Welcome to the CanyellesPetites.com Newsletter, which now being presented in a web page format. This is the overwhelming result of the survey in the last Newsletter. Many thanks for expressing your views.

_Number 13.

In this Edition:-

Local News

In Castelló d'Empúries the cleaning of the riverbed of the Rio Muga has begun. 550 metres of river vegetation, which had collected over time, will be removed to prevent blockages ensure that the river would be able to handle the flow of water after heavy rainfalls. The municipality of Castelló D ' Empúries plans to complete the "Pont Nou", the bridge over the Muga, before the summer 2004.

Donations for the completion of the Sagrada Famila in Barcelona have doubled in the past four years. Officials believe that the work, which commenced 121 years ago, will be completed in about 20 years. Some believe that the Sagrada Familla will never be finished, even if the donations continue to flow at the current rate!

Castelló d 'Empúries recently earned the quality seal "Destinació de Turisme Esportiu", which is awarded to areas with high quality sports facilities.

So far this year, 800 more vehicles have been registered in Figueres than were registered in the year 2003. The high traffic volume produces traffic jams, particularly in the city centre. The frequent overload of the roads results in public and transport delays. According to traffic experts this is not so much the problem of the roads as the senselessness of drivers who want to park their cars close to their destination and on corners, etc.

Driving from Roses, it is best to use the free parking "Els Fossos" Which has easy access to the city centre in minutes by foot. Coming from Roses, you will see a sign immediately after the railway crossing.

Spain's roads will be getting new designations. Motorways and national routes will soon have an "A" prefix before their two-digit number. Currently an "N" marks the national routes. The two-digit number will not change. The conversion should be finished in 2005.

Until 2 November the fourth edition of "Transart" will take place in the museum of the Empordà in Figueres. Five sculptors show their works and five writers provide texts that were inspired by the exhibits.

During July and August over 200.000 aircraft passengers per month were dispatched from the Girona airport. This is more than twice the activity during the previous year. The increase can be attributed to the popularity of the low-cost airlines. Now, according to rumours, both German Wings and Air Berlin are interested in flying to Girona.
The Irish airline RyanAir will continue to fly to the airport during the winter. Each week 86 low-cost flights will land at the airport

The program PRODER, for the development of the rural tourism (Turisme Rural) in the Alt Empordà has funded 49 projects with a total sum of 1,5 million euro. The funds were allocated by the Generalitat, the Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission. The subsidies are expected to create 50 jobs in the Empordà by the year 2006 and promote investments of 20 million euro.

The Province of Girona noted that during the first 6 months of 2003, exports increased 19.3% against Spain's national increase of 5.09%. Nearly 40% of the exports went to France, followed by Italy, Germany and England. Altogether, goods valued at 1,133 million euro were exported.

The Rambla of Figueres was officially closed to private traffic for 9 months as a test from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Now that the test phase has been completed the results were judged as disappointing. Most drivers ignored the ban (did they expect Catalans to actually obey road closures?). Next, the municipality may consider installing posts to restrict traffic. The renovation of the Rambla which began in January 2002 seems now more or less terminated. The construction work had been delayed again and again by unexpected difficulties and the planned official opening on St Jordi, the patron saint of the city, had to be shifted to a still unspecified date.

The last section of the new road from Figueres to Roses was finished and has been officially inaugurated.

The new bus terminal in Roses, due to open this summer, was officially inaugurated on 13 September.

Ryan Air are now offering flights to Girona (or "Barcelona - Girona" as they prefer to call it) until 17th December for 1 penny each way plus airport tax. It is necessary to hunt for dates that this offer applies to, but the total cost is just £18.85 per person including taxes. It's a great opportunity to visit the area, and all the property owners on CanyellesPetites.com will accept mid-week bookings at this time of year.

In the summer months, the number of fatal traffic accidents in the province of Girona decreased by around 40% in comparison with last year.

At present about 2 million foreigners, mostly from the EU states, live in Spain (42 million inhabitants). 70% of the foreigners work here, while the employment of the inhabitants is 55% of the population. Spain expects a further increase in immigration; in the year 2010, 4 million foreigners are expected.

Lance Armstrong, the American winner of the Tour de France lives in Girona. He confirmed at a recent press conference that he will retain his professional cycling home in Girona, as well as a home in Austin, Texas, U.S.A. The quality of life in the province, says Armstrong, is "fantastic!"

The New York Times, on August 10 presented a twelve-page article praising Ferran Adria, the chef, owner and culinary magician of the el Bulli Restaurant in Roses. Last year over 300,000 people sought reservations at El Bulli. During its 6 month season the restaurant can only accommodate 8,000 diners.

If you are hoping to visit el Bulli during your stay in Canyelles Petites or Roses, don't get despondent - see the Site News for further information. We have spoken to several people who were lucky to get a reservation and some hints to improve your chances appear there.

Also in Site News are details of the new el Bulli book& CDRom - due for release on 31st October - pre-order now to avoid disappointment!

In Catalonia recently an extremely ambitious project lies on the table: The re-establishment of the via Augusta between Rome and Cadiz as foot and cycle track. If the project is realized, it would pass through the Empordà.

By next summer the Lighthouse at Canyelles Petites will be accessible to the public, the buildings being converted into a Maritime Cultural Centre and bar. There will be an Audio-Visual Room which will explain the relationship of Roses and the Mediterranean, together with an Exhibition Room.

The owners of the castle Quermançó (on the road from Llançà to Figueres on the hill near Vilajuïga) will invest one million euro to the build an organ. The "Orgue de la Tramuntana" was once a dream of Salvador Dalí to use the wind of the Empordà as the energy source for the sound. The organ will be built in the open air, with a system that can protect it at night and in very strong winds. The project should be completed by September 2004 and it also includes a partial renovation of the castle.

Site News.

The last Newsletter was presented in web-page format as an experiment. Of over 1,000 subscribers, only six said they preferred the Newsletter within an email. The web-page format enables pictures and links to be included (not all ISPs allow these in emails). The same system will continue, with a short email being sent to each subscriber, giving a link to the new Newsletter. The Survey results appear below.

You will see from the Local News above that the odds of getting a table for four next year in el Bulli is worse than 150 to 1 against! Take heart. We are still trying to establish with the Restaurant the first booking day for 2004 (it will be some time in mid-January). From previous experience, telephone bookings seem to take precedence over emails. Many subscribers have asked about El Bulli bookings, so as soon as the date is given to us, we will be sending an immediate email to all Newsletter subscribers.

If you book your 2004 holiday in Canyelles Petites with the hope of including an evening at "The best Restaurant in the World", but you do not succeed in achieving a reservation in the short January booking period, there is an alternative option. A week before your holiday, telephone the Restaurant and ask for a cancellation, giving the dates you are staying. The el Bulli management telephones everyone who has booked about a week before their reservation and any cancellations are offered to late enquirers who have imminent availability dates.

The 496-page El Bulli Book & CDRom containing 371 recipes, all photographed, has now been released in Spanish and the English version will be available on 31st October. Getting hold of a copy may be almost as difficult as booking a table! You will be astounded by some of the ingredient combinations created by Ferran Adria, but just try them!

We have scoured the Internet for a trustworthy supplier of the publication and ultimately found the best on-line supplier offering it at the best possible price. W H Smiths on-line division is now taking orders now for dispatch on publication. To pre-order and ensure your copy, Click here for to visit their order page. The cost is £75, with Postage & Packing of £2.99 for the UK and £3.99 for Europe. This is an excellent price for such a comprehensive and luxurious book and CD-Rom - it's the perfect Christmas present. Buying direct from el Bulli costs €120 +€25 p&p: - over £100!

The following is the Restaurant's own review:-

Most property owners have now set rates for 2004 and are now accepting bookings.

Now is the time to make enquiries for the coming season. Although CanyellesPetites.com was not picked up by the major search engines until late January 2003, all the properties achieved virtually 100% capacity very quickly. As new properties were added to the site, the peak months were quickly booked (one property was fully booked within six days!). Don't delay!

If you have any (polite!) suggestions on additional categories you would like to be included or expanded on CanyellesPetites.com, please email askcanyelles@aol.com
We already intend to add more places of interest, more local sport & leisure and a relevant Newspaper Archives section plus, of course, more Rental Properties.

Survey Results

In the last Newsletter, the question was asked whether the new web-page format for newletters was preferred to the original email version. The results of the 1036 responses were:

Advertiser of the Month

The concept of being paid for reading emails is not new, but it is difficult to establish reliable sites who actually pay and also will not pass email address to third parties. Qikiez is a concise site that lists the very best and most reliable. Their top recommendation is Htmail, paying 8 pence per email read and commission for each email read by your referred friends and their friends. it doesn't sound much, but it will pay for a few meals in Canyelles Petites!

If you have visited Canyelles Petites or have enjoyed the CanyellesPetites.com website, you comments added to the Guest Book would be most appreciated.

Best Wishes

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