How many public holidays does Spain have?

Today is a public holiday in Madrid. (Or as my British friends say, a 'bank' holiday.)

It's Father's Day and Saint Joseph's Day. (Or as my Spanish neighbors say, Día del Padre / Día de San Jose.)

This is a regional holiday, not a national one.

A family member back in Louisiana commented recently that Spain sure had a lot more holidays than the USA. It seemed that way to me, too, so I thought I'd tally them up and compare. Well, it turns out that this year there are 10 federal holidays in the USA, but only 8 national holidays in Spain.

Still, that doesn't quite tell the whole story.

First of all, here are the US federal holidays for 2015:

Thursday, January 1	New Year’s Day
Monday, January 19	Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 16	George Washington’s Birthday / Presidents' Day
Monday, May 25	Memorial Day
Saturday, July 4	Independence Day (Observed on Friday, July 3 this year)
Monday, September 7	Labor Day (Always on the first Monday in September)
Monday, October 12	Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11	Veterans Day
Thursday, November 26	Thanksgiving Day (Always on the 4th Thursday of November)
Friday, December 25	Christmas Day

Now here is the list of national holidays in Spain for 2015:

Thursday, January 1	New Year’s Day
Tuesday, January 6	Kings Day / Epiphany
Friday, April 3	Good Friday
Friday, May1	Labor Day
Saturday, August 15	Assumption of Mother Mary
Monday, October 12	Spanish National Day
Tuesday, December 8	The Day of the Immaculate Conception
Friday, December 25	Christmas Day

Notice that because the USA's July 4th holiday falls on a Saturday this year, it will be observed on Friday July 3rd, but that in Spain there is no such compensation for the holiday that falls on Saturday August 15th. This is because Spain actually considers Saturday a work day. Thus, people like me who work Monday through Friday won't get that holiday off this year.

This year we in Spain are also missing a holiday that falls on a Sunday: Constitution Day, December 6th. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the Spanish sometimes do what the Yanks do, and observe the holiday on the subsequent Monday. Although Spain is not doing that with this year's Constitution Day, some of the country's Regions have come to the rescue and christened the Monday a holiday. 

Therefore, it looks like the USA actually has more public holidays than Spain – especially when you consider that in the USA both Saturday and Sunday holidays are always compensated for.

Wait, though—there is another factor to consider. Each of Spain's 17 Regions have their own holidays. For example, there are four Regional holidays for the Community of Madrid this year:

Thursday March 19 - Saint Joseph's Day
Thursday April 2 - Holy Thursday
Saturday May 2 - Community of Madrid Day
Thursday June 4 - Corpus Christi Day

And the other Regions are just as  generous, with almost all having four other public holidays falling Monday through Friday. (Only the Canary Islands Region has fewer: three.) In fact, this year several of the Regions have elected to give their citizens back the Constitution Day some in Spain are missing by observing it on the Monday. (Scroll down below for a list of all the Regional holidays in Spain.)

Now back in the USSA, many states also observe their own holidays, but most have only one or two of these. Nevertheless, only two of the 50 states seem to have matched the Spanish regional norm of four: Indiana, which observes Good Friday, Primary Election Day, General Election Day and Lincoln's Birthday and North Carolina, with Good Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

So, if we consider the fact that added to the 8 (usually 9) national holidays there are four regional holidays almost everywhere in the country, it looks like overall Spain pulls ahead on the total number per year.

Then we can throw city and town holidays into the mix. In Spain most of these have multiple local holidays and even small towns and villages often have one or two. For example, in the City of Madrid there are 3 in 2015:

Friday, May 15 - Saint Isidro Day (Patron Saint of the City)
Wednesday, September 9 - Santa Maria de la Cabeza Day (Saint Isidro's wife)
Monday, November 9 - The Virgin of Almudena Day - (Patroness of the City)

Barcelona has two:

June 1 - Saint John's Night
September 24 - Día de la Merced

Valencia also has two:

January 22 - Saint Vincent The Martyr's Day
April 13 - Saint Vincent Ferrer's Day

And Seville has two, too:

Wednesday April 22- Wednesday of the Spring Fair (Replaces the usual May 30th Saint Fernando holiday, which falls on a Saturday this year)
Thursday June 4 - Corpus Christi Day

Now, I don't know of too many American cities that have two or three local public holidays.

Conclusion: I think we can safely say that, yes, Spain does have more public / bank holidays than the United States.

Or to put it in sports terms: Spain 14, USA 10.

Happy holidays!

Carlos

Here are the 2015 public holidays in Spain's Autonomous Regions.
Andalusia
February 28th: Andalusia Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Aragon
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 23rd: Saint George’s Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Asturias
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 8th: Asturian Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Balearic Islands
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Basque Country
March 19th: Saint Joseph
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
July 25th: Saint James
Canary Islands (Only 3 holidays regional holidays in the Canaries!) 
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
May 30th: Canary Islands Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
Cantabria
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
September 15th: Patron Saint of Cantabria (Virgen de la Bien Aparecida)
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
Castilla-La Mancha
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 4th: Corpus Christi
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Castilla y León
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 23rd: Castile and León Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Cataluña
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 24th: Saint John's Day
September 11th: The Diada, Catalonia Regional Day
December 26th: Saint Stephen's Day
Ceuta
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 25th: Festival of Abraham’s Sacrifice
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Extremadura
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 8th: Extremadura Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Galicia
March 20th: Day after Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
July 25th: Saint James, Galician Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
La Rioja
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 9th: La Rioja Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Comunidad de Madrid
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
May 2nd: Community of Madrid Day
June 4th: Corpus Christi Day
Melilla
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 25th: Festival of Abraham’s Sacrifice
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Murcia
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
June 9th: Murcia Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Navarre
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
July 25th: Saint James
Valencia
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 6th: Easter Monday
October 9th: Valencian Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day

Exploring Spain’s Mediterranean Coastline

For those who are unfamiliar with Spain, outside of the occasional trip to one of the touristic hotspots like the Costa del Sol, you may actually be surprised and amazed at the cultural delights and magnificent natural landscapes that can be found around this vast and beautiful country. From the lush green forests of Galicia and Asturias to the breathtaking oasis of Ruidera, there are and endless amount of places to explore, with each new location offering you something new.

Spain’s Mediterranean coastline stretches for an amazing 1660km and a trip along it will offer you more adventure and captivating sights than you ever imagined. If you like to travel in style and comfort, and have your trip laid out for you, perhaps one of the best ways to explore the southern coastline is on a Spanish cruise holiday as this will afford you all of the luxury as well as the sights and sounds of Spain. Some of the best attractions along the southern coast are actually the old ports such as the magnificent harbor at the old Roman city of Cartagena, and you will get to get the full experience as you sail into the port and dock up. 

It is also possible to travel along much of the coast by train: from Barcelona (or you could start in Perpignan, located in French Catalunya) to Valencia to Malaga. RENFE is Spain's national train service. If you want to travel to Gibraltar from Malaga, you can buy a commuter train ticket as far south as Fuengirola, then you will have to either take a bus to La Linea, which is the town on the Spanish side of the border, or you can rent a car and drive into Gibraltar. A taxi from Fuengirola to Gibraltar is also a possibility, which would take about 1 hour, 15 minutes. At the time of this writing, the fare would be about 80 euros. 

If you prefer to tackle the vast expanse of coastline by car, you are likely to be in for a whole different experience, including some rather hot and sweaty days spent in the car in summer, unless you have air-conditioning! Taking the road option does give you much more flexibility on your destinations and timing, and it also allows you to fully explore the real hidden gems of southern Spain. Here are some of the finest locations to visit along the coast, starting from Andalucía in the west and ending up in the dramatic coastline of northern Catalunya.

Andalucía and Almeria

Malaga is an ideal start point if you are taking a road trip as it is easy to fly into and there are lots of places to find cheap car hire. If you want to get the ‘traditional’ Spanish holiday experience, you could head to the touristic beaches of the Costa del Sol to soak in some rays and indulge in some sangria. Heading east from here, you can discover the ‘pueblo blancos’ which are the white villages of Axarquia. There are lots of quaint little Spanish villages in the region which are all made up of immaculately painted white buildings. Salobrena is a particularly interesting location as it is home to an Arab castle from the 10^th Century, which sits overlooking the sea. As you head further east from here, you will enter the much forgotten about region of Almeria, which is home to some spectacular sights such as the Cabo de Gata, and the only recognized dessert in Western Europe, Desierto de Tabernas.

Murcia and Levante

Murcia is a relatively small, but very interesting region of the coastline, which is home to the aforementioned historic port of Cartagena as well as some beautiful beaches and even a set of hot springs. The seaside town of Mazaron is a great place to stop off if you are looking for some comfort and time to relax on the beach, and from here you can head on up the coast towards the famous Levante Español which is where some of the most popular seaside resorts (Benidorm, Torreveija, Gandia) in Spain are situated. If these locations do not take your fancy, there are plenty of great alternative destinations to visit, including the 21,000 hectare freshwater lagoon at Albufera de Valencia. This is a wildlife haven that is home to huge numbers of birds and fish, and is a great place to stop off and relax.

Catalunya

To the north of Levante is the Spanish ‘Golden Coast’ which is called Costa Duarada, and although the beaches in this region are extremely busy during the summer months, there are some great places to visit inland a little way including the spectacular national parks of Poblet and Sierra del Montsant, and the largest wetland region in Europe, the Ebro Delta. There are also some lovely little villages and towns in these regions which have not been invaded by mass tourism, but instead go about life upholding many of the old traditions.

Just 90Km further north is one of the most fascinating places in the whole of Europe, Barcelona. If you really want to get the full Barcelona experience, you should put by at least four days to spend in this magnificent city as there is just so much to discover. Although it is a huge and vibrant city, popular with tourists from all over the world, there are still some untouched seaside locations just a stone’s throw from the main city. Tamariu, Llafranc, and Calella are some worth investigating.

By Melissa Hathaway (mostly) and Carloz (a very little)

Spain's Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO has been keeping track of the world's tangible, or physical, patrimony through its World Heritage Site list since 1972. Then in 2003 the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was signed, which authorized UNESCO to identify non-physical cultural expressions, too. This was to include such things as music, drama, arts, crafts and more. On this 10th anniversary of the convention, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has a total of 257 'cultural practices and expressions' on it, 13 of which are in Spain. These join the 44 physical places on the World Heritage Site list as globally recognized masterpieces of humanity.

Below are Spain's treasured thirteen:

Cant de la Sibil · la - Majorca, The Balearic Islands

The Song of the Sibyl is a musical liturgical drama with roots in Gregorian chants that was widespread in Europe in the Middle Ages. The Apocalyptic piece was banned by the 16th century Council of Trent, but continued to be performed in Majorca. It is performed during Christmas midnight masses in Catholic churches throughout the island.

• Mallorca Tourism
• www.lluc.net

Castellars - Catalonia 

These human towers, which range from six to ten 'stories' tall, from the pinya at the bottom to the l'anxeneta at the top, can be seen at events all over the region of Catalonia. Each is a collective effort of solidarity, often 'built' as part of a passionate competition among castellar groups. 

• Sixty groups operate throughout the region all year long, but most frequently from April to November. 
• The Casteller competitions held during the Festa Major de Sant Felix in Vilafranca del Penedès every August 30 and at the festival of Santa Ursula in Valls, observed on the Sunday following October 21, are the events with the deepest roots.
• www.castellersdevilafranca.cat
• www.castellersdebarcelona.cat
• Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya 

Center for Traditional Culture – a Pedagogic Project of The School Museum of Pusol - Elche, Valencia

Stared at the one-teacher rural public school of Pusol in 1968, the project has successfully integrated heritage into formal education by using teachers and external collaborators to guide children to explore, in a play atmosphere, Elche's rich heritage. The children do fieldwork data collection, museography, and they teach one another and visitors not only about heritage, but about studying and exploring heritage. The project has trained almost 500 schoolchildren and has resulted in a school museum with more than 61,000 inventory entries and 770 oral files, preserving everyday life heritage and promoting the cultural mapping of local heritage resources. Between 1968 and the mid 1980s, the project remained within the boundaries of the rural district of Pusol, where the school was based, but as knowledge of the project’s values and achievements spread, the project’s operational scope grew larger, first involving the remaining rural districts of Elche’s countryside (mid 1980s) and later the city of Elche (1990s).

• www.museopusol.com

Cultural Association of the Lime Kilns of Morón - Morón de la Frontera, Andalusia

The traditional practice of lime-making was a source of employment for Morón de la Frontera and a marker of its identity. When production was eclipsed by industrial lime, kilns fell into disuse and transmission of knowledge ceased. The project’s primary goals are to raise awareness of the practice and importance of lime-making and to improve living conditions for craftspeople. To this end, the Cultural Association of the Lime Kilns of Morón was established, and gave birth to an ethnographic centre and a living museum that displays the craft process in situ. Kilns have been restored and the project actively promotes transmission of techniques to new generations. Outreach activities in cooperation with lime craftspeople focus on recovering expertise and techniques for use in sustainable construction.

• museocaldemoron.com

Festival de los Patios - Cordoba, Andalusia

Every year in May fifty-five homes located in the historic center of Cordoba opens their doors to every traveler who wishes to enjoy the floral splendor of their courtyards.

• Competition for best patio, concerts and flamenco performances. From 8 to 19 May 2013.
• www.patiosdecordoba.es
• www.amigosdelospatioscordobeses.es

Falconry - Spain

Spain is the ideal destination to observe or participate in this traditional activity, which involves breeding and training falcons and/or other birds of prey to hunt in their natural environment.

• SpainInfo.com
• AECCA - Spain's Falconry Association
• Cetrero.com

Flamenco (Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia)

¡Flamenco! Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song, dance and musicianship. Although Andalusia is the heartland of Flamenco, it also has roots in the regions of Murcia and Extremadura. 

• The Badasom Festival in Badajoz (Extremadura) from 10 to 13 July, with flamenco as well as Portuguese fado.
• Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas in La Unión (Murcia), the first week of August, .
• And November 16th is the Day of Flamenco in Andalusia.
• www.fundacioncantedelasminas.org

Irrigators' Tribunals of the Spanish Mediterranean

Traditional tribunals dealing with local irrigation matters. The Council of Wise Men of the Plain of Murcia, dates back to the 9th century, while the Water Tribunal of the Plain of Valencia is the oldest institution of justice in Europe. Their oral proceedings are fast, transparent and impartial. Their decision is final. In addition to their legal roles, these courts contribute to the oral transmission of knowledge derived from centuries-old cultural exchanges. They have their own specialist vocabulary peppered with Arabic borrowings. In short, the courts are long-standing repositories of local and regional identity and are of special significance to local inhabitants -- and they are something to see.

• Can be seen on Thursdays at Murcia City Hall and at the Gate of the Apostles entrance to the Cathedral of Valencia, respectively.
• www.tribunaldelasaguas.com
• www.juntadehacendados.es 

La Patum - Berga, Catalonia

During the holy week of Corpus Christi, townspeople dress as mystical and symbolical figures and dance through the streets to the beat of a kettledrum called a tabal. Among the things to be seen are turcs i cavallets (Turks and knights), maces (hell), guites (mules), àligas (eagles) vells nans i nans nous (old dwarfs and new dwarfs), gegants (paper mache  giants) and plens (with burning fuets on). This event has origins in pre-Christian summer solstice celebrations of the, which were adapted by the Catholic Church. Today it is not religious, but rather more a bit of popular street theater. 

• From May 29 to June 2 2013
• www.lapatum.cat

Mare de Deu de la Salut - Algemesi, Valencia

The Festival of Our Lady of Health dates back to the 13th century and involves theatre, dance, music and street processions. Three processions are held, one on 7 September and two on the 8th. They include Muixeranga, which are human towers similar to the Castellers but which include the performance of a dance. There are seven dance events, 63 musical compositions, street depictions of historical and biblical characters, scenes of martyrdoms, living tableaus, etc.

• www.museuvalenciadelafesta.com

Mediterranean Diet - Spain

The main ingredients of the Mediterranean diet include olive oil, cereals, fruits, vegetables, a moderate amount of meat, fish and dairy products, seasoning and spices, accompanied by wine or infusions.  UNESCO mentions Soria, in Castile-León, as a prime example of a city that is committed to the Mediterranean diet, but this glorious food can be enjoyed all over Spain.

• SpainInfo.com - Soria
• TastingSpain.es 

Misteri d'Elx - Elche, Valencia

A two-part liturgical drama dating from the Middle Ages commemorating the Dormition, Assumption and Heavenly Coronation of the Virgin Mary. It is sung in Valencian and Latin and performed in the Basilica de Santa María. Dress rehearsals can be seen on some days before the events, with part one performed on August 14th and part two on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15th.

• www.misteridelx.com
• www.visitelche.com

Whistled Language of La Gomera - La Gomera Island, Canary Islands

The Silbo Gomero replicates the islanders’ vocal language (Castilian Spanish) with whistling. Handed down over centuries from master to pupil, it is the only whistled language in the world that is fully developed and practised by a large community -- more than 22,000 inhabitants. The whistled language replaces each vowel or consonant with a whistling sound: two distinct whistles replace the five Spanish vowels, and there are four whistles for consonants. The whistles can be distinguished according to pitch and whether they are interrupted or continuous. With practice, whistlers can convey any message. The language takes advantage of the peculiar topography of the island, reverberating across its deep ravines and narrow valleys. Messages can be heard up to five miles away.

• Demonstrations can be easily be observed on a visit to the island.
• The Whistle
• www.silbogomero.com.es

Sunny Barcelona? Often, but certainly not always!

In all my time in Barcelona, I had never seen the local beaches closed until recently. The city has partitioned off all local beaches due the worst storm to hit the Catalan and Valencian coast in 50 years. On Christmas day the weather was typically lovely -- sunny, clear and bright. Then by the night of the 25th everything changed!

The rain started Thursday evening, eventually accompanied by very strong winds. That night I could feel the building I live in swaying! The storm was so bad on Friday that I stayed in all day. The awful weather continued on Saturday morning, but calmed down later in the day. When I walked to the seafront that afternoon I was shocked by what I saw: objects large and small strewn across the sand, restaurant terraces destroyed, and police tape running along the beach to block entry. (See the incredible photo slide show on the El Periodico web site; photos 4 and 5 were taken at Barceloneta beach, with the high rise buildings of Port Olimpico in the background. The photo above is of Bogatell beach, which is on the other side of Porto Olimipco.)

Saturday night there was a light rain when I went out, but by the time I came home storm conditions had returned. I have never seen the Mediterranean's waves crashing so hard and the only times I have ever felt such strong winds were during hurricanes.

The result of this awful weather is that businesses and homes suffered damage from wind and water, rail service was interrupted, traffic problems abounded and some individuals even lost their lives. So far, four people have died as a result of the inclement weather on the coast, including a Port Olimpico worker who was swept away by a wave. Two other people were killed when their cars were washed away by waves! The fourth person died while scuba diving near Valencia when the storm hit. (I think the storm hit there a little earlier in the day than it did in Barcelona.) Of course, there were also many injured people.

As I write this on the night of Sunday the 28th, it's not raining at the moment, but the skies are still covered with clouds and the weather forecast is for storm conditions to return.

Oh, what a Christmas!

Saludos amig@s,

Carloz

100,000 protest against English classes in Valencia!

The largest street protest in Valencia since 2003's march against the War in Iraq occurred yesterday in response to the regional government's plan have the school system's new Civics classes taught only in English. A crowd that organizers estimated at 100,000 converged on regional government headquarters. Many carried signs with slogans in English, such as, "No, we can't," and "[Education Minister Alejandro] Font de Mora go home!"

However, Valencians are not up in arms about English, but rather about what many see as an effort by the regional Valencian government, which is controlled by the conservative Popular Party, to undermine the Civics curriculum. The national government, which is led by the Socialist Party, developed the Civics course for students who want to opt out of the Roman Catholic Religion course that is taught in schools across Spain.




Valencia is the only autonomous region that has mandated that the new course be taught in a foreign language, which is what led to the call for protests by the organization Plataforma por la Enseñanza Pública. (Platform for Public Education.) For the past three months parents, teachers and students have been taking to the streets throughout the region. Until yesterday's march the largest had been a gathering of 30,000 people on November 10th. In addition to this local reaction, many school officials and education experts across the country have criticised the Valencian government's action.

It is interesting that at the same time that this is happening there have been increasing demands for religious icons to be removed from schools and other public places. Two national police officers (guardias civiles) recently sued to have images of the Virgin of Pilar removed from their headquarters, while a city of Seville police officer has requested that two religious images be removed from the local police station.

Meanwhile, this month for the first time ever in Spain, a court ruled that crucifixes in a public space must be removed, when a judge in the town of Valladolid ordered a school to remove its religious symbols. The judge found that the presence of religious symbols in the school seemed to convey the idea that the state is closer to Roman Catholicism than to other religions. The school board had rejected the request from a parent in 2005 to remove the icons.

These things are happening 30 years after the end of the Franco dictatorship, which had previously made Roman Catholicism the state religion. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 guarantees a secular state.

Spain's Wednesday News: Zapatero & Rajoy; Bread & Butter; Valencia & Dubai

Zapatero vs. Rajoy: The big story today was the State of the Nation debate between socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy.

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Some say Zapatero was kicking off his re-election campaign with his promise to give families €2,500 ($3,400 or £1,700) for every newborn child. However, he claimed it was one way to encourage childbirth in a country with one of the lowest birth rates in the world. "We need more families and more children to progress in Spain," Mr Zapatero said.

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He also promised that the country would reach full employment within the next five years and to reduce the number of Spaniards with only temporary employment.

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Regarding ETA, he accepted responsibility for the failed negotiations, saying he was aware of the risks and the opportunities in trying to talk with the terrorist organization. However, he said that was over now and in future his government would do everything it could, including asking for international assistance, to make the terrorists' lives "impossible".

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For his part, Rajoy focused much of his time on terrorism. He said that negotiating with ETA was the most important failure of Zapatero. "While your government has been taking a three-year siesta our neighbours have been using economic reforms to increase competitiveness and productivity. We need more competition, more flexibility, a better education system and a better image abroad" he said. He also challenged Zapatero on his handling of the deaths of Spanish soldiers in Lebanon and Afghanistan and illegal immigration.

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National elections are due to be called by next March.

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Bread & Butter Returns to Barcelona: Urban Style Fair Bread & Butter, which began in Cologne, in 2001, jumped to Berlin in 2003 and then spread to Barcelona 2005, starts it's 2007 version today. What's involved? Fashion shows, concerts, dances, art exhibitions and parties. For more details here's the official BREAD & BUTTER BARCELONA web site.

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Valencia or Dubai in 2110: Now that Valencia's successful hosting of the America's Cup has resulted in another win for Alinghi of Switzerland, news reports are saying that Alinghi will probably keep the event in the Spanish city for the next competition, although Dubai is apparently in the running. For more details here's the official America's Cup web site.