Formula One in Valencia

Valencia has announced that it will feature Formula One racing for the third straight year starting later this month on June 25. The main event takes place June 27 and features four Grand Prix Champions (Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button). Traveling at up to 200 miles per hour, these are some of the best drivers in the world and if you're into racing, these are some of the more incredible spectacles that the sport has to offer.

From the Tourist Office:

With its charming old quarter full of Renaissance and Baroque monuments, the Museo de Bellas Arts with one of Spain’s best paintings collection, IVAM, the contemporary art museum, beautiful beaches and delicious cuisine – this is paella country, after all – Valencia has plenty to offer visitors before and after the competition. Stunning modern architecture is another draw. Valencia’s emblematic City of Arts and Sciences with its aquarium, planetarium, science museum and performing arts center has a new addition, the Agora by Santiago Calatrava. Resembling a knight’s helmet, this dramatic steel structure in deep violet was the venue for last year’s Valencia Open 500.

Tickets for all three days of racing are currently available here.

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Recipe: Party Sangria

It's getting to be the perfect time of year for backyard gatherings with friends, family and more delicious barbecue than you could ever consume in one sitting. As you fire up the grill, don't forget the sangria. A internationally-loved specialty of Spain, sangria is one of the more refreshing warm month beverages around. Here's a recipe to make enough for your entire party.

You'll need:

• 1/3 cup (3 oz) sugar

• 1/3 cup brandy

• 1/3 cup Cointreau

• 1/3 cup of lemon-flavored vodka
  

• 1 small lemon, sliced crosswise

• 1 small orange, sliced crosswise

• 1 small lime, sliced crosswise

• 1 medium pear, diced

• 2 medium peach, peeled, pitted and sliced

• 2 cups (8 oz) sliced strawberries

• 1 bottle carbonated lemon-lime soda

It's pretty easy. Just grab a pitcher and combine all the ingredients except the soda and strawberries.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Immediately before serving, stir the strawberries and lemon-lime soda. Pour into chilled glasses and serve.

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Delta Goes Non-Stop To Valencia From New York

The Tourist Office has just passed on some great news for travelers to Spain from New York City. Delta Air Lines is about to resume service to Valencia, a breathtaking city on Spain's Mediterranean coast and popular summer destination. The new flights start on May 28 and take place four times a week from JFK airport.

“For several years now, Valencia has been Spain’s fastest growing destination for international visitors. With Delta’s new non-stop service, Americans will be able to travel here faster and more conveniently,” said Belen Juste, Minister of Tourism for the Valencia Region and President of the Valencia Region Tourist Board.

Valencia is known for more than its pristine coastal properties. Visitors will find unique gothic and renaissance architecture, an amazing, unique cuisine (try the paella) and some of the best weather in Europe. Check out the Valencia section on our website for more information, hotel offerings and some helpful travel tips.

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MUSAC: Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art

The Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art (aka MUSAC) is one of the most unique buildings in León, Spain, and that's really saying something. Based on a cuboid design by architects Emilio Muñón and Luis Moreno, this 21,000 sq. meter marvel explores meeting points between art and architecture through a contemporary viewpoint.

The building's large exhibition area is home to a truly diverse selection of art and architecture projects in different mediums. Pay a visit soon and you'll encounter an exhibit called Primer Proforma 2010 - an experiment that displays how space can be altered as the result of an artistic experience. To do this, a group of artists and 15 volunteers will mix painting, sculpture, performance and other mediums in an ever-changing display that honors creative practice.

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Lionel Messi's Path To The World Cup

"To become a legend, to be great, you also have to win a World Cup," Lionel Messi told El Mundo in a recent interview. Well, if recent statistics are indication, Messi is well on his way to winning that honor. A member of Barcelona's team, Messi has scored 11 goals in his past give matches, earning him comparisons to fellow Argentinian Diego Maradona.

Soccer, or "football" to the rest of the world, is an extremely important part of Spanish culture and having Messi on Barcelona's team makes a game a must-see attraction if you're visiting. In a local Madrid publication called Marca, readers are already voting Messi as the greatest player of all-time by overwhelming margins.

"I have only just turned 22," he added. "It's all happening very quickly and you have to stay calm."

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Portugal Bidding For Ryder Cup

One of the most popular (and yes, leisurely) ways to explore Portugal is by planning your vacation around golf. The country boasts some of the most incredible courses in Europe and it's trying to attract some international attention by bidding for the Ryder Cup in 2018.

The Ryder Cup is an extremely popular biennial match that pits the best players in Europe against the USA. It's ranked as the third largest sporting event in the world and guarantees media coverage by over 2,000 journalists, photographers and broadcasters.

Officials in Portugal view the Ryder Cup bid as a national project to promote the region (as well as others that use golf as a primary tourist attraction). Along with the bid, the country hopes to invest in more professional tournaments of the European, Senior and Challenge Tours. This means two things: There's more golf to watch internationally and there should be more courses to play for travelers looking to test their game on the best greens that Portugal has to offer.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Lisbon Fish & Flavors Coming In April

This April - from the 10th to 18th, to be exact - marks the third annual Lisbon Fish & Flavors festival. The celebration, based at Pavilhão de Portugal everyday from noon to midnight, will reportedly feature more than 20 national and international chefs providing unique takes on mouthwatering seafood dishes.

"Lisbon Fish & Flavors offers a magic combination between restaurants, live cooking shows, gourmet products, live music and, last but not least, the best wines and beers," wrote the Portuguese National Travel Office. "In special areas for restaurants, tasting dishes will be served. If you have never had the chance to go to some of the most famous restaurants in the Lisbon region, this is the opportunity to delight yourself with the greatest chefs’ creations. 
Informative shows will also take place featuring the best Portuguese and international chefs who will emphasize the importance of fish in a balanced diet."

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Recipe: Tuna and Piquillo Pepper Tapas

This delicious tapas recipe ranks as one of our favorites. Provided by the fine people at Whole Foods, the various ingredients are easy to obtain and the finished product is sure to please the guests at your next dinner party. It's also an easy one for all of you reluctant cooks out there.

Tuna and Piquillo Pepper

This will serve between six and eight people. Serve this Spanish tapas dish as an appetizer alongside olives and roasted peppers, with glasses of cold, sparkling wine for sipping.

Ingredients

1 (7.76 ounce) jar Ortiz Tuna with oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
2 teaspoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped piquillo peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced baguette (toasted, if desired)

Method

In a small bowl, mix together tuna (leave some large chunks), vinegar, capers, onion and peppers. Season and let marinate for several hours or overnight. Serve atop sliced baguette.

Nutrition

Per Serving (49g-wt.): 100 calories (35 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0g dietary fiber, 11g protein, 5g carbohydrate, 5mg cholesterol, 420mg sodium.

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Gourmet For The New Year

Let's start off 2010 with a rousing Happy New Year from us at ILC. This could very well be your year of exploring the bountiful pleasures that Spain has to offer, and there's no better way to kick things off than pointing you to excellent travel piece that appeared in yesterday's New York Times. The quest: Find and sample the finest ham Spain has to offer.

Paola Singer writes:

As people’s knowledge and love of Spanish cuisine grow, delicacies like jamón Ibérico de bellota are entering the international spotlight. This time-honored ham arrived in the United States in 2008 to much fanfare. Sold for about $200 a pound at specialty stores like LaTienda.com, it became the most expensive cold cut in the country. Discerning consumers seem eager to pay this lofty price. This summer, the powerhouse brand 5J (Cinco Jotas) plans to enter the American market, joining the U.S.D.A.-certified producer Embutidos Fermín.

“Iberian pork meat is extraordinary,” Ferran Adrià, the acclaimed chef at El Bulli, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Catalonia, said in a phone interview. “There’s nothing like it elsewhere in the world. There’s a great difference between a superior ham and all the rest.”

For our carnivores and foodies interested in the rest of the article, please click through.

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Alto Alentejo: Old Meets New In Portugal

The New York Times recently ran a fascinating article on the developing tourism hub at Marvão - a walled town in the eastern portion of Alto Alentejo in Portugal. The article's subject - a boutique hotel owner named Doug Smith - was looking to expand from his roots as a Palm Springs, CA hotelier in 2002 and was actively looking for new properties while traveling throughout Spain. He crossed the border into Portugal and found Alto Alentejo -- the perfect setting for boutique expansion. Featuring an amazing, elevated landscape (from the town's former usage as a Moorish fortress), top-notch cuisine and what the Times describes as a "lost-in-time lifestyle" and "relatively inexpensive cost of living," Alto Alentejo became the home of Smith's new venture.

"After four days of inspecting broken-down barns and farmhouses, he bought a 130-acre 18th-century farm outside the village of Campo Maior," explains the Times. 'Compared with Spain, this place was even more charming, beautiful and about a third less expensive,' Mr. Smith said. 'Old guys in snap caps and corduroys tip their hats to strangers.'

In the past seven years, Mr. Smith, who no longer owns Korakia Pensione, has watched the Alto Alentejo, a border province carpeted with cork oaks and olive trees in southeastern Portugal, emerge as a stylish backwater. The region’s name is derived from “Além-Tejo,” which means “beyond the Tagus,” the river that flows past Lisbon. A new blacktop highway now stretches eastward from Lisbon, and within an hour you’re admiring vineyards, the occasional whitewashed town or castle and gently rolling plains."

Head over to the New York Times for the full article. As you've likely noticed, ILC is now offering pousadas throughout Portugal. We encourage you to head to our website or give us a call to check out the options.

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Madrid Brings The Culture This Fall

While it's certainly no secret that Madrid is a major culture capital whose cache extends beyond Spain, sometimes there's so many great options going on that every traveler can find the perfect activity. This fall season is one of those times.

In addition to world-class museum offerings, Madrid will welcome 35 major concerts, including appearances from international stars such as Diana Krall and the Jonas Brothers. The 26th Annual Jazz Festival starts at the end of October and there are plenty of theatre, dance, and family entertainment options going on as well.

Here's the full scoop from the Tourist Office of Spain:

Kicking off September 29 at the Thyssen Bornemisza is a major exhibition of 70 paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour. The Museo del Prado is presenting a show about Maíno, one of the most original and least known 17th century Spanish painters on October 20. One of the most important figures in Croatia’s contemporary art scene, David Maljkovic, will be the subject of a show running through January 18 at the Reina Sofía. The focus is on architecture at the CaixaForum Madrid with a review of Richard Rogers obra running through October 18 and Palladio the Architect, the first exhibition in Spain devoted to this 16th century Italian architect which kicks off October 7.

On October 13, Diana Krall will perform at the Palacio de Congresos. The Jonas Brothers are set to appear at the Sports Palace on November 11 and Depeche Mode will be there on the 16.

Kicking off November 4, the city’s Autumn Festival celebrates its 26th year with 35 concerts, theatre, dance and circus performances. Thirty-five companies from 19 countries including: Spain, the U.S., Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Portugal and Morocco, among many others, will perform at 11 theatres in Madrid and in ten municipalities. On the program are:

• Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (11/, 4, 5, 7, and 8)
• Compañía Israel Galván (11/5-8) (flamenco)
• Norwegian singer and guitarist Hanne Hukkelberg (11/5)
• Whale Watching Tour, musicians from the U.S., Australia and Iceland (11/6)
• Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto (11/11)
• Les ballets C de la B (11/12-14)
• The San Quentin Drama Workshop with Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape (11/21)
• Spanish soprano Marina Bollaín singing The Three Penny Opera by Brecht and Weill (11/27-29)

The 26th International Jazz Festival will kick off around the end of October and while the schedule has not yet been announced, there are usually 15 concerts and world-renowned musicians perform at some 20 jazz clubs.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

NYTimes Covers Matadors In NE Spain

The New York Times published an excellent piece this morning on the fate of matadors in Northeast Spain. Facing an aging, brutal event with high ticket prices (think opera), the public is slowly mandating that bullfighting needs to slip away from both global and national consciousness. There's one notable exception: José Tomás.

Tomás was at the absolute height of his game when he retired seven years ago. Like many famous athletes, the game called him back and he returned with a stunning streak of sellout performances that are keeping the crowds talking. Last Sunday, he might have participated in the last bullfight ever in Catalonia.

"Over the last three decades or so, dwindling interest among young Catalans has combined with pressure from animal-rights advocates and from Catalan nationalists to cripple toreo in Catalonia," writes Michael Kimmelman in the Times. "Across the region’s four provinces, bullrings have closed; Barcelona’s is the only one still active."

The Catalan Parliament recently introduced a high-profile referendum that would end bullfighting all together. The subject has been on the tips of tongues for so long that it's not really surprising to anyone involved. Long the dream of animal fights activists, now even aficionados feel the days of bullfighting are numbered."

Kimmelman continues, "Sunday’s corrida — the term refers to an afternoon’s regular card of three matadors and six bulls — was more than just the last bullfight of the season. It was possibly the end of an era. And José Tomás (José Tomás Román Martín, but everybody knows him by his double-barreled first name) had come, in what seemed almost like a last-ditch attempt, to lend his box office appeal and artistry to the anti-ban side."

We recommend heading over to the New York Times website to read the full article.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

New Terminal T1 Opens At Barcelona Airport

Travelers to Barcelona will be treated to a more luxurious arrival and departure with the official opening of the new Terminal T1. The Ricardo Bofill-designed terminal will accommodate approximately 30 million people annually.

Created for $1.7 billion, Terminal T1 boasts some serious amenities. In addition to a 256,181-square-foot shopping promenade, there's also a spa, fitness center, hair salon, four VIP lounges and a multi-faith chapel. Business travelers will have access to a series of offices, boardrooms, a private gym and rest area with beds, baths and TVs.

More from the Tourist Office of Spain:

This terminal is one of the largest civil engineering projects recently undertaken in Europe. Bofill designed the structure with sustainability in mind, placing hundreds of solar panels on the aluminum roof. Thus, 70 percent of the water in T1 is heated using thermal collectors. Curtain walls, designed to resist air, water infiltration, wind and its own dead load forces are composed of an aluminum framing filled with glass to provide an architecturally-pleasing and light-filled structure.

The opening of T1 has created 3,000 jobs in a terminal where over 6,000 will be employed. Many will work in the new processing building which has 166 check-in desks and 52 auto check-in machines. The Barcelona Airport is now able to serve 55 million passengers per year. Improvements have also been made in regards to flight operations. In 2004, the airport facilitated 64 operations per hour. Flight operations will now increase to up to 90 per hour. A total of 19 airlines are currently based in T1 including: Lufthansa, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Swiss International, TAP Portugal, US Airways and Egyptair. At the beginning of September, One World (Iberia, American Airlines and Vueling), will move to the new terminal and by the end of the year, SkyTeam (incorporating Air Europa) will relocate there. Every seven minutes, a shuttle bus connects passengers from T1 to T2. For further information about the Barcelona Airport, go to www.aena.es.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Portugal Parks: Serra da Estrela National Park (Pt. 2)

Continuing our series highlighting Portugal parks (with some excellent information from the Tourist Office), today we'll feature Serra da Estrela National Park.

"The Natural Park of Serra da Estrela is the largest in Portugal and also features the highest mountain peaks in mainland Portugal. Both the Rio Mondego and the Rio Zêzere start here and cut through the Natural Park. These are the biggest two rivers that start and end in Portuguese territory. The Park began in 1976 to protect the rural character of the granite villages and its landscape. It lies to the east of the Central region of Portugal and stretches 55 kilometers from Celorico de Beira in the north, down to Vide in the south west, covering 1,000 square kilometers. It has some of the most stunning mountain scenery in Portugal and even has a small skiing resort."

The park also contains villages towards to the bottom of its mountain ranges. There's a notable Roman presence and past Arab settlers demonstrate influence on the area with unique irrigation systems and orchards. This diverse history gives travelers the opportunity to purchase region-specific cuisine and crafts.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Portugal Parks: Peneda-Geres National Park (Pt. 1)

The Portuguese Tourist Office recently sent over an excellent information guide to the country's vibrant parks and natural habitats. We'll roll out the information slowly, so you get a chance to really soak it in.

To start, we'll preview Peneda-Geres National Park way up north:

"The Peneda-Gerês National Park is a stunningly beautiful wilderness ofrugged granite mountains mixed with forest and fields of flowers. Lower lying areas offer conifer and broadleaved forests including some rare native woodland that contain oaks. The National Park covers a 70,000 metric acres. The striking mountains reach 1500 meters in rough granite. Here you will find the only surviving, untouched Roman road, complete with markers, on the Peninsula, and wild Gerês horses, roaming the wilderness. The spa town of Gerês offers water that is like silk, and renews you at first touch. Ancient villages fill the northern part, with a lake built around a sunken town."

Click here for more information.

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