Mediterranean Editors and Translators Meeting 2010

Facilitating knowledge transfer –
through editing, translation, coaching

28-30 October 2010
Universitat Rovira i Virgili,
Campus Catalunya, Avinguda de Catalunya, 35,
43002 Tarragona, Spain

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Local information

Venue | Travel | Accommodation | Dining

Venue

The main meeting (29–30 October) will be held at the Campus Centre of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), a leading Catalan university in Tarragona on the Mediterranean coast just 90 km from Barcelona. The campus is home to the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Arts and the School of Nursing, and is a short walk from the city’s main thoroughfare, the Rambla Nova.

Workshops will be held in the same location on Thursday 28 October in the afternoon and Friday 29 October in the morning.

The closing dinner will be held on Saturday 30 October and on Sunday 31 there will be a variety of activities available for anyone interested in spending an extra day in town (for example, a guided tour of Roman and Medieval Tarragona, a walk along the beaches or a trip to nearby Valls to see a human-tower building exhibition).

How to get to Tarragona

By plane to Barcelona
The airport is located 12 km to the southwest of Barcelona and is served by almost all European airlines. Once at the airport, you can take advantage of the Barcelona Airport-Tarragona service run by the Plana bus company, which takes you from one city to the other in just over one hour. Buses leave from Terminal 1, platforms 7-11. You will be dropped at Tarragona bus station (plaça Imperial Tàrraco), literally next door to the Hotel Ciutat de Tarragona. For information about departure times, see the bus company's website.

Should you prefer to continue your journey by train, the most convenient option is to take the travelator between terminals A and B to the railway station, where you can get a train link to Sants station. Here you have to change to continue your journey to Tarragona (timetable).

If you are planning to spend some time in Barcelona, you can get into the city centre by train (see above) or you can take a taxi or a bus from outside the terminals.

By plane to Reus
The airport in Reus is 13 km north-west of Tarragona and is mainly served by Iberia and Ryanair. You can get to Tarragona by taxi (but beware – according to a report published last year, Tarragona taxis are the most expensive in Spain) or a bus from in front of the terminal building. If you decide to hire a car, simply drive out of the airport, take the T-11 national road and follow the signs to Tarragona.

By train
Tarragona is well connected by train. It is possible to get to Tarragona from almost every city in Spain and also from many European cities.

For more information and timetables contact RENFE (timetable).

By coach
Several national and international coach companies include Tarragona bus station on their itineraries.

By car
Leave the motorway (AP7) at exit 33. After the toll gate, follow the road until you reach a fork signposted Valls to the left and Tarragona to the right. Turn right along the N-240 towards Tarragona. Follow the N-240 for about 2 km. Take no notice of the signs to the URV. They take you to another campus. When you reach a large roundabout with a tall lamp post in the middle (supposedly representing a palm tree) go straight over and at the next roundabout about 200 metres on (this time smaller and with real palm trees middle) turn left. At the next roundabout go straight on and at the traffic lights turn left into the campus car park.

Accommodation

NOTE
All prices and walking times are approximate.

  • Hotel Cosmos
    Modestly priced, the Cosmos is the hotel that is nearest to the venue, a five-minute walk away. A single room with bathroom costs 30€ and a double room 42€. Breakfast is 3€ extra.
  • Hotel Ciutat de Tarragona
    A four-star hotel right in the heart of Tarragona and literally next door to the bus station. Rates start at around 82€/night for a single room. A family room is 134€/night. It is a ten-minute stroll from the METM-10 venue.
  • Hotel Plaça de la Font
    This hotel is located in the heart of the old town and visitors have all the major sites within easy walking distance. All rooms are doubles and have a bathroom, phone, air conditioning and heating. Single-use rooms cost 45€ a night and double rooms 55€.
  • Hotel Lauria
    This three-star hotel is located on the Rambla Nova within easy reach of the best shops and restaurants in Tarragona, and a 20-minute walk from the venue. It provides both rooms and apartments. A double room for single use costs 48€/night. If you wish to reserve an apartment, please get in touch directly with the hotel (info@hlauria.es).

Click for a plan of Tarragona.

The venue is the main campus of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in the Avinguda de Catalunya. To see where some of the above hotels are located, click on the menu “Buscar servicios en esta zona” and type “hoteles” in the search box.

A brief word about Tarragona

Tarragona is a world heritage site and, as such, is full of monuments and ancient remains, as well as other more modern and natural marvels. Some of the most important ones are the following:

The Roman wall
Encloses the old part of town and is the oldest to be found outside Italy. Some parts of it even pre-date the Romans.

The Roman amphitheatre
Built in the 2nd century A.D., it was used to hold gladiator fights and feed Christians to the lions. Saint Fructuosus was burnt at the stake here alongside his two deacons Augurius and Eulogius.

The Roman circus
Built at the end of the first century A.D. to hold chariot races and other sporting and social events. Only a small part is visible today but the remains found show that it was 325 metres long and between 100 and 115 metres wide, and had a capacity of 25,000 spectators.

Tarragona cathedral
Construction was begun in the 12th century and continued for at least three centuries. Additions were even being made in the 1700s. It is a combination of the Romanesque, Arabic and Gothic styles.

The Devil’s Bridge
A Roman aqueduct located about 3 km outside the city centre. It was built in the 1st century to bring water to the city from the Francolí river.

The Mediterranean balcony
The top end of the Rambla Nova looks out on the Mediterranean Sea. One of the Tarragona traditions is to tocar ferro (touch iron); that is to say, to stroll up the Rambla and gaze out at the Mediterranean clutching on to the iron fence that prevents the unwary from toppling over the cliff edge.

Port Aventura
One of the most successful theme parks in Europe just 10 km from Tarragona. If your thing is roller coasters and free-fall rides, then this is a must.

The Tarragona beaches
If you like healthy exercise, sand and sea views, and also have a day to spare, why not try a walk from Tarragona city centre up the coast, mostly along beaches, over rocks and through woods. The coast road from the Miracle beach (just below the Mediterranean Balcony) takes you to the Arrabassada Beach. From there you follow the beach and the rocks to the Savinosa, the Long Beach, the Waikiki (for nudists, though walkers who follow the footpath are taken up and around) and the Roca Plana. In total about 10 km there and 10 km back, though if at any point you feel tired you just turn round and go home.