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SOZZLED in SOMONTANO

1 Jul

Nature, art, robust cuisine – and fine wine

By THE SMOKED SALMON SOCIALIST

THE TONE of the rather daunting schedule which lay before us was set as soon as our group of journalists set foot outside El Prat airport in Barcelona. “Okay, first we need a pit stop for beer,” it was explained to the bus driver. “And in the meantime we’ll think about lunch.”

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The crucial matter of beer was resolved at the first petrol station (one of the wonderful aspects of living in Spain, though Brussels’ PC guardians will no doubt soon also put an end to that), and half an hour later our bus pulled into the car park of the Hostal del Carme in Vilagrassa (Lleida) for a lunch fit for, well…hungry journalists. […]

NEW ERA at Valderrama

1 Jul

Generational change as founder hands over to son

(Reprinted courtesy of Andalucía Golf – July 2005; andaluciagolf.com)

AT 75, and after an eventful and exciting era, Jaime Ortiz Patiño has decided it’s time to hand over presidential responsibility for Valderrama Golf Club to his son Felipe – a 41-year-old lawyer with extensive experience in the world of business and golf. […]

CHILLED-out in FINLAND

1 Sep

And ENCHANTED in ESTONIA

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IT WAS A mid-summer afternoon on the serene shore of one of Finland’s 190,000 lakes. Ari Vatanen sat relaxing on a log as a fellow Flying Finn raced through the forest. A group of Latvian tourists were waiting for their turn as “navigator”.

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