Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Jan 20

FEATURE ARTICLES: "Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida towns win prestigious awards" and "Full list released of 150 Spanish cities where older cars will be restricted"

This Sunday is the start of a New Lunar Year, the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar, which represents “peace, prosperity and longevity”. Fingers crossed on that one!

While Chinese communities up and down Spain (and around the world, of course) begin their New Year celebrations, several prosperous and long-standing institutions like National Geographic and the Michelin Guide have been busy piecing together their lists of the top most beautiful towns to visit in Spain and the finest places to dine.

All this, plus motoring, meteorology and a surprisingly mouthwatering broccoli invention…

Hidden gems

There is far more to Alicante province than its stunning coastline, boasting picturesque villages and beautiful mountain ranges perfect for rural tourism. The province has some real gems, particularly in the Marina Baixa region, home to Guadalest and Altea, both of which have this week made the National Geographic’s list of the most beautiful places in Spain 2023.

The prestigious American monthly magazine has heaped praise on the municipalities, and hailed them “essential” places to visit this year. Altea has earned its enviable name as the Pearl of the Costa Blanca thanks to its immaculate narrow streets with whitewashed houses. The pivotal blue dome of its central and elevated church creates a “purely Mediterranean landscape and invites locals and visitors alike to explore every corner of the coastal town”.

Guadalest is considered the province’s emerald gem and makes a regular appearance in the list of the most beautiful villages in Alicante, the Valencia Region and Spain. And it's not difficult to see why. This charming small town in the mountains boasts the castle of Alcozaiba, at its highest point, that offers spectacular views over the mountain ranges of Aitana, Bèrnia, Serrella and Xortà.

The town hall square with the statue of San Gregorio and the medieval prison is “an unmissable meeting point for all those who visit the town”, according to National Geographic.

Meanwhile, the magazine awarded the same distinction to one often overlooked town in the Region of Murcia, Moratalla, which made it into the top 20 "outstanding enclaves" category, ranked 17th. Moratalla was chosen for the “charm” of “its surroundings and the rhythm that permeates its narrow streets”.

The publication highlights the town’s castle and its “quiet life, where the Moorish essence is still very evident” as the most outstanding attraction: “There are lunches in the tavern with local wine and afternoons in the square. Reminiscences of the Middle Ages can be seen in its narrow streets and architecture – so palpable in its wrought iron balconies.”

Not only that, but the Region of Murcia stands out for its inclusion eight times in the prestigious Michelin Guide. With its typically Mediterranean culinary and gastronomic tradition, there are plenty of delicious Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Jan 20

Murcian dishes to choose from ranging from the simple Ensalada Murciana to a wide variety of fish and seafood specialties, so it is no surprise that there are various restaurants with coveted Michelin stars in the Region.

The Michelin Guide, of course, is the oldest restaurant and hotel guide in Europe, providing an annual compendium of the most prestigious eateries in the world, of which there is one in Murcia with 2 Michelin stars (Cabaña Buenavista in El Palmar) and three more with one each (Odiseo Gastronómico and Alma Mater, both in Murcia city, and Magoga in Cartagena city centre). If that’s a bit out of your price range, there are four more Murcia restaurants are included in the category for affordable eateries – Restaurante Perro Limón and Restaurante Alborada in Murcia city, and the Restaurante Juan Mari and Restaurante Malvasía, both in the Mar Menor area.

Weird Weather?

Oh, the weather outside is… confusing. One minute we’re celebrating the warmest December in history and the next we’re running for cover as we’re swamped by a deluge of rain.

Storm Fien blustered into Spain at the beginning of the week, bringing the first real cold snap of the winter. Temperatures in many areas dropped below zero and the country was battered by gale-force winds which resulted in treacherous sea conditions. Sadly, these metres-high waves overcame one 80-year-old man in the Basque port of Bermeo, costing him his life.

Wednesday January 18 was the coldest day of the year so far in many regions but the balmy Mediterranean coast again escaped the worst of the weather and the thermometers remained in the high teens, at the same time as many provincial capitals dipped as low as -4ºC or -5ºC.

In the Region of Murcia this Tuesday, there were orange alerts for gusts of wind up to 90kmh which caused around 100 incidents related to falling objects and left two women in need of medical attention, on what was the sixth anniversary of the largest snowstorm anyone can remember in Cartagena and neighbouring towns. Back in 2017, there was a historic amount of snowfall in the Region, with the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Jan 20

centre of Cartagena seeing snow for the first time in 80 years, leading to road closures around the Campo de Cartagena and the Port of Mazarrón.

Six years later to the day, the contrast couldn’t be starker as Águilas came in as the hottest place in the whole of Spain, with highs registered of 23.8ºC, while third, fourth, fifth and ninth spots were all occupied by Murcia localities with temperatures over 23ºC. Just a day later, however, the Region received its first snowfall of the year, with towns in the northern areas of the Altiplano becoming blanketed with frost. Hail and icy conditions on the roads made driving risky, with police warning motorists to avoid going up into the Sierra Espuña and school students at Cañada de la Cruz and El Sabinar unable to attend classes as their centres were totally inaccessible.

And if that’s not weird weather, what is?!

Driving in Spain (or not, as the case may be)

The future Low Emission Zones planned for cities and large towns across Spain continue to be big news, particularly for the 4 million or so drivers of older vehicles. Most municipalities still haven’t implemented the restrictions – several haven’t fully identified which streets they will affect – but at some point during 2023, vehicles not entitled to one of the DGT’s four environmental labels will be banned from certain streets in 150 Spanish cities.

The environmental badges, designed to be placed in the car windshield, cost just 5 euros and give vehicles a rating from complete green (electric vehicles and the like) to mildly-polluting. The latter will only be allowed to enter city centre streets at certain times to reduce emissions overall.

Madrid and Barcelona are well ahead of the game and introduced Low Emission Zones late last year, but even these front-runners will be expanding their restrictions this year to include more city centre thoroughfares.

Andalucia, given its size, is one of the regions that will have the most affected zones which will stretch to Almeria, Cádiz, Malaga, Granada, Seville and many more.

In the Valencian community larger cities like Alicante, Orihuela, Torrevieja, Benidorm and Elche will all have to implement restrictions while in Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca, Molina de Segura and Murcia are all affected.

There may finally be a glimmer of hope for Brits to actually (legally) get back on the road in the near future after the British Embassy in Madrid issued its first update of the new year on the licence exchange negotiations with Spain. Hugh Elliott once again assured that talks continued throughout the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Jan 20

festive period and that all of the legal checks have now been completed, meaning that there are just a few small steps left to finalise the international treaty.

“The Agreement will go forward to the Consejo de Ministros for approval – these meetings take place each week and, while we have no control over the scheduling, we hope it will be tabled very soon,” the embassy wrote.

Given how close an agreement is, the embassy has recommended that all drivers with UK licences who will want to exchange for a Spanish one book a psicotécnico (psychophysical) test right away. This is a kind of quick medical that tests your vision and reactions and will be mandatory when switching to a Spanish licence.

A psychophysical test is only valid for three months (if you fail, you can retake it as many times as you need) so reading between the lines, it seems likely that the negotiations will be completed within the next 12 weeks, since the embassy is advising drivers to sit the exam now.

Even so, some Brits are holding off until there’s a more concrete commitment. After all, we’ve heard about these ‘final process’ to formalise the treaty ever since driving on a UK licence was made illegal for residents 9 months ago. Could this be the final ‘final process’? Everybody hold your breath…

Murcia

In a bank robbery that took place on the Camposol urbanisation in the early hours of last Tuesday (January 10), which was just the latest in a series of bank and cash machine thefts on the urbanisation in recent years, a group of three or four individuals with their faces covered broke into the Caixabank building… but ended up taking only a consolation handful of spare change amounting to around 45 euros.

It seems the robbers came equipped ready to break into the bank vault using a thermal lance, a tool commonly used in demolition and locksmithing which can reach such high temperatures that it even melts steel. However, since they set the alarm off immediately, officers from the Guardia Civil and Policía Local were on the scene quickly and the robbers had to flee, leaving the main target of their endeavors intact.

The thieves are still at large, and although they didn’t manage to escape with more than pocket change, Camposol residents are still fed up of the disproportionate number of bank raids in recent times, including ATMs being ripped out of walls using lorries.

Some legitimate cash being splashed – and making a splash – is the 320,000 euros that Cartagena plans to spend to upgrade the harbour mouth of Cabo de Palos and convert it into a tourist attraction. The project will involve the creation of a large open space and a viewing point, where it is envisaged that cultural events will be held, turning the area into a pull for tourists.

At the moment, this area is in poor condition after being exposed for years to the effects of the sea and the wind: the surface is dirty and uneven, and the area is used as an unofficial car park, home during the winter to various campervans and motorhomes. Now, though, the police have been instructed to turf out those illegal campers to make way for the pedestrianisation and beautification works, which will go out to tender soon and, once begun, should take just four months to come to fruition.

For fun activities going on in Murcia and Alicante, check out our EVENTS DIARY:

Spain

Expats and even Spaniards who have recently moved to an area often have to be registered with the Town Hall (empadronado) for a minimum amount of time before they can access certain public services, and struggle to be seen when they travel to another region of Spain.

A new law aims to change this however, and run essential social services much the same way as healthcare, where everyone can have access, regardless of how long they’ve been here, and guaranteeing that people can continue using these community and central services even if they spend a considerable amount of time outside of their home town.

Once it’s passed by Congress, a catalogue of essential services will be created which regional governments will have to guarantee for everyone.

Tough new tourist laws being rolled out on the Canary Island of Tenerife will impact both visitors and residents alike, and flouters could face massive fines of up to 3,000 euros.

In an effort to protect the natural beauty of Santa Cruz, the island authorities have banned smoking on the region’s beaches, except for in a few designated spots. As well as stubbing out cigarettes in the sand, tourists will be collared for leaving their rubbish on the beaches but to ensure compliance, restaurants and bars will also be fined if they don’t provide bins for their customers.

Santa Cruz locals and visitors will also get in trouble if they’re caught feeding any stray cats or birds or throwing loose rubbish, lit cigarettes or cigars, or animal corpses (?!) into the municipal bins.

Spitting or urinating on the street have always been offences, but now people can be sanctioned for throwing any litter at all, including advertising circulars and leaflets pushed under windscreens, on the ground. Even the most minor breaches of these rules carries a fine of up to 750 euros while tourists will be slapped with a 3,000 euros penalty for more serious offences.

One of the joys of visiting Spain is trying out the local cuisine but pushing tradition aside is a new invention, ‘Brocomole’. Designed for dipping, the product contains 97% broccoli and avocado with the added benefit that it contains 31% fewer calories, 34% less fat and 30% less sugar than traditional guacamole, is gluten-free, lactose-free and an excellent source of fibre, vitamin C and potassium.

So popular has the invention turned out to be that it is the only Spanish product to be chosen as one of the top ten innovations in the Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards (FLIA). Having received the honour, the green gourmet dip will be exhibited in Berlin on February 8 and 9, after which it will compete with the other finalists for the gold prize.

Alicante

A large area of Alicante’s countryside was sadly razed to the ground after a bushfire that raged for more than 24 hours in Aigües de Busot. Around 200 residents had to be evacuated from their homes and look on in horror as the blaze caused extensive damage, destroying more than 100 hectares of bush and pine trees, with strong winds fanning the flames and hindering firefighting efforts.

Given the fire’s proximity to houses, ‘Situation 1’ of the Special Plan for Forest Fires was established and the majority of evacuations were homes on the Sierra Marina urbanisation, as well as Atalayas and El Molí in the town centre.

Firefighting work was complicated from the outset due to the strong north wind, which meant that the aerial resources that had been mobilised had to be withdrawn. Instead, land resources were reinforced Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Jan 20

and almost 50 firefighters battled the blaze equipped with 15 pumps and other vehicles. The mayor has since told press that “the cause of the fire is being investigated”, but early indications suggest that it could be linked to an Iberdrola electricity pylon.

And in the Alicante village of Jacarilla, one family has been left homeless and others were incredibly lucky after flames ripped through a motorhome spreading quickly to two nearby caravans, trees, street furniture, vegetation and a nearby real estate sales booth. The fire also affected overhead power lines and Iberdrola had to be notified.

The early morning blaze broke out at kilometre 12 of the CV-96 as it passes through the village. Thankfully nobody was injured, but two fire crews from Orihuela spent two hours to extinguish the fire and investigators are gathering evidence to determine the cause of the inferno.

Andalucía

There’s a little-known corner of Andalucia which is coming more and more to the attention of international buyers and holidaymakers, and rivalling more popular hotspots like the Costa del Sol and Seville.

The province of Huelva is tucked into the far southwest corner of mainland Spain, right on the Portuguese border, which is why it’s nicknamed the ‘Spanish Algarve’, and it’s becoming a fashionable spot for ex-pats looking to buy affordable property in Spain. The thing about Huelva is that it’s a sleepy sort of place that isn’t too built up and so still retains all of its traditional Spanish charm.

There’s not even an international airport in Huelva, so people either fly into Seville or Faro in Portugal instead. Being so out of the way is a turn off for some people looking to buy a home in a busier part of Spain, somewhere with more established services for the foreign community, but it’s also what makes Huelva such a special and unique spot for anyone looking for a bit of peace and quiet. It’s also why property prices are lower than in much of the rest of coastal Spain.

Anyone familiar with Huelva will know that it’s got a great selection of historical towns to visit, such as El Rocio and Aracena, and that there are innumerable spots of amazing natural beauty like the Río Tinto – a river that actually runs red! – and the gorgeous protected wildlife reserve of the Doñana National Park.

This latter has also come into the spotlight this week after a group of environmental activists calling themselves the Women for Doñana (Mujeres por Doñana) sent a letter to the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg asking for her help to get her country to pay for the ecological disaster caused by Swedish company Boliden when the Aznalcóllar mining reservoir burst in 1998, releasing between 4 and 5 million cubic metres of mine tailings into the area.

That historical environmental disaster in the confines of the National Park cost almost 90 million euros to clear up, all of which was paid by the Spanish public coffers. Now, though, the activists are urging the Swedish mining company responsible to pay for those costs, and are trying to enlist the help of Greta Thunberg to make them do so.

They have also invited Thunberg to come and check out their work in the area to protect the natural reserve, although the young Swede has been a bit busy being arrested by German police while protesting against a new mine in Lutzerath.

Over in Seville, meanwhile, efforts are underway to promote sustainable living in a different way, taking inspiration from – of all places – the online marketplace Amazon. The City Council in Seville capital wanted to attract more people, especially young people, to its quality local street markets, which sell fresh fruit, vegetables and produce at a rate that’s actually lower than in supermarkets. The problem is, they found, that most people prefer the convenience of shopping at the supermarket since everything you need to buy is all in one place.

So, they figured, what’s more convenient and popular than going to the supermarket? Why, shopping online, of course! That’s why they’re launching a pilot project where consumers can order their fresh produce from any one of the city’s most popular markets, including the Mercado de Feria and Las Palmeritas, and have it delivered to their home.

Even better, they will be able to select products from several different stallholders in the same order, which not only provides them with much more choice but also reduces carbon emissions by cutting down on the number of delivery vehicles needed, say the Council. It’s not ready yet, but by about April the mercadosdesevilla.es website should be ready to revolutionise the local green economy in Andalucia.

You may have missed…

The end of horse-drawn tourist carriages in Spain?
Horse-drawn carriages, popular with tourists all across Spain as a leisurely option for seeing the sights, could be removed from the streets as early as the first quarter of 2023 and replaced with more humane electric buggies.
Los Alcázares joyrider accidentally ploughs car into the Mar Menor.
Los Alcázares police have shared the story of a late-night joyride that went wrong this Wednesday and which left the stolen car stranded in the waters of the Mar Menor.
Hand luggage allowances on flights in Spain for 2023.
The days of cramming several bags under your seat and into the overhead bins are over, and not knowing the cabin baggage regulations of your airline can be a costly mistake.
Corvera Airport sets its sights on the UK, Italy and France for summer 2023.
After registering disappointing passenger numbers at the end of 2022, the International Airport of the Region of Murcia in Corvera has turned its attention to the UK, France and Italy to encourage airlines to operate more routes before the summer season kicks off.
Historic Benidorm hotel to be demolished to make way for homes.
Gran Hotel Delfín was one of the first hotels built during Benidorm’s early tourism development, but its days are numbered with plans to demolish the historic building to make way for homes.

That’s it for this edition. Thanks for reading, as ever, and we’ll see you next week for more. Until then, stay warm and stay safe.

¡Hasta luego!

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