Essential Gibraltar September/October 2015

OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 31

a r o l e x i s m o r e th a n jus t a w atch. it’s a n in v e s tm en t. combining timeless elegance with a passion for perfection a n d u s e o f th e hi g he s t- qua lit y m at eri a l s , the va lu e o f a r o l e x i s a s l o n g -l a s tin g a s the tim epiec e it s el f.

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Issue 15 • September / October 2015

S T A F F PUBLISHER AND DIRECTOR

YEARS

GENERAL MANAGER

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MARISA CUTILLAS editorial@essentialmagazine.com

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contents The Spa 56 Beauty: Weleda Skincare Products 58 Health: Standing Desks 60 Health: The Bootea Teatox

The Trend Cinema 12 Home Viewing 14 Music 16 Books 18 The New Audi RS 7 High-Performance Saloon 20 Technology: Back to School 22

The Local The New Gibraltar University 24 The Gibraltar Museum 30 Finlayson Nature Photography 34

The Pro 62 Enterprise 69 Runway 2015 70 Business Profile: Blands Travel

The Leisure 72 World’s Top Art Museums

The Gourmet 79 Fine Dining at The Ocean 80 Albariño Wine, Paco & Lola 82 Restaurant Guide

Miss Gibraltar, Hannah Bado 38 2015 European Show Dance Championships 40 Caitlin Rodriguez 42

The Style Décor News: Natuzzi in Gibraltar 44 Famous Spanish Artists 46 Fashion: Guess Autumn/Winter 2015 52

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WORDS BY IAIN BLACKWELL

publisher’s letter W

elcome to the September/ October edition of Gibraltar magazine, an issue which delivers culture in spades.

Having come together in record time, read all about the new Gibraltar University at Europa Point, opening this September, which will surely accrue many advantages for the Rock. We also pay a fascinating visit to the Gibraltar Museum, learning about some of its key exhibits and installations, and discover an exciting new tourist attraction coming this autumn: a time machine that will take travellers on a journey going back 130,000 years, entitled A Walk with Neanderthals.

Art features heavily in these pages, with a resumé of Spain’s Famous Five supremos and a tour of some of the World’s most outstanding galleries.

Personalities too – don’t miss our exclusive interviews with Miss Gibraltar, Hannah Bado; the Finlaysons on their iconic nature photography; and Caitlin Rodriguez, who will defend her European Show Dance title at this year’s Championships in Gibraltar on October 1 - 4.

Elsewhere, experience 560-horsepower in the new Audi RS 7, check out bespoke itineraries with Blands Travel, marvel at the sumptuous Italian style on offer from Natuzzi and find out why The Ocean is all the rage in Gibraltar.

Cultural

COMBINATION

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SOCIETE GENERALE PRIVATE BANKING HAMBROS

WE MANAGE YOUR WEALTH

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Issued by SG Hambros Bank (Gibraltar) Limited, which is regulated and authorised by the Financial Services Commission, Gibraltar. © 2014 Societe Generale Group and its affiliates. © Hugo Stenson - FRED & FARID

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There is Something for Everyone...

Bringing Music to Your Ears & Gibraltar to your Screen

GBC Television available on Gibraltar Freeview and gbc.gi City Pulse Mama Lottie’s: A Gibraltarian Kitchen National Day Live Newswatch Pet Diaries Profiles The Hub The Sports Locker Viewpoint Full schedule at gbc.gi

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trend READING / MUSIC / FILMS / GADGETS / MOTORING / TRENDS

The Summer may have been one of the most intense we can recall, but this issue’s magazine proves that there are many great reasons to snuggle up chez toi and enjoy some good oldfashioned home entertainment. We preview the top cinematic and music releases and dazzle motoring fans with the brand-new Audi RS 7 High-Performance Saloon.

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Cinema

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Home Viewing

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Music

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Books

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Cars: The New Audi RS 7

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Technology: Back to School

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THE TREND cinema WORDS marisa cutil

las

OF THE MONT e BLOCKBUSTER

»» Genre

Comedy

»» DirectoR

Woody Allen (Manha

ttan)

Actors

uin Emma Stone, Joaq ley ck Bla e mi Ja Phoenix,

H

aquin sor, Abe Lucas (Jo Philosophy Profes ut of bo jor ma a m fro g Phoenix) is sufferin erything ev at th in the belief depression, stuck ist tiv ac l ca liti po a do as he has strived to Upon . ing th ounted to no and teacher has am s been ha he ere wh ge all colle arriving at the sm ta, a Ri n: me e meets two wo her hired to teach, Ab of t ou y wa a r fo king nt, young Professor loo de stu st and Jill, his be the unhappy marriage, ite sp De d. en fri s his best y ibl who soon become ist es irr boyfriend, she is he ge fact that Jill has a an ch a ke ma iting him to drawn to Abe, inv for all his life. has been waiting

Irrational Man

»» Genre Romance »» Director Cameron Crowe

(Jerry Maguire) »» actors Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams

Aloha

Bradley Cooper plays a has-been aeronautical engineer who, having fallen into disgrace, returns to his hometown of Hawaii to rebuild his career. He accepts a job working alongside a young pilot (Emma Stone) who envelops him in the warm spirit of the island and helps him discover a better version of himself.

»» Genre Thriller »» Director Alejandro Amenabar (The Others)

»» ACTORS Emma Watson,

Ethan Hawke, Devon Bostick

Regression

The year is 1990, the place, Minnesota. Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) is investigating the case brought to him by Angela (Emma Watson), a young women accusing her father of committing a heinous crime. When the father suddenly admits his guilt, a renowned Psychologist joins the case to help the ‘culprit’ relive his memories and uncover a sinister conspiracy.

»» Genre Comedy »» Director Judd Apatow (This is 40) »» ACTORS Ezra Miller, Tilda Switon, Daniel Radcliffe, Amy Schummer

Trainwreck

Talented American comic, Amy Schummer, plays Amy, a woman who lives her life the way she chooses, without giving explanations to anybody. Since she was a little girl, she has heard her father say that monogamy is an unnatural construct. Against her better judgement, she falls madly in love with a successful doctor who makes her question her ingrained skepticism…

»» Genre Comedy »» Director Nancy Meyers

(Something’s Gotta Give) »» actors Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway

The Intern

The unstoppable Robert De Niro plays a 70-year-old widower who finds that retirement is not all it was cut out to be. He seizes a unique opportunity to show he still has what it takes to succeed, accepting a post as a senior intern at an online fashion site, run by a captivating and beautiful CEO (Anne Hathaway).

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THE TREND home viewing

Marisa Cutillas brings us a few of the season’s top DVD releases. »» Genre Action/ Comedy »» Director Matthew Vaughan (Kick Ass 2)

»» actors Mark Hammill, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson »» IMDB Rating 7.9/10

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Book of Life

A veteran secret agent (Colin Firth) is called upon to train a young, crazy apprentice to pass the test of an elite British spy agency. The youngster’s special talents and intelligence make him the key to the downfall of a dangerous terrorist organisation led by Machiavellian entrepreneur, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson).

»» Genre Animation »» Director Jorge R. Gutiérrez (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera)

»» VOICES Christina Applegate, Ice Cube,

Kate del Castillo

»» IMDB Rating 7.3/10

D RELEASE OF e FEATURED DV »» Genre

Documentary

»» Director

Brett Morgen (Chicago)

»» IMDB Rating

7.8/10

THE MONTH

Cobainof. Heck

This gorgeous fantasy film tells the story of Manolo, a dreamer who travels through magical, mythical worlds to reunite with the love of his life and save the people of his village. He is called upon to face all his greatest fears yet, fueled by love, he feels invincible…

Montage

r danced to Smells like Anyone who has eve ng to Come As You alo ng Teen Spirit or su l amazing biographica Are cannot miss this Kurt s, niu ge al sic mu t documentary abou s rare, intimate Cobain. The film share nce, taking us die au moments with the lly ill teen in nta me a as ys from his da his dizzy ascent to , Aberdeen, Washington tus. to rock superstar sta

»» Genre Animation »» Director Paul Tibbitt (Sponge Bob) ACTORS And voices Antonio Banderas,

Bill Fagerbakke, Tom Kenny »» IMDB Rating 6.2/10

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water When an evil pirate (Antonio Banderas) raids Sponge Bob’s sea ecosystem to steal the secret recipe for Krabby Patties, Sponge Bob and his friends head for dry land to take back what is theirs and discover the wonders of life on earth.

Force Majeure »» Genre Comedy/ Drama »» Director Ruben Östlund »» actors Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa

Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren »» IMDB Rating 7.4/10

A family heads for the French Alps to indulge in their favourite pastime (skiing) when they suddenly find themselves staring at an avalanche while they are having lunch. The family dynamic is shaken to the core and all eyes turn towards the patriarch, whom they expect to rescue them from this fine mess.

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THE TREND music

¿QUÉ PASA? courtney love

Words Rik foxx

Spanish legend ALEJANDRO SANZ plays Málaga’s Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena on the 22nd. Ticket info: www.ticketmaster.es But the big one is the Gibraltar Music Festival (September 5 & 6) featuring DURAN DURAN, PALOMA FAITH, KINGS OF LEON, MADNESS and THE KILLERS plus any last minute additions. Ticket and transport info: www.gibraltarmusicfestival.com The above festival headliners DURAN DURAN release their 14th studio album, Paper Gods, on September 11; on the same date the long awaited super group cover version LP by the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES featuring ALICE COOPER, DAVE GROHL, PAUL McCARTNEY and JOHNNY DEPP plus SLASH, BRIAN JOHNSON (AC/DC) and JOE WALSH (EAGLES) lands. The track, The Last Vampire, features narration from Dracula actor CHRISTOPHER LEE, who passed away in June.

The group are scheduled to appear at Brazil’s Rock In Rio festival this month. And while the ROLLING STONES contemplate over a studio return, KEITH RICHARDS drops his first solo album in 23 years with Crosseyed Heart on the 18th.

Despite all the releases, reunions seem to be the flavour of the month and all the UK red tops have been harping on about the SPICE GIRLS 20th anniversary tour next year but more interesting is that ROD STEWART has finally got his act into gear with THE FACES, featuring original members RONNIE WOOD and KENNEY JONES, for a one-

off charity gig at Surrey's Hurtwood Park Polo Club on September 5. Later this month the band will release a new vinyl box set that compiles their four studio albums, as well as a fifth disc of outtakes, rehearsal recordings and non-LP singles. Other reunions on the cards: PUSSYCAT DOLLS, the BLACK EYED PEAS (minus FERGIE, who is working on a solo project) and the GEORGE MICHAEL management team have contacted ANDREW RIDGELEY and backing singers PEPSI and SHIRLEY about making a documentary and a possible tour. But JIMMY PAGE “can’t foresee” a LED ZEPPELIN reunion as band members cannot agree on the right reasons to get back together.

American pop rockers MAROON 5, who were due to perform in China this month, have been banned by the country’s authorities after tweeting the DALAI LAMA a happy 80th birthday; and how about this - the spiritual leader joined PATTI SMITH on stage at Glastonbury in June and as he walked off stage the sun came out for the first time on that day.

KINGS OF LEON

Not much chalked on the concert board this month except for the biggest event of the year on the south coast in Gibraltar (see below) but check your local weekly publications for any last minute arranged gigs. At the time of writing all info on this page was correct.

BLUR

ALEJANDRO SANZ

COURTNEY LOVE and FRANCES BEAN COBAIN haven’t seen eye-to-eye during the last few years but the wife and daughter of the NIRVANA demi-god KURT are singing off the same sheet showing their disapproval towards a Seattle TV host’s civil lawsuit seeking for the police’s official death scene photographs to be released, claiming that they will prove that he was murdered. The singer was found dead in April 1994, with the official cause of his death cited by police as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Also a controversial conspiracy docu-film Soaked In Bleach, which is said to focus on accusations that the death had been organised by his wife, is set to be released in Europe this Autumn.

At the time of writing, the singer of the new JAMES BOND movie theme is still a mystery, but ELLIE GOULDING took to Instagram saying she is recording her third album at the moment and teased that one track could be used for the film which is released on October 26.

BLUR went down a storm at Spain’s biggest festival Benicàssim in July, pushing their April released Magic Whip album which has encouraged singer DAMON ALBARN to resurrect his GORILLAZ project and he’s heading into the studio this month to follow up the 2011 released The Fall LP. During the summer FRANZ FERDINAND teamed up with the 70s and 80s legends SPARKS for a UK tour where most gigs sold out and they were branded as a MCBUSTED

for adults – there is now talk that FFS (their stage name) are considering recording songs they penned together and touring on a bigger scale next year with a spot at Glastonbury on the cards.

Also studio bound is KYLIE who is hoping to revamp her career with a disco-influenced Christmas album and KATY PERRY will star in the H&M festive TV campaign. Meanwhile, mad MARIAH CAREY has decided she now wants to direct her Christmas TV movie, Mariah Carey’s Christmas Project, which will air this December – going on her track record after getting involved in her last album’s production – will it be this December?

And along the same lines – ADELE album update: a spokesperson said, “It will be out in September” – yeah but which year? e

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THE TREND books

Top Reads for the Autumn Summer is over and for many of us, this means adjusting to work life and looking forward to the pleasures of the weekend. With a good book in your hand, even limited free time can feel like magic. We suggest these page turners, which will make indoor living more appealing than ever.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE BY ANTHONY DOERR

This novel, winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, delves into the nature of endurance and survival in times of war. The book contains as many puzzles as the heroine’s locksmith father builds for her, and is an incredibly entertaining read for those who love a good mystery. The heroine is Marie, a young Parisian forced to flee to Saint-Malo, on the Brittany Coast, when the Germans occupy Paris in 1940. Far away, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both mesmerised by a simple radio he finds. He becomes a master radio builder and, eventually, a highly valued tracker of the Resistance. His work sends him to the outskirts of Russia, then to Saint-Malo, where he meets Marie and their destinies become intertwined.

DEAD WAKE: THE LAST CROSSING OF THE LUSITANIA BY ERIK LARSON

This top-selling non-fiction read centres on the sinking of British liner, the Lusitania, in 1915, by a Germane U-boat located a few kilometres off the Coast of Ireland. The ship took almost 20 minutes to sink, and 1,198 passengers lost their lives.

Today, Author, Erik Larson, asks why these deaths were allowed to happen, postulating that the tragedy could have been prevented.

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT BY DANIEL JAMES BROWN This book is the exciting true story of nine Americans and their epic quest to obtain the Gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers and farmers from Western America, the boys defeated the sons of bankers and senators hailing from the World’s most elite universities. In 1936, they rowed for gold in front of Adolf Hitler.

SINGLE IN MARBS BY ADELE CARTER

Single in Marbs is the story of Adele Carter, a woman faced with single life in Marbella. Adele immerses herself in the jetset culture, enjoying fun adventures and Champagne parties and meeting glamorous millionaires.

It’s all fun and laughs at first, but things get serious when she meets Luuk Janssen and their love and sexual chemistry begins to turn into something more serious…

MODERN ROMANCE

BY AZIZ ANSARI

Modern Romance is a New York Times best-selling book about the new ways that singles communicate, pursue each other and find the love of their lives. It reflects the Author’s profound knowledge of history, science and art, yet is so witty and funny that you won’t be able to put it down. Despite the quick-paced nature of this book, you may find that you take home some very useful tips on how to survive as a singleton looking for love.

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THE TREND motoring

AUDI RS 7

High-Performance Saloon It’s one of the world’s finest saloons by any standards and seemingly, it’s less appreciated than it should be in a performance market dominated by Mercedes-Benz AMG and BMW M models.

It’s the remarkable Audi RS 7 and it’s unique in its class by using a sportback body, rather than the traditional ‘three box’ layout of other large luxury saloons. It’s a model that grew from the Audi A7 family, which includes several models, many of which are quite well known. A look back at the history of this Audi model is a good starting point because it was born from hot competition in the high-end car market.

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AUDI

O

ne glance at any Audi A7 Sportback and it’s obvious that the car has to be compared with the highly successful Mercedes-Benz CLS. When Mercedes first introduced the motoring world to the ‘four-door coupé’ configuration with its CLS, it was clear that rival makers would follow with versions of their own. The idea of a full five-seat (four with some makes, including the RS 7) automobile that looks more like a sporty coupé was well accepted by luxury car buyers. It wasn’t long before BMW had a contender with its rather awkward-looking 5-Series Gran Turismo and even VW got into the act with its Passat CC. The great thing about Audi’s Sportback design is that it has a nice big hatchback, which opens to reveal an impressive load floor – especially when

the rear seats are folded down. Luggage capacity is 535-litres and a massive 1390 with the rear seat folded. Quite apart from the car’s many dynamic qualities, this must make it one of the best luxury touring cars on the market and quite possibly the most practical of its class ever developed. I felt a little guilty for using this amazing and powerful machine for moving some furniture, but it does prove that a supercar (and the RS 7 fits that category for sure) can be practical too.

The RS 7 is an innovative and modern design and has great ‘road presence’ which prompts lots of curious glances out on the highway, though few observers really know of the might that lies under the bonnet. The badging on the car is very discrete and only a knowledgable few will spot it. It’s a great vehicle for someone who values

individuality in an automobile and doesn’t want to drive the same luxury car as everyone else. If the RS 7 is a little too much in terms of flat-out performance, buyers can choose a less expensive and less potent V-6 powered A7 variant, but forget about 3.9-seconds zero to 100 km/h times!

Beneath the sleek bonnet of the beast sits a 4.0-litre direct injection aluminium V-8 with two overhead cams, an exhaust turbocharger, an indirect intercooler and a long roster of other high-tech engine goodies. The lusty motor transmits its power to the road using an eightspeed Tiptronic automatic coupled with Audi’s famed Quattro permanent all-wheel drive. With a whopping 560-horsepower on tap, this is about the best possible way of making safe use of it out on the road in just about any conditions.

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Z ENGINE: 4.0-litre V-8, 560-horsepower.

Z TRANSMISSION: 8-speed

The acceleration this Audi is capable of is amazing and even friends who were well used to high-performance cars were surprised at the way a squirt of the throttle on a quiet road jammed them back in their seats. It’ll keep going too, right up to 300 km/h and beyond if you bypass the engine’s 250 km/h speed limiter with the control provided. It must be the closest thing on wheels that gives some of the effect of a space shuttle launch! I must say that as with other high-end Audis, there’s no feeling that you’re ever out of control at any speed and at 250 km/h, the car is seriously stable and safe-feeling. Expectedly, the brakes are very impressive and when needed, they scrub off speed quickly and without drama. The only comment I can provide about handling is that without a track to play on, it’s impossible to find any limits – it’s like a four-door Porsche 911 in many ways.

As with just about all Audi interiors, the cabin is a

wonderful sight to behold and trimmed just about to perfection. The seating is comfortable and supportive (which it needs to be with this car’s handling!) and the controls are all very well laid out. I’ve always felt that Audi did a slightly better job with interiors than its arch-rivals at Mercedes-Benz and BMW, but not all will agree. There’s a smoothness and simplicity about an Audi dashboard and console, though don’t think for a moment that this car doesn’t have every gadget, both practical and cosmetic, it’s possible to shovel in. Incidentally, this is a four-seat car, but the two rear seat occupants have optimal comfort and space and who carries five people in a car like this anyway?

The RS 7 does have its rivals, but its unique hatchback layout makes it the most practical of them all. As for that rocket-like takeoff when you really ‘give it some welly,’ it’s an experience almost beyond price.

Tiptronic automatic with paddle shifted manual override.

Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 3.9-seconds.

Z TOP SPEED: 305 km/h.

Z I LIKED: Great styling inside and out, breathtaking performance in every respect, very roomy car despite its sports car characteristics, superbly finished inside and out to the highest standards, Outstanding brakes, steering and general handling.

Z I DIDN’T LIKE: An expensive car, but probably worth the money. Not too many places to really put this car through its paces, but anyone who can afford one should be able to take it to one of the private circuits now and again.

Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: MercedesBenz CLS AMG, BMW X 6 M, Maserati Quattroporte, Jaguar XJR. Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Fans of German performance cars who think that Mercedes AMGs and BMW M models are too ‘common’ nowadays.

Drivers who want the ultimate in a large saloon with exhilarating performance and room for golf clubs.

Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Available now at €140.135.

ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 / 21

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THE TREND technology

The title is part of the lyrics from the famous song Another Brick in The Wall by Pink Floyd, which happens to be one of my favourite bands and songs. If anyone has seen the video clip, you might remember how the students walk in a mindless manner towards the mincing machine and how the teacher is obsessed by repetition as a process of learning.

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urrently the United States spends more than US $10,000 a year per student in primary school, practically double the amount that South Korea spends and yet the Korean students are outperforming them in maths and sciences. In fact this statistic is true for many developed countries struggling with high costs and an escalating number of unmotivated pupils from primary to high school.

So what’s wrong with our current methods and what do we need to do? The method of teaching and lecturing has changed very little since the time of Socrates, but the Internet and Artificial Intelligence is changing all that. Let’s start by looking at some interesting advances and changes.

In 2012, Andrew Ng, a professor at Stanford University founded an online service known as Coursera which is set to remodel education in the twenty first century. The service offers a huge departure from the way student performance is measured and understood. Instead of tests at the end of the week or semester, short interactive quizzes are interspersed throughout the lesson, in keeping with the human attention span. These, along with

other new initiatives, not only improve learning, but also teaching.

In some cases these online services are allowing teachers to see why or when a class has misunderstood a concept, providing ample opportunity to correct the issue.

Imagine getting notifications by email or on your phone when your child continuously answers incorrectly to a set of multiplication or algebra problems that show a fundamental misunderstanding.

Even better is when these online courses have been constructed with the ability to alert the child directly and make them understand why the answer or the method they had selected was wrong, and providing them with instructions on how to correct it and why their answer was wrong. This is when the computer can almost replace the teacher.

Negroponte (The Founder of the MIT Media Lab and better known for his ‘One Laptop Per Child’ initiative) states: “We know that a vast recall of facts about something is in no way a measure of understanding them”.

While memorising and remembering is necessary, it is not sufficient. In fact a simple electroencephalogram (EEG) can predict how well-studied material has been incorporated into

WE DON’T NEED NO EDUCATION! Naturally Smart or Artificially Intelligent!

WORDS ALI PARANDEH

memory and thus how well a subject will perform on a memory test. If developed into a simpler gadget or app, it could easily inform the students or the teachers if a subject has been well recorded in the brain or if it will be forgotten in a short time and the student really needs to study and understand the subject better.

Negroponte (through his OLPC project) showed that when he brought PCs and tablets to remote areas, in a few weeks the children were singing ABC songs and by the end of week five they were able to hack the disabled camera and take photos of themselves. The project has gone further to prove that about three to four per cent of these children went on to teach their parents how to read and write.

A lot of our learning capacity is blocked by our mental processes and the way we have been programmed to learn and understand. In contrast to current methods of teaching, in Negroponte’s MIT Media Labs, students are not taught but rather, they explore, solve problems as a team and research and behave like apprentices since, ultimately, they will probably be part of the next

generation of designers, inventors and entrepreneurs.

The integration of technology in everyday classrooms will allow for improved teaching and the measurement of progress, not as a unit of memory but rather as improved or learnt intelligence. In today’s world we need to remember less but instead know the way to retrieve and access the information in order to use the data for solving a problem.

Time after time we read of how some of the greatest scientists and entrepreneurs were bad at school and did not necessarily perform as well as the other smarter students in university. Good education is where the teachers nurture the capacity of problem solving in their students.

I cannot end this article without thanking the teachers at The English International College in Marbella (Class of 1989). g Ali Parandeh, is the Founder of PC Doctor & Urbytus. He has written five books in the fields of Internet and Biotechnology. He is currently an independent mentor at the Founder Institute and helps entrepreneurs with getting their ideas and work off the ground. parandeh@urbytus.com

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local

CULTURE / HISTORY / FEATURES / FAMOUS PEOPLE / INTERVIEWS / HUMOUR

Gibraltar is abuzz with news of recent launches and exciting events: this month it officially becomes the World’s newest university city, and will soon be hosting the European Show Dance Championships.

We interview 10-year-old dancing sensation, Caitlin Rodriguez, and give in to our artistic streak with articles on the Gibraltar Museum and the most influential Spanish artists of all time. We also get to know the team behind Finlayson Nature Photography and marvel at the beauty of Miss Gibraltar, Hannah Bado.

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The New Gibraltar University

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The Gibraltar Museum

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Miss Gibraltar, Hannah Bado

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2015 European Show Dance Championships

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Caitlin Rodriguez

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Famous Spanish Artists

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THE LOCAL university

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Education Minister Gilbert Licudi promises the university will be a game-changer for Gibraltar

Gibraltar will become the world’s newest university city on the 21st of this month, when the Europa Point campus welcomes its first intake of freshers. In fact, the gamechanging University of Gibraltar will open new doors for all, as Education Minister Gilbert Licudi tells Belinda Beckett.

PHOTOGRAPHY JAYDEN FA

Heritage buildings have been combined with ultra modern design, as this computer-generated image shows

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t the crossroads between two continents and two seas, Europa Point is an inspirational setting for any university campus. The Rock’s southern tip majors in mind-expanding views.

If you’re at one of life’s crossroads yourself, the panorama from this windswept promontory often helps sort things out. This year, next year and for generations to come, young University of Gibraltar undergraduates may similarly draw inspiration from this edge-of-Europe location to find their own true north.

Looking out to Jebel Musa, Gibraltar’s twin Pillar of Hercules in Morocco, across the same ocean that washed over wooden warships at the Battle of Trafalgar, Europa Point is a living lecture theatre. Enquiries have come in from all over the world since the university website went live in June. What overseas PhD research student wouldn’t be seduced by the opportunity

to study marine biology in the undersea world of the Strait, or palaeontology in the readymade laboratories of Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves?

“The university will be transformational, signalling the coming of age of our nation,” enthuses Gibraltar’s Education Minister, Gilbert Licudi. “For the first time we will be a university city, able to attract international students to carry out academic programmes and valuable research, and to offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses for local residents, opportunities that have never existed before.”

What’s more, it’s not all about mortar boards and the groves of academe. My college days are long gone but the idea of overlooking The Strait in a glass box, while trainee catering students serve me elegant food and fine wine, sounds very appealing. The restaurant will be open to the public, as well as providing hands-

on experience for students at the university’s new Gibraltar School of Hospitality, and I’ll be joining the queue to reserve a table!

Also bridging the gap between town and gown will be the Institute of Professional Development and Continuing Education (a long name for a business school). As well as professional qualifications (such as courses run by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and Association of Accounting Technicians), the Institute will work with local business to design bespoke short courses aimed at keeping professionals up to speed with industry changes.

Next year, a campus-based Language School will teach English both as a foreign (TEFL) and professional (TEPL) language, allowing staff in specialised industries like engineering and aviation to gen up on the jargon they need in their day-to-day jobs.

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The university has also created employment opportunities for full-time tutors, part-time lecturers, admin staff, people to run the refectory and manage the library; new sources of revenue, too, (provided traders go easy on the student discounts). It will put Gibraltar on the global academic map as well, attracting groundbreaking research projects, world-renowned speakers and prestigious educational events.

The 2015 Calpe Conference, themed Redefining the Neanderthals, will christen the new lecture theatre over September 24-26, to start the ball rolling.

The campus will even drive the social scene. I’m thinking graduation ceremonies, freshers’ balls and, who knows, maybe an interuniversity Cardboard Boat Race?

All in good time of course! Don’t expect Tour de France numbers of undergrads to come bicycling down Main Street this autumn. For the first year, most courses will operate on a part-time basis, the initial intake of students will number 100 to 150 and the majority will be locals. The Halls of Residence for 200 overseas students will open in year two.

“We want the university to be part of the community and very much used by the community, through conferences, nonacademic courses and events,” says Minister Licudi. “A university is something that evolves over time so we will not be starting with the full

slate of offerings straight away. It’s crucial to get the foundations absolutely right and build on that.”

However, this is no soft opening but a pukka university in every way, established by parliamentary statue and offering courses accredited by London’s top universities, until such time as it can offer its own exams.

Minister Licudi and his team have been on and off jets all year to help bring it about and gain valuable grass roots experience of how other universities in small nations operate. Those trips to Uni Sey in The Seychelles could in no way be described as a holiday!

Indeed, Gibraltar might well qualify for a Guinness Book of World Records entry for the quickest university opening in history. Plans for the £10million-government-funded project were announced at the end of 2014. Professor Daniella Tilbury was named Vice Chancellor in March, to start in August, bringing over 25 years of experience at the universities of Gloucester, Cambridge, Hong Kong and Sydney to the British Territory. Courses were unveiled on the website in June and the university was formally established by an Act of Parliament in July.

The contractors have had just six months to build the campus and deliver it on spec by August, ready for fitting out the library, refectory, admin buildings, high tech classrooms, lecture

theatres and research labs. Prepare to be amazed when you see the results for yourself.

Open Days will be held over the weekend of September 19/20 and the first freshers will enrol on the following Monday.

“The infrastructure that has gone into the university is absolutely incredible,” says Minister Licudi. “It’s been hard work to accomplish everything in such a short time scale but, gratifyingly, it has all come in on schedule exactly as planned.”

The Europa Point campus has been devised to look like it has always been there and, in a way, it has. The design incorporates heritage MOD buildings, united by a spectacular modern steel and glass atrium. The 19th century stone block that used to be St Christopher’s School has been tastefully incorporated into the university fabric; the vaulted ceilings of the old Defensible Barracks add a charming design feature to classrooms equipped with every hi tech appliance of science, from video screens and wifi to electronic data points. The new library will have sofas for relaxing, desks for research, a quiet zone and glass curtains opening up an area that will double as a state-of-the-art conference hall, with a pair of 75-inch video screens.

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Heritage buildings have been combined with ultra modern design, as this computer-generated image shows

The turreted entrance under which every student will pass is modelled on the Gibraltar flag’s castle-and-keys emblem. This will also feature on the university’s own coat of arms, together with the motto Scientia est Clavis ad Successum (knowledge is the key to success), echoing the historical interpretation of Gibraltar as the key to the Mediterranean.

The university’s own pillars of wisdom – its four founding academic Faculties – have been created to exploit and benefit Gibraltar’s economy and culture, one of the advantages of starting with a blank canvas. However, although academic

freedom and institutional autonomy goes with the territory, the university also has to be selffinancing.

The Business Faculty was created with this in mind, capitalising on Gibraltar’s reputation as a top global financial centre to attract paying students.

As well as offering BSc degrees and graduate diplomas in subjects covering accounting, finance, banking and business management, there will be Certificate courses in Gibraltar Law and Gibraltar Tax, both world firsts! Jobs on the doorstep for graduates in everything from fund management and insurance to private banking

and online gaming will be an added incentive for students to enrol.

The Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences will initially focus on research projects linked to the sciences, history and the humanities, administered through two institutes. The Rock is riddled with as many research opportunities as it has caves, an ‘open air’ university! Where better to write your thesis on urban-adapted wildlife species than among Gibraltar’s streetwise Barbary macaques, just one example of the multiple study themes Gibraltar offers. As well as their own office on campus and use of the university’s research laboratory, the Garrison Library, Botanic Gardens, Gibraltar Museum and the historic fortress city itself will be further enviable resources at research students’ fingertips.

The Faculty of Health and Sports Science will continue the good work of the School of Health Studies at St Bernard’s Hospital, offering a BSc in Adult Nursing in a campus setting. Students will be able to practice on high tech mannequins at the university’s state-of-the-art simulation theatre while the hospital wards will continue to provide a practical stage. Courses in sports, science, an increasingly-popular career choice, will be introduced later.

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For Joe Public and gourmets like myself, the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality’s commercial restaurant may be one of the most exciting developments. “With its glass box design and views to Africa it will give diners the impression that they are part of the landscape. There will be no other restaurant like it for miles around,” promises Gilbert Licudi.

The restaurant will be a commercial adjunct to the Gibraltar Hospitality School which will have its own classrooms and training kitchen. In collaboration with Oxford Brookes University’s School of Hospitality Management, whose patrons include Raymond Blanc, Ken Hom, Madhur Jaffrey and Prue Leith, week-long vocational courses will start this year, with degrees and PhD opportunities in both tourism and hospitality to follow.

The Language Centre, when it opens next year, will offer evening classes and summer schools to keep the campus functioning year-round. Many courses will be immersive, allowing students to conjugate verbs and practice conversation while hiking in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve or tacking in a yacht around the Bay. The campus, like the university, is expandable and designed with an eye to the future, but if students feel like they’re rattling around in it this first year, it won’t stay quiet for long. There are 900 students from Gibraltar currently studying at British universities on 100% government-funded scholarships. Gibraltar students are fortunate they don’t have to start working life saddled with a five-figure student loan debt and the same scholarship opportunities will be extended to those who choose to study on home soil. The more who do, the more the government will save in cost-of-living allowances also paid towards students’ rent, food, travel and flights home from the UK – a direct benefit from the university to the tax payer.

There are many other fringe benefits to being a university city. Great fringe theatre, à la Cambridge University’s Footlights, might be another, who knows. According to Wikipedia, the typical university town boasts attributes such as ‘university hospitals and clinics, printing houses, libraries, laboratories, business incubators, students’ unions, student societies and academic festivities’ along with ‘a high tolerance for unconventionality and an unusually active musical and cultural scene’.

It all augers interesting times for the Rock. Of course, Europa Point won’t be quite as peaceful for bird-watchers, walkers and worshippers at the mosque now they have to share their famous beauty spot with students from the University of Gibraltar. But it’s a small price to pay! i Further information www.unigib.edu.gi

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THE LOCAL museum

The museum team

A Day at the Museum Sporting a fresh coat of paint and looking decidedly sprightly for an institution celebrating its 85th birthday this year, the Gibraltar Museum is still only in the youthful stages of its continuing evolution, as Belinda Beckett reports.

Photography courtesy of the Gibraltar Museum and Finlayson Nature Photography

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fierce spotted hyena rooting through the remnants of a primitive barbecue along a shoreline buzzed by vultures suggests that going to the beach in prehistoric Gibraltar was not for the fainthearted!

And although this is the Gibraltar Museum and it’s only a stuffed hyena, playing a part in a realistic reconstruction of what life might have been like when Neanderthals ruled the Rock, it fairly fires the imagination.

It’s just one of many fascinating exhibits you can see here, where every artefact, document and sepia-toned picture tells a thought-provoking story.

Thanks to the talents of the Curator, Dr Clive Finlayson, his wife Geraldine and son Stewart, all expert wildlife photographers, impressive colour images of Gibraltar’s present-day flora and fauna also illuminate exhibits in a museum that goes way beyond presenting dusty archaeology in glass cases.

With Gibraltar’s history as a fortress, its enviable collection of military memorabilia is a source of fascination for visiting descendents of garrison officers. But few would guess that the once luxuriouslyappointed home of Gibraltar’s Chief Ordnance Officer – in a street appropriately named Bomb House Lane – hides a wellpreserved Moorish bath house within its foundations. Restoration work was only completed in 2005 and today you can walk through the hot room, cold room and tepidarium, and see some of the original old columns that stood witness to Muslim men (women would probably not have been admitted) sweating away the dust and grime of the day.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, parts of this important Islamic antiquity were seconded for a military stables and a wine cellar where officers stored their vintage tipples. Such an act of sacrilege seems incongruous today but times were hard back

then, when there was often a war on (or at least a siege) and preserving lives, rather than heritage, was the priority.

As Gibraltar officially lacked a museum until 1930, some of its most valuable treasures were lost to London. Even so, it is still one of the oldest museums in this part of the world.

There had been talk of one since the mid-18th century and, in 1835, a group of officers formed the Gibraltar Scientific Society, renting a building to house a skeleton collection that included specimens of morbid anatomy, provided by the hospital!

The discovery of the skull sometimes referred to as Gibraltar Woman was a major coup for the Society and its Secretary, Lieutenant Edmund Flint, who unearthed it from Forbes Quarry in 1848. At the time, no one realised its true significance – proof that the Neanderthal race survived in southern Europe for at least eight millennia longer than originally thought.

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The famous Neanderthal skull found at Forbes Quarry

When the Society broke up a few years later, Gibraltar Woman was labelled ‘ancient human, died before the universal flood’ and stashed at the Garrison Library. While she languished in a cupboard, her thunder was stolen by Neanderthal Man, coined after a similarly pre-historic skull was found in Germany’s Neander Valley.

Gibraltar Woman, and the skull of a four-year-old Neanderthal boy found in the Devil’s Tower area in 1926, were shipped to London’s Natural History Museum where they still reside.

The casts of the two skulls are among the most popular exhibits at the Gibraltar Museum today. Two of the first to be made at London’s Royal College of Surgeons in the 19th century, they are historically valuable in their own right.

But what really catches the eye is the lithograph reconstruction of the face of the Devil’s Tower Child, an angelic-looking, fair-haired boy who looks remarkably modern and huggable and owes nothing to the old misconception that Neanderthals were brutish and ape-like.

Gibraltar is a living museum and its caves are chief benefactors. Ongoing excavations at Gorham’s and Vanguard caves have added over 40 per cent to the Gibraltar Museum’s collection of prehistoric arrowheads, tools, bone fragments and fossils and the 1931 Ancient Monuments and Antiquities Act ensures that the Rock gets to keep them.

The Museum is in constant evolution, as signs saying ‘Gallery Closed for Works’ denote. As more treasures are unearthed, displays are updated to keep them relevant and showcase exciting new discoveries in a meaningful way.

Even so, there’s only space to display 30 per cent of the collection in this Aladdin’s Cave of antiquities where visitors walk along a maze of corridors, and up and down many flights of stairs, to exhibition rooms on three levels.

One exhibit which remains a fixture, and has an entire room to itself is a magnificent 1:600 scale model of the Rock, one of two created by the Ministry of Defence in 1865 and perfect in every detail, from the windows in the buildings to the shadows cast by the sun. “It’s probably one of the most valuable pieces in the collection,” says Clive Finlayson. “The whole of Gibraltar was surveyed to create it, a six-year process, and we still have the original cloth plans, which took three years to produce.

New reconstruction of the Neanderthal landscape outside Gorham’s Cave in the Ice Age

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“When the model was being restored, the team working on it thought that the shadows were a serious case of staining until they noticed that the ‘stains’ were all facing the same way,” adds Clive, a walking encyclopaedia of fascinating facts. “Lieutenant Charles Warren who carried out the survey at the start of his career went on to serve with Lord Kitchener and became Chief Commissioner with the London Metropolitan Police. He resigned for failing to solve the Jack the Ripper Case!”

Historic photographs lining the walls in the model room depict spectacular episodes from Gibraltar’s military past, from the North African operations during the Second World War to the construction of the naval dockyards. They provide an eye-opening insight into a soldier’s life in harsh 19th century Gibraltar, and the way it looked in prelandfill days, when the sea lapped at Casemates Square’s bastion walls, submerging Ocean Village and the business district as we know them today.

In a neighbouring room devoted to the Great Siege, military enthusiasts can marvel at a well-

Even the building is a museum piece as this archaeological excavation in the patio denotes

stocked arsenal of cannon balls and mortar shells, blunderbusses and flintlock pistols.

A copy of the Royal Warrant signed by Queen Isabella of Castile in 1502 granting Gibraltar its Coat of Arms (featuring the ‘key’ symbol), may reopen old wounds among Spanish visitors. The document acknowledges that ‘the said City is very strong and by its situation it is the key between these our kingdoms in the Eastern and Western Seas and the sentinel and defence of the Strait’.

Other museum highlights include an Egyptian Mummy containing the body of a young man from 7-800BC Thebes, brought up from a wreck; and one of the most complete collections of Phoenician scarab beetle amulets on the Iberian Peninsula, dating from 7BC – treasures donated from the Gorham’s Cave excavations.

A 15-minute film tracing the history of Gibraltar from the Jurassic era to the present day puts the collection in context. Placed at the entrance so that that visitors view it first, it’s tempting to revisit this air-conditioned room to see it all again afterwards, and rest your feet awhile!

Scale model of the Rock dating from 1865, perfect in every detail

True museum buffs should set aside at least a couple of hours to take everything in – and there will be even more to see shortly, including what Clive mysteriously promises will be “a very special and surprising new exhibition opening at the Museum early next year.”

All kinds of curious artefacts donated over the decades languish in the Museum’s archives, from trophy skulls of wildebeest shot by garrison officers to Scottish claymores and an original Samurai uniform. “There are even mummies of a human hand and a cat whose provenance is quite unknown!” says Clive. But with all that’s going on at the Museum right now, it’s unlikely these oddities will ever see the light of day.

“We are very excited about the future, developing the museum further as well as our outposts at Parson’s Lodge and other sites, linking it to the possibility of having a World Heritage Site in 2016,” enthuses Clive. “That would be a really good way to start the next 85 years.” i www.gibraltarmuseum.gi

The Moorish baths once cooled garrison officers’ vino

Reconstruction of Gibraltar in Neanderthal times, on view at the museum

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© Finlayson Nature Photography

Stunning moonrise from Gorham’s Cave

This autumn, Gibraltar will unveil the first phase of a tourist attraction it has unknowingly been sitting on since before the dawn of history – a time machine that will take travellers on a journey going back 130,000 years.

A Walk with Neanderthals Neanderthal Park will showcase the last known stronghold of our closest prehistoric relatives, along with evidence that confounds previously-held scientific belief about what they looked like, how they lived and when.

A 28-hectare site (London’s Trafalgar Square is one hectare) running from mission control at Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves on the Rock’s east face, to O’Hara’s Battery at its peak, is being put forward for UNESCO World Heritage status.

The project could do for Neanderthals what Jurassic Park did for dinosaurs but there will be no need for Spielberg-scale special effects. Parts of the landscape and much of the vegetation remain as they were when Neanderthals stalked ibex atop Gibraltar’s craggy peaks. That sheer slope above Catalan Bay, which many people take to be concrete or part of Gibraltar’s old water catchment system, is actually the world’s largest fossilised sand dune.

There will be viewing platforms overlooking the caves that have yielded up this treasure trove of information over the last quarter of a century, the first to open this autumn, and boat trips 5km out to sea to gain an impression of where the land once ended. There will be illustrated guided walks along the Mediterranean Steps to see where and what the Neanderthals used to hunt and gather, plus supporting exhibits at the Gibraltar

Museum and a 3D walk-through movie to complete the picture in virtual reality.

And to think it might never have come about if Gibraltar Museum Curator/ Director Clive Finlayson hadn’t received a call from the Natural History Museum in London, 25 years ago, enquiring whether there was anything left worth excavating in Gibraltar’s cave system!

“Just as evolution is often affected by serendipity, sometimes it’s a random event that changes the course of history and in this case, our own,” says Clive.

“I was very familiar with the caves, it’s where I used to go to catch and ring birds, but no one knew much about their archaeological significance. The team I took down were impressed by the amount of fossil remains still there, so we put a project together.”

The caves had been excavated in the 1950s but there were no finds to equal the discovery of the Neanderthal skull that first brought Gibraltar to the attention of the world’s top scientists.

What they are still unearthing now is turning conventional wisdom about Neanderthals entirely on its head.

New evidence reinforces the view that Neanderthals were nothing like the stooped, hairy, apelike creatures of Victorian scientific drawings, which were based on the skeleton of an old man bent double with arthritis. In 2012, the discovery of a cross-hatched engraving found on the wall of Gorham’s Cave – a

diagram, perhaps, or the first known example of Neanderthal rock art – suggests that Neanderthals were not the dumb bunnies once thought, but capable of abstract expression. “In short, we have learned that they were humans,” says Clive.

Geraldine Finlayson has been exploiting her PhD in paleo landscape reconstruction to piece together evidence from Neanderthal hearths and animal coprolites (fossil poo) about the flora and fauna of the time. “It was thought Neanderthals didn’t know how to catch birds and fish or make tools but we’ve found evidence of all that and more – cuts on seal fossils, mussels that have been prised open, bird feathers and talons that may have been used as jewellery, pollen grains in hyena dung which give us an idea of the type of vegetation,” says Geraldine.

She has even taken the search for Neanderthals to the sea bed, where freshwater springs have been discovered – the lakes of Neanderthal times.

The team’s most recent discoveries are still under wraps but will be the subject of two important new scientific papers to be published shortly.

Although public access to the caves will be restricted to preserve them, they will be open to small scientific groups and documentary producers so that the world can see inside these waterfront galleries whose subsoil showcases

Neanderthal rock engraving in Gorham’s Cave suggests they were no dumb bunnies

layers of several other civilisations. The BBC, the Discovery and History Channels and National Geographic have all visited the caves and are queuing up for return tickets.

A UNESCO label would give Neanderthal Park greater protection, funding and publicity. But, win or lose the bid, it is destined to become a new tourism driver for Gibraltar, attracting visitors from all over.

With the ink already dry on the fiveyear management plan, entrepreneurs are now being invited to step forward with commercial ideas linked to the project. “We provide a free consultation service and we’re talking to all kinds of business, including one particular artist who has come up with a brilliant idea,” says Geraldine secretively.

Who knows, in the near future Neanderthals could even take over from where Jurassic dinosaurs left off as the new best-selling theme for toys, computer games, leisure projects and you name it. Watch this space!

STOP PRESS: Redefining the Neanderthals is the title of this year’s Calpe Conference, taking place from September 24-26 at the new University of Gibraltar. Experts from the UK and America will deliver a series of lectures on Neanderthal biology, ecology and behaviour, drawing on archaeological evidence found in Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves.

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THE LOCAL people

Three’s a team – the Finlayson family at work in the field

With their gripping tales of canoe trips down crocodileinfested rivers, close shaves with scorpions and vipers and expeditions to the rooftops and ocean floors of the world, sitting around a table with the team at Finlayson Nature Photography is as good as watching a David Attenborough documentary. More surprising still, Gibraltar’s top naturalist trio is a family affair, writes Belinda Beckett.

THE FABULOUS

Finlaysons

The beauty of a basket star, captured by Geraldine 35 metres underwater, off Gibraltar

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FINLAYSON NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

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ou don’t find too many young courting couples discussing their passion for limpets. But the clingy little marine gastropods played a part in cementing the all-embracing relationship between husband and wife naturalists, Clive and Geraldine Finlayson.

A few years later, their son Stewart came along, inheriting his parents’ passion for all creatures great and small, and what a team they make!

“The beauty of all us working together so closely is that we sound each other out and help each other, even though we have different specialities,” says Geraldine.

Indeed, as well as being top wildlife photographers, the

Finlaysons may well be the only family unit of naturalists working together on the planet. I had to ask how it all started.

Geraldine was on a school field trip to the Rock Nature Reserve when a dashing young science graduate (Clive) “stepped out of the bushes with a camera slung over his shoulder. I developed an instant crush on him,” she says, with a girlish giggle. “Later, when we started going out together, we discovered so many common interests. Limpets were only the beginning!”

Other families go on vacations to lie around on sun loungers all day and get a tan. The Finlaysons go on photographic field trips to sweat it out in hides as hot as Hades all day and sometimes get nothing.

And at other times, achieve the unimaginable; such as the first photographs ever captured of a Spanish imperial eagle attacking a fox, taken in Cordoba – just one of the ‘results’ which make the pain and perseverance worthwhile.

“Last month Geraldine and I sat for seven hours beside a dead sheep in the middle of a field in Extremadura, waiting to photograph birds of prey,” recalls Clive with a fruity chortle. “We were in a box just big enough to fit both of us, it was 38 degrees outside, 50 inside, the sheep was stinking to high heaven and we got nothing! People don’t think of the failures when they look at our pictures but sometimes it takes weeks and months of hours to get the right shot, and another year’s

wait if we miss the window,” he adds.

“You wouldn’t believe that in any other scenario, Clive is the most impatient person I know, possibly next to Stewart and myself,” interjects Geraldine.

When they’re not trekking across Sweden’s icy wastes in snow shoes, pursuing wildlife across the Serengeti or sitting around a campfire in Australia seeing the world from the viewpoint of Aboriginal elders – just some of the places they’ve been either individually or collectively – they’re writing scientific papers, authoring books, working with National Geographic (the magazine and the TV channel) and sharing the fruits of their non-profit photography business with Facebook fans.

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A Spanish imperial eagle attacking a fox – a world ‘first’ for the Finlaysons

Bonelli’s eagle, one of Clive’s favourite photos and birds

It’s an education meeting this family of two PhDs and one in waiting. Stewart’s taking his in how Neanderthals exploited birds – pretty revolutionary, since for decades scientists thought that they didn’t know how to. Geraldine and Clive’s qualifications cover ecology and archaeology, zoology, geology and marine biology. She’s an expert diver and marine photographer, he’s a leading ecologist and what he doesn’t know about birds hasn’t yet been written. All three Finlaysons look after Gibraltar’s heritage as board members of the Gibraltar Museum and project leaders of Gibraltar’s UNESCO World Heritage bid.

“We never stop working; it sounds corny but we live what we do and most of our work, and even our field trips, generally link back to Gibraltar,” says Clive.

Most days, they can be found

either in their office at the end of the Museum’s rabbit warren of corridors, or burrowed below ground in their ‘Time Machine’ at Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves, continuing their groundbreaking research into Gibraltar’s Neanderthals. But when time and funds allow, they pack their cameras and 5kg lenses into their 4x4s and hit the road in search of some new natural wonder.

“We are incredibly curious people, that’s why we’re scientists, never satisfied with the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer,” says Geraldine. “We always need to ask, ‘yes but why?’, as Stewart did constantly when he was little until I was tempted to tell him, ‘because I told you so’!”

Just as Clive did with his own father, Stewart was accompanying his parents on field trips almost as soon as he could walk. Last year he co-authored his first book with his parents, A Guide to Wild Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar, based on early natural history books on Spain which he devoured avariciously throughout his childhood.

“I was practically raised in places like Doñana National Park, the Laguna de la Janda and the Upper Rock Nature Reserve where I’d spend

hours watching bird migrations,” he says.

He might have died in Doñana, too, if he hadn’t been stopped from picking up a scorpion in the nick of time.

Years later, he repaid the favour, saving his father from a potentially lethal snake bite. “We were putting up mist nets to catch birds for ringing and I was about to tie a guy rope onto a bush when Stewart spotted a viper curled on a twig by my finger and pulled me away,” recalls Clive.

“A good job too, as they’re nasty bits of work,” he adds with his signature understatement.

Common kingfisher shows off its colours

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Stunning seascape with northern gannets

The European roller, a long-distance migrant

Then there was the time they arrived at a mountaintop hide in darkness to photograph golden eagles. As dawn broke, they saw that their hut was inches from a sheer drop. “There was a strong wind gusting and it didn’t comfort us to know that two of the previous huts had blown right off the cliff,” says Clive. “But, considering the amount of field trips we go on, we haven’t had too many close shaves. We do weeks of homework first and go properly equipped.”

To my surprise, Clive and Geraldine are going on a cruise in August. They don’t seem the type?

“We go every year, to lecture,” explains Clive. “It’s with Seabourn of Seattle, very prestigious, they like husband and wife teams so they keep inviting us back and we get to choose where.

We’re sailing from Edinburgh to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador in Canada to give six Ice Age lectures. It’s also the perfect excuse to promote the Neanderthals of Gibraltar, who survived the Ice Age,” he adds.

Sitting around a table with this engaging family is as good as watching David Attenborough on TV (and they’ve met him twice, once as advisors on bird migration for his phenomenal Life on Earth series). The wide-ranging conversation veers from puffins migrating over the Strait, to the elephants and lions that roamed Iberia circa 100,000 years ago, to how fossilised hyena poo can tell Geraldine what Neanderthals might have eaten for breakfast!

They’d make great dinner party guests except everyone would be far too fascinated to eat.

Meanwhile, Clive, who has slipped out of the room, returns with the most adorable swift chick cradled in his hands. “People bring them to us when they fall out of their nests and we take care of them until they can fly,” explains Stewart, as his father gently opens the chick’s beak to drop in a food ball of mince meat, egg and meal worms. The tiny bird gobbles it down, chirping appreciatively. The McFinlayson burger is a big hit!

Swifts are one of Stewart’s favourite birds but so are snowy owls, wall creepers, ospreys, goshawks… now all three Finlaysons are chipping in with their favourite species, a long list that covers half the birds of the air and beasts of the field.

Finally, Geraldine settles the argument, summing up the ethos of this extraordinary family.

“We can’t decide,” she tells me emphatically. “It would be like asking a parent to choose their favourite child.” i Further information: www.finlayson-nature.com

Head-on with young bearded vulture

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Direct access It’s is important to us that our clients have direct access to their relationship managers. Therefore we have no call centers. Instead, each of our clients has their own personal relationship manager who they can contact anytime - to quickly make good decisions.

There are no obstacles or barriers between us.

Welcome to a bank out of the ordinary.

Jyske Bank (Gibraltar) Ltd. Tel. +350 200 72782 Follow us on facebook jyskebankgibraltar Jyske Bank (Gibraltar) Ltd. is licensed by the Financial Services Commission, Licence No. FSC 001 00B. Services and products are not available to everybody, for instance not to residents of the US.

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03/03/15 08.52

THE LOCAL people

Miss Gibraltar Hannah Bado Glamorous primary school teacher, Hannah Bado, is counting the days until she jets off to Sanya in southeast China in December to represent the Rock at Miss World. Belinda Beckett caught up with stunning Miss Gibraltar 2015 in between her packed diary of local engagements.

Lady in Red

PHOTOGRAPHY JAYDEN FA

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he wowed the crowds at this year’s Miss Gibraltar contest in a slinky scarlet gown, and set the Twittersphere on fire as fans signed off their Tweets with Apple’s salsa dancer emoji.

The miniature lady in red could have been modelled on this year’s pageant winner, Hannah Bado, with her trim figure and luxurious mane of chestnut hair.

“That was such a strange coincidence, I didn’t realise I looked like the emoji but everyone was pasting it onto the end of their Tweets and finally the penny dropped,” says the 22-year-old beauty. “I now have my own emoji doll to remind me of that special night.”

Red is the colour of luck in China, the destination of this year’s Miss World pageant. It certainly worked for Hannah. “I wasn’t sure what colour of dress to go for and, when Christian Santos, the pageant organiser, recommended red, I listened. I looked up a lot of dresses online and took lots of screen shots

and Gibraltar designer Dorcas Hammond worked her magic to design the final dress.”

Hannah teaches at St. Joseph’s Primary School – a profession that runs in her family – and English is her specialist subject. The university graduate took the prize for Best Interview of the Night at the Miss Gibraltar contest. And, with her ready wit and quick-fire answers to our own list of questions, we’re sure she’ll achieve her career ambition of becoming a school English Coordinator one day.

But first, she has some globetrotting to do, as she tells us here.

If you could only pack one item in your suitcase for Miss World in China what would it be?

I would definitely have to pack my mobile, as needy as that may sound. The thought of not being able to communicate with my friends and family is terrifying.

What’s on your must-do list when you get there?

I’m hoping to experience the true Chinese culture and learn a few

phrases in the language. I would absolutely love to see the Great Wall of China as it is such an iconic landmark. Oh, and I mustn’t forget, I’m also hoping to finally learn how to eat with chop sticks!

Has the outgoing Miss Gibraltar, Shyanne Azzopardi, given you any tips for Miss World?

Shyanne has advised me to just be my natural self and grab as many opportunities as I possibly can because before I know it, my reign will be over and I need to cherish this year as much as I possibly can.

You’re actually no stranger to the catwalk?

I have modelled on a few catwalks in the past for charitable events. I’ve also done a range of shoots with local photographers since the age of 16. Modelling is something I thoroughly enjoy as you can become anyone in front of a camera! It’s great to be able to express myself in a wide range of ways.

Describe your favourite outfit?

I absolutely love to feel comfortable in what I am wearing so I would definitely say my long, black high-waisted skirt, with a plain strappy top or white crop-top, a nice flowery kimono (I sure do love flowers) and some nice sandals from my favourite shop, Zara.

Tell us a little about your family life in Gibraltar?

I come from a family of teachers; my mother taught for 28 years and my only sibling, my 25 year old sister Gabriella, is also a Primary School teacher. The three of us went to Kingston University to study so it is really special to have been able to share the same student experiences. My father and dog Mylo are the only men in the house!

We all live together at home, as both my sister and myself are currently saving money to put towards our new flats, which should be ready soon. Although things might get a little hectic at times living together, we are a very close family.

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We know you have a soft spot for animals but Mylo has his own special story?

Mylo was abandoned as a twomonth-old puppy. He was found in Main Street in Gibraltar alongside a bag with some shampoo and other belongings, and taken to the RSPCA. The RSPCA posted a photo of him on Facebook and I fell in love with him immediately! I showed his picture to my mother and convinced her to adopt him. Within the next day, he was home with us!

There’s also another important man in your life?

Stefan! I met him on a night out in summer three years ago. It was actually a ‘Wild Wednesday’ which are the student nights they do here in Gibraltar. We were introduced by a mutual friend but we didn’t speak after that! It was only two days later when he contacted me on Facebook and we chatted for hours; we’ve been together ever since and like all my family and friends, he’s been super-supportive.

Who is your role model?

That would have to be my mother.

She is such a kind, generous and loving woman who gives her all to her family and never puts herself first. If I could be half as good a mother as she is, I would be more than blessed; she is truly the rock of our family.

What motto or philosophy gets you through life?

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions be louder than your words.

As a teacher, what lesson would you most like your own pupils to take to heart?

To always be true to themselves and those around them.

You love English as a written language too. What’s your favourite book?

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini is my all-time favourite. It is such a sad book yet romantic and gripping at the same time. I would recommend it to anyone.

What goals are you setting yourself for your year as Miss Gibraltar?

My fundamental goal is to make Gibraltar proud of my achievements,

to reach out to as many charities as possible and to be remembered as an inspiring ambassador for Gibraltar.

You will also be focusing on a charity especially dear to your heart?

The Cancer Relief Centre. This charity really helped my mother out when she had cancer in 2013.

The work they do at the centre is so touching. They offer services from simple coffee drop-ins to providing women with wigs and pampering patients with aromatherapy, manicures and all sorts. Cancer is something that unfortunately affects all of us in one way or another. I’d like to give something back to show my true appreciation of their work.

It’s a 15-hour flight to Sanya in China. Are you an experienced traveller?

My family has always enjoyed going on Mediterranean cruises so I’m lucky to have seen most of Europe. However, I have to say that my favourite holiday was when I surprised my boyfriend with a weekend trip to Rome for his

birthday. Rome is such a romantic and historical city and Italian is my favourite cuisine, so it was the perfect holiday for me.

One final, slightly cheeky question.

If there was one thing you could change about yourself what would it be?

I am not a morning person at all!

I wish I could wake up earlier in the day and be cheerful from the onset; it usually takes me about an hour to come to!

i To follow Hannah on her

exciting journey, check out the newly revamped website www.missgibraltar.gi

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THE LOCAL show dance

Show Dance

Stepping it Up!

After football, dance is bigger in Gibraltar than any sport but it’s still seen as a girl’s game. Gibraltar’s own ‘Lord of the Dance’, Seamus Byrne, is out to change that, and he’ll have the perfect opportunity when the Rock hosts the 2015 European Show Dance Championships next month. Belinda Beckett reports.

2013 World Show Dance champions Emma and Louise Flower

Show Dance poster 2015

“J

ust because I like ballet doesn’t mean I’m a poof.”

Times have changed since actor Jamie Bell spoke that immortal line in the Billy Elliott movie, 15 years ago. But in Gibraltar, despite dancing dervish Jonathan Lutwyche’s success at Britain’s Got Talent, most guys still think real men don’t do dancing – on paper, at least.

“We have seven or eight dancing schools with 2,000 members, and 1,000 local sequence dance club members, but females still outnumber males by 99 to one,” says Seamus Byrne.

It explains why there are only five guys in this year’s National Dance Team of 150 children, juniors and adults taking part in the IDO European Show Dance Championships from October 1-4.

Although as the President of the Gibraltar National Dance Organisation points out, any lad who thinks Dr.Dre, Jay Z are cool might be surprised to know that ballet is a core technique of hip hop dancing and most other genres.

“We need to convince the boys that dance is a great form of exercise, a platform for excellence, an opportunity to travel to other countries and compete against the best and even a stepping stone to a future career,” says Seamus, citing young Jordan Bautista, a former World Champion dancer who has just joined the Polish National Ballet.

As a competition dancer himself, 20 years ago, Seamus is not merely paying lip-service to these sentiments. “My football mates had a giggle when they heard I was also going to ballet training, and joked that I wasn’t ‘straight’,” recalls Seamus. “I’m married now, with three children, so I’ve proved them all wrong!”

Those same prejudices affected Graham Rodriguez, father of Gibraltar’s reigning European Show Dance Champion Caitlin. He was too embarrassed to tell his family he wanted to be a dancer when he was a teenager.

“For three years I pretended I was going to a youth club when I was really going to dance school,” he says. “My Mum was very supportive when I finally told her but by then I was 17, too late to start thinking of a professional dancing career.” Even so, Graham went on to run his own dance school and was a world finalist himself before retiring at 40, four years ago, to focus on choreographing his daughter’s dancing career.

Boys will be boys but next month’s Show Dance Championship will be no less spectacular for that.

Gibraltar will host over 500 dancers aged seven and upwards, from 18 European nations, over four days of fierce competition in solo, duet, group and formation contests. Regarded as a performing art along with belly dancing, flamenco, modern tap, contemporary and acrobatics, show dance combines a range of steps but, like a routine in a musical, every set piece must have a story or theme.

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Seamus Byrne with the Gibraltar National Dance Team Caitlin Rodriguez (back left) on the podium at last year’s European Show Dance Championships

Seamus Byrne with 2013 World Champions Sarah Anne McClaren, Bella Gomez and National Manager Paulette Finlayson

Gibraltar will field five entries in every category to give as many local dancers as possible their two minutes of fame. That’s all they get to showcase months of rehearsals on stage, where beady-eyed judges from the International Dance Organisation, the dance world’s governing body, will be looking for excellence in technique, personality, image, choreography and overall execution.

“Hosting the contest for the second time in five years is a huge coup for Gibraltar and doubly exciting since we have our own European Champion contesting the event for the very first time,” says Seamus.

Caitlin Rodriguez (meet her on the following pages) will defend her title against a supercompetitive field frequently dominated by Slovenia, Russia and the Czech Republic.

As every dancer will be accompanied by at least one, and often two doting parents, Seamus is currently battling with the logistics of doubling the sit-down space at the 750-seater Tercentenary Hall to fit everyone in.

The show will be streamed live on a giant screen as, with the World Show Dance Championships coming up in Germany six weeks later, competitors from around the globe will be keeping a close eye on the proceedings, especially those from the top dancing nations of South Africa, Canada and the USA. Seamus, together with Christian Santos, Wendy Garro and his team, are overseeing IC flights, accommodation, transport and the feeding of 1,500-plus, as well as ensuring every visitor takes away a favourable impression of Gibraltar.

As a tourism-led event, the programme will leave the siesta period free for sight-seeing, shopping and leisure.

Hosting the contest on home turf gives many more local dancers a chance to shine on the biggest European stage of them all. It’s a bone of contention among Gibraltar dancing circles that, while national sports teams receive a

minimum 50% subsidy for travel to competitions abroad, the national dance team falls under the umbrella of culture and only receives 20 per cent.

“It costs €800, on average, to send one dancer abroad for a contest,” says Seamus.

“Hence, even with fund-raising to supplement travel costs, the GNDO is normally restricted to a National Team of 30 for international events.

“Media travels with the national football squad to every match, and for other international sports competitions like the Island Games, and there are many local Sports Awards and sports-themed TV programmes. As dance is the second most popular activity in Gibraltar after football, the GNDO would like to see some parity on all fronts.

In fact, the IDO is campaigning to make dance part of the Olympic Games. You only have to look at street dancers turning their back flips and somersaults to see the phenomenal gymnastic content.

Through most of the GNDO’s history, local dance schools took turns in fielding a National Team. Seamus turned the tables on this process when he took over the voluntary post of President in 2011, promoting the idea of selecting “the best of the best” from dance schools and clubs across the board, under the slogan ‘Unity Through Dance’.

“There was opposition at first but all but one dance school has seen the sense in it,” he says.

“The standard at international competitions today is unbelievably high. Countries like Slovenia, South Africa, America, Canada and Russia turn out champions like a production line because they have thousands of talented dancers to choose from, while we only have hundreds. In eastern bloc countries particularly, children are culturally brought up to excel in everything they do and many top dancers go on to make a living in their field. In

Gibraltar, dance is still largely seen as a hobby.

“In comparison to the 250,000 dancers from over 100 countries represented at IDO events, Gibraltar is just a dot on the map yet every year we get to the finals,” says Seamus. “We’ve won four gold medals at the World Championships and one gold medal at the European Championships since 1981, so we must be doing something right.”

By sticking to his guns, Seamus has raised the dancing bar to its highest level ever in Gibraltar and he doesn’t plan to stop there.

“For show dance we’re one of the leading nations but it is important that Gibraltar is represented at more world events and we’re going to be stepping it up next year,” he promises. “We’ll be entering the World Jazz, Contemporary and Street Dance Championships in 2016 and, hopefully one day, the World Couple Dance Festival in France and the massive World Olympiad in Russia.

“As the IDO Ambassador for Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal, I also aim to create the IDO Iberian Championships and bring the three nations closer to each other through dance. But to be able to produce these opportunities, I need more help from volunteers and will be creating subcommittees in all World IDO dance genres. That’s my next project.” i For further details of this year’s

contest see www.ido-dance.com or www.euroshowdance2015.com

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THE LOCAL people

THE ELASTIC FANTASTIC

Caitlin Rodriguez The eyes of the dancing world will be on 10-year-old Caitlin Rodriguez next month when Gibraltar’s reigning European Show Dance Champion defends her title against the world’s best on her home turf. And with a trial for Team GB’s Olympic gymnastics squad also in the offing, this young Gibraltarian dancer has the world at her feet, as Belinda Beckett reports.

C

aitlin Rodriguez missed taking the Ice Bucket Challenge with her friends last summer because it clashed with one of her training sessions. So she bravely stood alone on the family apartment terrace while her Dad drenched her in freezing water!

That’s Caitlin all over – fearless, committed, determined, putting her dancing first but chickening out of nothing – all desirable attributes in a young European Champion show dancer. Although she’s only 10 going on 11, she has a well-developed sense of humour too, sometimes handy when Dad Graham’s around!

An ex-dancer himself, he’s her coach, choreographer and mentor but he rarely has to push her. “I know she’s my daughter but her dedication

is what makes her special,” says Graham. “She misses out on a lot of fun and understands the meaning of sacrifice but she’s so committed.

She knows what she wants and what she has to do to get it, in that way she’s very mature for her age.”

Caitlin is a top gymnast as well as a top dancer. Her Facebook Page, a present from Dad for doing so well, shows her doing the splits vertically (a straight leg ring, in dance speak). You’d think she was made of elastic!

She’s proud as punch at being invited to train in the UK with Team GB’s gymnastics

squad. Next stop the Olympics!

She’s also in all the top sets at school, and gets her homework done pronto on weekdays to leave four hours for dancing practice – five in the school holidays. She trains on Saturday mornings too, which means she can’t always go to parties, or to the beach with her friends. That’s what it takes to become a top dancer.

But when the training gets too tough,

she can always reach for her pink iPhone and relive the day a little girl who believed in herself danced her way into the record books with her moving routine of a Robot with a Heart.

“A friend filmed it, so I’d always remember it, would you like to see?” asks Caitlin.

We watch together as sixth place is called, then fifth… finally it’s between Caitlin and the reigning World Champion from Russia, one of her new friends!

Flying the flag for Gibraltar in dance

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She’d have been content with second place but against her own expectations it’s Caitlin who’s hugging her Dad, running on stage swathed in her national flag and stepping up to the winner’s podium for Gibraltar’s National Anthem.

More than going to the beach, better even than getting a doubledecker bouncy castle party for her birthday, there’s no doubt in Caitlin’s bright young mind that it was her “best moment ever”.

That day last November in Germany, Caitlin became the first European Champion in the 34-year history of the Gibraltar National Dance Organisation. She made her family proud, Gibraltar proud and herself proudest of all, for all those times she’s stuck at her dance lessons instead of bunking off.

As she wrote to her Dad on Facebook: ‘Happy Fathers Day to the greatest Dad there is. You always do everything for me and I really appreciate it (even though sometimes I don’t show it)’ She has it all to do again this year but she’s up for the challenge. “I’d like to be a professional dancer one day, and a teacher later, and it’s going to be a lot of hard work,” she nods solemnly, a wise little pig-tailed head on young shoulders.

Hard work for the whole family!

This is a team effort. While Dad is chief choreographer, choosing the music and working out the steps, Mum Tracey is IC makeup and designing and sewing the costumes. Elder

sister Megan, also a talented dancer, duets with Caitlin in competitions and keeps her on her toes. Younger sister Erin cheers from the sidelines, though she’s only seven and prefers singing!

Toffee, their Chihuahua, provides cuddles and comfort when needed.

Caitlin took her first baby dancing steps at the age of three and has been competing since the age of eight. She’s been to IDO competitions in Germany, Prague and Ireland, and a dance workshop in America. She also won Gibraltar’s Sussex Award – an invitation to perform at the International Stage Dance Festival in Brighton.

Sometimes the Gibraltar government invites her to take part in public performances too. She was among the impromptu Flash Mob who turned Casemates Square into a sea of boogying tourists to let everyone know about the European Championships.

Does she ever get stage fright?

“Not really, the dancing just takes over and I forget everyone’s looking,” she says. “I get most scared practising one of Dad’s new routines, thinking I’m never going to learn it!”

“As a Dad and a dancer I’m there to support Caitlin in what she wants to do but never to force,” says Graham, “although I’m always on her case about being a picky eater. We have all kinds of trouble getting her to eat her five a day,” he adds with a wink.

While she may not eat her greens, Caitlin is ace at memorising steps, her Dad tells me. She’s going to need

that skill as he’s working on four new routines for October and Caitlin will have to learn all of them before they decide which one’s best.

“The standard is very high and every year dancers raise the bar that little bit higher so we’ve got our work cut out this year,” says Graham.

He won’t be drawn on the theme.

“It’s a secret,” whispers Caitlin. But there will be jumps and walkovers, pirouettes and pas de chat to practice and side aerials to remaster, a cartwheel without hands that Caitlin finds hardest to do.

There will also be gymnastics training with one-hour warm-ups, situps and ropes for strength training, as well as ballet to improve her core techniques. Caitlin has just started at the Gibraltar Academy of Dance, the school Jordan Bautista went to before being picked to join the Polish National Ballet.

Everyone in Gibraltar will be rooting for Caitlin to hang on to her European Championship title so she can take it to the World Show Dance Championships in Germany in November and try to set another new record.

She’s all fired up, and not only about keeping her title. She’s looking forward to a reunion with the friends she made in Germany.

“Caitlin is a fantastic ambassador for Gibraltar, she talks to everyone, even when they don’t speak her language!,” says her Dad. “It was quite incredible to see her communicating with her new Russian and Serbian

Caitlin with Gibraltar National Dance Organisation President Seamus Byrne and with proud Dad Graham

friends in Germany. They were all bent over their mobile phones, typing away, talking to each other via Google Translate!”

“I’m hoping to show them our monkeys,” says this happy-go-lucky girl, not at all phased that one of her new Russian friends is a World Champion and, technically, one of her fiercest rivals.

But, as they say in the dance world, break a leg, Caitlin – we know you can do it! e

Robot with a Heart – the routine that made Caitlin a European Champion

g Follow Caitlin’s progress at

caitlin.rodriguez

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THE STYLE décor

The Essence of

Style

Mouth-watering Italian style meets affordable mid-range prices at Patricia Darch Interiors’ stunning new Essence of Natuzzi Gallery at Ocean Village. And the new autumn collection will be sweet music for interior design fashionistas in more ways than one.

WORDS belinda beckett Photography jayden fa

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hand-stitched, pearl-white Italian leather sofa that plays music has been stealing attention from the sleek yachts at Ocean Village this summer.

The Natuzzi ‘Sound’ sofa takes centre stage in the window of Patricia Darch Interiors. And, with its iPhone/iPod dock, and built-in stereo sound system, the idea of curling up in it and drifting away on waves of music seems as alluring as setting sail on a yacht.

Better still, the Natuzzi brand represents Italian style for less – not for a song perhaps but certainly for an aria!

The Essence of Natuzzi Gallery is all about comfy, functional furniture with a work-of-art way about it: the sculptured dining suites and body-contoured easy chairs, the showpiece lighting, the luscious lacquered TV cabinets and blissful beds and bedding that will add a fashion statement to every room.

Now the collection is available on the doorstep, under the same favourable terms and conditions as in Spain but without the paperwork, taxes and attendant hassle of bringing it over the border – all taken

care of by the team at Patricia Darch Interiors.

And that’s not all the good news.

You can also choose from a range of affordable, whole-home solutions that offer the exclusive PDI look (as featured in high-end homes all over the world), delivered, installed and ready to enjoy.

‘All-inclusive’ is not generally associated with the ‘Queen of bespoke design’, as Patricia Darch has been known since she opened her first showrooms in Sotogrande in 1992. But, with the market’s changing demands – and over 1,000 new homes coming on line in Gibraltar shortly – her Complete Home Design Projects offer a raft of haute couture solutions at prêt-à-porter prices.

“No one else on the coast offers this service and the big saving is in our time, with no sacrifice to quality, so we can pass on savings to clients,” explains Patricia, showing me her new design boards, prepared with the same attention to detail that goes into every tailor-made PDI project.

Customers receive a complete design concept for the hall, lounge/ dining room, master and second bedroom and terrace, with stunning furniture, feature lighting, rugs,

bedding and suggestions for fabrics and wallpapers. It saves time and you know it will look great – ideal for first-time buyers or anyone fitting out an apartment for rent.

“One, five, 10 apartments, we can take on multiple projects without a waiting list,” says Patricia. “And with our Natuzzi collection and huge choice of colour options, you can achieve a very individual look.”

Clients don’t even need to be on site – handy for investors who live overseas. Everything can be set up ready for occupancy, complete with those special finishing touches – beds made up, fresh flowers, Champagne on ice – that are all part of PDI’s signature service.

“We can work to a budget, take on a project in stages or offer special payment terms,” adds architect Marta, who works from the Gibraltar shop most days. She has an engineering degree and can transform your room measurements into a walk-through virtual reality concept on video in a heartbeat.

Patricia and her team create fairytale spaces where anyone could live happily ever after and a visit to her Ocean Village showrooms is like being invited into her home. You’ll

get heaps of inspiration but never a hard sell, whether you’re looking for a signature piece or an inexpensive small gift from the retail shop.

“We want to welcome everyone to come in, look around our gift selection and get ideas for later when they’re ready to decorate,” says Gibraltar’s head designer Lianne. As well as gift vouchers the shop stocks exquisite Lampe Berger fragrance lamps from Paris, the heaven-scented PD collection of home perfumes and sprays and Benahavís artist David Marshall’s funky collection of key fobs and bottle openers.

Even if you just want a few wow factor scatter cushions to liven up your place, you can choose from hundreds of fab fabric samples hanging on rails in the shop and have the covers made up in-house.

Keep an eye on PDI’s Ocean Village shopfront this month for news of an exciting special offer on Natuzzi to kick-start autumn. And don’t forget to try out that amazing musical sofa – it could add the perfect style note to your own new home! i Further information www.patriciadarch.com

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5

THE STYLE artists

Belinda Beckett’s gallery of five famous Spanishborn painters, spanning five centuries, takes a sideways look at the artists you thought you knew.

Spain’s Famous Joan Miró (1893-1983)

M

iró’s work is a joyful celebration of life, colour and ideas of freedom dear to the Catalan painter’s heart, even when far from Franco’s Spain.

His was a fanciful world of freefloating insects and eyes, squiggles and blobs, dismissed by Surrealism’s chief exponent, André Breton, as “partiallyarrested development at the infantile stage” (he ate his own words later, admitting: “Miró is the most Surrealist of us all”).

The blobs and squiggles are the artist’s language, a symbolic way of commenting on the world. The birds in his Constellations series are war planes, the moon is the beauty extinguished by Fascism, even the colours are words.

The ‘angry young man’ who wanted to “assassinate art”, hating its bourgeois elitism, made it affordable to all through his lithographic prints. He also produced tapestries, ceramics, illustrated books and abstract sculptures for public spaces in his native Barcelona and beyond: a giant mural at the city’s airport; his World Trade Center Tapestry, destroyed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks; a poster for the 1982 Barcelona World Cup. In sharp contrast to bohemian contemporaries like Picasso and Dalí, Miró was introverted, modest, a man of

few words. He had a happy marriage, he wasn’t a party animal and his penchant for dark business suits made him seem ‘like a slightly apprehensive accountant’, one critic wrote. He actually started out in business to please his parents before rebelling, immersing himself in 1920s Paris, the crucible of modern art, to develop his own style.

Until then, his work had been more figurative, inspired by Van Gogh, Cézanne and the countryside around Barcelona and epitomised in The Farm, an obsessively detailed painting of the family finca. Miró said it was “a summary of my entire life in the countryside and one period of my work, but also the point of departure for what was to follow. I wanted to put everything I loved about the country in the canvas, from a huge tree to a tiny little snail.”

Ernest Hemingway, his boxing partner

at a local gym, bought it, commenting: “It has in it all that you feel about Spain when you are there and all that you feel when you are away and cannot go there.”

Although his first solo show in Paris bombed in 1921, Miró reinvented himself to become the greatest living Spanish artist of his time and a pioneer of abstract expressionism.

He remained in France throughout the Spanish Civil War, expressing his anguish in works like Still Life with Old Shoe. Dubbed ‘Miró’s Guernica’, humble everyday objects are set against an ominous background of flames and shadows.

When the Nazis occupied France, the Mirós fled to Spain on the last train out of Paris. The following year, through the auspices of his New York dealer, Pierre Matisse (son of artist Henri), the city’s Museum of Modern Art held the first

Miró retrospective. It was a turning point.

Although internationally recognised, Miró had to push galleries to value his work more highly, writing: “What I will no longer accept is the mediocre life of a modest little gentleman.”

Miró was a hit in America, inspiring the abstract expressionism exemplified

by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Pollock may have been Miró’s inspiration too. On seeing his 1952 Paris show, Miró recalled telling himself: “You can do it too, go to it, you see, it is OK!” Thereafter, he was liberated, slashing, burning and even throwing paint at his canvases.

Two further lucrative MoMa retrospectives paid for the studios of his dreams in his in-laws native Mallorca, built by avant garde architect Josep Lluís Sert. In 1992, it became the second Miró museum, alongside Barcelona’s.

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Salvador Dalí

(1904-1989)

T

owards the end of his life, an eminent scientist asked Dalí whether the melting watches in his most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, were based on his perception of Einstein’s theory of relativity. “No, they’re based on my perception of Camembert cheese melting in the sun,” was the master of surrealism’s flippant reply.

Even at 84, Dalí was the director and star of his own outrageous comedy of life, scenes from which are on permanent public view at his home in Portlligat, the castle at Púbol where he died and the Theatre Museum in his native Figueres – the largest surrealistic object in the world.

Whether making a speech in a diving suit, leading a troupe of elephants down Fifth Avenue, appearing in an Alka Seltzer commercial or affirming, “My brush is my penis and my paint my semen,” the Catalunyan artist loved to shock.

He loved money and celebrity more, turning self-promotion into an art form with the help of his commercially-minded Russian wife and muse, Gala. His lobster telephone, his Mae West lips sofa, his paintings of elephants on stilt legs are icons of surrealism.

If he had a ‘screw loose’, his parents didn’t help. Aged, five, they took him to see the grave of their eldest son, also called Salvador, and told him he was his brother’s reincarnation. And yet behind the eccentricity lay a prolific, multi-talented artist who turned his hand to movies, sculpture, photography, design, writing and over 1,500 paintings.

He could draw well at three, was a competent artist at 10 and his later works combine a draftsman’s skill with the meticulous techniques of the great Renaissance masters.

“Only after you have studied the technique of the masters can you develop your own style,” said Dalí,

who practised what he preached, even adopting Velázquez’s long waxed moustache. “Compared to Velázquez, I am nothing but compared to contemporary painters, I am the most big genius of modern time,” he once boasted.

He considered Picasso the second best artist in the world, after himself!

His major contribution to surrealism was the ‘paranoiac-critical method’ – accessing the subconscious to enhance creativity. He would fall asleep with a spoon in his hand until it dropped to the floor and woke him. During those first seconds of semi-consciousness his mind would be flooded with images.

Gala negotiated his exhibitions and contracts with dealers. When the money ran low, she would find another patron. It was literally like turning on a tap, according to Ultra Violet, a muse of Dalí’s and Warhol’s, who remembers him dashing off watercolours in his bathtub.

“He’d take a big sheet of paper, squeeze

on some paint, run water over it, get a pencil and draw a figure through it, then sell it for 40,000 dollars.”

His Portlligat studio became a living theatre of the absurd for the arty set – Picasso, Miró, the film maker Buñuel, the poet Lorca – who would drop by to drink pink champagne around his phallic-shaped swimming pool and watch bizarre nightly espectáculos featuring flamenco dancers, jugglers, magicians, fire eaters, naked ballerinas, sex acts…

Einstein, a regular visitor, used to play his violin.

Dalí had a long sell-by-date, still ‘cool’ in the Swinging Sixties, as rock star Alice Cooper recalls. “You’d go into the back room at Max’s Kansas City bar in New York and there’d be people like Warhol, Lennon, Brando and Jackie Kennedy there but when Dali walked in the whisper went round. He had that reference because he’d been around since the 20s and was madder than anyone.”

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I

f you know nothing more about the top court painter during Spain’s Golden Age, you’ll recognise his Baroque masterpiece Las Meninas, the most widely analyzed and copied work in the history of European art.

Picasso alone recreated it in 58 cubist variations.

With its almost photographic quality – a technical tour de force in terms of light, colour and space – the painting portrays King Philip lV of Spain’s five-year-old daughter in one of the stiff, lampshade-shaped dresses of the times, being waited on by her maids (meninas). Described

by more than one art critic as ‘the world’s first photo bomb’, tomes have been written on the riddle of its paradoxical perspectives and the mirror image of the King and Queen in the background. Due to its size, importance and value, it never leaves The Prado in Madrid.

Las Meninas shows the Renaissance painter at the height of his virtuosity. Velázquez took art beyond the limits of his time with his uncanny ability to capture absolute reality on canvas. His horses prance, his silks shimmer, his velvets convey their plush texture, his water droplets in The Water Seller of Seville (which he painted in his 20s) look as if they’ve just been spilled by some careless museum curator. His portraits look beyond the sitter’s likeness into their soul. As one art critic said, “After a while you feel it’s the painting that is looking at you and not you looking at the painting.”

Velázquez honed his skills in Seville, producing the requisite

number of biblical paintings (The Adoration of the Magi) but getting his biggest kick from painting scenes from everyday life, called bodegones because they portrayed poor tavern folk. “I would rather be the first painter of common things than second in higher art,” the artist said.

However fate had other ideas.

His tutor, whose daughter Velázquez married, recognised his pupil’s genius early on, and encouraged him to take his work to the royal court in Madrid. He impressed the 16-yearold King Philip IV so much with his first portrait, he was hired as official court painter almost on the spot for a salary that would have been worth a king’s ransom for a 24-year-old.

From thereon in, the artist moved in luxurious court circles until his death.

He certainly earned his keep, painting 40 portraits of the king and sundry other members of the royal family during his lifetime, also becoming Chamberlain, responsible for ceremonies and decorating the

royal quarters.

He met Rubens at the Spanish court and other top artists of the day during two sponsored trips to Italy to buy art for the royal collection. While there, he painted the ageing Pope Innocent X, who was impressed but not flattered by the artist’s realism: “Troppo vero” (“Too true”), he said.

Velázquez left the world a rich, almost ‘photographic album’ of Spanish Renaissance life with his portraits of noblemen and commoners, landscapes and still lifes, scenes from classical mythology and at least one sensuous nude (his Rokeby Venus is the only one that survives).

Incredibly, little was known of his work outside Spain until the 19th century when he was ‘rediscovered’

by Europe’s impressionist painters. Édouard Manet called him the ‘painter of painters’. Today, as Dalí inferred, no serious artists can consider himself such without first having studied Velázquez.

DIEGO VELÁZQUEZ (1599-1660)

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pablo picasso (1881-1973)

“W

hen I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope. Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”

Picasso became the most recognised artist in the world, producing circa 50,000 artworks – sculptures, ceramics, drawings, prints, tapestries, rugs, poems – in a career spanning 78 years.

More of his works have fetched over $1 million – 211 – than any other artist; only Renoir comes close, with 168. This year in New York his Women of Algiers set the record for the highest price ever paid for a painting, at US$179.3 million. Picasso is also ‘most wanted’ by art thieves, with 550 of his works on the missing list!

Yet, according to market research by the Museo Picasso in his native Málaga, he is rated only third in the world by the Spanish, after Velázquez and Goya.

Although Picasso spent most of his life in France (burning many of his early artworks in his Paris garret to keep warm), Spain remained his spiritual home. Friends say he seized on every opportunity to prepare the local Malagueño speciality, ajo blanco soup.

A child prodigy whose skills surpassed his Málaga art professor father’s before he reached his teens, he flunked out of Barcelona’s School of Fine Arts, bored with his tutors’ preoccupation with the great Masters. Although he admired them, especially El Greco, he believed there could be more to art.

Through his sombre Blue, joyous Rose and exotic African ‘Periods’, and his cubist view of the world as abstract geometric shapes, he transformed 20th century art, endlessly reinventing himself – so radically, his output seems like the work of several artists. He often used common house paint, adding sand to vary its

texture, and fragments of wallpaper and newspaper – the first use of collage in fine art. “It made me feel as if someone was drinking gasoline and spitting fire,” said fellow Cubist Georges Braque on viewing Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, his cubist take on five nude prostitutes.

It’s said Picasso invented a new style each time he fell in love and his legendary libido was central to his art – a ‘blue’ period, erotically-speaking, all his life. “Art is not chaste,” he once said. “And if it is chaste, it is not art.”

He was married twice, fathered four children by three women and maintained several mistresses, usually decades younger. He could turn on the charm but he was also sarcastic, superstitious, a man who saved, numbered and dated every nail clipping least someone used them to put a curse on him. He was not always kind to his children or lovers, once crassly describing women as either ‘goddesses or doormats’.

Picasso’s Guernica, commissioned by the Spanish Republican government, is a universally-recognised symbol of the horrors of war. The artist used arresting cubist techniques and stark monochromes to depict the harrowing consequences of the bombing of the small Basque town during the Spanish Civil War. Although he became a communist in later life, he preferred to express his opinions in his art… mostly. During a Gestapo raid on his Paris apartment, one officer saw a photograph of Guernica and asked Picasso: “Did you do that?” “No,” he replied, “You did!”

As Picasso left no will, his death duties to the French state were paid for in artworks, explaining the immense collection at the Musée Picasso in Paris today. However they frequently return to ‘home’ for special exhibitions at the Picasso Museums in Málaga and Barcelona.

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FRANCISCO GOYA (1746-1828)

H

istory paints Goya as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the Moderns. An artist ahead of his time, he experimented with lithography and explored dark, dreamlike themes that inspired contemporary artists two centuries later.

The Aragonese artist told it like it was, painting the erotic nature of the naked female form, the barbarity of bullfighting, the gory side to war rather than the glory, refusing to flatter even his most important patrons and ‘sending them up’ on occasions.

His satirical streak can be seen in the group portrait, Charles IV of Spain and His Family, where he depicts the royal family flaunting their fine clothes and jewels in front of a painting of Lot

and his daughters, before they were turned into pillars of salt!

He was the first artist to explicitly depict female pubic hair in a life-sized western work, he mischievously mixed up the social classes in his paintings and documented a side to life usually brushed under the artistic carpet. The Third of May 1808, his raw depiction of a Spaniard’s execution by firing squad, is often called the first modern painting.

His compelling battle scenes in The Disasters of War series – a pictorial chronicle of the Peninsular War – show scenes of starvation and human degradation. Very ‘un-PC’ for the times, the collection was not shown until 35 years after his death.

Goya was ambitious to rise above his father’s status as a gilder in Zaragoza, where he grew up, and “paint from my invention” in Madrid. He was no overnight hit but chose his friends wisely, marrying into an influential family of artist brothers. They found him his first regular job at the Royal

Tapestry Factory, where he created 42 designs to keep the chill out of the royal palaces.

It was neither prestigious nor well paid but allowed him to move in court circles where his popularity as a portrait artist soon earned him the patronage of wealthy noble families and, the ultimate goal, King Charles III himself. His successor, Charles IV, kept him on as official court painter with a good salary and his own coach and horses.

Whether suffering from the effects of syphilis, dementia or lead poisoning from his paint, from his-mid 40s Goya was periodically smitten by illness which left him deaf and, some say, unhinged, and his paintings took a darker turn. As the artist said himself, “Imagination abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of source of their wonders.”

His Caprichos series is a good

example, 80 nightmarish etchings of witches and ghosts which, the artist said, depict “the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilised society”.

The monsters return in his macabre Black Paintings, painted on the walls of his house, possibly for his eyes only. Transferred to canvas after his death, they are part of the most complete Goya collection in the world at the Prado Museum. The most gruesome, Saturn Devouring One of His Sons, depicts the mythical Titan who ate five of his six children – a tortured reference, perhaps, to the artist’s five children who died at birth. Only his sixth, a son, survived.

Whether Goya backed the wrong horse in painting the portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Joseph I, during his brief reign in Spain, history doesn’t reveal. But when the Bourbon monarchy was restored, Goya left for France, where he died. e

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THE STYLE fashion

From the tailored denim collection

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GUESS

NIGHT MOVES

AUTUMN/WINTER

2015

Fashion house, Guess, who have recently also opened a boutique in Puerto Banús, is definitely the brand to look to in the cooler seasons, with a range of tailored denim and stylish day and night ware that invoke a sensation of feminity and glamour, without losing the comfort every woman craves. We bring you this season’s highlights.

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Belle of the ball

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Cool and cosy g Muelle Ribera, 53,

Puerto Banús. www.guess.eu

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THE SPA beauty

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF

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ALMOND SOOTHING FACIAL CREAM

Soothe tired feet with this refreshing balm, which is easily absorbed and which softens even the toughest skin.

Contains astringent myrrh extract and soothing calendula extract.

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If you’ve been seeing an array of pastel-coloured skincare products gracing the shelves of your favourite beauty shop, the Weleda revolution has probably overtaken your neck of the woods too.

The multi-national company produces both 100 per cent natural beauty products and naturopathic medicines, keen to harness the incredible powers of Nature to enhance our health, beauty and sense of well-being. Absolutely nothing made by Weleda has been tested on animals, which is another reason to rejoice. Marisa Cutillas bring you her top list of items by one of the world’s most conscionable and environmentally friendly brands.

Boasting a unique combination of plant extracts and natural plant oils which stimulate the body’s regenerating process and enhance the smoothness and firmness of skin.

Cooling aloe gel and jojoba oil make this balm a must for men with sensitive skin who love the cleanshaven look.

AFTER SHAVE BALM

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THE SPA health

If you have friends living in Australia or the U.S., you may have noticed that many of them are posting pictures of themselves at their brand new standing desk. With research indicating that sitting down for many hours straight is a leading cause of heart disease, deep vein thrombosis and stroke, people are embracing the standing lifestyle; after all, ‘sitting is the new smoking’. Studies have shown that those who sit for various hours on end have a 90 per cent higher risk of developing Type II diabetes than those who move around more; they also have an 18 per cent greater chance of dying from heart disease, and a 24 per cent higher risk of dying from any cause.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF VARIDESK

UPDATE

WHY STANDING DESKS ARE ALL THE RAGE I

nterestingly, standing desks aren’t a new thing; as early as the 18th century, members of the elite were already working upright in their mansions, and some of history’s most famous standing desk users include Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway and even Benjamin Franklin!

So what makes standing desks so benefi cial to our health? One study published in the International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, found that switching from sitting to standing desks reduced the amount of sedentary time in participants by over three hours a week. It also enhanced their sense of well-being, and bestowed them with greater energy, lowering fatigue levels and even decreasing the appetite!

However, in order to reap the benefi ts of a standing desk,

you need to use it correctly.

Firstly, you should not remain in the standing position all day.

All modern standing desks are adjustable and are meant to be modifi ed throughout the day, so you alternate between sitting and standing. Every 20 to 25 minutes, adjust the height of your desk and change your working position. Standing all days carries a variety of risks, including spinal compression and lower back pain. As those who spend too much time on their feet will tell you, it also increases the risk of varicose veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis and other heart-related problems, since the heart has to work against the force of gravity to ensure blood supply throughout the body. Doctors advise that we alternate various times during the day between sitting and standing.

It is also important to keep moving, what is so unhealthy about sitting down isn’t the

actual position you are in; it is the fact that you aren’t moving.

Doctors advise that we make it a point to walk or move our limbs every few minutes to get our circulation going. Try not to stay still for more than an hour and while you are working, move your feet and arms.

Even micro-movements can stimulate circulation.

Finally, even if you don’t decide to invest in a standing desk, you can always reap similar rewards by taking basic steps to avoid being sedentary at work: Z At break time, do some stretching exercises or perform squats using a heavy book.

Z If you have some minutes to spare, go for a 10-minute brisk walk or simply run up and down the stairs a couple of times.

Z Make it a point to perform a select list of tasks, standing up.

For instance, make a mental note to take all phone calls in a standing position, and don’t

ask someone else to make you a cup of tea; this will give you a good excuse to get up and head for the kitchen or common room.

Z Create your own standing work station: If you can find a way to raise your computer and lower it, while working comfortably, by all means, get creative. A standing desk is ideal because it is created to support your forearms while you work, but before buying one, you can always give your own makeshift desk a go, to see if it works for you.

Z Redesign your workspace: Change the position of your computer, or your keyboard, to allow for reflexive changes in your posture.

Z Make it a team effort: If you share a workspace with others and you all have standing desks, you can make a pact to stand at the same time, to ensure you are actually sticking to your best intentions. e

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THE SPA health

Bikini season may call for a flatter-than-usual tummy, yet the social nature of summer also means that many of us have been unable to resist the temptation of cooling down with a mojito or a rosé, during one of the hottest summers we can recall. If your body is noticing the effects of all your holiday excesses and you’d like to do something kind for it while tackling uncomfortable bloating and tiredness, the 14 or 28day Bootea Teatox may be just what you need.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS

A BOOTEA-FUL BODY TREATMENT

WITH THE BOOTEA 14- OR 28-DAY TEATOX

What are the Benefits of Bootea?

Bootea contains a powerful blend of herbs which have been combined to eliminate harmful toxins, help burn fat, regulate glucose levels in blood and aid with digestion. Chinese oolong tea, for instance, has been used in the East for thousands of years to aid with weight loss, fight skin ageing and strengthen teeth.

Ginger, meanwhile, is a known antiinflammatory food, since it is rich in gingerols, powerful compounds which can help soothe various inflammatory-related conditions, ease digestion and help relieve the pain and discomfort of acid reflux.

Fennel seeds, commonly used as a digestive aid, contain high levels of flavonoids, the powerful antioxidants which battle free radicals and reduce oxidative stress to various organs in the body. Gotu kola leaves have also been shown to have potent antioxidant properties, while nettle leaves have a gentle laxative effect. Ingredients such as valerian root, meanwhile, promote a good night’s sleep, calming you down in contrast to daytime ingredients like ginger, which provide a spark of welcome energy.

Will I Lose Weight on Bootea?

Many people try the Bootea Teatox with the aim of losing weight and reducing bloating. While Bootea is not a panacea for weight loss, you will definitely notice the results, so long as you also make an effort to avoid junk food and alcohol, which will counteract the effect of the cleansing tea blend.

What does Bootea Teatox involve?

Bootea contains a gentle blend of herbs which work on many levels, cleansing and detoxifying the body, instilling energy and promoting urinary and digestive health. The Bootea Teatox is far from a two-day wonder, involving a whole month of pampering your body into an optimal state. The system works very simply.

Upon rising, you simply pour a cup of hot water over your Daytime Detox tea bag (which contains Chinese Oolong tea, mate leaves, ginger root, fennel seeds, lemongrass, dandelion leaf, ginseng root, gotu kola leaves and nettle leaves). Every other night, do the same with the Bedtime Cleanse teabag (containing a blend of peppermint leaves, fenugreek seeds, liquorice root, burdock root,

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hawthorn leaves, valerian root and psyllium seeds). The daytime tea contains around 35 per cent of the caffeine in a normal cup of tea, while the nighttime tea is completely caffeine-free.

Soak the teabags for around three minutes before consumption.

The blend normally has a laxative effect, which takes effect around eight hours after being taken, helping the body rid itself of toxins.

Do I Need to Diet while I’m on Bootea?

Balance is the key to achieving a slimmer, less bloated physique, which is why consuming a healthy diet, low in refined sugar and unhealthy fats, can enhance the detoxifying effects of Bootea.

The Bootea website offers a free downloadable eating plan, which suggests a Mediterranean-styled diet involving plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy carbohydrate sources at every meal, some milk and dairy fruit and some protein sources. In addition to providing you with recommended daily portions (e.g. five or more portions of fruit and vegetables, two to three portions of meat or fish, three portions of dairy foods), the plan provides a plethora

of suggested meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The makers of Bootea also recommend that you refrain from consuming alcohol during your Teatox, to steer clear of excess calories and harmful toxins.

What does Bootea Taste Like?

Lovers of green tea will go ga-ga over the Daytime Detox, while those into the freshness of peppermint tea will meet their match during their Bedtime Cleanse.

Can I Exercise During the Bootea Teatox?

Since Bootea is filled with natural, life-giving herbs, there is no reason why you cannot perform your usual workout. * Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or under medical supervision, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional before use. * Due to the mild laxative effect of Bootea, there can be a drop in effectiveness of the birth control pill. It is therefore recommended to take alternative precautions for the duration of the teatox.

g The Bootea Teatox is available at Holland & Barrett. 160 Main St., Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 49504. www.hollandandbarrett.com 8/28/15 10:16 AM

the good life e r u g fi Get the t n a w u yo with

SE AN INTEN TURAL IX OF NA

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INGREDIE

GIBRALTAR

160 Main Street. Tel. +350 200 49504

Follow us: Holland and Barrett Gibraltar

local

VIP Gaming

Casino Sunborn’s new VIP Private Gaming Suite packages offer a taste of the James Bond lifestyle. Form a group and climb into a limo or aboard a Sunseeker Manhattan 66 luxury yacht, from either Marbella or Puerto Banús, for a night of wining, dining and private gaming. The Presidential Package includes welcome Champagne, three croupiers, three dedicated waitresses, 12 bottles of Champagne, unlimited premium drinks, canapés and tapas, a seafood and steak dinner and a silver service candlelit supper under the stars. One night’s accommodation in two adjoining suites and two Executive rooms, and a soothing massage in Sunborn’s luxury spa, are other fabulous frills. Packages at various prices can be arranged for parties of eight to 20 guests. i Email dominick.stenson@casinosunborn.com or see www.casinosunborn.com

Homes Sweet Homes

Gibraltarians have been rushing to put their names down for an affordable home. And with the opportunity to buy a property in a swanky super yacht marina setting, with a government subsidy of up to 50 per cent, it’s easy to see why. Hassan Centenary Terraces, six blocks of one- to fivebedroom apartments and penthouses, is set within the new Blue Water complex under construction on the Rock’s east side. Owners will enjoy harbour and sea views from their terraces, as well as shops, restaurants, bars, green spaces and a luxury hotel on their doorstep. The development will be constructed in three phases, with completion dates in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Brochures and concept drawings are now available for this project and a further 514 affordable homes at Bob Peliza Mews, near Waterport. Both schemes will incorporate low-energy technologies to keep operational and maintenance costs down. i Check out the specs at

www.hassancentenaryterraces.gi and www.bobpelizamews.gi

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Rock around the Clock

Gibraltar was in party mood for National Week as our autumn edition hit the streets. Or make that National Fortnight as the festivities started in the third week of August with the Gibraltar Fair, Beer Festival and Cardboard Boat Race among the highlights, as well as a concert by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society in St. Michael’s Cave on September 4. National Day on September 10 could well beat last year’s record 10,000 turn-out celebrating the Rock’s right to be British, especially as British reggae star Maxi Priest is headlining the evening concert in Casemates Square.

Don’t miss the Competitive Photographic Exhibition organised by Gibraltar Photographic Society and the Ministry of Culture. Entries, themed on Our Gibraltar and including National Week shots, will be on view at John Mackintosh Hall until September 11. Or let the spectacle inspire you to take photos for next year’s competition. There are five cash prizes, including a trophy and £300 for the winner. i info@culture.gi

Next Stop Miss World

Miss Gibraltar 2015, Hannah Bado, puts her signature to the official entry form confirming her participation in this year’s Miss World beauty pageant. The 22-year-old beauty will represent the Rock at the 65th edition of the contest, to be televised around the globe from the Beauty Crown Grand Theatre in Sanya, China, on December 19. Hannah is this month’s Gibraltar Magazine Cover Girl and you can read more about her in our feature on pages 38 and 39.

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At Sea with the BBC

Blazing a Trail

A team from Gibraltar Fire & Rescue Service are blazing a trail in what has been called ‘the toughest two minutes in sports’.

Firefighter’s Coulthard, McGrail, Abudarham and Pratts won a Bronze Medal in the European leg of the Fire-fighter Combat Challenge (FCC) and have been invited to compete in Slovenia and at the World Championships in Montgomery, USA. The FCC was devised to promote physical fitness and awareness through five challenges rolled into one event: a five-storey stair climb with a high-rise pack, hose hoist, forcible entry, hose advance and victim rescue. Firefighters from all over the world compete for fastest time. ‘We cannot believe how well we have done considering the short space of time we have been together and are so grateful to be able to fly the flag for Gibraltar,” said the team. g Further information on Facebook,

Tom Heap, star of BBC One’s Countryfile series, paid a flying visit to the Rock to cover the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum Conference. While there, the TV journalist who also produces the popular Radio 4 show, Costing the Earth, took a trip offshore to witness the biodiversity of Gibraltar’s territorial waters and its pioneering artificial reef network. He was accompanied by Clive Crisp, head of the Department of the Environment’s Dive Team. Gibraltar’s visionary marine conservation strategy was showcased during the conference.

Firefighter Combat Team Gibraltar.

Polo Power

Literary Feast

Art and politics will top the bill for the third edition of the Gibunco Gibraltar International Literary Festival, to be held over four days from November 12-15. Among the highlights will be a talk by the artist JMW Turner’s acclaimed biographer James Hamilton, on Turner in Gibraltar, and Andrew Lownie speaking on Stalin’s Englishman, based on his new biography of Soviet spy Guy Burgess. There will also be contributions from Professor Andrew Lambert on Gibraltar’s Royal Navy role during World War II, and veteran English journalist Andrew Chislett who will talk on Spain Forty Years after Franco. The festival will again be based at the Garrison Library and other historic venues around town. g Further events and ticket information will be published

Ponies, A-List celebrities, Grey Goose After Polo, the world’s top hunky polo athletes playing in action-packed chukkas – there were many highlights to the 44th Land Rover International Polo Tournament at Santa María Polo Club in Sotogrande.

However, by common consensus, this year’s novelty Food Truck concept stole the show. Los Pinos Entrecancha was converted into a four-wheel foodie universe with 10 different mobile pop-up restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine – from Andalusian fusion, sushi and Tex-Mex to Italian, French and American. The idea was so cool it was even ‘borrowed’ by innovative traders at the Sunday flea market in Sotogrande Port, with several food caravans setting up shop on the waterfront alongside the shops and stalls. Back at the polo grounds, the elegant white-tented shopping pavilion, open every day of the five-week tournament, also drew the crowds while After Polo parties starring celebrity DJs spinning cool sounds left no one stuck for ideas of what to do for a truly ‘hot’ August night out. i www.santamariapoloclub.com

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An Economic impact study and analysis of the economies of Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar Update 2015

A report commissioned by The Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce

By John Fletcher Yeganeh Morakabati Ken Male May 2015

THE GIBRALTAR EFFECT

Gibraltar is a ‘rock’ for the local Spanish economy even if politicians in Madrid are reluctant to admit it. That’s the main finding of a new independent study commissioned by the Rock’s Chamber of Commerce into ‘the Gibraltar effect’ on Spanish towns across the isthmus.

The 2015 Economic Impact Study shows that the Campo de Gibraltar – a ‘shire’ of seven Spanish municipalities including La Linea, one of the poorest towns in Spain – is heavily reliant on the British Territory for employment and GDP. Based on figures for 2013, the study shows that: • Gibraltar accounted for one out of every four jobs in the Campo region, (up from one in six jobs in 2009) • Gibraltar’s economy accounts for one quarter of the Campo’s GDP, (up from one eighth) • Gibraltar increased the GDP of the Campo by £554m (€775m).

Gibraltar also imported goods and petrol from Spain worth £381million in 2013, while Gibraltarians shopping over the border contributed £46 million to Campo coffers. “These updated results clearly evidence the very positive influence and impact which Gibraltar’s economy has on the Campo region,” commented Chamber of Commerce President, Christian Hernandez.

SHIP SPOTTERS AHOY Gibraltar is a ship spotter’s paradise and now hobbyists have a new resource to help them track movements in the Gibraltar Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Users can cross-check information on all things nautical, from data on visiting tankers, container ships and super yachts to maritime news and interviews with industry movers and shakers.

The website is also the place to go for news of World Maritime Day on September 27, when an Open Day will be held at Gibraltar Port themed on Maritime Education and Training, targeting youngsters considering a career in the shipping industry. i www.gibraltarshipping.weebly.com

NOT SUCH A RUBBISH IDEA

Dumping your old car/sofa/fridge became a lot easier in Gibraltar this summer. So long as it’s recyclable, now you can get rid of it free of charge and help the Planet at the same time. There are even staff to help you with heavy items at the new Ecopark, off Devil’s Tower Road, a one-stop tip opened in July to dispose of all recyclable waste streams in a good cause – the environment. From electrical and electronic equipment to old cars, batteries (any type), bulky items, mattresses, tyres, waste oils, scrap metal, paint and ozonedepleting substances… everything recyclable is accepted, including the old kitchen sink, and staff are on site to answer queries. Local companies and industries as well as householders are being encouraged to use the new waste management drop-off facility and find out more about modern disposal methods while there. ‘In this way, individuals will be helping the environment by keeping unwanted materials away from landfill sites,’ states the Government. g The Ecopark, at 8 Flint Road,

is open daily except for public holidays, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm, Sunday 8am to 5pm.

VIPS ON PATROL

Visitor Information Patrols (VIPs) have been posted outside The Governor’s Residence at The Convent and the Chief Minister’s office at No 6 (Gibraltar’s equivalent of 10 Downing Street) to help out tourists who make a beeline for the Rock’s ‘official quarter’. The location has become a jam-packed focal point of interest for camera-toting day-trippers and cruise ship visitors who are curious to know more about what goes on inside the Rock’s seat of government. Now they can scratch their itch for information by directing their probing questions to one of the new VIPs.

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Med Golf Masters

This year's season finale Med Golf Masters took place on Saturday 29th August at San Roque Old Course in Cadíz. A competitive field comprising the top ten players from the JYSKE Bank Order of Merit and corporate VIP players representing the monthly competition sponsors enjoyed a great days golfing with breakfast and the presentation lunch. Many prestigious Gibraltar companies were present, either participating or in a sponsorship capacity, including this year's Med Golf Masters sponsors, Isolas, Fiduciary, Jyske Bank, PropertyShopGibraltar.com, PropertyShopSpain. com and Magazine.

Med Golf Player of the Year was David MacGregor, who finished top of the JYSKE Bank Order of Merit at the Estepona event, just ahead of the Masters. This year's Med Golf Masters Champion is David Campbell and Corporate Champion, Rory Leader.

You can join Med Golf and enjoy up to 15 competitions at different venues throughout the year. Membership also includes £2M European personal liability insurance, discounts at the top courses as well as at six leading bars & restaurants in Gibraltar. i Membership costs just £140 and more details

can be found on www.medgolfsecure.com

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Gibraltar’s Barbary macaques have been enjoying a five-star upgrade to their accommodation on the Rock this summer, with extended dining areas and five new freshwater pools. Extra foraging grounds and shaded feeding areas at Apes’ Den and four other locations are helping to keep the Rock’s star tourist attractions away from the town centre and getting them back to nature.

The new pools provide a drinking resource and a bit of fun for the macaques, which enjoy the water and are naturally good swimmers. The measures form part of the wider Macaque Management Plan to be published by the Environment Ministry later this year.

© Ike Leus

SPLASHING OUT ON MONKEYS

WIMBLEDON WILD CARD

Gibraltarian-born tennis ace Amanda Carreras was a wild card hope at Wimbledon this summer. She went into the tournament ranked 6th in Great Britain and 302nd in the world, her highest-ever position, although losing in the first round to Mandy Minella of Luxembourg (6-2, 6-3).Amanda lives in Barcelona but qualifies as a British player on the basis of her Gibraltarian nationality. In 2008, she became the first non-Spaniard to win the Spanish Tennis Championships, which propelled her onto the Senior Circuit. Her career prize money to date totals US$85,322.

CRUISE COUP

London cruise company Noble Caledonia will use Gibraltar as the turnaround port for two of its itineraries next year, bringing lucrative business to the Rock in terms of bunkering, ships’ supplies, visitor spend, crew changes and airport use. Gibraltar will be the departure point for the line’s Morocco Bound and Beyond tour next November.

Passengers will fly from London to Gibraltar to join the MS Serenissima and spend a full day touring the Rock before departing for Casablanca on day three. The Rock will also be the last port of call on the Caliphs and Kings cruise to Islamic Spain next October, when passengers will spend the last day of their voyage exploring Gibraltar before flying home to the UK. Tourism Minister, Samantha Sacramento, said the new turnaround business was “a major breakthrough and further evidence that the global cruise industry has complete confidence in our role as a leading port of call in the western Mediterranean.”

MINI OLYMPICS

Gibraltar is bidding to host the 2019 NatWest Island Games, the international sporting event that gave islanders a whole new identity. The week-long games, dubbed the ‘Small Islands Mini Olympics’, was last held on the Rock in 1995. This summer’s event in Jersey attracted 2,700 competitors from 24 islands and island groups competing in 14 sports, including football, swimming, shooting and track and field events. The first games (Isle of Man, 1985) were intended as a one-off, but when 700 athletes turned up from Malta, Greenland, Iceland, The Falklands, The Caymans and Scandinavia, as well as the UK, it became a biannual fixture. The 2017 games will be held in Gotland, Sweden. i www.iiga.org 68 / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM

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RUNWAY – A RUNAWAY SUCCESS

Fashionistas donned their glad rags for the third edition of Runway, now a style fixture on Gibraltar’s summer calendar, attracting snappy dressers off the catwalk as well as on it. And oh what a night it was!

Three local hopefuls made their debut in the annual New Designer Competition, with Gabriella Sardeña’s candy-coloured Sugar collection winning this year’s prize – her own show at Brighton Fashion Week in October. And that was only the entrée to an international fashion feast held on the rooftop of King’s Bastion Leisure Centre.

Also showcasing their A/W 2015 collections was last year’s New Designer winner, 25-year-old Gibraltarian Paul Perez, and two up-and-coming British designers: Romero Bryan, dubbed the ‘boy wonder’ by Vogue magazine, whose clothes have been worn by Cameron Diaz, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Katy Perry; and newcomer, Sadie Clayton, who has been grabbing headlines at Berlin and London Fashion Weeks and Glastonbury Festival, where singer Ellie Goulding performed in one of Sadie’s leather bra tops in front of 900,000 fans.

Sadie Clayton’s boots weren’t made for walking but Bhavna Suri managed!

Sadie Clayton (left) watches the show with friends

"It was my first time in Gibraltar and the most welcoming, diverse and successful opportunity I've been given overseas since I launched,” said Sadie, whose futuristic designs, and fantasy footwear, stole the show.

“The show’s professionalism was at such a high level.”

Local businesses hosted pop-up shops and gave away goodie bags, and all 270 seats were sold out, with the Chief Minister’s wife Justine Picardo among the VIP guests. The parade of ravishing catwalk models included Gibraltarian Olympic gymnast Georgina Cassar and Bhavna Suri, whose modelling career took off after her appearance at the very first Runway. The Gibraltarian beauty is now making a name as a Bollywood star.

The slick organisation was a team effort by Naomi Quigley of Colorworks Gibraltar and Shideh Olafsson from Melbourne, and involved a backstage crew of over 40 stylists, dressers, runners and technicians, who worked around the clock to make Runway a runaway success.

“We were very proud that Channel 5 came to Runway Gibraltar 2015 to cover the entire event lead up and production, to be aired in the UK and the USA,” said Naomi. “With over 54 million viewers on a weekly basis, this is a huge deal for Runway!

“Gibraltar has a very established music industry and creative culture but no real fashion industry,” she added.

“Runway is an opportunity for an industry to be built for designers, models, photographers, makeup artists, hairstylists and other fashion enthusiasts. It’s also a fantastic way of showcasing what Gibraltar has to offer for future tourism.”

Roll on Runway. We can’t wait for next year!

Modelling Gabriella Sardeña’s sassy, candy-coloured collection

New Designer winner Gabriella Sardeña (left) with model

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THE PRO business

I

’m sitting around a Berber campfire with Nuria Saccone, Head of Destination Services at Blands Travel. In this case, regretfully, a metaphorical campfire although the Sahara Desert Camp is real enough…

As Nuria describes it, while we chat in her office, think deep-pile carpets, clear starlit skies and midnight at the oasis (send your camel to bed)! No wonder it’s such a popular trip with honeymoon couples.

“It’s so still and quiet the silence is deafening but it’s hard to explain, you have to experience it for yourself,” she enthuses.

Indeed, experiences are what Blands Travel is all about – for independent travellers, tour groups and conference delegates, by train, plane, ferry, chauffeured limo, helicopter or private jet. The expertise of the leading destination management company in these parts lies in creating amazing itineraries.

Blands Travel has been doing it for 50 years and its parent company has been around for a lot longer.

Although if founder Marcus H. Bland was alive today he’d probably change his surname by deed pole because the trips you can take are anything but ‘bland’. Hot air ballooning in the Atlas Mountains, hiking in the Riff, skiing in the winter sports resort of Ifrane (Morocco gets snow) are just

some of the exotic options attracting business from the M.I.C.E. market (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and independent travellers with a taste for the out-ofthe-ordinary.

As well as organising itineraries for other holiday companies, Blands Travel brings in travellers from all over the UK and further afield to visit Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco in one three-centre go, because it’s so easy to do, once they get here. Conversely, to expats living on the doorstep, exotic Morocco with its colourful souks, snake charmers and shifting Sahara sands still seems a world away.

Yet it’s longer to drive to Málaga from Marbella (59km) than it is to travel by ferry from Tarifa to Tangier (41.2km). Or hop on Royal Air Maroc’s 1.45pm Thursday flight to Tangier from Gibraltar and you could be sipping an aperitif by your hotel pool before lunch. In fact, with the time difference, you actually get there before you set off, at 12.25pm!

“We are fortunate to live at the crossroads of two continents and you really can hop over the Strait for lunch and shopping, or a round of golf at one of Tangier’s three courses, and be home in time for supper,” says Nuria.

The Bland brand predates air travel and two World Wars – although you can tell from Blands Travel’s sleek Irish

Golden Triangle Adventures with

Town shop front that the business has moved with the times. The group has grown its portfolio to 15 diverse enterprises which include the airport handling company Gibair, Gibraltar Battlefield Tours and the iconic Rock Hotel.

From modest beginnings in 1810, ferrying passengers and supplies between the Gibraltar garrison and Morocco, the company pioneered the first flights across the Strait to Tangier and set up one of Europe’s first commercial airlines in 1931. At its peak, GB Airways operated 44 Mediterranean routes from its UK and Gibraltar hubs until it was sold to Easyjet in 2007.

Since the business was bought by the Gaggeros in 1891, it has remained in the same family for five generations. During 16 bleak years of Spanish border closure, the company’s daily flights to the UK and ferry sailings to Morocco were lifelines, keeping Gibraltarians stocked with vital supplies and connected to the outside world.

Today these ‘Golden Triangle’ destinations form the backbone of the Blands Travel’s tailor-made itineraries. The emphasis is on offbeat experiences that give travellers a hands-on taste of local culture, from courses in Arabic, handicrafts, cookery and photography to high-

adrenalin adventures like mountain biking, off-road karting, horse riding and quad biking through the palm groves of Marrakesh.

“Haggling in the souk, learning to prepare tagine in a Moroccan kitchen, tasting the wonderfully fresh organic produce grown by Berber farmers, these are experiences that will stay with your forever,” says Nuria. “People want a deeper involvement with a destination’s people and culture than they get on the usual package holiday or sight-seeing tour and we can create itineraries to suit any occasion and budget,” she adds.

On the Sahara Desert Camp experience, guests are pampered in luxury tents with modern plumbing and their own Berber chef and wine waiter to serve them dinner around that not-so-metaphorical camp fire.

The tour is aimed at couples and small groups in keeping with Blands Travel’s strong sustainable tourism philosophy. “It’s also our policy to give back to the local communities where we operate so you can go and clean a river in Morocco, help out at a local hospital or teach students to use computers, popular with companies running Corporate Responsibility Programmes,” says Nuria. “We call our partner in Morocco Mr Fix It. There’s nothing he can’t arrange and he’s passionate about showing visitors the less-well known aspects of his country and culture.” i For further information contact www.blandstravel.com/

BLANDS TRAVEL

Africa was still known as The Dark Continent when Marcus Henry Bland founded his shipping agency and forged Gibraltar’s first travel links with Spain and Morocco. Today Blands Travel keeps the connection to this Golden Triangle of destinations alive by air, land and sea – with a sprinkling of stardust. Scattered above a luxury Berber tent in the Sahara? Yes please, writes Belinda Beckett.

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5

THE LEISURE travel

TOP OF THE WORLD’S

MUSEUMS

Submerging oneself in art at the Louvre © Christian Bertrand/ Shutterstock.com

One of my favourite musings on art would have to be that of Robert Heinlein, who noted, “Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist – a master – can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be... and more than that, he can make anyone see that this lovely young girl is still alive, simply imprisoned inside her ruined body.” The words remind us that it is human instinct to seek connection, to want to be overcome by beauty, to crave surprise through powerful worlds created by the artist’s vision. In this article, we celebrate just five of the World’s best museums. Lose yourself in beauty and whatever you do, don’t put a stopwatch on it. Marisa Cutillas reports.

Crypt of the Sphinx at the Egyptian Antiquities section of the Louvre © CJ/Shutterstock

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The Louvre pyramid by night © Benh Lieu Song

Competition is rife for photographers of the Mona Lisa © Theresa Scarbrough/ Shutterstock.com

The Louvre Paris, France

The bare beauty and modernism of I.M. Pei’s pyramid, unveiled as the main entrance of the Louvre in 1989, belies the spirit of tradition that haunts the World’s most visited museum. The museum, a fortress in medieval times and a home to kings before transforming into a house of art in 1793, specialises in works from ancient times to the first half of the 19th century and is home to some of the most coveted pieces in existence, including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, The Nike of Samothrace (or Winged Victory) and Hammurabi’s Code, the ancient piece of legislation which embodied the human search for justice as espoused in the words, ‘an eye for an eye’.

The Louvre is not indicated for the faint-hearted. You will need various visits just to catch the very best of the best, so research is required beforehand, as well

as a planned itinerary. There is a handy plan given to all visitors, which makes it easy to spot what you are looking for. We suggest staying within one wing (there are three in total), focussing on entire themes rather than on specific works, since the corridors are long and the most famous works, a long walk apart from each other.

The Louvre website has created various itineraries for guests, including: Z Masterpieces (In Search of Ideal Beauty, which includes ‘the three great ladies – Venus de Milo, the Victory of Samothrace and La Gioconda).

Z Italian Renaissance Painting (with works by Titian, Tintoretto and Lorenzo Lotto, to name a few).

Z Living in the Louvre (which invites you to imagine what it would be like to live in royal luxury).

Z The Da Vinci Code (exploring the themes, places and works of art featured in the best-selling book and hit film).

Z Mighty Aphrodite (focusing on love stories such as those of David and Bathsheba, Orpheus and Eurydice, Paolo and Francesca…).

There are many more ‘trails’ to delight for an average time of oneand-a-half hours, including Greek Sculpture, Still Life Painting, Osiris: An Ancient Egyptian God, Alexander the Great and many more. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on catching the Egyptian antiquities up close; the dark cloisters in which much of the funerary and decorative art is located exudes antiquity and splendour in every corner, producing one-of-a-kind sensations. i www.louvre.fr

Venus de Milo at the Louvre © Poco a poco

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El 3 de Mayo by Goya

Jesus astounds the learned at the Prado

The Prado Museum Madrid, Spain

El Greco’s vision of nobility

The Prado is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying museums to visit, for although it contains a plethora of collections, it is not so large that you feel like despite hours of walking, you have seen little of the very best it has to offer. The Museum is a Mecca for lovers of Spanish painting, in particular the works of Velázquez, Goya, Zurbarán and Ribera, but it also houses beautiful works by Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, Rembrandt and Raphael.

The Museum website suggests one of three tours lasting one, two or three hours, respectively.

If you only have time for one visit, don’t miss out on Flandes’ Crucifixion, El Greco’s The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, Velázquez’s Las Meninas (perhaps Spain’s most iconic painting), Ribera’s Jacob’s Dream, Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights and Goya’s The Executions (which tends to evoke a highly emotional response). Goya’s Black Paintings, with works such as Saturn Devouring His Son, are absolutely breathtaking. You may also wish to plan a focus on paintings, sculptures or prints and drawings. The best way to see the Prado is in a leisurely manner, paying several visits and allowing yourself to be inspired by your favourite pieces. i www.museodelprado.es

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Night view of the Acropolis Museum

Caryatids at the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museums The East pediment at the Acropolis Museum

Athens, Greece

The archaeological excavation at the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum, launched in 2009 and designed by renowned architects, Bernard Tschumi and Michael Photiadis, extends over three different levels, displaying a vast collection of ancient works, as well as the archaeological excavation located beneath the glass floors of the breathtaking groundfloor gallery. The Musem boasts stunning views of the Parthenon, reminding us of the majesty that was the Greek Empire, and of the importance that ancient Greece has had on our ideals of science, philosophy, education, art and culture. The visit begins on the ground floor, at the Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis, featuring archaeological finds from the hills of the Acropolis, as well as everyday items used by Athenians during various historical periods. On the first floor, the Archaic Gallery stuns with sculptures which originally graced Athens’ most important temples. The second floor is home to the media centre and cafÊ. The third floor contains what is arguably the most impressive work at this museum: the glass-contained Parthenon Gallery, featuring magnificent sculptures taken from the Parthenon frieze, which depicts the Panathenaic Procession, held annually to honour the Goddess Athena on her birthday. The Gallery also boasts impressive metopes (marble slabs representing figures from Greek mythology) and the must-see east and west pediments, depicting the birth of Athena and battle of Athena and Poseidon, respectively. i www.theacropolismuseum.gr

The southwest corner of the frieze at the Acropolis Museum

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The largest museum in Britain is home to the most sizeable collection of archaeology and ethnograpy and contains millions of objects spanning over two million years of human history. Up to six million visitors make their way every year to this house of art, which boasts iconic items such as the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and Egyptian mummies. While you will find all the itineraries you need on the Museum’s website,

if you just have an hour to spend, do it wisely.

Make sure you catch the Rosetta Stone (the key to deciphering mysterious hieroglyphics), the Assyrian Lion Hunt Reliefs (featuring the exploits of Assyrian King, Ashurbanipal) and the Parthenon Sculptures (with iconic sculptures from ancient Greece). Step up to the second floor, where you will find the Lewis Chessmen (who make up the most famous chess set in the world), the Oxus Treasure (featuring stunning

© Hans Hillewaert

London, England

© ChameleonsEye/ Shutterstock.com

The Rosetta Stone

© Michel Wal

Brass Plaque from the Benin Kingdom (Nigeria)

© Dan Breckwoldt/ Shutterstock.com

The British Museum court and glass dome Assyrian sculptures at The British Museum

The British Museum

metal sculptures from Achaemenid Persia), the Royal Game of Ur (dating to 2600-2400B.C. this checker-like set provided the ancients with hours of entertainment), the Mummy of Katebet (belonging to a Chantress of Amun, ‘King of the Gods’), Samurai armour (a stunning exponent of military might in medieval Japan), and King of Ife (a true masterpiece of African art). i www.britishmuseum.org

The reading room at The British Museum © Diliff

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The Vatican Museums Vatican City, Italy

La Pieta by Michelangelo ©perspectivestock

Sculpture at the Vatican ©David Unger

The Sistine Chapel: The Last Judgment

© edella / Shutterstock.com

© edella / Shutterstock.com

© Andrei Rybachuk / Shutterstock.com

It is hard to believe that The Vatican Museums, comprising 22 individual collections, originate from a small group of sculptures collected by Pope Julius II (1503-1513). More fascinating is the fact that the Catholic Popes were among the first rulers to welcome the public to view their vast collections. Today, the Vatican Museums comprise a series of museums and galleries containing artworks from ancient civilisations (e.g. the Etruscan and Egyptian Museums) as well as tapestries, maps, historical works, wall painting and so much more. If you are visiting the Vatican Museum, it is a good idea to book in advance, for if you visit on the day, you can expect to wait in line for various hours to see the most famous sites, including the Sistine Chapel. Allow your guide to enlighten you on the symbolism and entertaining anecdotes behind some of the most beautiful works in areas like the Museo Pio-Clementino (featuring classical sculpture), Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms (featuring glorious walls and ceilings painted by Raphael) and the Pinacoteca, home to the Vatican’s most oft-visited paintings from the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Allow yourself between three and four hours to view St. Peter’s Basilica, the Museums and the Sistine Chapel. i www.museivaticani.va e

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restaurant THE GOURMET

The Ocean Restaurant: DEEP satisfaction It’s always been ‘the ocean’. The sea once submerged the site on which this new restaurant stands and now you get double bubble – fresh fish with an Italian twist, reports Belinda Beckett.

PHOTOGRAPHY JAYDEN FA

A

large neon-orange fibreglass fish has been drawing customers in shoals to one of Gibraltar’s newest restaurants this summer, and their kids are leading the way.

You’ll have no problem ‘finding Nemo’ and his life-sized companions, a disporting dolphin and a ‘Jaws’ shark on the terrace of The Ocean restaurant. Your little ones will tell you! It’s on the well-beaten tourist trail into town, between Casemates Square and Ocean Village.

The seafood sculptures suggest amusement park and hot dogs rather than fine dining restaurant and you’d be forgiven for thinking ‘tourist trap’ and walking on by… but you would be making a big mistake.

For connoisseurs of fresh, locallycaught fish, cooked in adventurous new ways and filleted at your table for extra finesse, The Ocean is your oyster. Swordfish with plums, pine nuts and raisins, cod fillets wrapped in black tempura, sole with orange cream and coriander, or served simply with a sprinkling of rock salt and a twist of lemon, showcase the versatility of the restaurant’s talented Italian chef. If you have a fish fetish that needs pandering to, satisfaction’s guaranteed!

The folks here are up at 4am, shopping for the best catches of the

day at La Linea and Algeciras fish markets – John Dory, red mullet, scarlet prawns and some species I’ve never heard of: forkbeard, a deep sea fish comparable to hake; and sea nettles, an edible jellyfish that may be more of an acquired taste.

But, as you can get half-portions and everything is sharable, you can afford to experiment.

Chef Antonio comes from Milan, hence the nods to Italian cuisine with homemade pastas and Italian breads and, reputedly, the creamiest seafood risottos this side of the Pyrenees. For those who prefer turf to surf, there’s also a good choice of grilled meats.

The Ocean is a little Tardis built inside Gibraltar’s original fortress walls, with 120 covers and a takeaway.

Tables are spread over four dining areas, including the large terrace.

The covered conservatory, shielded from the wind by a glass wall, is ideal for evening dining semi-alfresco at this time of year. Duck under a low arch into the attractively-decorated indoor restaurant and private dining room which come into play in winter, cosily ensconced under vaulted ceilings inside the bastion walls. It may not be polite to mention the loos in a restaurant review but they’re also super-smart, and full marks for the separate baby-changing room.

General Manager, Cristiano

Boschini, is as passionate about his work front-of-house as Antonio is backstage, answering questions, explaining dishes and making recommendations. He also knows a thing or two about wine pairing.

“Something light to go with your appetisers,” he suggested, pouring a crisp fresh Pinot Grigio into giant wine glasses to go with our classic Galician-style octopus, served in fine paprika-dusted slices. We also tried bruschetta of goat’s cheese with a sticky-delicious mango confit. Every dish is decorated with artful little garnishes – a cherry tomato stuffed with fish pâté and different takes on mayonnaise, including kimchi, a Japanese recipe featuring oyster sauce, white wine, sweet and hot chilli.

For mains we shared a simmering, saffron-yellow cauldron of chicken and seafood paella (also available in indigo blue with squid ink); creamy wild mushrooms topped with a quartet of chunky king prawns; and gorgonzola gnocchi sprinkled with Iberian ham and parmesan, served crunchy and golden from the grill.

The oaky organic Rioja chosen by Cristiano was the perfect foil for the strong, tangy cheese.

Then we all dived into the rich and sinful chocolate cake like piranha fish, leaving only crumbs!

During our meal we were joined by the restaurant’s owner, Guy Olivero, a name that will be familiar to any Gibraltarian who admires Shakespeare and Lorca and goes out to eat and drink a lot. Guy owns six bars and restaurants around town and when he’s not running his empire, you might catch him declaiming poetry and blank verse at local festivals, or his own Square Cafe in Casemates, where he often stages recitals with his flamenco artist daughter. Not just a few tracts mind, the complete works if you’ve got time!

This colourful local character gave us a demonstration of his impressive photographic memory at the table, in between mains and dessert, an unexpected but entertaining side dish to a great evening out!

With such variety, at reasonable prices (even more reasonable if you share) fish fanciers will be hooked on The Ocean. Backed up by its strong Italian repertoire, this smart Mediterranean dining act should soon be making waves beyond Gibraltar’s territorial waters.

g Find The Ocean on Facebook and

at 6 West Place of Arms.

Tel: 350 200 40651. theeoceangibraltar@hotmail.com

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THE GOURMET wine

THE POLKA-DOT WINE! From the DO (Denominación de origen) Rias Baixas, this Albariño is a definite winner! As you would expect from an Albariño, it is aromatic, fresh and zingy with scents of citrus and white stone fruit. It is usually very dry with fantastic acidity and minerality. It is the winery’s flagship wine. The freshest, most fun, most chic Albariño of the Rías Baixas – a very elegant white wine to give as a gift or to sip before and during a meal!

WORDS ROCIO CORRALES, SALES & MARKETING MANAGER, ANGLO HISPANO PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BODEGAS PACO & LOLA

T

he best spot in the world for Albariño is Rias Baixas where ninety per cent of the grapes are grown. Paco & Lola is currently the third largest producer in the region, accounting for eight per cent of the Albariño production in this area.

The Rias Baixas (pronounced ‘ree-ahs by-shuss’, so as not to look foolish) are a series of Fiords which thrust out into the Atlantic and form the Galician wine area in North West Spain, which is split into 5 subzones. One of them, the Val do Salnés, is reputedly the best and is the location of the Paco & Lola´s winery.

Founded in 2005 by a group of experienced wine growers, a co-operative made up of 428 family-growers, the vineyards and the estate itself are located at the heart of the Val do Salnés sub-zone. More than 80 acres are cultivated under an integrated production system (sustainable farming). The search

for excellence is the winery’s philosophy, and as such, Paco & Lola use the best quality grapes to produce top-quality wines.

I had hoped that the name ‘Paco & Lola’ represented a couple who fell in love with each other while picking grapes in neighbouring vineyards, set up a business together and named the winery after themselves, but that is not the case; it’s basically a commercial name. Paco is short for Francisco (the most popular boys name in Spain) and Lola short for Dolores, also a common name.

The winery uses an interesting system which is traditional in the Salnés Valley. The horizontal cultivation method is characteristic in the area as it copes with the shortage of sunlight, allowing the grapes to obtain the maximum solar radiation, and helps with the excess of humidity by allowing air to circulate around the vines.

Vines are supported by the typical pillars of local granite, of about 1.80 m high, thus facilitating ventilation.

These conditions result in an appropriate maturation of the grapes. Vines are between eight and 100 years old, the age when the plants are at their optimum.

Albariño is the most renowned Spanish white variety, internationally recognised.

The Paco & Lola winery has more than 200 hectares of vineyards spread over more than 1,900 different lots, which are rooted in granitic, sandy and slightly acidic soils that provide the wines with great varietal aromatic intensity and make a unique blend in the wine world. The production is approx.

2,000,000 bottles per year.

Z 100% ALBARIÑO Z 12.5% ALC/VOL D.O. Rias Baixas.

Sub zone: Valle del Salnés.

Sandy-loamy, slightly acidic soil.

Fermentation in stainless steel vats at 14°C for 21 days keeping the wine on its fine lees without ‘batonnage’ until its stabilisation and bottling.

Vintage: 2013 Serving temperature: 8 - 10°C Z AWARDS: Four Gold medals!

GOLD MEDAL, Mundus Vini 015 Spring tasting (DE) GOLD MEDAL, Challenge International du Vin 015 (FR) GOLD MEDAL, Concours Mondial de Buxelles 015 (Belgium) GOLD MEDAL, International Wine Challenge 015 (London) Z TASTING NOTES: Straw-coloured yellow with green reflections, clean and very bright. Intense and elegant, its aromas bring to mind dew drenched fresh herbs and fine hints of green apples. Citric, with crisp floral notes on the finish. Light acidity gives it freshness with excellent mouthfeel.

Available at VINOPOLIS, 5/7 Main Street, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 77210. www.vinopolis.gi Facebook: vinopolisgib Twitter: @vinopolisgib www.pacolola.com

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restaurants All’s Well Bar & Restaurant

Gallo Nero

Mamma Mia

Taps Bar

Unit 4, Casemates Square, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 72987

56/58 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 77832

Unit C, Boyd Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 64444

5 Ocean Village Promenade, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 67575

bay view bistro

Gatsby’s

Mons calpe suite

The Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 76501

1 /3 Watergardens 1, Waterport Ave, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 76291

Top of The Rock, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 79478

Theatre Royal Bar & Restaurant

Mumbai curry house

60 Governor’s Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 51614

gauchos

Ground floor, Block 1 Eurotowers, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 73711

The Chargrill Restaurant at Gala Casino

Nunos

Gala Casino, Ocean Village, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 76666

BEAN & gone cafe 20 Engineers Lane, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 65334

Bianca’s 6/7 Admiral’s Walk, Marina Bay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 73379

Bridge Bar & Grill Leisure Island, Ocean Village, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 66446

Bruno’s Unit 3, Trade Winds, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 68444

Cafe Rojo 54 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 51738

Cafe Solo Grand Casemates Square 3, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 44449

Fishmarket Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 59700

Gibraltar Arms 184 Main Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 72133

Jumpers Wheel Restaurant 20 Rosia Road, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 40052

Jury’s Cafe & Wine Bar 275 Main Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 67898

Khan’s 7/8 Watergardens, Waterport, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 50015

Kowloon Restaurant

The Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 76501

O’Reilly’s Leisure Island, Ocean Village, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 67888

Piccadilly Garden Bar

The Clipper 78 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 79791

The Cuban

3B Rosia Rd, Gibraltar Tel. +350 200 75758

21B The Promenade, Ocean Village, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 67889

Pizza Express

the island

Unit 17, Ocean Village, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 50050

27 Leisure Island, Ocean Village, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 66666

Pizzaghetti

the ivy sports bar & grill

20 Watergardens III, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 42771

1008 Eurotowers, Europort Avenue, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 63868

La Mamela

Restaurante Nunos Italiano

The Landings Restaurant

Sir Herbert Miles Road, Catalan Bay, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 72373

15 Ragged Staff Wharf, Queensway Quay, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 66100

Latino’s Diner

Caleta Hotel, Sir Herbert Miles Road, Catalan Bay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 76501

Casa Pepe

194/196 Main Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 46660

Rooftop Bistro, O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel

17 Ragged Staff Wharf, Queensway Quay, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 61118

Unit 18, Queensway Quay Marina, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 46967

Latinos Music Bar and Restaurant

Governor’s Parade, Gibraltar +350 200 70500

the ocean

Champion’s Planet Bar & Grill

9 Casemates Square, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 47755

Roy’s Cod Place

Cannon Bar 27 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 77288

Casa Brachetto 9 Chatham Counterguard, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 48200

Unit 2B, The Tower, Marina Bay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 46668

Charlie’s Steakhouse & Grill 4/5 Britannia House, Marina Bay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 69993

Corks Wine Bar 79 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 75566

El faro Marina Bay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 79241

El Patio Unit 11, Casemates Square, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 40713

La Parrilla 17/18 Watergardens, Block 6, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 66555

Laziz Sail 2.2, Ocean Village Marina, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 40971

Le Bateau 14 Ragged Staff Wharf, Queensway Quay, Gibraltar. Tel: +350 200 66420

Lek Bangkok Unit 50 1/3, Block 5, Eurotowers, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 48881

El Pulpero

Little Rock Restaurant & Bar

Unit 12A Watergardens, Waterport, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 44786

Casemates Square, Gibraltar Tel +350 200 51977

4 Stagioni

Maharaja Indian Restaurant

16/18 Saluting Battery, Rosia Road, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 79153

5 Tuckey’s Lane, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 50733

2/2 Watergate House, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 76662

Sacarello’s Cafe-Restaurant 57 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 70625

saffron 15a Parliament Lane, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 63009

Seawave Bar 60 Catalan Bay Village, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 78739

sky restaurant & Bar Sunborn Gibraltar, Ocean Village.

Tel: +350 200 16000

Solo Bar & Grill Unit 15, 4 Eurotowers, Europort Avenue, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 62828

solo express Casemates Square, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 62828

13a Ocean Village, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 68222

the lounge gastro bar

6 West Place of Arms, Gibraltar.

Tel: +350 200 40651

The Rock Hotel Restaurant Europa Road, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 73000 The Royal Calpe, 176 Main Street.

Tel: +350 200 75890

The Trafalgar Bar 1a Rosia Road, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 45370

The Waterfront 4/5 Ragged Staff Wharf, Queensway Quay, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 45666

Tunnel Bar Restaurant Casemates Square, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 44878

Verdi Verdi Unit G10, International Commercial Centre, Main Street, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 60733

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