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Pobrecito: the twelve year-old president

It's not easy being important.  Above and beyond all of your daily duties, you have even more activities that fill up the rest of the day.  And that day often turns into night, since you're so busy. But some important people just can't get a break. Pity poor Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister.  Smart, young, handsome…

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The hills are alive…

... with the sound of savings! Chances are, when you think of visiting Europe, you might find yourself defaulting to the "classic" locations:  Italy, Spain, France etc.  And as much as we love those places, too, there are so many other countries that are "bubbling under" that deserve a little love from you. One of…

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Make lunch, not war

Even better than the real thing. The annual festival of Els Enfarinats (Valencian pronunciation: [elz amfaɾiˈnats]) takes place in the town of Ibi in Alicante, Spain on December 28,[1] as part of celebrations related to the Day of the Innocents. Els enfarinats comes from the Valencian word for "breading", and roughly translate to "the breaded ones" or "the floured ones". In the day-long festival, participants known…

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It’s 1984 again . . and again

We here at Matouring.com are of an age when we've seen (and even experienced first-hand) some of the half-baked ideas and horrific outcomes on the world stage and in world politics.  It feels like we're there yet again, but, unlike before, we have the power to collectively act and make a difference. George Orwell (with his books…

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I’m still standing

Yeah, yeah yeah. We love old.  Old places, old things, old ideas, old values. And we love the fact that there's stuff  even older than us. So it thrills us to let you know (if you don't already) about Historic Hotels Worldwide.  As you might guess, they're exactly what it says on the label:  hotels of note…

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Uh . . . coffee-flavoured coffee?

Nearly every expat or regular visitor can remember their first words in Spanish. They may not be the first you were taught, or learned from a self-teaching course pack, but the ones that most stuck in your head, or the first sentence you were able to pronounce without hesitating. But did you know that there's more…

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We’ll leave the light on

When the Romans built things, they built them to last.  Just take a look at Rome itself, with the Parthenon and its companion buildings. But here is another rather spectacular example of the Romans building things to last. The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi)…

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Jeronimo Ødger

Europeans generally like being with each other, visiting each other's countries, and sharing all that it means to be European. But, as you know, it wasn't always like this.  There were headlong battles over land, domains and royalty.  These conflicts left scars. But it isn't what you may think.  In fact, there is a day in August…

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Madrid nuevo

Spain is building an $8.7 billion USD new urban development in northern Madrid, called Madrid Nuevo Norte. Madrid is the heart of Spain. However, in its north, train tracks and the urban void surrounding them cut the city right in half, creating traffic and connectivity issues. To solve this issue, Spain is building a new…

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High in the Spanish desert

This is for all 24x7 party people.  2022 is the year to look forward to, and Spain is the place - the Monegros Desert, Aragon, Spain, to be specific. Starting 30 July, 2022, the Monegros Desert Festival commences.  Of course there will be drinks, and music and dancing and, perhaps, nudity.  But the star of the…

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Oh, we go …Ouigo

Oh, we go Ouigo! As if European rail wasn't as appealing as it is now, they've made it even better. High-speed train travel between Spain's most beautiful cities has no more reason to cost the earth, with Rail Europe opening ticket sales for OUIGO, Spain's new affordable train network. Prices can be as low as…

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Paintings on the ceilings

...and pink champagne on ice?  We are all just prisoners here . . . oh wait, wrong references. Being one of the oldest civilisations on Earth, Europeans have a lot to show for it.  Even beyond the splendors of Rome or Athens, there were generations and generations of forbearers who walked - and as it…

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¿desigual?

We're very excited to welcome a new affiliate friend, one who has always been a favourite of not only much of Europe, but also of the smarter half of the Matouring.com team. We are, of course, talking about Desigual.  As they say themselves, "In reality, Desigual isn’t a brand. It’s a group of people who believe…

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The Mercadona mystery

If you've been to Spain (and if you haven't, get going!) you'll likely recognise the name Mercadona.  It is one of the country's largest grocery chains. As you probably know, many companies (like us, for example) assemble their names by concatenating one or more words together into something recognisable, but not a "real" word. Some have wondered…

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The second most romantic hotel in the world

Second best is not usually where we see ourselves appearing.  We're winners, are we not, even in a small way?  We've got moxie!  Nothing's gonna keep us down.  Chin up.  Pip pip.  So here's a story that will bring a smile to your face. A small hotel in Guadalest has been voted the second most romantic…

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Can you Canfranc?

War is hell.  There have been too many.  But, humans always find a way to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again. After the end of the First World War, during the euphoria following one of the most awful periods of world history, the Pau-Somport rail tunnel had been driven beneath the Pyrenees…

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Gala Malaga

Nearly 3,000 years old, Málaga, Spain, on the banks of the Mediterranean, offers an intriguing mix of the ancient and modern. Images of Phonecians in long tunics and mantles trading goods at the port have given way to happy locals in brightly colored sundresses and espadrilles. The Phoenicians named it Malaka (meaning salt), but the city is…

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