There’s a huge cathedral and Roman amphitheatre next to the city’s promenade as well as La Caleta – one of the local beaches, and outdoor market, Mercado Central.
The luxury and vintage train is the longest on the Spanish tracks and is 450 metres in length.
It’s made up of 14 carriages, which accommodate a total of 64 people – there are two restaurant cars, a kitchen car, a bar car, playroom car, seven bed cars, as well as one for crew, and another for machinery.
Onboard are four lounges based on the 1920s which serve traditional Andalusian dishes and drinks.
Breakfast is served daily in the Alhambra and Gibralfaro restaurants where passengers can enjoy both an a la carte and buffet meal.
One of the cabins is a Grand Class Room which has two single bedsCredit: Renfe ViajerosThe Deluxe Suite Room has a foldaway double bed and private bathroomCredit: Renfe Viajeros
The Grand Class Room is the smaller of the room options and is fitted with two single beds.
It has a wardrobe, safe, luggage compartment, minibar, air con and a private bathroom with a shower.
It’s not just for sleeping in either, during the day, the cabin can be transformed into a living room.
The beds fold into armchairs and guests can sit to watch the views from the window.
The new route will either start or end in SevilleCredit: Alamy
A Grand Class Room for two people is €13,200 (£11,456), or for one individual is €11,200 (£9,722).
Meanwhile, the Deluxe Suite Room is larger at 89 square foot with a large double bed.
It comes with all the amenities that the Grande Class Room has, and the private bathroom has a hydromassage shower.
The day bed turns into a comfortable sofa and each of the suites has 24-hour room service.
For a Deluxe Suite Room, it’s €15,800 (£13,715) for two people, or €13,800 (£11,978) for an individual.
Inside L.A. restaurant Jaragua, on a recent Friday night, Justin Alexio moved with a measured urgency from the backroom to the front of the restaurant without disturbing anyone’s dinner. The comic, producer and creator of the Los Angeles-based comedy show, Pupusas and Punchlines, Alexio escorted guests to their tables, switched on the microphones placed around the room, and pointed a camera to the center stage before the show was to begin.
The dining area inside the Salvadoran restaurant is rather quiet for a Friday night; there’s a soccer game playing on TV as a family of six places an order for dinner. As people in the audience spread their curtido, or pickled cabbage and carrots, on their pupusas, others await for their food with anticipation, while some choose to stick to drinks. The room is filled with distractions, but comedians are not fazed — it is a welcoming atmosphere, and they know that soon the sounds of laughter will fill the air.
“I feel like eating is such a large part of Latin culture and most cultures,” Alexio said. “I wanted a place where you can eat Latin food and listen to Latin jokes.”
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, independent comedy shows had almost become a thing of the past in L.A. Not to mention that finding gigs is a difficult task, especially for Latinx comedians; according to Alexio, most comedy rooms don’t want to book more than one Latinx comedian.
Pupusas and Punchlines offers a place where they can perform in front of a packed room and joke about the immigrant experience in the U.S. — and the absurdities of the American dream in 2025 — while sharing a delicious meal.
Pupusas and Punchlines producer and creator Justin Alexio performs on March 7, 2025.
(Drew Steres)
Alexio said he started the show in 2023, after he took a long break from stand-up comedy, to instead pursue acting full time. His résumé includes appearances on NBC’s comedy series “Superstore” and ABC’s late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The future of entertainment has to be more real,” he said of his decision to return to the stage. “Stand-up is live.”
The L.A. stand-up scene is quite competitive — especially for Alexio, who is an Afro-Latino of Puerto Rican, Dominican and Ecuadorian descent. As an answer to the marginalization of Black and brown people in mainstream comedy, Alexio said he decided to produce his own show, with hopes to highlight other Latinx performers as well.
Since then, he has expanded “Pupusas and Punchlines” immensely — from performing only once a month at half-capacity to selling out 115 consecutive weekly shows.
Alexio attributed the show’s success to the high-quality comedians he’s booked, as well as the food and the feeling of community it has created. People have told him they’ve driven more than an hour just for the show, while others have attended on multiple occasions.
“They want to support me and the show, they want to support the restaurant, they want to support the Latin comics … The crowd feels like they want to help these comics rise,” he said.
Patrons laugh at Pupusas and Punchlines on May 16, 2025.
(Drew Steres)
The majority of the comics Alexio books are Latinx, but he also includes performers who belong to other underrepresented groups. He showcases upcoming comics while providing clips to help grow their social media presence. After performing on his show, he said, comics have noted an uptick of new followers on social media.
Onstage at Friday’s show, comics pulled humor from topics related to immigration, religion, salsa, sexuality and other typical first-generation immigrant dilemmas. Performers feel like they can discuss topics they usually can’t perform in front of a more general club audience.
“I think any ethnicity in an ethnic crowd always thrive,” said comic Gregory Santos. “Obviously you can be a white boy and do a really good job here. I feel like it’s just an extra layer of stuff that you can talk about.”
Daisy Roxx performs at Pupusas and Punchlines in March.
(Drew Steres)
Pupusas and Punchlines is one of the few shows that caters toward the Latinx community, said comedian Rell Battle, as he rattled off a list of shows that sadly don’t exist anymore.
“Ironically, in a majority Latin city, there aren’t [many] consistent Latin shows,” Battle said. He described Pupusas and Punchlines as a road show of sorts — scored by genuine laughter. The audience members feel more appreciative, compared to a run-of-the-mill comedy club in Hollywood that caters more to tourists.
“People that come out to shows in Hollywood will ask me to hold the camera and take a picture of them,” Battle joked.
The crowd at Pupusas and Punchlines is not one to dismiss or antagonize comics that are not Latinx. Yet audience members would gladly correct any comic who’d assume the restaurant was Mexican, or mispronounce the word “pupusas,” as Battle sheepishly recalled during his own set. At the end of the day, they usually bond with comics over what they share in common: the drive to make it in L.A.
“When the neighborhood shows up, those are the best shows,” said Santos, between sets at Jaragua. “It’s normal people, it’s everyday neighborhood L.A. people.”
For more information on upcoming events, visit Pupusas and Punchlines on Instagram.
For centuries, mythology looked to gods to explain a disquieting world. But in the new documentary “Folktales,” from “Jesus Camp” filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, which follows a trio of jumbled Scandinavian teens to a remote Norwegian school that builds character in the snowy wild, the answer to life may just lie in what “god” spells backward.
In other words, yes, let’s go to the dogs: sled dogs, specifically, whose personalities, purpose and compatibility are the secret sauce to a lesson plan that seeks to get kids out of their heads and into a stronger sense of self. The beautiful Alaskan and Siberian huskies that animate the dog-sledding instruction at Norway’s Pasvik Folk High School are what help lift this handsomely photographed film above the usual heart warmer.
Ewing and Grady are no stranger to this scenario, having observed at-risk Baltimore youth striving for stability (“The Boys of Baraka”) and unhappy Hasidic Jews attempting to remove themselves from all they’ve ever known (“One of Us”). The situation is less sociologically dire in “Folktales,” but it isn’t any less compelling as a subject or less worthy of empathetic attention, especially when the stage for potential transformation is as rapturous as the birthplace of Vikings.
Pasvik is 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, which means self-reliance isn’t optional and knitting carries more practical weight than learning a math formula. As gap-year institutions dedicated to nurturing the transition to adulthood, folk schools have roots going back to the 19th century. Pasvik sees survival training as unlocking potential in teens too devoted to their phone screens. As convivial dog-sledding teacher Iselin puts it to the students, she wants to “wake up your Stone Age brains.”
For anxious, bubbly 19-year-old Hege, who lost her father and struggles with image issues, unplugging is tough at first. But she responds to its benefits, especially when entrusted with the care of Odin, a gorgeous, lovable canine with an expressive howl. Socially awkward Bjorn wants to stop harboring sad thoughts and second-guessing his nerdiness. Nothing like a majestic creature who rewards your undivided attention, then, to refocus one’s energies. When the students are tasked with spending two nights in the forest alone with just their assigned huskies and camping acumen, their struggles give way to a turning point, what another kindhearted instructor describes as the special inner peace that comes with just “a fire, a dog and a starry sky.”
You also gather that Ewing and Grady may have been seeking some inspiration themselves. Hence, some arty montages of the icy wilderness (including some woo-woo yarn-and-tree symbolism) and an ambiance closer to warm spotlight than objective inquiry.
That makes “Folktales” decidedly more powdery than densely packed — it’s all ruddy cheeks, slo-mo camaraderie and the healing power of steering a dog sled through breathtaking terrain. It looks exhilarating, and if the filmmakers are ultimately there to play, not probe, that’s fine, even if you may not know these kids at the end any better than you did at the beginning. It’s hard to say whether negative-minded high school dropout Romain will wind up on the other side of what troubles him. But we see how happy he is making friends and catching a glimpse of moose in the wild. It’s a simple message, but “Folktales” sells it: Nurture via nature.
‘Folktales’
In Norwegian and English, with subtitles
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Playing: Opens Friday, Aug. 1 at Laemmle Monica, Laemmle NoHo 7
Different financing goals, geopolitical risks, and interest rate changes as well as currency fluctuations often create hurdles that may endanger the completion of a deal. However, with the right banking partner, these challenges can be transformed into opportunities. Experts from Raiffeisen Bank International discuss how these needs can be met, using a real-world scenario. Kindly take note of the disclaimer at the end of this advertisement.
A Challenging Scenario
Imagine you’re an Austrian exporter about to close a significant deal with a Serbian client, supplying a food-processing machine valued at EUR 10 million. Your goal is straightforward: secure payment in EUR as per the delivery schedule. Meanwhile, your Serbian partner would like to have an attractive long-term financing. How do these requirements and goals come together?
In today’s world, risks are global. “Geopolitical developments can have far-reaching effects in all regions, including Central and Eastern Europe,” says Evgeniya Sharkova from RBI Trade Finance. “In addition to the counterparty and political risks, the parties to the commercial contract may face FX and interest rates risks,” adds Martina Zimmerl, RBI Capital Markets. Ultimately, exporters are looking for new ways to create additional competitive advantages. “By arranging long-term financing solutions for their clients, exporters can make a deal more attractive to potential importers,” Sanin Merdžan, RBI Export Finance, explains.
Securing Your Transactions
As an exporter, your primary concern is ensuring payment security. “From RBI’s various trade finance solutions, the export letter of credit (LC) is the first choice in our scenario,” says Sharkova. “The LC could be issued either by our own subsidiary bank in Serbia, or by one of the many partner banks we have in the country.”
Evgeniya Sharkova, Head of Trade Finance Sales, RBI
“If you want to accelerate payment under the LC, the UPAS LC (usance payable at sight export letter of credit) could be a good way to bridge the period until the ECA-covered long-term financing is put together,” Sharkova says. With an export UPAS LC, the bank of the importer issues an LC with deferred payment and a maximum total tenor of up to 360 days. For higher security, RBI confirms the LC issued by the local bank. Thus, the exporter will mitigate the counterparty risk by taking the first-class payment risk of RBI instead of the risk of a local bank or local importer.
One of the main features of the export UPAS LC is that the exporter will receive its payment under the LC at sight, which means upon presentation of the compliant shipping documents. This special form of discounting under an LC offers the exporter the possibility to improve its cash flow and optimise its balance sheet.
At the same time, the export UPAS LC offers the importer an extended reimbursement obligation towards the issuing bank. By offering longer payment terms, the exporter strengthens its negotiating position with the client. The interest for the deferred payment period under this structure is to be borne by the importer.
With the LC and the following ECA-covered financing, the exporter is able to mitigate both counterparty and political risk. Furthermore, payment is received under the contract in EUR as per agreed schedule. Its Serbian partner on the other hand obtains a financing in EUR at attractive cost. This multi-product solution provides an ideal bridge between an LC and ECA-covered financing.
Boosting Your Competitive Edge
RBI provides attractive long-term ECA-covered financing solutions such as the Buyer’s Credit and RBI Shopping Line for the purpose of financing of Austrian/European imports of investment goods starting from EUR 2 million onwards that are guaranteed by Austrian export credit agency “OeKB” or any other Western European export credit agency (ECA).
Sanin Merdžan, Head of Export Finance Sales, RBI
“For our particular scenario, once the client has successfully passed RBI’s internal risk and credit reviews we would provide a EUR 10 million OeKB-guaranteed Buyer’s Credit,” says Merdžan. “This solution gives the exporter liquidity and a competitive edge, while the importer benefits from attractive long-term financing terms due to ECA’s commercial and political risk cover provided to the lender as well as fast execution, which helps them manage their cash flow more effectively.”
Furthermore, exporters benefit from the option to have production risk covered, adding an extra layer of security to their operations. “When offering financing solutions on top of the supply deal, exporters can enhance their competitiveness in the global market,” Merdžan states.
On the other hand, this arrangement allows importers to preserve their own bank lines for other business needs, providing them with greater financial flexibility and debt capacity. Additionally, the ECA guarantee fee can be financed, further easing the financial burden on the importer.
Managing FX and Interest Rate Risks
“Although in our scenario the currency risk might be of minor relevance at first glance since the RSD is a managed FX rate, a risk remains for the importer since it has concluded a long-term financing contract in EUR and is obtaining revenues in RSD,” notes Zimmerl. “The focus for the importer is to build upon stable exchange rates and interest rate strategies to effectively manage risks and optimise financial operations in Serbia, ensuring resilience in a challenging economic landscape,” she explains. “This is why it is so important to have a partner who understands both the global situation and also the on-the-ground macro, market, and policy environment.”
Local experts at RBI’s subsidiary bank Raiffeisen Bank Serbia are monitoring the impact of US tariff policies closely, alongside domestic risk factors. Aleksandra Maksimovic, Head of Treasury and Investment Banking at Raiffeisen Bank Serbia, notes, “Despite all challenges, the economic deceleration is still not confirmed in hard data, although it is expected to be seen in the coming quarters given the euro-zone economy slowdown.”
Hedging Future Loan Repayments
Martina Zimmerl, Head of Capital Markets Sales, RBI
“The question of whether to hedge EURRSD FX risk ultimately depends on the respective client’s view on the market as well as its internal hedging policies,” explains Zimmerl. Given the still developing nature of the FX forward market in Serbia, hedging is generally for shorter tenors. “For example, the importer could buy three-month and six-month forwards and roll-over additional forwards at maturity to hedge future loan repayments,” she says. On the other hand, as the FX rate is managed and IR differentials are positive, the importer may choose not to hedge the FX risk for the time being and to monitor the situation with the aid of a strong local partner, such as Raiffeisen Bank Serbia.
Managing Interest Rate Exposure
Interest rate swaps (IRS) are vital tools for managing interest rate exposure, allowing parties to exchange fixed and floating rate payments. They stabilise cash flows by converting variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt or vice versa, thereby potentially lowering borrowing costs. In the case of the Serbian importer, who is taking a long-term financing in EUR, RBI would advise hedging the interest rate risk via an IRS. “Our subsidiary bank in Serbia offers interest rate hedging starting from notional amounts of EUR 500k, with tenors from one to ten years, under a local master agreement,” explains Zimmerl. In addition to the mentioned offerings of Raiffeisen Bank Serbia, it is worth noting that RBI is able to offer comprehensive hedging solutions, advisory, and structuring expertise also in other CEE markets, thereby supporting clients’ business in the region. A close and honest communication with the client is vital, as IRS and other derivatives are complex financial instruments which offer risks and chances. It is important that the client has a clear understanding of the functioning, the risk, and the chances of these financial instruments.
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RBI’s integrated approach combining different products and solutions, such as expertise in trade finance, export finance, and capital markets offers comprehensive support tailored to our clients’ needs. Its CEE competence through subsidiary banks distinguishes RBI, delivering customised solutions. “We adapt to market changes, consistently enhancing our services to provide resilient financial solutions amid shifting geopolitical and economic landscapes,” says Zimmerl. With robust risk mitigation strategies, RBI helps clients navigate volatile markets confidently, ensuring competitiveness and security.
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Advertisement: This advertisement is provided purely as non-binding information. The information contained therein do neither constitute an offer nor a recommendation nor a financial analysis. They are no substitute for individual investment advice on purchasing and selling financial instruments or for taking any investment decision. Kindly be aware that financial investments as those in focus of this advertisement involve financial risks, including the possible total loss of the invested capital. The information provided herein also do not constitute fiscal or legal advice. The fiscal and legal treatment of investments is dependent on your personal situation. You are strongly advices to seek professional financial, fiscal and legal advice prior to taking any investment decision. Be aware that any hedging involves derivatives, which are complex financial instruments and are not easy to understand. Investing in derivatives incurs the risk of a total loss of the invested capital and in certain circumstances may require the obligation to provide additional capital. This information is therefore only addressed to professional clients and eligible counterparties under MiFID II. Please also take note that information on past performance do not constitute a reliable indicator on the actual future performance.
Nareg Dekermenjian had Mother’s Day brunch with the Stanley Cup, which caused more than a little anxiety since no one was sure what hockey’s championship trophy liked to eat.
“I’m thinking all-meat diet for the Stanley Cup,” Dekermenjian said before sliding into a large corner booth at Stanley’s Restaurant (no relation to the Cup) in Sherman Oaks. “Anything less than that, I’m going to be very, very disappointed.”
As it turned out, the Cup was fasting so the plate in front of it remained empty. But then the trophy wasn’t the one being feted Sunday, Dekermenjian was. Last week he was named the winner of the NHL’s Future Goals Most Valuable Teacher Program, chosen from a field of hundreds of candidates from 31 of the league’s 32 cities.
For the fifth-grade teacher, who left a well-paying job as a financial advisor for a classroom four years ago, being honored by a visit from the Stanley Cup was a full-circle moment in several ways. For starters, it was an acknowledgment of the role hockey played in helping him adapt to his new country after his father, Edward, a jeweler in Lebanon who spoke only broken English, wagered everything when he left Beirut for the West Valley so his three children could have a chance at a better life.
Nareg Dekermenjian and his family eat lunch while the Stanley Cup sits in the middle of the table. Left to right are Edward, Ian, Zovig, Oliver and Nareg.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Dekermenjian, the youngest, was just 5 and he immediately had trouble fitting in.
“Making friends or having some kind of link with the kids my age, coming from a different country, that was really different,” he said. So one day his mother, Zovig, pushed him out the door to join some neighborhood kids in a street-hockey game.
“I’m glad I did,” Zovig said Sunday. The game, it turned out, would change everything.
“They gave me a roller-hockey stick and I just kind of fell in love with the sport immediately,” Dekermenjian said. “I’d never been really good at anything before, especially athletics. But I took to roller hockey.
“What it helped me do is create a lot of self-confidence and self-esteem, which is turn helped me in social situations.”
Dekermenjian went on to play at several levels, became a Kings season-ticket holder and now coaches his two sons on the concrete rink he built in their backyard. He’s also using hockey to break down social and cultural barriers at the Dixie Canyon Community Charter School in Sherman Oaks, where many of the nearly 700 students come from immigrant families new to the U.S.
Nareg Dekermenjian, a teacher in Sherman Oaks who won an NHL award, watches as Stanley Cup keeper Howie Borrow sets up the trophy.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“We have a big melting pot here,” assistant principal Maria Silva said.
But if all those children speak different languages, wear different clothes and pack different foods for lunch, they all understand sports. Even hockey.
“One hundred percent,” said Dekermenjian, 41. “That’s kind of why I do it.”
There are parallels between the challenges athletes face and the ones students face. The grit and perseverance needed to make it through an NHL season is just as necessary to make it through an academic year. There are goals and victories and defeats and teamwork, both on the ice and in the classroom.
“That connects a lot of the dots for these kids that aren’t used to hearing it that way,” Dekermenjian said. “I actually show clips and videos of hockey games when teams are down by multiple goals and they don’t give up and then they come back, they pull the goalie, and they take it.
“That’s, I think, a better way of starting a session. Having these kids look at something so incredible and then looking at themselves and thinking, ‘You know what? I can do this.’”
Nareg Dekermenjian takes a selfie with his son, Oliver, and the Stanley Cup during lunch at Stanley’s Restaurant.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Silva said few teachers at Dixie Canyon are requested by parents more frequently than Dekermenjian, whom she calls Mr. Deker. She often stop by his class herself just to listen.
“I’m just captivated by the stories that he’s sharing. And I don’t want to leave,” she said. “I want to be a kid and listen to him too. When they announced that he won [the NHL award,] I definitely felt they got it right.”
The stories don’t always work, however. And when they don’t Dekermenjian, like a good coach, changes his game plan — as he did in his first year as a teacher after welcoming a shy Ukrainian girl named Maria, who understood little English.
“We’re going over U.S. history and I’m like, ‘What does this child need to know about the Constitution?’ There’s way more important lessons we need to teach,” he said.
Maria loved art so Dekermenjian asked her to draw each day and then, after class, he and a translator would discuss the meaning behind what she had drawn. She was soon thriving in her new environment.
When kids struggle, Dekermenjian said, the problem often isn’t the student, but rather an engagement issue with the teacher.
“Educators, we need to kind of step it up and engage them in nontraditional ways,” he said.
“I’ve seen it work in the classroom. So I do it more and more and the feedback has been overwhelming. I’m creating a bunch of hockey fans and Kings fans in the process, so everyone wins, I guess.”
Speaking of the Kings, that’s the second reason Sunday’s meal was a reunion with the Stanley Cup. The first time he met the trophy was in 2014, when he posed in front of it with his wife, Lori, and then-infant son Ian, who actually owes his existence to the Cup.
During the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lori came up to Dekermenjian and suggested that if the Kings won the Cup, they should have a baby. Dekermenjian, uncertain whether he was ready to be a dad but certain the Kings had no chance to win the NHL title, agreed — and a little more than a year later, Ian was born. They have since added a second son, Oliver.
“It’s a full-circle thing,” he said.
“I definitely feel like I found where I need to be in life. And I’m 100% certain that I was meant to teach.”
On Sunday the NHL agreed, giving him an afternoon with the Stanley Cup to prove it.
