Canfranc railway station

[OnlyMark]

On my way back from Spain to Germany I initially diverted through Portugal but then cut back across to enter France through the Pyrenees.
Close to the border on the Spanish side is a rather large railway station at a town called Canfranc. Originally designed to be a showpiece I doubt they had any hope of getting their money back. It was a collaboration between France and Spain to aid cross border travel.

Built in 1928 and operated until 1970 when there was damage to a bridge on the French side causing it all to shut down. Went into disrepair until about 2020, so not long ago, when after being refurbished, the hotel inside opened.
When it was derelict more people came to see it between 2013 and 2017 that ever used it as passengers in all the previous years.
It is about 250 metres long.

Part of it is a 5 star hotel (Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels and Resorts) but, and it may just be me, but looking at the rooms on their website they seem a bit small - they are on the very top floor under the roof -

[OnlyMark]

The centre is where the hotel is -




Hotel reception -






A look around what is in the area -














I think this is what is now the railway station. No trains across the border but just a couple of local ones back down on the Spanish side -

[OnlyMark]

After walking up and around and back I made my way to my car. The one with the open side door.
Kicking myself for leaving it open I wondered how I did so as there had been no reason for me to get to the back seats.
I quickly snapped a photo before putting my camera away and approaching -




I sidled up to the door and as I did so I could see part of the head of someone inside. I jumped to the entrance and said hello, expecting a flurry of activity as someone tried to push past me to escape.
It was a girl of early twenties sitting there looking at her phone.
She looked at me a little startled but then put her attention back to whatever she was typing.
She was so engrossed and ignoring me I had a sudden thought - is this my car?

Turns out it wasn’t. Mine was several cars down the parking area. I walked away from the door to check the number plate and no, not mine. Ooops. I walked away, she still glued to her phone screen.

A few views dropping down the mountains -








I’ll leave you with this - a very good French idea. A red light at road works with a timer on it -

[OnlyMark]

[Voy]

thank you , Mark ! I always love your photo-essays - and you've done it again.

[ninchursanga]

What an unusual place1 it looks very nice but also a bit empty. I also wonder if that 5 Star hotel will survive in the long term.

[OnlyMark]

You're welcome Voy.

Nins, I have my doubts. I can't quite see the point of it where the location is.

[slowcoach]

The economics of running a business in my deeply rural part of Spain close to the other border are unfathomable to an outsider. Canfranc may be similar.

For capital work there are grants available at the Regional, National, and EU level.

Fixed running costs, particularly business rates/taxes can be very low. Labour is cheap and flexible, and the pace of everything is slow, unfussed, but sufficient.

I can have no idea whether the hotel will succeed or not but businesses, that seem moribund, plough on for years to come.

In a land where 50 olive trees and a similar mumber of ewes represents a living, all sorts of other unlikely things are possible. Perhaps the greatest hazard is old age and the exodus of youth.

---

ETA: The rooms/suites are small and are garrets, but at the prices quoted would seem to represent good value for money, particularly for an international traveller.

[slowcoach]

Sept 12, 2024 14:09:40 GMT 2 ninchursanga said:

What an unusual place, it looks very nice but also a bit empty.

Welcome to rural Spain.

[Netsuke]

Sept 12, 2024 10:22:19 GMT 2 OnlyMark said:

After walking up and around and back I made my way to my car.

A few views dropping down the mountains -




I’ll leave you with this - a very good French idea. A red light at road works with a timer on it -

Mark, what is the cause of the purple in the background? It looks like a sea of lavender!

I saw a similar road sign when driving in FNTQ on the Peninsula Developmental Road to Cape York! They were grading the road.

[OnlyMark]

Nets, I don't think it truly is purple it's just the way the camera and light have made it look so. It was more a shade of green.