19 July 2012 / by Radmila Gurkova
The Ghosts of Spain
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apQkjjcqGnI
When you go aborad, which airport do you normally use? Do you know how many airports there are in Spain? Do you think there are too many? Have a look at this video and read a related news story...
Have you heard about the billion euro airport designed during Spain's booming economy, serving both city and coast via a state-of-the-art high speed train link? Ciudad Real's transport hub was to be a symbol of modern Spain's affluence. However, it shut down in April after just three years of operation and a cost of €1.1 billion.
The peninsula is also littered with 'ghost towns' - where empty apartment blocks, streets and gardens stand where communities were supposed to move. Entire housing estates built during the country's boom years have been left abandoned, now on sale for almost half their original price.
The town of Sesena, dubbed the Manhattan of Madrid for its towering apartments, proximity to the capital and capacity for 30, 000 people to live is now one of the most visible monuments of the country's boom gone bust.
Such modern-day ghost towns have become a familiar part of the Spanish landscape.
What do you think about these issues? What can be done to help Spain recover?