Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The original and only investigative newspaper in Andalucia
Citation preview
FREE Vol. 9 Issue 225 www.theolivepress.es October 28th - November 11th 2015
olive pressthe The original and only English-language
investigative newspaper in Andalucía
WHY SPAIN IS MORE TRADITIONAL ABOUT HALLOWEEN - P.16
BrItIsh LegION appeaL tO preVeNt armIstIce Day frauD
reD aLert!Urgent warning after thousands of Remembrance Day poppies and collection boxes vanish
IT is a time of year when big-hearted expats ral-ly around raising money for one of the world’s most worthy causes.A time to remember the millions who fell dur-ing two world wars, many of us will be wearing a poppy on our lapels to honour and support re-tired and injured personnel.But this year, be extremely careful before put-ting your euro into the collection tin.For, in a ‘deplorable’ state of affairs, an incred-ible 9,000 poppies and dozens of blue collec-tion tins are believed to have been stolen from a storeroom on the Costa del Sol.The Olive Press can reveal that the entire stock of poppies for the Estepona and Manilva areas was ransacked in March, along with a sentimen-tal coffin-sized Union Jack flag for funerals.Now the British Legion is warning expats and tour-ists alike to be ‘extremely wary’ of poppy boxes.Insisting that any poppies sold in the Western Costa del Sol will most likely be ‘illegal’, the Es-tepona branch is now trying to solve the mystery.Chairman Keith Ranshaw, 67, told the Olive Press: “I want to warn people that any poppy appeal box-
es found west of Estepona this year are illegal.“We don’t know for certain if the boxes were ac-tually stolen, but I don’t understand how anyone could see them and not know what they are. “It’s exasperating to think somebody could just dump them, or worse, try to con people with them,” added the former RAF pilot.Earlier this year, Ranshaw, who has owned an apartment in Duquesa for nine years, discovered the locks on the storage room had been changed af-
ter a bank repossession of the next door apartment.When Ranshaw filed a report with the local po-lice, he was told that there was ‘nothing they could do’ as there was no proof of a theft.When they eventually gained access to the lock-er, it was empty of all poppies and boxes, along with a flag and all the branch’s paperwork and AGM minutes.Manilva councillor for foreign affairs, Dean Ty-ler Shelton labelled the saga ‘deplorable’.“I will be letting expats know to be on the look-out for this potential fraud occurring over the next few weeks when poppies would normally be almost everywhere,” he told the Olive Press.Meanwhile, the Estepona Branch has been forced to close, due to a lack of volunteers. It means the only official places to buy poppies in Estepona will be at the International Citizens Centre and the Wheel House.The owner of Fathoms Bar in Sabinillas, Tony Fathoms, has ordered a poppy box directly from the Legion’s central base in Coin.
contact [email protected] if you information.
What have Cliff Richard, Croydon and a severed hand got to do with General Franco?
DISGRACED ex-IMF chief Rodrigo Rato allegedly has links to 26 Gibraltar-based companies.The former Spanish deputy prime minister attempted to hide the connections from authorities, it has emerged. Rato apparently owns two of the companies in question and has strong ties to the oth-ers, sitting on the board of di-rectors in many. Accused of money launder-ing, authorities have been clamping down on Rato over the last year.
ScandalDuring investigations, he has been accused of setting up a number of businesses in fam-ily members’ names in order to launder money and avoid tax payments.According to media reports, he now also stands accused of failing to declare the extent of his wealth, allegedly hiding a number of offshore compa-nies in ‘tax havens’ such as Gibraltar. As president of Bankia, he was also found responsible for the so-called ‘black cards’ credit card scandal as well as misman-agement of the banking group. Last year, Rato was ordered to pay €3 million to the banking group for his role in the scandal.
rato’s rock secret
See our 40 Franco facts on the 40th anniversary of his death - P. 6-7
eXcLusIVe By tom powell
Page 3
search for Lorca begins again
Page 14
Last miners of spain snapped
Opinion page 6
CRIME NEWSwww.theolivepress.es2 October 28th - November 11th 2015
A COSTA del Sol media boss has been or-dered to pay €2,800 to his former sales boss by a Malaga court.Stan Israel, owner of Simply Media Group, including the Weekend World newspaper, was found guilty of not paying Lola Gomez for two months.The judge ruled that if the €2,840 sum is not paid to Gomez within 20 days, the court will take it from Simply Media’s income, and if
that is not possible, it will seize it from the firm’s assets.Gomez began working for Israel in Septem-ber last year, but left after just two months due to ‘anxiety and stress’.Her lawyer, Manuel Dominguez, told the court that Gomez was made to exaggerate printing numbers to potential clients by ‘up to ten times’.Outside court, Gomez told the Olive Press:
“It’s such a relief to finally have some justice after a year of anguish and being treated badly.“It’s not so much about the money but the complete disrespect Israel has shown me af-ter persuading me to leave my previous job
‘mr angry’ isfound guilty
6
www.theolivepress.es
the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015
6 the Olive Press May 13th - May 27th 2015NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
6
www.theolivepress.es
the Olive Press June 25th - July 9th 2015
Tel: 951 273 575 (admin) Accounts: 658 750 424 Sales: 655 825 683or [email protected] or [email protected] campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge
expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly
(130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of
more than 500,000 people a month.Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029951 273 575Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5Calle Espinosa 1
Edificio centro comercial El Duque, planta primera, 29692 San Luis de Sabinillas, ManilvaPrinted by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.Editor: Jon [email protected] [email protected]: 665 798 618Tom Powell [email protected] Horgan
Iona [email protected]
Admin / Distribution / Accounts: Maria Gonzá[email protected] Mirian Moreno
SALES TEAM:Chris Birkett 652 512 956Stephen Shutes 671 834 479Classified
Sarah Adams 655825683
AxarquiaCharlie Bamber 661 452 180
the olive pressFREE
OPINION
The original and only English-languageinvestigative newspaper in Andalucía
THE following companies are no longer allowed to do busi-ness with the Olive Press (Luke Stewart Media SL - CIF B91664029), due to long standing debts:- MWM Investments Ltd - Petersham Coins, Marbella - Investor Spain - Simple Care - Autotunes Manilva - Hotel Embrujo, Arriate
Olive Press payments- Jaipur Purple, Estepona- Reservatauro, Ronda- Webuycarsinspain.es - Motor Trader- Best CochesThe details are being published in support of other companies that may be unaware of the problems that might be faced by providing credit facilities to the businesses and their present individual owners.
FEATURE
MARIO ALEGRIA
MATTERSMADRID
HE claims to offer the world, quite literally.Stan Israel’s Perfect Homes magazine is ap-parently available for sale in ‘all of the world’s 196 countries’. It is one of a range of large, heavy glossy magazines pro-duced by the Simply Media Group, based in Estepona.But since the Olive Press re-vealed Stanley Byron Israel, from Buckinghamshire, UK is being sued by one of Andalucia’s big-gest printing firms over non-pay-ment of €8,000 dating back to 2013, half a dozen more victims have come forward.Meanwhile, Israel - sometimes known as ‘Stanley Haw’ and, occasionally ‘Stanley How’, more of which later - has launched his new project, a fortnightly newspaper called ‘Weekend World’.Claiming to rival all other local newspapers ‘in every way’, it came out in dribs and drabs, with 104 pages of, well, a bit of everything, to be exact.However, while printed on the very best bleached white pa-per, it has not been entirely well received, with big name
advertisers including Helicop-teros Sanitarios, Specsavers and Gibraltar’s Sunborn hotel perplexed to find their full-page adverts in the paper despite agreeing nothing.An investigation is now under-way, in particular at Specsav-ers and Helicopteros, to find out how the advert appeared in Israel’s paper.Meanwhile, Israel, 52, denies the €8,000 printing debt with company Tecnographic - and even a court case - but the evi-dence against him is mounting.Indeed, Olive Press enquiries have learned of a long track record of court cases and com-panies closing down in turmoil, both in England and before that in Tenerife.Despite his claims of being a very successful media mogul - turning over millions in profit - his previ-ous companies have been con-victed for serious offences includ-ing dumping waste illegally. And he left a trail of at least 10 dissolved companies before mov-
Rogue trader?Expat publisher being sued by former sales boss is a serial non-payer of staff with a chequered business history
By Tom Powell
I N politics, everything is fair and unfair. When it comes to digging up dirt about a politician’s past, it is all part of the national electoral process. So it isn’t
surprising how a Madrid councillor’s pro-vocative Tweets came to light last week just hours after he was appointed the city’s culture chief by incoming leftist Mayor Manuela Carmena.Guillermo Zapata, a novelist and a screenwriter, said he meant no harm when he posted on his Twitter account some years back a series of anti-Semitic comments, including one that poked fun at the Holocaust, and criticisms of the Basque terrorism victims. It was all ‘dark humour’, he says.Under pressure, Zapata gave up his
cultural post 48 hours after he had been appointed, but vowed to contin-ue to keep his seat on the Madrid City Council. His detractors believe that he should leave government once and for all, while his supporters, who claim he was a victim of dirty politics, believe that his freedom of speech guarantees were violated.There is a very thick borderline be-tween speech freedom and freedom to hate; the latter just doesn’t exist on the Spanish law books. A tolerant country, Spain has never been considered an anti-Semitic nation compared to other European countries. However, it is often listed in annual international human rights reports with a short list of abuses
and incidents that have taken place over the years at synagogues, public meeting places for the Jewish community, and in front of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid.Zapata claims he was a victim and has apologised for his offending Tweets. But in this day and age, when we are seeing flagrant human rights violations based on prejudices, including the recent mas-sacre of a group of African-Americans while they held a Bible study course at a church in the United States, this type of ‘dark humour’ only goes to foment ha-tred and resent.Zapata should know better. For a leftist – which he claims to be – social equal-ity, tolerance and civil rights are abso-lute virtues.
What a TwitThe Madrid councillor slammed for anti-semitic tweets years ago
should know better, writes our man in the capital, Mario Alegria
ing to the Costa del Sol in 2010.But most importantly, he must get the award for being one of the coast’s most serious serial non-payers of staff.Take former Sales Manager at Simply Media, Lola Gomez, who previously worked for El Pais’ Prisa group, and is now taking Israel to court in Malaga over non-payment of her salary.Gomez began working for Is-rael in September last year, but left after just two months due to ‘anxiety and stress’, in par-
ticular, over the way the com-pany was structured.In court documents, seen by the Olive Press, she alleges that she believes she was exaggerating printing figures to potential cli-ents by perhaps ten times.A claim Israel strongly denies.“I felt defrauded and that I had been cheating my clients,” said Gomez, who has only been paid for 15 days of work. The trial will now take place on Oc-tober 20 in Malaga court 4.Meanwhile, former accoun-
tant Rudy Gedeon has also slammed his former employer for not paying him.He was initially owed €4,000 af-ter being asked to leave in Sep-tember 2013, having started in February, and has still not been paid €1,500 of that.“He promised all his staff they would have sports cars and houses in the Bahamas be-fore long, but the truth is that he wasn’t turning over enough money to even pay printers and staff,” Gedeon told the Olive
DECEPTIVE: Israel’s impressive-looking newspaper Weekend World launched with adverts from totally oblivious companies... some of which are now investigating
He must get the award for being one of the coast’s most serious serial non-payers of staff
Standing firmIT does not come easy to knock another publica-tion.In the cut-throat media world - particularly in a recession - solidarity between rival publications is often key.But two years of calls from former members of staff at Simply Media and Sunsearch asking us to investigate cannot be ignored.A former sales manager, former bookkeeper, for-mer distributor and former writers have all gone unpaid. Not to mention at least one printer.But when someone with the chequered business history of boss Stanley Israel threatens to ruin ev-eryone else’s hard work, he needs to be exposed.No certainty of print run numbers, printing ad-verts that have not been contracted and claiming to distribute in the world’s top hotels and airport lounges... Stan, enough is enough.For the first time in Costa del Sol history, the Olive Press stands alongside the Euro Weekly News, Es-sential Magazine and Hot Magazine to call time on this charade.We all have our differences and our disagree-ments, but every one of us has worked incredibly hard in very tough times to still be here.Hard work, integrity counts for everything these days.
Real role models A BOXER, a tennis player and a footballer all head to Marbella on their holidays. After a week on the beach, two head home with their heads held high while the other heads back in a cloud of controversy… No prizes for guessing which one that was. While British boxer Anthony Joshua and Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic enjoyed their fun in the sun, young English football starlet Jack Gre-alish dropped the ball. Like many a young footballer before him, 19-year-old Grealish is facing a slap on the wrists for his binge-drinking escapades when he returns to the UK.Will these footballers never learn? Probably not.
Controversial absent publisher loses court case
TROUBLE: Weekend World boss Israel failed to turn up at court and (right) our story
(at El Pais’ Prisa group).”Israel, 52, who previously ran the Sunsearch Media Group, failed to turn up to court for the October 15 hearing, insisting he had been given the wrong date.When contacted, Israel, who is said to be planning a newspaper for Gibraltar, claimed: “We sent every-thing to the court explain-ing about Lola and that we hadn’t paid her because she still had a company mobile in her possession.“We have documents say-ing the court case was on the 20th which was why we didn’t turn up on the 15th.”The businessman, who for-merly lived in Tenerife and runs a series of magazines, then openly threatened the Olive Press team and pub-lisher.“I have been very forgiving so far. Those days are now over,” he added. “If you write this story, then you won’t get to see the world. Do not mess with me.”He continued: “You do not want to have Mr An-gry coming down to your office, trust me, I am not the kind of person who doesn’t follow through on threats.”In June, the Olive Press reported on a string of other former staff who had not been paid, as well as Israel’s practice of pub-lishing free adverts lifted from other publications.
...and this is how they do it
SPAIN’S dental body has re-acted angrily after a bogus dentist was given a paltry €1,000 fine for practising without a licence.The Board of Dentists de-scribed the sentence as ‘insuf-ficiently mild’, after the dodgy
rooted out!OUCH! Outrage as bogus dentist fined just €1000 after working from dad’s house for five years
2 www.theolivepress.es
CONVICTED killer Kenneth Noye will not be heading to Spain anytime soon. The two-time convicted killer and master-mind of the Brink’s-MAT gold bullion rob-bery was eyeing up a return to his Costa de la Luz pad, after it was announced that he will be released from UK prison within the year. However his Spanish getaway plans have been scuppered, with Justice secretary Mi-chael Gove rejecting a ruling to release the 68-year-old con. The criminal mastermind hid out for two years on the Costa de la Luz, before he was arrested for the murder of Stephen Camer-on, 21, beside the M25, in 1996.Despite being Britain’s Most Wanted, po-lice took two years to track him down to his stunning multi-million euro villa in Atlan-terra, near Zahara de los Atunes (top).
Not coming home
mob hitTWO suspected Mafia co-caine traffickers have been arrested by Spanish police.The Italian nationals, aged 42 and 55, are accused by Italian authorities of col-laborating with Mafia or-ganisations and face 20 years in prison if convicted.
AN illegal brothel has been broken up in Marbella.Nine prostitutes kept in squalid conditions have been freed in a police raid.
dental technician was found guilty of treating patients at his dad’s house for over five years.
The Spaniard, who the au-thorities have bizarrely re-fused to name, had even been fitting false teeth without us-ing prescription medication.He has now been made to pay legal costs and €1,250 in civil damages to two patients after being found guilty of ‘profes-sional intrusion’.The judge at Algeciras Crimi-nal Court ruled: “He jeop-ardised the health of all those who attended the consulta-tion, by not having the nec-essary training to work as a dentist.”The Board of Dentists has now called for a change in legislation and tougher pen-alties for such crimes, de-scribing the sen-tence as ‘very mild and in-sufficient’.
Three Portuguese pimps have also been arrested after keeping the women - from North Africa and Eastern Europe - hostage against their will.The victims were lured to the Costa del Sol on the promise of a well-paid job.Investigations began in June 2014 when two wom-en reported their entrap-ment to a client.
WOmeN freeD
IT seems like the impossible task, producing a 100-plus page newspaper while giving ads away for free.Especially given there are just five members of staff listed as producing
Weekend World, none of whom is a journalist.Yes, something doesn’t quite stack up.Well now the Olive Press can finally reveal just how it works. As well as failing to pay sales staff (and others to boot) publisher Stan Israel also fails to pay journalists; instead simply lifting numerous stories word-for-word from other publications and websites.Indeed, at least five stories in the most recent issue have been copied verbatim from European news provider thelocal.es, while others were lifted wholesale from websites including Spanish News Today.Not just nicking the stories, intros and conclusions, Weekend World even has
the chutzpah to use the same headlines AND standfirsts.But it is not good news for Stan, with the Stockholm-based media group, the Lo-cal, now threatening legal action.“The Local takes any sort of plagiarism very seriously,” said Spanish editor Fiona Govan, a former Telegraph correspondent. “We are making urgent enquiries and will take all necessary steps to protect our copyright, including legal action where ap-propriate.”Meanwhile, Zoe Cooper, editor of Span-ish News Today, said: “It’s outrageous - and it makes me incredibly angry when I see my team’s work lifted.“In fact, I come down like a ton of bricks and sue anyone committing internet piracy,” added Cooper, who has been running the site from Murcia for seven years.In response, Israel said: “Many articles are provided to us as press releases, via our paid subscription to new agencies so obviously stories will on occasion be the same.”
THE LOCAL: Sep 17 WW: Oct9
SPANISH NEWS TODAY: Sep 29 WW: Oct 9
THE LOCAL: Sep 24 WW: Oct 9 Opinion page 6
VICTIM: Lola after
victory
www.theolivepress.es NEWS 3October 28th - November 11th 2015
IN a nondescript industrial es-tate, in a small village in Grana-da, a group of historians and archaeologists could soon be making global literary history. The British, Spanish and Argentine team hope to un-earth the bones of one of the world’s most famous writers, Federico Garcia Lorca.The search for the poet and three other Civil War victims shot by fascists in 1936, is set to begin in Alfacar, near Granada, this week.Led by historian Miguel Ca-ballero and archaeologist Javier Navarro Chueca, it is the third time an official exca-vation has been approved to
the cast of Game of Thrones had a sweet send off when they said adios to spain with a celebratory cake.The stars of the hit fantasy show have been filming the sixth series in girona, Bardenas, Zafra, peñis-cola, and almeria for the past few months.and makers hBO called it a wrap with a cake show-ing the five different Spanish locations.New scenes filmed include the arson of a Dothraki camp by Daenerys’s Dragon and the tower of Joy.
sweet send off - but not for Dothraki
ADIOS: Game of Thrones finishes filming in Spain
BY rights he should become one of the most-cherished expats on the Costa del Sol.After 10 months of preparation, Down Syndrome hero Reuben Coe, 31, has launched his very own blog and website.Reuben, who has lived in San Pedro for three years, raised money through crowd-funding website IndieGoGo to launch Reubensworld.com.“I love Spain, the food and the beaches especially,” Reuben told the Olive Press earlier this year.His brother Manni Coe, of Toma Tours, told the Olive Press: “I have never seen a blog directly from a person with Down Syn-drome before, we’re so excited to see where it will go.”
BraVe NeW WOrLD!
amerIcaN screen goddess Daryl han-nah has been strut-ting her stuff in madrid.the stunning blonde, famous for her roles in Blade Runner and Kill Bill, looked decades younger than her 54 years in a little black dress and heeled ankle boots.the event, spain’s Netflix launch party at el matadero, saw a host of celebri-ties including han-nah’s sense8 co-star spanish actor miguel angel sil-vestre and Orange is the New Black’s taylor schilling.
third time lucky!A third bid to find poet Federico Garcia Lorca’s body is due to start79 years after his executionfind the celebrated poet.Executed in the early stages of the civil war, mystery has long surrounded the burial place of Lorca, celebrated for works including Blood Wed-ding and Poet in New York. The Granada poet, who was a homosexual, was deliberately targeted and shot and buried in a mass grave alongside at least three other victims, one an Anarchist bullfighter.Previous attempts to find Lorca helped by Irish his-torian Ian Gibson in 2009 and another in 2014 both
proved fruitless.With private donors and a crowdfunding campaign backing the bid, the team could be on the brink of a his-torical find.“If they are there, we will find them,” said Navarro. “We now have a more advanced knowledge of the land and scientific knowledge that has ruled out certain spots.”Gibson, however, told the Olive Press that although he didn’t believe Lorca was buried where the digwas, it should still go ahead.“Lorca is the most famous disappeared person in the world. He symbolizes the horrors of the civil war,” said Gibson.“The Spanish state is not looking for its dead and that’s a monstrous af-front to Franco’s victims. Lorca symbolizes that.”The team is now await-ing the rubber stamp from the Andalucian authori-ties for the dig to get underway.
ronaldo’s big secretCRISTIANO Ronaldo re-vealed he’s working on a ‘top-secret project’ after tweeting a video of himself with Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio.The Real Madrid star was all smiles as the pair cosied up for the camera following Ronaldo’s split with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk.“We are not going to say what we did because it’s a secret, we hope you are going to like it,” teased Ronaldo.
WELL the rains have finally come haven’t they?Despite not being bad for business, we have had a few leaks in the roof, which needed patching up by my builders John and Dave.Thankfully they did a great job (as well as my dad who works the crowd) while I was back in the UK for a few days of meetings and party-ing.Highlights included a fabulous sirloin at STK London, while I also met girlfriend Sadie’s ex-tended family; we went for lunch at 1pm and were still there at 12:30 in the morning!Safe to say we all got on well and they fell for my Essex charms (at least, I hope they did).I’m now getting set up for Christmas which is already looking rammed – my main challenge is getting hold of a mas-sive Christmas tree. Can anyone help? (Ed: tried Lapland Elliott?)
LA CALA
Leaking roof and Christmas trees, winter’s-a-comin’ for Elliott Wright
hot hannah
5
www.theolivepress.es
the olive press - September 03, 2009
NEWS
News IN BRIEF
A GLITZY Marbella nightclub – host to celebs including Bruce Willis, Naomi Camp-bell and royals such as Prince Harry - has been the scene of a Costa del Sol gangland attack.Shocked revellers at the Olivia Valere disco had to duck for cover as a man was viciously attacked at knifepoint.
It emerges that the Iranian had been the victim of an ear-lier attack, reported in the Ol-ive Press, at Nikki Beach last summer.The 40-year-old businessman was rushed to hospital leaving a trail of blood.Just seconds before the attack he was seen having a heated debate with a group of Moroc-
cans, who allegedly glassed him in the face before stabbing him.“It was complete chaos,” a club waitress told the Olive Press. “There was blood all over the place and everyone was screaming.“I am also pretty certain that someone fi red a gun, although nobody was hurt.”The victim was taken to hospi-tal, but discharged himself after emergency treatment the next morning, to avoid being inter-
viewed by police. The victim, who lives in the Nueva Andalu-cia area, had earlier been spotted looking drunk and agitated at nearby Puro Beach Bar.Celebrities and sports stars fl ock to the swanky Puerto Banus nightclub during the summer months.
It costs around 20 euros just to buy a coke and mingle with the rich and famous.Ironically it was this time last year that the Olive Press reported how Nikki Beach night club in Elviria had taken the decision to close the season early, after a similar attack on the victim.On that occasion he was shot twice in the legs in front of Hol-lyoaks star Jennifer Metcalf.The nightclub denied last night that any shots were fi red.
Lorca to be dug up next week
THE fi nal resting place of Andalucia’s most famous writer Federico Garcia Lorca could be excavated next week. The Junta has given the family of the Grenadine poet two weeks to oppose the opening of the mass grave he is said to have been buried in.The long-running saga has taken a decisive twist after the Junta sided with the families of four other men buried beside Lorca.
SecretAll of them were shot by Franco’s right wing forces during the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Although Lorca’s rela-tives have made no secret of their desire to leave the remains untouched, they have indicated that they will not oppose the exhu-mation that will take place from September 8.The Junta recently uncov-ered evidence indicating that a fi fth person – a for-mer government offi cial - also rests in the mass
Final resting place of Blood Wedding writer and four others will be exhumed grave. Granada council employ-ee, Fermin Roldan Gar-cia, was murdered in the early hours of August 18 1936 and buried alongside Lorca.
After his granddaughters learned of the discovery, they promptly called for his remains to be recov-ered. In addition, the remains of a teacher and two anar-chists are also believed to lie in the Alfacar site and their families have also
pushed for the grave to be exhumed. For more than 70 years the exact fate of the left-wing poet and playwright, 38 when killed, has remained a subject of speculation. It is hoped that the open-ing of the grave will deter-mine the circumstances of Lorca’s death after he was also kidnapped by a death squad in August 1936. Lorca was denounced as a republican, a communist and a homosexual before his execution.
A SPANISH professor has proposed bringing back school uniforms in an attempt to curb the brand name com-petition among pupils. Jaume Sarramona claims to Spanish society is one of the most hedonistic and consumer-oriented in Europe.The professor of teacher training at Barcelona’s Autonomous University says that children have become accus-tomed to parents giving in to demands for games, clothes or mobile phones, but give back nothing in return. He believes it is time for children to learn to appreciate the true value of things, and spoke of the incentive it can bring them by earning something for themselves through sacrifi ce, ef-fort and respect.See our Back to School special on page 27
Double trouble at Marbella nightclub
ATTACK: Victim stabbed at Olivia Valere nightclub was shot last year
Fight materialism
with uniforms
MASS GRAVE: Lorca (inset) lies here
Poker risksA POKER player was shot during a private game at a house in Nueva Andalucia on Monday night. The Spaniard, 42, was shot in the legs, while a fellow player was hit over the head when thieves dressed in black broke into the house.
Wind protests2000 people have protested over a planned wind turbine project off the Costa de la Luz near Chipiona. The offshore scheme has pitted Spain’s Green Party against the local Ecologistas en Accion group, which insists the Las Cruces del Mar scheme could endanger the movements of fi sh and migratory birds.
Brother murderA BROTHER who killed his two elder siblings over inheritance money in the village of Villanueva del Trabuco is facing 50 years in prison. He had contracted a professional hitman to help him in the March 2008 murders which saw Juan and Francisco Cabello Podadera shot by a 12-bore shotgun.
Not kiddingAN Axarquia man, Carlos Diaz, has patented an invention that could save lives by warning people who have left their children in cars. The pressure pads inserted under rear seats would set off an alarm once they had locked the car. Every year dozens of children die after being left in hot cars.
EXCLUSIVEBy Andrew
Pearce
HUNT ON: For Lorca (above) and
our 2009 story
By Joe Duggan
Opinion page 6
Branching out
www.theolivepress.es NEWS4 October 15th - October 28th 2015
NEWS IN BRIEF
www.theolivepress.es NEWS 5October 28th - November 11th 2015
Work and play hardTHE latest batch of Amer-ican students have flown in from across the pond to play semi-professional football while studying at The American College in Marbella.
shaw successa shaW marketing services’ networking event in sotogrande raised €200 for charity Nuevo hogar Betania to fund free hot meals for the most vulner-able.
hot property DISGRACED royal son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin is attempting to sell two apartments in Mallorca to cover a string of legal debts relating to his mon-ey laundering case.
pet registerDOG owners in Malaga will face €500 fines if they do not register their mutts before March 2016.
Walk this way WOrK has begun to turn torremolinos town centre into a pe-destrianised zone.
Driving aheadRESIDENTS in up to a dozen towns are overjoyed that the Junta is to finally spending money repairing one of the region’s worst roads.Villages in the Genal Valley, as well as in Manilva and Gaucin, are all set to benefit from repairs to the crumbling A-377, totalling €6 million.The Junta’s 2016 budget also revealed it is spending €5 million on the first phase of Antequera’s so-called ‘dry dock’ project.It is also financing bike lanes in Malaga and Marbella, while the largest sum of €95 million is to finish the metro in Malaga.
THEY had hoped to follow in the footsteps of bestselling author Chris Stewart and build their own dream home in the Alpujarras.But British couple Neil and Caroline Riddoch’s plans quickly became a nightmare, after it turned out they had paid €92,000 to fraudsters for land in a nearby village.After seven years of legal wrangling and court costs, London-based businessman Riddoch thought the thieves had finally been brought to justice when they were found guilty at Grana-da’s Supreme Court in 2013.However, more than two years later, Riddoch, 56, has received less than 10% of the money he
is owed for the 2006 purchase in Carataunas.And worse than that the pair of fraudsters haven’t spent a second behind bars.“After they were found guilty of defrauding me, my barrister told me I had two options. They could either serve their one-year sentences immediately, or have them suspended for 18 months and be made to pay me back entirely during that time.“I was told I would get my money back quicker if they didn’t go to prison, I thought I had won.”
a BrItIsh father of two has died in a spanish prison after police ar-rested him for ‘rowdy’ behaviour.antony abbott, 36, was on a fam-ily holiday in Benidorm when his heavy drinking led hotel palm Beach staff to call the authorities.Within 60 minutes of being taken to the police station the manchester man was dead and his family found him the next day with multiple bruises to his head.his partner, catherine corless, and two children do not know the cause of death.“We are devastated and want an-swers,” said corless.
get them tO JaIL!Briton who lost €200,000 in property scam pleads for fraudsters to be jailed TWO YEARS after guilty ruling
But Riddoch has, to date, received just €10,400, which only covers the court fees on the day of their sentencing. The crooks, who run a mining busi-ness near Sevilla, have not refunded any of the initial €92,000 they charged Riddoch.They had managed to pretend the estate was theirs by registering it illegally at Granada’s land register office (Catastro).Riddoch, boss of London printing company Co-lour Fast World, only realised the con after he was sued by the land’s real owner when he saw electric pylons and a generator spring up.Caught up in a legal minefield, he even ended up paying the actual owner thousands in legal fees.In total he estimates he lost €200,000, which includes €47,000 in legal fees plus what he paid in land tax, translation and traveling.“It’s about justice now and I would forgo the money just to see those two fraudsters go to jail,” Riddoch told the Olive Press this week.“On the day of the sentencing, they smiled as they left court because they said they were lucky to avoid prison. They actually went to buy lottery tickets,” he added.The couple have now given up on a life in Spain, opt-ing to purchase a second home in France instead.
holidaymaker dies in custody
eXcLusIVe By tom powell
TRAGIC: Abbott’s death
BROKEN DREAM: Riddoch (inset) bought this land off crooks in 2006
66august 6th - august 19th 2015www.theolivepress.esFEATUREwww.theolivepress.es October 28th - November 11th 20156
Tel: 951 273 575 (admin) Accounts: 658 750 424 Sales: 692 725 475or [email protected] or [email protected] campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly (130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029951 273 575Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5Calle Espinosa 1Edificio centro comercial El Duque, planta primera, 29692 San Luis de Sabinillas, ManilvaPrinted by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.Editor: Jon [email protected] [email protected]: 665 798 618
Tom Powell [email protected] [email protected]
Iona [email protected] [email protected] / Distribution / Accounts:
Maria Gonzá[email protected] Mirian Moreno [email protected]
SALES TEAM:Chris Birkett Head of Sales 652 512 956Stephen Shutes 671 834 479 Sarah Adams 655 825 683AxarquiaCharlie Bamber 661 452 180
the olive press
FREE
OpINION
The original and only English-languageinvestigative newspaper in Andalucía
THE following companies are no longer allowed to do busi-ness with the Olive Press (Luke Stewart Media SL - CIF B91664029), due to long standing debts:- MWM Investments Ltd - Petersham Coins, Marbella - Investor Spain - Simple Care - Autotunes Manilva - Hotel Embrujo, Arriate
Olive Press payments- Jaipur Purple, Estepona- Reservatauro, Ronda- Webuycarsinspain.es - Motor Trader- Best Coches
The details are being published in support of other companies that may be unaware of the problems that might be faced by providing credit facilities to the businesses and their present individual owners.
Long-lasting shadow
DeplorableJOURNALISM is not an easy career.In most cases, a journalist has A-Levels, a university de-gree, a postgraduate journalism qualification and nu-merous work experience stints under their belt before their first job.This is why the actions of Stan Israel are so deplorable, brazenly cutting and pasting from other people’s liveli-hoods.And then, when he is confronted by journalists who ac-tually find their own stories and in a professional man-ner, he fires a volley of sinister threats down the phone.We have just one question for our readers… do you think this is the way to go about running a business?
Lorca hopes resumeTHE search for Federico Garcia Lorca has captivated the public and baffled historians and archaeologists over the years. Once again, world attention will be drawn to a plot of land outside Granada as a third at-tempt in five years is launched for the murdered poet’s remains. Lorca, a homosexual intellectual with ties to the Spanish Republic, symbolised everything Franco despised. He is one of thousands of civil war victims buried in unmarked graves. This joint British, Span-ish and Argentine bid to find one of the world’s most loved literary figures could finally put an end to one of Spain’s great mysteries.
Remember what’s important A TIME of remembrance has been somewhat spoilt by the disappearance of 9,000 poppies in Estepona. And if someone has in fact lifted the goods for their own gains then it is indeed a heartless crime that should be pun-ished. However, worries and squabbles over lost flow-ers should remain a side note to what is more impor-tant. For Remembrance Sunday is about the millions of people who gave their lives so we could live in a free world today.
With the 40th anniversary of Franco’s death looming large next month, Joe Duggan uncovers 40 facts about El Caudillo
HIS death marked the pivotal mo-ment in modern Spanish history, releasing the country and its people from his horrific 39-year
dictatorship.In the years that followed Francisco Franco’s passing on November 20 1975, Spanish society underwent an astonish-ing transformation from a cruel fascist dictatorship to one of the world’s most liberal democracies.That evolution was powered by a rebirth of free thinking known as la movida which reached its zenith in Madrid.But, four decades on, Franco’s memo-ry still casts a long, dark shadow over Spain.To his supporters, El Caudillo (the Lead-
er) was Spain’s saviour from godless left-wing ideology. To his detractors he was a brute presiding over a murder-ously vindictive regime.Some 500,000 people died - not all of them on the field of battle - during the three-year Spanish Civil War, triggered when Franco led a military coup against the democratically-elected government in 1936. As many as 200,000 of those men and women were executed extra-judicially or on flimsy legal grounds. A further 20-to-30,000 were put to death on El Generalisimo’s orders in the years after.His final resting place, Valle de Los Caid-os, is now the subject of legal wrangling. Families of Republicans killed during the
Spanish Civil War are demanding their loved ones’ remains be removed from the vast mausoleum, where 33,000 bodies are buried. Republican prisoners were forced to help construct their hated enemy’s tomb.The Pacto de Olvido (Pact of Forgetting) agreed by Spain’s political parties as the fledgling democracy took shape in 1977 was an attempt to draw a line under the war’s horrors and absolve the crimes of the regime. But a new generation of Spaniards is demanding answers.Forty years on, the ghost of Franco and the atrocities he perpetrated still have the power to haunt.Spain is not, yet, a Franco-free zone.
MARIO ALEGRIA
Game planIs political spin enough to save the PP?third-quarter to higher tourism and rigid labour policies he in-troduced after he came to of-fice at the end of 2011.The Popular Party (PP) has ac-knowledged that it may lose seats in both chambers to the up-and-rising conservative grouping Ciudadanos, which is gaining strength in many parts of Spain.The only way for the PP to stay in government would be through the formation of a co-alition with Ciudadanos, but this wouldn’t guarantee that Rajoy would remain as prime minister. Ciudadanos leader Albert Ri-
vera has said that the prime minister’s office would no doubt be a bargaining chip in any partnership negotiations.On another front, the Social-ists, who lost to Rajoy after two tumultuous terms under Prime Minister José Luis Ro-dríguez Zapatero, have also seen their political fortunes rise thanks to the fears and uncertainty of radical change being offered by the left-lean-ing Podemos party.Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez has proposed altering some of the PP government’s policies while adopting similar, but less radical, ideas that Podemos is
proposing. The Social-ists are nearly n e c k -and-neck with the PP, accord-ing to recent polls.Ruling party strategists have now advised Rajoy to focus his discourse on his ‘experi-ence’ over these three politi-cal novices, and convince vot-ers that there will be a contin-uation of ‘economic stability’, as the campaign is formally set to begin.The problem with this game plan is that most Spaniards have not experienced any improvements in their house-hold finances in many years.
THE latest jobless figures may put Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s admin-
istration, which faces a tough battle on December 20 to re-tain its majority in Congress, in a positive light. Nonetheless, the numbers don’t provide any irrefut-able argument that Spain’s economy is heading for bet-ter times.The government’s statistics office reported last week that unemployment fell below the five million mark for the first time in five years. Just some 4.85 million of the active population are out of work, which puts the coun-try’s official jobless rate at 21.18%. That is still one of the highest figures in Europe.This past weekend in Alican-te, a buoyant Rajoy attribut-ed the lower numbers for the
77august 6th - august 19th 2015www.theolivepress.esFEATUREwww.theolivepress.es October 28th - November 11th 2015 7
Franco was born in 1892 in the Galician naval town of El Ferrol, the son of a naval officer, Nicolas.
His father, who Franco was not close to, deserted the family and ran off to live with his mistress in Madrid.
After failing to follow his brother, father and grandfather into the navy, Franco left for the Toledo infantry academy and
became an officer in the Spanish Army corps.
Franco was nicknamed Franquito or ‘Frankie Boy’ as he wouldn´t partici-pate in his fellow students activities.
Franco was sent to Morocco in 1912 to fight in the colonial war, where he stayed until 1926. He received a wound near
Ceuta that almost killed him in 1916 and developed a reputation for courage and brutality.
He became the youngest general in Eu-rope aged 33.
During World War Two, Franco wrote a semi-autobiographi- cal novel called Raza, using
the pseudonym Jaime de Andrade. It was later turned into a film.
A British pilot, Cecil Bebb, took off from Croydon
Airport on 11 July, 1936, to collect Franco in the Canary Islands and take him to Tetuan, Mo-rocco to start the army uprising.
Franco slept next to the severed hand of St Teresa of Avila, which was looted from Ronda by a Republican prisoner in 1937.
It was revealed in a book by Jose Maria Zavala in 2009 that Franco only had one testicle after being shot in the ab-
domen in 1916.
Franco met with Adolf Hitler in Hendaye on the French border in 1940 to discuss Spain entering World War Two (see photo left).
Although Spain remained neutral, Franco sent the Division Azul, a unit of volunteers, to fight on the eastern front for Hitler.
Salvador Puig Antich, an anarchist robber who killed a policeman, was executed in 1974, the final person to be garroted un-der Franco’s regime.
A pact of non-intervention was agreed by the world’s major powers when war broke out in 1936, but Franco enlisted the help of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mus-
solini.
When Franco died in 1975, half a million Spaniards visited his coffin as he lay in state fpr 50 hours. One mourner tripped
and fell into his grave a few hours before he was buried.
Franco made dubbing compulsory in Spanish cinema in 1941 so his censors could completely control the content of
foreign films.
The German Condor Legion’s infamous attack on the Basque market town of Gernika killed up to 400 civilians and in-
spired Pablo Picasso’s painting.
Work on Franco’s final resting place, Valle de los Caidos (below), began in 1940 and was finished in 1959. Much of it was
built by Republican prisoners.
The Spanish government’s National Heritage pays for the upkeep of the site which attracts thousands of visitors
each year and contains a Benedictine monastery.
Franco is the only person buried at Valler de los Caidos who did not die during the civil war. Falangist founder Jose Antonio
Primo de Rivera is also buried at the site.
The 152.4-metre high stone cross at Valle de los Caidos is the largest free-standing crucifix in the world.
Franco’s daughter, Maria del Carmen Franco y Polo, was arrested at Madrid’s Barajas Airport in 1978 as she tried to
smuggle millions of pesetas-worth of her fa-ther’s gold and valuables out of the country.
Franco showed his brutal methods in the Asturian miners’ uprising in 1934, when his troops killed almost 2,000
miners.
The Malaga to Almeria N340 road was the scene of a bloody slaughter in Feb-ruary 1937 when up to 5,000 fleeing
Republican refugees were killed as Fran-co’s fascist planes strafed and bombed them.
A huge statue of Franco on a horse was removed from his home town, Ferrel, in 2002.
The Socialist government passed the Historical Memory Law, in 2007 which called for Francoist monuments to be pulled down and state help given to
relatives wanting to recover loved ones buried in mass graves.
During his dictatorship, Franco banned the public use of the Basque, Catalan and Galician languages.
Around 35,000 people from 53 coun-tries came to fight for the International Brigades against Franco, including 4,000 from Britain.
Franco made Luis Carrero Blanco his Prime Minister in 1973. The admiral would have succeeded Franco, but an ETA bomb blew him up six months
later.
Franco oversaw Spain’s rapid economic development, los anos de desarrollo, which was powered by tourism. Be-
tween 1961 and 1973, Spain’s economy grew faster than any developed country apart from Japan.
Under Franco, women were banned from owning property, travelling, tak-ing employment or opening a bank
account without their husband’s permis-sion.
Divorce was prohibited and adultery was heavily punished. Franco was believed to have been faithful to his wife, Maria
del Carmen Polo y Martinez-Valdes.
On his deathbed, the 82-year-old Franco said: “I ask pardon of all my enemies, as I pardon with all my heart all those
who declared themselves my enemy, al-though I did not consider them to be so.”
Juan Carlos, who was later to become King of Spain, was a firm favourite of Franco and the dictator chose the young
prince to be the next head of state in 1969. Juan Carlos was instrumental in pathing the way for Spain’s transition to democracy after Franco’s death.
Cliff Richard was denied victory in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest when Franco´s regime fixed the contest by
offering bribes for votes, Montse Fer-nandez Villa´s 2008 documentary claimed. Spain´s Massiel won the competition with the song La, La, La.
The families of two Republican brothers buried at Valle de los Caidos have asked the courts to exhume their bodies. The
case is currently going through the courts.
Barbate in Cadiz was known as Bar-bate de Franco until 1998 because the dictator used to holiday there.
Franco was fanatical about dams, and insisted on being present at the opening of each new facility his regime built.
On Christmas Eve 1961 Franco was injured when his shotgun for hunting exploded in his left hand.
Franco attempted to open negotiations with Britain over Gibraltar, and in 1969 he closed the border to the Rock. A 1967
referendum showed 99% of Gibraltarians wanted to stay British.
25
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
36
37
39
40
38
35
www.theolivepress.es October 28th - November 11th 20158 POLITICAL NEWS
A FORMER mayor is to stand trial after accepting a luxury handbag as a bribe.Ex-leader of Bormujos, near Sevilla, Ana Hermoso (right) is accused of selling her coun-cil vote in exchange for the €2,000 Loewe handbag. The bag was allegedly given to
ANTI-corruption chiefs are demanding an investigation into yet another multi-million euro fraud case linked to the Junta de Andalucia.Fraud prosecutors have filed a case to look into irregu-
find his fortune!POLICE have raided a dozen houses and offices around Spain belonging to former Catalan leader Jordi Pujol. More than 200 officers took part in the operation, which is looking at money-laundering and tax fraud. The probe centres on the origin of a family fortune that was hidden abroad for decades as well as the business dealings of three of his sons.Pujol, 85, founded the Catalunya Convergence party and was president for 23 years.
FIFTY protesters braved the rain at a rally in sup-port of crusading judge Mercedes Alaya.The group held up plac-ards demanding justice, after Alaya was removed from the ERE corruption scandal, despite a personal appeal to stay on.The judge had worked on the estimated €2billion Junta fraud case case for four years until she was replaced last month by Judge Nunez Bolanos.
PABLO Iglesias has prom-ised to give Catalunya an independence referendum within weeks of getting into power.The Podemos leader would also give similar votes to other regions in a bid to create a ‘better democracy’ in Spain, should he get into power in December’s gen-eral election.Among a raft of policies, his party would immedi-ately introduce measures to tackle corruption as part of five major constitutional changes.The party also wants an im-provement in social rights and to break links between the legal and political sys-tems and big business.There will be re-nation-
the leaders of podemos and ciudadanos have made national tV viewing history in a head-to-head live debate.the pablo Iglesias/albert rivera face-off (above) was watched by 5.2 million - or 25.2% of the viewing figure at the time - for news programme Salvados.
Left and right unite to fighta Left-WINg spanish council has handed an ‘historic’ olive branch to its right-wing represen-tatives.the left-wing Iu, which holds four seats in cuevas de san marcos, signed an agreement with the pp’s three councillors to bring them into the govern-ment team.
all for theHandbag bribe lands mayor in the dock in political kickback scandal
her by scandal-ridden businessman Jesus Calvo before she cast her vote as a council-lor in a deal to remove an earlier mayor.Calvo is accused of money laundering, tax
fraud and influence peddling in the Gurtel case, a nation-wide investigation into kick-backs for public contracts.
paBLO’s eLectION pLeDge
Bar banter
Not the first, and surely not the last, Hermoso, who de-nies the bribe, joins a host of political figures caught out accepting gifts in return for political favours. Former mayor of Valencia Rita Barbera also faces accu-sations for accepting a luxury handbag as a bribe, while ex-Valencian president Francis-co Camps was found guilty of accepting suits totalling thou-sands to release funds. Meanwhile a raid on dis-graced Marbella councillor Juan Antonio Roca’s home in 2010 turned up a number of exotic animals and a Miro hanging in his bathroom, all accepted as bribes.
New multi-million euro Junta probe
thieves out… not the judge!
alisation of key industries, higher taxes for the rich and the introduction of subsidies to low-paid workers to boost monthly wages to €900.
“It’s great that we have rich people, but for the rich to be rich, the key is not to impov-erish the rest of the coun-try,” Iglesias said.
larities surrounding €185 million of European Union funds awarded by the Jun-ta development agency ‘Soprea’ between 2007 and 2013.A police report has so far identified 17 separate projects that it is believed wrongly received Soprea (Sociedad para la pro-mocion y reconversion economica de Andalucia) funding, via the so-called Jeremie funds.In particular, they are looking at how Soprea boss, Mariano Pobre Be-jarano, became director general of one of the com-panies to benefit, Kandor Graphics, shortly after it received €5 million in Jer-emie funds.
BagEye on
CORRUPTION
By rob horgan
9www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th
www.theolivepress.es AXARQUIA October 28th - November 11th 201510
NEWS IN BRIEF
10
home improvementsOVER 300 homes will re-ceive emergency repairs in Velez-Malaga with the Junta stumping up €268,000 for essential re-hab work.
fire starter WORK on Nerja’s fire station is four months ahead of schedule and should be completed by the end of the year.
road ruinedTHE road from Motril to Lujar has been deemed ‘too dangerous’ to drive on and has been closed due to dam-age caused by flash floods.
CALLING it sour grapes is, with-out a doubt, an understatement.But one of the Axarquia’s biggest fruit and vegetable companies has won an E-Coli battle, which nearly squeezed it into oblivion.It comes after a German court ruled that Frunet, in Algarrobo, was wrongly blamed for an out-
Brush with successA NERJA artist’s work will be displayed at a major new London exhibition.Rachid Hanbali was selected from more than 1,250 artists for the Royal Institute of Oil Painters’ annual exhibi-tion at Mall Galleries in December.Moroccan Hanbali, from Sidi Ifni, is heavily inspired by his country’s land-scape and people.
feeling the squeezeGRAPE growers are feeling the squeeze after one of the smallest harvests for 20 years. Five years of summer droughts followed by flash floods in the autumn have taken their toll on the crops, with just 4.2 million kilos of grapes harvested in the Axarquia this year - 20% lower than expected. In fact, production has steadily decreased since a record yield in 2007 when 10.31 million kilos of grapes were recorded in the region.
facebook fallout A COUNCIL spat played out over Facebook continues to rage.Nerja’s deputy mayor Jose Garcia has been forced to re-sign after badmouthing two Ciudadanos councillors over social media.Garcia was ordered to apolo-gise for saying two female councillors had ‘done nothing but protest and not collabo-rated on anything’ over the last few months.He failed to get any backing from mayor Rosa Arrabal. more than
sour grapes!Millions in compensation for fruit and veg firm wrongly accused of massive E-Coli outbreakbreak of the disease, which killed 50 and hospitalised over 4000, in 2011.The vegetable grower will be compensated €2.3 million.Spanish cucumbers were em-bargoed by supermarkets around the world during the
crisis, with estimated losses of €180 million per week.The Hamburg court ruled that the outbreak came instead from a Mexican producer of ja-lapeno peppers.Frunet sales manager Richard Soepenberg said the company was ‘happy and proud’ to have cleared its name. “Pointing the finger at a compa-ny can destroy it completely in seconds,” he said. “Fortunately we’ve managed to rebuild our company from scratch and are back at pre-cucumber crisis sales.”The World Health Organisa-tion predicts agricultural losses across Europe came to €1.18 billion.
www.theolivepress.es
By Iona Napier
11www.theolivepress.es GIBRALTAR NEWSNEWS IN BRIEF ON the Rock
October 28th - November 11th 2015
pOWer struggLeA WAR of words has broken out between Gibraltar’s main political parties over the planned £77 million power station.Chief Minister Fabian Picardo’s GSLP has published safety reports which give the green light to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) ter-minal needed supply fuel for the new North Mole power station.The recommendations from the UK’s Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) and also Lloyd’s Register have effectively signaled the start of the construction process.However, GSD party leader Daniel Feetham has criticised the government for pushing through ‘inconclusive’ reports before November’s election.They believe the LNG terminal could pose safety concerns to resi-dents, arguing that the full safety reports have not been published. The project will now progress, with a significant consulta-tion process to be conducted by Shell and HSL, involving all stakeholders and the local community.
GIBRALTAR’S general elec-tion on November 26 gives voters just one month to make their minds up.Chief Minister Fabian Picar-do revealed the date in a snap party political broadcast aired on GBC.It gives the ruling GSLP and opposition GSD, led by Daniel Feetham, four weeks to per-suade voters they should be given the chance to govern Gi-braltar for the next four years.
election countdown
cyber siegeOnline fraudsters now one of the ‘biggest threats to Gibraltar’ with over £1 million stolen this month alone
By rob horgan
IT is a transformation to rival London’s Tate Modern.And now the Gibraltar International Bank has been awarded with a Group Heritage Award for the ‘sensitive conver-
sion’ of the old Ince’s Hall into its attrac-tive head office.The tired building, last used as a night-club, has been carefully restored to retain many original features.
BEFORE AND AFTER: The attractive transformation of Ince’s Hall has been awarded
Born again
A STRING of Gibraltar busi-nesses have been stung by cyber criminals, leaving them over £1million pounds out of pocket. Police describe the problem
as ‘one of the biggest threats to Gibraltar’, after the incred-
ible sum was siphoned from up to 100 companies in the last month alone. Using a series of elaborate ‘phishing’ scams, cybercrooks are attacking vulnerable busi-nesses, with firms on the Rock currently facing a shocking 1,000 cyber-assaults daily. Most of the businesses targeted are ‘small, privately-run com-panies’, however larger compa-nies are also said to be ‘at risk’. One victim, Bruno Callaghan, of Callaghan Insurance Brokers said he was ‘horrified’ by a re-cent cyberattack. Losing £18,000 to a phishing email scam, he is now urging other companies to ‘up their defences’. “There is huge stigma attached to being duped,” Callaghan told the Olive Press last night. “But this is a problem that is only go-
ing to get worse and people can-not be ashamed if caught out. “Businesses must work togeth-er to protect themselves.”The Financial Services Com-mission (FSC) and police are now working to ‘improve se-curity systems and implement new firewalls’ into Gibraltar’s three internet service providers. “The attacks are real and we must remain vigilant,” FSC chief information officer Alan Pereira told the Olive Press. “Taking measures is now a pri-ority. It is no longer nice to have cyber security; it is essential.” Meanwhile a police spokes-man told the Olive Press that cybercrime is now ‘one of the biggest threats to Gibraltar’s economy.“This type of criminal activity is becoming increasingly so-phisticated,” he added.
October 31, Halloween SpecialA Halloween variety show organised by Ideal Productions takes place at Ince Hall from 8.30pm.Information: [email protected] or mobile 350 54026013
November 4-11, gibraltar Interna-tional art exhibition 2015taking place at gus-tavo Bacarisas gal-lery, the Balcony, casemates Barracks, casemates square between 10.30am and 18.30pm, satur-days 10.30-13.30pm. [email protected]
sunday serviceGIBRALTAR will com-memorate Remembrance Sunday (November 8) with a ceremony at the American War Memorial on Line Wall Road.
Border visitfIVe european com-mission representa-tives made a surprise inspection to the gi-braltar-spain border on tuesday October 27.
park lifeREPAIR work at Com-monwealth Park is due to finish by the end of Octo-ber with turf being relaid, according to a govern-ment spokesman.
Inquest datethe inquest into the death of a family of four in a Boschetti’s Steps flat in March has been set for 10am on December 7 at the cor-oner’s court in town range.
smoked outA BRITON driving a car concealing £7,000 worth of tobacco has been caught by customs officers.
12 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 1st - October 14th12 www.theolivepress.es the Olive press October 28th - November 11th 2015GREEN NEWS
THE men behind the ‘worst environmental di-saster’ in Europe have been acquitted of neg-ligence. The decision to acquit three Greek sailors over the 2002 Prestige tanker spill has been met
with widespread criticism. The state prosecutor is now demanding the Supreme Court overturns the Galician court’s decision. Slamming the ruling as ‘illogical, erroneous
SPANISH authorities are looking for a shredder to dispose of a rubber mountain that has been building up for 13 years.The 90,000 tonne heap composed of five million tyres is a blot on the landscape overshadowing a housing estate between Toledo and Madrid, as well as a serious fire and environmental hazard.Local authorities announced in October they are putting out a tender from January to find a com-pany to shred the tyres, which have been there since 2002.A company originally in charge of recycling them was unable to cope with the vast operation and folded in 2011.
IT’S official: the US government is set to clean up and remove the remains of a nuclear disaster that happened in Almeria 49 years ago.And all for the bargain price of €640 million.
timber tiradeSPAIN has been slammed by the European Commission for fail-ing to clampdown on illegal timber traders. Despite a 12-year programme, the EC has announced that Eu-rope is still ‘falling short’ with its efforts to stop illegal logging.Alongside Spain, Greece, Hungary and Romania have been singled out for being countries ‘of concern’.“As the chain of control is only as strong as its weakest link in the single market, illegal timber can still be imported via these four countries,” Karel Pinxten, EC auditor, said.“The EU needs to put its own house in order.”
A BLOCKAGE in a storm water culvert has been blamed for causing the landslide in Gi-braltar lastweek.Europa Road is now open again after five days work following the collapse of a retaining wall.The Rock Hotel, which owns the land in ques-tion, brought in a local civil engineering firm to work with the government’s Technical Ser-vices department.
Before the rubble can be cleared, the slope must first be regraded to make the area safe.Pedestrians will not be allowed on the road at any point until it is reopened. However, access for pedestrians will be allowed through Alam-eda Gardens from 7:30am.Traffic heading towards town can use Europa Road between 7:30am and 10:00am on Thursday and Friday, due to safety measures put in place.
happy snappersA PAIR of Andalucia snappers have been awarded at the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. Juan Tapia claimed the top gong in the ‘Im-pressions’ category for his picture of swallows entering an old storehouse in Almeria.Meanwhile, Pere Soler was recognised for his image of the algal blooms in the wetlands of Ba-hia de Cadiz Natural Park.Canadian Don Gutoski was crowned overall winner for his photo ‘A tale of two foxes’.
repsol uN pledgeSPANISH energy giant Repsol has pledged to sup-port UN climate change pledges ahead of the Paris world conference.Repsol was one of ten companies in the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative group to back the UN’s goals of tackling global warming.The 2015 United Nations Climate Change confer-ence starts on November 30 in the French capital.US president Barack Obama has also received assurances from 81 of America’s leading compa-nies to back White House initiatives for reducing emissions.
storm damageTORRENTIAL rain storms last week left the chestnut crops of the Ge-nal Valley severely de-pleted.Andalucian farmers are mourning the loss of up to 25% of their chestnut har-vest after 250 litres per square metre of water fell.
A snail’s tale NOT all snails are hell-bent on poaching raspberries from your vegetable patch.The giant African snail, which is one of the largest in the world, has bigger fish to fry.Languishing among the roots of a fallen tree at Fuengirola’s Bioparc, this 400g beast moves lightening fast (for a snail…) thanks to strong foot muscles and is herbivorous.It measures four to seven inches long with a life expectancy of up to ten years.Track the creatures down next to the pythons!
Oil at seaOutrage as Prestige tanker crew cleared in Europe’s ‘worst environmental disaster’
By rob horgan
LaNDsLIDe cLear-up
But the road will be closed completely over the weekend.Planned resurfacing works along Queensway have been postponed to avoid further traffic congestion.Technical Services staff have identified a blockage in the storm water culvert on Eu-roport Avenue as the likely cause, with the over-pumping regime unable to the exces-sive rainfall of over 22mm in less than two hours.
Let the clean-up commence!
tyre trOuBLe
MESS: Galician beach and (inset) Prestige sinking
and outrightly wrong’, pros-ecutor Luis Navajas insisted the crew are criminally re-sponsible. He is also demanding they pay €4.3 billion for the envi-ronmental damage caused by the spill. The crew are accused of act-ing negligently, resulting in 75 million litres of oil being released into the sea. The spill happenned after a storm off the coast of Galicia resulted in one of the ship’s 12 oil containers splitting. After being denied access into French and Spanish ports - due to the spill - the ship eventually split in half and sank after six days, resulting in the ecological disaster. The Supreme Court will now take one month to decide whether or not to prosecute Captain Apostolos Man-gouras, 80, and his two lieu-tenants.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo signed a Madrid agreement that the site of Palomares will be cleaned up after a plane col-lision and nuclear spill in 1966.The US agreed to remove 50,000 cubic metres of con-taminated soil and transport it by boat to Nevada (USA) where it will be stored.They will decontaminate land while ensuring the safety of the local population of around 16,000, many of whom are Brit-ish expats.
WINNERS: ‘A tale of two foxes’ and (right) Tapia’s snap
14 www.theolivepress.es
the Olive Press October 15th - October 28th 2015
GREEN NEWS
whynot
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
AF-10-1-olivepress.pdf 1 02/10/2015 13:42:30
Finca La Fuente – Barranco Blanco, Coin, CP 29199, Malaga
tel: +34 951 204 306 / +34 669 514 733
Facebook.com/thesourceofwellbeing
VISITS STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Beauty & Wellness Therapies • Day Spa’s
& Weekend Spa’s • Nutrition & Body Shaping
Mindfulness Coaching • Retreats
Hide Away with us with for one of our Day Spa offers or
holiday retreats and find your source of wellbeing.
We also have accommodations to just stay in and relax.
www.thesourceofwellbeing.com
FREEBOTTLE OF
CHAMPAGNE
on firstday spa
THE US government has fi-
nally agreed to clear up the
nuclear fall-out at the Almeri-
an coastal resort of Palomares.
Two US Air Force planes car-
rying four nuclear bombs col-
lided in 1966, killing seven
crew members.
Two bombs split apart, dis-
seminating radioactive mat-
ter over nearly three square
kilometres of Palomares.
Nearly five decades later after
what was dubbed the ‘worst
Sea clearly now
MANILVA is leading the way in
an attempt to clean up the seas.
Twenty volunteer divers will be
taking to the seas off Sabinillas
and Duquesa until the end of
the month in a bid to remove
rubbish from the seabed.
As reported in the Olive Press
last week (Deep sea crusad-
ers, Issue 223) litter and pol-
lution are depleting the world’s
oceans, with half the number of
marine species disappearing in
45 years.
Bluefin banditsA MAJOR illegal fishing network
has been broken up on the Costa
del Sol. A total of 18 people face charges
relating to marine violations af-
ter 1,800 kilos of illegally caught
bluefin tuna were seized by the
Guardia Civil in Estepona.
The fisherman are linked to al-
leged illegal activities along the
entire coast, using speed boats to
transport their catch back to their
Estepona base.
Green group’s
flood warningAN environmental group has denounced the Junta for
‘negligence’ after floods in September caused four deaths
around Granada.
Ecologistas en Accion criticised ‘totally uncontrolled’ build-
ing work of greenhouses on the coast’s crumbling hills,
which causes ‘enormous’ erosion and land movement.
The greenhouses also produce rubbish that is dragged to
the sea by heavy rains.
An Ecologistas en Accion spokesman said: “While it is not
known when the rains will fall, it is well known that events
like these are common and that the state of the land has a
lot to do with the misfortunes that have occurred.
“Should we wait until hundreds die, and the floods swallow
schools and houses?”
Green growthSALES of electric cars in Anda-
lucia were up a whopping 35% in
2015, but the number was only 84
units.So the increase in green-powered
vehicles means motorists are un-
likely to be stuck behind one in
traffic.Overall sales in Spain hit 698, up
29.02% on the same period last
year.
RhiNOTerosDON’T let the name frighten you.
Rhinoceros iguanas are only about a metre long,
and they won’t hurt you as long as you behave.
The reason for their name? A bony outgrowth on
the snout which looks like – but most certainly
isn’t – a horn.
This threatened lizard species is primarily found
in the Caribbean, with skin colours ranging from
a steely grey to a forest green.
But the Costa del Sol is in luck too, as Fuengirola
Bioparc is also home to this special creature.
At last!
America to clear up nuclear
disaster site nearly half
a century after catastrophe
nuclear accident in US his-
tory’ and years of complaints
from residents, decontamina-
tion is set to take place.
Palomares, a town of 16,000
- half of whom are British ex-
pats - was covered in nuclear
waste.
In the ensuing years, only
25% of the radioactive dam-
age has been properly dealt
with. In March, more than 45,000
people signed a change.org
petition demanding the US
clear up the mess ‘once and
for all’. The job is due to begin in the
new year.It is expected to take two
years to complete.
The US Department of En-
ergy plans to dig up affected
areas, ship them out in con-
tainers and bury them in the
Nevada desert.
Fishermen fiends
LONG TIME COMING: Clean-up operation at Palomares, Almeria
DISASTROUS: September’s floods
TWO Spanish environmental groups have denounced ille-
gal fishing crews for killing dolphins in the Bay of Algeciras.
PACMA and Verdemar have both submitted complaints
that illegal tuna fishing in the Straits of Gibraltar is leading
to the ‘unnecessary deaths
of dolphins’.
PACMA, a political party
that champions animal
rights, is leading calls for an
investigation into whether
the crimes are being com-
mitted in Spanish or Gibral-
tarian waters.
“The death of these dolphins
is done with clear malice,”
a PACMA spokesman told
the Olive Press. “The abuse
of these dolphins should
not go unpunished by any
legislation, be it Spanish or
British.”
IN ACTION: Kerry and (inset) we first broke the news last issue
13
14 la cultura October 28th - November 11th 2015
what’s on
THE last miners in Spain have been immortalised by a world-renowned French photogra-pher.Resident in Madrid since 1988, Pierre Gonnord has spent the last five years snap-ping the final generation of miners in northern Spain.
THRILLER The Invitation terrified Sitges Film Festival judges enough to win best film at this year’s event.Karyn Kasuma’s tense drama about a friends’ reunion that spins out of control picked up top gong at the 48th annual award in Catalunya.The Sitges festival’s popularity soared this year, with 76,336 tickets sold, up from 55,000 in 2014.
pLacIDO Domingo has sung out in favour of spanish unity.the multi-award-win-ning tenor and baritone stated his belief that catalunya and spain ‘need one another’.Domingo, who per-formed at the Barce-lona Olympics closing ceremony, c a n c e l l e d O c t o b e r c o n c e r t s after being a d m i t t e d to hospital with gall-b l a d d e r inflamma-tion.But the conductor and opera star has given voice to his cher-ished credo, stating: “my grandfather and my father were from Barcelona. I was born in madrid. I consider myself spanish and I am very proud of ma-drid, my city, and Bar-celona, where I lived for so long.” “catalunya needs spain and spain needs cata-lunya,” insisted.
Words worth singing SPAIN’S long wait for a vo-cal national anthem may be drawing to an end. A Madrid composer has writ-ten lyrics to accompany the military march which has served as the country’s an-them for 250 years. Bereft of words to belt out since Franco’s regime, Span-iards have had to put up with a lyricless anthem for 40 years. But that might be about to change. Victor Lago, 43, has launched a campaign to collect 500,000 signatures needed to present to the law-makers. “I think we deserve, at long last, to have a decent anthem that can be sung with pride by everyone the length and breadth of our land,” said Lago.
the eND Of aN era
Photographer captures Spain’s last miners as 40,000 workers prepare for unemploymentThe pits will close in 2018 af-ter centuries, marking what Gonnord views as ‘the disap-
pearing of a community inte-gral to Spain’. “Coal is on the way out of Eu-rope, and it is dying a slow and ugly death,” he said. “When the pits close it will mark the end of an important part of Spain’s culture and history.”
ProtestsPhotographing workers in the mines of Carbonar, Monsacro, Pozo Santiago, Maria Luisa, Candin, Nicolasa, Tineo, Cer-redo and Villablino, since 2009 Gonnord has built up a emotive portfolio.The end of the mining indus-try means 40,000 workers who will lose their jobs when the axe falls.The closures have been met with fierce opposition coun-trywide, with more than 10,000 protesters marching on Madrid in 2009, and sit-ins, roadblocks and other pro-tests staged to no avail over the past five years.
a tenor for unity
sitges scene-stealer
INVITATION: Wins best film award
COAL FACED MINERS: Days are numbered
OLIVE PRESS – 105mm x 256mm – Colour 28th October
Marbella 952 863 332 Avda. Ricardo Soriano 12Fuengirola 952 467 837 Avda. Ramón y Cajal 6
Request a FREE eye test online at specsavers.es or by calling your local store
Cannot be used with other offers. Second pair from the same price range or below and to the same prescription. 1.5 scratch-resistant single vision lenses included in the offer. You can pay an extra 69€ and get both pairs with standard varifocals lenses or 59€ for standard bi-focal lenses. Other lenses and Extra Options available at an additional charge on both pairs. Offer does not include non-prescription sunglasses. Eye test usually 15€. Ends 6 December 2015. ©2015 Specsavers. All rights reserved.
For a limited time only, Specsavers is offering a second pair of glasses when you purchase from the 59€ to 159€ ranges. That’s 2 pairs of complete glasses, with PENTAX standard single vision lenses and scratch resistant coating on both pairs.
2 FOR 1 glasses2 complete glasses from 89€
heritage heroesA BARBARY macaque expert and the authors of a series of historical fiction novels have won individual Gibraltar Her-itage Trust awards.Primatologist Brian Gomila, who educates and entertains through his Monkey Talk out-ings, described the prize as ‘an honour’.Dr Sam Benady and Mary Chi-appe were equally commend-ed for bringing 18th century Gibraltar vividly to life in the Bresciano Mysteries.
Malaga, until No-vember 20
Photographic exhibition charting history of the Spanish photographic portrait from its origin until first half of the twen-tieth century at Centro Cultural Provincial. Tel: 952 13 39 50
Puerto Banus, Oc-tober 29, 30, 31
and November 1Michael Jackson fans can moonwalk to Teatro Goya for this homage star-ring Francisco Jackson, Spain’s King Of Pop trib-ute act. Tel@ 952 81 79 43 [email protected]
Fuengirola, Octo-ber 30,
The Casa de Cultura hosts this concert by the Kare-lia Trio with violin, piano and cello from 20.30. Tel: 635795955
la cultura 15
TRAMPS use them to keep warm and all the best-dressed fish and chips are wrapped in them, it’s true. But who would have thought old newspapers could play a role in the glamorous world of fashion photography?Not any old rag of course. The Ol-ive Press is always at the cutting edge of the Spanish news so why not as the backdrop for a fashion photoshoot? You can ‘read all about it’ in Soci-ety magazine, where dance teach-er-cum-model Isla Rose Forgeron shows off the latest looks from the Elle Morgan Boutique in Laguna Village. Posing in a number of racy out-fits in front of our column inches, the Puerto Banus-based beauty from Target Models caused as much of a sensation as our own splash headlines on distribution day. “The photoshoot was lots of fun,” a Target Models spokesman told The Olive Press. “The outfits were chosen as part of October’s ‘funky street chic’ collection and so we had to make the setting fit. “Using the newspapers and graffiti certainly achieved that.”
hold the front page!the Olive press makes fashion headlines that give new meaning to the ‘rag trade’
FUNKY CHIC: With OP
la cultura16
DID Spain arrive late to the Hal-loween party?Whether you see it as an op-portunity to dress up as a sexy
nurse, to honour the dead or the chance to bag some free sweets, the October festival is growing in popularity.And unlike the commercial hype in the USA (with all respect to our beloved Princeton interns and American read-ership) Spain approaches Halloween with a more low-key, family-oriented take.Legend has it that the northern Span-iards with their Celtic roots sip the an-cient drink queimadas – local fire wa-
Galicia’s magical brewMAKE your very own Spanish drink as they do in northern Spain to keep the ghoulies away.The making of this Galician spe-ciality is a spectacle, often con-ducted outside in public in a large cauldron.
MoonshineUnground coffeeSugarLemon rind or orange peel DirectionsPour spirit and ingredients in large earthenware pot and set alight while stirringRecite a spell (esconxuro), conjur-ing up witches, demons, spirits and owlsConsume (from a pumpkin) once the flames have burnt outIdeal: accompanied with bagpipes or by the firesideThe Fiesta de la Queimada hap-pens in A Coruna in last weekend of August
Trick or tradition? ter infused with herbs and set aflame – around a log fire.But others insist that the most vibrant celebrations will be found in the areas with the most expats such as Andalu-cia and Barcelona.“Halloween is really big here on the Costa del Sol simply because of the
numbers of foreigners bringing their own celebrations to the table,” said mother-of-two Mirian Moreno.“Last year my daughters dressed up for school (right) and occasionally we trick-or-treat but there’s less hype here in Spain than, say, London.”It has been described by natives as ‘a fes-tival for the very old and the very young’.While kids compete to see who can ex-hibit the most fake blood, the elderly can be found commemorating the dead by the grave.And what about the age abyss in the middle?Student towns and cities go in for Hal-
loween club nights and fancy dress parties, and in rural areas kids and teen-agers can be found doorstepping local bars and cafes in search of loot.Historically, Halloween in Spain is a three-day celebration collectively known as All Souls kicking off on October 31.The day of the witches (October 31), All saints day (November 1), and Day of the dead (November 2).Far from a nationwide commercial moneymaker, the Spanish take the commemoration of their dead ex-tremely seriously.All Saints Day is a public holiday and many families gather at the grave of their deceased relatives with holy water, flowers, food and drink to cel-ebrate the lives of their ancestors.Graveyards and cemeteries come alive with flowers, and the religious significance for this Catholic country is undeniable.The opportunity should not be missed to see play Don Juan Tenorio – it is an-nually performed on all saints day and is regarded as the most romantic ver-sion of the mythical Don Juan.
Halloween in Spain is one part religious fervour to two parts riotous fun, writes Iona Napier
FURTHER AFIELDIN Galicia, October 31 is called Night of the Pumpkins, and sees pumpkin carv-ing, fancy dress, bonfires and rituals.A colourful food festival can be found in Catalunya.La Castanyada is an All Saints Day fes-tival in Barcelona serving up autumnal delicacies such as chestnuts, sweet po-tatoes, sweet wine, panellets (marzipan and almond Catalan cakes).The tiny village of Sant Feliu Sasserra in Catalunya, holds a two day witch festival.The 23 women sentenced to death for witch-craft during the inquisition are remembered in a parade known as Fira de les Bruixes.
FOR five years, Malaga held a ‘Zombie walk’ where spookily dressed characters paraded the streets. The tradition was discontinued after 2012 but Halloween parties and festivals are gearing up around the city – from a Michael Jackson tribute in Puerto Banus to an electronic rave in San Luis Poligono… the city is set to buzz.
MALAGA MERRIMENT
October 28th - November 11th 2015
18 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th1818 LETTERS
Letters should be emailed to [email protected]. the writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor.
www.theolivepress.es
POTTED POINTERSaNDaLucIa reserVOIrLeVeLs
This week: 55.01%Same week last year: 63.95%Same week in 2005: 49.79%
aIrpOrtsGibraltar -00350 22073026Granada-Jaen -958 245 200Jerez - 956 150 000Malaga - 952 048 844**For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000
EMERGENCIESPolice 091Guardia Civil 062Medical service 061Fire 080
eurO eXchaNge rates 1 euro is worth1.11American dollars0.72 British pounds1.46 Canadian dollars7.46 Danish kroner8.57 H Kong dollars9.22 Norwegian kroner1.59 Singapore dollars
What’s hOt ON the WeB
fOLLOW us ON tWItter @OLIVepress Or ON faceBOOK at WWW.faceBOOK.cOm/OLIVepressNeWspaper
WHAT I find mysterious is the amount of vet practices in Spain. The Spanish love animals and yet we see time and time again animals be-ing treated badly in this country. Dogs on tiny balconies in the sun, birds in tiny, tiny cages left on balconies, kick-ing horses and donkeys, and poisoning cats. Throwing dogs and cats in the bins, dragging dogs behind cars, hanging unwanted working dogs, and that’s before all the fiestas and animal kill-ing and abuse. The list goes on. Change needs to come!
Jane Savage, Fuengirola
costa crash I WAS in the SmartCar that was hit by a van on the wrong side of the road last weekend (Car crash chaos, Issue 224). To its credit, the Noddy-esque car was remarkably resilient. The bumbling driver going too fast on a mountain pass in the icy drizzle could have left me with far more than a bruised hip and a sore neck. The driver himself was not totally responsible as poor drainage and low-grip sur-faces sent him aquaplaning onto our bonnet. I am quite sure that were it not for the road barrier he would have plummeted into the ravine… taking us with him.
Edwina Noyd, Estepona
spanish schoolsTHE Spanish school day is one hour and 15 minutes lon-ger each day than the British school day. That’s almost two lessons of 40 minutes each a day more and it’s no won-der my 16-year-old daugh-ter’s maths is so much more advanced than the equiva-lent level in England (Span-ish school holidays are too long, Online). While noting the longer holidays in Spain, she starts (state) school in Spain at 8am and finishes at 2.45pm, with no break for lunch, which she takes when she comes home. So altogeth-er that is six hours 45 minutes of school per day. Her cousin goes to a non-private school
in England which starts at 9am and finishes at 3.30pm, with an hour for lunch, which is five hours and 30 minutes.
Jane Quinn, Benalmadena
UBER fightI’M going to say this for the first time – well done the PP! UBER is another Amer-ican company that only cares about making money and not about paying tax (Three hundred taxis ‘from Spain’ rally against Uber in Brussels, Online). Also well done to these Span-ish taxi drivers. Everyone complains about taxi fares, but how many want to do this job, especially those
days when late at night so many drivers are attacked. It’s not a healthy job being very sedentary. Just whose interests are Brussels and Strasbourg looking after? Certainly not the ordinary working stiff.
Stuart Crawford, Sabinillas
tV timesI’VE just came back from Gran Canaria and went to Wortens electrical store in a shopping centre just outside the airport. After spending €1,200 in there, I got my new TV home and realised the LCD screen had broken. So I phoned Worten, but the people there were so rude and no help whatsoever. I took it back to the shop, which was an hour away, to be told by the manager that he thought I’d broken it and that they can’t do anything for me. Basically throw your money down the drain. Does anybody know what I could possibly do to get an exchange?
Andy Harborne, Mijas
Winter woesMANY expats are not as wealthy as you would imag-ine. I did not come over here until I was 70. While in England I paid all my taxes. I also saved the government a lot of money by caring for my mother-in-law and
then my husband’s elderly aunt. Me and many other women saved the govern-ment millions by not having any children. I now get 70 pounds per week pension. Fortunately my husband gets considerably more. We came to Spain for our health and because it is far cheaper to live out here. I believe that I and many more ex-pats have saved the British government millions and if they paid us the winter fuel allowance until the day we die they will still be left ow-ing us millions.
Margaret Hickney, Estepona
Basket caseI FOUND Belinda Beckett’s column (Off my Trolley!, is-sue 223) very funny. My wife has half banned me from shopping with her in Mor-risons, but seems content to drag me around Mercadona. She even lets me select stuff now and again. You’re right about ripeness selection….many a yellowing broccoli has had to be eaten on the day because I didn’t notice. Having said that, the exotic stuff she buys ends up in the bin as it’s gone off. And how many toothpastes can you have even if they are three for two or half price. I’d have to clean them five times a day for life to get rid of our current supply.
John Peters, Malaga
IT’S quite sim-ple. If there is any suspicion that an animal is being mis-treated - as obviously poor Horro is (In the Doghouse, issue 223) - the Police or an appropriate authority should have the power to immedi-ately take the animal from the owner and place it in an approved sanctuary until a court order is obtained. If found guilty, in my opinion the owner should be named, shamed and punished... pref-erably by methods used in Saudi Arabia.
Carolyn Lloyd, Cadiz
horro tail
October 28th - November 11th 2015
A Merry British ChristmasOrder your British Christmas favourites,
delivered to your door
USE CODE
BCSOPXMAS201510% OFF
Your firstorder* *Valid until 31/12/15
Find us on
www.britishcornershop.co.uk+44 (0)1454 22 88 70
Order online 24/7 or call
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks (October 12th - October 26th)
uNIque VIsItOrs:54,875 - pageVIeWs: 224,201 - BOuNce rate: 1.12%
1) costa del sol on weather alert with dropping temperatures and more rain (4,438 pageviews)
2) gangsters’ paradise: a look at the key figures past and present of the costa del crime (3,644)
3) gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi-final of Spanish TV talent
show (3,067)
4) Landmark victory for expats under new spanish property law (2,472)
5) ryanair launches seven new mal-aga flight paths for summer 2016 (2,158)
tIcKet taLK Caminito Mafia MOST people know the Malaga authorities have sold out of tickets to the Cami-nito del Rey. But how many are aware that you can only buy tickets if you book a table at one of the restaurants or hotels in the area? I am completely against this manner of selling - tickets should be sold to individuals rather than corpora-tions and companies. Not only does it force people to consume in a local hotel or restaurant, but tourists have to jump through the same hoops. What if I want to go with my backpack and tupperware? All entrances are sold out because the restaurants and hotels in the area have bought them. Bravo for the Malaga mafia! Absolutely outrageous.
Kokomodo Modokoko, Ardales
What’s the problem?I HAVE heard people moaning about local restaurants offering Caminito del Rey tickets as part of a dining package. But so what? The best part of having a world-famous attraction is the boost it brings to the local area. There are some won-derful restaurants and hotels near El Chorro and it is a great idea to sell tickets through them, meaning that everyone wins.
Rowan Liburd,Marbella
19www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th 19
Vol. 9 Issue 225 www.theolivepress.es October 28th - November 11th 2015
errania de RondaAll aboutS
SPONSORED BY
Renowned for its plunging gorge and recently voted in the world’s top 100 travel destinations, romantic Ronda is enough to
make a girl giddy, writes Iona Napier
ADRENALIN surges through my veins as I edge my feet over the ledge in pursuit of the most original shot of Ronda’s iconic gorge.One of Spain’s most photographed sites, wrought iron rail-
ings are the only barrier between me and the River Tajo almost 400 feet below.It is 15 years since my last visit, and while I may be a foot taller and, hopefully, a little wiser, my vertigo certainly hasn’t improved since then.Looking down, alongside hundreds of other tourists, it is what ce-lebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli once described as the ‘cono moment’... the second you see that amazing chasm and the sheer CHAIRMAN JULIO: Ronda’s olde worlde charm couldn’t be better personified than by chairmaker Julio Sanz. Alongside one of his
oldest friends, he sits on a wall in the old town, as he has done for decades, weaving his raffia magic
Calle Nueva 10, 29400 Ronda, España Tel +34 952 879 200
RESTAURANTE PUERTA GRANDE
A trip back in
time
PH
OT
OS
BY
JO
N C
LA
RK
E
19
Continues Page 20
errania de RondaAll about S
beauty of the backdrop towards distant soaring mountains.I was just nine when my father decided to tour Spain on his faithful BMW motorbike, while the rest of the family trailed alongside him in a clapped-out burgundy hatchback (without air-con in high summer!)An incredible three week jour-ney across the whole of Spain, of all the countless towns we visited, Ronda is the one that is most etched in my memory.Today, although memories of museum visits and plates of paella elude me, the famous Tajo’s plunging depths incite an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.I recall my mother’s horror as I threw my head over the wall to gaze down until I got a blood rush, coming back up red-faced and giddy for air.Fast-forward to 2015 and I’m back to capture the ramshack-le white houses, church spires
and historic walls and towers.Ronda is basking in the glory of its latest accolade: travel site Trivago classed it in the world’s top 100 destinations (at num-ber 82 and one of just four Spanish cities).Andalucia’s third most visited
YOU’RE GORGE-OUS
20
place, in 2014, 300,000 over-night visitors registered at the tourist office, while there are millions of day trippers every year.Targeted by history lovers, na-ture lovers and lovers in gener-al, there is a romantic, fairy tale element to ‘the city of dreams’
that even cast writer Ernest Hemingway and actor Orson Welles under its spell.And while the most memorable chapter of Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls recalls the horror of Franco’s victims being hurled over the ravine to their death - related to actual events during the Spanish Civil War - much of Hemingway’s work is a love letter to the town.The American literary giant vis-ited on many occasions and fa-mously wrote in his 1932 nov-el, Death in the Afternoon: “It is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or if you ever bolt with anyone.“The entire town and as far as you can see in any direction is romantic background.”Certainly BBC TV presenter Nick Knowles and his wife Jes-sica, who live in Sotogrande, agree having spent a romantic weekend here in June.“It really feels like you’re on top of the world and the views are amazing,” Jessica told me.
From Page 19
TRANQUIL: Ocho canos fountain and Felipe V arch
PICTURESQUE: The streets of Ronda’s old town
They join a long list of celebri-ties who have holidayed here – Prime Minister David Cameron, US first lady Michelle Obama and a whole library of literary figures including James Joyce and German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.Bill Gates came on a secret vis-it last year, while Madonna in-famously shot her music video, Take a Bow, in Ronda bullring on a windy, wet November day in 1994.Perhaps Ronda’s allure is down to the pride the locals have for their town, which bubbles over into a universally warm welcome.Restaurateurs beckon in din-ers and drinkers with joie de vivre, a spirit I catch from meeting Spain’s (officially) best pizza chef, Flavio, of Ital-ian restaurant La Vitta e Bella.From Calle Nuevo’s good-value eateries to those off the beat-en tourist circuit (Casa Mateos’ chorizo in Jerez wine is amaz-ing), creative cuisine is waiting to be discovered around every romantic corner. At the tourist infor-mation centre, Isabel Melgar and Eva Ro-man will help you find the b e s t r e s t a u -r a n t s , not to ment ion just about everything else.They tap into 30 years of experi-ence between them to present me with a fan of bro-chures and map out a tailor-made walking tour, finished off with live Flamenco.Wending my way over Puente Nuevo (200 years old and any-thing but new) and taking a
sharp right I discover El Morabito just as
the heavens open. This stately fam-ily home-cum-r e s t a u r a n t provides a roaring log fire welcome and a parapet view-ing point over
the gorge sever-ing the old Moor-
ish citadel from the ‘new’ town, built by the
Romans and remodelled by the Christians in 1485.Charming Juan serves us gob-lets of Rioja and the best lem-on meringue pie I have ever tasted as we shelter from the elements.“It may be quiet and not very exciting for young people here
Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)“It is here, in Ronda, in the delicate penumbra of blind-ness, a concave silence of patios, leisure of the jasmine and the light sound of water, which summoned up memo-ries of deserts.”
21
but I have spent time in Austra-lia and Ronda is still the place that I want to be,” he explains.If cosying up by the fireside isn’t your style, there are some 30 museums, galleries and churches to explore – 15th century Santa Maria church is my favourite – and no one goes home without doing a circuit of the bullring. Spain’s oldest (230 this year), it is a stunning classical build-ing well worth a visit, with some fabulous Goya etchings in a side building.Outside there is a statue of local lad Pedro Romero (born 1754) who is dubbed the ‘fa-ther of the corrida’ for introduc-ing bullfighting on foot and the matador’s balletic style.He killed over 5,000 bulls and passed his skills down the line, with the Romero family provid-ing Spain with over three gen-erations of bullfighters.September’s annual Goyesca bullfight in 18th century cos-tume pays trib-ute to Romero and Goya’s mat-ador paintings and is famous the world over. In 2009, Armani designed one of the matador’s outfits.If you prefer your nature less ‘red in tooth and claw’, Ronda is encircled by three natu-ral parks – the Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra de Grazalema and the Alcornocales, so a hike,
a horse ride or a 4x4 romp are an excellent option.The A-397 from San Pedro snakes through rugged ‘cow-boy country’ to the vertiginous mountain town which pierces
the clouds at 750 metres above sea level – giddy limits that have been inspirational to so many.Sipping cof-fee in the main Plaza
del Socorro, it’s not difficult to imagine Hemingway scribbling in the shadows of a backstreet café.His legacy remains in a street running round the back of the Parador Hotel - the Paseo de Hemingway. He will be further
immortalised with a bullring statue, alongside one of Orson Welles whose ashes are scat-tered on the nearby farm of his bullfighting buddy, Antonio Ordoñez.Since Hemingway celebrated his own final birthday in Ronda in 1960, the town has seen massive growth. Its wine indus-try is a case in point.From just two bodegas 15 years ago, there are now 23 and one of Spain’s 18 wine routes takes in Ronda.Hemingway, who frequently overindulged in the local grape himself, would have approved. ‘Wine is a grand thing. It makes you forget all the bad’, he wrote in A Farewell to Arms.But even Hemingway needed no vino-tinted spectacles to see the romance of Ronda.
TrailblazersThe word on the street from some of Ronda’s famous visitors…
American author Orson Welles (1915-1985)“A man is not from where he is born, but where he choos-es to die.”
Syrian prince Abu’l-Fida (1273-1331)“Elegant and lofty city in which the clouds serve as a turban and its towers as a sword belt”
German poet Rainer Ma-ria Rilke (1875-1926)“The spectacle of this city, sitting on the bulk of two rocks rent asunder by a pickaxe and separated by the narrow, deep gorge of the river, corresponds very well to the image of that city revealed in dreams.”
Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941)“Ronda with the old windows of the houses, the eyes which spy out hidden behind the latticework so that their lover might kiss the iron bars.”
Sipping coffee in Plaza del Socorro,
it’s easy to imagine Hemingway scrib-
bling in the shadows
TIMELESS: Pensioners rest in a typical square, while (above) a former mosque
CLASSICAL : Ronda town hall and (top) torero Fran Rivera
HISTORIC: Old tower and (left) Iona with sister
October 28th - November 11th 2015
PH
OT
OS
BY
JO
N C
LA
RK
E
22 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th
112323
4 - BENAOJAN AND MONTAJAQUEIf it is wonderful mountain scenery you are after and villages famous for their bandits then this pair are worth a visit. Montajaque has a cave with the oldest cave paintings in Spain, while Benaojan is the centre of the ham and sausage industry. There is a fabulous walk from Benaojan Estacion down the river to Jimera de Libar, from where you can get the train back. At each end is a great lunch spot, with Molino del Santo the obvious pick.
5- RONDA LA VIEJA (ACINIPO)
A 15-minute drive from Ronda at the top of one of the highest hills in the area the Roman’s built their ancient city. It still has much evidence of their skills with a large part of its amphitheatre intact and a lot more to look at, not to mention the views. The visitor centre is only open for the morning, but one can always climb up to the amphitheatre out of hours.
2- JUZCARWhile Griffon vultures and crag martins dominate the sky-line in the Genal valley south of Ronda, there is another rather different species enticing tourists in - Smurfs.Juzcar is in many ways the same as other beautiful pueblos in the region with its quaint smattering of houses perched on the side of a mountain, surrounded by lush forest. Ex-cept for one major difference - it isn’t white - it’s bright blue.In 2011 the tiny village was painted ‘Smurf blue’ by Sony Pictures to publicise the release of the new Smurfs movie.Although initially intended as a temporary change, Juzcar’s transformation into a blue village increased tourism to such an extent that residents declined to change it back.
1 - GRAZALEMA AND ZAHARA
Zahara and Grazalema (pictured right) are two of the most evocative towns around Ronda. Both set in spectacular scenery and with some lovely sites, Zahara has a towering castle above it and a great restaurant Al Lago, while Grazalema (a beautifully conserved gem) was once the centre of the wool industry and you can still buy delightful rugs and bedspreads.
Mountains of funRonda is surrounded by two national parks, the Sierra de las Nieves to the East and the Sierra de Grazalema to
the West. Both are full of wonderful walks and pretty towns. Here are a few suggestions for excursions out of Ronda
3- SETENIL DE LAS BODEGASOnly 20 minutes drive away, the historic Roman town of Setenil is a real eye opener and amazing for photography. Nestled in the rolling landscape north of Ronda, it was built on a series of caves, which served to keep the wines of the Romans cool in summer, hence its name. It is best to leave your car outside the town, wander up to the old fortress before heading down to the famous overhanging cave (left) for a fine tapas lunch.
PROPERTY in Ronda is on the up again! And following the much awaited - and applauded - de-cision to stop work at the con-troversial Los Merinos site, the value of legal property is now heading in the right direction. As Villas and Fincas boss Oscar Ernstsen (Above) explains, ‘prop-erty in Ronda and nearby areas is now highly sought after’. “We are now looking to expand our portfolio in Ronda,” he adds. “We are looking at every-thing from fincas to farms.“Following the Los Merinos rul-ing, having a legal country prop-erty is all of a sudden priceless.”Villas and Fincas already has a number of listings in the Ronda area including the exclusive La Melonera estate where proper-ties are worth around €5 million. The company - which is expand-
From fincas to farms
errania de RondaAll about S October 28th - November 11th 2015
Ronda Properties’ ideal homes RONDA Properties is the creation of its owners
Thorwald Bodensiek and Irene Cox-Ortiz, a husband and wife team previously based in the U.K.The Real Estate Agency was established in 2006 and specialises in inland property with an extensive portfolio of white village and country houses, equestrian fincas, vineyards, Spanish Cortijos, lifestyle and character prop-erties, renovation projects and large farmhouses.A forward thinking, contem-porary Estate Agency, Ronda
ing into Sevilla in the next few months - also has plans to de-velop its agricultural arm. Tapping into the growing Arab and Asian markets, Villas and Fincas has seen an increased demand not just for country homes but for country lifestyles. “The agricultural market is a very exciting one for us,” Os-car says. “Everything from a small farm for personal use to 500 hectare farms to be used as businesses are becoming more and more popular.”
For more information vis-itwww.villasfincas.com or call 952 89 51 39
Properties takes pride in its personal service and profes-sional practice with a track record of successful sales. Its portfolio of clients include ex-pats, Spanish, Scandinavians, central Europeans and over-seas investors.The natural setting of Ronda is quite stunning surrounded by the majestic mountain ranges of the Sierra de Grazalema, Sierra de Las Nieves and the beautiful Genal Valley. It ben-efits from clean air, a quiet and
traditional environment and of-fers a good standard of living with easy access to the Costa del Sol, main cities and Interna-tional AirportsWhether you are looking for a small village house, finca or a large country estate Thorwald and Irene offer an extensive knowledge of the local area and property market, and aim to meet your wishes on both a personal and a professional level.Their aim is to make buying a
property in rural Andalucia a pleasant experience and to help you find the right proper-ty at the right price. The web site features only a selection of the properties listed in our portfolio and it has a wide range of inland properties that could suit your criteria.Spanish, English and French are spoken.
Contact: 952 18 7313Email: [email protected]
Website: www.rondaprop-erties.com
THE recession has been as deep in Ronda as any-where else in Andalucia, but that hasn’t stopped one expat from succeeding.Dawn Hutchinson, 34, took a risk in relocating to Ron-da in 2007 to set up her online marketing business ArayoWeb.But her gamble has paid off in style, with ArayoWeb now one of the major English-speaking web agencies in the whole of Spain. “Our expertise in online marketing and SEO is well proven with a first place position (position 1, page 1) in Google globally for the English keyphrase ‘web design Spain’,” ex-
plains Dawn, originally from the UK.“Our client base is contin-ually expand-ing, not just nationally, but also into the rest of Europe including the UK, Belgium and Holland.“We’ve also
just taken on a contract to create the platform for what will be the next biggest multi-listing real estate portal in Canada and the US.”National newspaper La Razon has not overlooked ArayoWeb’s success, interviewing Dawn on the topic of Business Excellence in E-commerce and online marketing after she was shortlisted for an award.But she still has time for the local market, recently taking on a local Ronda based client who owns the Toy Planet franchise in the town. Not forgetting the Costa del Sol too, which brings in lots of business from Eng-lish companies.The ArayoWeb team continues to expand, with a new Sweden-based programmer now on board as well as the first Rondenan, who fought off 200 applicants to get the job.
Dawn of the web
errania de RondaAll about S
ONE thing to look out for in the Ronda area are baskets woven out of esparto grass that grows in the area. Once the main source of in-come for many families in the Sierra de las Nieves, sadly esparto prod-ucts are now a dying trade.In Igualeja however you can visit a womens’ cooperative that aims to keep the tradition alive as well as forming jobs for locals.
What to buy: an esparto bag
A THIRD weetabix is a must if you’re planning to cycle to Ronda from base camp San Pedro
de Alcantara. The 48 km ascent to this moun-tain eyrie is a tour de force on a Tour de France scale but ‘vale la pena’, as they say here in Spain. And with my cyclist’s antennae twitching over tales of Roman amphitheatres, gorge dwellings and underground cave systems hidden around Ronda, I wasn’t going to sit and spin the wheels on my 18-gear Rocinante. Those embarking on the climb are offered spectacular views. Pedal past Los Arqueros Golf Club’s gilded gates and Zag-aleta, home to the rich and famous. To your right, La Con-cha’s awe-inspiring peak points the way. The A374 twists past thick
Joe Duggan takes a ride into the mountains to meet a Tour de France legend
ON YOUR BIkE!green canopies of fir trees car-peting the landscape. A ‘Welcome to the Serrania de Ronda’ sign greets me 22km up, as do warning signs for snow. I push on through and take a detour to Parauta, one of Andalucia’s famed white vil-lages, guarding the gateway to the majestic Sierra de las Nieves.A thin ribbon of road leads to this tiny village in the valley, built around the 16th century Iglesia de la Inmaculada Con-cepcion, cobbled streets and steaming chestnut braziers adding to its charms. It’s a sharp climb back to the main road, but this is the home straight. The fading sunlight deepens the landscape’s burnt ochres and vivid emeralds as I power on to Ronda, serenaded by the gentle toll of cow bells. Ronda’s old town bustles with
ing his skills in his hilly home-land. He opened his bike shop on Plaza del Ahorro 22 years ago but he loves to recall the glory days. “It was like a dream. I was 23 years old; a year before I was cycling in competitions, and suddenly I was cycling in the Tour de France with my idols; Miguel Indurain, Greg LeMond. It was an incredible experi-ence,” he says.“This region’s unique climate certainly helped me become a good cyclist.” Not even the angels are stirring as I leave heavenly Ronda next day at first light. I cycle towards Arriate, the countryside’s gold and green parading its Satur-day morning best. Arriate’s emigrant monument recalls leaner times, but the town, which has grown in re-cent years to 4,000 residents, is now home to quality shops. Its train station, built on one of Europe’s steepest track gradi-ents, is part of Mr Henderson’s Railway, the 1890 brainchild of British engineer John Morri-son and financier Sir Alexander Henderson. It’s a punchy climb from here to Setenil de las Bodegas, bur-rowed into a gorge carved out by the River Trejo, its houses embedded into the rock like Hobbit homes. After refuelling with café con leche and a thick slab of pan con tomate on Calle de las Cue-vas, the sinuous climb out of Setenil gives way to a flat road
24
Friday evening revellers, but I can’t linger for too long over El Tajo’s swooping splen-dour. I’m meeting a man who knows a thing or two about cycling. Jesus Rosado is a born-and-bred Ronda cycling leg-end who battled his way to Paris in the 1990 Tour de France after hon-
PEDAL TO THE METAL: Joe on way to Parauta, and (right) Tour de France local hero Jesus Rosado
ACINIPO: Roman ampitheatre
1125
ONE thing to look out for in the Ronda area are baskets woven out of esparto grass that grows in the area. Once the main source of in-come for many families in the Sierra de las Nieves, sadly esparto prod-ucts are now a dying trade.In Igualeja however you can visit a womens’ cooperative that aims to keep the tradition alive as well as forming jobs for locals.
What to buy: an esparto bag
Joe Duggan takes a ride into the mountains to meet a Tour de France legend
ON YOUR BIkE!
lined with olive trees leading to the Roman ruins of Acinipo. The 2,000-capacity Roman amphitheatre, completed cir-ca 200 AD, crowns the escarp-ment, offering stunning views. From here, black asphalt, un-troubled by the rumble of cars, cuts through golden sunflower fields as craggy mountain peaks serrate the horizon. It’s a stunning section of the ride.
MeandersDisaster strikes as my lower gears malfunction. But help is close to hand and the three bells of the Iglesia de la Virgen del Carmen ring me into Mon-tecorto, where the 450 inhab-itants are also gearing up for their first Independence Day celebrations. Bougainvillea climbs white-washed walls and a fresh mountain spring meanders through the village. A khaki-fa-
tigued hunter, rifle slung over shoulder, strides past. Also here to greet me is Claire Higgins, who has run Andalu-cian Cycling Experience with her husband Ashley for 10 years. The company organ-ises cycling holidays and ac-commodation around Ronda. Not only has Ashley mapped my route but Claire attends to my bike’s gear issues (finding a mechanic is like divining wa-ter in a desert to the stranded cyclist). “We fell in love with Ronda,” says Claire. “It’s got good mountain-biking, there are flat rides for families and some re-ally big climbs for those who want to test themselves.” As I say goodbye, the clouds burst (October and November are Ronda’s wettest months). I seek sanctuary in a nearby restaurant before braving the
elements and the steep climb towards southern Europe’s oldest subterranean cave sys-tem, the spectacular Cueva del Gato. Its waterfall and natural pool make a refreshing stop for the summer cyclist. And it’s not all downhill from here. If you’re feeling a little saddle sore, head to Benao-jan-Montejaque station where a train will speed you and your bike back to Ronda for a well-earned beer.
25
PEDAL TO THE METAL: Joe on way to Parauta, and (right) Tour de France local hero Jesus Rosado
October 28th - November 11th 2015
DREAM RIDE: Ronda circuit takes in the stunning Arriate valley on route
to Setenil and Roman Acinipo
errania de RondaAll about S26
AT Hotel Arriadh you leave your worries at the door and relax among the breathtaking views of the Serrania de Ronda. Set above the bustling village of Arriate, this stylish ‘zen-like’
retreat offers not just a warm welcome from its personable hosts Wilbert and John, but its location couldn’t be better to explore the nearby mountains.The public areas are bright and airy with some fabulous outdoor terraces and grounds, now including an amazing infinity pool.Bedrooms meanwhile, are designed with luxurious fittings and sumptuous king size beds to sink into, with small outdoor terraces maximising the stunning view towards the distance Grazalema Natural Park.Sit on the balcony with a glass of wine, sit at your desk writing a post-card and, above all, wake up to one of the best backdrops in Spain.There is an honesty bar, meals can be provided and the Wifi is about as good as anywhere in Spain. Yes, you hardly need to leave the place.At the very least though, you should take a short stroll down to the village of Arriate below, which counts on dozens of excellent restaurants, including El Muelle, one of Andalucia’s best, not to mention atmospheric Taberna Manolo and Juntera Gin & Tonic.There are plenty of good local shops, a series of historic ham fac-tories that must be sought out and even an ancient cinema, which is now Los Caireles and easily the hippest bar in the Serrania.Indeed, so much is on hand, you might not even need to visit Ron-da, just five minutes up the road.
Call 952114370 or visit www.arriadhhotel.com
Top of the world
Hotel Arriadh has stunning views of the Ronda mountains and the fantastic village of Arriate just below, writes Chris Birkett
IDYLLIC: View from the hotel pool, and (right) Arriate
DAVIDS DOWHEN you’ve got a formula working, why change it?Such is the case at Ronda’s longest-established patisserie Daver, where three generations of the same fam-ily have kept up standards for over 50 years.All conveniently named David Verdu, there is even another younger David Verdu waiting in the wings to take over from his dad.“It’s our tradition,” explains current boss David Verdu, who has done cooking courses around Spain and worked in the best patisseries in Barcelona and Asturias.As well as two patisseries in Ronda, there is a new Daver in Algeciras, all selling the delicious range of sweets, cakes and gourmet products, including dozens of Ronda wines.
27www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th27
October 28th - November 11th 2015
IT is unsurprisingly easy to find a great place to lay your head in the ‘City of Dreams’, as Ronda was once de-
scribed by Dutch poet Rilke.In the heart of the city there are many emblematic choices, in-cluding the highly original Hotel En Frente Arte and the historic San Gabriel.But real peace and quiet at spec-tacular value can be best found at Hotel Boabdil, set up by a friendly expat couple in a charm-ing, historic street near the Almo-cobar gate. Peace personified, the rooms are clean and airy and afford some good views of the surrounding countryside.Another good cheap central choice is Hotel Morales, which sits in pole position right in the heart of the town, perfect for the shops, and the main transport links. It is in the nearby Serrania though that the whole Ronda experience comes into its own.Close to the city, beside a bub-bling stream is the ancient converted water mill Molino del Puente, with an excellent restaurant and well appointed rooms.Run by friendly English couple Ian and Elaine Love, this his-toric spot is very popular with visitors from the coast and, best of all, it has a highly-rated restaurant La Cascada, thanks to Ian’s cookery skills, which were honed on the coast in Ca-bopino.A bit further away in Benaojan you must certainly consider incredible Molino del Santo, a classic rural retreat, which has been serving the area for nearly three decades.
Where to stay
Dream on
Spoilt for choice with romantic and hip places around Ronda
RURAL DREAM: Molino del Santo
Run by English couple Pauline and Andy, the hotel has the knack of keeping guests happy with just the right mix of com-fort, good food and character.
Regularly coming top on TripAdvi-sor, not just for Ronda but Anda-lucia, it sits by a raging stream, that emerges as a spring out of a rock just above the hotel.Once an ancient mill, it con-serves many of its original fea-tures, and always displays a fabulous range of local artists.Best of all, it counts on one of the best rural restaurants in Andalucia, its chef Alberto, continuing to adapt classic lo-cal dishes with many twists he picked up from his time work-ing in the north of Spain.Closer to Ronda, in the charm-ing village of Arriate, check Hotel Arriadh (see Top of the World article left), which counts on some of the best views anywhere in Spain.Often described as ‘zen-like’ the clean lines and maximising of light and views is all thanks to the talents of Dutch couple John and Wilfred.Excellent value, it has an amaz-ingly peaceful garden and a re-cently added infinity pool.Another good rural option is Los Castanos, over in the Ge-nal Valley, sitting in the authen-tic village of Cartajima.A well appointed village house, you can walk from the door and its cultured expat owners Diana and John Beach, always go of their way to ensure you have a superb break.Last, but not least, why not try out Hostal Anon over in Jime-na, which is a great place for a romantic break.It’s been a classic stopover for travellers for decades and the rooms have a Spanish rustic feel, while the outside inter-twining terraces have a Moor-ish décor.
ANCIENT: Terrace at Molino del Puente
28 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th
errania de RondaAll about S28
ONE of the key ingre-dients for the perfect stay in Ronda is a good place to eat.
And few places in Spain have such a good range of restau-rants as the Serrania de Ronda. But beware… there are plenty of dreadful places to eat.Get it right and you will get an enthusiastic chef using excel-lent local ingredients, includ-ing olive oils, cheeses, hams, mushrooms, fruits, nuts and vegetables.Get it wrong and it will be a lousy tourist-trap serving cheap, substandard fodder.The real chestnuts include long-standing winners, such as Pedro Romero, Casa Santa Pola and soulful Almocobar, while the rural delights of Mo-lino del Santo and El Muelle,
in Arriate, continue to take the biscuit.Up in Ronda check out creative Tragatapas, run by former Michelin-starred chef Benito Go-mez, who trained at El Bulli, as well as authentic Porton – an institution - run by the same two friends Javier and Pepe for the last four decades.Steeped in bullfighting history, here you will find my favourite Ronda tapa, the wonderful quails egg with ham on toast, not to mention some excellent sea food.Right in the heart of the old town in the most emblematic town hall square, you will love whiling away the day at Meson El Sacristan.Run by friendly Antonio from Campillos, this busy spot, which counts on Roman ruins
Ronda has one of Spain’s best collections of restaurants… but you need to know which ones, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke
in the basement, has easily the best steaks in the town, cooked to a tee in the only wood-oven around. Another great spot for the full traditional monty and the per-fect sit down on a wet day or cold night Pedro Romero, opposite the bullring is hard to beat.Run by two brothers, including Tomas, one of the best somme-
liers in Spain, history is all around you and, of course, rabo de toro is one of the very best picks.Another incredibly atmospher-ic spot is Casa Santa Pola, which certainly takes some beating for location and views, sitting literally in the famous tajo.But food-wise it is also a big win-ner (and one of the few places mentioned in the Michelin guide) thanks to Catalan chef Ignacio, who knows Spain’s culinary scene like the back of his hand, and who has worked around the country and likes to experiment as much as possible.This hard-working talent has just opened a new restaurant in Sevilla, but he and his son maintain the quality here I am pleased to report.Another long-term stalwart is
NEW TEAM: At El Pino
WELCOME: At Puerta Grande
Hop on over IN a land of mass-produced beers the real ale drinker may despair at the idea of finding quality, flavoursome beers.So it came as a particular surprise for a Belgian brew-ery boss to discover one of his bespoke craft brews on sale at Malastrana Cervezateca.On holiday in the town, he marched in, hugged the own-er Carlos and bought a bottle of his brew for all ten cus-tomers in situ.The recently-opened bar stocks over 60 beers from as far afield as Canada, America and Belgium.Malastrana Cervezateca can be found on Calle Pozo, or call 646 656 095 BEER BOSS: Carlos
LUNCH WITH A VIEW: At Meson El Sacristan
Melting pot Where
to eat
29www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th 29
Pizza pizzazzHE is officially Spain’s best pizza chef, as judged by the World Pizza Championships held last year in Parma.And although his mother was Spanish, Flavio Lo Tartaro is most certainly Italian and jokes that his kitchen skills are thanks to ‘something that runs in the blood of Italians’.Originally from Salerno on the Amalfi coast, Flavio, his wife Monica and sister give a warm, Italian welcome in Calle Nue-vo’s restaurant La Vita e Bella, which he opened ten years ago.The ‘pizza de la casa’ - a masterpiece in ham, fresh tomato, mozzarella, rocket and parmesan with a squeeze of lemon, is a delicious work of edible art. “Ronda is a beautiful, wonderful place to live and work and I was proud to represent it in the world pizza championships,” says Flavio.
Traditional dishes of Ronda
October 28th - November 11th 2015
29
the three decades old Almo-cobar, in the Barrio San Fran-cisco.Run by a tight-knit team, there are plenty of vegetables and tip top service. Above all, pre-sentation is important and the spectacular wine list, which features practically all the local vineyards, is a massive bonus.Across the road check out excel-lent value Bar San Francisco, while one brand new and excit-ing spot finds Antonio, ex-Almo-cobar maitre d for two decades, ploughing a new furrow at El Pino in a nearby side street.A classic hole in the wall local, Antonio is charm personified and his tapas, including an amazing spinach and chicken burger, are fabulous.If you just fancy a browse of various different places to eat, you need to head to Calle Nueva, opposite the parador, where you will find a series of excellent places, cheek by jowl and vying for your custom.There is an Italian, La Vita e Bella (see box) an Indian and the celebrated Tragatapas too.The best places for tapas is charming Casa Quino, a fam-ily-run joint, where its big boss Joaquin does a great job in the kitchen, producing a range of classic local dishes. A keen pho-tographer, he also has the best collection of old photos of Ronda.Next door, the pair also have a new place Nueva 13 more geared towards tapas and wines
and with a very different style.For a more formal sit down you should try Puerta Grande, consistently highly-ranked on TripAdvisor and with excellent quality food and service.And in pole position, right on the emblematic square by the famous bridge check out T a b e r n a el Puente, where, in a good sign, its owner Paco is often to be found in the kitchen.Specialising in gourmet hamburgers, paella and salads, best of all, the kitchen produces various vegetarian dishes, in particular some for celiacs.Ronda also has a friendly Ar-
gentinian Buenos Aires, run by characteristic Omar. It is an excellent spot for tapas, break-fast or just a pint to watch the UK football. It also probably also serves up the best coffee in town thanks to its fresh milk.Outside of Ronda a number of great places stand out.One of the very best, is El
Muelle, in Arri-ate, which has been top of Tri-pAdvisor for the whole of Anda-lucia for nearly three years.Yes, ‘Number One’ out of 19,100 restau-
rants in Andalucia, a trip to visit this converted railway store-room is an absolute must, as many people do on a day trip from Malaga and even Sevilla.
Run by friendly Dutchman Frank Rottgering and with chef Isa from nearby Alcala del Valle, it has maintained its attention to detail, its customer service and, above all, its amazing prices.Another amazing rural spot is Molino del Santo, where Al-berto just keeps getting better under the watchful eye of own-ers Pauline and Andy.Probably the best quality food in the Serrania, the menu changes by the week and there are always plenty of twists and flourishes.Expect excellent wines, mostly local and seasonal produce and easily the nicest outdoor dining terrace one can imag-ine. Booking is essential.Another charming rural spot is La Cascada, at hotel Molino del Puente, where Ian Love has been winning plaudits for his tasty creations for many years.Set up with wife Elaine after a number of years on the coast, his food is so highly rated the place is frequently in Andalu-cia’s Top 20 on TripAdvisor.Finally, over in Zahara de la Sierra you will find Al Lago, set up by talented chef Stefan Crites, from America, and his wife Mona, from the UK.Stef specializes in local ingre-dients, including venison, wild boar and mushrooms and the views across the stunning Zaha-ra lake are very difficult to beat.
www.diningsecretsofanda-lucia.com
‘Number One’ out of 19,100 restaurants in Andalucia, this coverted railway
storeroom is a must
PERSONALITIES: Boys at Porton, chef at Tragatapas and brothers at Pedro Romero
PIZZA KING: Flavio
GRAFTERS: Casa Quino bosses and (right) Ignacio and son at Santa Pola
31
the Olive press June 25th - July 9th 2015Property 31
THREE big fish in the property world are fighting to sell Spain’s most exclusive pads.And, by exclusive, we mean as much as a whopping €14,000 per square metre.The battleground is Madrid, and the armies are Spain’s big-gest property tycoons, Villar Mir; Asia’s richest man, Chinese multi-billionaire Wang Jianlin, and US investment firm Pimco.Three unimaginably luxurious developments are going head to head: Villar Mir’s Canalejas project in the centre of town, where one square metre sells for €12,000; Wang’s iconic 2014 Edificio Espana, from €4,000 up to €14,000 a metre and Pim-
A LEGENDARY Andalucian-based expat architect has received a coveted annual award.Donald Gray won the Premio Internacio-nal de Arquitectura Clasica y Restauracion de Monumentos Rafael Manzano, which includes €50,000 and a commemora-tive medal.The Australian’s standout designs include the Marbella urbanisation La Virginia, Las Lomas del Marbella Club, the City Hall in Pitres and the Hotel La Tartana in La Herradura.The award recognises work that re-spects the surrounding countryside and traditional Spanish architec-ture.Gray is a Spanish national and has spent decades working on the Costa del Sol.He lives in Granada’s Alpujarras.
fighting for exclusivity
Trio of property developers battle to
construct Spain’s priciest home
co’s Juan Bravo 3 in Salaman-ca district at €10,000.Just a 200 square metre chunk of any one of these properties will sell for €2 to 3 million.Villar Mir’s project comprises 22 luxury homes of 200m2, Pimco has built 50 at 250m2 each and Wang is streak-ing ahead with plans for 300 dwellings in Edificio Espana -- approval pending.“We are seeing soaring prices not just in the affluent Sala-manca district,” a property expert claimed.“These prices mark a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ in Spain’s property market.”They would only be surpassed if an attic flat in the Millen-nium building above Plaza de la Independencia went up for sale, where a square metre can sell for €15,000.
gray wins goldtree trend WOODEN houses are gearing up to set the housing market on fire.Building your house from wood saves up to 90% in energy and constructions are cheap, quick to build and durable.Spain’s largest wooden house is 650m2 and yet the monthly bill (electricity, hot water, heating) comes to just €140.The property in suburban Ma-drid, Torrelodones, cost €800 per square metre to build and consumes very little energy.Spain now has an estimated 20,000 wooden houses which cost on average €1,100 per square metre to build.
spanish homebirdsSPENDING 50% of their in-come on housing is a way of life for Spaniards, according to a survey from real estate network RE/MAX Europe.This expense includes rent, mortgages and running costs - and Spaniards splurge way more than the European av-erage of 40%.Almost 60% of those sur-veyed believe Spain is an ex-pensive place to live, and 26% claim it’s getting pricier.While 61% of Europeans are homeowners, in Spain 80% of couples with children live in rented properties.In Spain, 17.6% of adults live with their parents, and the figure is almost 55% for those aged 20-29.Just 7% of Spaniards live on their own, significantly lower than the European average of 15%.
SHADES OF GRAY: Architect’s grand design
October 28th - November 11th 2015
IMPRESSIVE: Canalejas (top), Juan Bravo 3 (left) and Edificio Espana (right)
Top Dollarthe Olive press June 25th - July 9th 2015Property
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540
email: [email protected] Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
MORTGAGE THINK TANKby mortgage broker tancrede de pola
agONy aNtYOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES
Email Antonio at [email protected]
32
THE property market’s resurgence is showing no signs of slowing down, so now really is the time to buy… but be warned, an air of
caution must be still be applied.With banks waging war to offer the most attrac-tive mortgage rates, buyers can easily get car-ried away.That is where the broker comes in: to highlight any hidden fees or compulsory add-ons tucked away in the small print and ensure you get the best possible mortgage rate to suit your needs.
Trap-related productsWhen contracting a mortgage you need to be aware of any ‘hidden’ add-ons or trap-related products in the small print.These will be additional products attached to your mortgage and usually include insurance policies.It is important to know exactly what is attached to your mortgage. What may seem like a great rate can be soured by expensive - and some-times unnecessary - insurance packages.Using a broker will save both time and money as
they will be looking out for these hidden add-ons and, ways to lessen their impact. Thankfully at the Finance Bureau we have re-cently launched an insurance arm and can therefore guarantee you the best deal not only on mortgage rates but also on insurance poli-cies; be it home, life, health or building cover.
Hidden fees While the vast majority of banks specify the fees and commissions they charge, not all of these costs are always declared.Many financial institutions refrain from publish-ing less known fees such as early redemption charges. These are, however, regulated by law, and may not exceed 0.50% for the first five years and 0.25% from the sixth. It is advisable to ask the bank to specify all com-missions and how many there are, before signing the contract. This will spare you unwanted sur-prises down the road.But the best way to ensure a good mortgage that does not hide anything in the fine print, is to so-licit the help of a mortgage broker.
Cautionary tale
Buyers are flocking to our shores as the property market is in full swing, Mortgage expert Tancrede de Pola offers a word of warning for prospective borrowers
October 28th - November 11th 2015
REDRESS against negli-gent lawyers and their insurers - also appli-
cable to notaries, registrars and procurators - is not new and there is substantial prec-edent that gives us an idea of how courts view the different cases.
Let’s see some real-life examples: · Missing procedural deadlines or time limitations to bring an action (called ‘diary over-sights’). A clear example is one where a lawyer fails to advise the family of a person who drowned of their right to bring an action in tort against the owners of the swimming pool (within 12 months). · Not filing an appeal, full stop. The lawyer was not late in filing, he simply did not file. · Not advising a client of the certain failure of an action due to expiration of his right to bring a claim: particularly relevant in relation to the award of court costs, which can be substantial and, obviously avoidable, had the lawyer advised properly on the opportunity not to bring an action. · Not claiming ‘lost profit’ on a
Real life lawyers
Calling lazy lawyers and legal eagles into question
judicial action when it clearly lent itself for bringing such pe-tition: a good example to cite is that of the sole-trader owner of a tractor that was destroyed in an accident caused by the oth-er party. Although the lawyer filed a claim for damages to the tractor he missed the opportu-nity to claim for non-realized profits as a result of the sole-traders inability to work. · Inadequate technical ap-proach to a legal matter and continuous string of errors, also technical, that provoked a multiplicity of procedures, mak-ing it impossible for the client to obtain legal redress. · Rather laconic exposé of the alleged responsibilities of the defendant and incorrect dis-play of evidentiary material, showing little understanding of the case itself. The lawyer, it seems, had other things in mind, or nothing at all, when dealing with this case.
Compensation in such cases is calculated by reference to the “loss of opportunity”, which is not easily measured but for “reference to conjecture”, best known as Absolute Probabil-ity Judgment, where the Court is faced with the assessment and quantification of the er-ror, and its impact on a result had the error not occurred: in other words, what would have the chances of a claimant been had he been properly repre-sented? Common Law here is probably far ahead as it resolves these issues under what is deemed a judgment of feasibility of the case, which requires a study into the merits of claimants ar-guments’. In this jurisdiction, it is known as the Case-Within-a-Case Rule, according to which, a legal-malpractice claimant must show that, but for the lawyer’s negligence, the claim-ant would have won the case underlying the malpractice ac-tion.
prices riseSPAIN is in the vanguard of European house price in-creases.Third only to Cyprus and Aus-tria, Spain’s property prices jumped 4.1% in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2014.
stock upWHILE the Spanish property market recovers and houses begin to fly off the shelves, some properties will not be sold, says rating agency Fitch.There are currently 600,000 brand new but unsold houses in Spain, and the agency pre-dicts that some 150,000 will be ‘practically unsellable’ due to being ‘poorly located’.The properties, which have lost around 67% of their val-ue, are located in areas where the economic recovery is pre-dicted to be slower.On a positive note, the depre-ciation of properties has stabi-lised and, with unemployment falling (now at 22.4%), house purchases are on the rise.
capital powerMADRID’S cheap office rental prices give it the most potential for growth among leading world cities, a new re-port reveals.At €26 per square metre a month, the Spanish capital is the tenth cheapest in Europe, according to property com-pany Knight Frank’s Global Cities 2016 report.And Madrid tops the list of cities predicted to see a rise in office rental costs over the next three years, ahead of Bombay and San Francisco.
33www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11thwww.theolivepress.es the Olive press October 1st - October 14th33Top Dollar
MOMENTUM investors need to have a regu-lated approach to fol-
lowing sector trends in the stock market. With hindsight it’s not diffi-cult to spot the best trends to follow. Getting it right at the time is the tricky bit. Some would say the func-tion of forecasting is to make astrology look respectable. However following the num-bers is not forecasting and catching and identifying a ris-ing sector correctly can lead to riches.To remain successful you must have access to con-tinuous, up-to-date, accurate information. Your decisions should not be based on ru-mour, speculation and hear-say. An example of the impor-tance of this goes back to the days of sail. Clipper ships re-turning from the Far East be-fore proceeding up the Eng-
kISS investments Keep it simple, keep it cheap and keep at it
lish Channel to London would call in at the port of Falmouth at the western end of England. From here they would send coded messages by horsemen to the ship’s owners in London. These messages not only gave
details of the cargo of spices, teas and exotic goods but, more importantly, relayed inter-national news. Armed with this information, the traders had a head start on their competi-tors and would make their de-
cisions and fortunes based on these facts.Another important mantra to follow when looking at your investment portfolio is that tomorrow will be better than today. Do not get disheartened when you make mistakes and have failures. Treat these oc-currences as opportunities to learn. To minimise the effect of any setbacks you must create your own risk pie-chart. You will then avoid the temptation (or innocent default) of ending up with too large a percentage of your portfolio invested in funds which lie in the higher reaches of volatility and risk. The more volatile your selec-tion, the greater the risk of los-ing your gains when the trend you are following reverses direc-tion. Investing should be enjoy-
able and not a do-or-die situ-ation. You will then feel more inclined to keep at it and en-joy the benefits of time and compound interest.The Saltydog Tugboat port-folio maintains a cautious approach by ensuring that at least 70% of the portfolio is in what we call ‘Slow Ahead’ funds. This has meant that in less than five years our port-folio has gone up over 50%, and we have successfully avoided all the market cor-rections. To find out more about Salty-dog Investor, or better still to take the two-month free tri-al, please go to their website www.saltydoginvestor.com.
33
GONE are the days when crafty expats can cheat the hard working man in the street by dodging taxes.An international campaign including 51 nations is clamping down on tax evaders and making it harder than ever for them to not pay their dues.Spain tops the list of countries ‘aggressively’ fight-ing this ‘not just illegal but immoral’ behaviour, according to chancellor George Osborne. It is followed by Germany, Brazil, Argentina and
Russia.Participating countries will now automatically share tax information.The CXC Global manager specialist study revealed that the UK did not make the top five of the list and lauded Spain’s effort to be tougher.Chancellor Osborne also claimed that tax evaders ‘rob their fellow citizens’ and should be treated like a ‘common thief’.
tax crackdownSpain ramps up efforts to reclaim billions of euros lost in unpaid taxes
making millionsSPAIN is among 20 coun-tries with more than 1,000 people in the ‘ultra-rich’ bracket. New international census figures reveal there are 1,390 Spaniards with more than €43 million to their name. This puts Spain ninth world-wide, with the USA topping the list of the super rich.
costa lot less BRITS heading abroad get the best value for money in Spain… and the Costa del Sol is easily the cheapest European destination. The Post Office Travel Money service found the Costa del Sol to be the cheapest of 12 destinations surveyed, while Marmaris in Turkey was found to be the most pricey.
flying high BuDget airlines are taking off big time, with 8.7% more passengers travelling to spanish shores with low-cost carriers in 2015, gov-ernment figures reveal.
October 28th - November 11th 2015
34 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th 34Top Dollar34
Road to Riches, by Richard Alexander
Richard Alexander Financial Planning Limited is an appointed representative of L J Financial Planning Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. Contact him at [email protected]
OFTEN packaged as exotic-sounding investments promis-ing income generation or capi-tal growth way above the norm,
buyer beware of UCIS.UCIS stands for Unregulated Collective Investment Schemes and the Financial Conduct Authority has labelled them ‘toxic’.Their sale was severely restricted in the UK by new legislation which came into force on January 1, 2014. But now expats globally are being tar-geted by the sellers of these lucrative products.The law was designed to protect what the regulator calls ‘retail investors’ from UCIS which, by their very nature, often comprise complex financial instru-ments, the true workings of which can only be fully understood by their cre-ators.For ‘retail investor’ read ‘man in the street’ – the ordinary Joe Public who would not want to take significant risks with their money.
Before the regulator stepped in, the sale of UCIS in the UK saw casualties as the underlying investment structures fail to produce the promised returns. The failure of Lehman Brothers back in 2008 saw many such schemes fail.For the first time, people realised that it was not only market risks which affect investments. For these types of prod-uct, the ‘counterparty’ risk should also be considered. That is where a supposedly reputable financial institution with all the right rat-ings and agency accreditation stands as some kind of guarantor behind the arrangements. However, if they fail as was the case with Lehman’s, their guar-antees become worthless and the vul-nerable investors are the losers.Arguably, for experienced sophisticated investors, UCIS do have their place and offer some opportunities but only for those who really understand the risks. Even then, if there is any kind of run on the investments – as was the case when the UK regulator labelled UCIS
toxic – funds are often suspended to protect the majority while the schemes are unravelled, which can take years.If this was your nest egg relying on im-mediate returns it could leave you in a very difficult place, as many such inves-tors have found out to their cost.And that always presupposes that the investments were legitimate in the first place. All too many are out-and-out scams.As always, it is the vulnerable who are most at risk. And, as the UK regulator closed the door to UCIS in Britain, sales teams are looking for softer targets and homing in on the expat market around the globe. The sellers earn high com-missions, the cost of which is often disguised within the contract and will typically be skimmed off your invest-ment at the outset. Their sales patter is very slick and reassuring as they tell you what you want to hear.But the difference between ‘exotic’ and ‘toxic’ is only the letter ‘e’. You have been warned.
EXOTIC OR TOXIC?Expat Brits are being targeted for poisoned chalice investments INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed coin, medal and stamp spe-
cialist Mike Kelly (below) is set to appear at the Estepona Over 50s Show at the end of November. Appearing alongside Eric Knowles - renowned for his appear-ances on BBCs Antique Roadshow - Kelly will be on hand to give free valuations of coins, notes, medals and stamps. “I’m looking forward to meeting expats and advising them,” Kelly said. “I know there are a lot of retired service people liv-ing on the Costa so I anticipate great interest.” Kelly is not only one of the world’s
Top specialist at Over 50s
Show
foremost coin collectors and nu-mismatic experts, he is also the organiser of the International Coin and Stamp Fair at the Royal Dublin Society, which has been running for 20 years. He has written several best sell-ing books on coins and medals
and is a regular on UK and Irish radio and TV, giving
advice on the value of Irish and British coins and stamps and what to look out for as a collector.The Over 50s Show takes place at the Pa-lacio de Congresos, Estepona on Sat-urday November 28 and Sunday November 29. For further infor-mation contact [email protected]
October 28th - November 11th 2015
35www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th
36 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th 36.................................36
aminon Buen CE
A FIAT Uno covered in Francoist symbols for a political art project has been banned from driving around town.Nuria Guell and Levi Orta plastered a Nazi flag, a Fa-langist banner and an image of Spain’s late dictator Gen-eralissimo Francisco Franco on the car.They intended to drive the car around the Catalan town during this month’s festival of contemporary culture, Ingravid, to observe people’s reactions
ProvactiveBut local authorities ruled that the provocative work, called Ideologies Osciliato-ries, should be prohibited.“We are surprised. We were hoping that no government that says it is democratic would censure a political work like this, especially in Catalunya,” a statement from Guell and Orta said.“The saddest thing is it brings back ways we have overcome. “Fascist symbols have gone the way of fossils, but not fascist attitudes.
(seat)belt-tighteningSPAIN’S second-biggest bank, BBVA, is ditching company cars and chauf-feurs for all but the presi-dent and CEO to ‘move with the times’.The new talent and culture (HR) manager has imple-mented more ‘casual’ sys-tems in the company, with fewer perks for the man-agement team to reduce the sense of hierarchy.The move to strip board members of their cars, which some used to take their kids to school, has not gone down well.But unlike Bankia, which auctioned off the Audi A8s of top bosses Miguel Blesa and Rodrigo Rato, BBVA’s BMWs are being kept in garages and available on request strictly for professional use.
highway to hellsOme spanish drivers spend more than one day a year sitting in traffic jams, with the national average be-ing 17 hours.residents of Barcelo-na were backed up for 25 hours on average in 2014, a report from driving data company NrtX reveals.In madrid, drivers weren’t far behind, kicking their heels in queues for 22 hours.spaniards waste 16% of their fuel looking for a parking space at an annual cost to mo-torists of €3.9 billion.another study by driving app Wazyp-ark showed spanish students spend more than seven hours a month looking for a place to park.
King Juan car-lotJUAN Carlos may have taken a back seat in the Spanish Royal family, but his sports cars are still riding the fast lane.The former king was given a gift of two Ferrari FF models, which he donated to the Spanish state before his 2014 abdica-tion.The exclusive cars are now being auctioned by the treasury ministry for €350,000 and €345,000.The Ferraris were a present from the prime minister of United Arab Emirates in 2011, although the King is not believed to have used them.Prospective buyers have until October 30 to make a bid.
Provocative political artists wanted to drive Nazi car through town centre
fascist fiat
“We believe that with differ-ent masks, fascist attitudes are still present in state in-stitutions and in Spanish society.”Guell has previously tackled such tough social subjects as immigration and unem-ployment in her political artwork.
OCTOBER saw Costa del Sol’s vintage car enthusiasts rev up their engines for an annual drive down the coast.The Costa del Sol International Route set off from San Pe-dro Boulevard before winding its way to Estepona, Bena-havis, Fuengirola, Mijas and Marbella.The three-day event was organised by the Club of Historic Vehicles.
Vintage costa showCLASSY: Car on show in Costa del Sol
OUT OF LANE: The Fiat
TRAFFIC: In Spain
ROYAL RIDES: Going under the hammer
October 28th - November 11th 2015
www.transmatic.es
2337GOLF In the swing of it 37
sOtOgraNDe golfers raised a club in honour of the 25th anni-versary of Joseph mcmicking´s death this month.millionaire mcmicking devel-oped the first course in Soto-grande, the luxurious royal sotogrande golf club, in 1964.Designed by the finest golf de-signer of the age, robert trent Jones, it gave sotogrande a gilded golfing paradise for the elite.mcmicking later went on to design the Valderrama golf-ing club, rated europe’s best course.and a quarter of a century after mcmicking’s death, the resort’s enduring popularity and beau-ty is a fitting tribute to McMick-ing’s vision.
smart movea NeW smartphone app is giv-ing golfers a taste of the profes-sional game.green app golf allows players to keep tabs on friends’ scores to create tournaments as they go round the course.Users can find out hole-by-hole rankings and check how their opponents are faring.the app is available for all types of mobiles.
IS there anything better than the winter sun rising over a Costa del Sol golf course?At Estepona Golf, winter brings extra val-ue, and the cooler weather doesn’t get in the way of a great game of golf with beau-tiful scenery all year round.An exclusive golf break deal combining a Tryp Valle Romano hotel stay with unlim-ited games at Estepona Golf promises to banish any lingering autumn blues.“We are enjoying another busy high sea-son at Estepona Golf,” says managing di-rector Jason Callow.“We are always looking for new ways to give our customers the best value-for-
money experience, and there are more exciting offers coming in 2016!”Bookings made by November 30 guar-antee a long weekend on the greens with three nights’ accommodation for just €147 per person between December and March.And for a week’s golf in the same period, it is just €320 per person with breakfast included, all packages for two sharing. Grab a buddy and enjoy the excellent val-ue while it lasts.
Email [email protected] for more information.
Winter wonder deals
SERGIO Garcia’s outstanding contri-bution to golf has earned him one of Spain’s highest sporting honours.The five-time Ryder Cup winner was
awarded the Real Orden del Merito Deportivo gold medal by Spain’s min-ister of education, sport and culture in recognition of his distinguished ser-
vice to sport.Garcia picked up his award along with former cycling star Alejandro Val-verde.
Garcia garlanded with Spanish sporting honour after golfing achievements
sergio’s gold star
“As a sportsmen there are moments that fill you with pride,” he said.“One is to repre-sent your country all over the world. Another is to be able to receive the gold medal of the Real Orden del Merito.“When I went up on stage lots of my great sporting highlights came to mind, but also the hard work required to get here.”Garcia, 35, has racked up eight wins on the PGA circuit and 11 on the European Tour during a dis-tinguished pro ca-reer.
mcmicking anniversary
WINNER: Garcia (right)
IT is not a man’s world, and golf is not exclusively a gentleman’s game.The Women’s Golf Network Eu-rope (WGNE) works to connect female golfers and make sure they are catered for and can network and compete across Europe.And one of the coast’s greatest ambassadors for women’s golf is Marbella-based Catherine Shiels, founder of WGNE and lady captain of Marbella Golf and Country Club.The Cork woman is planning a tour-nament in March 2016 for around 120 women and is proud to count over 300 women in the network.
a cOsta del sol golf club is hop-ing to entice thousands of german golfers to the region’s ‘golden tri-angle’.Villa padierna golf club has been promoting estepona, Benahavis and
germaNs targeteD
girl power
VISIONARY: McMicking (right)
marbella courses during a trip to munich.the luxury course is aiming to at-tract 12,000 more german golfers to the golden triangle, which holds most of the costa’s golf resorts.
ricardo arranz, president of Villa padierna hotels and resorts, said: “thanks to these facilities and the excellent weather we have a unique product to promote luxury tourism in this sector.”
38Classifieds
Motorhomes - CaravansBoats - Cars & VansDelivery & Collection availableShort Term - Long TermEstablished 15 yearsSafe & Secure - 24hr CCTV
679 786 669 - Alan - 606 101 807www.eurodog.es - Email - [email protected]
EurodogBoarding Kennels & Cattery
Fully LicensedSanitary ApprovedLarge Secure RunsPurpose Built Secure Play AreaEstablished For Over 20 Years5 Minutes From Fuengirola
679 786 669 - Alan - 952 464 947www.eurodog.es - Email - [email protected]
TRANSPORT ANd STORAGE
for all your
advertising needs contact
tel: 951 273 575 mob: 655 825 683
CAR PARTS
BLOCKED DRAINS?
TEL: 952 568 414661 910 772
NO CALL OUT CHARGE
HP Jetting - Root Removal
CCTV Survey - Insu-rance Claims
24/7 CALL OUT
Drain-tech Solutions
COAST & INLAND
PARkING
COURIERS
38
SALvAGE
PAINTING dRAINAGE
THEBOOKENDEnglish Bookshop
10,000English books
for sale
C/ Juan Relinque 45Vejer de la Frontera
625 870 255
MISC SERvICES
SUNSHINE TOLdOS
All types of awning and blinds
Installed or fixedManual/electricWill travel inland
No deposit/cash on deliveryCall John on 952467783
680323969
bLINdS
MObILITy
Male, 60, looking for a tennis player (average level)From November till May in the Manilva-Estepona area.Call 627166370Don’t be shy, give it a try!
PERSONAL
PAINTING & dECORATING
39www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th39 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press June 11th - June 24th 2015
the olive press - December 11- December 24 2014
49 cents per word. Minimum charge based on 10 words per issue and a minimum of 2 issues. IVA not includ-ed All ads include the first 2 words in bold. For all text in bold add 25%
the olive pressC lassifiedsRECRUITMENT
Above average market salary • Industry leading employment packagesPaid holidays • Unrivalled carer support
Ongoing excellent training & development programmeSubsidised travel costs • Induction training in LONDON or SPAINFlexible working patterns to support a good work/home life balance
(Examples of working patterns: 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, 4 weeks on 2 weeks off)
Join Our Award Winning Team as a LIVE-IN CARER
Working in the UK
Make a Difference to Someone’s Life & YoursContact ANNE GREATREX on 0034 965 713 746 or 0034 628 343 240
or email: [email protected]
Do you have experience in care professionally or with a family member or friend?
We offer;
We can help you to enjoy a rewarding career as a Live-in Carer in the UKConsultus Care and Nursing is one of the largest private providers of Live-in Carers in the UK. If you are a kind and compassionate person and are seeking a rewarding career, our Carers from overseas enjoy a flexible working life that complements their lifestyle including seasonal work if preferred. We offer the following benefits:
• Self-employed status offers you a choice of ad-hoc or regular assignments
• Superb training and support
• Convenient accommodation in our Carer House
• Competitive Pay (£952 - £1,456) for a 2 week assignment
To find out more
Call Sandra Field, our Recruitment Consultant in Spain on +34 658 965 204
Email us at [email protected]
Visit our website at www.consultuscare.com
People feel better at home.
@Consultus provides
live-in carers
bUTCHERS
October 28th - November 11th 2015
LOOKING FOR WORK?UP FOR A CHALLENGE?
HEALTH PROdUCTS
tel: 952 663 131 / 670 964 181 www.seniorworld.es
Calle Gibraltar, 1 Los Boliches, Fuengirola
Improve your life!Wide selection of products designed to make life easier
for the elderly or people with a disability.
www.theolivepress.es40the olive pressC lassifieds
bUILdING
eXperIeNceDBrItIsh sOLIcItOr
Spanish speaking providing legal advice:
conveyancing, residency and commercial matters.
1 hour free consultation
contact Victoria at: www.britishlawyerspain.
com or 678826771
LEGAL
JEWELLERS
AirtechAC for all your Air Conditio-
ning Requirements. Installations,
Services, Repairs and Re-gas. Coin & Card
systems available. Prompt, reliable and
honest service.
Call Paul on 607793923 or 952599019
[email protected] www.airtechac-spain.com.
AIR CONdITIONING
INSURANCE
AUTO RESPRAy
aIr cONDItIONINg installations repairs and servicing. Airflow 952443222> [email protected]
SATELLITE Tv
aIr cONDItIONINg installations repairs and servicing. Airflow 952443222> [email protected]
fIREWOOdkITCHENS PET STORE
PROPERTy
End-of-terrace two-storey, three-bed townhouse, with views of the sea and Gibraltar.
The house, which is just a 10-min walk to the beach and golf course, is surrounded by private gardens with ma-ture plants, pool and seating areas. There is also a com-munity swimming pool.
In addition, there is a large basement, with workshop/hobby area, plus space for two cars. All bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and there are two bathrooms.
The property is in excellent condition inside and out af-ter extensive redecoration only 3 years ago.San Roque Golf Club is five minutes by car, Sotogrande 10 minutes, while Gibraltar is just a 20 minute com-mute.
Incredible price. Private sale at just 199,750.00 €contact [email protected].
great OppOrtuNIty IN La aLcaIDesa
40
OffIcIaL traNsLatIONs.
ALL LANGUAGES. SENT BY COURIER. 654613094
TRANSLATION
Advertise here in a triple display box from as little as €75 per issue
Contact us at: 951 273 575
ADVERTISE HERE
Columnists 41
I’VE been wracking my brain for a killer best-seller to earn me tons of money, but a survival guide for Gibraltarians going to British universities is one I never thought
of.I mean, they’re not going to Outer Mongo-lia. They speak English in Britain! And, as Gibraltarians proudly tell the world at every opportunity, so that even Outer Mongo-lians probably know it, they are British.Nevertheless, it’s one hell of a niche mar-ket, as discovered by Gibraltarian post-graduate Philip Vazquez, who’s been to Cardiff, done the graduation ceremony and got the law degree. Before he even published it, news of Youni-versity, Gibraltar’s Guide to Studying at University, and its companion website, was spreading across the social networks and into the Olive Press. Some 900 Gibraltarians go to British uni-versities each year, and will continue to do so (even though Gibraltar now has its own university). Philip and his team of contribu-tors have got it made!Jealous, moi? Maybe just a tad, but mortar boards off to him. My question is, why? You would have thought Gibraltarians would feel right at home on the soil of their sovereign motherland – particularly in Cardiff where (imho) the Welsh lilt doesn’t sound far off the Gibraltarian English ac-cent.Ketchup from Tesco must taste much the same as it does from Morrisons, and they
can pay for it in pounds and pence, just like they do at home.Yet according to Philip, they do worry… about flying and travelling by tube (which they should be used to with all their un-derground tunnels) and managing their money. Although with 100% government scholarships and an annual maintenance grant, the poor wee lambs could probably afford to hire their own accountants.
They also worry about not being able to cook, as their mums and grans have al-ways done it for them. The family’s still nuclear-powered in Gib! Of course, they can always pack a copy of Justin Bautista’s best-seller, based on his grandma Mamma Lottie’s recipes, which he cooked up at university to stave off homesickness. The book has become a bestseller locally, with huge support from the government, which put it forward for a prestigious Gourmand Award.Young Gibraltarians have got jam on it … financing all the way from uni fresher to PhD, with great work experience opportu-nities out of term back home and, in all likelihood, jobs at the end of it.Speaking as an ex-student who worked in a scary bar in Fratton at the rough end of Portsmouth to pay for journalist college and unsavoury ‘digs’ run by an unspeak-able landlady, I find myself turning an envi-ous tinge of green. However, according to Philip’s survey, stu-dents’ greatest fear is being alone in a strange city, away from family and friends. They miss the shelter of a Rock where the sun usually shines, where people leave their doors unlocked and look out for each other like family (which they often are); they miss having nowhere to buy tomate frito!Maybe Gibraltar’s homesick freshers need a Youniversity survival guide after all. I’m just sick I didn’t think of it first!
Rock BluesFor Gibraltarians abroad, homesickness goes with the ‘British Territory’
October 28th - November 11th 2015
AS the theatrical say-ing puts it so succinctly, ‘Never work with children
or animals’. It’s a motto that pretty much sums up the single male lifestyle philosophy that has carried me, more or less successfully, into my late 40s. Admittedly I do have a cat, the infamous 50 Shades, but she wasn’t so much a lifestyle choice. She just rocked up at the Casita one day, had a look around and decided to stay, much to the lo-cal rodent population’s dismay. But apart from that, I have man-aged to resist the temptation to get any other pets.The same goes for children. The only pitter patter of tiny feet that I hear around the Casita on a reg-ular basis are either the afore-mentioned rodents in a desper-ate attempt to flee 50 Shades, or serve as a timely reminder that I really should clean up the kitchen as there are some seri-ously large ants making off with last Tuesday’s pasta. (In common with most single males, there are some items that haven’t just formed cul-tures at the back of the fridge. They’re actually advanced civilizations with their own lan-guages. Last year’s Christmas Stilton growls at me when the fridge light goes on).Though I may not have children of my own, I am Godfather to two delightful girls - I play my Marlon Brando ‘el padrino’ role to great effect, and am unof-ficial Wicked Uncle to several
Child’s play
How I broke the first rule of a peaceful existence… childcare
others. I’ve also made it a point of principle to try to be nice to all kids, especially if their parents are strapping Scandinavians or Dutch. Not being the tallest person on the planet, by the time some boys reach their teens they tower over me, and I don’t want to be the victim of some savage revenge because I wouldn’t let them watch Pep-pa Pig when they were five.Which leads me to my latest adventure.
GallantThe Hottie Hippy was stuck without a babysitter for the weekend recently and had to attend an exhibition for her work. Judging by the WhatsApp messages I received from her, ‘work’ seemed to involve an awful lot of corporate dining.Being the gallant chap I tend to imagine I am, I said that I’d, ahem, ‘bolster my reputation’ (and it needs all the bolstering it can get at the moment, trust me) by looking after her seven-year-old son for the night.Said seven-year-old has a bit of a reputation for being what you
might euphemistically call ‘a bit of a handful’ or ‘boisterous’. When I mentioned that I was looking after the child (whom I can’t name for legal reasons, so I’ll just call him Satanito) my social media was flooded with the type of valedictory messag-es not seen since those sent to men going on active duty to the Russian Front.All went well at the beginning, with a male bonding session of hamburgers and driving games on the PlayStation.But the fast food diet and video gaming came back to haunt me... I took Satanito down to the rug-by club to watch England get thrashed by the Aussies and on my return, went through my usual ritual of getting out of the 4x4 and walking around the
front to unlock the main gate.As I fumbled for my keys, I heard a small voice yell, ‘I’m going to kill you’ and looked up to see that Satanito had un-done his safety belt, clambered onto the driver’s seat and was manically sawing away at the steering wheel. The fact that my 4x4 is auto-matic, the engine was running and all he had to do was knock the gear stick down to flatten me meant that I let out a blood curdling cry as my life flashed before my eyes. (Though when you’ve had my Rock n Roll life-style, that bit was rather enter-taining)Satanito shot out of the driver’s seat into the back, and I reflect-ed that I really should work with safer animals. Like Great White Sharks...
DENNIS THE MENACE: A cartoon satanito?
42 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th
with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
42 FOOD & DRINk
by Eddie the hotel houndA dog’s life,
To get in touch with Eddie, contact his owners Andy and Pauline at the Hotel Molino del Santo. Bda Estacion s/n, 29370 Benaojan, Malaga. 952 167 151 - 952 167 927.
IT’S a sad time of year for a hotel dog. The end of the season looms close and the hotel kitchen scraps come to
an abrupt end. From mid-November onwards it’s mostly just dry dog food, which is hardly going to pro-duce a waggy tail.However I’ve been cocking my ears because there is talk of the master and mistress checking all of the hotel’s walking routes this winter. This means different tracks for me and some proper walks that take half or even full days!I am also hoping that, given we have over three months for maybe 20 different walks, the old master will choose sunny
Winter walkiesEddie’s tail is down as the coast heads into ruff weather days for the excursions.I’m not good on technology – hell of a job to punch keys with my paws – but I do know that there are such things as weath-er forecasts. Last weekend, with the threat of storms, we
set off on an hour’s walk along the Atlantic coast. Why? Just tell me why?Five minutes in, the heavens open, thunder rumbles, he gets soaked, I get soaked and I can hear him saying things like: “Hey Ed, not many other people or dogs are out enjoying this.”He’s right about one thing. There is NOBODY else out. As for enjoying? How sad is his life? How crazy is he? I’ve got a comfortable, warm and dry basket and here we are, strid-ing across gale-blown, rain-blasted sand dunes. But I’m a good dog and go along with it all. It’s best to hu-mour him even if it is hard to keep my tail flying at full mast.
Waste not, want notIN Spain, 25% of purchased groceries never reach the table.In an effort to fight the average household’s 80kg (€1,000 worth) of food wasted annually, technology company Zaimo published a guide to cut the waste.It includes: storing food according to use-by date and fridge temperature, separating cooked and raw foods in the fridge, avoiding over-stacking, making the most of the freezer and cleaning the fridge regularly.“The fridge is the appliance with the biggest power over your budget,” it explained.
World’s greatestSpanish restaurants bring home the bacon in world’s top 20 - officially
A TASTY trio of Spanish eateries have made the list of the world’s 20 best restaurants.The millions of traveller reviewers who voted on TripAdvisor named a Basque restaurant as number one!Food at Martin Berasategui, in Lasarte near San Sebastian, was described as ‘culinary poetry’.
Also keeping Spain promi-nent on the food map is
Catalunya’s El Celler de Can Roca, which won the top spot in 2013 but now sits at number 11.Olive Press pub-lisher Jon Clarke reviewed the three-Michelin-
starred, family-owned restaurant in
October 2014, not rating it highly.
Finally, El Club Allard in Ma-drid came in at number 18 with its contemporary fusion cuisine hailed for its ‘surpris-ing, imaginative, progressive, fresh and amazing’ food.The UK and France are the only other two countries with three restaurants in the world’s top 20.Impressively, Adam’s in Bir-mingham and Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham were both near the top, sitting at fourth and fifth place, respec-tively.
VICTORIOUS: Berastegui, while (left) El Celler chefs and (right) El Club Allard’s Maria Marte
43www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11th
44 www.theolivepress.esthe Olive press October 28th - November 11th
45www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press October 28th - November 11thFOOD & DRINkwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
AS I sip a fabulous Gin Mare at the bird’s nest bar to the stern of the Sunborn Hotel, I can’t help but think this was a master-
stroke.High above the Friday night throng of Ocean Village, there is a distinct sense of calm and, above all, privilege.Overlooking lines of yachts and up onto the green slopes of the Rock, the terrace of the new La Sala restaurant brings a whole new experience - and indeed focus - for diners and night owls in Gibraltar.A much needed addition to the rapidly growing marina scene, this is an undeniable master-stroke for the Marbella restaurant group, now nearly a decade old.The fifth in a chain of quality eateries, owned by a string of professional footballers - including Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shay Given and Ra-heem Sterling - this could well be the best yet.
GlamorousOpening the restaurant aboard the former cruise liner, now a five star hotel, brings enor-mous prestige for the group headed up by ex-pat businessman Ian Radford.We step inside after our aperitif, to find a buzz-ing dining room of glamorous guests, dressed up for a special occasion, a business dinner with clients, or romantic night out.One of the most original cover bands I have heard for years, the La Sala Project, are belting out songs by the Clash and The Cure and Kings of Leon and Kaiser Chiefs, in a clear salute to the stars of the recent Gibraltar Music Festival.We are led to a grey slate velvet banquette with a good view of the stage and quickly thrust a comprehensive, detailed menu.A wine list has a good mix of Spanish and in-ternational wines and we are guided towards a Pesquera crianza that had a wonderful bou-quet and consistency.So far so good, the menu throws up a large range of the La Sala classics that thrill diners in Marbella, San Pedro and back in London.A glass of gazpacho arrives with some nibbles and soon a beef salad of rocket and mixed leaves with hoisin sauce, pesto and olive tapenade, is working well as a starter.
CRUISING AHEADThe new La Sala restaurant in Gibraltar is really making waves thanks to an expected sprinkling of glitz and glamour, writes Jon Clarke
45
All aboardTHE five-star Sunborn Hotel arrived in Gibraltar a year ago to a fair degree of cynicism.A massive former cruise liner, there were plenty of people sceptical that it would not take off, with visitors and tourists preferring to lay down their heads at the more historic Rock Ho-tel, or La Caleta.However, it has slowly come into its own and become a use-ful hub for tour-ists and busi-nesses alike, that find the lo-cation superb.There is a defi-nite sense of glamour arriv-ing into the clean retro lobby with its huge glass disco ball/planet hang-ing above and jazzy marble floors.Being five-star you are quickly helped by a porter and reception staff are polite and efficient.Best of all though are the rooms, which make clev-er use of light, as well as the stunning maritime location overlooking lines of yachts and towards shimmering views of the Serrania de Ronda.Technology is paramount with everything focussing around a touch screen and the curtains opening by touch. Mood lighting is good and the sheet quality excellent.On board you will also find a casino, gym and, of course, beauty parlours plus various places to eat, drink and generally be merry.All in all it was great to be aboard!
Following on, a parcel of smoked salmon is generous to the point of lunacy.For mains we opt for the stand-out dish of lobster and prawn linguini, plus my favourite crispy duck pancakes.The amazing caramel cheesecake is the per-fect finish, rich and easily enough for a family of four.Soon we are back out on the terrace enjoying the midnight air and noticing how the earlier hubbub below is slowly settling down.Thankfully, we can enjoy a decent nightcap before heading back to our great value pre-booked room on the boat below.All in all a fabulous evening, setting up per-fectly a Saturday morning’s sightseeing around the Rock, one of the fastest growing and affluent economies in the world… and plenty to see for the tourist.SEDUCTIVE: The stylish dining room
reVIeW: the sunborn hotel
46 46 FOOD & DRINkwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
by Steven Saundersof the Little Geranium
FLOWER POWER
Steven Saunders FMCGB - www.thelittlegeranium.com - [email protected] +34 952 49 36 02
46
A FEW years ago I was patron of The Born Free foundation which does great work in protecting beautiful wild animals from extinction. I even ran the London Marathon for them in 2001 to help raise funds. Virginia McKenna (the actress and founder of Born Free) be-came a close friend and introduced me to Kiki Dee. Famous for her Don’t go breaking my heart duet with Elton John which charted at No 1 back in 1993, Kiki also sang the title track for Born Free and released it as a single. (The original soundtrack was performed by Matt Monro back in 1966.)Virginia and Kiki came to my restaurant and, in the middle of dinner, Kiki stood up and sang a moving version of Born Free, acapella .... Wow, it was powerful! The room fell still with appre-ciative silence and I noticed some of the guests wiping tears from their eyes. Not competing you understand, but I had a song in the charts many moons ago called Crying Tonight. (You can see it on You-Tube if you have time to waste but be warned, it’s pretty awful.) So I suggested reprising Don’t go breaking my heart, with me singing Elton John’s part. Sure, said Kiki, breaking into a slow version of the song, which was also very moving.As I looked down to read the lyrics I noticed that the dish I had created for the evening was getting cold so I said, ‘Kiki that was amazing but you should now relax and enjoy the special dish I have made for you’. It was tofu, fried crispy and tossed with mint leaves, basil and coriander in an oriental dressing. ‘Steven’, she said afterwards. ‘I am so pleased that we didn’t have to eat an animal!’ Not known for my diplomacy (I once stood in front of the entire board of the RSPCB at a conference and used the analogy of killing two birds with one stone) I re-plied, ‘Kiki isn’t that your leather bag under the table?’‘Sure’, she replied, ‘but I’m not eating it’.
Walk on the wild sideLocal Master Chef Steven Saunders of BBC TV Ready Steady Cook fame rustles up a dish for the stars of Born Free
Crispy fried & spiced tofu salad Serves 2 people as a main, 4 as a starter400g / 14 oz firm tofu, patted dry then cut into 2 cm cubes
For the salad:6-8 assorted cherry tomatoes, halved1 red onion, peeled halved and thinly sliced1 small bunch fresh basil leaves1 small bunch fresh mint leaves1 small bunch fresh corianderA good handful of rocket leaves2 tablespoons cornflour seasoned with salt and black pepperMaldon salt to season at the end For the dressing;1 tablespoon sesame oil1 tablespoon soy sauce ( tamari is the best)Zest and juice of 1 lime1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar1 tablespoon honey½ red chilli, finely chopped with seeds removed1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger Method:Make the dressing by whisking all the dressing ingredients to-gether with a whisk in a small bowl. Set aside.Put all the salad ingredients (herbs and leaves) in a separate glass bowl.To fry the tofu, heat your deep fat fryer to 180c (or use a wok with veg oil), toss the tofu in the seasoned cornflour and cook until golden brown and crisp, shaking the basket to ensure that the tofu browns equally, then drain on tissue paper. While still hot, season with the Maldon salt. Toss the tofu into the glass bowl (with the leaves and herbs), drizzle with the dress-ing, divide onto 4 plates and serve immediately.
I’m not sure the argument makes much sense really so let’s avoid the debate and move swiftly on to the dish that I cooked for Kiki and Virginia (and for Elton, who didn’t attend but sent his love to us via live satellite TV connection). He even commented on my trousers which were even more eccentric than his. LOL! If you fancy a break from meat you really should try this dish, it is yummy.
FOOD & DRINkwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
THE crowd is transfixed, the judges are scribbling furiously on clipboards and the air in the audito-rium is rife with nerves and the aroma of coffee.But instead of the chemical tang of Mercadona’s
stock instant powder, this is unequivocally the best cof-fee in the country.I’m at the café con leche equivalent of the Copa del Rey, a two-day coffee-making championship, with the 17 best baristas from Spain battling it out to be crowned the nation’s finest.The Olive Press sent me down to drink in the atmo-sphere, sniff out the winners and sip on the tension.So far so good, except for one tiny, unimportant titbit of information: I don’t drink coffee.“Do you have anything descafeinado?” I ask tentatively at the hectic, free-sample corner, where I daren’t men-tion tea. The baffled barista points at a plate of chocolate-cov-ered strawberries.“Fine, you’ve forced me into this. Forget the fact I am pretty much a medical danger to myself under the influ-ence of caffeine. I’ll have a cappuccino.”And it was sumptuous. Frothy, hearty, smooth… the Cristiano Ronaldo of cappuccinos, a 50- goals-a-season sort of coffee.Wired, ready and with a chocolate strawberry in my hand, I headed to the auditorium to watch the finals play out.Each contestant had 16 minutes to prepare two pairs of coffees, one pair of cappuccinos, one non-alcoholic combination and one alcoholic combination.Sounds tough? Not for these pros.There were fancy splashes of alien liquids, sticks of cinnamon, grated nutmeg, syrupy syrups, chemical contraptions straight from Fran-
As Spain’s 17 best baristas did battle in Malaga to be crowned the nation’s champion, Tom Powell and Iona Napier added a little sugar to proceedings
six remaining, fighting to be crowned winner of the 10th edition of the event hosted by the Forum Cultural del Café.Forum’s former president, Jo-sep Casayas Puig, tells me: “This event is all about promoting coffee culture.“Last year’s winner, who came from Asturias, was sent to Ugan-da on holiday to learn how
they produce coffee beans. This year the prize is a week in Colombia.”The judges are all experts from around Spain, many of whom have previously competed in
the event.One from Barcelona,
Isaac Sancho, also runs a cof-fee blog. “Every year there are more people at this event; Spain is get-ting more and more excited
about coffee,” he reveals.
“It’s the second most consumed drink
after water after all!”He’s right. The nation does appear to have woken up and smelt the coffee when it comes to, err, coffee. There is a surpris-ing amount of 16-18-year-olds who are study catering at college, and are desperate to see how the experts do it, taking photos, notes and a lot of free samples.
Respectable
The event ends with a bang as Damian Seijas, again from As-turias, wins the FA cup of coffee thanks to some stunning concoc-tions. (If only I’d got to try one…)Andalucia’s own Rani Aouam came a respectable third, with the man from Valencia, Javier Carrion, bagging second spot.Seijas also received special prizes for the best artistic latte and the best ‘special drink’. On this evidence, coffee-lovers need to pack their bags and head north to Asturias for their morning brew!Now where can I get a decent cup of tea…?
GORDON Ramsay was nowhere to be seen, but culinary hell let loose in a Valencian restaurant when the manager stabbed a waiter in the back several times for serving ta-bles too slowly.The frustrated assailant, who had previously threatened to kill the hapless server, was arrested by national police for severely injuring him with a 35cm knife during mealtime.
Kitchen nightmares
kenstein’s lab and – last but not least – some actual coffee beans.But the baristas also had to talk the 300-strong audience through the entire process, and what’s more, they even had to choose their own backing music.However, it appeared the dj might have had one too many caramel macchiatos, with the erratic volume increase on an Ed Sheeran hit drowning out all other noise in the arena.Angry gesticulations from the entire left-hand side of the au-dience soon had him sheepish-ly turning the volume way back down, so we could once again hear exactly what coffee-tastic surprise was being brewed in a particular test-tube.Around 200 professionals com-peted in nationwide events to earn a place at this final, held in the impressive Palacio de Con-gresos, so they have a right to be annoyed if the music’s too loud.But by this point, there are just
Cuppa del Rey
47
GOLD BLEND: A Barista shows off and (inset) the Olive press’ Iona Napier and Tom
Powell tuck in
FULL OF BEANS: Dancers drink up before performance
covering andalucia in 2015 with over 200,000 papers (130,000 digital) and around 500,000 visits to the
website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!FREE
telephone: 951 273 575 October 28th - November 11th 2015 www.theolivepress.es
the olive press
FIN
AL W
OR
DS
SPAIN’S first ever transsex-ual beauty queen has lost her battle to become Miss Spain.Despite making Miss World history, Angela Ponce - cur-rently Miss Cadiz - didn’t make it to the final 10 com-peting for Miss Spain’s crown.While she got to the final 25
miss DiversityWhile chosen to represent Cadiz... a transexual has lost her battle to become Miss Spain
at the contest in Estepona, she was pipped to the title by Miss Barcelona, model Mireia Lalaguna, with Miss Asturias and Miss Baleares coming second and third.Despite being born in a boy’s body, Sevilla-born Ponce was overjoyed to make the finals.She also feels passionately about the need to normalise gender diversity.“Society isn’t educated for diversity, that’s what I really want to publicise,” said Ponce.“I am here and I’m not that rare, I’ve just got a different story. I am not ashamed of anything.”She follows in the footsteps of transgender woman Jen-na Talackova, 27, who won a legal battle to win Miss Vancouver in 2012.
I’M NOT RARE: Miss Cadiz was born a boy
By Iona Napier
Not just the girl next doorIF the two most beautiful women in Spain and Gibral-tar can get along, why can’t everyone else? Miss Spain International and Gibraltar’s First Princess were snapped embracing one another in Japan during the buildup to the 55th Miss In-ternational competition. But the smiles and hugs will be put to one side when Cris-tina Silva from Cadiz and Bianca Pisharello, flying the flag for Gibraltar, face off in Tokyo on November 5.
IN baaaarely be-lievable scenes, 2,000 sheep flocked to Madrid and took over the city centre.the shepherds’ protest in favour of droving rights brought the span-ish capital to a standstill.sheepdogs, bells and loud bleating were all part of an annual protest, in its 22nd year to draw attention to traditional graz-ing and migration rights threatened by urban sprawl.
It’s a fixLA Liga’s most iconic football match has been shrouded in controversy after allegations of match fixing. Anti-corruption police and match-fixing officials are in-vestigating the upcoming El Clasico fixture after ‘serious’ claims from an official.The unnamed linesman, scheduled to officiate in Real Madrid’s clash with Barce-lona on November 21, claims he was being pressured into favouring the Madrid outfit.
WHAT A PAIR: Silvia and Pisharello
fan loveTHERE’S nothing worse for a football team than playing to an empty stadium.So La Liga team Getafe have launched a dating app in the hope that their fans will reproduce and multiply in number.‘Getafinder’ works much like popular dating app Tinder, with the aim to be matched with someone who swipes right back.
unrepentant A MICHELIN-starred restau-rant owner continues to wage a bitter war against his ‘noisy’ Christian brotherhood neigh-bours.Despite the owner of Marbel-la joint Skina Marcos Grande complaining officially three months ago about the dam-age done by Rocio Brother-hood’s raucous celebrations, little has been done.Aside from Marbella town hall obliging the fraternity to remove their chairs and tables from the street, they continue to congregate nois-ily to the discontent of local businesses and residents, he claimed in a press conference.
Bleat street
milestoneENRIQUE Iglesias is the only Spaniard to surpass one billion views on YouTube, with 1.84 billion tuning in to his Bailando music video.
furry fossila 125-mILLION-year-OLD fossil of a rodent-like mam-mal has been de-scribed as ‘cute’ by the head researcher in spain.
golden hour SPAIN’S richest man Amancio Ortega be-came the world’s rich-est man for 24 hours when he refloated Indi-tex, only for Bill Gates to repass him the next day.
OutlawedTECHNO-savvy glo-betrotters will be de-lighted to hear roaming charges across Europe will be scrapped com-pletely on June 15 2017.
canned AROUND 220 workers at a Coca Cola factory near Madrid have won a court case to prevent the factory’s closure and save their jobs.
