Murray Stewart - Böcker

This new, thoroughly updated, third edition of The Basque Country and Navarre, Bradt's award-winning guidebook, remains the most in-depth guide to a multi-lingual, multi-cultural borderland that is neither Spain nor France, but straddles the Pyrenees, mountains that divide the two countries. Bradt's guide offers real insights into a profound regional identity, uncovering the peculiarities which imbue the area with intrigue and takes you way beyond the delightful, well-known cities into the heart of the beautiful Basque countryside.Deep-seated Basque traditions, singular cuisine, world-class wine, strange sports, unique language, bold art and architecture all converge to showcase a land that continues to mystify and reveal itself the more you visit. Secluded valleys and rugged mountains, wild coastlines and the vestiges of industry long gone provide a strange mix that pays homage to a troubled past, a lively present and a constant reinvention that promises an exciting future for the Basques. Large and sparsely populated, little known and little visited, neighbouring Navarre offers natural attractions ranging from high Pyrenees to arid semi-desert. This former kingdom's troublesome history is waymarked by lonely hilltop castles, but only in the frenetic, bull-running days of Pamplona's San Fermín festival does it announce itself noisily on the world stage, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to Ernest Hemingway's favourite party town.With advice on where to walk, cycle, horseride, surf and birdwatch accompanying traditional listings of where to stay and eat, author Murray Stewart guides travellers through this increasingly popular area. Find the best pintxos (tapas) and txakoli wine, the finest chuletón (beef chop) and the freshest fish. From elegant Biarritz, via the French Basque Pyrénées, to the Navarran 'badlands' of Bardenas Reales, travel to fascinating, less-visited places that host thrilling local festivals. New elements in this edition include a host of elegant hotels in San Sebastián, the city-on-the-beach, transport improvements, new restaurants serving culinary specialities, a major reconfiguration of Bilbao's Bellas Artes museum and constantly evolving wine tourism opportunities. Whether you are a hiker or surfer, foodie or cyclist, spiritualist or golfer, let Bradt's The Basque Country and Navarre help you enjoy a fascinating, rewarding holiday.

This text argues that cities and citizens are not helpless victims in a global flow of events. Three crucial questions are addressed through the three part structure: what is the nature of the globalization? What resulting challenges now confront cities and localities? How can local leaders respond to this changing environment in ways which strengthen local democracy? Written by urban scholars in Europe and North America the book draws on a range of disciplines to enhance academic understanding and illuminate lessons for policy and practice.

The issue of local governance is high on the institutional agenda of many local and regional authorities throughout the OECD countries. This book explores the relationship between two key issues of urban governance - leadership and community involvement - and how making these two elements more complementary can lead to more effective as well as legitimate policy outcomes.The authors examine the dilemmas involved in ensuring effective governance, focusing on issues such as legitimacy, citizen participation, economic performance and social inclusion.

The issue of local governance is high on the institutional agenda of many local and regional authorities throughout the OECD countries. This book explores the relationship between two key issues of urban governance - leadership and community involvement - and how making these two elements more complementary can lead to more effective as well as legitimate policy outcomes.The authors examine the dilemmas involved in ensuring effective governance, focusing on issues such as legitimacy, citizen participation, economic performance and social inclusion.

Frommer’s books aren’t written by committee, by A.I., or by travel writers who simply pop in briefly to a destination and then consider the job done. We use seasoned, locally-based journalists like Peter Barron and Jennifer Ceaser, along with writers who live part-time in Spain, like Patricia Harris, David Lyon and Murray Stewart.  The five of them spent months checking out all of Spain’s best hotels, attractions, shops, wineries, and restaurants in person, so they could offer authoritative, candid reviews that will help you find the venues that suit your tastes and budget. In short, use this book and you’ll be eating in the places most tourists don’t know about, visiting top attractions at times when the crowds are at their thinnest, and patronizing the bars and clubs Spaniards hold dear. Whether you’re partying the night away in the Balearic Islands, exploring architecture and history in Barcelona or Bilbao, or running with the bulls in Pamplona, this book will make your vacation better. We also include advice the tourist board wouldn’t approve of: which sites to skip, how to avoid the crowds, and how to stretch your travel budget further, whether you’re on a lavish honeymoon or backpacking it.Inside the guide:Full-color photos and helpful maps, including a detachable foldout mapDetailed itineraries for planning your trip to suit your schedule and interests (and help you avoid lines and crowds)Candid reviews of the best restaurants, historic sights, museums, tours, shops, and experiences―and no-punches-pulled info on the ones not worth your time and moneyAccurate, up-to-date info on transportation, useful websites, telephone numbers, and moreCompelling cultural information so that you’ll better understand the history, cuisine, and traditions of SpainBudget-planning help with the lowdown on prices and ways to save money, whether you’re traveling on a shoestring or in the lap of luxuryAbout Frommer's: There’s a reason Frommer’s has been the most trusted name in travel for more than 65 years. Arthur Frommer created the best-selling guide series in 1957 to help American servicemen fulfill their dreams of travel in Europe, and since then, we have published thousands of titles, become a household name, and helped millions upon millions of people realize their own dreams of seeing our planet. Travel is easy with Frommer’s.

Bradt's North Cyprus remains the most authoritative guide available to the fascinating and beautiful northern region of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Thoroughly updated by expert authors and now into its ninth edition, it offers everything you need for a successful trip, from pre-departure and background information including when to visit, red tape, safety, history, culture and natural history, to accommodation, restaurants, shopping, festivals, transport and money. The region is broken down into four areas, each of which is covered in detail, including Girne (Kyrenia), Lefkos¸a (Nicosia), Gazimag?usa (Famagusta) and the Karpas Peninsula, with its population of wild donkeys. Where to go and what to see are detailed for each area and attractions such as Crusader castles, Buyykonuk's markets and eco-festivals, beaches and turtle watching are all covered. There are also contributions from local specialists on flora and fauna.Steeped in history, soaked in sunshine, North Cyprus offers a great deal both to those who want to delve deep into the past or to those keen to pull up a sunbed and simply relax. Girne is still the most attractive harbour on the whole island, while Lefkosa's old quarter exudes the ambience of an old Middle Eastern trading town. Gazimag?usa is fringed with some excellent beaches, while also being close to North Cyprus's most revered historic site, Salamis. With Bradt's North Cyprus, hike up to Buffavento, stroll through the cloisters of Bellapais Abbey or go barefoot on the golden sands of the Karpas Peninsula.

In 1522 Ignatius of Loyola made a pilgrimage from his home in Spain's Basque Country to Montserrat and Manresa. This new guide from Bradt provides all the information needed to follow in his footsteps in a neat, easy-to-carry portable format, including an essential mix of practicalities, such as when to go, where to stay along the route, national parks and public transport, and a detailed breakdown of the route's 27 stages. Start and finish points, level of difficulty, duration, distance, ascent and descent, and route descriptions are all included, as well as elevation charts, maps and what to see along the way. This is a unique secular walking guide to a religious-themed walk which takes intrepid hikers from the imposing tower-house and sanctuary of Loyola in the Basque Country, up through the stunning Basque mountains and down to the beautiful town of Laguardia with its myriad wine caves. Through the vineyards of Álava and world-famous La Rioja, the trail visits lively Logroño and follows the River Ebro eastwards, through the lesser-visited cities of Zaragoza and Lleida.Navarre and Aragón autonomous communities are covered, then on to powerful, independent-minded Catalonia, allowing walkers to connect with a region of Spain less-visited than the sparkling costas or the huge conurbations of Madrid or Barcelona. For its grandstand finish, the route returns to Montserrat and then Manresa, where Ignatius lived for months in the spartan surroundings of a cave to write his seminal work, the Spiritual Exercises. Having had their pilgrim passports stamped along the way, walkers are rewarded with a certificate to demonstrate their resilience in completing the route.

New from Bradt is the thoroughly updated second edition of The Vendée, the only English-language guidebook to focus on this part of Pays de la Loire. Also covered in this guide to an increasingly popular French region are Nantes, Pornic, La Rochelle and the Île de Ré. Written by Angela Bird, who for almost 50 years has owned a home in the region, and award-winning travel writer Murray Stewart, and updated by adventurer Ed Cooper, Bradt's guidebook offers comprehensive coverage of a beguiling area, detailing everything from family holidays to walks, cycling, local cuisine and history. The Vendée offers all the benefits of a destination that is well established with both French and British visitors, with easy access and short drive times via UK ferries adding to its appeal. Popular with campers and self-caterers, the Vendée's sunny climate and 140 km of sandy beaches, plus its tree-lined canals and open marshland, make for a diverse outdoor playground. Bradt's The Vendée includes suggestions for walks and the best places for birdwatching. This goes hand in hand with a new regional policy of promoting recreation premised on nature and wellbeing. Thanks to the authors' rich personal history with the area, the guide also reveals the quirks and themes which give the Vendée its own distinct character, as well as straying just beyond the area's boundaries to incorporate La Rochelle and Nantes, both entry points for those arriving by air and both offering urban distractions for the occasional rainy day. Although the region has no true cities, or even large towns, the guide includes details of the many local museums which provide easily accessible insights into the bloody history of an area which has, at times, been central to the evolution of modern-day France.New elements in this edition of Bradt's The Vendée include expanded coverage of France's most dazzling son-et-lumière show and new restaurant listings that reflect the region's growing reputation for wine and Michelin-starred eateries, as well as its long history as a paradise for seafood-lovers.