Dear Friends,

Our next Euromeeting will be held in the North West region of the Iberian Peninsula – Galicia. We are going to work and rest in La Coruña, in one of the most iconic hotels in all of Spain- Hotel María Pita.

After discovering the Moorish culture in Andalusia, this year we are heading to Galicia, probably the Spanish region which is most enriched with both Celtic and Iberian cultures. We will look forward to indulging our taste buds with the excellent gastronomy and to being dazzled by the traditional music, the leafy green landscape and the sea which can be just as beautiful as it can be treacherous. Religion will also be present in our programme as we will be staying in the land of the Apostle St. James.

As always, there will be a Board of Directors Meeting, a Delegate Meeting, a Work and Study Group Meeting (GET) in which a summary of the conclusions of the topic debated in Fuengirola ("Towards an Age-friendly European Union") will be written and also a General Plenary Assembly, in which speeches#all countries will be presented and everyone will be able to express their opinion freely.

On the other hand, the touristic and cultural component of this year’s programme needs to be mentioned and emphasized. We will discover the city of La Coruña, where we will find the tower of Hercules (a World Heritage Site), several museums, its beautiful bay, the Domus and also María Pita (which is what our hotel is named after). After our Euromeeting in Fuengirola, we will again come across Pablo Picasso, who also lived in this city.

The "Rías Altas" (The Northern coast) are one of the symbols of Galicia. We will have a trip there to get to know the beauty of not only its lands but also of the sea. In Ferrol, we will visit the district of Magdalena, one of the best examples of neoclassic style architecture, with modernist buildings. Afterwards, we will make our way to Cedeira, one of the most important fishing ports, where we will have lunch. Later on that day, we will visit San Andrés de Teixido, where a gothic-baroque style chapel awaits us. There is a legend about this chapel which goes " quen non vai de vivo a Santo Andrés vai de morto, convertido en réptil " which translates roughly as ‘he that does not go during his lifetime to San Andrés will go in the afterlife, reincarnated as a reptile’. Even if we do not believe in legends, it is best to go and contemplate this wonderful chapel…

Santiago de Compostela is one of those places where both Catholic and non-Catholic feel at ease. The cult of the Apostle can be felt everywhere and the arrival of groups of pilgrims is an unforgettable moment. We will visit the Cathedral, the Obradoiro Square, the narrow streets and the typical buildings of the city. This will be an unforgettable full day trip and I am letting you know now that during the meal there may be a surprise…

Betanzos (known as the "city of knights", for being one of the main Galician medieval cities) was the city of residence of the Galician aristocracy. Its palaces, the 16th century clock tower and its walls will reveal its beauty to us.

In Pontedeume we will be able to walk through the medieval streets and see how the Andrade family (medieval Lords with great power in the Galician region) made this city be the most important point of the Galician region. On the day we have programmed the visit, there will be a traditional medieval fair and we will see the commercial practice of those times. Next, we will visit the Pazo Mariñan – declared to be of Historic-Artistic Heritage in 1972. In this "pazo" (typical Galician country house) its gardens are worthy of a visit and the wine it produces also deserves a special mention."

Other surprises will be added to this programme preview in order to honour Galician tradition, culture and gastronomy.
With this early information we simply want you all to make a note on your calender the dates 17th - 24th April 2015 so that you may attend the XXIst Euromeeting and reunite with your friends#each of the different participating countries.

We look forward to seeing you in Galicia. 

Cândido Vintém (President); Jean Claude Chrétien and Francisco Ramírez Munuera (Vice-president)