Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Preseason for Barça Atlètic has started with a 1-0 defeat against l'Escala The friendly - Albert Sánchez' first game as the development side's coach - was played at Vall d'en Bas and decided by a first half goal from Bilal Charreh The result could have easily gone the other way as the blaugranes played better and created more chances Barça Atlètic could have scored from a cross shot by Albert Navarro or a curling shot by Dacosta - one of this season's new faces - but the ball wouldn't go in the former going close and the latter hitting the bar l'Escala made the most of their first chance A new eleven for Barça Atlètic after the break The second half went similar to the first - Barça in control and creating chances but not managing to finish the job striking the post after good work by Pedro Fernández L'Escala ultimately stood firm to take the win despite blaugrana superiority With just over two months to go before Barcelona becomes the global capital of nautical sports thanks to the 37th edition of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup the presence of the world's most important regatta in the Catalan capital is felt more and more each day Following the launch of the new AC75s from the five Challengers who are already sailing the waters of the Front Marítim Emirates Team New Zealand with their brand-new AC75 Taihoro and the arrival of the 'Auld Mug' in Catalonia the 173 year-old silver ewer around which the world’s oldest sporting event revolves after more than two years since Barcelona was designated as the host of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup all the essential elements for its celebration will be in place In keeping with its commitment to bringing the 173-old history of the event closer to the public in collaboration with the Generalitat de Catalunya and the local yacht clubs have scheduled an exhibition tour of the America’s Cup originally the ‘RYS £100 Cup’ along the Catalan coast For America’s Cup Event CEO Grant Dalton taking one of the world’s oldest and most iconic trophies on the road and to the yacht clubs plays a fundamental role in educating and inspiring the next generation of  sailors “The America’s Cup is the pinnacle event in sailing worldwide and the 37th edition of the event is being held on the doorstep of the people of Catalonia so being able to take this iconic trophy to the yacht clubs  is really special.” the official Trophy Tour of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup will stop at seven Catalan clubs starting in L’Escala on Tuesday and each club will arrange for on-water and off water events including at L’Escala a showcase of disabled sailing as well as various training regattas in the Optimist and Laser classes inspired by the America’s Cup The planned route for the famous silver ewer will see it make stops at the ports and yacht clubs of Palamós before its final journey to Barcelona on July 1st 2024 where it will be displayed alongside the other three trophies of the official regattas of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup: the Puig Women's America's Cup the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup As the America’s Cup makes its journey the Presidents of the clubs will officially welcome the trophy and representatives of America’s Cup Events alongside Mayors of the town and the surrounding areas Presentations around the key facts of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup and its unique features including the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup and the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup will be made At each destination there will be an information area where the public can enjoy a free immersive experience and emulate the best sailors in the world at the controls of a simulator while learning about the history and other key aspects of the competition such as the roles within the crews the specifications and technology of the AC75 or the celebration of the first women's regatta in history the Puig Women's America's Cup and the regatta for young sailors (18-25) - the UniCredit Youth America's Cup beaches and cliffs of the Catalan coastline as a canvas and the fast patter of the dockside fish auctioneers as the soundtrack the visit of the oldest trophy in the world will be a recognition of the seafaring towns and villages of Catalonia which will be especially decorated to welcome the America’s Cup trophy in a cultural exchange that will have the sea and its people as the main protagonist Local gastronomy will also play a prominent role in the America's Cup Trophy Tour on the occasion of the designation of Catalonia as the first territory in Europe to be distinguished as a World Region of Gastronomy for the year 2025 This is a recognition of the dedication of these territories in favour of traditions maintaining and promoting the seafaring vision that makes them unique.  37TH LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP TROPHY TOUR: The America’s Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in the world of sport Initially known as the ‘RYS £100 Cup’ it was designed and crafted in 1848 by Edmund Cotterill of the appointed Royal silversmiths donated it to the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes for a race around the Isle of Wight held at the same time as Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851 The purpose of such a prize was originally to attract international participation particularly from the United States and indeed Russia the silver ewer was designed as a cylindrical silver vessel open at both ends and incapable of holding liquids standing 27 inches tall (approximately 69 cm) with a body circumference of 36 inches (approximately 91 cm) and a weight of 134 ounces (approximately 3.8 kg) After the schooner America’s victory in the first race on August 22nd 1851—which prompted the famous "Ma’am there is no second" from Queen Victoria’s signal-master on the Royal yacht Victoria & Albert —the Cup was awarded to the six syndicate owners of the yacht America They exhibited it in rotation at various celebratory dinners the most famous being at the Astor House Hotel in 1851 after discarding the idea of melting it down to create commemorative medals George Schuyler one of the surviving members of the America syndicate renamed the trophy as the America’s Cup before transferring its custody to the New York Yacht Club as "a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations" under a strict set of conditions established in the Deed of Gift of the America’s Cup This marked the beginning of the thirty-seven subsequent editions of a unique event that encapsulates the spirit of competition  were left at a train station in Barcelona aged two when Elvira decided to look for her parents she discovered a family history wilder than anything she had imagined On 22 April 1984, a sandy-haired, ringleted two-year-old girl named Elvira was driven with her brothers, Ricard and Ramón, aged four and five, to a grand railway terminus in Barcelona rode in a white Mercedes-Benz driven by their father’s French friend Denis He parked near the modernist Estación de Francia (now known as Estació de França) and walked them into the hangar-like hall patterned marble floors and was topped by two glass domes he told the children to wait while he bought sweets A railway worker asked what was wrong and Ramón but when they asked the children their parents’ names Nor could the children give their own surnames Five-year-olds usually know such basic things, but the police were not overly concerned. Children are not generally abandoned without explanation friend or schoolteacher – would report them missing and the mystery would be solved They made no attempt to alert the press or appeal to the public for help That evening, police took them to an orphanage in Barcelona. Three days later, they were moved to a care home for vulnerable children in the centre of the city. The mid-1980s was an age of faxes, telegrams and hand-delivered mail, so international communication was slow, but police in France and across Europe were now informed of the three missing children in Barcelona Care home staff noticed that when the conversation turned to their parents or the past the well-behaved children either had nothing to say or walked away staff decided not to push back against what they saw as “a psychological block” an educational psychologist named Marisa Manera saw a photograph of Elvira and her brothers pinned to a board in a district office of Barcelona’s social services “We are seeking information on these three children,” read an accompanying note A business card with the care home’s number was pinned to it and they offered the three siblings a temporary home staying on the sandy delta of the River Ebro The children did not know their father’s name but they remembered his spectacular cars: a black Porsche a grey-green Jaguar and another white Mercedes-Benz two-year-old Elvira pointed and said: “Look papa’s car!” as if her parents had arrived Marisa and Lluís formally adopted Elvira and her brothers giving them the surnames Moral Manera (Spaniards receive one from each parent) “They got the three-kid family they had always wanted,” Elvira now a slender 41-year-old woman with dark eyes dyed silver hair and a chevron tattoo on one knuckle living a middle-class existence in an apartment overlooking a greyhound track in Barcelona Elvira sometimes puzzled over why her biological parents abandoned them Elvira imagined her parents ringing the doorbell and greeting her with a breezy “Bonjour!” Sometimes at the end of nights out partying as teenagers or young adults Elvira would ask her brothers to revisit memories of their previous life The few they had were located in Paris and the French countryside or on journeys to snowy Switzerland or Belgium They involved road trips in their father’s cars a jumble of places and a grandmother figure dressed in black who forced them to drink milk when they stayed with her But although Elvira liked to hear about their early childhood she had no desire to search for her biological parents Elvira learned sign language and began teaching children with hearing difficulties She was following in the footsteps of Lluís who had taught children with special educational needs (Lluís died before Elvira’s 18th birthday.) She held firm to a conviction that when it comes to the way character is formed Ramón and Ricard Photograph: Jordi Matas/The Guardian/Family of Elvira MoralIn 2014 an Italian eyeglasses designer based in Barcelona Elvira started to feel unsettled by how little she knew about her biological family What if her parents had some sort of hereditary disease her curiosity increased – and increased further with the birth of a second son in 2017 Elvira and Marco married and bought a flat a few minutes from where Elvira had grown up.) Looking down at a breastfeeding child Elvira wondered whether her mother had breastfed her and what other rituals they had shared during the brief time they had together heart-wrenchingly precious to her that she imagined only a life-shattering event could have driven her mother to abandon her children she realised something else was seriously amiss “What five-year-old can’t name their parents?” she asked herself In December 2020, she gave herself a MyHeritage DNA test as a Christmas present. She hoped the company’s vast DNA database might turn up a blood relative. To her surprise, it found only a small number of matches in France, and many more in southern Spain We were convinced we were French,” she told me they showed just 1 or 2% of shared DNA with others on the database and those Elvira contacted either ignored her or had no information to offer Elvira told her brothers and Marisa that she had started to try to trace her birth family Marisa called Elvira and Ramón to her apartment for a family meeting (Ricard was not in Barcelona.) She had something to show them: a few faded newspaper cuttings that she had filed away in July 1984 The articles were about a Frenchman called Raymond Vaccarizzi He was a mafia boss from Lyon who moved to the Spanish coastal village of L’Escala as gang wars escalated and French police closed in on him Vaccarizzi ran a prostitution ring and protection rackets he was arrested for murder and sent to La Modelo a 19th-century stone and brick Barcelona jail squeezed into a densely populated residential district inmates regularly held shouted conversations with friends and family down in the street Vaccarizzi arranged to talk from the gallery with his wife As he shouted down through the window grilles positioned on the roof of a six-storey apartment block across the street Two-high velocity rounds struck Vaccarizzi’s head It was a spectacular and highly professional hit Rumours circulated that the sniper had dressed as a priest or been trained by an elite French army unit he had personally meted out vicious beatings and murdered three rivals Marisa explained to Elvira and Ramón why she had kept the newspaper cuttings all these years Vaccarizzi was French and shared a first name (or its French version) with Ramón Some stories the children told – of fast cars and sudden trips – suggested that their parents might have been involved in crime “Our theory was that you might be his children,” she told them Elvira Moral at home in Barcelona Photograph: Jordi Matas/The Guardian/Family of Elvira Moral“That blew my mind,” Elvira told me remembering seeing the Vaccarizzi cuttings for the first time “But anything seemed possible.” When I visited Marisa at the apartment where she raised the children – and where her three grandchildren were enjoying an afternoon hangout – she told me that they had even worried that gangsters might be secretly tracking the children who is now 44 and lives near Elvira with his partner and infant daughter He retained a clear image of their father as a man with “the air of a winner” and whitish hair Ramón had once startled the family by blurting out that a pale-haired man on their television “looks just like our father” The dark-haired Vaccarizzi was very different His memories were Elvira’s main source of clues Apart from the cuttings and Ramón’s memories all Elvira had were the brief official papers registering her abandonment in which doctors and carers describe her as a normal healthy two-year-old whose only oddity was a desire to sleep lying crosswise in her bed These documents created further confusion about whether their origins lay in France or Spain – with Ricard’s name appearing first as Richard (in French) and in later documents as both Ricardo (Spanish) and Ricard (Catalan) The official papers said the children and their father had lived with Denis Denis’s wife and their children before being abandoned They had not seen their mother for a while and told care workers that their father had claimed she “no longer loved them” Even though the siblings agreed that Vaccarizzi could not have been their father Marisa’s instincts that the children’s biological parents may have been connected to the criminal underworld seemed plausible fitting with some of the children’s other memories When I visited Ramón in a small penthouse apartment in Barcelona he recalled once finding a pistol in a house where they were staying He and Ricard started playing with it on an outdoor staircase The gun recoiled as he fired a real bullet He explained with photographic exactitude the shape of the staircase Elvira Moral Photograph: Jordi Matas/The Guardian/Family of Elvira MoralHe remembers his father driving them to a beachside restaurant and leaving the engine running while he went inside They waited a few minutes before he reappeared “I recall the tension in the car as we drove off,” Ramón said but also vivid: his father parking the black Porsche above a vertiginous cliff; a wood-lined Paris apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower; visiting his father in a hospital room They seemed like scenes from a French noir gangster movie pointing as they did towards her parents’ involvement in illicit activities How do you peer into a world so far removed from your own stable she discussed with Ramón using hypnosis to dig deeper into his memory they told her that hypnosis might produce false memories or kill off real ones a feeling that would return repeatedly over the coming months as she continued her search a friend put Elvira in contact with Catalan radio station and she recorded an interview for an early-evening talkshow but they reassured her and sent a digital copy “I couldn’t even listen to it,” she told me She explained the darker theories about her father’s criminal past and asked for help Elvira insisted she was not angry with her birth parents she felt sad for them and wanted to uncover the mysterious tragedy that She did not realise that more than 150,000 people in Catalonia listen to Islàndia her work and seemingly everywhere messaged her to express amazement was inundated by calls from friends who were listening Many people in Barcelona know the Estación de Francia, where Elvira and her brothers were abandoned. Listeners were touched by the image of the three young children left alone in its cavernous hall, and they wanted to help. In the weeks that followed the broadcast, Elvira’s private quest became crowd-sourced. Volunteers set up a Facebook page in Spanish and French which attracted amateur sleuths and genealogists People approached Elvira with wild theories and false leads claimed to have stopped off at a bar with her father to drink champagne during his transfer between Parisian jails.) Yet Elvira’s story was already so dramatic that even the most bizarre theories seemed possible Since it was hard to judge who was trustworthy and who was not a 51-year-old forensic doctor who had heard her story on the radio Del Río had experience as a volunteer tracking down relatives of newly discovered victims of death squads from the Spanish civil war and she became a tireless ally and adviser travelling with Elvira to quiz relatives and reassuring her when she felt frustrated or let down “She always tells me this is a long journey,” said Elvira a French-speaking 54-year-old amateur criminologist called Carmen Pastor made the first breakthrough two months after the radio broadcast Elvira’s was her first missing persons case (there have been more since) and it consumed her for up to 14 hours a day doggedly chasing down distant matches and their relatives a distant relative of a woman who showed a 1.4% match to Elvira and shares great-great-grandparents with her told Carmen that the story of the three missing children sounded familiar The woman promised to find out more from some of her relatives and get back to her and Elvira was celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday at a house in the country “I think we’ve found [some of] your family,” Elvira recalls Carmen saying Carmen was waiting for a final call that would confirm it Elvira remembers this day as one of the tensest of her life “Can it really be them?” Carmen herself spent the day nailing down details She explained that there were three missing children and that the eldest was called Ramón,” Elvira remembers Carmen telling her on the phone her father was also called Ramón and her mother Rosario Elvira found it hard to trust this information fully – she had That night Elvira received a call from a potential second cousin called Lorena Could she do a video call with some of them She called Ramón and told him to prepare for a video chat who leads an alternative lifestyle in the Catalan countryside and shuns mobile phones.) Night had fallen when Elvira stared into her phone screen at a potential first cousin called Mari and belonged to a once-itinerant and marginalised tinker group called the mercheros As Elvira struggled for something concrete to hold on to Mari placed photographs in front of the camera Soon Elvira was staring at herself as a baby and her brothers as small children Then a photograph of an elderly woman was held up “That’s the old lady with the milk!” exclaimed Ramón and sat with them on balconies and beaches including in the grey-green Jaguar the boys had remembered For the first time since she was a toddler Their names were Ramón Martos Sánchez and Rosario Cuetos Cruz with a broad smile and a thick shock of greying hair swept backwards with long hair parted down the centre and strong They had been 34 and 35 when the children were abandoned Elvira and Ramón agreed to come to Madrid with Ricard the following weekend to meet their new family They had solved the first part of the mystery: they knew who their biological parents were The next question was clear: where were they now Elvira had hoped her new relatives might know Elvira spoke for the first time to relatives of her father in Seville only one of whom was still alive: Elvira’s aunt Luisa just two days after discovering that her nephews and niece had been found She could have told us so much,” Elvira said Elvira and her brothers went to meet her mother’s family in Madrid and in conversations with the Seville family Elvira assembled some of the puzzle pieces of her past (Elvira later found their mugshots in a newspaper he fled to France with Rosario after a police shootout Ramón and Rosario stayed with some of his relatives in Paris Elvira’s father climbed to a higher rank of criminality The early 80s was a period of spectacular bank heists in Paris and it didn’t seem impossible that Elvira’s father had been involved in some of them Her brothers had memories of a box filled with glittering precious stones a jar of coins and their father boasting their home was like the Fábrica de la Moneda y Timbre Elvira’s biological parents’ first attempts at having children failed she duly gave birth three times in three-and-a-half years Relatives were adamant that Rosario had loved Ramón She and her husband kept up constant contact with relatives in Spain and the children were occasionally sent to Madrid to stay with grandmother Inés almost a year before the children were abandoned communication with both sides of the family stopped shouting “Rosario” and “Ramón” down the line but nobody spoke French and the calls dried up The families considered reporting them missing The Madrid family consulted another soothsayer who said the children were OK but the parents were in “a dark place” When I met Elvira’s new aunt Felisa for a coffee in Madrid recently she was delighted to have found her niece and nephews but bemused about what had happened to her sister Rosario During their final phone conversation in May 1983 who used to ring her sister from French pay phones which matches reports from other relatives who told Elvira he spent time in a tuberculosis clinic near Paris Felisa had worried that he might have died sparking a wider tragedy that engulfed Rosario and their children “I thought maybe she lost her mind as a result,” Felisa said Elvira had felt comfortable as an adopted child there had always been a part of her that had questions Even something as silly as: what is my real zodiac sign?” In the absence of birth certificates and their births registered in Spain on the closest saint’s day – 25 January 1982 for Saint Elvira volunteer genealogists in France found Elvira’s birth certificate She had been born in Paris on 29 December 1981 not least because the siblings planned to visit a tattoo artist together and have the Eiffel Tower inked on their sides We’re from Paris!” The Eiffel Tower was inked in triplicate The other two birth certificates arrived soon after confirming all three had been born in Paris “Finding out the real date moved me to tears,” Ramón told me Elvira knows she had a better life with Marisa and Lluís than she could have expected with her birth parents developing a different personality and values made harder by being always on the lookout or on the run,” Elvira said She didn’t see Rosario as one of those stay-at-home mafia wives distanced from their husband’s criminal enterprises she pictures herself talking to her mother “I’d still like to ask her: what was my birth like for you?” she said His own brother had disowned him because he beat Rosario Elvira’s brother Ramón recalls playing a game of dare with Ricard after being left outside a door where their father was ensconced with more than one woman Which of the boys would be bold enough to knock Rosario Cuetos Cruz Photograph: Jordi Matas/The Guardian/Family of Elvira MoralElvira’s biological parents were not always easy to admire according to the codes by which she was raised my mother is the person who brought me up,” she said “But there is also something else important a blood link like I have with my brothers.” She still wanted to know why she and her brothers had been abandoned Elvira hoped that her parents had been protecting them from a greater danger her father had told a cousin he was close to pulling off a major heist or deal The couple may have been murdered by a rival gang or died in an accident during a job and been secretly buried imaginative mind – always looking for the next trick – could have landed him in trouble Paris was the last place Elvira knew her parents had lived It seemed the logical place to continue her search In March 2022 she and Marco spent a weekend there We had first met in Barcelona a few days earlier when Elvira told me that some elderly Spanish bar owners in Paris having been shown photographs of her father by French volunteers since they had confirmed that they recognised her father But when I talked to both bar owners the following day I left convinced that their memories were false or unreliable “I might have seen the father on the street yesterday,” shrugged 71-year-old Arturo Sánchez as we sipped coffee in the wicker chairs of a cafe She carried around a photograph taken shortly after they were abandoned and her anxiety about what those answers might reveal Elvira and Marco had to fly back to Barcelona before they could visit the address on her birth certificate taking with me a 1982 photograph of Rosario in bell-bottom trousers and a turban-like headscarf Local people pointed me to a warren of alleys where bijoux homes now sport security cameras Ramón had recalled playing in front of a fountain that spurted water out of a wall A man sweeping his yard at the end of one alley pointed at a house opposite “They had a wall fountain in the garden,” he said and the fountain has gone.” The find seemed to confirm Ramón’s laser-like memory Elvira’s eldest brother Ramón as a child Photograph: Jordi Matas/The Guardian/Family of Elvira MoralIn the absence of other clues Elvira and Ramón could not shake off the thought that the Catalan beach town of L’Escala with its past as a hideaway for French gangsters like Vaccarizzi formed part of their story – even if Vaccarizzi himself did not Was this where Denis had lived when he took them to Barcelona and dumped them but Ramón recalls he was very close to his father and suspects that he is the man pictured opposite Ramón senior in photographs from a holiday in Belgium.) Ramón also thought L’Escala was the sort of sunny Mediterranean seaside place where the childhood pistol incident had happened I was guided around the town by Jordi Jacas white-haired men and women drinking a late morning aperitif or coffee in the pavement terraces who rang old colleagues now living in Lyon did not remember or did not want to say if they had known Elvira’s father or Denis especially if they thought they were being accused of harming three small children I returned to L’Escala with Elvira and Ramón to meet the daughter of a former French mafia boss The siblings wanted to know if their story rang any bells but the woman felt huge sympathy for Elvira and her brothers “I know what it’s like to grow up in that kind of family,” she said Her panicked father had once hurriedly sent her away from L’Escala with her brother after hearing rumours that a rival gang planned to kidnap them Ramón insisted again that the place felt familiar pointing to the handsome two-storey villas This is where Elvira’s father’s 90-year-old aunt along with one of her adult granddaughters and a small in part of a converted farmhouse overlooking the strait of Gibraltar with clear views of the coastline of Morocco This was Elvira’s first time meeting her great-aunt Manola wept as she exclaimed how much Elvira looked like one of her father Ramón’s deceased sisters and she told tales of his spirited nature and how he once escaped from a police cell Sometimes the conversation paused as great-aunt and great-niece held hands “Your mother hit me once,” Manola said suddenly Elvira had heard about Rosario’s fierce temper and high-handed manner “I’ve heard her called a bad woman,” she admitted citing other relatives on her father’s side When I asked later if she worried that her biological parents were wicked but then I look at photos of my father playing with us and think – a real son-of-a-bitch doesn’t do that rolling around on the grass with the kids.” Good people Early insecurities have given way to a firm resolve to keep digging “One thing this has taught me is to be patient,” she told me “I’m not usually good at waiting.” At the same time she does wonder if she has sometimes been too caught up in her search You can’t just ignore all that and devote yourself only to this.” She said that one of her own sons hearing the stories about his mother’s childhood “I tell him this is something unique that happened to me and won’t happen to him,” she said I was struck by how well she fitted into this branch of her newly extended family two second cousins about the same age as Elvira with careers as a teacher and a social worker Elvira had holidayed with this family in Seville and the four women now occasionally chat together on video calls Elvira recently told me she was heartbroken to hear that Manoli planned to leave Spain to teach dance in Japan Elvira still longs to know what happened to her birth parents. Ramón Sr and Rosario would now be in their mid-70s. If they were alive, surely they would scour the internet for their children? Elvira knows that the fact that they have never made contact means that they are probably dead – perhaps killed by gangsters skilled at making people disappear. But it doesn’t stop her fantasising that they are out there, she told me. Read moreSome lines of investigation remain to be explored Attempts to obtain police files about their abandonment and their father’s criminal past have so far failed though Montse del Rio thinks Elvira will gain access to them soon And Elvira continues to be buoyed up by the success she has had from crowdsourcing her search and by the volunteers who have been eager to help has always played a crucial role in her life The last two years have validated her faith in such kindness which she hopes may yet help her solve the final riddle of what happened to her parents she and Ramón were preparing to visit L’Escala again They planned to speak to more people who lived through the town’s gangster period “You never know when something is going to drop,” said Elvira Follow the Long Read on Twitter at @gdnlongread, listen to our podcasts here and sign up to the long read weekly email here. This article was amended on 6 April 2023 to clarify that the Estación de Francia is now known by its Catalan name, Estació de França. Catalonia served as a set for 3,612 filming productions in 2022 according to Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises (ICEC) Most of the shoots took place in Barcelona and only 3.2% of the general recordings were for films or TV series The rest of the shoots (97%) are publicity short films or other types of small productions a talk organized by Catalan Films called "Catalonia a Country for Film Presented" presented last year's data of filmings in Catalonia with the exception of 2020 because of the pandemic there has been an stable tendency on productions recorded in Catalonia 2022 represents a 6% decrease in productions compared to 2021 That is 174 less in Barcelona and 61 in other parts of Catalonia fiction films for cinema have increased in the last year from 49 to 52 Some of the films shoot in Catalonia this past year are "Creatura" by Elena Martín, mainly shot in coastal town of l'Escala and won the prize for Best European Film at the Cannes Directors' Fortnight and "La imatge permanent" (The permanent image) by Laura Farrés a film recorded in El Prat de Llobregat and that competed in the official section of Festival de Locarno Catalan locations have also been a place for streaming platform productions like "Bird Box Barcelona" from Netflix, "Awarenness" by Daniel Benmayor in Prime Video, a scene of the popular show "The Crown"'s sixth season, and most recently Netflix's "El Cuerpo en Llamas" (Burning Body) Although most of these shootings (76%) took place in Barcelona, almost 8 out of the 10 daily recordings. In the rest of Catalonia, the main filming locations in 2022 were Terrassa, where the Cinema and Audiovisual School of Catalonia (ESCAC) is located and where popular film directors like J.A. Bayona studied Catalonia has been the guest of honor at London's Raindance Film Festival the main independent film festival in Britain.  through Catalan Films and the Catalunya Film Comission has presented to the contest 10 productions which are "very different and representative of Catalan cinema" like "Un amor" by Isabel Coixet Raindance Film Festival has been a great opportunity for Catalan cinema to win "more prestige and dynamise the industry," as Joan Ruiz from Catalan Films explained to Catalan News Agency (ACN) "Catalan cinema is living a sweet moment and is being welcomed internationally and I think that is due to our own point of view being seen in the stories together with a universal sensitivity," Ruiz added Carla Simón, the award-winning filmmaker, explained during the Raindance Film Festival that " Little by little, Catalan cinema is becoming more visible in festivals and international competitions, therefore people are linking our names with what is going on in the Catalan cinema industry".  "I think we are seeing a creative boom in Catalonia, especially with women, and it is also travelling internationally so people are starting to see that there is something going on in Catalonia's cinema industry," Simón added.   "Raindance is focused on voices that do not always have screen space, and the Catalan cinema has a beautiful mission of promoting Catalan culture and language, as well as educating people. That ends up bringing stories created from the heart to reality. That is what I like the most," Joan Ruiz concluded.  Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone 2017—A new World Bank report estimates that as of early 2017 the conflict in Syria has damaged or destroyed about a third of the housing stock and about half of medical and education facilities A key finding of the report is that the breakdown of the systems that organize both the economy and society along with the trust that binds people together has had a greater economic impact than the destruction of physical infrastructure  The report further finds that the longer the conflict continues the more persistent will be the impact making recovery and reconstruction even harder the impact of casualties and the forced displacement of the population the effect on the economy and the overall condition of the Syrian people the report relied on satellite imagery cross checked with traditional and social media postings data from the ongoing Syria Damage Assessment and information from partner organizations that have a presence on the ground.  “The war in Syria is tearing apart the social and economic fabric of the country,” said Hafez Ghanem World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa but the war is also destroying the institutions and systems that societies need to function and repairing them will be a greater challenge than rebuilding infrastructure – a challenge that will only grow as the war continues.”    The report finds that on average about 538,000 jobs were destroyed annually during the first four years of the conflict and that young people now facing an unemployment rate of 78 percent have few options for survival The specific targeting of health facilities has significantly disrupted the health system with communicable diseases such as polio reemerging and an estimate that more Syrians are dying from lack of access to healthcare than as a direct result of the fighting The education system has similarly been disrupted by damage to facilities and the use of schools as military installations while fuel shortages have reduced the supply of electricity to major cities to around two hours per day affecting a range of basic services.  “The fact that 9 million Syrians are not working will have consequences long after the fighting has stopped,” said Saroj Kumar Jha “The departure of nearly 5 million refugees combined with inadequate schooling and malnutrition leading to stunting will cause long-term deterioration of the county’s most valuable asset there will be a collective shortage of vital skills.” By comparing current circumstances with a projection of how Syria would have developed in the absence of conflict the report calculates that the war has caused a loss in Gross Domestic Product of US$226 billion Economic models were also used to disentangle the multiple effects of the war and measure their separate impacts and to determine the consequences of prolonged conflict While the rate of economic deterioration slows down over time its effects are more persistent making recovery harder.  “Our results show that if the war were to end this year the economy would recover 41 percent of the gap with its pre-conflict level over the following four years and the losses from conflict would amount to 7.6 times the pre-conflict GDP over two decades” said Harun Onder World Bank Senior Economist and lead author of the report less than one third of this gap would be recovered in four years after its end and total losses would amount to thirteen times the 2010 GDP over two decades We also estimate that the number of Syrians fleeing across the border in search of safety would double between the sixth and twentieth year of the conflict.” STAY CURRENT WITH OUR LATEST DATA & INSIGHTS The preseason campaign for Barça B under new coach Sergi Barjuan is under way The former Barça player looked on and must have been impressed with the way his team controlled the game in the 3-0 win over L'Escala which begins the season for the B squad Peque was the first to find the net after just 11 minutes of the game That effort was soon followed by goals from the Japanese winger Hiroki Abe and Jutglà before half time All three goals came thanks to working the ball out wide and playing dangerous balls into the box Barça B dominated possession and keeper Arnau Tenas was only called into action once in the opening 45 minutes to make a save from Henry After the break more chances came Barça's way but they were unable to add to their 3-0 lead L'Escala tested second half keeper Carevic but were unable to get on the scoresheet The blaugranes closed out the win and now look forward to their next preseason fixture against Fundació Esportiva Grama on 29 July Preseason in 2024/25 for Barça Atlètic got under way this week with the usual medical and fitness checks at the Ciutat Esportiva still awaiting the naming of their new coach have preseason all mapped out with training continuing for the rest of the week at the Ciutat Esportiva On Sunday the blaugrana squad will travel to the Vall d'En Bas in Catalonia for a week long training camp at the Royalverd Training Center a fixture in preseason over the last few years During the training camp Barça Atlètic will play two friendlies - one against FC L'Escala on Tuesday 30 July at 6.30pm CEST- and the other against CE Sabadell on Saturday 3 August at 6.30pm CEST the day before the squad returns to Barcelona Three more friendlies are planned - Saturday 10 August at 7pm CEST will see CE L'Hospitalet visit before UE Cornellà will be the opponents on Wednesday 13 August at 7pm CEST with both games to be played at the Ciutat Esportiva On Saturday 17 August UD Ibiza will face Barça Atlètic at 7pm CEST at the Estadi Johan Cruyff The Primera Federación season kicks off on 24/25 August with a home game against Real Unión de Irún By Ellen Fort and luxuriating in good-quality olive oil or salt—ready for snacking or mixing into a bright vinaigrette or dip but they taste fresh; they’re a commodity with European panache and tastes of the coasts from which they came whether it’s the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean There’s also a booming anchovy scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the season runs roughly from April to October. There, they are the star of The Anchovy Bar a culmination of the chef Stuart Brioza’s longstanding love affair with the oily little fish Brioza receives anchovies at maximum freshness less than an hour from having been in the water “We cure our own during the season and serve them as fresh boquerones,” says Brioza That’s the sort of heart and soul and inspiration of The Anchovy Bar But when anchovy season is over in the Bay Area Brioza brings in the best cured anchovies from around the world to pinch-hit “The goal was to really focus on ingredients that have strong ties to a specific place and that have either transformed or make that cuisine,” says Brioza Based on his recommendations and our own depth of knowledge we tested over a dozen anchovies to choose the very best from budget grocery staples to traditional hand-processed delicacies from Europe Quantity: 8–10 fillets per tin |  Region: L’Escala Why we chose it: The plump texture and mellow saltiness make these anchovies stars of the show, best eaten out of the tin or draped across pan con tomate One of the oldest producers in the Spanish town of L’Escala Callol Serrats are a combination of Cantabrian anchovies caught in the local Mediterranean Sea and the Costa Brava a little more rustic of an anchovy,” says Brioza and they are pinker/redder with less time.” During the tasting these were consistently described as plump Quantity: 10-12 fillets per tin | Region: Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea | Flavor: Buttery Why we chose it: The absolute Cadillac of anchovies with a buttery who serves them at The Anchovy Bar atop a creamy white bean anchoiade that’s been slathered onto fried sourdough and topped with long-roasted broccolini and orange zest Part of their appeal is a longer cure time “Essentially great anchovies are just salt and anchovies and what makes great anchovies is the selection of the fish and the time from the moment they’re plucked from the water to the time they’re preserved in salt.” Their size is another factor not canned (which means that they never go through a heating process) ”Don Bocarte is after a very specific size and obviously they shrink as they’re cured; the whole process is all by hand,” says Brioza Quantity: 3.3 oz jar | Region: Bay of Biscay Why we chose it:  While slightly more expensive than other commonly available brands Ortiz has the quality and versatility to justify being called the best bang for your buck often with a tiny anchovy fork attached for easy removal While clearly less bespoke than other brands like Don Bocarte and Callo Serrats and the olive oil in the jar is high quality as well with the right amount of saltiness and umami without being overly fishy.  multi-purpose anchovy that’s packed in sunflower oil and ideal for inclusion in almost anything.  “These are my workhorse anchovies,” says Brioza “I’ll make a caesar dressing with these anchovies a little saltier.” Tasters agreed that these anchovies had a “clean taste,” and smooth texture with just enough saltiness These are great for whizzing into a spread or dip like Brioza’s anchoiade recipe Testers described these as oily and luxurious in the mouth They're perfectly serviceable in a batch of sauce or dressings—not eating on their own— but they won't provide 'wow' factor or change the mind of anyone who doesn't already love anchovies chef-owner of San Francisco's The Anchovy Bar for his insight and recommendations; Brioza has traveled to the production facilities for many of the anchovies recommended and tasted his way through dozens to find the very best to use in his restaurant He also has a deep knowledge of the little fish and cures his own blind-tasted over a dozen different anchovies to determine the very best in terms of flavor and texture they’re rinsed and tinned or jarred in olive oil During this process the anchovies shrink as the salt dehydrates them it’s a good idea to taste them on their own to determine their salinity to avoid oversalting your dish Texture is a surprisingly important component of what makes an anchovy one of the very best The best anchovies are free of bones with a plump Good quality anchovies should retain their shape even when removed from the tin with a blunt instrument (one reason the aforementioned Ortiz forks are handy) Our testers identified texture as one of the main differentiators between the mass-produced brands like King Oscar and Crown Prince versus hand-processed brands like Don Bocarte and Callols Serrats.  which means that they are sterilized and sealed but are not heat treated it’s best to keep tins and jars of anchovies in a cool or refrigerated space until they are opened; once opened make sure that they remain covered in oil or brine and tightly sealed in the refrigerator to maintain freshness An unopened container will continue to cure until opened though the texture of the anchovies may degrade over time.  While both are excellent methods of preserving anchovies “They’re doing the least amount of work [with salt-packed],” says Brioza “They’re kind of like a peel and eat shrimp: they do have value there’s just a lot more work on your end and need to be to soaked and peeled and tossed with olive oil but I haven't found one that I’m in love with that has been a ‘center of the plate anchovy’.” Brioza’s choices for use at The Anchovy Bar—Don Bocarte and Callol Serrats—are all packed in oil and ready for immediate use.  Anchovies are sustainable by nature: They are small schooling fish that are often caught as bycatch while fishing for the larger fish that like to feed upon them. The producers based in Cantabria and the Mediterranean Sea are forced to keep their fishing local because of the importance of processing the fish while fresh during the season Anchovies are cured in salt after they’ve been harvested and had their heads and innards removed and allowed to cure for anywhere from 4-12 months The salt removes water from the fish during this time They're washed and dried before they're then submerged in olive oil and tinned or jarred but the salt-cure remains a very prevalent component Anchovies can be consumed a variety of ways The highest quality anchovies are a treat—albeit salty—straight from the tin or simply on a piece of good bread spread with great butter anchovies can improve over time in the fridge it's best not to let them linger too long after opening Make sure to keep any leftover anchovies covered in oil or brine to prevent spoilage Ortiz recommends eating opened anchovies within five days of opening Just make sure there's no mold or rancid fishy smells (you'll know the difference between regular fishiness cooking with anchovies is a great way to add a punch of umami to a dish earthy component that makes things like pasta with garlic Brioza uses them in all those ways and more including an anchovy salsa that's an adapted version of a bagna cauda from chef Renee Erickson that incorporates currants and parsley served on raw slivers of fennel or apples.  While the Northern Anchovy can be found in various parts of the world Brioza ascertains that the best anchovies come from Spain these are from Northern Spain and they are a type of anchovy that is sort of superior to all anchovies in the world The size of them can be six or seven inches long which is big compared to the anchovies we see here in the Bay Area that are four to five inches long While the best anchovies are harder to get and cost a little more the payoff is worth it for fans of tinned fish and are easily the star of a dish where they're draped across a toast If you plan to use your anchovies in applications where they might take second fiddle to other ingredients then standbys like Cento or Ortiz will certainly do it justice Articles may contain affiliate links, which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use. Girona has become synonymous with road cycling training and boutique coffee shops, but the area has A LOT more to offer, and I’m talking about awesome GRAVEL! After our latest XPDTN3 trip to the Pyrenees mountains we felt it was time to look for lower elevations Rocacorba Cycling is one of our 3T Experience Centers in Girona, based on the little town of Banyoles, with the team formed by road racers Ashleigh Moolman It was Edward who suggested a trip to Girona following some of the gravel routes he had been creating for his clients who wanted a test of the dirt on drop bars The idea of a travel XPDTN3 trip to Girona had also been on my mind for quite some time Edward did an amazing job creating the GPS tracks so this was one of those “easy to organize” (for me) XPDTN3 trips where I just need to show up with my camera gear and document the ride Check the short video we did to get an overview of the trip before going deeper into the photos and story: We let Edward tell us about each of the stages Rolling from Girona City to the Costa Brava is all about experiencing the Medieval towns scattered in the Empordà region Charming villages linked by fast open gravel roads eventually lead you to the Costa Brava; Girona’s famous coastline and rocky outcrops is a sight to behold and a worthy final destination for day 1 Day 2: Leaving the coast behind the route runs through the agricultural region with open gravel tracks and a bit of singletrack before arriving in the town of Banyoles The eponymous lake is the focal point of this sport-centric town which played host to the rowing competitions during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Day 3: Wheels circle back to Girona city for the final days’ riding but not without the challenge of the famous Rocacorba climb to get out of the way first Whilst the paved road known as the local testing climb for Girona’s many resident pro riders the gravel route takes in the lower slopes of the mountain while still throwing in some double-figure gradients for good measure With the climb dealt with the fast run back into Girona brings an end to XPDTN3 That was indeed a good recap of what we experienced on Day 1 What struck me most was the fact that you can start riding on gravel just 5 minutes out of the center of Girona I know Girona is famous for that on the paved side of things road pros loving having their coffee in the old city town and being just 5 minutes later climbing on one of the (big) hills next to the city and a easy place to store your bike downstairs (or bring it to the room cause those are huge) Hotel Nord is the perfect starting point for your XPDTN3 trip in Girona And if you come to Girona without a cycling partner the hotel owner is an avid cyclist himself After the Instagram-friendly and mandatory Girona bridge photo that every tourist takes here we pointed our gravel tires to the Mediterranean Sea our stop for the night in the little town of L’Escala famous for their tasty anchovies and amazing beaches one of the main tourist attractions of Catalonia Probably one of the best times of the year to visit this area just a few minutes after leaving the center of the city we are already climbing a perfect doubletrack gravel road in Els Angels a combo of perfect gravel and some paved sections that got our legs warmed up for the trip Amazing views of the Girona Cathedral below us Late Spring is in full effect here and we are lucky to have all the green fields full of red poppies to embellish our photos all those fields will be either yellow or cropped but right now we are enjoying this as we made our way across ancient houses and medieval towns to the Mediterranean Sea The good temps allowed us to carry a very minimal weight on our bikepacking packs The feeling of traveling from one point to another in self-sufficiency I did the classical pannier trip when I was young 75% of the stuff we were carrying was never used with both my own experience telling me what to pack and also thanks to new bike gear that allows this kind of trips No deo needed if you are good friends with your cycling partner bring just 1 set of cycling clothing and wash it overnight Rain jacket doubles as an extra layer for the night at the hotel you could be even make them smaller if you are not carrying 2 cameras all the damned chargers and cables for all those gadgets… Monells is one of those medieval little towns you cannot miss Take your time to have a coffee in its amazing Plaça Jaume I (Main Square) admiring the hundred year old stones all the building here are made from Not all the towns in this route are as cool as this one so take your time to shoot your Instagram captures to make your friends back home jealous… the route keeps alternating between solitary secondary roads with hardly any car We chose to use our favorite WTB Venture 47 tires as the terrain is not so technical in this area (will get a bit trickier on the third day) having all the WTB catalogue at our disposal we both Loren and I of settled (for now) on the Venture the tire I recommend to everyone asking me about the perfect all-around 650b gravel tire where you can go 45km/h on a road and be hitting a technical rocky singletrack in the following 5 minutes Soon we started smelling the sea breeze in the distance signaling we were getting close to our first coastal town in the Mediterranean Sea a group of 7 small islands once a pirate hideaway and now a Natural Park included in a special protection area (ZEPIM) with a marine ecosystem and biodiversity that makes them a mandatory stop for divers and research scientists That’s it in the top photo of this story Our next stop was planned in advance: the little town of L’Escala is famous in Spain for their Anchovies a delicacy with roots deep in this coastal fisherman village A little bit of salt replacement was needed after so much sweating in the sun but some anchovies with “pa amb tomaquet” (classic Catalan bread with tomato spread and olive oil) with a Estrella beer is one of Loren’s favorites plates so we sit down by the beach and enjoy some #realfood The section from L’Estartit to L’Escala was amazing with steep short climbs and a nice little paved road that wave its path through protected pine forests in the “Montgrí and Illes Medes” Natural Park there are a myriad of small hiking paths (hike a bike might be mandatory for a while) that lead you down to solitary small pebble beaches Take a towel and don’t spend as much time shooting photos and videos as we did and you will be able to enjoy some magical places (not in July or August though I was planning on flying my drone here to show you the views and I didn’t want to see my flimsy drone flying backwards to Mallorca… Our stop for Day 1 is the Hotel Molí de l’Escala an old Catalan “Masia” (rural house) turned into a cool and cozy accommodation with a fine restaurant for hungry cyclists so we had plenty of time for our mandatory pre-dinner “siesta” (yes that’s a thing in our bikepacking trips) Very good dinner at the Hotel’s restaurant (recommended) and soon to bed I forget we need to wash our clothes for tomorrow first the second day had us reaching back to the mountains from the Coast so we say goodbye to turquoise beaches and head for the green fields Our target was reaching the Rocacorba Cycling headquarters in Banyoles a quiet little town by the natural lake that gives the name to the village The first kilometers of the route on Day 2 confirms what Edward was telling me: this is a gravel paradise Agriculture in the area is based around cereals and large fields are connected by immaculate double tracks the kind of dirt you can ride on a normal (non-4×4) car and also the ones you can ride on an Exploro at 45km/h… A few hills here in there kill your average speed (not that we are concerned about that anyway) and add some spice to the otherwise flat-ish route (+590 m in 65 km) a valley where the Pyrenees range comes to “die” on the Mediterranean Sea creating a unique ecosystem that blends rocky geography further North in the Cadaqués-Cap de Creus area with the wetlands at the Aiguamolls de l’Emporda Natural park with the perfect amount of grip and a few technical sections from time to time to keep us on our toes I would call this a “beginners” gravel ride (in a positive way) so a totally recommended route for roadies that want a taste of dirt and rocks on dropbars and plenty of time to enjoy a cold drink or even a Paella in the middle of the day We are crossing Tuscany-esque landscapes after our lunch in the town of Medinyà again with very quick gravel open roads that keep our speed high only killed by the obnoxious photographer that wants to take a photo of basically “everything” Shooting a video with drones involved also won’t help keeping the momentum we are here “working” for you so you don’t have to After a perfect gravel and green fields overdose we arrived (early again) to Rocacorba Cycling Located on an amazing old Catalan rural house (Can Campolier) perched above a small hill that gives a 360º view to the Banyoles Lake (1,5km) and the Rocacorba mountain climb (2km from here) The complex is formed by a series of (huge) old buildings dating from back in the 17th century After being semi-abandoned for a long time the Rocacorba team bought it and start building a dream place for cyclists The main building have space for tons of people and it has a blend of newly renovated spaces mixed with the old flare of a house that is 4 centuries old We were loving the old floor tiles and the heavy duty doors What about that patio with mega-cobblestones and the orange trees Ashleigh Moolman and husband Carl Pasio were training abroad at that time so we were in the caring hands of Johan and Sandy Moolman a lovely couple taking the role of what we call “masovers” here in Catalan Edward was also there taking us out for dinner in Banyoles so we asked him to join us at least for the first kilometers of the route Our friend Xavier Guell (@thecyclingculture) was also coming to ride next day on his Exploro with Edward so we decided to ride all 4 together to Banyoles and the first part of the route an adjacent building next to the main house that was used for other purposes back then newly renovated and decorated with “mucho gusto” The kind of place you want to crash after a long day on the bike fireplace in the dining room and even a huge TV to watch the TDF in high cycling season or the full house if you come in a big group or team man I love that thing… I need to save some money to get one in my place We started the day riding down to the Banyoles Lake and we even stopped for a third coffee there sitting in a terrace on the water while Edward told us this is a natural lake (not a dam) fed by the waters coming from the Pyrennes mountains to the North Banyoles hosted the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games rowing competition and today it’s a world-class spot for international teams to come here training and they are are loving the good climate all year round quick access to the lake and the perfect still and clear waters There are also Triathletes coming here to train on the lake so Rocacorba Cycling also makes a lot of sense for triathletes looking for a location to train on their 3 sports After leaving Banyoles we rode together to the Pla de Centenys Edward and Xavi were planning on doing a shorter gravel loop before going back to work and they would part ways with us when we reach the start of the Rocacorba gravel climb we said goodbye to Xavi and Edward and they drop us just at the base of the Rocacroba climb We are doing a different Rocacorba today though There is a pure road climb that goes all the way up to the top of the mountain which climbs from the West side of the Lake before turning right at Sant Esteve de Campmajor and skipping a part of the road climb Climbing at the feet of Rocacorba on gravel might be shorter than the classic “roadie” version but a few steep pitches get you wishing for more gears so be prepared for some “big cog” moments here and there traction is good and the terrain is high-speed if your legs want to cooperate… we found out this little village in the middle of nowhere called Sant Joan d’ Adri with a nice restaurant where we had a tasty Paella before our last section to Girona The Menu at Can Joan D’Adri was a complete 3-course meal so we were happy to found later than the rest of the route was mostly downhill we were again looking at the beautiful Girona Cathedral main tower in the distance and rushing to get a gelato after a relaxing shower at Hotel Nord and getting ready for a night out enjoying the cultural and vibrant nightlife Girona has to offer Talk to Edward if you want to have a taste next time you plan a trip there and you won’t be missing the pavement Girona is now famous for… And special thanks to Lluís Hortet at Hotel Nord 1901 and the crew at Rocacorba Cycling for helping with the logistics and making us feel at home Avoid July-August if you can’t stand the heat or the busy hotels Maybe skip December-January if your toes get numb in the cold That’s one reason why Pros keep coming here to train Terrain: Easy gravel terrain with a few technical short sections here and there Tires: You can ride this route almost on any gravel tire, from 700×38 to a knobby tire. We settled on our favorite WTB VENTURE 47mm and carrying tubeless plug-worms just in case I also like to carry a lightweight Tubolito spare innertube for bigger holes and sidewall accidents where the sealant won’t work Gearing: We rode our TORNO cranks on 36T chainrings 10-42T SRAM cassette on the back (11 speed SRAM Force) A 40 or even a 42T will also work as long as you have a 42 in the back Below you will find more photos, the GPS routes we took on the WAHOO and planned on KOMOOT: Day 1: www.komoot.com/tour/79786654 Day2: www.komoot.com/tour/79786936 Day 3: www.komoot.com/tour/79787097 Like this story? See more and bigger photos on the 3T blog Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com where he’s been writing about the latest bikes and cycling technology for almost two decades Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed but don’t want to deal with solvents Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames The 2022 EurILCA Master European Championships concluded in great way today after the last two scheduled races held in L’Escala 7-10 knots of wind and almost flat water were the prevailing sailing conditions for all 5 fleets The day started with 2,5 hours postponement due to lack of wind Finally all 256 sailors were sent to water at 13:30 to enjoy of a wonderful sunny day and champagne sailing conditions Most of the overnight leaders managed to keep the first spots although there were some last minute changes After all 10 scheduled races with light to medium winds during these five days of competition we can announce now our new 2022 EurILCA Master European Championships in all 13 categories This way the 2022 EurILCA Master European Championships successfully concluded at L’Escala impeccably organised by Club Náutic L’Escala The regatta had the collaboration of the General Secretariat for Sport and Physical Activity of the Generalitat de Catalunya the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the City Council of L’Escala the Catalan Sailing Federation and the ILCA Class Spanish Association It also received logistical support from Camping La Ballena Alegre the La Ballena Alegre Sailing Club and the Nautivela nautical service company All information about the regatta you can find it at the official website: https://2022-master.eurilca-europeans.org/ Full results Photo Galleries Videos Playlist The next Master Europeans will be the 2023 EurILCA Master European Championships in Douarnenez, France, from 9-15 September 2023. We hope to see you all again there! Have a safe way back home and #keepsmilingkeepsailing !!! Get the latest news from EurILCA in your inbox. ACN / Wayne O’Connor First published: January 27, 2015 10:05 PM "For us, without exaggeration, this is a milestone,” said Puig. "All of this is a very long time since 1992 when the Olympic flame entered Empúries and when the former director of the museum started planning these ideas," he added. The new carpark will be built in a 25,000 square meter area of ​​pine trees that is owned by the local council. The agreement contains a point where the City Council will give the Catalan Government ownership of part of the property where the new Visitor Reception Centre will be located. It is due to open to the public in mid-June and will house a restaurant, an audio-visual area, a library and a shop. The construction of this area had initially begun in 2010 but was halted soon after. Catalan Government’s Director General for Museums and Cultural Heritage, Joan Pluma, said that the new agreement reinforces the links between the town and the site. “The alliance is the key to success,” he said. The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Barcelona recently announced that it will ban smoking on all of its 10 city beaches from July this year This means there will be a total of five kilometres of smoke-free sand in Spain's second-largest city Barcelona decided to ban smoking on four of its main beaches between May 29th and September 12th as a trial run and this year has extended the ban all year round to all its beaches while many others have taken to social media to express their anger at the rule As well as being horrible to find between your toes when sunbathing or when your kids are building a sandcastle cigarette butts are harmful to the environment and marine life A discarded cigarette butt is made of over 97 percent cellulose acetate and contains 4,000+ chemical toxins discarded cigarette butts are just half the issue which on Spain's crowded beaches can affect the health and well-being of many others around Barcelona is of course not the only Spanish city to have banned smoking on its public beaches We take a look at which other beaches across the country have put a stop to it many of Catalonia's beaches have banned smoking Catalonia became the first region to designate a 'smoke-free' beach when the town of L’Escala introduced the rule back in 2006 it has been extended to a total of 19 beaches in the region The region of Galicia has the most smoke-free beaches in Spain with a whopping 187 ocean and river beaches imposing the ban These include 70 beaches in the province of A Coruña Some of the most popular and well-known beaches that are free from tobacco include Santa Cristina in Oleiros Asturias designated smoke-free beaches for the first time in 2019 and now has 14 smoke-free beaches The list currently includes Playa de Misiego El Puntal y Miami in Villaviciosa and Playa de Los Quebrantos in Soto del Barco Please log in here to leave a comment