News from the Baix Emporda, Costa Brava, in English

The Online newspaper for the Costa Brava, News fromL'Estartit, Pals, Begur, Palafrugell, Palamós, Platja d'Aro, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar

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he International Festival of the Porta Ferrada begins with an extraordinary performance this year. In the first days of the contest great artists of the stage and international music are brought together. Starting Saturday, July 17, when Natalie Cole fills the port space with jazz and soul, we will be able to attend within a few days a roller-coaster of sensations with artists like Patti Smith, Estrella Morente, Pat Metheny, or Kris Kristofferson, all of them in a little less than a week, 15 days to the beginning of the Fiesta Mayor of Sant Feliu de Guíxols.

The Israeli Singer Noa and the piano virtuoso of Seville David Dorantes have united talents to link the music of punta and punta of the Mediterranean in the Festival Jardins de Cap Roig of Palafrugell. The most awaited moment of the night has been when finally Noa and Dorantes have gone together to the stage from where the Israeli singer has flirted with flamenco, of which she is a self-proclaimed admirer.

Prices rose in June two tenths and reduce the year-to-year annual inflation to 1.7%, three tenths below the annual rate of the IPC registered in May, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The Canadian company Cirque du Soleil will return to Barcelona between November 5 and December 5 with its spectacle Varekai, a fusion of dramatic art and acrobatics, with tickets now on sale in the webpage of the group, according to a communication made public yesterday.

Next Wednesday June 30 the Prince of Asturias and Girona, Felipe de Borbón and his wife, the princess Letizia, will visit the city of Girona once more to preside over the meeting of the Board of the Foundation Príncipe de Girona in the Scientific and Technologic Park of the University of Girona, which will be held in the afternoon.

A fire that was declared yesterday afternoon near the highway C-31 in the municipal limits of Castell-Platja d´Aro burned 3,000 square meters of trees and bushes.

The president of DipSalut, Josep Marigó (PSC), wants the Generalitat to support a greater economic collaboration with this organization of provincial public health to combine forces and fight against the arrival of the tiger mosquito.

Confrontations in Lloret between English and Germans over the World Cup. The disturbances happened around 6 pm and the local police and Mossos d´Esquadra had to intervene.

Michael Dunev Art Projects of Torroella de Montgri inaugurates its exposition season with a monographic show of sculptures and works on paper by Dominica Sánchez. Born in Barcelona in 1945, Dominica Sánchez carries a long history of expositions, above all in Paris and the United States, but has had relatively few expositions in her own country.

Stinging jellyfish in Empordà. The swarms are in the open sea and arrive broken up by the currents and it cannot be determined if there will be more or less.

A woman of Bielorussian nationality and 44 years old was rescued yesterday afternoon when she suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest while she swam at the main beach of Lloret.

The cruise ship Thomson Dream made the first port call of the seven scheduled for this month in the port of Palamós. Thus, the seven ships will bring to Palamós 4700 passengers and 1900 crew.

The two brothers killed by their mother in a hotel were buried in today in Lloret. The Ayuntamiento has taken charge of the cost of the funeral since the parents did not have money and no one has been interested to repatriate the bodies.

Lloret de Mar lowers up to 8% the salary of its elected positions. The salaries already were frozen since the month of December after the council approved the General Budget.

Three agrarian parcels of the comarcas of Girona have the authorization of the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Means (MARM) to experiment with transgenetic crops in the open air. The organization Amigos of the Land has presented an exhaustive list with the places of the Spanish State where tests are carried out with genetically modified foods.

They will bury the children killed in Lloret in public niches. The British consulate continues making arrangements to repatriate the bodies, but at the moment no family member has taken charge.

Small wind farms, solar panels or mini-hydro plants are some the systems to generate electric energy that would enable Empordà to generate part of its electric consumption and depend less on the network. It is what a study of the Institution for the Study and Defense of Nature (IAEDEN) shows.

The strike called by the cabin crews of the airline British Airways has obliged cancelling this Tuesday 6 new flights, 3 arrivals and 3 departures, which connect the airport of Barcelona and Heathrow in London.

The Ayuntamiento of Lloret de Mar (Selva) has held a minute of silence before the council to condemn the crime that took place some days ago in the Hotel Miramar of the town, where a British mother suffocated her two children in one of the rooms

The headquarters of the local police of Calonge will be moved to the old headquarters of the firefighters. The full council of the Ayuntamiento of Calonge approved yesterday the modification of the 2010 budget which includes this new investment that will cover the reform of the old building of the firefighters, located in the Plaza de la Concordia, right in front of the Ayuntamiento of Calonge, where currently are the offices of the Local Police.

The Ayuntamiento of Calonge will appropriate 10,800 euros to the associations of businesses of Calonge and Sant Antoni this year. The objective of these agreements is to collaborate in the actions of promotion and to develop plans of commercial dynamization of the associations.

The new Traffic Law, which enters into effect today, reduces from 27 to 20 the infractions that cause the loss of points, introduces a more flexible system of notification of the fines , and increases to 50% the discount for the “well-paid”. Starting this Tuesday, programming a navigator while driving will be considered a serious infraction and will cost points. Likewise, to park in places reserved for handicapped will be a serious infraction, although it will not cost points.

The headquarters of the Local Police of Calonge will move to the old headquarters of the firefighters. The full council of the Ayuntamiento of Calonge approved yesterday the modification of the 2010 budget that includes this new investment that will entail the reform of the old firehouse, situated in the Plaza of Concordia, just in front of the Ayuntamiento of Calonge.

The councilor of Health, Marina Geli, considers that a possibility for financing the coffers of public health would be to increase the tax on tobacco.

The matriculations of cars and all-terrain vehicles registered an increase of 49% in the comarcas of Girona to reach 1,355 vehicles sold thanks to the plans of help put in place by the administrations to invigorate the market.

Last Friday at midday, the rock of Sa Palomera of Blanes was the beginning point of the second edition of the athletic race Costa Brava Xtrem Running which took place over the days 23, 24,and 25 of April along trails belonging to GR92 and by the trails that follow the edge of the sea in Girona from Blanes to Portbou.

The Generalitat may be required to rent empty housing units to almost half of Catalan towns, 432 of the 947 existing, by virtue of the approval of the law of housing of 2007.

The works of expansion of the university hospital Josep Trueta of Girona will not be finished until the year 2014.

The president of the Generalitat, José Montilla, and the minister of French health, Roselyne Bachelot, signed yesterday the agreement of construction of the first transborder hospital in Europe, the Hospital of Cerdanya. This hospital will have more than 19,000 square meters and will give service to some 30,000 persons of Alta and Baja Cerdanya and Capcir.

The Generalitat will deliver today the Ciudad Deportiva (Sport City) of Blanes almost a year after unblocking its works, when in April of 2009 was taken the final step to finish the infrasturcture with the installation of parquet in the floors.

Lloret commits to follow with the applications of the future coastal path of Can Juncadella.

Last Saturday took place the kickoff of the twelfth edition of the gastronomic campaign of the Pescado de Roca (Rock fish) of Begur, in which 13 restaurants of the town participated.

Saturday, April 17, took place in the Sala Fontova of Calonge the presentation of the book, “Cocina con Jordi Lineros”, recipes from the cooking course of Calonge. The presentation was given by the chef Jordi Lineros, the graphic designer Blanca Costa and the mayor of Calonge Jordi Soler. Some 200 people attended the presentation of this publication that collects various recipes presented during the cooking course that the adult school of Calonge organized.

The responsible ministers of the policy of Telecommunications and Society of Information of the European Union, meeting today in informal session in the Palace of Carlos V of Granada, have approved the so called Declaration of Granada for the new Digital Agenda 2010-2015, which includes, among other questions, the development of a community-wide unique digital market for content and electronic commerce. To achieve it supposes, also, the impetus and the creation of the electronic European DNI which permits eliminating “barriers” between the countries of the UE.

The Department of Social Action will distribute this year 8.6 million euros among ayuntamientos and social entities to help persons most affected by the crisis, those that have stopped receiving income and which are not able to cover basic expenses, such as food and housing.

The majority unions of Correos (Post Office) have called a strike for this Tuesday and Wednesday to demand more investment and to protest against the privatization of service and to avoid what they call “postal extinction”. They consider all this could lead to the dismissal of a good part of the work force.

Pere Albó steps down from the mayor´s position of Sant Feliu of Guixols assuring that the action of its government does not deserve it. The new mayor, Carles Motas, is open to dialog with the opposition and reaffirms the legitimacy of his governing team.

The Citizen Platform TAV Girona explained yesterday the appeal that they have presented against the project of the TAV (high speed train) in its passage through Girona approved in the year 2006. The appeal has been accompanied by a series of reports to show that “it cannot be guaranteed the stability of the buildings” that are above the tunnel of the train. Therefore, they ask that the whole project be stopped, only a few days before the tunnel machine begins to function.

The tourist operators of Girona province have managed to avoid the crisis this Semana Santa. Hotel occupation, in the coast as well as the mountains, has satisfied the most optimistic expectations.

The auto dealers of Girona registered 1,564 automobiles in the month of March, a sales number which has not been reached since the month of July 2008, and which represents an unpublished increase of 68% with respect to the data of same month of 2009. The sector attributes the increase of activity to the approaching exhaustion of the help of Plan 2000E and the rise of the IVA in the month of July.

Lloret exceeded 1.7 million euros in claims to Endesa for the snow. The Office of Attention to Residents has received 1,993 complaints, of which 1,965 are against the electric company.

A study of the Department of Environment about the future tram that should join Girona with the airport of Vilobi d’Onyar has determined that the project should count on an environmental impact report in which, at the hour of analyzing the alternative, would take in account its possible expansion “with infrastructures similar to those that would connect with other urban areas”, as for example Baix Empordà.

The Apple “tablet”, the iPad, arrives this Saturday at the US stores in midst of a great expectation of the consumers that have made hundreds of thousands of orders in advance in the last weeks. The iPad that will be available has Wi-Fi connection. It is expected that the version with 3G connection would appear at the end of this month.

Everything ready starting this week for the departure by sea of the boats that will set the first transoceanic record by sail between New York and Barcelona. This Saturday the two participating teams, Estrella Damm and W Hotels, held the first regatta to warm up their motors in North Cove of New York, in front of the financial district of Manhattan

Lloret de Mar is one of the municipalities of the coast most severely affected by the snowstorm of two weeks ago and as was explained yesterday from the Ayuntamiento, damages to the administration of the city are quantified as above 700,000 euros, a number to which will have to be “added the damages to stores, private property, etc”.

More than 300 shopkeepers of Lloret de Mar together with the residents of the town, have demonstrated in the center of the city of la Selva to demand that Fecsa-Endesa compensate them economically for the harm of being almost a week without power.

Hotels registered 13.2 million nightly stays in February this year, which supposes an increase of 4.3% with respect to the same month of 2009, while the prices declined 4.8% and now accumulate 16 consecutive months of decline, according to data released today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The Generalitat has opened a notice of subsidies to facilitate for those citizens that live in urban areas and rural zones that have a total or partial lack of TDT the acquisition of equipment to capture the signal of digital television via satellite (TDT-SAT).

Renfe assures that the average utilization—which is to say, the number of passenger per kilometer divided by the number of seats per kilometer—of the corridor Barcelona-Figueres is situated at 44.7% during the year 2008.

As a consequence of the snow and the fall of thousands of trees, the risk of fire will be greatly elevated this summer. Thus affirms the minister of environment who assumes that the work of cleaning up will not be completed before the summer season.

Prices of housing fell 4.3% in 2009, in the face of the decline of 5.4% that they experienced in 2008, according to the index of prices of housing (IPH) of the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The siege of living without electricity continues for almost 2,000 residents of the comarcas of Girona eight days after the blackout provoked by the snowstorm. In this sense, Civil Protection numbered last night 1,800 people still affected by the lack of electric supply.

Some 200 resident of the comarcas of la Garrotxa and el Ripollès have participated unselfishly in the placing of signs on 180 km of trails. For the most part, they are members of excursion entities, cultural entities and ayuntamientos. A few days ago, they ended the placing of signs on trails that cross the two comarcas. The marking forms part of a route of some 4,000 km through Catalan speaking territories. As has explained the person responsible for the stretch Garrotxa-Ripollès, Francesc Asperó, the purpose of the project is to join in a social and cultural itinerary of all the territories where Catalan is spoken. “It is proposition that has all the country and its people as protagonists and beneficiaries,” he said

More than 60,000 Catalans have gone this Sunday, February 28, to vote in the second wave of referendums for independence that have been held in 80 Catalan towns. This supposes 21% of about 300,000 citizens that have the right to vote, among them the youth of 16 and 17 years and immigrants.

The councilor of social services of the Ayuntamiento of Castell-Platja d´Aro inaugurated last Friday, February 26, at noon its new Baby Space in the setting of the Casa Lila de Platja d´Aro. It has to do with a new municipal service where a family space is offered to meet together with babies of up to a year of age. It is wanted to facilitate the interchange, information and support for bringing up children in sessions of an hour and a half each Friday from 10:30 am to 12 noon, coordinated by professionals

A study ordered by the Ayuntamiento of Torroella de Montgri states that British tourism has decreased 34.6% in Estarit in the last 25 years and highlights that 68.6% of the visitors of 2008 have been in the town on more than one occasion.

The possibility of recovering the tram between Olot and Sant Feliu de Guixols seems an idea not too far out. At least as far as Girona. The Territorial Plan of the Comarcas of Girona contemplates this project as one of the objectives of development in the next years. The recovered railway infrastructure could be completed using the corridor of the old railway.

A band of thieves falls that operated from Lloret and which could have committed up to 9 assaults in only one night with the method of breaking the plate glass of stores with their car.

The Councilor of Social Action and Citizenship of the Generalitat offers this year 11,191 places for stays for children and teenagers from 5 to 16 years in albergues of Catalunya, which supposes an increase of 20 percent with respect to the past year. One of the principle novelties is that single-parent families will have discounts of 10 percent in the price of the stay of their children.

The Catalan Agency of Consumption (ACC) of the Catalan Generalitat has imposed a fine of 43,500 euros on the company Telefónica Móviles España (Movistar) for harming the rights of consumers, according to a report today from the entity. The fine includes two infractions in the matter of consumption: deceitful advertising and abusive clauses.

Donation of organs in the Hospital Trueta of Girona falls by half. The number of people of Girona receiving transplants went from 57 in 2008 to 26 in the past year.

Lloret de Mar has distributed this weekend more than 12,000 euros in the current edition of the Carnival. The Carnival of Lloret de Mar is one of the best known in the Costa Brava and during Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning its streets were filled to overflowing with people of the town and visitors, in costume or not, that wanted to enjoy the fiesta that is celebrated in this town since many years ago.

The gateway of the Directorate of Tourism of the Diputación of Girona, which includes the tourist logos of the Costa Brava and the Gironian Pyrenees, has incorporated an online hotel reservation center. Currently, it counts an offer of 413 hotel establishments in the comarca of Girona, which represent 50% of the total of the hotels that are in the comarca.

From the 6th to the 17th of February Lloret de Mar will disguise itself to hold the new edition of Carnival, a celebration where the tonic will be the fiesta, diversion, and options for relaxing for all tastes and ages. Within the offical program of events, they highlight the Fair of used costumes, the competition of Costumes in the place of work, and the Ball of the Women.

The sale of housing was reduced 24.9% in 2009 with respect to 2008, to a total of 414,811 operations, of which 53.2% were carried out for new housing and 46.8% for second hand property, according to the report today from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The airline Ryanair will put into operation a new route from the airport Girona-Costa Brava with destination Kaunas, the second most important city of Lithuania, starting next May 4. This is the first connection of Irish company from Girona with an ex-Soviet Union country.

Lloret de Mar will construct its new pool without an area of jacuzzis nor a treatment room. The work that will consist of the construction of a pool of 50 meters, a gymnasium room of 290 square meters and the corresponding dressing rooms, will rise to a total of 12,731,397.42 euros.

Pals had a port in the 16th and 17th centuries. Without documentary proof, but in the suspicion of many historians, until now the existence of the port in Pals was a question. But the Foundation of Historical Studies of Catalunya (FEHC), through the investigator Eva Sans, has found various documents from the 16th and 17th century in the Archives of the Crown of Aragon which show that effectively, a port existed in the Ampurdian town.

The Ayuntamiento of Palafrugell destines 15,000 euros to subsidize the rehabilitation of building façades. The maximum amount that will be provided will be 2,500 euros and cannot exceed 25% of the investment. The works must have been done from May 30, 2009, to May 30, 2010.

The Catalan Society of Allergies and Immunology Clinic denounces the lack of personnel specialized in allergies to the public health of Girona. The Hospital Josep Trueta of the city is the only center of the province that offers attention to allergies. And it is because of this that the waiting lists to be attended by the two doctors of the Service of Allergies at the Trueta are more than a half year.

The Ayuntamiento of Palau-Saverdera bestows this Saturday new distinctive honors to the people that have maintained an important involvement with the town during the celebration of the Fiesta Mayor.

The General Office of the Coasts has committed to restore before Semana Santa the two beaches of Calella and Tamariu that have risk of washing away.

The Ayuntamiento of Castell-Platja d’Aro wants to meet with the Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works to confront the expropriations of Puig Pinell, in Platja d’Aro.

The holders of the Tarjeta Comercio Costa Brava who during the past commercial campaign of Navidad (from December 1 to January 5) used it as a means of payment for their purchases have achieved in a collective manner a donation of 1,500 euros in favor of a project of cooperation for development of the ONG Sol Solidario.

Agreement to push forward the work of creative youth of Girona. The Secretariat of Youth and the mayor of Torroella de Montgri, Josep Maria Rufino, are committing to organize a program of expositions to make known the work of the winner of a new prize for young artists of Girona that will be convoked in the framework of la Inund’art, the encounter and show of multidisciplinary art that will take place May 1 and 2 in Girona, and which also counts on the support of the Secretariat of Youth since its first edition.

The Ayuntamiento of Calonge will present next Thursday, January 21, the new video of tourist promotion of the town and the new tourist image at the International Fair of Tourism of Madrid (FITUR). The presentation will be made in the booth of the Catalan Agency of Tourism in FITUR at 12:30. The length of this video is 5 minutes, and also a short version has been prepared to place on television. On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley8wyfXJ-0.

More tourists from the United States in the Jewish quarter of Girona. The promotion of the network of Jewish quarters of Spain carried out in the United States this December “is now giving positive results” according to the organizers of the promotion.

The Ayuntamiento of Calonge has reopened the street la Rutlla after 4 months of reurbanization work. The works of reform of this street of the historic center of Calonge commenced at the end of August and have had an total investment of 430,000 euros which has changed substantially its appearance. The works have consisted of the improvement of the network of services, paving, planting of trees, renovating urban property and lighting. Now to finish the work only remains the installation of underground trash containers.

The Hospital Clinic of Barcelona carried out the past week for the first time in Catalunya and in all Spain an operation of sex-change on a minor after having received in November the judicial authorization for this intervention, confirmed by sources of the hospital center.

The cleaning workers of Blanes will initiate an indefinite strike on February 1.

The Ayuntamiento of Verges, with motive of the 1050th anniversary of its history, has organized a cycle of four conferences of experts of the zone who will explain the development of the town. The title of the cycle is “What do we know of our 1050 years of history?” The first of the conferences will be this Friday, January 15, at 7 pm.

The wave of cold that has attacked the country these days did not present difficulty for the 137 people who carried out this past Sunday the first swim of the year in Lloret.

Automobiles sold this December in the area of Girona have reached 1,426 units, 55.68% more than in December of 2008, when the number of units sold reached 916, according to the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Fabricators (Anfac).

The guilds of pastry makers of Catalunya foresee selling 850,000 roscones (rings) de Reyes, a similar number to the past year. This sweet tradition bypasses the economic crisis, for the second year. The star roscón continues being filled with almond paste and topped with candied fruit.

The first days of the year 2010 have brought to the airport of Girona almost 100 flights with destinations or arrivals from different points of Europe, of the national territory as well as Africa.

Platja d´Aro is editing a guide to inform recent arrivals about services. It is one of the tools of the Plan of Municipal Housing and is directed to people and services that serve immigrants.

Now there are more than 300 kilos of food that the Bingo Montbar of Platja d´Aro has collected with the campaign of solidarity that has come to an end this month of December, among clients and workers. One campaign of food collection for Cáritas, an entity that due to the situation of current crisis has seen considerably increased requests for help.

The 2010 edition of the Gran Prix Vila of Blanes is presented. The International Grand Prix Vila of Blanes is one of the main sports dates that the Blanes Sailing Club and the Catalan sail hosts at the beginning of the year.

The Ayuntamiento of Calonge made effective December 22 the payment of all the invoices that have entered in the ayuntamiento up to December 18. In the manner, the Ayuntamiento has moved forward the payment of invoices, which normally are paid in 30 days, to facilitate liquidity for the providers at the close of the year 2009.

Three million euros for having a network of 500 defillibrators in the towns of the comarcos of Girona at the beginning of 2011. This is the budget item that Dipsalut--dependent organ of the Diputation—has reserved for developing the project “Girona Territory Cardio-protected”, that will install the devices to act with the most rapidity in cases of heart attack and to reduce the number of victims.

The volunteers at the Hospital of Palamós received this Monday recognition in the holding of an informal breakfast with the attendence of the management of the center and the president, Teresa Ferrés.

The Christmas Fair of Sant Feliu de Guixols was held this weekend with offers such as tasting sea urchins, wines and cava, or a great variety of artesanal and Christmas products.

The Pesebre Viviente of Castell d´Aro positions itself, a year more, as the dean of its kind in Catalunya, coming this year to its 51st edtion (presentations began in the year 1959). It will be presented December 25, 26, and 27 of 2009 and January 1, 3, 6, and 10 of 2010 at 7 pm in a single session. Entrance is 5 euros.

The businesses of Catalunya are trusting in the campaign of Navidad to reach a level of sales similar to the past year if the rhythm of sales is maintained that has been seen until now despite the crisis, according to a report of the secretary general of the Confederation of Business of Catalunya (CCC), Miguel Angel Fraile.

The Ministry of Health and Social Policy will harden even more the antitobacco law starting in 2010. Next year smoking will be prohibited in all closed public spaces, leisure areas, and restaurants.

The body of a woman of some 70 years appeared late yesterday afternoon in the beach of Torre Valentina, Sant Antoni de Calonge. This is the only mortal victim left by the storm of wind and cold that lashed the Girona coast yesterday with special fury.

After the storm from the east yesterday, there are 120 meters at the end of the Paseo de S'Abanell, Blanes, which still do not have the retaining wall, those which have been eaten by the sea. On the other hand, the area where there is wall, which was inaugurated before the summer, is intact. The two streambeds have been covered with sand, which is planned to be extracted today.

The Association of the Residents of San Narcis of Girona collected yesterday 2,619 signatures against the implementation of blue parking zones in the neighborhood. The signatures have been collected in 15 days and come from residents, workers and businesses.

Petitions for contracts in the country of origin of immigrants have fallen 92.5% in a year. Of the requests this year, 409 have been resolved positively. This data also shows a decline with respect to the year 2008 when they authorized 5196 contracts for immigrants in their country of origin. The tendency to decline has been a constant in the Office of Foreigners in Girona and this year—up to November 30—have made 8.6% fewer applications.

516 Catalan cultivations will receive 1.7 million euros to be converted into ecological agriculture or for maintaining them within this system of production. This subsidy is in the framework of the payments of the agro-environmental aid of the campaign 2009 of the DAR that, according to a report through a press release, now have been made effective.

The prince of Asturias and Girona, Felipe de Borbón and his wife, the princess Letizia, will visit Thursday and Friday the comarcas of Girona.

The Generalitat has activated two base station for offering wideband Internet in the comarcas of Gironès and la Selva, which will benefit the population centers of the towns of Madremanya, Ullastret, la Bisbal d´Empordà and Forallac. With these, now there are 61 base stations that are distributed in the comarcas of Girona.

The Ayuntamiento of Castell-Platja d´Aro has the intention of finishing the works of widening the sidewalks of the avenue of the Platja d´Aro before Christmas, to continue afterward with the street of la Crota, as has informed the councilor of Urbanism, Antonio Cano.

The deputy of Citizen Participation and Housing, Estanislau Puig, and the mayor of Palafrugell, Lluis Medir, have an agreement of technical and economic collaboration for drawing up the Local Plan of Housing in Palafrugell.

The Ayuntamiento of Sant Feliu de Guixols will ask the agents of the Local Police to sanction more infractions that the drivers make when they have the vehicle in gear. This is one of the measures that the Local Plan of Safe Streets incorporates, which has as its objective reducing the number of accidents and improving the security of pedestrians.

The works to move ahead with the removal of the false tunnel that was in the road C-31 between Platja d´Aro and Calonge caused backups of at least 2 kilometers in the south direction during the day, yestereday, November 30.

Blanes, Vilamalla and Palau’Saverdera will benefit from the agreement the governments of the Generalitat and the State signed yesterday, in virtue of which will be constructed protected housing in those communities of the province of Girona. In Blanes, 48 units will be constructed.

Palafrugell holds from today until Thursday the meeting about the management of Cork Natural Spaces.

The sanitary region of Girona has registered 459 diagnoses of AIDS between the years 2001 and 2008, which accounts for 8.4% of the new cases notified in Catalunya during this period. Its incidence has been much higher in men, which make up 74.1% of the affected, than in women, which only represent 25.9% of the cases.

The old camping area La Sardana of Blanes lived a tense day yesterday. At noon, a fire was declared in a improvised shed constructed of plastic and bars of perforated metal which was completely extinguished by three teams of firefighters.

A judge in Girona has annulled the agreement of the department of Culture that gave green light to the preproject of construction of 4 houses in the historic center of Peratallada.

The Government of the Generalitat will approve today investments with value of 905,000 euros in 2 new cultural projects of the comarca. Specifically, it will agree to send 455,000 euros to the construction of the new municipal theater of Lloret de Mar and 450,000 to the rehabilitation of the industrial buildings Naves Ayats de Arbúcies, where it is planned to locate the Scenic Arts Center of this town.

The nightly stays of Spanish clients in the hotels of Girona increased 15% in October. The fall in foreign tourism caused the occupation of the establishments to decrease 8.6% in total.

The arrival of legal immigration to the comarcas of Girona has begun to turn again, although it does not reach the extreme growth of one or two years ago. According to data from the Secretary of State of Immigration and Emigration, corresponding to September 30, the number of foreigners residing legally in the comarcas of Girona was 142,757, which signifies an increase of 19.7% with respect to the date of the past year.

Four municipalities of Girona—Caldes de Malavella, Sant Hilari Sacalm, Santa Coloma de Farners and Sant Climent Sescebes—and five more from the rest of Catalunya, have been united in the Consortium of Thermal Towns (Villas Termales) of Catalunya to project internationally Catalan thermal tourism.

The guild of fishermen of Sant Feliu de Guixols will incorporate new technology in selling the fish that they catch. In short, there is being put in place the auction through an internet which will be sent to fish markets, restaurants, wholesalers, and retailers of the towns that form part of the area of the Chamber of Commerce of Sant Feliu de Guixols.

Friday, November 13, the awards were given in the cultural center Escoles Velles (Old Schools) for the IV Competition of Photography of Begur, which carries the name of the photographer Josep Carreras of Begur, in honor of he who was the graphic memory of the town during the last 50 years. From among the 5 final works, the jury chose as winner “Nuestra Mirador (Our Overlook)”, by Nardo Peniza of Begur.

The level of business in the services sector has decreased some 10.1% this September if we compare it with the data available from a year ago, according to a report published this Tuesday by the Institute of National Statistics (INE).

The economic crisis has made the number of divorces decrease by 14% in Girona.

The most recent rate of incidence registered for the virus of the new flu, which was made public Thursday of last week, is 289.5 cases for each 100,000 inhabitants on the average. A number that now surpasses the highest incidences reached by the seasonal flu virus in recent times.

Sectors against the Ministry of Environment which is pushing the marine reserve of fishing ground interests of the Formigues Islands have scheduled for Sunday the 29th of this month at noon a demonstration in the Paseo del Mar of Palamós.

The Museum of Fishing, the Chair of Maritime Studies and the center of Documentation of Fishing and the Sea of Palamós are participating another year until the 15th of November with a stand in the Salón Náutica of Barcelona.

Calonge is holding from this Friday the 13th of November until Sunday the Weekend of Wine of the Country (Farmers) and which will be initiated Friday at 7 pm with the wine specialist of Mas Molla, Montserrat Molla. All day Saturday there will be a day of open doors.

The Sailing Club of Calella de Palafrugell will be the new organizer of the European of the class Laser Master, one of the most prestigious tests of the continental calendar, from the 11th to the 14th of March of 2010 with the presence of sailors from 15 countries.

The unemployment registered this October has risen by 12,251 persons in comparison with the previous month, an increase of 2.31%, and has reached the number of 543,603 unemployed in all Catalunya, according to the data that has been published by the Ministry of Work. This represents an increase of 43.81% if it is compared with the month of October of 2008.

The 48th Fair of Muestras (samples, signs) of Girona has closed its doors this Sunday in the Palace of Fairs after receiving some 130,000 visitors, surpassing thus the disappointment (pothole) of the previous year in which the show was left with 115,000 visitors.

Salvamento Maritimo (Marine Lifesaving) saved three people this past 23rd day, a French couple and their daughter, who were found in a yacht 45 miles from Palamós and which could not reach the coast due to bad weather.
Finally, the three crew members were rescued by helicopter and, once on the ground, were evacuated to a hospital center for having suffered some blows, although their condition was good. The boat still has not been able to be towed.

The 15th edition of the contest Firatast will rebate the price of the ticket (it will go from 6 to 5 euros) and will include 3 tickets for tasting. Among the novelties of the salon is the fact that it will be lengthened by one day—it will be held from the 12th to the 15th of this month—and it will incorporate a stand of the Agency of Public Health of the Deputation of Girona, el Dipsalut, from which will be carried out workshops of formative and educational cooking for people of all ages.

The Frontier Inspection Point (PIF) of the airport of Girona has negotiated the first agreements of merchandise imported from third countries. Different types of mushrooms coming from Tabarka, Tunisia, have been the first products to use the PIF after the team received a good evaluation in the first part of September from the European Union to begin functioning.

A total of 200 persons of the tourist world, public and private, attended the 7th Night of Lloret Tourism and the 5th Laurel Awards. The winners in the 5th edition have been: In the category of services sector, the establishment La Campana, a restaurant of traditional cuisine, with a dance room, that has preserved a personal and family-like treatment of its clients. La Carpa carried the award of the leisure sector. Located on a small hill with impressive views over the beach of Lloret, this musical bar, which opened its doors in 1994, is a reference for quality night leisure in the comarcas of Girona.

The Armenian painter, established in Catalunya, Ahora Mikaelian is exibiting in the Museum of Art of Girona some of his pieces that recall episodes of the life in his country. The show revolves around the legends, the history and the religious themes of the Armenians. His painting, detailed and perfectionistic, is painted in large format (2x2 or more). The exposition can be visited from the 23rd of October to the 10th of January.

SOS Racism Catalunya has alerted to the appearance of racist and xenophobic actions against the immigrant population due to the crisis. According to its spokesperson, Isabel Martinez, the cause is the political discourse of certain parties that blame this group for the economic recession and for the fall of the state of well-being, but has reminded that the immigrants are “as much victims of the crisis as is any other native person.”

Emergency services, since Monday the 19th, is looking for a diver who disappeared in L´Escala, after his family alerted that the man, age 32 and a resident of Palafrugell, did not return to the house when expected, the Firefighters of the Generalitat have reported.

Foreigners affiliated with Social Security declined 10.24% in a year. The average number of foreigner affiliated in Catalunya reached 431,137 in September, which supposes a decrease from the previous year of 10.24%.

It is asked in Lloret de Mar that the iron pylons in the streets be removed to avoid accidents. The objective is to replace them with other materials that have the same function but would not cause physical or material damage.

The Association of Hosteleria of the Costa Brava Center awarded today in the evening the entities and persons that have most distinguished themselves in the defense and promotion of quality tourism in the Costa Brava. It will be during the 29th Fiesta of the Gremio (Guild) of Hosteleria in the hotel El Far de San Sebastià, with the giving of the awards Timón (rudder) of Gold and Silver, prizes with which the guild recognizes each year since 1982 the effort made by business people and entities of the tourist sector. The Roca brothers will be awarded the Timón of Gold.

12,000 euros for a lock of hair from Elvis Presley. This is what a private person paid to have in his house a lock of the hair of Presley. For 18,300 dollars (12,200 euros) he has carried to his house a small portion of the mane of the King of Rock, cut in 1958, when he was in military service.

The restaurant and discotheque Rocamar, on the street Es Cars of Tossa, continues to be open despite the fact that the Ayuntamiento withdrew its license of activities this past August at the request of the General Director of Coasts. The judge decreed the precautionary suspension of the closing at the request of an appeal for reconsideration by the owners.

Tastaolletes, a show of gastronomia and ceramics of La Bisbal d´Empordà, surpassed expectations of the Ayuntamiento at the closing with almost 8,000 tastings sold.

During the two weekends that the Fiesta of Cerveza lasted in Platja d´Aro, it has been full of visitors. If in some previous years, there were counted some 15,000 visitors, this year, with the good weather, it could have reached the number of 22,000.

Operation Return of the bridge weekend of Pilar caused yesterday afternoon backups of 16 kilometers at the entrance to AP-7 in Maçanet de la Selva, the most direct access to the autopista for those that spend some days of leisure in the Costa Brava.

The municipal group of ERC of Blanes wants the Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works (PTOP) to incorporate within the plan of transportation infrastructures of Catalunya the creation of a tram between Palafolls and Lloret de Mar.

The 8th Fair of the Seta (Mushroom) in Sant Hilari Sacalm. This fair wants to go further than the holding exclusively of a fair and will offer parallel activities that will invite the visitors during all the weekend to enter into the world of mycology of gastronomy in which the seta is the principal ingredient such as in the routes through the forest of the Guilleries.

The lack of understanding within the tripartite Government of the Generalitat with respect to the project of the autovia in its passage from la Pera toward Forallac—within the stretch coinciding with the bypass of La Bisbal—continues being clear. Yesterday, the group of the Initiative for Catalunya—Los Verdes made public their allegations in which as conclusion asked the suspension of the awarding contracts until the project is submitted to a strategic environmental evaluation.

Catalans will see an average of 562 euros less in their pocket by the increase in taxes, according to the Technicians of the Ministry of Hacienda.

The towns of Palafrugell and Begur have launched the project “Empordà Digital”, an initiative that expects to bring the new technologies of information and communication (TIC) to their citizens, the business community and the Administration of the zone.

A delegation of the Chambers of Commerce of Palamós and Sant Feliu Guixols claimed that they would guarantee the existing zones of anchorage for recreational boats in the Formigues islands.

The Council of Commerce and Tourism of the Ayuntamiento of Castell-Platja d’Aro now is ready to start the 22nd edition of the Fiesta of Cerveza of Platja d’Aro, from the 2nd to the 4th and from the 9th to the 12th of October. The new location inaugurated last year will be repeated, the Plaza del Milenario, at the beginning of the grand pedestrian avenue that leads toward the Palace of Sports and Congresses, the area in which there is a great availability of parking.

The Iberic grounds of Sant Sebastià of la Guarda, in Llafranc, Palafrugell, which dates from the end of the 6th century AD, have been reopened to the public with a reformed museum which improves the accessibility and the conditions of the visit. The works have cost 318,205 euros.

The hotel group Mas de Torrent has sold the Hotel Albons to a Russian group investing in hotels and leisure, for 2 million euros, according to the explanation of the director general of the group, Alex Figueras.

The ninth edition of the SPV, the Salon of Plants, Garden and Accessories, which has been held in the Exhibition Palace of Girona since last Thursday, September 17, now closes. The evaluation of the organizers as well as the visitors has been very positive for both the contact among professionals of the sector as well as the opening of new markets. Girona is the second greatest producer of trees and shrubs in the south of Europe.

The Red Cross in Catalunya has increased this season by 39.58% the measures of prevention in the beaches with respect to 2008. However, it has reached 47,571 actions, most of which have been warnings to bathers or boaters not to put their safety or that of others at risk.

The government has promoted 1,187 living units with official protection during the last year and a half in Girona. The comarca El Gironés is where more protected living units have been made, with a total of 315. Just behind come other comarcas like La Selva (205), Baix Empordà (187), Garrotxa (160), Alt Empordà (136), Cerdanya (119), and Pla de l´Estany (40).

After the summer season and according to the summary communicated by the Red Cross about the assistence given by this lifesaving group, it should be noted that the incidents of jellyfish stings in the Girona coast have been almost half of the total recorded in the Catalan coast. Although this number has decreased with respect to last year, which would confirm a state of tranquility in the waters as far as the population of jellyfish, Girona continues accumulating the majority of the incidents, with 4,982 assists for these stings.

The Ayuntamiento of Castell-Platja d´Aro participates this Saturday at 11 am in the European Days of Patrimony in Catalunya 2009, with the offer of free guided visits along the coastal walk of S´Agaró.

The commissioner of Economic Affairs and Money, Joaquin Almunia, has announced this Monday that the Spanish economy will fall finally 3.7% this year, and not the 3.2% which had been calculated in May, a contraction less than the EU as a whole, at 4%. Brussels, on the other hand, has revised upward its forecasts for France and Germany, which have recovered earlier than expected.

The number of operations of buying/selling housing units registered in July was 37,039, which implies a descent of 20.3% with respect to the same month of the last year, according to the data published today by the National Institute of Statistics. (INE).

The regeneration of the beach S’Abanell in Blanes, now has been finished after almost a month in which a dredge has dumped 250,000 cubic meters of sand in the zone that was affected by the storms of the last year.

Six months after which rural agents took 21 specimens from the Animal Park of Sobrestany, those that are still left are seen to have been reduced drastically. Thus it was explained by the owner of the Park, Alfons de Robert, who assured that the 200 animals that he now does not have had been killed by dogs that took advantage of the night to enter the area of the Park, and attacked and ate the herd.

Girona is the area where unemployment still increases. The comarcas of Girona finished August with an unemployment registered at 45,900 persons.

Parties interested in signing up for the system of public rental bicycles in Girona, Girocleta, will be able to start to subscribe to the service starting the 15th of September, by Internet, just 10 days before the opening of 8 stations where there will be bicycles. (www.girocleta.cat)

The northamerican singer Barbara Streisand carried out on Friday the 4th of September a visit to the Antique Center of Girona in which she visited incognito, among other points, the Cathedral and the Jewish Museum.

The city council of Lloret has decided to give 200 Catalan flags to residents of the town so that they will hang from the balconies of their houses during the next Onze de Setembre (Eleventh of September). The intention of the council is to exhibit the identifying symbols of Catalunya to be a distinctive mark and to take advantage at the same time, to make them known to the recently arrived population, given the great variety of nationalities that live in the city.

This Saturday the Fair of Disco and the Fair of Drawing will be held in Sant Feliu de Guixols. From 9 am to 10 pm the XXVII Fair of Drawing in the Rambla Vidal. From 10 am to 9 pm the XI Fair “Mercadisc” in Calle Mayor.

The area of Economic Promotion of the Ayuntamiento of Santa Cristina d’Aro is satisfied with the acceptance that the summer campaign “Magic Thursdays in Santa Cristina d’Aro” has had. They count an average of 50 people that have eaten dinner each Thursday in one of the designated restaurants and have enjoyed the guided nocturnal visits plus the magic show by the illusionist, Xevi.

Rural tourism saved the tourist sector in the area of Girona during the month of July in a year especially complicated by the economic crisis, in which the number of nights registered in campgrounds, tourist apartments and hotels decreased.

Various activists protest in Lloret to prohibit the entrance of circuses with animals. The coordinator of the campaign “Circuses without animals”, Aida Gascón, denounced that these circuses use tigers, lions, giraffes, hippopotamuses and other animals that are condemned to spend their life enclosed in cages of reduced dimensions.

Blanes has fixed up the street Jaume I and has modified the direction of circulation in the center of the city.

The Official School of Languages in Sant Feliu de Guixols has created a campaign with an amusing theme with the intent to capture more students. The center, which is the only official one with these characteristics in Baix Emportá, has represented each language with a gastronomic element which identifies it, to make their folders more visible and original at a glance. In this school are offered 3 languages: there are three courses in German, five in English and three in French.

In the Castle of Benedorminiens, in Castell d’Aro, one can visit an exposition of paintings by Vicente Romero.

Lloret de Mar continues organizing guided visits to the most emblematic places of the city, such as the Museum of the Sea or the Gardens of Santa Clotilde. More information in the Tourism Office of Lloret.

The Festival of Music of Begur, SitJazz Band, has arrived this year for the 32nd edition, which has become one of the most traditional and consolidated festivals of our comarcas. Since the organization of the Festival, the great attendance of the public has been highlighted in the actuations of the month of August.

Movistar charges its Spanish clients more than triple what its subsidiary O2 charges the British for connecting to the internet from other countries of the EU, according to a report made by Facua-Consumidores en Acción.

“Get on the Train of Sant Feliu!” is the title of the new show that can be seen until the 2nd of September in the patio of the Ayuntamiento of Sant Feliu de Guixols. It is made by models and film projections, with real and virtual images, about the old railroad from Sant Feliu to Girona.

Forty Gironan towns do not have obligatory service of primary school. Girona is the second province of Catalunya with the most towns without these centers, with 20% of the total.

The economic crisis brings more Belgian and Dutch tourists to Girona. The Office of Tourism receives 22% more visitors and the sector believes that August will save the summer season for stores and restaurants.

The municipal group of Citizens asks greater security in the zone of the maritime walkway in Lloret de Mar. According to the spokespersons of the party, the maritime walkway during the night has become a “zone without law” where alcohol, fights, vandalism and even drugs are habitual during each night of the summer.

This Friday, the 21st of August, at 10 pm in the Municipal Theatre of Palafrugell, will take place the concert and presentation of the CD Cubacant, the essence of the habanera with Neus, vocalist, Castor Pérez, guitar, and Enric Canada, percussion.

The Castle of Benedormiens of Castell d´Aro holds from the 15th of August until the 13th of September a pictorial exposition of Vicente Romero. The inauguration took place this past Saturday the 15th of August at 8 pm with the presence of the artist. The schedule of visits with free entrance, is from 6 pm to 10 pm Monday to Friday, and on weekends and holidays, from 11 am to 1 pm and from 6 pm to 10 pm.

Prices have fallen 0.7% this July in the province of Girona and have left the interannual inflation at -2%, the highest in Catalunya, according to the National Institute of Statistics.

Ryanair, the second airline in Spain, announced Thursday, 30th of July, the inauguration of four new routes from the airport of the Costa Brava with connections to Malaga, Tenerife (South), Lanzarote and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The routes toward the Canary Islands will be inaugurated for the winter season (end of October) and the route to Malaga will operate starting the first of October. With the arrival of these 4 new connections, Ryanair will add 200,000 passengers annually in the airport of Girona.

Under the title “A Window to the Walkway”, the Palace Castle of la Bisbal will house until the end of August a new exposition of Antonia Roig Rogenca, well known in the capital of Baix Emporda for her collaborations in the school of ceramics and for her gallery of unique pieces.

Rural tourism occupancy rates increased four percent in Catalunya. With this increase Catalunya has risen from seventh to fifth place in the list of Toprural.com.

Neighbors of Lloret Residential have not had potable water since Saturday. The problem seems to come from a distance and is not the first year this has happened. The Catalan Water Agency is making headway with its efforts.

Teachers of Tourism from Brazil have visited L'Estartit to learn about the tourist experience of the city. The visit was financed by the Spanish Agency for Cooperation and Development.

Exhibition - auction of artworks in the patio of the City Hall of La Bisbal de L´Empordà.

Until the 31st of August one can visit the exhibition ¨ una finestra al passeig¨, by Antonia Roig-Rogenca, located in the castle palace of La Bisbal de LÉmporda.

The tourism office of the City Hall of Castell-Playa de Aro has scheduled for this year 2009 a wide program of performances of sardanas, habaneras, and concerts of various genres. The cycle of sardanas began Tuesday the 14th of July, with a performance of Trailla Abajo Ampurdan in the Plaza Mayor of Playa de Aro and will end the 25th of August, with a total of four performances of sardanas, always in this location and beginning at 22h.

Palau-saverdera approves the continuation of the demolition of 42 residences in two blocks of the SunVillage complex in compliance with the requirements of the judicial sentence. Although the City Hall defends the compliance, they have presented a recourse of requesting extending execution of the demolition from October to December

The Castell of Benedormiens in Castell d'Aro hosts, from July 4 to August 10, an anthology exhibit of pictorial work of 91 works of Pere Gastó arising from the collection Martí - Balart. The inauguration will be next Saturday, June 4 at 20h.

The 42 property owners in Sun Village block of Palau-saverdera, which is affected by a ruling of demolition, have made a common front to prevent the tragedy that would implement the ruling.
Those affected are asking the administration to intercede so that the demolition would not go ahead and would save their homes.

The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is considering the possibility of selling tickets to passengers who are willing to travel standing for short-haul routes and thus lower fares further and “give consumers more options "says the Director of communication of the company Stephen McNamara.

According to the site Trivago devoted to the comparison of hotel prices, prices for hotels on the coast have risen 35% since May. The city of Gerona, in contrast, offers lower prices. A room in the city of Girona has gone from 92 euros on average to about 85 euros currently.

Lloret collected a total of 7500 plastic bags on the Catalan Day without Plastic Bargs held on Friday July 3.

Blanes becomes the first Spanish city declared friend of the gays. The full City Council decided yesterday, a day after the gay pride march, declaring Blanes as "Gay friendly".

Lloret de Mar is looking for women over 75 years to make a documentary on tourism. The documentary, funded by the City Council, will discuss the early years of tourism seen from the viewpoint of women.

The deaths from traffic accidents on Catalan roads have declined by 9% so far this year. All Catalan provinces have experienced a decline in accidents except the province of Girona where it has gone from 25 dead to 34.

Kodjo Senyo will be responsible for opening this Sunday, July 5th, the series of Music concerts in the Gardens of Santa Clotilide of Lloret de Mar.

Lloret de Mar finances the improvement of the Xiringuitos on the main town beach due to bad state in which they are found after many years of use. To improve their image, they will be painted with images typical of the town and people.

The XVII Show of Home Cooking of Santa Cristina de Aro was held with participation of around 500 guests in the pavilion, who enjoyed more than 5 dishes prepared by 50 chefs and cooks of the town and surrounding area. Among the dishes available for tasting were some as varied as beans and peas of the Aro Valley, squid stuffed with shrimp, monkfish suquet, chicken couscous, Lionesas and chocolate brownies.

The city council of Pals held its XII edition of the traditional planting of rice in a field of Molí de Pals. Afterwards, refreshments were offered to participants.

Llofriu hosts the party of “the peeling of cork”, with the aim of showing visitors how to extract cork, what the forests of cork trees are like and just to discover Llofriu and its landscapes.

The Autonomous Police arrested a trucker yesterday at noon on N-II near Bàscara who was driving with an alcohol level nine times higher than permitted.

In Blanes is celebrated the exhibition "Els Paradisos" by the painter Rafael Bataller until August 2.

In Pals, specifically in Ca La Pruna, is an exhibition named "Tajadura”.

Palamós celebrates its festival June 23 to June 28.

This week in Palamós has begun work to restore and paint the road signs in different streets, beginning with the September Eleven Ave.

The Municipality of Sant Feliu de Guixols held a cooking course for 20 hours in the gastronomic classroom of Empordà for fifteen women from the municipality who are unemployed.

The Area econòmic services and the Cadastre of the Municipality of Palamós again becomes operational.

Gerona is the Catalan province that notes less direct aid in the purchase of cars. Despite the entry into force of Plan 2000e and AutoCat by which government and manufacturers provide up to 2000 euros for the purchase of a new vehicle, the sale of private cars fell by 20.6% in the first fifteen days. In Gerona were sold a total of 292 vehicles compared to 368 a year ago.

XVII edition of the Blues festival in Rosas. July 16, 17 and 18 at the Teatro Municipal on the main stage will be offered 16 free concerts and performances like that of Sherman Robertson & Blues Move, Emma Lamadji Healing Gospel and African music.

The Municipal Sustainability Gerona reported loss of quality in the aquifers of Gerona, but they are still at acceptable levels.

Lloret. The father of the youth who disappeared in Lloret, offers 10,000 euros to anybody who provides clues to find him. Heile Georg, 20, never returned to his hotel Wednesday morning and was last seen near Sa Caleta.

Calonge. The Town Hall of Calonge and the Guild of Antique and Brocante comarcas Gerona organized the second edition of the Fira d'Antic , this weekend.

Platja D'Aro. Organized the 29th Festival d'Homenatge to Vellesa. It is free to all those over 65 years of age, who are registered in the municipality.

Up until May, car registrations have fallen by 42% in the Girona region. Sellers are confident that the Plan 2000E will begin the start of recovery.

Gerona. Course at the Civic Center Ter to build a solar cooker.

Torroella de Montgrí. Cooking classes. 2 and June 9 with Pep Salsetes.

Palamós. Photography courses. Every Thursday from 8 to 10 pm at the Bay Club Palamós film.

More information at: 677890990 or palamos.ageffoto.org.

Lloret de Mar. "Lloret Descobrim" Tour from the Sea Museum, the historical center and gardens of Santa Clotilde. "Arrels rating" Tour of the Sea Museum, the historical center and the castle of San Juan. "The legacy of the Indians" guided tour from today by the Sea Museum, the historical and the modern cemetery.

A new green route follows the course of the Ter river from the Pyrenees to the Costa Brava. The route includes more than 200 kilometers and crosses five regions of Catalonia with an altitude change of 2,200 meters between the highest peaks of the Pyrenees and the mouth of the river.

Lloret de Mar. More than a hundred children do not have a place in any municipal day-care center in Lloret. At the moment Lloret has only two day-care centers, has thought about the location of the new one, but it still has not determined when they will construct it.

After twenty years, the city council of Torroella de Montgrí, begins to restore the castle of Montgrí.

In the old nucleus of Peratallada the work of remodeling of the public illumination has begun. Subsidized by the state Plan of Local Investment they hope to renew a total of 170 light fixtures.

This Sunday Basketball Bisbal organizes the 9th Celebration of the Basquet in the Pavilion of Deportes.

Gerona. The social work of the Caixa presents the Exhibition of Art in the street, in this case are shown the monumental sculptures of Manolo Valdés. Until the 28 of June.

In the premises of the CCOO of Gerona is presented the exposition, Responsible Consumption for a Sustainable Society.

L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí are prepared to offer the best of their gastronomy in the Gastronomical Days until the 24 of June.

Torroella de Montgrí offers a Course of cooking given by Pep Salsetes on the days 26 of May, 2 and 9 of June.

Palamós proposes a Course of photography. Anyone interested can request more information at telephone 677 890 990.

The city hall of Palamós called on its citizens to collect food for needy inhabitants. The campaign was a huge success and collected more than 3 metric tons of food.

The local police of Palafrugell are again stopping drivers to check for drug consumption and alcohol impairment. They will also investigate whether the driver is using legal medicines which impair driving ability.

The "Antic Sindicat" in Lloret de Mar will show until the 18th of June the exhibition “homage to Rodolf Tur”. In additions to works by the artist, there will be work by his children on exhibit.

203 runners took part in the XII Cursa Popular de Tossa de Mar, a record turnout.

In the harbour of L'Estartit a meeting of Cava label collectors will take place on the 24th of May, from 10 to 14 o'clock.

The 24th of May is the deadline for signing up participants for the competition for marine photograph in Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The competition is divided in two categories, underwater photograph and photos from the surface of the sea.

The Plan2000E intends that new automobile buyers will receive state financial support if they scrap their old vehicle. The basic reward is 1,500 Euros, while some regions offer 2,000 Euros. While it is not decided yet, there will probably be a similar arrangement for buyers of 2-wheeled vehicles. However, the traders complain that they had not been properly informed about the details.

Whales were sighted off the coast between s'Agaró and Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The animals are on the way to Italy in the Liguria Sea. They use the waters of the Cap de Creus and the Cap de Begur to find food.

Palafrugell opened, within the building Can Genís, a public test space for young musicians, the first of its kind in the Baix Empordà. On 25 m2 amplifiers and drums are available, and the room is air-conditioned.

14 restaurants from Palamós, Calonge and Sant Antoni will participate in the gastronomic campaign "Menú de la Gamba" (until the 12th of July).

Lloret de Mar organizes on the 17th of May a competition of the flower arrangements and plants, from 9 o'clock in "Ermita de les Alegries"

The building La Nau in Tossa de Mar will show until the 26th of August an exhibition of photos and documents about the development of tourism in Tossa and in the Costa Brava over the past one hundred years.

Sant Feliu de Guíxols will organize on the 17th of May a full day of Sardana, the 50è Aplec de Pedralta. The event will begin at 12 o'clock.

Now the exhibits in Begur will take place in the casino cultural on c/casino, 2.

Platja d'Aro will offer guided tours until the 15th of June. The tours will highlight the areas places of interest. Additional information is available at the tourism office.

Calonge has finally decided to move the urbanization Mas Pere. It is expected that work will begin in August. The costs of 12,1 million Euros will be paid 85% by the inhabitants and 15% by the municipality. The city hall offers financing to the residents of Mas Pere as either an interest-free loan for six months or a five-year loan at money market rates.

Palafrugell, Palamós and Sant Feliu de Guíxols are jointly working, until the end of May, on the campaign "Festa del Comerç Just". This action is to promote fair prices for goods made in Emerging Countries.

The Centre Cultural La Gorga in Palamós will show until the 14th of June a collective exhibit of paintings on textile and silk.

The city hall of Castell-Platja d'Aro finalized its local budget for 2009 at 39 million Euros, 11 millions less than last year. 40% of the budget is allocated for capital investments.

The construction works on the gambling casino "Gran Casino Costa Brava" in Lloret de Mar is progressing quickly. If everything continues to runs according to plan the casino will open its doors at Christmas. The casino is already looking for staff.

Platja d'Aro bought a historical railroad engine, which formerly had been used for travel between Girona and Palamós. It will be placed by the former railway station of Castell d'Aro.

The city hall of Lloret de Mar had intended to declare its town as "gay friendly" which is a place that welcomes homosexual and lesbian visitors. Now, however, the government team has delayed the announcement for the time being. Girona Province therefore must wait for its first "gay friendly" destination.

Palafrugell announced its Fiesta "Carroussel Costa Brava" on the 31st of May.

In Llagostera a motorist travelling at 199 km/h on the country road C-65 was stopped by the police.

Platja d'Aro expects that " III Olimpíada del ball ” on the weekend of 9/10 May will attract 3,500 dancers from 40 countries to the congress centre.

The "Saló Internacional del Turisme" in Barcelona underlined a trend, which seems to offer a glimmer of hope for the summer season. Spaniards are not expected to renounce their vacation, but will likely limit their budget. So far the travel agencies report that there are fewer reservations for international travel and increased interest in closer places -- maybe Costa Brava? So, the expectation is that national tourism will save the "season “ as they have in prior years. But, in these parlous times nothing is certain.

The restaurants of Begur began their gastronomic campaign "peix de roca" (rock fish) which will run until the 7th of June. The inauguration was led by Joan Roca whose restaurant el Celler de Can Roca in Girona was described by an English restaurant magazine as the fifth best restaurant in the world.

In Spain the ghost of the deflation may appear. While deflation seems good at first sight, because everything will be cheaper, it is actually far more dangerous in the longer run than inflation. Sinking prices will mean that many producers and suppliers will find themselves losing money; they will become insolvent and paralyzes the economy. In the short term, however, it may encourage foreign holidaymakers to visit Costa Brava. In the past few years many habitués have avoided the Costa Brava because of the higher costs, and have opted for less expensive destinations.

In Calonge, beginning on the 30th of April at 21 o'clock the gardens of the Castell will be the venue for the Fiesta "Feria de Abril" (until 3 May). Every day a varied program will run from 10 o'clock till the evening hours.

During a large alcohol control by 22 policemen of the Mossos d'Esquadra and 7 members of the local police of Begur, on the C-31 by Mont-ras between 04 and 09 o'clock the police stopped 120 motorists. 19 of the motorists tested positively to the alcohol analysis, with the highest measured at 0.94 percent. Two motorists were charged with being under the influence of drugs.

Fernando Cano from Palafrugell became the Pitch and Putt world champion in the category stroke play. He excelled on the field in La Grande Motte near Montpellier. The Irishman Ray Murphy was in second place.

During the widening of the street C-31 between Castell-Platja d'Aro and Palamós the permissible maximum speed has been reduced to 80 km/h.

When the first floor of the building of the fishing cooperative of Palamós the "Espai del Peix" comes into being there will be an exhibit for the public on the process from catching a fresh fish to its marketing. The city hall has budgeted 700 thousand Euros for this project, which should be open in 2010,

Santa Cristina d'Aro began its chamber music series with a concert by Guillem Calvo (violin) and Mercè Roca-Ritook (piano) in the parish church. Eleven concerts will follow until the 12th of September. The next concert will be on the 2nd of May.

The speed limit on the road from Palafrugell to Palamós has been increased to 100 km/h, vs. the prior limit of 80 km/h.

Also in Palamós the damage from the storm at Christmas has been mostly repaired, especially at both sports harbours.

The English Rock band The Pretenders will present their new CD Break up the Concrete during the festival of "Porta Ferrada" in Sant Feliu de Guíxols on the 5th of July. The Pretenders stormed the hit parade in the eighties. Of the original cast, two will be performing: Chrissie Hynde (singer and guitar) and Martin Chambers on the drums.

Sant Feliu de Guíxols is building two new water tanks, each with a capacity of 4000-m3. Both should be operational by the summer.

The circular path along the coast between Calonge and Platja d'Aro is being renovated. If the work continues as planned, the path which has been closed for five years will be available again this summer.

The Riu Ridaura in Platja d'Aro has flooded over and over again, sometimes with serious results. To mitigate future flooding the riverbed is being canalized, and the work should be completed by the end of May.

65 restaurants of the Costa Brava offer special menus, to commemorate the “hundred years Costa Brava”, until the 12th of September.

Despite the bad weather 300 intrepid souls in Platja d'Aro took part in the traditional first dip of the year into the Mediterranean Sea. The thermometer showed 10 ° air temperature and 12.5 ° water temperature.

Lluís Artús and Pau López, pupils of the music school of Palafrugell, won the four-handed piano competition "Musique de France" in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.

The work on the planned urbanisation Son Rich in Begur was temporarily halted because of financial difficulties.

The antique fair Antic Empordà in La Bisbal ended favourably, despite the bad weather during the Easter holidays. It recorded 12,000 visitors, similar to last year, and the exhibitors were pleased with the very good sales.

The cork museum in Palafrugell will show until the 30th of May an exhibition of 30 works in oil and acrylic by the French artist Eric Marsiam (Toulouse, 1938).

The city hall of Girona prepares new animal protection laws. Anyone found to violate the new laws could expect some serious fines of up to 2,000 Euros. Among the requirements is that dog owners must allow the dog to be outside for at least 20 minutes per day.

The police have intensified their weekend traffic checks. Their special attention is now directed toward motorcyclist groups who drive on the coast road in large numbers. Last weekend the Mossos d'Esquadra stopped 120 motorcyclists on GI-682 between Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar. Fifteen of the motorcyclists receive citations.

Víctor Sanmarini from Sant Feliu de Guíxols stopped after 84 hours in his record attempt to play the drum continuously for more than 120 hours. The event had attracted significant media interest, particularly because Sanmarini dedicated the income earned by the event to be donated to a foundation that cares for persons stricken by the west syndrome.

For the Easter week about half of the camping sites in the province Girona will be open. Easter is the beginning of the camping season. Already, some sites are fully booked up for Easter.

In L'Estartit the streets Roca Maura, Església, Pintor Mascort, Eivissa, Víctor Concas as well as avinguda de Roma will be renovated. The work, expected to cost 1,46 million Euros, will begin after the summer season.

Impressum: Ernst Witzel, Paul A. Hoffstein, Manuel Fernández Vila, Christel Arnold, Geraldine Steffler, . Article contributions, even when being seriously serious please to cconline@cbrava.com CapCreus online, every day a little more.

	The tour de France announced officially the 9th of July route for the stage from Girona to Barcelona. The stage runs through the Costa Brava and passes by Llagostera, Santa Cristina d'Aro, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar and Blanes.
Santa Cristina d'Aro