Wimbledon may be over for another year but we?re counting down to our family summer holiday trip to Portugal?s Algarve as we?ll get to see some of the greats of the tennis world at the annual tournament ? the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions.
We?d never been before last year Authentic Karl Joseph Jersey , but found ourselves staying with friends in a Vale do Lobo rental villa last August and happened across the tournament. It was so much fun that we skipped the queues at pricey Wimbledon this year in favour of a trip back to see some of the greatest players in guaranteed afternoon sunshine for just ?17 a ticket. Kefelnikov, Ivanisevic, Rusedski Authentic David Sharpe Jersey , Enqvist, Muster and Leconte are all due to play this year. Not bad if you think that Greg Rusedski was still on the pro tour only a few years ago.
They might not quite be up to matching Rafa set for set, but for us the players had so much fun and involved the audience so much that we?d choose it any day over serious grand slam viewing. You not only see the legends enjoying their tennis but also get great courtside seats so you can actually see what?s going on. When we went to Wimbledon one year we were so far away from the court at the back of the stands that I couldn?t even see the ball and ended up feeling I?d have been much better off watching it on the TV.
Also Authentic Eddie Vanderdoes Jersey , as we?ll be taking the kids it?s great that the matches are mid-afternoon and evening so we can escape the midday sun. Knowing the Algarve pretty well it?s more than likely to be blue skies and sunshine for the duration of our holiday so you can plan to watch a tennis match with some certainty, rather than watching the weather and wondering when play will resume!
The academy itself is a stunning venue just on the edge of Vale Do Lobo. It has about 15 tennis courts, mostly hard court Authentic Obi Melifonwu Jersey , as well as a mini court for children. Friends of ours who stayed in Vale do Lobo villas last year and had some coaching said that the standard of tennis instruction is great and that they always have plenty going on and lots of people to play with. Being more spectators than players, we?re going to watch and to try to start getting our kids enthused about the sport from an early age.
This year we?re heading back to a self-catering villa in Vale do Lobo for a two-week summer break that coincides with the tournament at the Vale do Lobo Tennis Academy (August 10-13). We?re planning to spend time at the beach and visit some of the fantastic nature reserves along the stretch of coastline. I might even slope off for some driving practice if I get an opportunity.
We?ve hired a car to give ourselves more variety of eateries than Vale do Lobo as we find it can be on the pricey side for a young family and we?re also planning to self-cater to help keep costs down. We might also nip over the Spanish border and explore Seville for a day, as it?s something we didn?t get around to last year and it seems such a shame not to when it?s so close.
The Vale do Lobo villa we hired last year was fantastic so we?ve opted for something very similar this year. In our experience Vale do Lobo villas tend to be clean Authentic Gareon Conley Jersey , spacious, well kept and meet or exceed expectation compared to rental villas elsewhere.
The Grand Champions tournament is called ?Wimbledon on the Algarve? but in truth it?s much better than that if you like to relax and enjoy your sport in the warm weather, and in a holiday spirit. I really would recommend the tournament to any tennis fan as it is just so much fun and played in such good humour. "
BEIJING Authentic P.J. Hall Jersey , Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- As smog continued over parts of China on Friday, lawmakers at the ongoing annual legislative sessions fiercely discussed ways to improve air quality.
Control of pollution will be a priority for the government of northern China's Hebei Province, home to seven of the country's 10 most polluted cities Authentic Kolton Miller Jersey , while the Beijing mayor declared ""all-out effort"" on the problem.
Official statistics over a period of 52 years show the number of smoggy days at a record high in 2013. More than 100 big- and medium-sized cities in 25 provincial-level regions were affected by smog.
The pollution has been blamed for a decline of tourists visiting smoggy regions that were once known for their tourist attractions.
Taking the example of Beijing, the capital saw a decline of inbound tourists last year for the first time since 2008. Tourists arriving fell 14.3 percent in the first half of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.
WAR AGAINST CHOKING AIR
The increased frequency and duration of smog is the target of much discontent on Chinese social media, where millions of Chinese fear their health is being jeopardized by the side effects of decades of unchecked economic expansion.
The ruling Communist Party of China and the central government are taking a multi-pronged approach to the problem.
A five-year action plan unveiled by the central government in Sept. 2013 Connor Cook Jersey , cuts coal use, shuts down polluters, promotes cleaner production and cuts the density of inhalable particulate matter. Putting the ambitious ideas in practice will cost an estimated 1.75 trillion yuan (around 290 billion U.S. dollars).
The CPC has also changed its system for evaluating the performance of government and party officials Shilique Calhoun Jersey , once focused almost exclusively on GDP. In a key reform blueprint released by the new generation of CPC leadership in November 2013, protection of the environment and ecosystem were given much more weight in assessing officials' achievements.
Ordinary people in China have come up with their own ideas to deal with the smog that regularly cripples traffic and causes many other inconveniences.