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Torisme Val d’Aran and Baqueira Beret will be this weekend at the monographic fair dedicated to snow and mountain sports in Asturias, Nevaria 2018.

In the 2018 edition Nevaria offers activities for all ages and audiences, from a children’s snowball making workshop, a Bike Trial exhibition by David Cachón, two-time Bike Trial world champion and Guinness vacuum jump record, to the presentation of the Canine Rescue Unit.

The Councillor of Tourism of Aran, Anna Díaz, has affirmed that the presence of Torisme Val d’Aran together with Baqueira Beret in the Nevaria fair, serves to fidelize even more if it fits our Asturian visitors who are great clients especially in winter and to present in this fair of reference the novelties of the Valley of Aran and the ski resort Baqueira Beret this season.

Nevaria, which this year reaches its 12th edition, has become the first fair of its kind in northern Spain. Organised by Aller Town Council, with the collaboration of the Department of Employment, Industry and Tourism of the Principality of Asturias, Nevaria received more than 12,000 visitors in 2017.

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The Purísima bridge, the first of the winter season, is presented in the Val d’Aran full of activities and proposals for a total disconnection. Artisan markets, cultural visits, Christmas atmosphere in crib towns, join the usual cultural, sports, gastronomic and commercial of the valley to offer our visitors an attractive program.

Christmas spirit

During these days, the Christmas atmosphere is already breathed in the streets and squares of the villages, deliciously decorated. Some, such as Arties and Bossòst, organise a popular festival to celebrate the start of the season and the lighting of Christmas.

GET TO KNOW THE VALLEY THROUGH ITS HERITAGE

With the first cold weather, a good option is to get to know the valley through its historical heritage. The Conselhèria de Cultura and Musèus dera Val d’Aran organise guided tours of Romanesque churches and temporary exhibitions. In addition, on the days of the bridge the museums are open at a time adapted to visitors.

Markets and fairs

Different markets and fairs will invade the squares of the Aranese villages with handicrafts, Christmas decorative objects and autochthonous gastronomic specialities, from the same Thursday and throughout the weekend.
From the 6th to the 8th, the Vielha Cheese Fair takes place, where you can taste a great variety of cow, sheep, goat and buffalo cheeses, many of which are unknown to the general public but renowned among gourmets. On the other hand, the village of Les celebrates Friday 7 its traditional Feria de la Purísima, which also offers typical products of the area such as cheeses, jams, honey, pâtés and an interesting sample of Aranese crafts. And on Thursday in Arties you will have a second-hand ski equipment market where you can equip yourselves for the whole season.

Christmas shopping

During these days in the valley you will surely also find moments to walk around the commercial areas of the main towns. The Val d’Aran offers an attractive and particular route of shops where you can choose some of your Christmas gifts and browse through an assortment of unique details to take with you as a souvenir of your stay.

Aranese gastronomic experiences

Living an authentic Aranese gastronomic experience is something not to be missed. The temptations are many and to the taste of all palates. Traditional recipes and more sophisticated dishes gather all the flavour of this place in the Pyrenees. You can enjoy delicious specialties based on hunting and fishing, high quality pâtés, aromatic crêpes, traditional soups, and so on. And, above all, content your stomachs with a traditional Aranese Olha, the best reconstituent in fresh days.

Sport and activities in the snow

It is still a good time to practice hiking and mountain biking in the Val d’Aran, given the weather forecasts. In addition, with thicknesses between 15 cm in 2500 and 5 cm in 1,800 Baqueira Beret will partially open the area of Baqueira in its central area and Cara Nord with a maximum extension of 15 km of tracks. Piste preparation services have been working for days to maintain the best possible conditions for skiers and snowboarders.
In the valley you can also carry out other snow-related activities. An excursion with snowshoes, for example. We advise you to find out first to make sure that the terrain is in good condition. You will find all the information in the microsites of hiking, btt and snow of Torisme dera Val d’Aran, where you can also be informed about the weather forecast.

Taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions so that visitors to the Val d’Aran can get to know one of the most emblematic places in the valley, the Artiga de Lin Interpretation Centre opens during the Purísima holiday. The opening hours are: from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Offering visitors a deeper understanding of the natural value of this unique area of Valle de Aran is the aim of the recently inaugurated Artiga de Lin Interpretation Centre. Through an interactive tour, the visitor passes through different spaces that describe, from the glaciations that shaped the Ribera de la Artiga 50,000 years ago, to the native fauna and flora.

The birth and the Uelhs deth Joeu, the history of the Ermita de la Artiga de Lin and the old Hospital, the Es Bordes route, stories of shepherds, traffickers, hikers and refugees, are some of the main attractions of this magical place, one of the routes used by those who managed to escape from the Nazis during the Second World War. It also describes the curiosities of the native insects and the various family hiking routes that can be done in the surrounding area.

Downland here the Artiga de Lin brochure.

The ski resort of Val d’Aran, Baqueira Beret opens its facilities next Saturday December 1 to start a new season of skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports.

Between the heavy snowfalls of early November, which left significant thicknesses at high altitudes, and the snow production of recent weeks is expected that this first weekend will be available in the area of Baqueira 23 slopes and 8 lifts that will give access to 27 km of tracks. Currently the thicknesses are 30 cm in 2500 and 15 cm in 1800.

The station will remain in operation on a stable basis, weather permitting, until 22 April. The station’s technical managers are working to make it possible to open more runways and lifts for the December bridge.

Restaurants and services

The self-service cafeteria Bosque, the Parrec d’Orri and the restaurant Möet Winter Lounge will be open, with DJ Luca Feller animating the terrace and the Bar Baqueira 1500, the establishment with the most après ski atmosphere, will also be opened.

The forfait will be available in the galleries of Ruda, Orri and the central offices of 1500. The Ski Service 1500, Ruda and Bosque stores will also be in operation.  During this weekend you will be able to hire the practical ski-guard services and boots, for the whole season, located in Ruda, Baqueira 1500 and Baqueira 1800.

New products for the season

This season The station inaugurates the new area of Baciver, which adds one more “B” to the classic sectors of Baqueira, Beret and Bonaigua, reaching 2,273 hectares of skiable terrain and 111 signposted slopes. In addition, there is an increase in the recreational offer on pistes with the Beret Funpark, snowmaking has been improved on several pistes including the Era Marmota snowpark and, as a major spectacle, the resort will host the FIS Snowboardcross World Cup in March.

In terms of catering, the Moët Winter Lounge improves services and extensive kitchen to continue to increase in quality. The Audi Quattro Bar in Beret has also been refurbished. In the rest, the menus have been improved with new dishes and a wine cellar with more references.

The Bosque Cafeteria is now more accessible thanks to a more comfortable conveyor belt. For its part, the Hotel Montarto has also renovated part of the rooms and vestibule areas that give access to the dining room and the Piano Bar of this accommodation at the foot of the slopes.

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The Olha Aranesa from Eth Restilhe restaurant in Garòs has been chosen among the 12 dishes competing for the Cuina magazine’s “El plat favorit dels catalans 2018” competition. The participants are traditional dishes from specific geographical areas, prepared according to recipes that have become famous associated with the toponym of their place of origin.

The first phase, to choose the 4 finalists, takes place from 22 to 31 October. If you are one of those who will go for a good Olha Aranesa dish, click on this link and vote for the most emblematic dish in the Val d’Aran!

Every week there are a hundred prizes to be raffled among all the voters. In addition you can do it several times and each of the participations will be counted in the draws of the prizes.

The Aranese Olha of Restilhè

The Olha Aranesa is a forceful and tasty soup of great energy power, symbol par excellence of the traditional gastronomy of the Aran.

This dish is the speciality of the house of the restaurant Eth Restilhè de Garòs, run for more than 35 years by the Sanllehy-Caubet family. The establishment has maintained the best of the Aranese culinary tradition made with high quality local products and a touch of modernity.

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One more year, Val d’Aran and Baqueira Beret present the novelties of this 2018-2019 season in a promotional tour of different Spanish cities. For more than a month we will visit different places where you can visit us and enjoy an afternoon of surprises and gifts accompanied by an exquisite selection of products from the Val d’Aran and our partners Audi and Salomon.

Come to feel with us the #SpiritBaqueira!

Agenda presentaciones:

22 de Octubre: Burgos, Hotel NH Collection Palacio de Burgos*

23 de Octubre: León, Hotel Conde Luna*

24 de Octubre: A Coruña, Hotel NH Collection A Coruña Finisterre*

25-26-27-28 de Octubre: Londres, The Telegraph Ski&Snowboard Festival, Battersea Park

26 de Octubre: Oviedo, AC Hotel Oviedo Fórum*

27 de Octubre: Santander, Gran Hotel Sardinero*

29 de Octubre: Bilbao, Hotel Carlton*

30 de Octubre: Vitoria, Hotel NH Canciller Ayala*

31 de Octubre: San Sebastián, Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel*

5 de Noviembre: Pamplona, Hotel Tres Reyes*

6 de Noviembre: Lleida, Hotel NH Lleida Pirineos*

7 de Noviembre: Tarragona, Hotel SB Ciutat de Tarragona*

10-11 de Noviembre: Estocolmo, Jussi Björlings Allé, Winter Show

13 de Noviembre: Palma de Mallorca, Hotel Palma Bellver*

13 de Noviembre: Toulouse, Voyages Baqueira Beret

16-17 de Noviembre: Madrid, Platea (C/Goya, 5-7) de 12 a 22h

19 de Noviembre: Alicante, Hotel Spa Porta Maris*

20 de Noviembre: Valencia, SH Valencia Palace*

22-23-24-25 de Noviembre: Barcelona, Illa Diagonal, de 10 a 21h

*Horario: de 18.00h a 21.00h

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The exhibition “Garonne” by the artist Louis Durran can be seen in Sant Joan de Arties until 18 November 2018.

The numerous travels of this painter attached to his piece of land at the foot of the Pyrenees in the region of Comminges, have inspired his paintings and also the desire to tell stories with his camera.

In the exhibition “Garonne”, Durran proposes oil paintings, acrylic paintings and mixed media with collages of photos taken with a camera obscura. The author remembers the games and discoveries of his childhood when he was going to swim and discover spaces that seemed wild in the area of the source of the river Garonne in the Val d’Aran and also in the mines of Liat in the Val de Toran. The exhibition, organised by the Val d’Aran Museums network, can be seen in Sant Joan d’Arties from Monday to Saturday from 17:00 to 20:00 h.

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