Monday’s News in Spain: Spain's eternal summer challenge; more than one million did it in Catalonia yesterday; Catalonian condom machines

Spaniards Take Up Their Annual Summer Challenge - English! Yes, many Spaniards take time during the summer to study English -- children and adults -- at home, in camps and abroad. Intensive courses abound in Spain's cities; children's summer camps (colegios) are held in the countryside where studying English is a major focus; and trips are made to the UK, Ireland, Canada, the USA and as far away as Australasia to participate in immersion courses. According to to the newspaper-ita, Que! , more than 100,000 Spaniards will travel abroad this summer to study languages. And this year Spain's Ministry of Education has made grants available for 18 to 30 year olds who want to study English abroad.
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One million and counting: According to freebie paper ADN, the first day of "rebajas de verano" (summer sales) saw more than one million shoppers turn out in Catalonia yesterday. The most popular items: clothing and shoes.

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Condom Machines Spreading: It's not uncommon to see condom machines in bars, restaurants, schools and on walls outside pharmacies in Barcelona. Now Catalonia's government, the Generalitat, plans to install them in public libraries throughout the region and in metro stations in the greater Barcelona area.

Spain: News for Sunday 1 July 2007

Glasgow, of course, was the major story in all of the newspapers. El Pais ran the following headline: Alerta máxima antiterrorista en el Reino Unido tras un ataque. (Maximum anti-terrorist alert in the United Kingdom after an attack.) However, in Spain life went on as usual, as you can tell from the following local stories:

Summer sales start! Today was one of only 8 Sundays/Holidays a year when all stores are allowed to open for business. This is because today coincided with the start of Spain's summer sales period, which will last until 31 August. The Catalonia Commerce Confederation has predicted sales of between 800 and 900 million euros during these two months, 6% more last year. According to the estimates of the Spanish Commerce Confederation, Spanish consumers will spend, on average, between 150 and 200 euros.

Summer "sails", too! The massive exodus for summer holidays started yesterday, with queues at the ticket counters and traffica jams on the highways and freeways. Freeway AP-7 had vehicles lined up to 20 kilometers at noon. El Prat airport reorted record breaking operations, with a total of 1,102 take-offs and landings.

Glad I stayed home and enjoyed the beach! Hasta mañana...