In the News Spanish state, and in 1991 became the company Paradores de Turismo de España S.A. In 1966, Manuel Fraga, the Spanish Minister for Tourism, opened 16 hotels including the one in Mojácar. He stayed there in 1966 when he came to assure people that there was no danger from the Palomares nuclear bomb accident, and was filmed with the American ambassador wading into the sea at Palomares. This was considered extremely foolhardy! Famous people who have stayed at the chain of hotels include Charles de Gaulle, Mick Jagger, Orson Wells, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco (on their honeymoon), Ernest Hemmingway, Ridley Scott and Paul Bowes. In 2015, the Spanish State pumped in 152 million Euros to keep the chain afloat, but in 2017 they invoiced 254 million Euros with a profit of 17.5 million. This related to an average occupancy of 62% and 1.3 million night’s stay.
An Amazing Gadget A few years ago, a Cesna 337 aircraft was equipped with a laser measuring device christened “Lidar”, and the equipment measured anomalies on the ground. It was used for geological surveys and seismology studies. It soon became clear that it could map 3D images of ancient buildings, even under dense forests. In a few hours it provided information on archaeological remains that would have taken 25 years previously. In Cambodia, a very large and completely unknown city was revealed, and a circle of stones in Bolivia, very similar to Stonehenge, with many other buildings close by. An enormous city with 40,000 buildings was mapped in Mexico, spread over 26 km2 including several pyramids. The National Geographical Institute organized a complete survey of Spain, and in April 2017 at Linares in Jaén province, the laser system mapped out a Roman circle 400 metres in diameter, and 50 metres tall. The archaeologist Franciso Arías stated that it would never have been discovered otherwise and is thought to be a very large amphitheatre. Other buildings and an aqueduct were discovered nearby. A large Roman military camp has been revealed at Mérida the capital city of Extramadura along with mine workings and
canals. Antonio Uriate from the Spanish Institute of Scientific Investigation considers the “Lidar” system to be the equivalent of the Hubble Telescope for archaeologists.
Expropriation The ‘AVE’ (high speed train) is scheduled to arrive in Almería city from Murcia in 2023. The railway company ‘ADIF’ has announced land expropriations for the 18 km stretch from Los Arejos near Sorbas (the end of the tunnels) to Níjar. They need to purchase, or temporarily occupy, 452 parcels of land, with 359 in Níjar, 68 in Lucainena de las Torres, and 25 in Sorbas. Unless they own the necessary land, work cannot start. The construction company SACYR pulled out of constructing the 12km stretch from Pulpí to Cuevas after ADIF still didn’t own enough land at the time the complete section should have been finished. Recent expropriations announced on this same stretch reveal that ADIF still don’t own enough land! There has been intense pressure that the Spanish Ministry of Transport build two rail tracks on a double width base which has already been built from the outskirts of Garrucha to the end of the tunnels, a distance of 25 km. The new plans are that all sections not yet started will be a single track only, on a single base width. Trains will travel in both directions on the single track. It has now been announced that a 9km stretch towards Níjar from Los Arejos will be double track as well. This will help the slower goods trains to travel a further distance, and will help with the advanced plans for a “dry port” at Níjar accessible from the AVE line, the A-7 motorway, and Carboneras port. A budget price for the 18km stretch from Los Arejos to Níjar is 175 million Euros, as there are many technical complications. Plug-In Cars In 2017, a total of 3,900 cars powered solely by electricity were registered in Spain. This number is more than the figures from 2016, but is still minimal. The cost of these cars is much more than the equivalent diesel or petrol powered versions, and the Renault ‘Zoe’, the electrically powered version
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