Mis fotos

      Did you know that the largest zip line in Europe is in Spain ?. Yes, it is in a town called Hoz de Jaca, in the Valley of Tena, Huesca, Spain Northeast.

The Valley of Tena

      This zip-line measures 950 metres in length and it is 1270 metres high, over the reservoir of Búbal. The slope of the zip line is 115 metres and, next to another person, --because there are two parallel cables. So, 32 people can descend each hour--, you  can descend to 90 kilometres per hour.

Zip-line over the reservoir of Búbal

Two people on the zip-line at the same time

Another view of two people at the same time

Zip-line in Hoz de Jaca

      "Anyone who has ridden, comes back with a smile on its face", said José Luis Salicio, impeller of this project, with Jose Antonio Roig. TheTena Valley enjoys an eminently family tourism, for this reason, they explain that the zip line, far from being focused as an extreme sport activity, is open "to everyone". In fact, two residents of the municipality, at 82 and 89 years, have already experienced the sensations of the air travel.

Enjoying the zip-line

      The adventure company also offers night passes. , while doing so in complete darkness makes flight "a while full of adrenaline", explained Salicio. Due to technology developed in Canada, zip-line is ready to operate outdoors all year. "Neither rain nor snow affects faciliJump with full moon allow you enjoy the mountainous profile drawn by the light of the sunties", said Salicio, adding that "it is interesting to fly in all four seasons, to enjoy changes in the landscape from the air".

Zip-line with the full moon

The tower for outing

The outing of the zip-line

      The drivers say they are "very grateful to the excellent reception of the people". They have also had the support of the city council and the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE). For its part, the mayor of Hoz de Jaca, Esperanza Lopez, stressed the importance of "get ahead these projects". The mayor explained that this activity "could lead to other tourist companies want to install in the villa and it so could generate greater economic impact, on the area".

      Well, I hope that you have liked this news and I hope that you want to try this zip-line or, at least, to go to see the valley.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.

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       Yesterday, I ate a dish that I really like very much: "Chicken breasts with mushrooms", and I would like to share the recipe (my own recipe) with you.

      These are the Ingredients, that I heve used: Salt, olive oil, onion, garlic, chicken breasts, mushrooms, white wine, water and vóbril.

Salt, olive oil, onion, garlic, white wine, chicken breast and mushroom

Vobril and water

       What I did was put a layer of olive oil, on the bottom of a pressure cooker. When the oil was hot, I put one onion, finely chopped; when it was a little bit browned, I put the pieces of chicken breast, until they were also almost golden-coloured.

      After that, I put the mushrooms and I stired everything for several times.Then, I poured the white wine and a handful of fine salt. And I stired everything again. I was stirring several minutes over high heat.

      Then, I put a small spoon with vóbril (Beef extract) and Istired everything, for several times, again.

      I closed the pressure cooker and, when I saw the smoke going out from the pressure cooker, I put the valve and I lower the heat of the stove –to a medium heat--. And I kept it during 15 minutes.

      After that, I put the pressure cooker under the cold water and after one minute, I opened the pressure cooker. I served the result on a plate and I could see the following:

Chiken breast with mushroom

       Well, I hope that you have liked the recipe and you want to try to cook it. If you do it, please tell me it.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.

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      A few days ago, I listened, on the radio, an interview with Elier Paz, Executive Director of Canvax Biotech (a Spanish company working on the development of an artificial nose, that can detect cancer).

An artificial nose

        This company, with headquarters in Córdoba (southern Spain), is working on a system based on odor detection method.

      Elier says that "it is known that a trained dog can smell, breath, urine or stool, cancer with a sensitivity and specificity superior to any other method of diagnosis, existing now. So this it could be a non-invasive method to detect cancer in early stages, and obviously this could have a huge impact in certain cancers, such as lung --in the last 30 years, usually, survival in five years, lung cancer is about 15 percent. However, if these patients are detected, because come to a query, and they do some tests for other ailment that can have, and are detected incipient tumor, lung survival rises to 50 percent to 5 years-- ".

      Therefore, with this project, the team of Canvax Biotech aims to replicate the sense of smell of the dog and its ability to detect some kind of odor. Ie, duplicate the nose of a dog, in a lab environment, which allows you to have a diagnostic kit, that can be validated by the authorities, because, although they are doing experimental approaches based on dogs, it is not possible to validate a dog as a detector of cancer, at a practical level. In addition, those who work with dogs know that, for the detection of people –as, recently, it happened in Italy for the earthquake, the dog works for a while, and then rests; that is, it is not possible to have it 8 or 10 hours working--.

Note:  I take this opportunity to send a hug to the families of the victims of the earthquake, in Amatrice and other villages around.

A dog searching survivors in Amatrice

      According to Elier Paz: "What is clear is that the ability to detect substances through smells, will have an explosion, in the coming years, because it should be an extremely simple method to implement, non-invasive for patients  --this is an important thing, because the vast majority of the methods, that currently exist, are of a degree of invasiveness, that a person, who is assumed is healthy, will not do it. Let's say, for you to understand a public, in general, is how to make the ITV (Technical Inspection of Vehicles) to a car, that is, when one takes a car to the ITV, will not repair the car, will ensure that the car is in perfect condition. But, non-invasive methods would be like to make ITV oneself and therefore it should be easily applicable methods, non-invasive, low cost, but also, that they have a sufficiently high detection capability, and this is measured by sensitivity and specificity".

      As for the point of the project development, in which they are now, Elier explains that "proteins, which we have in the nose and make as "aerials”,  to capture odors, were discovered in 1991, and, so far, it had not been possible to reproduce in the laboratory. We have been the first company worldwide that has managed to reproduce these proteins in the laboratory. Then, giving an example of simile from radio, and we already have a radio, which has appropriate aerials, but now we have to tune it”.

      Elier also said that “they are working with several Universities; but, basically, with the Univerisdad of Cordoba; the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research, in Córdoba; with Tecnalia, in San Sebastián; and also with a powerful team consisting of clinicians, chemists, biochemists ..., all involved in a goal that is to seek diagnostic methods, that are minimally invasive and are simple and specific”.

      So, the interview finished.

      I hope that you have liked this spanish project.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.

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