain. His authoritarian regime lost Spain in the particular situation during 36 years. The subject that the regime of Franco is too complicated and large for develop this thing is this article. But, if you know more of the history of franco, see this link: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco

Regards to the constitution, with this law ; democratic parliamentary monarchy was etablished but also:

• *   Power’s separation between the State and the religion.
• *      The apparition of the 3 powers: legislative, executive, parliamentary
•      The “comunidades autonomas” (=regions) emerged

So it's an important day for the Spain History.

spain golf

A new study of European golfers reveals that Spain remains the No.1 travel destination for visitors from the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia, with more than 28% of respondents playing golf in the country over the past 12 months.
The findings form part of a new research document entitled ‘European Spotlight on Golf Tourism to Spain’, which was commissioned by Reed Travel Exhibitions, organisers of IGTM (November 11-14, 2013, Costa Daurada, Catalonia, Spain), and produced by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC.
Of the 28.5% of golfers who travelled to Spain to play golf, 12.7% went to the Costa del Sol, 3.9% went to the Costa Brava region, 3.2% visited the Canary Islands and 8.7% went to other areas.
The research also revealed the popularity of other destinations with 17% visiting Portugal, 16.1% travelling to Great Britain & Ireland, 7.5% booking trips to Turkey, 7.1% visiting France and 6.9% booking long-haul golf trips to the USA.
The in-depth research also highlighted:

• The average duration for a Spanish golf trip is seven nights
• Golf visitors to Spain predominantly stay in four and five-star accommodation
• Visiting golfers spend between €170 (British golfers) to €230 (Scandinavians) per day
• Golfers arrange between five and six rounds of golf during each Spanish holiday
• During the course of a week’s holiday, golfers play up to four different Spanish courses.

The Spanish study also revealed that a golfer’s nationality impacts on their choice of region they are likely to visit, with British and Scandinavian golfers preferring the Costa del Sol; French golfers more likely to visit Costa Brava; and German golfers travelling to all regions, including the Canary Islands.
Peter Grimster, IGTM Exhibition Manager, said: “This latest study proves that Spain remains at the heart of the European golf tourism industry and illustrates why thousands of golfers still put its golfing regions at the top of their wish list.”
Some of the key contributing factors that put Spain ahead of its rivals was the standard and range of the country’s golf courses, consistent levels of high quality accommodation and the favourable year-round climate.
Peter added: “As Spain is the host country for this year’s IGTM we will, of course, be welcoming a host of representatives from across the country, including 100 resorts, clubs and tourist boards, showcasing the country’s finest golf spots including host destination Catalonia, as well as Andalucía and the Balearic and Canary Islands.”
As host to IGTM 2013, the Catalan region of Costa Daurada is rapidly growing its reputation as a golf destination. Three years ago, less than 2% of total rounds played on the Costa Daurada were by international golfers. Today, that ratio has increased to 30% and continues to grow.
A summary of the report, with some additional findings, will be presented at IGTM, the premier global event for golf tourism, taking place at the PortAventura Convention Centre, Costa Daurada, Catalonia, Spain, November 11-14, 2013.

Sangria (Mathilde)

SANGRIA

I would not leave you without the famous recipe of Sangria! Want to make a drink with your friends? Then this is the drink for you!

Little story

The original sangria comes from Spain during the century 19^th. It originates from the Spanish word "sangre" which means "blood. Sangria is a fundamental element of Spanish culture.

Sangria is where the feast and feria begin!
Traditional drink of Spain and Southern France, the Sangria is a symbol of hospitality and conviviality.
It is usually served as an appetizer and can be divided into small quantities for a time of sharing with friends or high volume to meet the needs of large evening.

Ingredients

·         2 liters of red wine

·         20 cl of cognac

·         20 cl Cointreau

·          2 oranges

·          1 lemon

·         2 apples

·          2 bananas

·         2 kiwi

·         80g sugar

·         1 stick of cinnamon

·         1 vanilla pod

·          1 pinch of nutmeg

·          3 or 4 peppercorns

Preparation

·         Cut the fruit into pieces.

·         Pour all ingredients in a bowl.

·         Let marinate in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Churros (Mathilde)

Churros

Little story :

The churros have emerged in Madrid and it is said that the name comes from the word churra. This word refers to a breed of sheep whose horns have the same shape as the famous donut...

Preparation time: 20mn
Cooking time: 5mn

 

Ingredients :

·         Wheat flour: 250 g

·         Water: 25 cl

·         Fine salt 3 clip (s)

·          Sugar: 100 g

·         Frying oil: 1 l

·         Heat oil to 180 ° C.

·         Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. When it begins to boil, add the flour and mix with a spatula until a consistent and smooth.
Then remove the dough from the fire and work with the spatula. Once it is completely smooth, complete the "churrera" (making machine churros).
For a nice color, careful not to overcook churros at the same time.

Once the churros golden (3-4 minutes), remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
Serve hot sprinkled with sugar.

The football "religion" (Pierre)

Dear readers, today I want to add to our blog the sport of football. As you certainly know, the football world cup is planned soon.

Let's have a look on this article in the New York Times, dealing with the spanish team in this event ! 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/sports/soccer/Brazil-vs-Spain-Best-in-World-Meets-Best-in-History.html

More than a sport

In Spain, this sport is really important because historically this country got a lot of success in this activity and so spanish people are proud of it. 

I know that football is not an extrem sport or a dangerous one like bullfighting, soapbox races or wingsuit jump, but this sport matters so much in Spain that I couldn't avoid it.

Football is a real part of spanish culture : every city has a team, there are a lot of sport magazine and sport TV dealing with football actualities, evaluating every move and analysing every word !

Famous spanish club in the world : two giants

• FC Barcelona

Founded in 1899, FC Barcelona is going through a golden age since 2003. Indeed, he becomes the most successfull european club in the 20th century and in 2010 he was considered the most famous club in Europe.

FC Barcelona won twenty to two championships twenty-six Spanish Cups, four Champions Leagues, four Cups Winners Cup, three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups and two FIFA Club World Cup.

FC Barcelona is the rival of the capital football team the Real Madrid.

• Real Madrid

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid becomes an important club around the 50's. Now the organism is the most  famous in Spain ! 

Easily understandable when we know that Real Madrid won 32 Liga titles, 18 Spanish Cups, a record 9 Champions League and two UEFA Cups. This success story is due to very good players wich represent a quiet big part in the game... This selection allowed the organism to become one of the better football club in the world : Cristiano Ronaldo is the perfect example of this players selection.

Then if you're interested in this subject, let's have a look on this website, giving a world football club ranking. 

http://www.footballdatabase.com/worldrankings.php?Rnk=1

NB : the two spanish clubs I just presented are in the top 3 !

"La Semana Santa" or "Holy Week" (Justine)

Today I would develop an other public day very important in Spain: "semana santa" or "holy week" in english. For that, I saw a video in English who it explains what is it 

--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPEsUXDlOBc

  

This event commemorates the passion of Jesus Christ, each year, during entire week before Easter Sunday. This catholic event is made in all the countries of Spain but chiefly in the region of Andalusia. Moreover, differences between Spanish regions are noticeables.

Holy week is a parade in the streets with music and two processions. The first procession represents Marie and the second, Jesus Christ. This "Pasos", foats are composed of figurines that depict the difference scenes from passion of Jesus.

The men who carry this processions are the "costaleros". Also at the end of this procession, the "Nazarenos" are men who have a candle and close the walk. They wear "strange" with clothes look like to clothes Ku Klux Klan because they wear a tunic and a hood with conical tip. The colors of their clothes change according to the countries.

To conclude, this event assembles thousands of inhabitants and tourists are intrigued by this commemoration.

My point of view

I had opportunity to see a commemoration in Sevilla during my Erasmus. The atmosphere in streets are weird. I was scared that Nazaneros. Also the odor in streets when "Pasos" walked is strange, the Nazaneros spread smell smoke.

"La corrida de toros" (Pierre)

Dear reader, how can we talk about Spain without getting interested by the famous bullfighting, "la corrida de torros" !

A little bit of history 

Bullfighting is a traditional show in Spain, Portugal, Southern France and some hispanic american countries.

The principle is the following : the matador baits, and then kills, a bull in front of spectators. The corrida in Spain lasts 3 days.

First practiced in Spain in 1726, this spectacle continues established tradition today.

These events are important for spanish people because this tradition is really strong in this country. I think it's a part of the spanish culture.

A bloody and dangerous kind of sport

But this kind of "sport" can be seen as violent and barbaric ! 

Indeed, the bull is condemned to die, not in a quiet way but in a slow and torturous way. From my point of view, that's the bad side of this show : 

Also the matador can't stay safe indefinetly, we easily understand that this activity is really dangerous. 

If not, knowing that a fighting bull weighs about 500kg and a man about 80kg could help us ! 

The most famous bullfighting place in Madrid is Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas with a capacity of 25.000 spectators !

Red Bull Soapbox Race comes to Spain! (Pierre)

Dear readers, in 2010, in the small city of Vigo, strange four-wheeled vehicles appeared in the street.  The reason ? A soapbox race organized by Redbull, the famous soda brand. 

Have you already heard about this kind of celebration ? If not, let's do a quick review !

Soapbox races : between childhood and risks

Soapboxes or gravity racers are motorless vehicles. 

In the first place, soapboxes were made with soap crates or rollerskate wheels. Then it comes to be more and more sophisticated (using aluminium for example) but always without a motor, always using the gravity to move.

Driving these machines, drivers can reach a speed of 112 km/h, so when an accident happens it can be really dangerous for drivers and spectators too.

During a soapbox race, everybody can participate as long as the used vehicle matches to the soapbox definition : no motor, no propulsion system and four wheels

Redbull and soapbox races

Some great brands come to  creative sportive and funny events in Spain. Indeed, Redbull organized this special day, it's important for the group image. 

Why? Redbull is an international brand and wants to be seen as such. 

So being present and ruling this kind of events is a part of a real good communication strategy.

Then the impact on people is quite good, let's explain this idea : Spain is a country with a significant number of young inhabitants.

They are Redbull's targets, in fact Redbull, organizing this event, is doing an investisment in the spanish land. The  sponsoring organism depends on this kind of day.

Spanish interests

This kind of special day in the country matters for Spain in the way that it brings people in spanish cities. It contributes in a good way to an improvement of the Spain image : more dynamic, younger. 

In the actual context of crisis (25% of unemployment) , this type of celebration allows people to relax for a while and enjoy the party. 

Moreover, the impact is also economic because when people comes to watch or participate to the soapboxes event. they consume and so they bring money in the country.

To conclude, I can say that this kind of sportive events is obviously a win win situation. Redbull with his image (investment) and Spain with the added economic and social values.

Source (vidéo) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkNBLhp58Y

Wingsuit flying in Spain ! (Pierre)

Source (vidéo) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L8UCfxmtSw&noredirect=1

Dear readers, this week we got to be interested in jumping in the airs

The wingsuit flying

The wingsuit flying is an extrem sport first practiced in 1930 in California.

The principle ? Increasing in a significant way the lift of the sportsman thanks to a special suit, the wingsuit. This wingsuit makes the link between firstly, the arms and the body and secondly, the two legs.

So the "birdman" jumps away from a base and uses his arms and legs to control his trajectory. His aim is to keep himself in the airs and to plane as long as possible.

Then, at the critical alitude, he ends his performance with the parachute deployment.

This sport can be practiced everywhere, as long as you are high enough. So there are crazy men trying to find some new places to enjoy this perfect moment, this humanity dream : flying.

These places are all different, coming from snowy mountains to skyscrapers or even planes or helicopters, it offers an amazing view before the "big jump" and offers us a great diversity of jumps. 

A wonderful place to practice wingsuit flying : Spain

This video shows us how a base jump athlet named Alexander Polli.

He tries to succeed a risky jump : jumping from an helicopter and then flying through an opening in the Roca Foradada Mountains (down there) just outside Barcelona.So, he finds in the nature a way to impress people, indeed the opening is really tiny and the risk to crash himself on the rock wall is quite high. But the environment is amazing and I think he wanted to test himself in a first place

Some other places in Spain are popular to practice wingsuit flying like Seville and Empuriabrava, known for good flying conditions and stable weather.