ANDALUCIA TOURISM NEWS – JULY 24TH 2020

NEW YEARS EVE IN BÉRCHULES
The small village of Bérchules, in the Granada Alpujarra, is already getting ready for the New Year. That's because this locality has been celebrating it's own particular New Year on the first Saturday of August for the last eight years. Hundreds of kilos of mantecados, nativity scene cribs, and even the Three Kings Parade will complete these peculiar Chirstmas fiestas which replace the cold of the Granada mountains in December with the heat of the summer. The tradition dates back to 1994 when the 800 inhabitants of Bérchules suffered a power cut on New Year's Eve and couldn't celebrate properly. They decided then to celebrate the party in August and with all the ingredients normally found on the last night of the year. The highpoint of the fiesta comes when the village church clock rings in midnight and the locals and visitors down the traditional 12 grapes to welcome the new year. It is, without doubt, one of the most original celebrations from the many which are celebrated in Andalucía, and one not to miss.

TOURISM OFFICES DECREE
A network of tourism offices in Andalucía which will coordinate and improve the information available on tourism resources in our region will shortly be a reality. The Andalucian government has approved the creation of this body, as part of the Tourism Offices Decree. The offices which will become part of this network must offer their services in at least two foreign languages and be open to the public for a minimum of four hours every day. The new decree also demands that the offices in the network have an area to attend the public on the ground floor, together with an area to display material elsewhere. The Tourist Information points will have to be located in areas where there is great tourist footfall and be in a design in keeping with the area. The Tourism Offices decree, approved by the Andalucian government cabinet, also establishes the creation of a database on the tourism resources in Andalucía, so that up to date information can be given from any of the offices making up the network.

CORTEGANA MEDIEVAL DAYS 2002
Visitors to the locality of Cortegana in Huelva province during the first fortnight of August, have the chance to enjoy a few days in the atmosphere of the Middle Age. The Meidaveal Days in this village in inland Huelva province are held between the 8th and 11th of August, and convert the marvellous six centuries old castle into the stage for theatre and performance groups, with exhibitions, taverns with typical products from the district and even a living chessboard. The event is very well prepared from the historical point of view – we can even taste a medieval supper in the castle's patio de armas: it's based on a recipe book from the time by the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. Dishes as exquisite as goat's cheese or lamb with rosemary, in the setting of this marvellous 14th century fort attended to by personalities brought to life with medieval costumes which make us enjoy the real atmosphere of the time even more.

MÁLAGA BEER FESTIVAL
More than two million people are expected to visit the World Beer Festival which will be held in the city of Málaga between the 22nd and 31st of May next year. The 'World Beer Expo 2003' will be held in the Cortijo de Torres fairground in the city and will offer visitors a display of the tourist attractions of the city, including climate and history. National and International breweries, distributors, importers and journalists will call come to Málaga to take part in the fair which will give visitors the chance to try beers from around the world. Málaga City may and the Conventions Office of the Costa del Sol Tourist Board will also take part in the event to promote congress and incentive tourism.

HORSE RACING AT SANLÚCAR 2002
The beaches of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Cádiz are, each summer, the stage for one of the most original spectacles of the many you can see across Andalucía. The horse races which convert the fine Sanlúcar sands into an improvised hippodrome which attracts thousands of people. The competitions, declared to be of International Tourist Interest, are held in two three day cycles each year. This year the first is between August 5th and 7th and the second between the 19th and 21st of the same month. Some of the best stables take part in this spectacle which, according to historians, has its origins in bets placed centuries ago by the owners of the horses which were used to carry the fish from the port of Bajo de Guía. Horse racing on the unique and incomparable stage that is the beach at Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Cádiz.

EL PUERTO DE LAS MARAVILLAS
Amphoras, glass pieces, ceramics, wood, leather and metal dating from the 5th century BC. Pieces of Cádiz province origin which tell us about the trade in olive oil, wines and salted meats and fish in the Cádiz of Roman times when the city was called Gades – Trade with other cities of the Roman Empire and with Rome itself, or Pisa. These pieces are now on display in the Cádiz Sub-aquatic Archaeology Centre in an exhibition which has the title 'El Puerto de las Maravillas – The discoveries from the old fleet to Pisa' The name is such because it is a collection of items recovered in the port of Pisa some four years ago, and considered to be one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century. The show, which remains open until August 3rd, also allows us to explore the inside of the Cádiz Sub-Aquatic Archaeology Centre, dedicated to the conservation and investigation into pieces found along the Andalucian coastline, of which more than 1500 have been found since its creation.

BETICA-ROMANA WEB
The Bética Romana Route webpage – www.beticaromana.org - received more than 19,000 visits during June after its redesign with new content. Half of the visits came from the Spanish and the rest from countries such as Italy, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Mexico and Chile. The Bética Romana Route covers 13 municipalities in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Córdoba, such as Carmona, Osuna, Tarifa and Santiponce, which show the visitors the remains of their Roman past while also offering information on accommodation and local cuisine. In beticaromana.org we can also find the latest cultural events in these towns, new 360 degree panoramic images and an online store.

WINE AND WATCHES MUSEUMS JEREZ
A 19th century bodega or wine cellar holds the mysteries of the wine from Jerez de la Frontera. It's the first wine museum in the province of Cádiz, intends to bring together centuries of tradition, and has just opened its doors in the gardens of the Atalaya in the town of Jerez. In these same gardens the visitor will find that the Clock Museum has also been completely renovated. Machines which don't only tell the time, but also are authentic works of art. Mantelpiece clocks, pendulum clocks, those without hands, in miniature or even weighing more than 100 kilos. More than 300 working clocks, made by skilled hands with Bohemian crystal, fine woods, mother of pearl and ivory, and where we can even hear the chimes of Big Ben – or those from the Baviera town hall. The museum, known as 'The Palace of Time', has guided visits in several languages every 15 minutes.