inaugurates the largest bench in Catalonia a 5 meters wide viewpoint overlooking the Vall de Porcs the one where you spent your adolescence eating pipes (or doing anything else) the bench where you had your first kiss and the bench where you left it with your girlfriend But now near Barcelona has opened a bank so epic that will probably be the one you will remember most from now on which this week has been inaugurated in the viewpoint of Vall de Porcs which seeks to become a new tourist attraction in the region of Ribera d’Ebre 3 meters high and 5 meters wide and with impressive views over the valley and the river has been promoted by the hiking organization Figot Tour and the town council and aspires to be part of the prestigious Big Bench Community an international network of giant benches that promotes tourism in small charming villages it will join the other two Catalan benches on the route located in Vilalba Sasserra and Sant Jordi Desvalls although the one in Riba-Roja is already the largest of the three To reach the Figot Tour has enabled a hiking route of more than 20 kilometers that leads to the giant bank and allows you to discover other local treasures such as juniper oil kilns a cave that was a field hospital during the Battle of the Ebro and several historical cisterns Renfe offers direct services from Barcelona-Paseo de Gracia station to Riba-roja d’Ebre with an approximate duration of 3 hours and 10 minutes The Owensboro Times Privacy Policy Site by Tanner+West Hórreo House in the Galician town of Vilalba was designed by Javier Sanjurjo with studio Ameneiros Rey showcasing refreshing simplicity and raised on concrete pilotis As a result, the L-shaped house stands tall, while nestled into the top of the hillside. The main floor slab is left raw and unadorned, while the only accessible room on this ground level is a utility and storage area. Vehicle access is via a winding new road that loops down around the house before terminating in two parking spaces. The main entrance is across a new bridge from the main road, while a staircase leads up from the ground floor into the single storey living space. One crucial element for Sanjurjo’s family was wheelchair accessibility, and the new elevated structure allows the living space to be on a single level. Another source of inspiration is a traditional local agricultural building, the hórreo, or granary, which was lifted up above the ground on columns to protect the crop from animals.  At just over 200 sq m, the house is designed into two wings, day and night. All the main rooms have south-west facing views across the countryside beyond, with a west-facing balcony accessible from the sitting room. There are bedrooms, a galley-style kitchen, and an open-plan living area. Internal finishes are white painted brick and blockwork, with a polished concrete floor and local timber window reveals and skirting, all simple building materials that reflect the local vernacular. The terrace, which cantilevers out over the plot, offers up the prime views to the forest and river beyond. ‘I wanted to have the feeling that we are floating above the trees,’ says Sanjurjo. The architect describes the house as ‘an exercise in sufficiency over excess’. The street façade is finished in local natural stones as a way of shielding the house from the street, while the garden side is white painted brick. The combination of low-cost building materials, functional detailing, and a commitment to simplicity and modesty have resulted in a house that enhances its site and provides a quietly spectacular place to live. ‘The design truly brings the outside in,’ Sanjurjo says. ‘It’s as if you’re looking at paintings that transform throughout the seasons.’ Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999 covering everything from architecture and transport design to books He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast Log in for full access to stabroeknews.com Only one active session is allowed per subscriber Days after being granted bail on a charge of overstaying a Cuban national found herself back behind bars yesterday after a city court was notified that a forged document was used to support her case for her release Yeney Batista Vilalba appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday and was read a charge which stated that she overstayed in the country She had been granted permission to stay in Guyana for the one-month period of January 4th to February 4th of 2019 Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield informed the court that checks were made at the Ministry of Citizenship to ascertain if the supporting document purported to have been issued by the Ministry of Citizenship The prosecutor noted that according to a statement submitted by Claudette Bromes the document presented to the court was discovered to be fake The prosecutor added that further charges are likely to be laid against the defendant Mansfield then requested that the defendant’s bail she told the court that she was only visiting Guyana although she was residing at a Bourda address with her Guyanese boyfriend A FREE roundup of top news from Guyana you might otherwise miss Emily Villalba graduated summa cum laude from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a focus on the design and analysis of algorithms She is now leveraging her skills and knowledge as a software engineer at Sony Pictures Entertainment where she is fully engaged in applying cutting-edge technology to create meaningful contributions to TV Distribution She has worked at Sony for two years and has already been promoted Overcoming imposter syndrome and the lack of representation in STEM almost diverted Villalba’s path She worked extremely hard to regain confidence in her programming skills that she always knew were great she recognized that she wanted to work for a company where a close personal connection and desire for the betterment of the future were valued as much as technical skills Villalba found this in her first job at Sony Pictures Entertainment She is poised to have a great career and determined to empower women and people of color Vilalba’s goal is to turn this into an industry where diversity can flourish by being a mentor and a voice for the underrepresented paving the way for a more inclusive tech landscape She recently represented STEM Advantage on a panel at Women in Technology: Hollywood’s SoCal Leadership Summit where she discussed the lasting impact STEM Advantage has had on her career journey and how she is paying it forward as a role model and mentor for younger students Return to Women’s Leadership Symposium & Awards RECAP Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden The group have raised €140,000 euros between them to purchase an “aldea” – a hamlet – that has stood empty for 50 years in the countryside outside Lugo in the northwestern region Although presently in a state of complete ruin each investor plans to renovate an individual property within the settlement with the idea that they can all live there in their dotage  “We each have our own house but all together,” explained one of the members of the group Estos amigos han pagado 140.000 euros para hacerse con todo el pueblo, aunque ahora les queda el trabajo de restaurarla y hacer posible su sueño de retirarse todos juntos en este precioso lugar https://t.co/BFCotRUT4u The village the group purchased is near Vilalba one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela several barns that could be converted into livable spaces a traditional bread oven and a pair of horreos There are an estimated 3,000 abandoned villages in Spain Aragon and Asturias and although many don’t have the correct paperwork for immediate sale there are hundreds on the market at any one time a Brit originally from Manchester who married a Galician and has lived there for over 40 years and has restored his own abandoned property set up an estate agent specialising in selling abandoned villages “Really the restoration of old houses is not excessively expensive,” insists Adkinson on his real estate website Galician Country Homes which offers properties ranging from €40,000 to over €1million “The walls are normally sound and this makes the restoration much easier” Such properties have piqued the interest of foreign buyers looking for rural tourism opportunities but more and more Spaniards are now interested in returning to villages once abandoned by the forebears Please log in here to leave a comment You can register a free account and get 10 FREE premium articles a month please enter your email address in the box below and we will send you an email with a few steps to reset your password and get you back onto your account but married couple Robert and Ana Maria Gomez are back on the Rock having completed their 1,000-mile walk in aid of Gibraltar Hearing Issues & Tinnitus Association (GHITA) they crossed the border back into Gibraltar having left on April 17 for Vilalba in Galicia Mr Gomez told the Chronicle: “I suppose a mixture of relief on the one hand tinged with sadness on the other because we’ve had lots of fun on the way and met a lot of interesting people.” we are being joined by our children and grandchildren here in Gibraltar so that we can celebrate as a family.” they were greeted by family and friends outside No.6 Convent Place Amongst them was Edgar Triay from GHITA who told the Chronicle “Words cannot express how grateful we are for Robert and Ana Maria.” “Their journey has successfully raised the profile of hearing loss our charity and fundraised funds for us.” “I know they did it in tribute of their grandchild but thanks to the awareness and monies they have raised To donate online: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/longwalkfromgib Read our latest newspaper by downloading our app from the link below The Gibraltar Chronicle is a daily newspaper published in Gibraltar since 1801 It is one of the world's oldest English language newspapers to have been in print continuously Our print edition and e-paper is published daily except Sundays The Gibraltar Chronicle (Newspaper) Ltd is licensed by the Gibraltar Government's Office of Fair Trading This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how 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