Cheap unlimited bus travel in Spain – Alsa kmtriko Summer 2009

Alsa are once again offering cheap bus travel across Spain this summer with their kmtriko bus pass.

The pass costs 99 euros for one week, 175 euros for 2 weeks. New this year is the option to purchase 7 days travel over a 2 week period for 145 euros. There are also 3 and 4 week passes at 240 and 299 euros respectively.

The kmtriko pass is a cheap way to travel around Spain, including Asturias. There are some suggested routes on the website, but you can use it on any route serviced by Alsa, Continental Auto or Alsina Graells bus across Spain.

There are some terms and conditions to look out for, for example you can’t use the kmtriko pass for journeys that cost more than 60 euros or for journeys that would amount to a cost of over 100 euros in one day.

To buy the kmtriko pass, you need an Alsa loyalty card (Bus Plus). And it seems you can only receive your Bus Plus card if you have an address in Spain. So unless you already have a Bus Plus card or live in Spain and have Spanish ID, you have to buy your kmtriko pass once you arrive in Spain from an Alsa ticket office.

Internet for all in Asturias with arrival of new broadband satellite provider

Asturian broadband provider TeleCable has signed a deal with satellite broadband communications operator Skylogic that should put broadband within reach of all households in Asturias, no matter how remote.

According to a press release issued by TeleCable and Skylogic on October 3rd, up to 6000 terminals will be deployed across Asturias in order to deliver broadband to homes located in non-served ADSL areas.

Satellite broadband has typically been the last resort for anyone wanting high-speed internet access due to the prohibitive price. According to Skylogic CEO Arduino Patacchini however, the new service will offer “performance and prices for consumer satellite broadband that is comparable to terrestrial broadband services.”

Roll-out of the new service to consumers in Asturias is expected to start in the first half of October.

TeleCable CEO Roberto Paraja is quoted as saying: “”The selection of Tooway(TM) as our prime satellite service enables us now to offer a valid broadband solution everywhere in Asturias. This is a significant step towards bridging the digital divide in Spain.”

Asturias has one of the highest broadband penetrations of all regions of Spain, thanks to investment by the government in the deployment of broadband infrastructure and incentives designed to encourage broadband uptake among Asturian citizens.

The latest announcement from TeleCable should be good news for the overseas property market in Asturias, as availability of broadband internet is an important factor for many prospective home owners who are tempted by a rural retreat but unwilling to sacrifice a high speed internet connection due to work and other commitments. Satellite broadband could also be a lifeline for isolated rural communities and rural tourism businesses, provided the costs are in fact as accessible as so far indictated by both companies.

Greenpeace activists board coal ship in Gijon

Greenpeace activists boarded a coal cargo ship in the port of Gijon last week.

The activists were protesting at the Spanish government´s reliance on fossil fuels and calling for the EU to commit to reducing greenhouse gases by at least 30% before 2020.

Greenpeace activists board a ship transporting coal from Colombia to the Spanish port of Gijon

Activists painted “Quit Coal” on the side of the ship which was bringing coal from Colombia into the port at Gijon in Asturias, Northern Spain. According to Greenpeace, the Spanish government imports 24 million tonnes of coal and pays €2,500 million in state aid to the coal industry every year.

The Greenpeace action took place a day before a European Parliament committee voted to back new laws to make power companies pay for all of their carbon dioxide emissions before 2013. According a report in the Times Online, the decision by the European Parliament´s environment committee effectively prevents the building of new coal-fired power plants from 2015 unless equipped with carbon capture and storage technology. The new rules require final approval from the European Parliament and EU countries however, and a vote is expected before the end of this year. Countries which are heavily dependent on coal are expected to oppose the measures when it comes to the vote, fearing job losses and further damage to the economy.

Spain is one of the most heavily fossil fuel-dependent countries in Europe, with 84% of the country´s energy currently generated from fossil fuels. Spain´s socialist government has already announced measures to help reduce energy consumption and reduce expenditure on oil imports, including reductions in the speed limit on motorways outside major cities and free distribution of low energy light bulbs. Greenpeace argue that these measures don´t go far enough however:

“The Spanish government talks about tackling climate change while feeding subsidies right into the industry that are causing it. The potential of renewable energy in Spain is enormous and with the right investment, they can supply all the electricity and even all the energy needed with renewables.”

It will be interesting to see what route the Spanish government take as they tackle the twin challenges of economy and environment over coming months.

La Nueva España becomes first major newspaper in Spain to award top job to a woman

A newsaper in Asturias has become the first major title in Spain to award it´s top job to a woman.

Ángeles Rivero Velasco was yesterday named Director of La Nueva España, having worked in various positions at the Asturian news organisation over recent years.

Ángeles Rivero Velasco

La Nueva España called Rivero “A young and brilliant Asturian journalist, who has a perfect knowledge of the paper.”

How fantastic that the first woman to be awarded such an important postion within the Spanish news media is living and working in Asturias.

Congratulations to Ángeles, let´s hope she is the first of many women to break through the glass ceiling of media in Spain and an inspiration to young women everywhere.

InfoAsturias.com in English

Last month I wrote an article on this blog about a forthcoming promotion being run by the Asturian tourism department in the Daily Telegraph, and a number of shortcomings in the English language version of the official tourism website (www.InfoAsturias.com).

InfoAsturias.com

I´m pleased to say that the team at InfoAsturias.com seem to have taken heed of some of my comments and suggestions. I received an email from someone at InfoAsturias.com explaining that they are in the middle of updating their website, and that many of the errors I had highlighted were the fault of a database issue caused by the upgrade.

Whether that is true or not who knows, but at least now the homeage is in English and not Spanish, the broken links have been replaced, and there is actually some news in the news section.

You can see the updated homepage by clicking here. The “more news” link still links to a page in Spanish, but the individual news items including special events to mark the rutting of the deer this weekend are available in English.

Need to get from Oviedo to Gijon? New hourly train service offers more choice for travellers

Train operator FEVE started a new service yesterday, connecting the Asturian capital with Gijon in just 30 minutes.

The hourly service is non-stop between Oviedo and Gijon. The first train leaves at 6.50am from Oviedo and at 6.22am from Gijon. Trains run hourly up until 9.50pm from Oviedo, the last train from Gijon leaves at 9.22pm. The service will run daily.

Up until now, anyone wishing to travel by train between Oviedo and Gijon had to change trains if they opted for travelling with FEVE (meaning a lengthy journey), or make do with one of only three daily services operated by RENFE. This new service presents a viable new option for getting from Oviedo to Gijon or vice versa.

The other alternative for getting from Oviedo to Gijon is to travel with bus company ALSA, who have a service every fifteen minutes throughout the day between the two cities. The journey with ALSA also takes 30 minutes.

EasyJet suspend flights between Madrid and Asturias

EasyJet announced yesterday the suspension of flights between Asturias and Madrid.

According to an article published today in El Comercio Digital, the low cost airline will suspend flights between Asturias and Madrid, and Asturias and Geneva from October 26th. The move signals the end of low-cost air links between Asturias and the capital as the aviation industry struggles with falling passenger numbers and rising fuel costs. Beleaguered airline Spanair has already stopped flying between Madrid and Asturias as part of a radical cost-cutting exercise initiated before the Madrid air tragedy.

EasyJet will continue operating the air link between London and Asturias. According to El Comercio Digital, EasyJet receive a grant from the government of Asturias for maintaining this route.

Air passengers will now have to travel with Iberia if they want to fly to Madrid, with ticket prices costing around 250 euros return.

Luckily there are viable alternatives for anyone travelling between Asturias and Madrid.

RENFE are now running high speed AVE trains between Asturias and Madrid Chamartin, with a journey time of around four and a half hours. The first train leaves Oviedo at 7.43am, and arrives in the capital shortly after 12.30 – ensuring business travellers arrive in Madrid in plenty of time for a lunch appointment.

There are two trains daily going the other way, one leaves Madrid at around 2pm, and the other at 6.30pm. The AVE service also stops at Gijon and Mieres stations in Asturias.

When you consider the time involved in getting to the airport, checking in and getting from the airport at the other side, the AVE journey time is bearable. The trains are comfortable, with plenty of room for a laptop on the tray table although there are no power sockets in standard class. The average cost of a return ticket in standard class is around 77 euros.

Bus company Alsa also operate more than ten bus services between Asturias and Madrid daily, with an average journey time of five and a quarter hours and average cost of around 60 euros for a standard service. Passengers also have the choice of a Supra class bus on this route, which offers increased leg room, power sockets and a wi-fi connection. Prices increase to around 100 euros return for the Supra service.

Work started this week on the construction of a new tunnel to decrease the AVE journey time between Asturias and Madrid to just 3 hours, but travellers will have to wait a few years yet for the work to be completed.

Basso wins 2008 Principe de Asturias Rally

Giandomenico Basso in Taballes

Giandomenico Basso has won the Principe de Asturias Rally.

According to RallyLive.com, the Italian won by 12.2 seconds in what was a tight contest between Basso and Luxemburg´s Nicolas Vouilloz who took second place.

The Principe de Asturias Rally is part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, 2008 is the first year the rally has taken place completely on aphsalt.

There were a number of local drivers taking part in the race, but none made it on to the podium. The crowds were out in force to cheer on the teams, some of them camping the night before to ensure a prime race- side spot.

Principe de Asturias Rally, Taballes

The rally route went past my house in Taballes, Bimenes, giving me an excellent view of the race. Next year I will take full advantage and charge spectators for a deckchair on my balcony and use of my bathroom. This year I just had to make do with watching people climb over my garden and clearing up their litter once they had gone.

Surely this must be the only day of the year when you will see a traffic jam in Bimenes!

Over 60? Save up to 50% getting to and from Asturias with Alsa buses in Spain

Alsa buses in Spain are offering a discount of up to 50% on routes to and from Asturias for anyone over 60 years old this month.

The 50% discount applies on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The discount is reduced to 25% for over 60s travelling on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

All lines which connect Asturias with Madrid, Valladolid and León are included in the offer, which is applicable to both single and closed return tickets on all services.

See the Alsa website for more details, timetables and destinations.

Travellers must present their passport when booking the ticket at an Alsa office in order to claim the discount. No changes or cancellations are allowed after booking, and the offer ends on September 30th.

Over 4,000 bolts of lightning signal start of Autumn in Asturias

Over 4,000 bolts of lightning were recorded over Asturias and Galicia last Friday in a night of high meteorological drama.

Here in Bimenes, thunder could be heard rumbling from around 6pm onwards. Just before 7pm the heavens opened, ushering in a period of intense electrical activity that lasted until the following morning.

We managed to capture some of the lightening on our video camera – the clip doesn´t really do the storm justice but we caught a couple of good flashes.

According to the State Meteorological Agency, the most intensive period of lighting was at around 3am. I was asleep then but the thunder actually woke me up – no mean feat at that time of the morning.

There have been no reports of damage or injury caused by the storm. The rain has continued this week and according to weather reports on Spanish television, most of Spain is experiencing rain and high winds today. Hopefully Summer isn´t over just yet….