Ibizan 855 eissue March 2017

All The Colour Of Carnaval. Gallery & Report Pages 8, 9 and 28. (photo sergio g canizares )

Who Is The Twisted

Firestarter?

The fire took hold Monday lunchtime and rapidly burnt through 8 hectares of reed-beds.

Department of the Environment Investigators immediately confirm the fire to be the result of Arson.

Ibiza Town Mayor responds with statement refer-

encing that the owners of the land have been locked in a legal planning battle with the Town council for many years.

The owners want to build on the land which has huge commercial development value, occupying a

No Progress In Hunt For Ses Feixes Arsonist, But Speculation Abounds.

Daily Star Readers Relieved To Hear No Brits Were Harmed.

prime site bridging Ibiza Town & Marina Botafoch.

In a further twist it is revealed that six separate eviction notices were issued during the week.

Full report, photos and editorial pages 2 and 3.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 2

News

Ibiza Town with Charred Ses Feixes centre. Photo Cat Milton

Arson To Blame for Ibiza Town Fire at Ses Feixes The fire took hold Monday lunchtime and rapidly burnt through 8 hectares of reedbeds.

Department of the Environment Investigators immediately confirm the fire to be the result of Arson.

Ibiza Town Mayor responds with statement referencing that the owners of the land have been locked in a legal planning battle with the Town council for many years.

The owners want to build on the land which has huge commercial development value occupying a prime site bridging Ibiza Town & Marina Botafoch.

In a further twist it is revealed that six separate eviction notices were issued during the week.

Nick Gibbs, 7th March 2017

The Balearic Environment Ministry has confirmed today that Monday’s fire in the Ses Feixes area of Ibiza Town was intentionally set.

Miguel Soriano, Balearic Government Environmental Technician, has attended the scene and determined that there are two points of origin less than 40 meters apart.

The head of the Ibiza Fire Station, Miguel Sevilla, also agrees with this assessment, obtained by the joint work between the Government, the National Police and the Local Police.

As it stands there have been no arrests, but the investigations remain open.

The work now focuses on cleaning the reed bed fields and attending to the surrounding buildings and vehicles damaged in the fire.

Works to restore overhead telephone and lighting cables have also been prioritised.

Mayor Says Town Hall Will Act If Owners Don’t

Ibiza Town mayor, Rafa Ruiz, has said that despite the fields being private land, municipal technicians will be in attendance to guarantee "health and safety” concerns are met. Ruiz said that the landowners will be

urged to undertake necessary works however should they fail to do so the Town Hall is ready to step in.

As reported in the Diario de Ibiza, the mayor also made reference to the “differences that have existed for some years between the owners of Ses Feixes and the Town Council”.

It is understood that the owners wish to develop the land however the town council wish to protect the area as a natural habitat.

"The owners have even gone to the Supreme Court to gain development permission by overturning our entire Town Planning policy” he said “which has given us many headaches, not only to this government team but to many people in the city who had other projects curtailed by the legal action by the land owners".

During the Fire

The following report was issued during the fire. 6th March 2017

Ibiza Town Fire Causes Traffic Chaos

A fire in the Ses Feixes area of Ibiza Town has led to road closures and emergency property evacuations.

The fire started on Monday in an area that will be best known to many as adjacent to the Ikea store, near the Pacha roundabout.

The fire has taken hold in the fields of tall reed grasses known to have been at the centre of ongoing planning disputes between the owners and Ibiza Town Hall for some years.

As a result of the fire the ring road had to be closed with traffic diverted and causing chaos on the city centre roads.

It was also deemed necessary to evacuate one residential house, and move the vehicles from a garage that stands close to the fire.

Firefighters including water helicopters and emergency services are already working in the area to try to quell the flames, which at times have crossed the dual carriageway Av de Santa Eulària.

There have been no reports of any casualties.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

Feixes Fire Editorial Nick Gibbs

Wowser. Love the aerial view photo opposite. Cat Milton never ceases to amaze in what she can capture on cameraphone, but I particularly admire this image taken as she flew into Ibiza the morning after the Ibiza Town Blaze.

I love this rarely seen angle which seems to bring the Vila schematic into great clarity. It is also unusual to see the surrounding villages, industrial and commercial developments in a single frame.

Another feature of Cat’s photo is that it brilliantly illustrates the just how valuable the burnt land must be in the eyes of a property developer. Just look at its footprint in relation to the urban areas of the city. Property developer porn.

Speculation is rife as to what motivation is behind the arson that swept through 8 hectares of land in under 2 hours.

“Y

our house has burnt down mate, but don’t worry, we’re evicting you anyway”

Evictions

At the time of the blaze it was noted that a resident in an adjoining property was facing eviction proceedings. Some have questioned whether the arson was down to a landlord deciding to expedite the matter by somewhat radical means.

As events have unfolded this seems unlikely. The eviction notice was due to be executed that day, so the landlord would have had nothing to gain. In fact the police did still execute the warrant later on Monday. Some comfort for the unfortunate tenant. “Your house has burnt down mate, but don’t worry, we’re evicting you anyway”. You have to feel for him, that’s a pretty bad day at the office by any standards.

In a further twist later in the week, The Town Council confirmed that in a completely unconnected case, coincidentally completed at the same time, they were due to execute 5 eviction notices against commercial businesses that were trading on the land without any permissions.

In this situation the council went out of their way to state there was no connection to the blaze. They say the legalities had all been completed but were not due to be executed until after the fire. Seemingly having more sympathy for the businesses than the residential dweller, they deferred the evictions for 48 hours “for humanity”.

If the residential dweller is left asking why he didn’t warrant such “humanity”, he may wonder whether the fact two of the businesses evicted were owned by the Mayor’s Uncle and Father. You couldn’t make it up.

Though it would not have made sense for those enforcing the evictions to set a blaze, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that one of those being evicted might have wanted to express their anger. Nobody seems to be considering

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this though, so we’ll leave that there.

Landowners

Page 3

“T

Despite the level of coincidences in the timing of the blaze and various evictions, there has been far more discussion around the fact that the land owners have been locked in a development dispute with the Ajuntament d’Eivissa for many years.

This debate is hardly surprising given that Ibiza Town mayor Rafa Ruiz chose to detail those problems at some length when talking to press after the fire. Subtle.

Thankfully nobody was hurt in the fire and so thoughts were soon focussed on the commercial development issue, both at Ses Feixes and its wider implication around the island.

Those opposing development at Ses Feixes argue that it is an area of environmental importance. I do not think you need to be what Clarkson would call an environmentalist to feel that the protection of Ibiza’s natural habitats should be an important consideration in so far as further development is concerned. At the very least we should be pushing further development to brownfield sites before destructing virgin land. There is a similarly sized area in Cala de Bou with two blot on the landscape abandoned hotel complexes. There is also the Ses Variades wasteland in a prime position on the San Antonio sunset strip. But that is not what the current market wants. It wants 5 star marina front. It wants cosmopolitan chic. The words of my parents responding to any infant bout of infant whining seem apt, that being “I want doesn’t get”.

To let the market alone dictate planning issues would be the equivalent of handing your child over to a heroin dealer. The results would not be pretty, probably irreversible, and once the dealer had taken everything they could, they would discard them without the slightest concern for the mess they leave behind. Or if you prefer a simple example over my convoluted analogy, just look at Benidorm.

Pushing developers to brownfield sites has worked extremely well in many areas. Developers may stamp their feet, but if it is all they have available, they will take it.

Outside of that argument I do not know enough about the ecology of Ses Feixes to argue one way or another for its protection. Not everybody is opposed to development.

Responding to our article on facebook, Donovan McPhail said “The area is filthy bog-like mess, spewing mosquitoes and foul smells, and little use to wildlife after being hemmed in by roads, parking lots and buildings. The land should be developed, hotels up front with marina views and social housing behind to alleviate the lack of affordable housing”.

His comments reminded me that there are schemes in New York and I expect elsewhere, offering luxury property developers permissions in return for building additional social/ affordable housing units alongside their swanky developments.

The idea of using income from the luxury end of brand Ibiza to offset the problems it causes feels right. There would be a synergy, a ying and yang, that could be to everybody’s benefit.

Unfortunately the reality of Government is rarely as simple as we make it when debating in the bar, or the modern insanity that is “Ibiza Winter Residents” .

I had another very good example of that this week in discussing the housing crisis issue with the Consell. That will be cov-

After the fire, 8 hectares were lost in less than 2 hours (photo Vicent Mari)

News o let the market alone dictate planning issues would be the equivalent of handing your child over to a heroin dealer”

ered in the next issue.

One point I think is notable by its absence. There has been much speculation of it being in some way connected to the commercial interests of the owners, but I have not seen anything that shows exactly how they would benefit by this act alone. The law throws up some unexpected surprises, but it seems most unlikely that the regulations protecting the land from development would suddenly become null and void due to a fire. Hundreds of acres were lost in a terrible fire in the north a few years ago, but we didn’t wake up the following morning to a frenzy of land-grabbing and low rent caravan parks.

Surely an owner would have realised this? So why would they do it? An act of frustration? Seems extreme, and if so it has backfired badly. All that has happened is a huge amount of public attention, and generally negative feeling, being drawn to their wish to develop the land.

So really if anybody has gained from the fire it is the Town Hall in getting the public on their side. Not that I’m suggesting for a moment that they would have … and really, I am not suggesting that, but always worth seeing there is more than one way of looking at things.

Relief

As it stands we do not know who set the fires, only that they were definitely set deliberately. Perhaps it was a mindless act of vandalism. Perhaps we will never know.

What we can do is breath a sigh of relief, and be thankful.

Relief that nobody was hurt. On another day with fortune facing the opposite direction we could be reporting the consequences as a death toll instead of an area of earth.

We can be thankful for the emergency services and particularly the Ibizan Fire service who often face situations where nature has by far the upper hand. After the fire we always see the destruction. Spare a thought for what wasn’t destroyed. Without them things could be many times worse.

And finally we can take comfort that the readers of the Daily Star know that no Brits were hurt. I mean you don’t expect much from the Daily Star do you, but on this one they really surpassed themselves. Their report of Brit Tourists at Risk from Ibiza Blaze may be gobbled up by those mouth breathing ‘patriots’ who see a natural order in British tourists being the only group of humanity worthy of consideration in life threatening situations. Unfortunately on this occasion they did even those bottom of the food chain people a disservice in giving cause for anguish. Any of us would have been happy to assuage their fears for the Brit tourists—it’s March, there aren’t any. We should be so lucky.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 4

News Shortage Of Anaesthetists Cut Surgeries By 30%

Workers at Ibiza Consell HQ join the global walkout

Ibiza Consell Women Join The Global Protest for International Women's Day Workers at Ibiza Consell headquarters have joined the global initiative to mark the continuing disparity between the sexes.

As part of the March 8th International Women's Day, a half hour protest was held between 12 and 12:30.

The call was made for women around the world to walk out of the workplace as a form of protest against the

inequality and discrimination that women still suffer in their employment.

Vice President and Minister for Equality, Viviana Sans, explained that the insular institution wanted to participate as a reminder of "all pending work that remains to be done in addressing all inequalities that women still suffer".

The lack of anaesthetists at Can Misses has forced the reduction of “between 25 and 30%” of the scheduled interventions this March, as confirmed yesterday by the management of the Health Area of Ibiza and Formentera, who qualified that this decision is has taken with the consensus of all surgical services. This measure will certainly be maintained during the month of April, although the reduction percentage will be decided later this month, based on the March valuation. This, the management acknowledged, will affect waiting lists.

The hospital has not had a full staff of anaesthetists since before the move to the new building and with 4 members of the team recently leaving, that number had further reduced to 12.

Cases have been prioritised and so not every department has been affected equally. No cancer intervention has been delayed and paediatric and cardiac surgeries have not been reduced.

The areas most affected are “those who perform most operations” on a regular basis - Ophthalmology and Traumatology, both having to postpone practically one in three operations.

In addition, during the month of March anaesthesiologists of the hospital of Son Espases , in Mallorca, will move to Ibiza to relieve the nine specialists of Can Misses on call.

Like the reduction in activity, this measure will, in principle, be maintained until the end of April. Management indicate that this is because they are confident that in May or, at the latest, in June, new anaesthetists will join the staff of Can Misses. "There are contacts with professionals who, in principle, would be interested in coming to Ibiza," says a spokesman for the management who, however, clarifies that "it is still too early" to ensure that these practitioners finally join the staff of Can Misses.

Ibiza To Have Fire Helicopter From Easter The fire helicopter that has in the past, been based in Sa Coma from June 1st to September 30th, will now be based on the island from Easter until October 15th ‘due to the increased fire hazard generated by the start of the tourist season’.

Photo Vicent Mari

Sperm Whale Found Dead On Beach The body of a Sperm whale was found on a beach in Porroig last week. The whale is thought to have been dead on arrival, washed in by the ocean current.

According to a press release from the San Jose Town Hall, the whale could not be moved immediately as it was ‘practically impossible by land’ given the coastal locations inaccessibility for large vehicles.

The whale was towed to Sa Caleta on eth 6th March

with the aim of transferring the body to the landfill of Ca Na Putxa.

According to sources at the company responsible for the trailer, Eivisub, the removal of the mammal was "like silk." "We were afraid that the spine of the animal would be broken and we could not tow it by sea, but in the end everything went like silk and in ten minutes the sperm whale was already in the water, " explained an

employee of Eivisub, the company contracted by the UTE es Vedrà, concessionaire of the cleaning service of the City of Sant Josep.

As with all cases of wildlife in danger of extinction, biometric data has been taken to document the characteristics of the specimen, including possible causes of death.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 5

News The ONCE Lottery Draw Pays Out 350,000€ in Sant Antoni

Seven skeletons have been discovered in the Byzantine period cemetery

The ONCE Daily Coupon has distributed 350,000€ in ten winning coupons with 35,000€ each in the draw on March 6, 2017. The lucky number being 19,843.

ONCE salesman Gregorio Martínez del Pozo is the one who has brought the luck to Sant Antoni de Portmany, from his point of sale, located at Ample Street, 20.

This is followed by a recent streak in the Balearic Islands, which began with the draw of the Cuponazo on Friday, March 3, in which ONCE distributed 290,000€ to the Mallorcan city of Calviá. And in the draw of the soldozo of the Weekend of the Sunday the 5 of March distributed 120,000€ in Mahón.

Roman Necropolis Found In Formentera Archaeologists from the Ibiza company Posidònia have discovered a Roman necropolis in a private plot of the urban centre of Sant Francesc, exactly in the street Metge Vicent Riera Ferrer. This cemetery, which according to early studies dates back to the seventh or eighth century AD, in the midst of the Byzantine domination of the Balearic Islands, could contain up to twelve reused tombs that house the remains of members of the same family, so far they have found four tombs and seven skeletons.

The discovery was made following a preventive archaeological review on a plot where a private individual wants to build two houses. As the land is situated within what is considered the historic centre of Sant Francesc and the area is also affected by the protection radius of a reservoir, the law requires that archaeological tests are undertaken to protect possible hidden historical and archaeological heritage before granting a license of work.

Rural burial During this small excavation, the archaeologists of Posidònia, directed by Maria Jose Escandell, located four burials that belong to a larger necropolis that extends towards the southwest, explained Escandell to the Diario de Ibiza. According to the first indications , it is a rural cemetery located near the family home of "rather humble" peasants , due to the scarcity of objects that have been recovered and that would form the trousseau that accompanies the deceased in numerous cultures. Thus, until now only a ceramic jug has been recovered at the height of the head of one of the buried bodies.

As for the human remains, Escandell noted that they have found "different burials in each tomb, since they were reused for the deceased members of the family." So far the skeletons of two infant burials and five adults have been located, although the figure could increase as the different layers of the graves are excavated.

At the end of this week the excavation phase will be concluded. Later, the archaeologists will issue a report that must be studied by the Archeology Commission of the Consell de Formentera, which visited the site yesterday. This commission will dictate what to do with the necropolis. The skeletons and other objects found, after being studied by a team of anthropologists, will be deposited in the Archaeological Museum of Eivissa and Formentera, whose director, Benjamin Costa, accompanied yesterday the technicians of Historical Heritage of the Consell during his visit.

Costa pointed out that, although "we are at the beginning of the beginning , at a very early stage of the process", it can be assured that "scientifically, for the knowledge of the history of the island, it is undoubtedly a discovery of great importance, "he said.

Two Turtles Washed Up In addition to the sperm whale found in Porroig, the waves have washed up two dead turtles (Caretta caretta) on the Ibiza coast.

One body measuring 40 centimetres was recovered in Es Botafoc on March 1st and the second body, recovered in Platges de Comte, measuring 60 centimetres was found on the 3rd March. Various plastics were found inside the digestive system causing death.

Sponser Posidonia The Save Posidonia Project, promoted by the Consell de Formentera, has launched a ‘Sponser a Square Metre of Posidonia for 1€’ and within the week of its launch, has already 1572 square metres of the endangered grass sponsored.

The objective of the initiative is "to promote sustainable tourism and launch a plan of action to raise funds that will go exclusively to the conservation of the marine plant Posidonia Oceanica." It also seeks to "raise awareness about the vital importance of Posidonia in Formentera now and especially for future generations."

Throughout 2017, companies and individuals can, for 1€ per square metre, sponsor each of the 7650 hectares of Posidonia that are around the island of Formentera via their website or via their App. In addition, the project will also participate in events organized by Formentera such as the half marathon or Formentera Fotográfica. www.saveposidoniaproject.org

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 6

News peaceful place to be!

Many Ibiza ‘Dance Moms’ and even a few ‘Dance Pops’ travelled with the team, to help with hair, make-up and costumes and to cheer loudly from the audience of the two stages at the huge venue – the Forum Evolucion, right in the centre of Burgos.

And they weren’t disappointed! Despite a gruelling schedule of early starts and long days, that meant on the first night of the competition the team only managed to squeeze in four hours sleep, before getting up for costumes and make-up for the next day of performances, the medals quickly starting rolling in.

Medal Haul

The medal tally included 3 golds and 3 silver

Ibiza Dance 50+ Medal Haul in World Cup Qualifiers Sarah Oliver

Last weekend was the Dance World Cup Spain qualifiers in the city of Burgos, two hours north of Madrid.

Ibiza was represented by a team of 23 talented dancers from the Davinia Van Praag Dance Academy in Ibiza Town.

Davinia Van Praag first opened her school in March 2014 and it has grown rapidly and now has students, studying disciplines in ballet, street dance, musical, jazz, tap, singing and acro-dance. The dance company has expanded so successfully that Davinia recently took on a second large dance studio in addition to the original school.

The team knew that the competition in Burgos would be tough, with nearly 2000 competitors from 65 dance schools across Spain.

Road to Burgos Early last Thursday 16th, the team met at Ibiza airport to travel on an early flight to Madrid, followed by a two hour drive to Burgos, where the team based themselves in a large house with a practice studio, just outside the city.

The girls on the team range in age from 5 to 15, so it was a mammoth task for Davinia and her co-director Oscar Rodriguez Odnozok, to organise the logistics of this massive event getting the girls to and from the

In the long-held tradition of talented ‘Ibiza Kids’ the girls came through the Spanish heats of the Dance World Cup qualifying in the hip-hop category, three Song and Dance categories, plus Tap, Jazz, Show Musical and Acro Dance.

That resulted in 3 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze – and an overall haul of more than 50 individual medals!

Their arrival back on the island on Monday night was greeted by crowds of well-wishers and a couple of bottles of champagne being sprayed around, which the airport authorities took with good humour and applause!

Next up is the Dance World Cup Finals in Offenburg, Germany in June. Over 12,000 competitors from 47 countries will be competing, so the challenge starts again for Davinia Van Praag and her talented team of dancers.

venue, ensuring they were fed, rested and fully prepared. Needless to say, the Base Camp was not a quiet,

Ibicenco Youngsters set to Appear in ‘La Voz Kids’ Two children from Ibiza will participate in the blind auditions of the third edition of the TV sho La Voz Kids which is broadcast on Telecinco Friday 10th March.

Izan Llunas, son of singer Marcos Llunas, and Marc Cuevas Pomar, son of the designer of Ibiza Jewels, Elisa Pomar both attend the Academia Centro de Musi-

ca Creativa directed by Joaquin Garli in Puig den Valls where they study guitar, piano and modern singing.

The youngsters have already passed four castings in Barcelona and Madrid with around 30,000 entrants before making the show.

(Continued on page 7)

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 7

News the woman and blows as she hit the wall or ground.

“There were cries of help, of pain, of somebody being beaten. The man was very aggressive,” the witness said. The couple said that they went to the woman’s aid.

“We had to open the door by force. She was covered in blood with her eye hanging out. We took her to our apartment, cleaned her up and took her to the hospital”.

The prosecutor stressed the seriousness of the injuries saying she had been attacked first in the car and then again at the house. The man elbowed her in the face and then reigned punches and kicks to her face, which caused facial fractures to the nose and jaw. Despite operations in hospital, it has left her with deformed facial features.

“There were cries of help, of pain, of somebody being beaten”, Witnesses at the Trial

6 Years For Man Who Disfigured Woman in Savage Attack Defence requested acquittal on grounds victim is not credible Witnesses confirm hearing “screams of woman in pain who was being beaten”

Appearing in the provincial court on the 8th march, the prosecution requested a prison term of six years for a man accused of disfiguring a woman after a savage attack in October 2015.

The suspect, who has a French passport but has official residence in Luxembourg, insisted he was innocent of the crime and denied that the female victim was his partner.

The defendant claimed that the victim was a friend whom he had allowed to stay in his exclusive apartment in Jesus “this is not a case of domestic violence, it is a case on money” he told the court. He argued that the injuries sustained by the victim resulted from an emer-

gency stop in his rental car.

The defence lawyer said there is no evidence that the man produced the woman’s injuries at his home, he asked that the man, who has been remanded in custody since October 2015, be acquitted.

Rejecting the defence claims, the prosecution’s request for six years was accepted. The public prosecutor also received compensation of 40500€ to be paid to the victim for the injuries and aesthetic damage suffered.

Seemingly crucial to the trial, two witnesses appeared in court. They were immediate neighbours in the same building and though they declared they did not witness the fight, they confirmed that they had heard screams of

San Jose Accident Blackspot Gets New Anti Skid Surface San Jose City Council have confirmed completion of a special road resurfacing project in the borough.

The purpose has been to use a special anti-skid road surface through some treacherous bends that are known as an accident blackspot.

The undulating bends are known as the “corbes den Creu” on the Carrer de Porroig, and will be well known to those using this road which leads down from the main San Jose to the Airport road, PM-803, to the coves of Jondal and Porroig.

The cost of the works was 60,500€ and the resurfacing was completed in less than a week by Aglomerados Ibiza S.A.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

Gallery

Cala De Bou (sergio g canizares )

Santa Eulalia (sergio g canizares )

Formentera (c convalia )

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Page 8

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Go to page 28 to read Claire B and Carly S’ Carnaval reports.

San Antonio (sergio g canizares )

Ibiza Town (Vicent mari )

San Juan (sergio g canizares )

Page 9

Carnaval 2017

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 10

Tourism News bottom level room) is available from 2600€.

Moving up the scale a Deluxe Suite with sea view costs 10800€ for 88m2.

Those wanting nothing but the best Nobu has to offer, could take the 127m2 Royal Suite which comes at a best available rate of 21300€.

Facilities

A week in August starts at 2,600€ and goes up to 21,300€ for the 88m2 Royal Suite

Nobu Hotel, Talamanca Nick Gibbs

This five star hotel is scheduled to open June 30th 2017, and as a member of the Small Luxury Hotels Of The World network there will be expectations of the highest standards of facilities and service.

Owners describe the décor as being in ‘Ibizan style’, which is interpreted as a pastel palette of white, aqua blue with muted gold and bare wood completing the beach club feel.

Cubanito

Not everybody is a fan of Ibiza’s direction reflected by this style however, most of the detractors will not be in their target market. A shabby chic version of cosmopolitan glamour, and in that respect it fills its brief very well.

Pricing We checked availability for one week from 1st – 7th August for two adults.

A Deluxe Garden Room (though termed deluxe it is the We love the style and design of the Cubanito Hotel which is due to open in Cala Gracio in 2018.

The art deco Cuban Miami style will find many fans, however what seems particularly clever is how they have used that style to make what is an essentially pretty standard Spanish hotel construction feel as on point contemporary as if it had

Hotel facilities include two saltwater pools, restaurants, a spa and boutiques, and what the hotel describes as custom programmes, which are designed to allow guests to enjoy an authentic and unforgettable experience without having to leave the resort. It seems rather a shame to think of a visit to Ibiza without leaving your hotel but Nobu must know this is what some people seek. The company behind Nobu, MC Hotels say that they have created ‘an exclusive resort offering a unique lifestyle and different from all others offered on the island’.

Nobu boasts four restaurants and a swim up bar. A wide choice is offered including Japanese fusion, Chambao, which has been developed in collaboration with the popular El Chiringuito in Es Cavallet. London’s Peyote Group feature a contemporary approach to Mexican food and finally Celicioso offers healthy food, superfood juices and salads. With several of the higher end hotels opting for adults only business, luxury lovers with little ones in tow will be pleased to hear children are welcomed at Nobu. A range of activities is offered including a cookery school and DJ classes. been architect designed only yesterday.

And in terms of what is an is not essential in your hotel room, you have to love Cubanito’s incorporation of your own personal cocktail bar.

Love it.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

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Page 11

BA Fly Direct From Dublin from 49€ Some reality show or other faked bust up. They are all the same, we can’t be bothered to find out which one it is.

Ibiza and Bust Up A survey reveals that 17% of couples who take their first holiday in Ibiza will have separated within 6 months.

Travel agent Sunshine.co.uk conducted a survey of 2187 people and found that 21% of couples who went to Mexico broke up after their holiday, followed by 17% who went to Ibiza and 12% who visited Portugal.

Out of 2,187 people surveyed, 1,056 had broken up with a partner within six months of going away together.

Veto For 30€ Inter-Island Flights ‘The Government, with the support of the PP and Ciudadanos, have blocked the Regimen Especial para Baleares (REB), thereby vetoing the flat rate of 30€ for interisland flights’ Francina Armengol explained at the parliament debate on Tuesday 7th March.

The Ministry of Public Works had submitted a proposal requesting that the new Balearic REB not be processed, as it had budgetary implications.

As it stands, the Government have requested an urgent meeting with the Minister of Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna, to request explanations of the veto.

On average, new couples go on holiday together within five months of forming a relationship and 73% are will argue on their first getaway, the research showed.

Of the people surveyed, 1056 had split with their partner within 6 months of travel. Couples who chose destinations like Tenerife and Italy as a first holiday were less likely to split up, the study claims.

Barça Bikes Nick Gibbs

Many of us Ibiza residents will have found ourselves parked up at the Barcelona Ferry terminal with a few hours to kill.

What to do?

Las Ramblas will probably have lost its appeal after a visit or two. If not for the crazy inflated prices (I recently paid 8€ for a caña – it takes a lot to shock an Ibiza resident on drinks prices, but seriously?). And anyway, even if you can afford the prices, you probably can’t afford to risk your driving licence. We recently heard from a returning resident who was breathalysed twice going onto the ferry and then again on return to Ibiza – it’s a pretty obvious sting if you think about it.

So if booze is off the agenda, you don’t want to pay the inflated prices of restaurants in the area, but need to

The new summer-only flights will commence on May 19 and basic fares start from 49€ each-way, outbound flights will depart Dublin at 10.25pm on Fridays and return on Sundays at 9am.

The service will operate on modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, with two abreast seating - so expect ticket prices to rise as they fill up.

Flights will take around three hours, and can be booked on ba.com.

Birmingham And Bristol...

The direct Dublin service announcement follows that last month confirming British Airways will begin operating direct flights in May from Birmingham and Bristol to Ibiza, Malaga and Palma.

British Airways Chief Commercial Officer Luke Hayhoe noted that his customers "have expressed clearly and directly" that they want to fly to these destinations.

For this reason, he adds that he expects "strong activity" for both airports this summer. know whatever you do you can get back in time for boarding, what are your options?

We recently came across a great and flexible way to extend your reach for a few hours.

Donkey Republic Bike Hire in Barcelona have a whole host of Bicycle rental locations throughout the city – several of which are spitting distance from the ferry terminal.

Bikes can be rented by time segments from 2 hours upwards and for just a few euros.

It is amazing how much more you can take in with a pushbike and a few hours to spare. Take a trip around the gothic quarter, or cycle up to La Sagrada Familia – all with the comfort factor of knowing how long it will take you to return without relying on metro or bus times etc. Plus you see so much more on a bike than you do by other modes of transport.

Weekend Warriors Of course bike hire is not just an option for that pre-ferry fill in. Check the Donkey Bikes website for prices on long term rental – a great alternative option for that winter weekend in Barca. In fact a great option for many other locations too. Donkey have bike rentals schemes running in Madrid and many other European cities.

Cheap, easy, flexible, quick, healthy and environmentally responsible. That’s a lot of boxes ticked.

It would be cool to have them set something up in Ibiza, but until then give it a try on your travels.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 12

International

An interesting article looking at Brexit from the Spanish perspective.

Spain plays its cards in the Brexit game Spanish companies could recover human capital that emigrated to Britain during the crisis

Alicia González, El Pais, English version by Susana Urra.

Now that Brexit is unavoidable for Britain, the time has come to strengthen the relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom, to address the complex challenges of an unprecedented process full of unknowns, and to make the most of any opportunities that might arise.

These were some of the conclusions at La oportunidad del Brexit (The opportunity of Brexit), a business breakfast on Monday morning organized by EL PAÍS and Sabadell Bank that brought together business, political and media leaders to discuss the repercussions of Britain’s upcoming exit from the European Union.

The group of experts agreed that the negotiations between Britain and the EU should not be punitive. First, because this “could put both parties’ growth at risk,” said Sabadell CEO Jaime Guardiola, adding that the circumstances demand an active role by the Spanish authorities and businesses alike to ensure that the new framework for relations is the best possible one.

And secondly, because Europe has no desire to create confrontation during negotiations, said Javier Solana, a former Spanish cabinet minister who later served as NATO chief and the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Besides, as former Spanish ambassador to Britain Carles Casajuana pointed out: “It won’t be necessary: they are already punishing themselves with the decision to leave the EU. We are all losing out here.”

The event was also attended by Andy Mackay, director of British Council Spain; Antonio Vázquez, chairman of IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia; León Fernando del Canto London-based law firm Del Canto Chambers Christopher Dottie, head of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, and EL PAÍS senior executives José Manuel Calvo and Javier

Ayuso.

Strong ties The economic ties between both countries are more than enough reason for Spain to adopt an active role in the negotiations over future relations with the United Kingdom. Britain is the primary destination for Spanish foreign investment, making up 17% of the total. Every year around 15 million British tourists visit Spain, contributing around €13 billion to the Spanish economy.

Spain is the EU’s third largest investor in Britain, behind France and Germany. Nearly one million Britons own property in Spain, and around half of those are permanent residents. At the same time, nearly 300,000 Spaniards live in Britain.

A “total” break

As Britain and Europe enter uncharted waters to negotiate an exit from the EU and a new framework for relations, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has opted for a complete break with the single market, rather than a middle-of-the-road solution, noted Solana.

“We need to negotiate from that perspective,” said Solana, who currently presides the Center for Global Economics and Geopolitics at the Esade business school.

“First you need to undo the membership, and then negotiate a new agreement. And that is tremendously complex.”

Solana, who has personal experience as a negotiator, expressed his regret that the Spanish government lacks a team of people with a background in this kind of process, and asked the executive to call back the individuals who participated in Spain’s own EU membership process.

León Fernando del Canto said that new opportunities are arising in the services sector, as companies seek out

professional advice on how to uncouple from Europe or how to incorporate EU legislation into their own activities.

Christopher Dottie noted that talented Spaniards working in the UK could be persuaded to come back if things get tougher there.

“If young Spaniards have fewer opportunities in Britain, Spanish companies should make an effort to attract them back,” he said.

The fact that Britain is going to leave the single market is making some companies consider the option of having a second base on the continent, and “Spain should make sure that it remains attractive in that sense,” said Dottie.

This search for new locations by British firms is most obvious in the financial sector, given the importance of the City both at the European level and for the global financial system.

To Jaime Guardiola, dismantling London’s financial centre would create a global productivity problem that would create hurdles to access to funding by capital markets.

“Yet there are parts of the system that will unquestionably leave London,” he added, alluding to institutions like the European Banking Authority (EBA).

Spain is also in the running to become the headquarters for the European Medicines Agency, “which Barcelona already bid for in its day, and which could also serve as a tool for the Spanish government in its attempt to extend a hand to Catalan society.”

Not so fast

But not everyone at the breakfast was equally optimistic about the business opportunities created by Brexit.

“I am not very optimistic about it,” admitted Antonio Vázquez, of IAG. “Although perhaps the right environment is being created to eliminate unnecessary regulation in the European Union.”

If so, he said, this would increase the eurozone’s growth potential and its companies’ ability to compete. Vázquez also asked for a greater Spanish presence at the negotiating table to ensure that Spanish companies are well positioned.

Del Canto agreed. “Our diplomats are not doing much.

Spain is not getting near the negotiations, despite the enormous interests at stake – not even as a lobby,” he said.

“You cannot play a leading role if you are not on the front lines,” added Dottie. “This is not just a negotiation between Britain and the European Union. Each country needs to mobilize and underscore what it is that it cannot afford to lose in this process.”

Straight to Jail for Fugitive Fraudster Caught in Spain

A runaway tax fraudster is starting a six year jail sentence, after being extradited back to the UK from Spain by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for failing to repay £1.5 million.

South African Leib Berger, 53, previously known as Lawrence Goldberg, was originally jailed for two years in September 2011 for stealing more than £1 million through a Self Assessment tax fraud. Posing as a nominated tax agent, he hijacked innocent people’s identities and invented other clients to send fraudulent tax returns to HMRC. In December 2012, he was ordered to repay £249,999 by December 2013 or receive a default prison sentence of 16 months. In an attempt to escape justice Berger fled to Spain.

While he was at large, investigations by HMRC revealed he had further assets and in September 2015 the confiscation order was increased to £1.5 million. A month later the default prison sentence was amended to six years.

Berger was tracked down and arrested in Spain on 7 February 2017. He was extradited back to the UK on Tuesday 21 February 2017.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 13

News San Jose And Aspanadif Combat Red Palm Weevil 150 trees Planted in Salt D’en Serra, Santa Eulalia A total of 300 schoolchildren from the 2nd to 6th grades of Ibiza schools have planted 150 trees (mainly juniper trees and pines) in Salt d'en Serrà, Santa Eulalia, for the reforestation campaign promoted by the association Ibiza Conciencia.

This initiative consisted of five excursions in which educators and forest rangers gave a talk on how to avoid fires and the about the different native plants of the area. Experts emphasized the juniper tree "because of the difficulty of their regeneration in burned areas".

The volunteers of this association and Temps de Savines taught the children how to plant a tree and the factors to take into account for optimum repopulation facing the future. Plants have been donated by Ibanat.

Ibiza Conciencia noted that the reforestation was carried out in the fields devastated by the 2011 fire, with permission being granted by the owners and has been undertaken since January.

Town Hall Appeals Crematorium Ruling The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia has appealed the ruling of the Administrative Court of Palma that cancels the tender of the new crematorium, a court decision that is based on incorrect application of administrative criteria and does not imply the suspension of service.

It is now in the hope of resolving this appeal, however, in case of confirming the ruling of the court the Town Hall will have to re-contest the management of the service and will not rule out whether other implementation is necessary.

San Jose has given the green light to a campaign against the Red Weevil plague, which affects palms.

The City Council will invest a total of 14,000€ in the purchase of pesticides, biological control and staffing for the implementation of a total of seven preventive treatments throughout the year.

Aurens

Aurens are able to provide a full funeral service tailored to your needs. Their website is available in English and they are available 24/7 on the phone in case the worst should happen.

Crematorio Santa Eulària-Eivissa Nuevo Cementerio Municipal de Santa Eulària des Riu Ctra. de Ibiza a Santa Eulària Km. 2.4 07840 971 923 649 (24h, 365 days)

www.aurens.es

The workers will be hired through Aspanadif, an association that works for the rights of people with special needs and their full social integration.

In collaboration with this organization, the council seeks to promote the employment of people with disabilities.

San Jose has 320 palm trees distributed in the municipality, of which approximately 150-180 are Phoenix canariensis, the most affected by the Red Weevil.

Preventive treatment is the best solution to protect the palms from this insect that infects palms and causes them to die.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 14

Agenda Walking and Cycling from Ibiza Town

The Sports Department of Eivissa have also organised their annual walking and cycling program up until May.

Cycling programme 12/03 Sa Capella D’en Serra. Eivissa – Sa Carroca – Torrent de sa Capella – Capella d’en Serra – Sa Carroca – Eivissa. 23 km with a climb of 475 metres. Level – medium.

16/04 Peu de sa Talaia. Eivissa – Sa Carroca – Mitja Capella – Camp de futbol de Sant Josep – Can Jordi – Sa Carroca – Eivissa. 30 km with a climb of 475 metres. Level – medium.

Formentera (in 2 stages) - date to be confirmed.

Stage1: Port de la Savina – Migjorn – Cala Saona – Illetes – Es Pujols. Stage 2: Es Pujols – La Mola – Port de la Savina.

They leave from Plaça d’Antoni lbert i Nieto (Bulevard d’Abel Matutes at 10.00 h returning about 13.00 h. Cost is 3€ (5€ on the day except for the tour in Formentera). Tours are restricted to 100 participants (50 for Formentera) so it’s best to book in advance. Tickets can be bought from the Piscines Municipals in Es Viver and Can Misses, and from Can Manolo Bikes.

Freestyling: It doesn’t have to be guided— residents David Ward and Aidy Bates during their hike around Ibiza in March.

March Walking and Cycling Claire B

Our round-up of some of the scheduled walks and cycling tours for March.

Walking Ibiza

Regular guided walks are currently taking place from Walking Ibiza each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Toby and Sheila have been busy seeking out lots of new walks, which are being integrated into the programme.

Sunday 12 – Sunday social walk – 11am – Talamanca to S’ Estanyol – a lovely coastal walk.

Wednesday 15 – Short & Sweet walk – 10am – Cala Xarraca – a coastal walk with amazing views. Tea and cakes will be served at the end.

Must See Art! Ibiza Town

Claire B

Two exciting exhibitions from internationally renowned artists are currently on in Ibiza Town at Lune Rouge and Art Projects Ibiza. If you haven’t been yet, I thoroughly recommend a visit.

Spherical Space

At Lune Rouge, ‘Spherical Space’ by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is a beautiful large-scale sculptural installation. It’s a circular globe-like structure made from a stainless steel frame, which is covered in triangles of aluminum, hand-blown yellow glass and coloureffect filter glass. Inside is a light bulb, which projects patterns and shadows created by the triangles and framework onto the surrounding space. Perception, movement and the relationship between the viewer and their surroundings are central themes within Eliasson’s work and this piece perfectly captures this. The whole room is filled with reflections from the sphere and the light and the colours of the sphere change as you walk around it and view it from different places. It’s a bit like a giant, colourful discoball and it’s both beautiful and mesmerizing.

Is Seven A Lot?

Friday 17 –Classic walk – 10am – Silver mines – San Carlos countryside and history.

Sunday 19 – Sunday social walk – 11am – Cala Llonga to Sol den Serra.

Wednesday 22 – Short & Sweet walk - 10am – Salinas tower – salt flats and culture. Tea and cakes will be served at the end.

Friday 24 –Classic walk – 10am – location to be announced.

Sunday 26 – Sunday social walk – 11am – location to be announced.

The walks are by donation (suggested €10 per person) or what you feel the walk is worth. http://www.walkingibiza.com

At Art Projects Ibiza, which is in the next door but one building, the exhibition ‘Is seven a lot?’ features pieces from Peter Fischli and David Weiss. You enter the room in the dark and the central installation is the large ‘Rat and Bear (mobile)’ circling from the ceiling (Rat and Bear are characters that feature in much of the artists’ work). Illuminating the wall at the end of the gallery, ‘Question Projections’ projects sentiments such as “Why can’t I be really cheerful. Are feelings private?” or “Should I paint a pirate ship on my car with an armed woman on it holding a decapitated head?”. ‘Son et Lumière’, a light and sound installation, epitomizes how the artists use everyday materials to cerate extraordinary effects. Comprised of a plastic cup, gel-covered flashlight and turntable, the sounds reverberate and the lights dazzle and the plastic cup looks like it’s going to fall out, but it doesn’t. The concepts behind these pieces are difficult to explain succinctly, but when you go to the gallery they give you printed sheets that explain everything (in English too).

Until April 29. Lune Rouge is on Alcalde Bartomeu Rossello, 7, which is just up from Ikea.

Art Projects Ibiza is next door but one. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 12.00-18.00. https://www.facebook.com/artprojectsibiza photo via Ibiza Winter Kids with the comment “We're lucky our kids get access to installations like this on our tiny island. Get down to see 'Spherical Space'“

Walking programme 11/03 Parc de Bombers to Can Misses full moon walk. Starts from the Piscina Municipal in Can Misses at 21.00 h. Parc de Bombers – Torrent des Fornàs – Can Canyes – Can Bufí – Can Misses.

11.5 km. Low/medium difficulty.

30/04 Torre Sal Rossa to Sa Caleta. Starts from the car park at the Hotel Palladium (Platja d’en Bossa) at 9:30 h. Platja d’en Bossa – Parc Natural Ses Salines – Es Codolar – Sa Caleta. 8.5 km. Low/ medium difficulty.

Formentera (in 2 stages) – date to be confirmed.

Stage 1: Far de la Mola – Es Caló – Punta Prima – Es Pujols. Stage 2: Cala Saona – Estanc des Peix – La Savina. Limited to 50 participants.

Cost is 3€ in advance or 5€ on the day. Tickets and information from: Piscina municipal de Can Misses, Monday to Friday from 9.00 h - 21.00 h. Tel. 971 31 35 64 Piscina municipal Es Viver, Monday to Friday from 9.00 h 21.00 h. and Saturday from 9.00 h - 13.00. Tel. 971 30 32 34

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 15

Agenda

Vuelta Ibiza MTB 2017 Ibiza’s Easter weekend mountain biking event enters its 16th year.

Taking place over the weekend 14-16th April, the event attracted 1000 entrants in the first 2 hours of registration being opened.

The MTB tour is in three stages with participants competing in pairs, although there is the option of participating individually. Though open to all, the tour requires riders to be in good shape as it is a demanding course.

Entrants can collect their bibs on San Antonio’s Paseo de Ses Fonts, which is also home to a public exhibition open from 5-8pm over the duration of the event. This year organisers have arranged a programme of activi-

ties for those travelling with participants including hiking, farm school, wine tasting visits and a trip out on the tourist train.

The racing itself commences on Friday 14th April departing at 11am from the Avenida Santa Eulalia in the centre of Ibiza Town. This first stage ends near the port of San Antonio.

Saturday’s second stage begins at 9am at San Antonio Marina, with riders crossing the island to finish in Avenida San Juame in Santa Eulalia.

The final stage on Sunday departs at 9am and ends at the marina of San Antonio.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 16

Food & Drink Palapa Street Food It hasn’t been the best Ibizan winter as far as the weather is concerned, but I’m writing this with the thermometer nudging 23 degrees—and it’s due to stay that way for the next few days at least.

from doors opening at noon through to 10 pm.

Your 7,90€ gets you either Chicken Tikka Masalla or a Balti, served half and half with rice and chips, or should that be quarter quarter quarter and quarter as you also get a naan bread and poppadom.

So is it of Indian restaurant authenticity? Frankly no, but then Flaherty’s is not an Indian restaurant. It stacks up to the curry’s you’ll find on your regular U.K. Pub menu – but at 7,90€ which is what, around £6? It does seem an absolute bargain.

Flaherty’s also has plenty to offer that most Indian restaurants don’t, a proper sports bar Saturday atmos.

Whatever your sport, chances are it will be better with a 7,90€ curry plate.

https://www.facebook.com/flahertysibiza

Villa Mercedes San Antonio Marina

With such glorious Spring sun it always seems a shame there is not a pit stop open on the San An prom—but fret no more as Palapa is back for the perfect people watching spot to soak up the sun and savour some of their trademark street-food.

Situated by the Egg roundabout Palapa is so close to the water a gangly gal could almost dip her toes in the water.

Bit of a teaser here. Everyone knows Villa Mercedes. Everyone loves Villa Mercedes. But things are afoot at the Villa on the quay, and by the looks of our sneak peak that love is only going to get bigger in 2017.

https://www.facebook.com/palapaibiza

Flahertys Curry Plate Just Add Sports

Feeling a little peckish I popped in to Flaherty’s for a Saturday pit stop and purchased a plate of proper pub grub for a bargain 7,90€

Their curry Saturday special is available throughout March

The kitchen is working on a project with the working title "nuevas tendencias, el mismo servicio", or for the Castellano challenged among us, ‘new trends, same service’. By the look of this little number those new trends are to be embraced like a teenage girl watching Harry Styles on X Factor for the first time. That is with fluttering heart and a desire to pin it up on your bedroom wall.

Just in case your days of instant infatuation are behind you, those who like things just the way they are will be reassured to know the classic Villa Mercedes menu continues at 15€ Monday to Friday and 20€ weekends. https://www.facebook.com/VillaMercedesibiza

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 17

Food & Drink Project Social

Springtime at Tapas

Happy Sunday folks. So says the Project Social FB page, and it seems to have got a whole lot happier for most on the East Coast.

We have a full review planned for the next issue, but to deny readers the knowledge of their Sunday Roasts until then would seem cruel and unnecessary behaviour.

Back in the game! Spring in Ibiza is such a positive time.

The sun is back, the travellers are returning, and best of all the venues we have missed over the winter hibernation are opening their doors again.

Tapas restaurant and lounge bar is the terrace of choice for many, and judging by the number of familiar faces at their first night of Spring opening on 9th of March, a lot of people have been missing it loads.

Santa Eulalis

Roasts are served from 12pm, choose between chicken, beef or pork for the meat eaters and a lovely nut roast with homemade vegy gravy for the non meat eaters. Our main menu is also served through until 11pm.

Best not to rely on chance: popularity has its price and so to avoid the risk of standing at the door with a forlorn face surrounded by folks enjoying their fine fayre, we’d recommend a call to reserve a table. www.projectsocial.co

Live Music & Fish Tapas Ibiza Town

Claire B New for this year is Peixets al Port, when every Sunday during the month of March there will be live bands playing in the Placa del Mercat Vell with fish tapas on offer in several bars in the area at fixed prices. Bands start at 1pm.

March 12 – Red Funky Jackets March 19 – Banda Municipal de Sant Josep March 26 – Red Funky Jackets Enjoy the concert at the old market and then taste some of the food that has been prepared in the restaurants in the area using fish from the sea - pintxo and drink for 3€, tapa and drink for 4.50€ and pintxo and local wine for 4.50€.

See flyer on page 19 for more details.

San Antonio

That first night of Spring was also their first night participating in the Pintxos festival. Tapas work to a standard where the quality of their little bites of gorgeousness shouldn’t have come as a shock, but there was still a regular gasp of glee as patrons took their first bite—and a need to report ’how good is this’ to anybody in earshot.

Miniature is all well and good, but we’ll be wanting that winter fast sated with the full Tapas plates on offer from Friday to Sunday, especially as they are all priced at ’winter resident’ friendly discounts. You don’t need to be a resident to get the discount – so a great place to suggest to any early tourists looking a bit lost at the lack on offer in an Ibiza March Sunday Roast Dinner has always been a favourite, and the Spring selection includes a choice of roast topside of beef : roasted belly pork : chicken breast : and a vegetarian option of lentil & bean cottage pie with sweet potato mash.

They mix up the starters, desserts and vegetables week to week, but whenever you visit you’ll get the best of ingredients and everything home cooked. http://www.tapasrestaurantibiza.com/

Pintxos, San Antonio Go to page 18 for our guide including map and route.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 18

Pintxos It’s that time again!

San Antonio’s annual Pintxos festival is now in its 9th year, and with plenty of new venues joining Ibiza’s biggest bar crawl in 2017 the event looks to be better than ever.

What is it?

For the uninitiated, Pintxa runs for 6 Thursdays from 9th March to 13th of April.

All participating bars and restaurants, and this year there are 37 to choose from, offer a special Pintxo (small gorgeous tasty thing) with a beer or wine for just 2,50€.

This year venues will also be offering a Caprincho, a more substantial gorgeous thing, with drink for a few euros more.

Pintxos actually runs from midday, but most people head out at night when there is the added bonus of a tourist train running the route and taking you within a few metres of all venues.

Competition

The coveted Pintxos crown is hotly contested among the owners— which works to pintxo punters benefit in there being some ridiculously good offerings.

The ingredients alone must often cost more than the 2,50€ tariff, but we’re not complaining.

Route

You have 6 weeks to get around all 37 if you wish, but we have help-

fully given our serving suggestion by way of an 8 stop train ride route around our advertisers—which we promise will not leave you disappointed.

Tapas First Pintxos for this foodie paradise. We know it will be great, and with the added practicality of parking (for the designated driver) so it’s a pintxo or three in good company before a stroll down the lane to the train to ...

Flaherty’s

You could have walked it, but where’s the fun in that? Another new venue Flaherty’s are offering proper pies and irish stew for that authentic Irish twist.

They also have a fish and chips Caprincho on offer.

Bondi

We love the look of Bondi’s seafood corn cone Caprincho, and you might want a couple here as it’s then a bit of a ride out to Cap Negret to …;

La Torre

If you haven’t been to La Torre yet, here is your perfect opportunity to find out what all the fuss is about—the uber chic terrace of this Boutique hotel has some of the best food we’ve ever tasted—a must do on your route.

The Social

Another Brit bar first year entrant worth the footsteps from the train as you come back into town. The Social always has great company and having teamed up with Wild Thyme for their fayre, the food is bound to match the banter.

Villa Mercedes

Down onto the waterfront, and you can’t do Pintxos without a visit to Villa Mercedes. These past winners always go the extra mile. You’ll feel a million dollars, and given it only cost 2,50€ that can’t be bad.

Palapa

Along the paseo to Palapa who pride themselves on their streetfood menu—the perfect partnership to the pintxo concept.

And that brings you pretty well back to Tapas, where we recommend kicking back with their superb Caprincho cheese board and a rather lovely glass of Red, or better still swap for a Ruby Port. http://pintxasantantoni.com/

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 19

Agenda

San José Fiestas San Jose

Claire B

The annual fiesta in San Jose is already in full swing.

There’s a whole range of sporting events, concerts, films, walks, exhibitions and dancing on now until April 15. Here’s some of the musical highlights of the fiesta: Saturday March 11 sees Flower Power – one of the highlights of the fiesta, starting at 10pm in the square outside the church. It’s always a fun night out, with DJs Be Bop’Nando (rock & roll, rhythm & blues and soul), Pharma and Javi Box, pyschedelic projections from VJ Bamboo and live music from Rock the Night, playing rock hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Not quite as big as Flower Power in San Antonio, but nonetheless

lots of people dress up and the whole town is out in force to party.

Across the street on March 11 at Raco Verd Carwash Ibiza DJs Nigel Atkin and Steve Altman will be commanding the decks and spinning lots of classic Carwash tunes from 10pm. Expect the best disco, funk, old skool hip hop and nu-disco.

Friday March 17 at 9.30pm - Rock a s’Olivera at Racó Verd - newest bands from the island play in the terrace.

Saturday March 18 at 9.30pm live music from Shirley Davis & The SilverBacks (Madrid) followed by The Kleejoss Band (Saragossa) at 11pm.

Sunday March 19 – Day of San Jose: 12.00 Mass with songs from the choir of Sant Josep, following the procession. Afterwards there will be traditional dancing in La Plaça de l’Església.

18.30 Vicente the pirate – show for children.

20.00 Performance from folk group Viana do Castelo, Plaça de l'Església.

22.30 - live music from La Vella Dixieland (Barcelona).

23.59 – fire show from the Dimonis els Mals Esperits.

Friday March 24 at 9.30pm - Festa Guateque with a live show from Las Supremas de Móstoles and DJ Pep Pilot, organised in collaboration with l’Associació Retro.

Saturday March 25 at 9pm – 10th Correbars with live music, DJs and cheap food and snacks in the bars in the town - tapa and caña, wine or soft drink for 2,50€. Music from local band Keep a Rockin’!.

Sunday March 26 at 8.30pm – jazz concert from Pere Navarro Quintet, at Can Jeroni. 3€.

Saturday April 15 at 9pm – XXIII Sant Pepe Rock – live music from Güru, Azrael and Obús. Free.

Full fiesta programme available online here: http://www.santjosep.org

Primavera Fiesta Agroturismo Atzaró

Claire B

For many island residents, the Primavera Fiesta at Atzaro marks the beginning of the season. This year it’s on Sunday March 26 from midday. With more than 15 invited artists (live musicians and DJs), lots of activities for children, a special bohemian market, workshops, art exhibitions, food and drinks, buffet restaurant and more in the natural paradise that is Agroturismo Atzaró, there’s something for everyone. Music lineup: Main Pool • 12.00-13.30 DJ Rubens • 13:30-14.30 Banda Flamenco • 14.30-16.00 Jacobo Saavedra • 16.00-17:30 The Red Funky Jackets • 17:30-18:30 Ken Abel • 18:30 -19:30 Dkirk • 19:30-20:30 Roberto Navarro • 20:30- 22:30 David Moreno • 22:30-close Manu Gonzalez Chill-out area • 12.00-14:30 Xicu Portas live • 14:30-15:45 Ibiza Lights by Spencer Kennedy • 15:45 -17:15 Chino Paino • 17.15-18:30 Ibiza House Orchestra • 18:30 -19.30 Vidal Rodriguez • 19:30-20:30 Miguel Garji • 20.30-22.00 Anna Tur • 22.00-00.00 Iban Mendoza This year entrance costs 5€ which is a donation to Atzaro Fundraising, which supports local charities. You need to buy a wristband, which will be used to enter the event and uses a cashless system to pay for drinks and food.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 20

Agenda Xiringuito a Groenlandia Music Festival Ibiza Town

Claire B

Xiringuito a Groenlandia or XAG have been bringing live bands to play in Ibiza for the last few years. On March 25 they are putting on a festival for their 4th birthday in Ibiza Town in the Baluard de Sant Pere in Dalt Vila, which overlooks Plaza del Parque. The XAG concerts have been organised by a group of local musicians who want to bring emerging live music from outside Ibiza to the island. Starting at 17.30 the lineup features: Salvatge Cor (Mallorca), F/E/A - Forces Elèctriques d'Andorra (Mallorca), ARIES (Bilbao), El Petit de Cal Eril (Guissona), Satellites (Mallorca) Tickets cost 15€. For info and to find out more about the bands see Xiringuito a Groenlandia on Facebook

Sueños de Libertad San Antonio

Claire B

The 3rd Sueños de Libertad (Dreams of Freedom) music festival, returns to Ibiza from Thursday April 20 to Saturday 22 in San Antonio. On the Thursday night the festival takes place in the Teatro Regio from 20.00, with Amaral, Zenet and El Kanka. On the Friday and Saturday the festival moves to Arenal beach from 17.30. Appearing on Friday 21 are: Leiva, Iván Ferreiro, Sidonie, Corizonas, Los Zigarros and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. The line-up for Saturday is Amparanoia, Depedro, Fantastic Negrito, Miguel Campello, Statuas D Sal, Aurora & The Betrayers and Niña Coyote & Chico Tornado. As well as lots of live music, the festival will combine art, street art, food stalls, a market and a children’s play area on the beach. Tickets are now on sale and prices start at €32 (+ booking fee) and can be purchased from the website. This was a great event last year and is a rare opportunity to experience live music from acts that don’t usually visit the island.

IMS Celebrates 10 Years Ibiza Town

Claire B

This year the Ibiza Music Summit (IMS) celebrates its 10th year with the theme ‘A decade of connecting our culture’. This year there will be one event in Dalt Vila on Friday May 26 and the lineup features a series of backto-back performances, packing in more DJs than ever:

23.00-00.00: Maceo Plex B2B Tale of Us 22.00-23.00: Seth Troxler B2B Miss Kittin 21.00-22.00: Pete Tong B2B Nicole Moudaber 20.00–21.00: Dixon B2B Kenlou (Masters at Work) 19.00-20.00: The Martinez Brothers B2B Kenlou (Masters at Work) 18.00-19.00: B.Traits B2B Jesse Rose 17.00-18.00: Manu Gonzalez B2B Lollino (BURN Residency)

IMS Ibiza is a three-day educational and inspirational thought leadership platform and leading authority on Electronic Music held annually in Ibiza, the dance music capital of the world.

The summit runs from May 24-26 and will take place at The Hard Rock Hotel. Full details of the full summit activities will be announced shortly.

Tickets for the Dalt Vila event are available now for €50 from: w

ww.internationalmusicsummit.com

Melon Bomb @ Pacha Ibiza Town

Claire B

Melon Bomb is taking over Pacha on Saturday April 1, and it’s no April Fool joke – it’s for real. Melon Bomb boys Scott Gray, Corbi and Ben Santiago are joined by the Lovely Laura and Pacha resident DJ Graham Sahara. The idea of the night is to bring some funk and soul to the island: old school jams, soul, funk, disco and soulful house - they wanna blow your melon with soul. Melon Bomb is attracting a large and growing following on the island and beyond and this night promises to have everyone dancing their socks off in one of Ibiza’s best-loved clubs.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 21

Agenda Pool Parties, Ibiza Rocks San Antonio

Claire B

Elrow, the self-confessed craziest party in the world takes over the Ibiza Rocks Hotel for two exclusive pool parties on August 8 and 22. Famous for their immersive and extravagant production, weird and wonderful themes, the finest in electronic music (and not forgetting their love of inflatables), Ibiza Rocks will host their first ever pool parties, alongside their brand new Amnesia residency.

Also already announced is the return of Craig David’s hugely successful TS5 Pool Party, which will return again this summer for 10 weeks, every Thursday from July 20 to September 21.

There will also be a daytime pool party on Sundays from June 18 to September 24, details of which will be announced soon.

The legendary Ibiza Rocks gigs will be kicking off the week in style on select Monday and Tuesday nights throughout July, August and September. As yet, there have not been any artist announcements. So for now, watch this space and we’ll reveal all when we know.

Opening parties Claire B

Many of the big clubs have their opening parties on the last weekend in May, coinciding with the International Music Summit (IMS) and this year is no exception.

Hï Ibiza Hï Ibiza (the club formerly known as Space) has revealed the line-up for the Opening Party on Sunday 28th May, with an impressive list of DJs featuring Black Coffee, Luciano, Apollonia, Andrea Oliva B2B Davide Squillace, Bas Ibellini, Djebali, Joris Voorn, Kölsch, Matthias Tanzmann and Nic Fanciulli.

Everyone and their dog is going to want to be there on the opening night to see what they’ve done to the old Space venue – it’s going to be a real hot ticket. Doors open at 22.00 and tickets cost 60,00€ and are on sale now at: hiibiza.com Watch the cool trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8keYXGt_HcU

Ushuaïa

Playa Den Bossa

Interview: Lisa Bousfield, Mum, At Night Online Summer Resident, Artist….

Ushuaïa’s opening party is on Saturday May 27, starting at noon. On the lineup is Paul Kalkbrenner who debuts his brand -new concept ‘Back To The Future’, with Andrea Oliva, Steve Lawler, David Squillace b2b Martin Buttrich, Uner, Eats Everything, Francisco Allendes and Raúl Rodriguez. Ushuaïa is sure to pull out all the stops to make this an opening party to remember.

Due to the volume of Clubbing announcements in the preseason, we will be issuing a special online edition to cover everything we don’t have space for here.

Theatre: Never the Same

Liz is depressed after having lost her baby.

Her best friend Sarah will do anything she can to help her... and gets into a lot of trou-

ble.

After seven years apart the last person Liz thought she'd see on her doorstep was Sarah. But Sarah has come to talk through the past and seek answers.

How difficult is it to recapture what is lost?

How far would you go to help your best friend?

'Never The Same' is a dark but joyful come-

Carly S

Long-time Ibiza summer residents Lisa and Richard Bousfield took the plunge to become full time residents a year ago, moving into their apartment here with their two daughters after years of talking about it. Lisa's an artist and is finding that this little island is giving her an outlet and support for her art like she's never experienced before. When I saw her work I instantly loved it and knew I had to talk to her, and I'm so glad I did. She is a funny, honest, insightful and warm bundle of energy (Continued on page 22)

dy inspired by a true story. It explores the beauty and sorrows of friendship and just how much we can, and cannot, do for another person.

'Never The Same' is a dark but joyful female two hander, inspired by a true story, about two women from Nottingham, exploring the beauty and sorrows of friendship and the lengths and limitations of what we can do for another person.

During ‘Never the Same’, you are invited to piece together the mystery of why two friends find themselves on the run, and whether they can ever find their way back, or if they would even want to.

Never The Same is directed by Matt Costain and performed by Lily Lowe-Myers and Robyn Cooper.

Reviews: FOUR STARS from West End Wilma: ‘This is a well written play that addresses emotional issues in a sensitive way.’

“Both Lowe-Myers and Cooper give touching performances in their respective roles’ London Theatre

Performances:

Friday 17th March

at 8.30pm (20.30) at Centro Cultural in Jesús -Tickets: €10 Advance sale tickets at HOLY-SPORT in Av. Ignacio Wallis 5 – Ibiza.

Sunday 19th March at 8.30pm (20.30) at Teatro España in Santa Eulalia – Tickets €10 (€12 for the downstairs seats) Advance sale tickets at HOLIDAYS in Calle San Jaime 74 – Santa Eulalia For information: manu@internationaldesk.co.uk Tel: 663 445 862 We sponsor the Santa Eulalia Children’s Home Llar Mare del Remei.

About Hatstand

The company Hatstand Productions is run by actresses and writers Lily Lowe-Myers and Robyn Cooper. Best friends since they were four, growing up in Nottingham, they began playing with a dressing up box, bringing stories to life...and not much has changed since then.

As children they made funny films (that they hope no one ever digs up) and as teenagers some better films that won national competitions. Eventually they formed Hatstand Productions four years ago in response to the professional work they were making.

This is their fourth play since then and they are currently finishing their third film.

Hatstand Productions was founded with the aims of creating entertaining work that sheds light on the beauty and complexity of the human spirit and to create work with strong, entertaining and complex female roles.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 22

Agenda (Continued from page 21)

who provided me with enough information during our interview to write a small book, but I'll leave you with the highlights‌ Why did you move to Ibiza?

Well, I've been coming here on girls holidays since I was 17, and Richard and I have come every year since we met in 2004. We fell in love with it so much that we bought an apartment in Cala Tarida and came as often as we could. Whenever we were here, I'd always say, usually after a drink, that we should move here, it's so beautiful, we only live once, let's do it while the girls are still young, we should take these opportunities while we can and Richard would take it all on board. Then he actually called my bluff last year and said, yeah, let's do it. So all these years, I'd been planting the seed but he always wanted to live in the sunshine anyway. We'd already bought our flights for the start of the girls Summer holidays so we packed up and just didn't go back in September! And, since coming here, I've met so many people who are so supportive and really believe in me and my art. It's given me such a confidence boost and these people have become like my Ibiza family. Moving here's been the best thing I have ever ever done.

When did you first start painting?

Art's always been in the background since I was tiny.

When I was a kid we didn't have tablets or computers or loads of TV channels so on rainy days or if I was bored, I'd paint and draw. But I've always kind of denied I had a talent for it.

So when did it become your career?

My art, I now know, has always been something I was destined to do, but I always ignored it. I did it at GCSE but again, I denied I had a talent for it and didn't think I could do it as a career. I thought I should do something more literacy based and academic. So I never took Art at A level. Then at Uni I did psychology and visual art because I wanted to do creative therapy. I thought that to be successful you had to work hard at something and educate yourself and learn a new thing, it never occurred to me that I could use my natural talent and sculpt it and no-one ever really suggested that I could be an artist for a living. I felt it wasn't a 'proper job', so I spent years trying to do something else. After Uni I did one year of a post graduate course to get the qualification as a creative therapist but I got meningitis so never finished the course. Then when I was better I went to work in the family business and sold windows. When I met my husband he asked me ' If you did an art degree, where are all your paintings?' But the visual art course was all created for display in the moment, Tracy Emin sort of style, so I didn't have paintings and finished products to show him. He said he didn't believe I could draw so, to shut him up, I painted him Keith Richards for his birthday as he loves The Stones. He pushed me on by saying I couldn't do it as I wanted to prove him wrong! Then I did paintings of celebrities for other family members and friends and realised I could do it consistently. Friends started telling me I needed to do something with this and I realised that I actually could work with paint and that I could do portraits and that I love doing it. I really, really love it. I wanted to find a way to recreate my work without having to paint the same thing over and over again so I found out about giclĂŠe prints. That way it can be reproduced as a limited edition and sold in different sizes without me losing the

'moment' by painting the same thing over and over. They're top quality prints which look like the real thing, it's so good.

You said you realised you could work with paint, had you not worked with it before?

Not really no. After I had Nicole I realised I had post natal depression. I just felt really low. I loved my baby, I wasn't feeling suicidal or anything but I wasn't feeling quite right, like this grey cloud was following me around. So the health visitor got me into a programme called Mums in Art, and it was what I had wanted to get into all those years before - using creative therapy to fix and heal yourself through art. I didn't really tell anyone about it at the time as there was a stigma, and I felt a bit of a failure as a Mum. I put on a smile and acted like everything was OK for about 10 months but it wasn't. Now, if PND ever crops up, I tell everyone about it as I think it's important women know that it's OK and normal and it doesn't make you a failure. So there I was, in this group of lovely mums, some of whom were in really dark places, and we all used painting as a therapy. It was there that I learnt about Gouache paint. It's like a 'posh poster paint'. You can use it as a wash or lay it on thick and it dries really flat and has got an almost velvety feel. And that's what I use in my paintings now. I love that you can layer it and can put tiny spots of white onto black and they stay brilliant white. In Ian Brown I painted all that black background then painted all the white over the top. It looks almost computer generated as it dries so flat, but when you look closely you can see brushstrokes or that a line is not quite perfect. I really like that.

Who are your influences artistically?

Klimt, my first 'proper' painting was of my daughter as a baby in the style of Klimt that I did in the Mums in Art group and it's hanging on the wall in my Mum's house. I love David Hockney too. On my first ever visit to the Tate in Liverpool, I saw The Splash and I loved it. That graphic, 2D style really appeals to me. I like the 30's and 40's poster style of painting too and I also like Joan Miro and Juan Gris, who are Spanish artists.

Those two have always inspired and influenced me and now I'm 'in their realm'! I love all the grafitti art here on the island too, the stuff on the buildings in San Antonio is fantastic. And there's a guy called Swarez on Instagram who I looked into as he started following my art page. He is brilliant, not formally trained, from England, has the same ethos about his work as me and is where I want to be in terms of making a living from art so is such an inspiration. He does his art because he loves it and uses a medium he enjoys, and that's like me. I paint what I paint and how I paint because I love it.

How do you work and why do you paint celebrities in that particular style?

I start from the middle and work out, I draw it all by hand and then add the paint. I've had people think it's done from a projection or that it's a print but it's all freehand, it's not a print or projection it's me painstakingly drawing by hand then using loads of different brushes to get the detail in - it's a real labour of love!

Madonna took me 6 months. The subjects are all people

who inspire me for whatever reason. When you look at my pictures, they're not just still life portraits, it's a capture of a person in a moment.

That's where my psychology comes in too, I want to capture their personality. They aren't just black and white, there are lots of different shades of grey in there too, because no-one is black or white, we have all these different sides that we show to different people. It's why I chose celebrities as well. They have all these different personas in public or private and everyone thinks they know them. Their faces are instantly recognisable but I try to capture some elements of their character. I spend hours looking for an image of someone which really speaks to me then paint from that. I paint what I personally really like and I don't expect everyone else to always like it. Some people love it, some don't. That's the way the world works isn't it?

Where's your favourite place to paint?

I've not got a favourite place to paint, but I have got a favourite way to paint and it's with loud, high energy music on. I love dance music and anything upbeat, and I also listen to the music by the person I'm painting if I can. I'm doing David Bowie on a huge canvas right now so I've got Modern Love on repeat. I can't listen to sad songs though, it's got to be happy, upbeat. I can paint anywhere but I can't work in silence, I have to have noise and music around me.

Where can islanders see your work displayed?

My Madonna is currently on display at La Maison De L'Elephant and I've got a pop up gallery called Caught In A Moment coming up, from 4 - 9pm on March 18th at Nude cafe in Ibiza Town. There'll be champagne, my high energy painting playlist playing and I want people to come and enjoy it. Bring the kids, have fun, get up close to the paintings. I don't like the whole pretence of some galleries where you're expected to be quiet and gaze at the art. I'm not quiet when I work, I'm singing along and dancing and noisy, which is how I want my pop up gallery to be. The paintings were created with music and fun around and I want them to be experienced in the same way. Come, have a drink, enjoy yourselves!

And I will sell my originals as well as the giclĂŠes. All I've ever wanted is for people to look at my art and say 'I like that, I want that on my wall' and it's finally happening.

Instagram: @Lisa_Bousfield_Art Facebook: Lisa Bousfield Art Twitter: @Bousfield_Art

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 23

St Patrick’s Day March 17th marks St Patrick’s Day celebrations in every corner of the globe, as attested by Sinéad Ní Hairmhí in her message below. As worldwide party masters, Ibiza really needs to put on a good show of it. So rather than just give a list of individual events, we thought we’d try and festival it up a bit.

OK nobody’s claiming a 4 pub crawl in San An is going to be challenging New York or Dublin in the levels of craic on offer, but a 4 pub crawl is what we’ve got so we’ll have to make the most of it. We have even provided ‘how to walk there’ instructions. You might not think it necessary now, but at some point on March 17th it might be a lifesaver. Of course doing the route twice turns it into an 8 pub crawl, thrice is 12, and beyond that the maths might be unrealistically ambitious.

Stevie D’s

have their usual great drink offers, and 8€ for 3 pints of Guinness is pretty damn good right. The WKD and friends might not feel very St Patrick’s to your casual observer, but when you see how many Kopparberg’s go over the counter in Joe Spoon’s during summer who knows, perhaps it will take over as the national drink. Perish the thought.

Flaherty’s

are open for their first St Patrick’s day, and determined to mark it with a very special day. Plus few would argue it is a lifesaver in being a halfway house between the bay and the furthest of our featured bars, Mint.

Mint

will be doubling up their opening party with St Patricks, and we have received official confirmation that customers are welcome to have double the fun. We’ve no doubt a few revellers, the sensible sort, will be treating themselves to a mint menu to line themselves for the following festivities, and you’ll be able to get some Ibiza party feel from the DJ line up (see ad front page), including some bloke called Juanito Chanclas. Never heard of him.

Sinéad Ní Hairmhí From: Dublin Ibiza St Patrick’s: 12 & counting Most Memorable St Patricks: In a random Irish bar in Alice Springs in Australia. Literally in the middle of nowhere. Amazing. You'll always find a welcoming Irish Bar wherever you are.

Niall Dempsey From: Limerick Ibiza St Patrick’s: None yet!

Most Memorable St Patricks: Spent in New York, ended up behind a bar called Jameson's on Lexington avenue for a bit of craic, ended up attempting to go ice skating afterwards at the Rockefeller centre while extraordinarily inebriated

The Ship

Seán Conway, of Huddle, Ibiza’s iconic Irish bar.

Sadly Father Jacks will not be open for the first time in many years, but on the upside be great to have the East Coast contingent join in the party in San An. Well it might not warrant a tourist train, but be cool if the 4 venues got their heads together and organised a shuttle min-bus. We’ll leave that thought with them.

In the meantime we thought we’d ask a few of Ibiza’s Irish resident community to tell us of their St Patrick’s day past, and got some airmail wishes from our man in Andorra, and for nostalgia fans Sean has said hello.

All for a bit of any culture me, but I am afraid my Gaelic is rather limited.

Very limited. 3 words actually. And so I say to one and all, Póg Mo Thóin (talking of which, if anyone bumps into Sean McGowan, let’s get him along. I danced on stage with him once. When I tell you that story again on St Patrick’s day, as I surely will, feel free to ignore me).

I’ve enjoyed, over the years, spending St Patricks Day in many locations across Europe and the USA. A couple of them, in Las Vegas, in the company of good friends from Ibiza being particular highlights! However my absolute favourite ones were spent in The Huddle Bar in San Antonio with the Jameson flowing, Hairy Marin and Dani playing the music and mighty craic being had by all!

are the longest standing of Ibiza’s St Patrick’s day parties, and with Irish staff, Irish food and Irish musicians it does sound like the place for that fix of the right stuff. Of course the Huddle used to be able to offer all of that, but as all three of those functions were Sean it is kind of cheating.

Patrick Curran From: Conmemara Galway Ibiza St Patrick’s: 4 Most Memorable St Patricks: 36 hour session started in farther jacks . Night out in Ibiza town in the theatro peatro. Then playing cards then swimming in playa del bossa and falling asleep on the beach and missing the flight the next day

Dwayne Nolan From: Fermanagh Ibiza St Patrick’s: 4, This year I'm in Ireland but having a quiet one before Miami. Normally at the Huddle with Sean and the crew Most Memorable St Patricks: Last year fell on pintxos so I went out for a few with Tony from Candy Apple & surfaced at a Villa party the following day. Safe to say it was a good paddys day!

less fun, a glass over

This year I’ll be in the rather less glamorous, though no Leeds Irish Centre and will raise to those I’ve shared that day with the years. So to all my friends in Ibiza, Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit, have a great day and I’ll see you all in a couple of weeks when the hangover subsides!

Sláinte Mhaith!

The Ibizan’s Stephen Donovan, from Andorra Not to be a stereotypical Irish person but I love Paddys Day, it's like Christmas but with more drink. Hope everyone in Ibiza has a great day and enjoys a few pint of Guinness. I'll be celebrating St. Patrick's Day up the Pyrenees Mountains of Andorra in The Dubliner Irish Bar with my fellow Ibiza Workers.

See you all soon, Naomh Sàsta Là Pàdraig.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 24

Shebizan Amanda Zips It Up Amanda O’Riordon

Welcome to this week’s instalment of Amanda Zips It Up. Well, choices abound - we can either discuss the UK Budget or International Women’s Day, both of which dominated the headlines this week.

No brainer.

I’m all for feminist values and equality for girls, nevertheless stopping short of supporting those age old stereotypes of burning my bra or cessation of shaving my armpits.

Watching Piers Morgan interview a horrific sexist dinosaur on TV, who chatted from within the European Parliament the other day, I was horrified to hear this idiot claim that women disserved to earn less than men, because we are shorter, weaker and less intelligent.

All apparently “scientifically proven”.

Well, as you can imagine, Piers shut him down and humiliated the chap big time. But it got me thinking about those female A-listers who use their position to fight for female equality on the centre stage. Such as Emma Watson (AKA Hermione, from Harry Potter).

However, Emma Watson has been hugely criticised on social media this week for her appearance in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, posing in a white capelet.

Here it is….

Wine Coffee

You might enjoy starting the day with a strong cup of coffee and rounding it off with a glass of red, but have you ever thought of merging the two together?

A cafe in California has created a new blend of coffee infused with red wine, carrying a double helping of antioxidants that could help you live longer.

The magical mix-up was concocted in Napa Valley, California, where a coffee shop took red wine from local vineyards and roasted it with coffee beans. The end result is a rich, full-bodied coffee, which is best served with milk or chilled with ice for a bracing morning pick me up.

The brand, Molinari Private Reserve, took two and a half years to create.

Molinari comment that the coffee can be drunk black, but the addition of milk makes the red wine flavour, with an additional hint of blueberries, more pronounced.

Both red wine and coffee contain antioxidants, which are thought to combat cancer, so drinking the creation will give you a double dose.

Coffee beans have also been found to cut the risk of heart attacks and stroke in scientific studies.

It should be noted that most of the alcohol is burnt off during the roasting process so a morning cappuccino won't get you smashed.

Drinking excessive quantities could have a financial effect though, as it costs £16.20 for a half a pound bag. The first stocks of the blend have already sold out and the company is roasting more as we speak.

Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it?

The Weeknd For H&M Menswear The Weeknd's highly-anticipated collaboration with H&M was released last weekend. Pardon the pun.

We all know that the brand collaborates with A-listers and top designers every year, but this is the biggest scoop for H&M Menswear since David Beckham.

The capsule wardrobe campaign starring the singer is so good that even I would wear most pieces.

The MJ sound-alike chart-topper— whose real name is Abel Tesfaye— narrates a campaign video for H&M, Critics hailed the revealing image as “hypocritical”, in light of Emma’s forthright feminism.

After The Sun reproduced the image on page 3 with the headline 'Beauty and the Breasts' (she was promoting her latest movie – Beauty & The Beast), the Daily Mail chipped in, tweeting "Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!"

Thankfully, several others leaped to Emma’s defence, questioning the suggestion that posing for a revealing photo was incompatible with speaking out on feminist issues.

In my view Emma has every right to wear what she wants, no matter how revealing, AND say what she wants.

It’s the weaker women and men amongst us who can’t handle a woman who’s lucky enough to possess both credentials.

Tops Marks Ms. Watson. Gold star.

Anyway, this week in Zips It Up we find heaven on earth in the form of wine coffee – yes really – and The Weeknd models for H&M. Happy International Women’s Day! Amanda x

Read Amanda’s fashion blog http://amandazipsitup.com/

titled "Spring Icons Selected by The Weeknd. He sports various pieces from the range, like bomber jackets, hoodies and trousers, as he explains what the collection means to him: "Every piece is both effortless and fresh, which is just how menswear should be."

In addition to having a chart-topping new album (and possibly a new girlfriend – Selena Gomez), this range of menswear apparently reflects Tesfaye's personal style.

The collection includes jersey tees

alongside minimalist shirts, trousers and even a double-breasted coat.

There's even a pleater moto jacket in the mix and plenty of XO logos, referencing the singer's record label.

This is only the beginning of Tesfaye's fashion conquests. The pop star also has an apparel and footwear collab with Puma in the pipeline for 2017.

Spring Icons Selected by The Weeknd at H&M retailers selling menswear and on their website. www.hm.com

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 25

International Women’s Day 2017 This week was all about International Women’s Day 2017, when the world celebrates female achievement and highlights the plight of global women's issues.

A UK poll revealed 48% of women believe their mothers are the most inspiring woman they know, plus the majority of us agree that this decade is the best time to be a woman.

But which women topped the list as the most inspiring of the last seven decades?

This poll reveals the late Princess Diana has the title of 'most inspirational woman of all time', ahead of formidable female figures in history like Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Here's a breakdown of some of the most influential women of each decade over the last 70 years.

But we’re all multi tasking genius’, so girl power to each and every one of you. x

1950s - Rosa Parks

In 1955 Rosa Parks prompts the Montgomery bus boycott and becomes "the first lady of civil rights" in America.

1960s – Twiggy

The poster child of the swinging sixties, Twiggy became the world's first supermodel, and a cultural icon of the changing times and fashions in Britain.

1970s - Germaine Greer

Germaine Greer's seminal work 'The Female Enuch', published in 1970, became a watershed moment for the feminist movement and an international bestseller.

1980s - Princess Diana

A woman who needs no introduction is Princess Diana, dubbed the people's Princess, she is known and celebrated worldwide for her humanitarian work for many causes.

1990s - The Spice Girls

Girl power became cool when the Spice Girls burst onto the pop scene in the 90s, paving the way for modern day pop singers like Adele (yes, she's a fan).

2000s - JK Rowling

She's sold millions of books worldwide and created one of the most well loved fictional characters of all time.

2010s - Malala Yousafzai

A young woman who has overcome tragedy and terror, at the tender of age of 17 Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for her work as an activist for women's rights.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 26

Community March 2017

ARIES – The Hermit You’re not deliberately cutting yourself off from others, but you’ll appreciate your own company this week. Healing, through meditation or other means is essential to your wellbeing at the moment. You feel inspire you to help heal old wounds, as you understand that your outer world has only reflected what’s within. Turn your attention to the future and embrace happiness.

TAURUS – Page of Swords If challenged, stand up for your principles or be prepared to confront those who seek to question your motives. A situation may feel like you're walking over hot coals as others around you might be oversensitive, just make sure you don’t add to the fuss! If a reasonable approach isn’t working, think don’t overreact; come back with an alternative approach.

GEMINI – Six of Pentacles This month marks the beginning of a new cycle in at least one area of your life. Some will be thinking of career or home moves; others will acknowledge that it’s their inner world of thoughts and feelings that need to move on. New beginnings give us all opportunity to have a fresh perspective. Move forward with confidence and optimism.

CANCER – The Hierophant If you’ve been experiencing some chaos in certain scenarios, then it will be up to you to set boundaries and take more responsibility for what you are creating. Have faith that the structures on which you base your life are sound and reliable. You’re experiencing a profound shift in the way you live your life; so enjoy and embrace it!

LEO – Two of Cups It’s love, love, love this week, as your relationships with others are both heart-warming and sincere.

You find it easy to get what you want as lovers and friends are so considerate of your needs. They’re looking out for you! If your career has been stuck in a rut, then you can look forward to some real progress now.

VIRGO – Knight of Pentacles You meet someone charming this month who’ll think you’re the answer to their get rich quick schemes. Virgo’s are savvy about money so are unlikely to get stung by a pretty or handsome face.

However, you’re not totally unsusceptible to flattery. Best give them a trial run before parting with cash, just to see if they’re up to the job.

LIBRA – Transformation A situation is past it’s sell by date, so why are you reluctant to move on? Whether it’s over a relationship, career or domestic set-up, one thing is for sure; time to ring in the changes. Face whatever fears are preventing you from taking a leap of faith. The longer you leave it the likelihood others will dictate the pace.

SCORPIO – Nine of Cups This is a lovely card and one of the three wish cards in the tarot pack. Make a firm statement to life about what you want. Worries start to fade this month and new and exciting opportunities start to materialise. You can attract what you want so remain positive about personal and financial goals.

You feel happy and content.

SAGITTARIUS – Queen of Cups Emotions are close to the surface so don't attempt to bottle them up. Letting yourself ‘go through it’ enables you to get in touch with your feelings. All too often you operate from your intellect and therefore disown how you feel or what you desire.

Take stock for a moment; consider that being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness.

CAPRICORN – Three of Swords This month, you must look inwardly to see why certain conflicts keep occurring with the same people. Avoid confrontation; it will be better to work towards a compromise. A bit of humble pie might work wonders with certain people, so don’t be afraid to show your vulnerable side. If you continue to air your grievances, others will just zone out.

AQUARIUS – Two of Swords If you’ve important decisions to make, take your time; you won’t get the best result if you rush things. You like to keep your word if you make a commitment so it will pain you if you have to back track. If you’ve any secrets, keep them, as others may want to cash in on your success, so be cautious.

PISCES – Ace of Wands You’ll want to begin something new, whether it is in your career or a fresh start in life. Accept social invitations as they can lead to useful contacts that help you move your ambitions forward. Conception is linked this card so follow your hunches regarding a good idea or expect some good news for someone you’re personally close to.

Editorial Nick Gibbs

Now That’s What I Call Football Our Sports pages were already committed to print by the time Barcelona played PSG Wednesday night, but such was the special nature of that match we cannot omit it from the edition.

For those who do not know, which cannot be many, Barcelona made Champions League history by becoming the first team to overturn a first-leg 4-0 deficit as they knocked out Paris St-Germain to reach the quarterfinals for the 10th successive season.

The Spanish champions were 5-3 down on aggregate in the 88th minute, but scored three goals in the final seven minutes in one of the greatest European ties of all time.

Neymar's free-kick and penalty followed by Sergi Roberto's 95th-minute winner (pic above) sealed victory on an incredible night at the Nou Camp.

Colours Run Deep Fantastic stuff. But not all of us with a passion for the game have such a level of glamour and glory.

Convincing a 7 year old of the importance, no the genetic necessity, of supporting a small club in England isn't easy when you are in a foreign land.

We are rarely on the telly, and if we are it is to watch a team playing at the worst I have seen in my 4 decades of support.

Not much of a social scene with it either. Our Ibiza supporters club really could have come in a taxi. So desperate are we for numbers that Jessie Clitheroe is a member purely on the grounds she travels through Ipswich when returning to the UK to visit family. She never comes. My Pal Tony Dikomite is of genuine ITFC stock, but I bet he can't think of the last time we watched a match that made us jump about the place in joy. I certainly can't.

Added to all this my son is at school amongst the natives in a land where, frankly, home town loyalty is an alien concept. Most Spanish fans pin their colours to Los

Blancos or Barca in a glory hunting* way that is incomprehensible to many English and Italian fans. (*I know there is a lot of political history too) Well sorry son, but my job as a parent is to prevent you following a big and successful team that will provide a huge amount of glory and enjoyment, that will allow you to revel in the very highest level of skill, and be part of an 80,000 passion.

Instead you must give your lifetime support to a small club you will rarely see, and when you do it won't be particularly good. All you get in return is a history of past glories and, earlier than you otherwise would, permission to swear when reminding anybody from Norwich that they have won f**k all. That's it.

Thankfully my job of achieving just that has been made considerable easier by Ipswich Town's 3rd Kit in Barca colours, which arrived in the post today.

Playground kudos and keeps Dad happy. p.s. Another thing you will learn from Dad is that when your team is playing you NEVER leave before the final whistle. That one might come in handy one day. p.p.s. Given your dual nationality status, conceived in Ibiza, born in Ipswich. you have every right, and my blessing, to support Barcelona too. Just be kind to your old dad and don’t rub it in while I’m hunched over the radio listening to Ipswich play Barnsley while you are watching probably he best team in the world.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 27

Community

Duccio’s Temptation on the Mount (1308-11)

View From The Pew

Temptations Of Jesus

his public life with a spiritual battle against the mystery of evil.

The first century Jewish biographies of Jesus known as the Gospels are replete with accounts of Jesus vanquishing evil during his exorcisms.

These accounts must give us a good idea of the sorts of things Jesus did. We have every reason to believe that Jesus was not just an exorcist but a highly successful one.

The temptations of Jesus in the desert were visions that Jesus had during his momentous fast.

This is clear from the accounts: “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” (Luke 4:5).

That is only possible if Jesus was “taken up” in a vision.

The Devil then said: “All these I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’”.

(Matthew 4:9-10).

That’s a profound challenge for each and every one of us even (or perhaps more so!) today.

The Devil also “took him” (presumably also in a vision) to Jerusalem and “placed him on the pinnacle of temple” with the challenge to jump! (Luke 4:9-13).

To survive that you would surely convince everyone that you really were the Messiah of Israel! The traditional site for the pinnacle of the temple is the southeast corner which looms 450ft over the Kidron Valley.

Rev. Dr Peter Pimentel

Services: 10.30am on 1st & 3rd Sundays in the Church at San Rafael and 2nd & 4th Sundays at the Chapel of Lourdes, Carrer Sant Jaume 85 (the main street), Santa Eulalia. The 5th Sunday of the month at S’Hort de Can Masia.

The English-Speaking Church on Ibiza and For-

This season of Lent lasting forty days and forty nights is based on the forty day and forty night fast of Jesus in the desert as he battles with the mystery of evil.

It seems historically likely that Jesus did in fact begin

It’s Good To Talk an argument.

Any help you can offer would be much appreciated SV

Kate Stillman

Dear Ibiza Sun, We ( me husband and 2 children) have been living here in Ibiza for 4 years. We miss our family in the UK Avery much but also have established a firm base here and a life that works for us.

Recently my husband has started to say he is missing the uk and might

want to go back there. I am quite surprised by this as we decided to come here together and have worked hard to create a base that worked for us all especially the children.

The reason for my letter is that I am struggling to support his feeling and yet at the same time be able to voice my own without it ending in

Dear SV Thank you for your email. It seems from what you say that you are clear about on how you envisage your future, but that your husband is maybe having different ideas to yours and that when you discuss it together the communication breaks down and it becomes somewhat confrontational.

This makes me wonder about the nature of your communication with each other and how as a couple you negotiate the decision making process.

Are you aware of the

part you play in the escalation of an argument?

Are you able to let him know how you would like to communicate and what you need from him so that you can really begin to understand some of the feelings he is experiencing and how those feelings impact you.

My thought is that if you are both committed to the relationship and keeping the family together then it is the communication that is getting in the way. It is important that you both take the time to learn what you need from each other, to take the time to listen as much as speak your own thoughts. It may well be that your husband needs to process some of his thoughts and if he is giv-

en that opportunity he will come to the conclusion that he wants to stay in Ibiza, it maybe that after hearing what he has to say you in fact start to consider moving back as well. I think the main focus has to be listening and remaining open minded, give each other time and space to really understand the other and to figure out what your priorities are as individuals, a couple and a family so the most appropriate choice is made.

Take care Kkate.

N.B Our CONFIDENTIAL & FREE support group takes place every Tuesday in San Lorenzo please email

kate@ibizacounselling.com

for more information.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 28

Carnaval 2017 See the Carnaval galleries on Pages 8&9

Ibiza Town Claire B

Sunday February 26 saw the Carnival parade in Ibiza Town. Starting this year in Figueretas because of the ongoing works in the Vara de Rey at 11.30, the skies were a little greyer than usual and it was spitting with rain as I walked up to take my position, but it certainly didn’t rain on this parade and spoil the fun. The vibrant colours of the costumes and the loud music from the floats brought the sunshine back to the island and a great time was had by all, including the 1800 people taking part and the throngs of people lining the route to watch, many dressed up for the event.

Cala de Bou Carly S

Until my daughter started at school this year, I never appreciated just how much work and effort goes in to the Carnaval entries. It's epic. Two of the mums from our school and the head teacher were there every afternoon for a month, accompanied by whichever other parents could make it, making costumes, building the float and prepping accessories for our 'Up' themed effort.

Every feather on the bird costumes and badge on the Boy Scouts was cut out by hand from rolls of felt then carefully glued into place. The house was constructed with massive cardboard boxes, covered in layers of newspaper and wallpaper paste before being painted, everything that went onto that float was handmade on a minimal budget. My little one decided, in her true unique style, to be the old man, so I also had to make her a bow tie and a walking stick with tennis balls and balloons attached (shout out to Blue Peter for introducing me to the versatility of loo rolls and tape from a young age) and scouting the web to find the cheapest toddler sized formal suit I could - my three year old daughter is unlikely to use it again! Hats off to every parent who has ever been involved in Carnaval preparation, it's a lot more work than it might look! It's also a great chance to get to know other parents though and my Spanish has come on quite a lot due to my volunteering to help a couple times a week.

It seemed a shame, therefore, that all that work was over in less than an hour. However, the kids loved every second and that's what it's all about isn't it? They were all bursting with energy as we waited by Suma to start and set off full of laughter and smiles behind the float. By the time we reached the end of the route though, my kid was asleep in her Dad's arms (giving us the opportunity to enjoy a couple drinks in the social club while she snored always a bonus) and several other kids were being carried. It seems even the short distance from Suma to the Seaview hotel complex was too far for over excited three year olds. We won second prize though (Es Vedra schools sea themed entry with its conservation and anti pollution message won) so were very happy as a little school in its first year.

It was disappointing to see a lower turn out in Cala De Bou for the San Jose Carnaval than there had been when it was held in San Jose itself last year, but the entries who did turn out were as entertaining and diverse as ever. Pirates on a ship, Golden Girls with champagne, people dressed as trees and flowers, a US prisoner in a chair fitted up to look like an electric chair, accompanied

by Guards and carrying the slogan 'AlcaTrump' - all

characters played by ten year olds - and perhaps the most outrageous and disgusting entry I have yet to witness. A man dressed as a used sanitary towel, complete with blood and pubic hair, and wearing a ninja headband.

He called his entry 'compresa ninja'. It was certainly the most talked about entry, particularly as he was photographed next to a separate Eskimo themed entry entitled 'pescado fresco' (fresh fish) and was not far behind the save the sea entry by Es Vedra School, which led many to believe he was an inappropriate part of either or both of these entries...he was in fact a solo entry, not associated with anyone else in the procession (at least none who cared to admit it, anyway!)

Nowhere quite does community like Ibiza in winter, and nowhere does Carnaval in quite the same way either...the procession was a mixture of beauty, noise, diversity, edginess and oddity with a side order of bizarre thrown in, just like the island we all live on and love!

Bit of Fun or Political Manifesto?

Nick Gibbs

A good number of eyebrows have been raised by the ever increasing political references in Ibiza’s carnival processions.

This year prompted several satires on Donald Trump’s presidency, including one group of children lampooning Trump using an electric chair.

Some also found the anti-pollution Sanitary Towel a little hard to swallow, and questioned whether young children should be campaigning against sexual harassment (see cala de bou previous page).

The political critiques were still in a minority among the many flamboyant troupes and too cute for school tiny tots, but what do readers think? Should carnival be a bit of fun or is it fair game for political campaigning?

Left: smiling kids on ‘alcatrump’ electric chair, Right; some found ‘don’t flush sanitary towels’ hard to swallow.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 29

The Guide ...

Transport & Storage

Vetinary

Insurance

Trades

Medical Centres Information & Online appointments

http://bit.ly/ ibizandoctor

For Sale

Telf: 971 348 271 Mov: 638 923 119 theibizan.com editor@theibizan.com editor: Nicholas Gibbs

Bes Media Holdings 1999 S.L., c/ JaĂŠn, 2, Cala De Bou, San JosĂŠ, 07829, Ibiza, Illes Baleares Dep. Legal DL 1-303-1999

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 30

Sport

Howzat! Dave Bennett on hand for Hayes and Bellew cracker (Pic Stephen Allan Wilson)

Jezza’s World of Sport Hi, Sports fans, doesn't time fly! Can't believe it's a month since my last report – seems to me the older I get the quicker the days (and nights!) go by or maybe it's just me! Anyway, gotta start with an ole codger like me and a well known “man about town” making the international headlines vis-a-vis

Golf – McIlroy On His Way Back Staying in Mexico, good to see World No 3 Rory Mac, after his 7 week layoff due to injury, make a great comeback to finish the WGC Championship, 10 under and only 4 shots behind winner World No 1 Dustin Johnson. Also brilliant to see 4 Europeans in the top 5, with Tommy Fleetwood (-13) only a shot behind Johnson, Spain's John Rahm and England's Ross Fisher (both -12) and Belgium's Thomas Pieters (-11).

Rugby League – What's Up At Warrington?

Must be something to do with the Grand Final runnersup as over the last 2 seasons, first Leeds had a terrible next season and now Warrington, with no wins from the first 3 matches, seem to be following suit. Big test for them then on Thursday as they take on Grand Final champions Wigan, sitting pretty in 2nd with 3 wins from 3 and only separated by points diff from the only other 100%ers Castleford.

Boxing – Hayes And Bellew Serve Up A Cracker!

Amazing heavyweight match last Saturday, as veteran David Hayes and Tony Bellew were involved in a brutal

but sporting bout with underdog Bellew coming out on top with a TKO in the 11th Round.

After all the hype before they even climbed in the ring, with both fighters caught up in a slanging match, a real championship bout ensued but although worthy of his win, Bellew must be thankful that he was aided in his challenge by Haye snapping his Achilles in only the 5th Round. Mind you, that was always a possibility for Haye as he had been suffering with tendon problems throughout the build-up but, give him his due, he gamely fought on with only one leg for 6 rounds.

Athletics – Medals Galore For Gb At The European Indoors!

Hats off to our male and female athletes, once again, as they came 2nd in the Medal Chart at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade, gaining 5 Gold. 4 Silver and a Bronze with the biggest winners being Andrew Pozzi in the 60m Hurdles, Laura Muir with 2 Golds in the 1500 and 3000m, and Asha Philip and Richard Kilty in both Women's and Men's 60m.

Football – Chelsea Still Leading The Way But Arrividerchi A Claudio!

After February's Premier League matches, Conte's Blues still lead the way,actually increasing their lead by one point to 10, from early Feb, but nothing is taken for granted by the emotional Italian or his team ( and especially by me!) as he looks to achieve what Mourinho and Ancelotti did in their first seasons in the PL. Nearest challengers look to be Manchester City in 3rd as, although 11 points behind, they do have a game in hand, and Tottenham, in 2nd and in a great run of form, but, do they have the bottle and for that matter, the experience? As for City, their match at the Bridge later this month has to be a must win to have any chance. Liverpool, in 4th and 11 points off the pace, continued their dire form during the month culminating in a 3-1 defeat

to Leicester (more on them later!) but came back with a bang to smack Arsenal, in 5th, 3-1 which just goes to prove any team in the PL can beat any other team. As for Arsenal, they are doing what Arsenal do, flatter to deceive and after their CL 5-1 mauling by Bayern Munich, seem to be in freefall with Mnsr Wenger not knowing which way to turn – maybe head for Paris at the end of the season? League Cup winners Man United (I told you so as Jose always seems to win it in his first season!) are desperate for that 4th spot and CL qualification and are only 3 points off it, but keep drawing at OT – mind you, that could seem a long way off as they look as if they're about to lose their talisman and top scorer Ibrahimovich for a 3 match ban for elbowing a Bournemouth defender in their latest draw at OT. After his blatant and deliberate elbow to the face, it has to be the quote of the season so far “but honest, guv, he jumped in to my elbow!”, akin to “but the tree, officer, drove in to me!”.Elsewhere, Everton, in 7th, are 5 points off a Europa spot so have at least something to aim for while Stoke, desperately unfortunate League Cup runners-up Southampton, West Ham, Burnley and Watford are almost assured of mid-table safety, wile there's only 6 points separating Bournenouth, champions Leicester, Swansea, Palace, Middlesborough and Hull, and all are now heavily involved in staying up and finally poor old Sunderland, 2 points adrift and 6 from safety, are doing their usual – waiting until the final 6 matches to suddenly find that magic formula, win them all and stay up on goal diff! As for Leicester, well, what can I say? 9 months ago they win the PL against all the odds with a gentleman at the helm and here we are, a big slump, all down to the players who just haven't performed, so they unceremoniously dump Claudio, albeit with a ₤3m pay-off, and then what happens? The players think “Oh dear, we'd better start playing properly” and hey-ho, beat Liverpool 3-1 followed by the same score against Hull, 6 points from 6. Hmmm, and they say there's no such thing as player power. Yeah, right!

Final thought on the PL and memo to Antonio Conte: Be careful what you wish for, my friend, as the last few years 5 (yes, FIVE) managers who've won the PL have all been sacked the following season. Pellegrini, Mancini (both Man City), Mourinho, Ancelotti (both Chelsea) and now Ranieri (Leicester) and still Wenger's at Arsenal!!!

'Tis Europe again over the next week or so and the English clubs are going to have to go some to reach the CL Quarters as Arsenal are 5-1 down to BMunich, while Man City should progress altho' those 3 away goals that Monaco scored in their 5-3 defeat at the Etihad could be crucial and incredibly, Leicester only have to beat Sevilla 1-0 at the King Power to go thru'.

Mind you, should be adios to co-favourites Barcelona who are 4-0 down to Paris SG and need to score 5 without reply at the Camp Nou to progress. Man Utd fly off to Rostov this week and should progress in the Europa and I can see Jose winning the whole thing at the expense of the FA Cup as, next Monday, the plum tie of the Quarters takes place at the Bridge, while before that it's Millwall/Tottenham, Middlesboro'/Man City and lucky old Arsenal against plucky non-League Lincoln City at the Emirates. So my semi-finalists? Tottenham, Man City, Lincoln and, I hope, Chelsea with the latter drawn against Lincoln!!! I wish!!!!

Cheers for now ………Jezza See Jezza’s Rugby Union roundup opposite, and Cricket on the back page.

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 31

Sport Wales take on Ireland. France will be looking to get their mojo back by brushing aside Italy.

Rugby Union Premiership Back home in the Premiership, Wasps and Exeter, 1st and 2nd respectively, have now usurped champions Saracens at the top. After 17 matches it looks as if those 3 will head the final 4 play-offs, with the last place looking like a straight fight between Bath, currently in 4th, and only a point ahead of Leicester. That said Northampton and Harlequins could still have a say, as they are only 3 and 5 points respectively behind the Tigers.

Fixtures England going for back to back grand slams, and a world record to boot

Rugby Union

Scotland Aiming For The Triple Crown.

England On Course For Back To Back Grand Slams & World Record.

Jack Wharrie

The White Isle is waking up again, getting ready for another season of sun, sea and excitement, which means our league is rapidly approaching its climax.

This month has been quite exciting for our teams in San An with derbies, maulings and upsets throughout.

The start of the month brought the biggest surprise as the Storeroom Knights did the double on The Ship. Our current tabletoppers came back with a vengeance though, winning the rest of their games of the month including dominating Flaherty’s (9-0) and The Fish (8-1). Aside from this defeat The Fish have jumpstarted their push for a top half finish winning their other three matches, one of which being over local rival The Social.

Even with that loss, The Social sit one place above The Fish with two games in hand. Flaherty’s meanwhile have managed to double their points tally since last month’s report (which sounds a lot better than that they got 1 point out of the 12 available this month after a 5-4 loss to the Knights).

Moving along to our teams in the bay, there was a case of Yin and Yang at the Storeroom as while the E-leats suffered a poor month only managing to obtain 1 point from 9, the

Interesting 6 Nations this year….

At last Scotland are showing some class and grit, as they head to Twickenham on Saturday with a Triple Crown in their sights having already beaten Ireland and Wales. Plus of course the small matter of beating the “Auld Enemy” and taking the Calcutta Cup back to Edinburgh.

Could be a humdinger as England, having beaten France, Italy and Wales, are on course to complete another Grand Slam. With the home crowd behind them they are also aiming to equal the All Blacks’ world record of 18 straight wins.

Elsewhere it should also be a humdinger in Cardiff as

Knights went on their best form of the season covering a run of five straight wins which ended after a visit by the rockers of Maxims.

Although happy with the win, Maxims have had a harder month than most having played and lost against two of the top three: The Ship and Boulevard Spaniards. Stevie Ds had better fortunes though gaining four points from three matches played.

It was a big month for The Boulevard Spaniards as they had two potentially tablealtering derbies against Illusions and Boulevard. Victory for the Spaniards in the Boule derby gave Boulevard little hope of climbing the table with a month in which their only win came against the Eleats, while a loss against Illusions pretty much solidified their a 3rd place finish for the Spaniards as there’s no sign that the dream team from Ibiza Town is gonna slow down in their pursuit of the title after winning all four of their matches this month.

Now we must look forward to the final sprint to the top of the table. An easier run in on paper for Illusions suggests they’ll take the gold, any mistakes will be costly as they still trail the Ship by four points at the time of writing. One thing is for sure the Illusions v Ship match won’t be one to miss!

All times are local Spanish

Friday 10th March 2017 Wales v Ireland at Principality Stadium, Cardiff 9:05pm

Saturday 11th March 2017 Italy v France at Stadio Olimpico, Rome 2:30pm England v Scotland at Twickenham Stadium, London 5:00pm

Saturday 18th March 2017 Scotland v Italy at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh 1:30pm France v Wales at Stade de France, Paris 3:45pm Ireland v England at Aviva Stadium, Dublin 6:00pm

The Ibizan, Issue 855, March 2017

links are live in the online edition at theibizan.com

Page 32

Sport

one of several reinterpretations by Gary Callard

Howzat! Ibizan Resident Dave Bennett takes the catch in Antigua, and goes viral in the process

HOWZAT!

England Triumph In Antigua Ibizan Resident Dave ‘Benno’ Bennett Takes The Plaudits!

Jeremy Parmeter

Firstly, congrats to Captain Morgan and his England team who took an unassailable 2-0 lead, with 1 to play, in their 3 match ODI Series against the Windies. Hav-

ing won the 1st match on Friday fairly comfortably, being led from the front by the skipper's brilliant ton, they also won the 2nd, also in Antigua, altho' this one was much closer and only a 6th wicket century stand by Root and Woakes dragged England over the line. But, back to the 1st match and watching the match live on Sky Sports, what a surprise! Ben Stokes, on his way to a quickfire 50, hits a towering 6 straight in to the crowd and what's this I see? None other than Ibiza resident Dave Bennett, complete with his green Ibiza CC cap , take a brilliant clean catch from his seat, bow to the crowd and then take all the plaudits including from wife Pam! Surprise mainly to see him there but more importantly, when playing cricket here in Ibiza, he's never caught anything apart from a cold! Anyway, well done, me old mate, you did us and yourself proud!

Tennis – Double Win For The Murrays.

After his Aussie Open disappointment, great to see Our Andy back on form, as he won the Dubai Open last week, beating Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the Final to maintain his World No 1 status. Not to be outdone though, bro Jamie also claimed the limelight, albeit thousands of miles away in Acapulco (no, not San An!), as he and doubles partner Bruno Soares won the Doubles Final. Also in Mexico, the Mens Singles was full of surprises as first World No 2 Novak Djokovic was beaten in the 3rd Round then Rafa Nadal, having exuded confidence and looking almost back to his best on his way to the Final, was completely outplayed by American Sam Querry in straight sets.

Read Jezza’s full sports report on page 30.