Mallorca Olive Press - Issue 44

S A Sierra Nevada AXARQUIA

November 12 2014 the olive press - October 30 19www.ll about theolive-ll about

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December 19th - January 3rd 2019

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ierra Nevada

December 19th- January 3rd

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2019

COSTA DEL SKI

Vol. 13 Issue 307

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Get in the spirit of the festive season with our 10th anniversary Sierra Nevada special inside

Jon Clarke (right) returns for his 15th season in southern Europe’s top skiing resort

they’re shivering WHILE it’s foggy in the Pyrenees and top of Spain’s in the Alps, I’m taking the sun near the second highest mountain.

Nevada still reIt’s early December and yet the Sierra are skiing in mains warm during the day. Some people t-shirts and everyone is looking tanned. apple and a Even better, my elevenses of a croissant, and that is at a Coke come to less than €10 euros... restaurant halfway up the slopes! of kilome“Here we sell the weather, not the number boss of EOE ski tres,” explains Juan Luis Hernandez, up for years.” school. “And the prices have hardly gone from the beaOn top of that you are just over an hourthe celebrated ches of Almunecar and half an hour to Alhambra. That is hard to beat.

Nevada though What is certainly changing in the Sierra is the dedication to move forward. and this is Believe me, I’ve been coming for 15 years... special supplethe 10th anniversary of the Olive Press’ ment on the resort. every year and New kilometres of pistes are added so heavily this year - by amazing fortune - it snowedearlier than in November, the resort opened a week enjoying the Deexpected, with a record 40,000 skiers Continues on next page

LIGHTING THE WAY: A new lighthouse

on the kids play park area and (main

pic) the slopes lit up at night

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Vol. 2 Issue 44 www.theolivepress.es December 20th - January 4th 2019

TIMBER!

Investors can’t see the wood from the trees, after investing ‘millions’ in forestry firm, based in Palma A MALLORCA-based investment firm is feared to have lost or ‘mishandled’ tens of millions of euros invested in forestry abroad, the Olive Press can reveal.

GWD Forestry, based in Palma, has been accused of the mismanagement of investors’ cash - with most claiming they have never seen a return.

The company, which invests in agro-plantations, has told the Olive Press it is working to ‘pay back’ its clients.

One Irish investor, based in Malaga, told the Olive Press he fears he has lost €8,000 invested in eucalyptus trees in Brazil in 2011, before reinvesting another €10,000 in 2013.

Fear

“I have received one report in all these years, despite repeatedly asking how my stock was doing,” the investor, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed.

“I have received nothing back and have had no response from the company in months, I fear I have lost €18,000.”

To add insult to injury, various investors fear they are now being targeted by con artists posing as investment fund managers looking to take over GWD’s operations.

An Australian expat, based in Madrid, told the Olive Press

GWD OFFICE: In Ave Jaume III

EXCLUSIVE

By Laurence Dollimore

she is being ‘hounded every day’ by them, and believes her initial investment is linked in some way.

The businesswoman invested €8,800 into GWD’s ‘Biomass arm’ in Brazil last August.

“It’s obviously dodgy,” she told the Olive Press, “they are offering me three times what I invested.

“But they want me to pay €5,000 ‘in insurance’ BEFORE they give me the money they are promising.”

She continued: “What gets me is how they know what I invested and when.

Was there a data breach?”

It comes after a group of disgruntled investors contacted the Olive Press having created a forum online.

“I invested in acacia and coconuts and so far none of the payments due have been paid despite multiple promises,” one wrote on the GWD Forestry Investor Community.

“The transparency regarding investment performance and payments has been appalling.”

Another said: “The after sales care has been terrible.

Dozens of other investors have said the same thing.

Up to 40 victims alone are being handled by Carlton TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKE-4.indd Huxley, a UK based firm of legal and law enforcement consultants. The group have collectively invested around €3.5m.

The firm, which specialises in resolving conflicts and probing fraud, is currently negotiating with bosses at GWD, including director Martin Roche, who is based in Ireland, but also has investments in Marbella, sources told the Olive Press.

“We have held a series of meetings with the management, who are being cooperative,” a spokesman for the firm, Bill Ferguson, told the Olive Press this week.

“We are working to get a recovery programme under way in the new year.”

He confirmed that investors were receiving cold calls, offering ‘substantial’ sums for the trees, while also claiming GWD is under criminal investigation by the City of London police and is ‘in liquidation’ in the UK. “Neither are true, there is no UK company to liquidate,” said Ferguson, adding that most of the calls were coming from a company called Belmont Insolvency.

“Belmont say the investment is for a company called Serex Investments Ltd, which is FCA registered...then say the clients should consider taking out insurance on the transaction for €5,000 or more.

“We have contacted Belmont to ask them how they got our clients details and to provide evidence to support their claims of an ongoing criminal investi-

Brighten up with Mallorca’s festive lights See page 6 Why Mallorca is so magical at Xmas See page 22 Untitled-1.pdf

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gation by London Police.

“They say they are unable to divulge this information ‘as it is sensitive’ which it is not.”

Belmont Insolvency was not contactable for comment, while a website for the firm was down this week.

Meanwhile, one former employee who worked for GWD for two years in an office on Avenida Jaume III in Palma told the Olive Press that it was ‘obvious’ that something was ‘not right’. “Everyone working there knew something was up but they were all too happy to ride the gravy train to worry,” he said.

Another employee, who left last year, said it was ‘without a doubt being run questionably.’

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CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF

NINE out of 10 women feel unsafe when out jogging alone, according to a study by Runners World Magazine España.

Tragic end

Mafia suicide POLICE believe the Irish Kinahan mafia member Michael Cumberton who plunged to his death in Marbella took his own life.

Deadly week

Police boss and government officials accused of enjoying prostitutes and more in Cursach case

Jogging fears

A BODY has been found in the search for missing British tourist Nixon Smith, 23, who was mugged just two days before catching a flight from Malaga to Madrid.

December 20th - January 4th 2019

A FORMER police chief, director of tourism and a string of government officials are accused of taking bribes in return for favours

Up to their necks!

for Mallorca’s most infamous businessman.

The group are accused of receiving drugs and hookers, as well as gym memberships

Justice for Rossi

Rapist caged A TAXI driver has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined €6,000 for ‘moral damages’ after raping a British tourist on the Costa del Sol in June 2014.

TRAGIC: Rossi did NOT jump

TWO tourists have been sent to prison after being found guilty of causing the death of a tourist, who fell off a balcony eight years ago.

The two Italian men, both 27, let it slip they tried to rape Martina Rossi, while not knowing they were being recorded by police.

Until that point the death of their Italian ‘friend’ Martina had been put down to just another ‘balconing’ fall.

The prosecution came after the family of Rossi, who fell to her death in Cala Major in 2011, spent years persuading the Italian authorities to bring the two friends in for questioning.

and gift baskets, in return for favours to nightclub mogul Bartolome ‘Tolo’ Cursach. It comes as the prosecutor’s office announced it While finally in police custody, one of the friends was recorded telling the other: “Quiet, the body did not show any evidence of sexual violence.”

They then discussed their ‘story’ to make sure they were on the same page.

The two men initially claimed they had been in Rossi’s room when she ‘went crazy’ and threw herself off the balcony in front of them.

In reality, she had tried to jump to an adjacent balcony in a bid to get away from the men, who had been trying to rape her.

Both men have been sentenced to six years in prison for attempted rape and murder.

CROOKED: Tourism boss Pilar and (left) Tolo is seeking another eight and a half years in prison for the socalled ‘King of the Night’, who is accused of running an indepth network of corruption on the island between 2000 and 2016.

Cursach, who is facing various charges of coercion, bribery and manslaughter, is also facing a total ban from any hotel or leisure business as well as a €60,000 fine.

Licences

The nightclub owner is accused of offering gifts and bribes to politicians in return for granting his businesses licences and other preferential treatment.

Tourism boss Pilar Carbonell is among those being accused, as well as various police chiefs, including the former head of Palma Local Police Joan Mut. In total, 23 people have been charged in the massive corruption case. Many are to be banned from public office for life, while others face six years behind bars.

A TOURIST tested positive for alcohol FIVE hours after ploughing his rental car into a quad bike and killing a 51-year-old local.

The tourist, 30, immediately fled the scene and caused a huge pile up on the Manacor highway just after 5am.

He was eventually found by police after fleeing on foot down the motorway, but claimed he had no memory of the incident. He remains in custody.

Truck

The accident came during a deadly week on Balearic roads.

A number of people have died including the wife of Ministry of Education boss Jaume March, who collided head on with a truck in Menorca.

Meanwhile a 20-yearold student died after losing control of his car and crashing into an oncoming truck in Santa Maria.

The man was returning home from university when the accident occurred – he died almost instantly.

Elsewhere a couple, aged 20 and 25, are in a serious condition after losing control on a roundabout in Cala Figuera.

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NEWS

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

3

Off with their heads

HALF of Spain would like to see the end of the monarchy.

A YouGov poll found that 48% of Spaniards favour a republic compared to just 35% who want to keep the royal family.

The shock news comes as Spain celebrated 40 years of its constitution and constitutes a drop of 27% on a similar poll taken in 2010.

According to the poll, a worrying 59% of 18 to 24-year olds would like to see a republic.

The majority questioned would also like to see a vote on the future of the monarchy.

King Felipe VI had initially

Comedy hotspot BRITISH comedian Jenny Eclair has declared Mallorca to be her ‘best ever holiday’ destination.

The funny woman, best known for appearing on Grumpy Old Women and Loose Women, made the proclamation during her podcast.

“I have lots of happy memories of trips to Mallorca,” said Eclair.

“We used to go with another family when our children were small and Geoff and I went back in spring this year.

“We had three nights in a hotel we had yearned to stay in for years and it was just as wonderful as we’d hoped.

“There is nothing like being able to see the sea from a great big comfy bed, is there?”

restored some credibility to the monarchy following the abdication of his elephant-shooting father, Juan Carlos I in 2014.

However, his popularity took a dive following his blistering attack on the Catalan independence movement last year.

In Catalunya, some 64% of people are pro-republic.

The Spanish royals are at least still popular with Queen Letizia frequently lauded in the media for her fashionable and youthful appearance.

In the UK, nearly 80% of the country remained in favour of a monarchy in a recent poll.

Thrown in the towel

Just 22 days after winning a third Michelin star Dani Garcia announces plans to shut DANI Garcia has thrown in the towel, less than a month since achieving every chef’s dream of winning three Michelin Stars.

Spain’s most recent arrival to the world’s premier division of cooks has announced he will close his Marbella restaurant next year.

The decision to shut his seminal eaterie just 22 days after winning the third star has rocked the global gastronomy scene.

After taking over 20 years to win the world’s highest culinary accolade, he will close the doors of his Puente Romano hotel joint at the end

BREAKING BOUNDARIES A TRANSGENDER model has appeared in the final of Miss Universe.

Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, 27, from Sevilla, made history in Thailand, but failed to make the top 20 in the final.

"My hope is to be able to live in a world of equality for everyone, simply for us all to understand that we are human," she said.

Ponce received a standing ovation as she walked down the catwalk proudly raising her Miss Spain sash, with one hand over her heart.

Host Ashley Graham said: "She’s smart. Driven.

Beautiful. But her path has been anything but ordinary. And nothing short of extraordinary.”

Miss Philippines Catriona Gray took home the Miss Universe crown.

of 2019.

It comes after Garcia, 42, won the highly-coveted third star on November 21 in Lisbon.

The Marbella-born chef announced the shock news on Instagram this week, with a video of a team meeting in which he reveals there will only be 314 days left in business.

He explained that he was closing in a bid to focus on his next challenge of making the world fall in love with Andalucian cuisine.

“What is life without a dream ahead?” the chef questions his staff in the video.

“Now we will chase another dream, to conquer the world in reverse, inverting the pyramid. I’m sorry to do this but we are not only haute cuisine - we are chefs.”

Ronaldo

However, Garcia made it clear that they will have ‘three stars for the rest of our lives’ and asked the team for the ‘utmost respect for Michelin’ as they owe their careers to the organisation.

“Achieving this dream, I will take my vision of Andalucian gastronomy to every corner and every audience in the world,” the father-of-two wrote on Instagram.

The chef has always been somewhat of a visionary, having achieved his first star in Ronda at the age of 25 the youngest in Spain at the time.

The closure will come as a blow to the many famous faces who have eaten at his restaurant over the last few years, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Jean Christophe Novelli.

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SHE has been a regular fixture of Spanish gossip columns for nearly a decade.

But Columbian pop star Shakira has fallen foul of the authorities, who accuse her of owing €14.5 million in tax.

The Singer, 41, who is married to Barcelona star Gerard Pique, is facing tax fraud charges relating to her time in the country between 2011 and 2014.

Prosecutors believe the mother-of-two spent more than 183 days in the country during each of those years, meaning she would be considered a ‘fiscal resident’ and liable to taxes on all of her global income.

Shakira’s lawyers claim she was outside of Spain for more than 183 days of those years and filed her taxes in the Bahamas.

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

Hacked off Outrage as journalists have computers and phones seized over the Cursach corruption trial

AN investigation has been launched over the seizure of computers and phones from two journalists in Mallorca.

Judge Miguel Florit is to face a grilling over his decision to order police into the newspaper Diario de Mallorca to impound the devices.

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Baleares (TSJB) will be looking into potential links between the judge and shady local tycoon Bartolome ‘Tolo’ Cursach.

It will also probe his arguments for the seizure, which have since led to the arrest of two policemen involved in the island’s biggest ever corruption probe.

It comes after hundreds of people protested outside Pal-

By Gillian Keller

ma court over the alarming attack on press freedom.

The big group, which included journalists, lawyers and politicians, demanded answers over how a judge was able to order such a ‘serious attack on press freedom’.

Angry

The angry scenes came after judge Florit issued a warrant to seize the equipment from journalists Jose ‘Kiko’ Francisco Mestre, from Diario de Mallorca, and Blanca Pou, editor of Europa Press in Palma.

“I want to thank everyone for the support received,” said

Violent islands

THE most dangerous place to be a woman in Spain is in the Balearics, figures have revealed.

Attacks on women are almost double the national average.

With over 30 complaints of gender violence per 10,000 women, the islands exceeded the average by 77%.

More than 70% of complaints came directly from the victim, while around 11% of women chose not to testify.

Mestre. “Today it is me, but tomorrow it will be another journalist.”

He continued: “How will our sources trust journalists in the future if the (police and the courts) do this?”

The day after police officers stormed the news agencies, an official complaint was filed against Judge Florit with the Superior Court of Justice of the Balearics.

The complaint was signed by hundreds, including staff at the Diario de Mallorca and Europa Press and given directly to state prosecutor María José Segarra.

“This is a very serious matter without precedent and puts at genuine risk the right to information,” said the letter.

Since the materials were seized, two former police officers have been arrested over links to the Cursach case.

Although not confirmed, they are believed to have leaked information on Cursach’s alleged involvement in a €50 million tax fraud.

Opinion Page 6

Voter friendly pact

BRITAIN and Spain have revealed plans for a bilateral treaty to uphold voting rights for expats.

Currently, the 280,000 Brits officially living in Spain and the 115,000 Spaniards residing in the UK will lose their right to vote in municipal elections when Britain leaves the EU next year.

Regardless of whether UK Prime Minister Theresa May gets her Brexit deal through parliament, Brits will no longer be EU citizens, meaning they cannot vote in Spanish elections.

Even if the planned agreement is ratified by Spain and the UK next year, it will unlikely be in time for the local

SPANISH PLEASE THE number of Brits applying for Spanish citizenship has tripled since 2015 when David Cameron reiterated his promise of a Brexit vote.

After the Tory leader made an election promise to hold an in-out referendum on the UK’s EU membership, swathes of Britons applied to be recognised as Spanish.

In 2015 just 50 British people registered Spanish citizenship applications, but in the first 10 months of 2018 that number had soared to 166.

elections on May 26.

This is despite Spain’s Foreign Ministry pushing for the agreement to come into force as soon as it is signed.

It would mean all expats being able to vote and some 37 British councillors in Spain will be able to stay in their positions.

Spain has more British expats than any other EU country with 280,000 officially registered, although the actual number could be closer to 750,000 or even one million.

The majority of British councillors are in Valencia and Andalucia, with 19 and eight respectively.

The two regions are home to most Brits with Valencia housing 31.4% of British expats in Spain and Andalucia 31%.

Death blockers AN apartment block where three British tourists have fallen to their death has finally taken action.

The Eden Roc hotel in Magaluf has secured iron bars above various walls to prevent any more accidental falls.

The infamous 70-foot walkway now has bars stretching up 1.7 metres on both sides, meaning tourists can no longer sit on them or fall over them when drunk.

The hotel has also pruned back the shrubs to clearly show how high off the ground the fall is.

SAFETY: New bars

Tree probe From front page

more like a boiler room,” he revealed, “They were selling stock they didn’t have and overselling the stock they did have.”

He added: “There is definitely no sign of life there today. It’s gone. Completely gone. I have no idea where they are now.”

He also claimed that an investigation was under way in Canada by the Financial and Consumer Services Commission. That commission told the Olive Press last night: “Regrettably our policy is not to comment on the existence or non existence of an investigation.”

Current director Roche told the Olive Press last night that claims GWD was run like a boiler room were ‘completely untrue’.

“It was never run like that. The main reason behind the failures of GWD were due to the Brazilian economy and the devaluation of the Real.

“We are working around the clock to have a package in place and we plan to pay back every single investor.”

He added that he hoped investors would have more concrete answers within the next two months.

LA CULTURA

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Do you have a what’s on?

December 20th - January 4th 2019

Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

She was the bust!

PACKED: Cathedral

School of Xmas rock THE Swedish School of Palma have performed a festive songfest to a 2,000-strong crowd at the iconic Palma Cathedral.

The school, which has been in the capital for more than 50 years, threw their second annual Saint Lucia celebration, which pays homage to the third century martyr who, while living under the Diocletianic Persecution in Italy, brought ‘food and aid to Christians hiding in the catacombs’, using a candlelit wreath to ‘light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible’.

The Olive Press was invited to the Swedish real estate company Bjurfors for traditional sweets and a drink before the big event – getting a first hand introduction into the holiday.

After the sun went down, the Cathedral filled to the rafters before 140 students donning white gowns and tall white hats. One girl led the procession wearing a traditional crown of lit candles, just like Saint Lucia.

Iconic Brit - harassed by consul recognised for pioneering work and women’s rights in Mallorca

By Gillian Keller

ONE of Mallorca’s first ever British expats has been honoured with a bust for her pioneering work in the study of dinosaur fossils.

Paleontologist Dorothea Bate, from Wales, was the first female to be employed by London’s Natural History Museum after

REMEMBERED: British expat Dorothy Bate demanding a job at just 19.

She would work there for 50 years and become a trailblazer in her field before discovering an unknown ‘Balearic cave goat’

Spray away!

GRAFFITI artists have given a Palma neighbourhood a new look after branding nine shops with their own quirky murals.

A selection of local artists worked with the shop owners to give the shutter doors of each unit a tailored makeover.

The project was a collaboration between the neighbourhood association and the City of Palma and was designed to upgrade the barrio while deterring the typical ‘ugly’ tags made by other graffiti artists.

“Artists need to express themselves and the streets look good with this graffiti – it’s great,” said one of the sprayartists Petita Lechatrose.

while in Mallorca in 1909.

Her biography describes her as ‘witty, acerbic, clever and courageous,’ and also describes her hardships while in the Balear-

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December 6th - December 19th 2018

ics, including being sexually harassed by the British Vice-Consul in Mallorca.

Bate, who fought for gender equality and pushed for more women’s rights on the island, has been honoured as part of the new female forward initiative ‘Mallorca has a woman’s name’ – a project created to name more things after the island’s historic women.

It comes after it was revealed almost all of Mallorca’s streets and squares are named after men.

“We want to give visibility to the contributions, often despised or forgotten, of women in different social and cultural fields, raising awareness in civil society and institutions,” said the Mallorca Consell.

Dorothea Bate’s bust in Capdepera is part of this initiative, along with a sculpture of Catalina Homar in the gardens of King Juan Carlos I of Valldemossa.

Homar went from being a 15-year-old day labourer to running the estate and vineyards of Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria by 19. She not only made award winning wine, but worked for better wages and working conditions for those on the estate – even securing pay for vineyard workers when they were unable to work due to rain.

All this was achieved between 1888 and 1905 – a time when less than 15% of women in Mallorca could read or write.

what’s on

E

lla’s back

ELLA International Lesbian Festival returns to Mallorca for their winter festival from December 28 through January 2, including parties in Palma, a day-long tour of Valldemossa, and a New Years Eve gala dinner and party.

R

oaring time

P A L M A ’ S Three Lions Pub will open at 11pm on New Year’s Eve, ringing in the new year and partying all night in the heart of the city.

S

anta santa

The village of Santa Maria del Camí celebrate Christmas from December 20, with live music, carols, and activities for the whole family until January 6 – King’s Day.

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www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Shame on Spain THE seizing of any journalist’s communications is far more worrying than you may think.

The cornerstone of any developed nation is the freedom of its press.

By allowing this to happen and exposing their sources, Spain may have just set its press freedom back by decades.

It could also have SERIOUS implications for people living here.

Inside sources are absolutely vital when it comes to uncovering corruption and malpractice by those in power.

What does this recent outrage tell those who are thinking about going to the press to expose an injustice?

It tells them that they won’t be safe and that hacks can’t be trusted.

It tells them it is better to stay quiet and let the corruption carry on.

The mind boggles as to how this could be allowed to happen in one of the EU’s biggest players.

Let’s hope the action is reversed with immediate effect and new laws brought in to protect journalists and their sources.

It is in Spain’s interest given that it was revealed it loses €90 billion every YEAR to corruption, and with stunts like this, is it any wonder?

FEATURE

Feliz navidad

Spending Christmas in Spain? These are the things to look out for, writes Olive Press’ Spanish hack Pablo Balbontin CHRISTMAS is celebrated in many parts of the world and each country adds its own festive twists.

Spain, for example, likes to display figures of famous people taking a poo and everyone eats 12

12 lucky grapes

Grape guzzling is probably the best known Spanish festive tradition. During the last 12 seconds of the year before the stroke of midnight we attempt to chew or swallow a dozen grapes timed with the dongs of t h e

church clock.

It’s not as easy as you think but there’s an imperative to eat the lot in order to guarantee 12 months of good luck in the coming year.

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Visitors often complain there’s no one around on Christmas Eve in Spain and that’s true enough. On this night of the year Spanish famibut while the good kids receive presents, the naughty ones are supposed to receive coal. The

TURKEY TWISTER: Not a common dish at Xmas

previous evening, every town in Spain holds a Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos as the kings and their pajes reales (royal pages) parade through the streets on floats throwing sweets for the little ones.

The fat one

Whether you like a flutter or not, if you live in Spain you’ll probably be pressurised by workmates, family and friends into investing in a decimo - one tenth of a ticket in the biggest lottery prize in the world. The Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad is known as El Gordo - the fat one - and last year it paid out

€2.38 billion, turning entire towns into millionaires villes overnight. Drawn on December 22, it dominates Christmas TV advertising and the winners are splashed by every media. And don’t forget the first big lottery of the New Year - El Niño, is drawn on January 6.

Don’t poo poo big day

In Spain a Christmas tree in the plaza is not enough.

Most towns also have at least one Belen de Navidad.

These scale model nativity scenes are perfect in every detail, from the stable in

IT’S the most wonderful time of year, so make the most of it!

And from mulled wine to Christmas markets and live performances, Mallorca always makes it a magical season.

We’ve rounded up what’s happening near you so you can make the most of the holiday season this year.

Gillian Keller gillian@theolivepress.es Admin Beatriz Sanllehí (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

Scarlet fever

You might not have realised it before but many Spaniards make sure to wear a scarlet pair of pants or knickers on New Year’s Eve as an extra guarantee of joy and good luck. It can also be a bra or socks - but it can never be on show. You can stock up at a Chinese store where the rails turn red at this time of year as Asians too believe it’s a lucky New Year colour.

Get festive!

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Elisa Menendez elisa@theolivepress.es

grapes at midnight on New Years Eve… oh, and there will rarely be a turkey or sprout in sight. Well not many.

Check out these cool local traditions - and a few tips that make Navidad unique.

Deserted streets

Publisher/ Editor

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

December 20th - January 4th 2019

Palma

Arta

Palma’s Plaça Major, Plaça d’Espanya, Via Roma and the Rambla are all filled with Christmas markets – enjoy handmade sweets while browsing trinkets and toys and traditional hand-carved nativity scenes.

This weekend the city hosts ‘Christmas walks’ where the best holiday treats and local gastronomy can be sampled while strolling through the festively lit old town.

There are also holiday theatre performances almost daily until the King’s Day parade on January 5.

Up north, Artá and its neighbour Colonia de Sant Pere share Christmas duties.

Artá puts on a festive Christmas Eve party starting just after midnight, with a DJ and cocktail to celebrate the season. It also hosts carol concerts and children’s’ concerts.

The seaside town of Colonia de Sant Pere puts on festive events as well, including children’s plays and entertainment nearly every day over Christmas. It also gets the honour of hosting the area’s New Year’s Eve party with live music and festive fun from 11:30pm.

Inca

Alcudia

Inca does Christmas – or Inca Fa Nada – is the town’s motto this holiday season.

The Christmas market began this Monday, and lights up the town centre until January 5.

The town also throws a massive New Year’s Eve party – after the annual San Silvestre race that morning – with live music and DJ’s all night.

Alcudia is putting on Christmas concerts across the town all weekend until the 25th, and is showing films, including Kiera Knightley's most recent film Colette.

The ice skating rink at Plaça Carles V is open until December 27 for a real winter treat.

The town’s church bells will ring on New Year’s Eve, followed by a big party with live music until the wee hours.

Puerto Portals Puerto Portals hosts an elegant Christmas market from December 20 until January 6.

The port is glowing with festive lights, with different events each day, including live music, children’s entertainment and hands-on workshops and crafts.

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FEATURE

December 20th - January 4th 2019

How did far-right party Vox do so well in Andalucia in the recent election... and what could it mean for Spain, asks Laurence Dollimore

CHRISTMAS CRACKER: Most Spaniards wear red underwear

Bethlehem to the baby Jesus, his parents’ animals, the three kings and shepherds. Despite the religious theme some visitors are shocked by the touches of irreverent humour which may come in the form of a ‘caganer’ - usually one of the shepherds caught with his pants down in the act of defecating. And, on that subject, carganars are huge in Catalunya and every year there is a prize for the best one. Everyone from the Queen to Muhammad Ali has one.

December fools

December 28 commemorates the biblical King Herod’s plan to slaughter all babies under two years old, hoping the infant Jesus would be among them. Despite its gruesome religious origin, Día de los Inocentes, is the equivalent of April Fools Day. If you hear of any strange news stories on this day, you’d best take them with a very large pinch of salt.

Sing to win

Forget Christmas carols and those schmaltzy Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin numbers. In Spain we have our own festive songs known as ‘villancicos’ which are the true soundtrack of Christmas. Some, like ‘Alepun’, ‘Los peces van a beber al rio’ and ‘Pastores venid’ have been sung in the same way for centuries. They may be performed by a children’s choir or adults sitting around a brazier playing traditional instruments like the zambomba (earthenware friction drum), pandereta (tambourine) or improvised with a bottle of anis and a spoon. It’s a tradition on the verge of extinction but it still survives in small towns.

Festive food

Forget turkey, the Spanish prefer seafood, particularly prawns and lobster, as well as good jamon, and occasionally lamb or roast suckling pig. We also like the more traditional yuletide treats that you won’t find anywhere else. There’s turron, a honey and almond nougat in brittle or chewy versions - either way, tough on teeth; mazapanes, also made with an almond dough moulded into different shapes; polvorones, a crumbly cake that melts in the mouth; and Roscon de reyes, a big circular cake with a hole in it filled with sugared fruit and cream, and the highlight of the family table on Three Kings Day.

olive press online Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website

Vox of the people?

H

E has called feminists ‘bitches’ and 20% in just 40 days following the indepen‘scum’, wants to undo gay marriage dence referendum furore. and has called for a new ‘reconquis- Vox’s tough stance on all forms of separatta’ - which saw the violent expulsion ism will have struck a chord with proud Andaof Jews and Muslims in Spain in the 15th lucians, who, living in the poorest region, are century. often mocked by the rest of Spain, not least Yet, Andalucia’s Vox leader Jose Serrano by those in wealthy Catalunya. managed to secure an alarming 11% of the Vox took advantage of that fact during its vote in the recent Andalucia elections… and campaigning here, weaponising how Quim picked up 12 seats in the regional parlia- Torra, the current president of Catalunya, wrote ment, as part of the deal. against ‘the beasts’ who speak Spanish.

The shock result - which makes Vox poten- There is also believed to have been an untially the kingmakers in any deal to run the derlying backlash against the movement for region - came after polls predicted the ex- women’s rights in Spain. treme right party would win just one seat.

The ‘La Manada’ case in Sevilla helped Nationally Vox, which means ‘Voice’, would sparked the national ‘Cuentalo’ movement command around 10% of the vote if a gen- while new PSOE prime minister Pedro Saneral election was called tomorrow. chez created the most female-heavy cabinet It is a worrying time for Spain, Europe’s most in Spanish history. tolerant country, and unsurprisingly, it has According to pollster Narciso Michavila, alled to column inches in the international most seven out of 10 Vox voters were men. press, while pundits have been quick to It’s most likely that many men who are against claim victory for the far-right. women’s rights saw an ally in Vox, which is France’s hard-right leader Marine Le Pen and seen as anti-feminist and which wants to former KKK leader David Duke were among scrap the recent gender violence law. the first to congratulate their ‘friends’ at Vox, Elsewhere, and much like France and the who boast to being the only party in Spain to UK, immigration has become a central camsupport US President Donald Trump. paign issue.

It’s clearly a major concern for the EU project Vox, which campaigned hard against miat large, but does the Vox victory represent a grants, and it is therefore no surprise that change in voter opinion or were it did well in areas like Cadiz there other factors at play? and Almeria, which have seen Firstly we need to take into the largest number of AfriVox would account the huge voter disilcans wash up on their shores lusionment with the political command 10% of in recent years. establishment in Andalucia.

Now it is likely the party will the vote if there enter a coalition of right wing The PSOE has been in power for 36 years since the first led by Ciudadanos was an election parties free election after the death and the PP, which will serioustomorrow of dictator Franco in the ly shift Andalucia to the right.

1970s and has been plagued While it is excellent news to by some of Spain’s worst corsee PSOE and Susana Diaz ruption scandals. ousted after so many years, expect to see These include the appalling ERE scam, tougher stances on migration and Cataluwhich fleeced around €1 billion for its lead- nya. ers, while a fake training scheme scandal This step to the right has already apparmay well end up being even more. ently influenced PM Sanchez, who recently Its main rival, the PP, meanwhile, has also denied passage to a ship carrying migrants, been tainted by corruption on a national lev- striking a deal with Malta which agreed to el, with prime minister Mariano Rajoy being take them in instead. He also oddly, against ousted this year in a no confidence vote after the normal PSOE stance, took up the issue appearing in court to answer questions on of shared sovereignty of Gibraltar. the infamous Gurtel probe.

Just this week he appeared to take a stronIt was probably only natural that voters would ger tone on the Catalunya issue, promising a eventually tire of the corrupt status quo and ‘forceful’ response if the region tried to hold turn to the newest political kid on the block. another independence vote unilaterally.

Founded exactly five years ago, Vox was set What is clear is that the political elite in up in response to what its leaders viewed as Spain will need to clean up their act if they a weak response by the PP government to want to hold on to their voters. the Basque separatist group ETA. The years of corruption by the country’s two Vox’s current leader Santiago Abascal - seen biggest parties have left a stain on their repriding a horse in the recent election drive, utations, while the temptation for the averwith the catchphrase ‘the reconquest will age voter to throw caution to the wind and begin in Andalucia’ - and fellow member ‘shake things up’ is often impossible to beat Jose Antonio Ortega Lara were actually kid- - look at Trump and Brexit. napped by the group and held for more than But with a possible snap general election a year. coming to Spain next year, the country’s bigBut it was the Catalunya crisis, which saw an gest parties better get to work if they don’t initial surge in support for the party. want to have Vox deciding who will form the In 2017, its member numbers increased by government.

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

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9 www.ll about theolive-ll about AXARQUIA the olive press - October 30 - November 12 2014 www.theolivepress.es

Vol. 2 Issue 44

ierra Nevada

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

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+34 958 481 170 +34 675 470 669 www.alquileressierranevada.es

December 20th- January 4th 2019

Costa del Ski Jon Clarke (right) returns for his 15th season in southern Europe’s top skiing resort WHILE it’s foggy in the Pyrenees and they’re shivering in the Alps, I’m taking the sun near the top of Spain’s second highest mountain.

It’s early December and yet the Sierra Nevada still remains warm during the day. Some people are skiing in t-shirts and everyone is looking tanned.

Even better, my elevenses of a croissant, apple and a Coke come to less than €10 euros... and that is at a restaurant halfway up the slopes!

“Here we sell the weather, not the number of kilometres,” explains Juan Luis Hernandez, boss of EOE ski school. “And the prices have hardly gone up for years.”

On top of that you are just over an hour from the beaches of Almunecar and half an hour to the celebrated Alhambra. That is hard to beat.

What is certainly changing in the Sierra Nevada though is the dedication to move forward.

Believe me, I’ve been coming for 15 years... and this is the 10th anniversary of the Olive Press’ special supplement on the resort.

New kilometres of pistes are added every year and this year - by amazing fortune - it snowed so heavily in November, the resort opened a week earlier than expected, with a record 40,000 skiers enjoying the De Continues on next page

LIGHTING THE WAY: A new lighthouse on the kids play park area and (main pic) the slopes lit up at night

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the olive press - October 30 - November 12 2014

Ski centra

From Page 10

cember 6 bank holiday ‘puente’ weekend.

There were 50km of runs open by mid December while much of Europe was mostly still ‘brown’ - and by the time the season really kicks in there will be over 100kms of pistes open for all the family.

This includes the celebrated Laguna valley, for expert skiers, as well as the excellent Superpark Sulayr, Europe’s largest freestyle snowboard park. This includes the fabulous 165 metre long ‘half pipe’, amazing for snowboarders.

And then there is the famous ‘Rio’ run that leads right down to the resort of Pradollano, which sits at 2,100 metres. You can bomb down that to get your first off piste beer!

At the same latitude as Cyprus and just 30 miles from the beaches of the Costa del Sol, it is nothing short of amazing really that you can ski here through to May. This is all to do with the altitude of the Sierra Nevada, which has its highest peak in Mulhacen, a staggering 3,482m above sea level.

Named after a 15th century Arabic king Muley Hacen (Abdul Hassan Ali), who is said to have been buried at the top, this is the highest peak in mainland Spain.

From the top of the highest ski lift, at 3,300 metres, the views make the Mediterranean below look like a small pond, with half the coastline of Morocco clearly in view.

It is an amazing place, although it can be a little nippy up there with the wind whistling past, so make sure to bring a coat and jumper.

From here, competent skiers are spoilt with the amazing runs of the Laguna de las Yeguas area, including the celebrated Olympic run, which is full of twists and turns. Here, you can sometimes find yourself skiing alone midweek for five to 10 minutes and the sheer nature and landscape are spectacular.

It is incredibly easy to have a day or two’s skiing in Europe’s most southerly skiing resort.

Just two hours from the Costa del Sol, you head up to the resort of Pradollano, 20 minutes above Granada, where you can park easily in the underground car park right below the main square.

Staying longer - or on a budget - take the turning left, marked ‘albergues’ just before you arrive and head uphill through a pine forest, before taking a right to-

MELIÃ

SIERRA NEVADA

www.theolivepress.es December 20th - January 4th 2019

Sierra Nevada

www.theolivepress.es ll about

THE LIFE: Sunbathing over lunch and (below) punters at friendly Bar Ski

wards the resort.

Drive down a long windy road through the resort, keeping your eyes peeled for a free space, but beware ‘gruas’ are out in force and you will be towed away if you park badly.

From here, you are a five or ten minute walk down to

the centre of the resort, where you will find dozens of places to rent skis and buy your ‘forfait’ (or ski pass) from a machine using your credit card.

It is not cheap at between €37 and €48 for a day’s skiing, but it’s much cheaper than the Alps and you can get a half day for €36 kicking off at 1pm and chil-

dren get decent discounts, while those in their 70s get free passes.

It certainly pays to pick your days with Christmas and Semana Santa seeing the resort rammed, with sometimes big queues for the ski lifts.

Then there is Semana Blanca (literally ‘white week’)

SKI & APRÈS-SKI HOTELS

MELIÃ

SOL Y NIEVE

MELIÃ | SIERRA NEVADA

–

MELIÃ | SOL Y NIEVE

(+34) 902 144444 // www. melia.com

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

central Old age pleasures

– or half term at the end of February – when school children can learn how to ski, while bank holidays can also be very busy and getting up to the resort can be slow. That said, problems can be missed by arriving by 8.30am or by waiting till midday when prices come down.

While a modern resort, Pradollano itself is a pleasant place to simply take in the air or a spot of lunch, and there is a fair amount for children to do, with entertainers and Disney figures wandering around, particularly around Christmas.

It has also, rightfully, got a good reputation as being a resort for fun, with the famous apres ski being some of the best in Europe.

The resort really started to evolve quickly from 1995 when the World Skiing Championship was scheduled to be held there (it actually took place the following year due to poor snow).

“Since then the infrastructure changes were huge and it is now a big resort,” explains resort marketing boss Santiago Sevilla, who has worked there for over a decade. “When the weather is favourable, and that is most of the time, this is a fantastic place to be skiing.” Giles Birch, who runs the British Ski Center,

estimates that Pradollano has one of the longest seasons in Europe, opening at the start of December and often going through to mid May. “There have even been snowfalls in June and when the snow and weather are favourable, which is more often then not, the openness of the ski terrain provides some of the most exhilarating off piste skiing to be found anywhere.”

He continues: “Off piste skiing here has made a great name for itself with easily accessible zones all over the terrain, very little avalanche risk and wide open expanses for all to enjoy.”

And then there is the famous adage that it is easy to have a morning’s snow ploughing in the Sierra Nevada followed by an afternoon on the beach.

A few years ago local Granada newspaper Ideal decided to try it out the theory, picking a sunny day in May and a couple of foreign students based in Granada.

Picked up in Granada at 8am they were skiing on the slopes from 9am to 1pm, before taking the 75 minute drive down to the Costa Tropical resort of Salobrena.“It worked perfectly and by 3pm they were settled in eating a paella on the beach,” explains Sevilla, whose company Cetursa has run the resort

All year sports for all sorts There is much more to the Sierra Nevada than sliding down it on two planks of wood.

You can tackle it by tobog-

gan and snowboard, or on a snowshoe hike (akin to walking with a tennis racket strapped to each foot).

And if that sounds like

08.00am - 20.00pm

Sierra Nevada

Plaza Andalucía, Edificio Dornajo, Local 16 Monachil, 18196

too much action, you can always swap icy snow for a hot steam bath and indulge in some me-time at one of several hotel spas.

All year round, the Sierra Nevada is paradise for fresh air fiends.

After ‘the melt’, the resort becomes a paradise for walkers, wildlife lovers and mountain bikers.

Get the best views by taking advantage of the ski lifts, which in summer carry both people and bikes to the summit to enjoy breathtaking routes back down.

Borreguiles, the resort’s impressive ski bowl, boasts a bike park in the hotter months.

Youngsters can test their strengths in the miniolympiads zone or race against each other on the pedal car track.

Guided dawn and dusk walks and a bumper running and cycling race calendar are a magnet keeping the resort busy 12 months of the year.

for decades. “Then by 9pm, not content to call it a day, they were having a tapas crawl around the Albaicin of Granada just to add the icing on the cake,” he adds.

THEY have been coming to the Sierra Nevada for decades from their home in Almeria.

And, best of all, retired expats (above) Martin and Brenda Carney, 72 and 70, now get their ski passes completely free of charge.

“All we have to do is rent our gear and we have been using the same shop Ski Sol since we first came,” explains former UK hotelier Brenda. “We love it up here and the snow is usually excellent.”

Shop boss Montse (pictured with them) explains that they have dozens of clients in their 70s, and one Norwegian in his NINETIES. “He’s been coming down here for years,” she reveals. “He is amazingly fit and I think skiing really helps him stay that way.” Many of the local business owners still ski every day, well into their sixties.

They include Jose Carlos, at Bodega Casablanca, and EOE skiing school boss Jose Luis Hernandez, 64, who explains: “It’s a great sport, using almost all your muscles, your arms, your legs and your dorsals, not to mention the heart.

“My brother Manolo still skis and he’s in his 80s and I intend to ski when I’m 90.”

Statistically 2.7% of skiers in the Sierra Nevada are over 60 years old.

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WHERE TO EAT

FROM PISTE TO The Sierra Nevada is becoming one of Andalucia’s best places to eat, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia boss Jon Clarke (left)

AT least two kings of Spain have eaten at Javier and Luis’s seminal restaurant Tito Luigi in the heart of Pradollano.

Take a look on the walls and you’ll

find evidence of the Spanish royal family’s many sojourns down to the golden slopes of the Sierra Nevada… and plenty more aside.

Indeed, over the last three de-

cades, this wonderful restaurant The trendy joint is the second has provided tucker for bullfight- place she and partner Jaime ers, Hollywood stars and politi- have opened after working for cians. seven years at the nearby La And it’s perhaps not a surprise for Fondue de Noa restaurant, a joint that consistently provides which is a more traditional place, for 250 covers at night during the but really popular with punters on busy season… and it won’t cost the slopes. you an arm and a leg.

With its classic Alpine look, it Specialising in good Italian fare, is hard to miss, but be warned, it serves up great pizzas, pasta there are a few modern twists on dishes and my favourite squid-ink the food including the half dozen spaghetti with prawns. different ways to have a fondue.

The pair have another, hipper One is a Mexican-style called restaurant Tito Tapas just up the ‘Chingona’ and another is called road and a third more formal res- ‘Curry House’ which is obviously a taurant up the hill in the middle hit with the Brits. of the resort.

But, without a doubt, still leading One thing for sure, since I first the way in the creativity stakes came to review the restaurant is Stevie Silva and his hip young scene of the Sierra Nevada a de- team at Ci Vediamo. cade ago, things have changed I met him and his charming girlsubstantially. friend Luna Coronado, who runs While this may not be San Sebas- the restaurant, exactly a decade tian, the sheer ago, and their variety of restausuccess could rants in Pradolnot be more deYou really need lano is as good served. as anywhere in Opening just as to have your Andalucia… and the worst recesspecific niche the quality keeps sion in Spain’s getting better. history kicked in, and I like to do Much of this they did anything is thanks to a things differently but contemplate strong influx of their navels and foodie restauracame out fighting teurs in recent with new dishes years, with the latest including an by the week and a new look every excellent Japanese, Shimbuya, season. the buzzy Mar Sala and the ex- Former professional snowboardcellent Braseria. er Silva loves to experiment in the “You really need to have your spe- kitchen (much of this after his regcific niche and I really like to do ular trips abroad in the autumn to things differently,” Yolanda, from places like Indonesia, Mexico and Braseria told me.

Brazil) and he changes his menu This certainly rung true when she by the day depending on what he brought out a delicious starter of can find in the markets. thinly sliced foie gras with mango And after the success of various and strawberries and a rocket Asiatic dishes - such as uzukuri of salad, followed by a churrasco de turbot with yuzu and kimchi and ternera served with a ripe melon an amazing soft crab tempura - it and brown sugar! was perhaps no surprise that he

Carigüela HISTORIC: Tito Luigi and owners Javi and Luis

La Carigüela Warm and friendly local in the heart of the Sierra Nevada

Fabulous fish, amazing salads and various Moroccan dishes tel: 958 480 010 Calle de la Virgin de las Nieves, 16 Edificio Edelweiss, 18196 Sierra Nevada

HIP: Tito Tapas has great wines by the glass

Nevada

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Offering you special meals in an excellent atmosphere.

January 4th 2019 Dishes madeDecember with love20th and-high quality produce.

Dec 20th - Jan 4th 2019

PLATE CREATIVE: Inaki and (inset) bosses Stevie and Luna at Shimbuya would attempt to branch out further.

And the result of this is the fabulous new restaurant Shimbuya, an Asiatic-fusion joint, which he and Luna have created in one of the coolest spots, halfway up the resort on Calle Virgin de las Nieves.

Staying faithful to the Japanese style of minimalism, it has electric blue tiles on the wall and lots of plain wood and even a slot machine at the door.

This is a must-visit on a trip to the Sierra Nevada to try out its great sushi, made by Stevie and his team, in parContinues on next page

Telf.: 667 252 842 email: swell.sn@gmail.com Edificio Bulgaria Local 7, 18196 Monachil, Andalucia

and now introducing...

SHIMBUYA RESTAURANT

Michelin trained chef Esteban Silva produces classic Italian style dishes with a modern twist

Find Us on Google Maps with 360° degree view OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • Monday to Saturday • 12.00-16.00 & 20.00-24.00 Plaza Andalucía, Edf. Salvia s/n • Pradollano • Tel. 958 480 856 • civediamosn@gmail.com

REBEL SUSHI AND MUSIC

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Sierra

December 20thll - January about 4th 2019

Top of the pile From previous page

Tlf: +34 638 58 83 73 Plaza de Andalucía, Edificio Montebajo Local 2, 18196, Sierra Nevada National Park

ticular Inaki, from Pamplona, on the spot.

The version of a California Roll I tried was simply amazing with a king prawn, salmon and sesame seeds.

While up here, you must also consider trying the excellent Swell next door.

This is one of the coolest places to eat, where many of the locals go and with a great mix of dishes, such as salads and woks.

I had some superb gyozas and a great burger, which ticked the box, particularly as I watched a Champions League game on the big screen on one side.

Another great new place to try out is La Cariguela, which is the sister restaurant (but the complete opposite) of the resort’s most popular tapas joint Bar Ski, set up by Nichi nearly two decades ago.

Here you will find Nichi’s partner Fatima running a classic soul kitchen concentrating on excellent quality fish and the resort’s only Moroccan dishes, including a delicious chicken tagine.

This is a classic local place, warm and friendly, where service is at a premium and where you will eat some of the resort’s best food, including my personal favourite the tartare of bluefin tuna with avocado, apple, cucumber and caviar.

In particular, stop to chat to Fatima’s son Mohamed, who is a livewire of information and at 21 as amiable as anyone I’ve met in the Sierra Nevada.

Back down in the main part of Pradollano there are plenty of other good places to look out for.

These include La Muralla, run

by Argentinian Gonzalo Funes, and appropriately with the best steaks in the resort, not to mention excellent wines by the glass.

The ‘tostas’ are also great and come in various guises, while I loved the milhoja of foie gras.

He and his brother Luciano also run the brand new Muralla Burguer, almost next door, which specialises in the best quality burgers on the slopes.

It’s a lovely spot and makes a great addition to what is easily the most competitive run of restaurants in the Sierra Nevada.

And don’t forget the brothers’ other bustling spot Las Gondalas,

TRENDY: Swell

HOT: La Mar de Buena and boss Carlos right in the heart of the town and perfect for some apres ski light bites, a hot drink or a beer.

The cool sounds playing to the terrace attract a cool crowd and you will struggle to find a seat on many days.

Just up from here, look out for the

amazing Bodega Casablanca run by Jose Carlos Villanueva, who grew up on the slopes, with his father opening one of the first hostals in the 1960s.

The historic photos add to the atmosphere (as does a framed Olive Press article!) and the heart-

SOUL FOOD: Fatima’s La Cariguela and (right) Carlos at Tia Maria

warming soul food is always excellent, and includes stews, lentils as well as prawns wrapped in potato with a soya mayonnaise and lovely lamb chops with whisker-thin wild asparagus.

Newer and really leading the charge food-wise is La Mar Sala, where Carlos has created an ambient spot, perfect for tapas and wines by the glass.

This prime spot by the Melia hotel is normally filled to the rafters and counts on some excellent wines by the glass and the very best seafood from Motril, including boquerones, cigalas and conchas finas. A genuine find.

He has also just opened another place called La Mar del Bueno, which is a very stylish place and promises to be a true winner this winter, with a decent, creative looking menu.

Another excellent place overlooking the slopes is Tia Maria, which has a good mix of dishes and is a great place for breakfast.

Run by Carlos, the brother of Tito Luigi’s Javier, this is an institution and place to while away the day.

Next door, you will find perhaps the most scenic place to take lunch in Spain. Recently opened, Al Dente has a superb mix of Italian and Spanish dishes.

My tomato, mozzarella bruschetta with basil and black olives was original, while I particularly loved the Saltimbocca, which is fillet steak stuffed with ham and with a rich ricotta sauce. There were

Nevada

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December 20th - January 4th 2019

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Dec 20th - Jan 4th 2019

Jetting in!

World champion Jet Skier David Selles has set up on the slopes

H

AVING whizzed around the world as a professional jet skier David Selles has slid onto the Sierra Nevada slopes with an exciting new business.

The seven-times World Champion, from Benidorm, has opened a ski

LENTIL TIME: At Bodega Casablanca some delicious ‘niscalo’ mushrooms added for extra measure.

Recently opened by a friendly Granada lawyer Antonio, his team are knowledgeable and service is crisp.

He also co-owns the well established La Visera next door, along with chef Pepe, who is a very capable chef and always leading the charge in the kitchen.

An excellent spot for great value lunches or dinner is Burger Telesilla’s, which does exactly what it says on the tin... excellent burgers in particular.

By far the most originally-designed eaterie on the slopes (see right), you can also have a mean club sandwich and a nice range of salads.

For coffee, breakfast, and in fact just about everything, Vertical is hard to be beaten and also has a great range of snacks and light bites, including hot dogs for the British clientele.

Another brilliant option, particularly for great coffee and amazing pastries, is La Croissanteria, in the heart of the main square.

Run by friendly Argentinians Cristian y Jessica, service is very much with a smile and there are even a couple of unusual south American chestnuts I had never tried before.

HOT SEAT: David with team and (top) after winning jet ski title

shop and school in the heart of Pradollano.

Be Snow is the culmination of a threeyear search for the perfect way to make a living on the slopes.

“Since buying a home nearby some years ago, I haven’t stopped looking,” Selles, 48, tells the Olive Press.

And when decades-old ski shop Pascual Ski, in Plaza Andalucia, came up for sale he jumped at the option.

Now half a year later he has finally opened with a stylish new urban look, with a few of the former staff and with tens of thousands of euros of brand new equipment.

“We’ve got 650 new pairs of skis and 800 pairs of brand new boots,” he boasts. “It is the most important thing for anyone wanting to guarantee to have fun on the slopes.

“Top class skis with fantastic edges and the most comfortable boots you can find. We can promise that.”

It has been an exciting couple of de-

Plz. Andalucia Edif. Montebajo, Local 8, Sierra Nevada

cades for the father-of-two, whose Brazilian wife, Alyne, often helps out in the shop.

After growing up in Finistratt, near Benidorm, he took up the sport of jet-skiing and won his first world championship in Crete in 1997.

He then competed around the world in countries as diverse as Japan, Canada, Alaska and Chile, before winning his final championship in Marbella in 2008.

It was a pretty full on two decades and, technically, he was not allowed to ski during all the time as a professional. “Contractually my sponsors would not allow it, but - of course - I couldn’t resist and came quite a few times incognito,” admits the businessman, who first skied in Candanchu at the age of eight.

“Now I couldn’t be happier. This is my passion, not a business. I get to ski every day and make a living at the same time,” he concludes.

tel:958 885 094

ALQUILER – SKI SNOWBOARD – RENTAL

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Brits on the piste

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A

Sierra

December 20th ll - January about 4th 2019

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ANT to find the cream of place to find the Brits and the reps-inBritish skiing talent in the the know,” he recalls.

“Next thing in walks Jonathan with Sierra Nevada?

Well look no further than just the right attitude and he was seminal Crescendo bar at the foot of soon helping me deal with the three the slopes, where Jonathan Buzzard to four flights we regularly dealt with and Giles Birch met over two decades on a Sunday.”

The pair are still working together, colago. lectively running This is their second the extremely sucoffice and where cessful British Ski you will find them Center from their propping up the bar base at the resort. after a hard day’s Great mates, they teaching on the both now teach, slopes, which they as well as sort out know like a fox in a holidays for hunfox hole. dreds of clients Step back to 1996, each year. a boom time in “Of course things Spain, and Giles are completely was looking for the different to back ideal transport rep LONG TERM: Giles and Jonathan then,” explains to help him grow Jonathan, who his travel business, working with the likes of Neil- lived in Marbella in the golden years son Ski alongside First Choice and before it was ruined by corrupt leader Thompsons, that had just launched in Jesus Gil. “Sierra Nevada used to see in thouGranada.

Jonathan had all the right traits with sands of foreigners every week, but his long flashers mac, ‘big hair’ and a after a couple of dry years in the 1980s the resort’s reputation suffriendly, outgoing persona.

“I had no idea what was going on but fered badly and things all began to had been told that Crescendo was the change.

It’s over two decades since intrepid expats Giles Birch and Jonathan Buzzard started working in the Sierra Nevada, writes Jon Clarke

ON AND OFF THE SLOPES: Team in the bar and on their skis

“Luckily the snow came back, albeit not yet this year, but these days it is all independent travellers and the agencies have all but disappeared.”

Of course there have been some bad years such as 1995 when Jonathan recalls cycling up Borreguiles run on a mountain bike in shorts on Christmas Day.This year however, is one of the best.

“But generally it is as good as most other international resort and the

range of skiing and schools is hard to beat,” explains Giles, who is now in his benchmark 21st season in Granada.

Since arriving he has married (a Portuguese girl), had three children and taught literally hundreds of clients.

So what makes the Sierra Nevada so special, according to him?

One aspect is the length of the season. We start in late November and stay open until early May while other resorts don’t open until mid Decem-

Your English centre on the slopes

ber and end their season in April.”

This is partly due to the resort's altitude and the quality of the snow which is constantly worked on during the night.

“That’s why you’ll never see slush even in the latter part of the season.” he adds.

Visit www.britishskicenter.co.uk for more info.

Nevada

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17 Dec 20th - Jan 4th 2019

WHERE TO STAY

Alpine dreaming!

COMFORT: Kenia Nevada, Melia (below) and Hotel GHM (right)

I

T is hard to describe Pradollano as an authentic mountain village.

But, with a metre of snow on the ground and the sun out, it certainly has its charms.

There are lots of places to stay but easily one of the most charming has got to be the authentic Hotel Kenia Nevada, which is well located near the centre of town and open most of the year. Run by the friendly

Don Pedro – who used to ski for the country as a youngster - it is clean, well run and serves up one of the best breakfasts in Spain.

It also has a gym and spa, with an in-house masseur, and plenty of communal areas, filled with charming old furniture.

Another good budget option is the GHM Monachil, which is well located right by the slopes and has had a massive upgrade over the last couple of years and continues with the rooms now.

It has an excellent breakfast buffet and a big car park, which costs just €10 a day for guests.

You could also go upmarket and splurge on one of the two wonderful Melia hotels, right in the heart of the resort.

The rooms at the Melia Sierra Nevada have been recently renovated and the New Premium rooms have been built on floors 7 and 8.

Meanwhile the nearby Meliá

Sol y Nieve hotel offers The Level experience, which is the hotel group’s most exclusive commitment to luxury and personal service.

Another excellent option is to rent an apartment in the resort, of which there are many.

Be careful, of all the many deals on the likes of airbnb and booking you could be in for a shock when you arrive, being stuck out in Babylon or find the place much smaller and dirtier than it initially looked in photos.

A much better option is to trust the long-time local specialists, Sierra Nevada Alquileres, which has a massive 150 apartments on its books The company is always busy but its boss Antonio (pictured left) always has time for a chat if around and will always find you a good deal.

Visit www.alquileressierranevada.es) for more information.

December 20th - January 4th 2019

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GO UP TO THE SKY

December 20th - January 4th 2019

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family · friends · apreski · night skiing · snowpark · competition

BUSINESS Santa Sanchez

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40-year fraud

THE Social club at the TGolf and Country Club in Calvia has been shut down by police after it was revealed it has not had a licence since it opened in 1978.

Authorities ordered the closure of the Golf de Poniente club house, workshops and its parking lot for the lack of permits.

The golf course itself is remaining open, as it does comply with regulations and has a licence dating back to 1974 when the works began.

An appeal has been launched by the club, but it faces an uphill battle as it sits on ‘rustic land’.

MINIMUM wage earners will get a Christmas bonus in the new year, Spain’s prime minister has promised.

Pedro Sanchez has confirmed that his government will bump up the minimum monthly salary by 22% in 2019.

The current minimum of €859 is set to rise to €1,050 after it is officially ratified at a cabinet meeting in Barcelona on December 21.

“A rich country can't have poor workers,” said the Socialist leader, who originally pledged the new

December 20th - January 4th 2019

BONUS: Sanchez to up minimum wage measure in his manifesto.

Expected to cost Spain €340 million, the wage hike has been criticised by PP leader Pablo Casado, who labelled the 2019 budget ‘economically suicidal’.

Corruption fee Dodgy dealings cost Spain four times more than benefit payouts SPAIN loses a mind-boggling €90 BILLION a year due to corruption, a shocking new study has revealed, while the UK is one of least corrupt countries in the EU. According to the study, the UK loses 2.3% of its GDP

SPAIN’S national debt has grown so much that every Spaniard now owes €25,000 apiece, according to 2018’s Public Debt report.

It is now the 11th most indebted country in the world according to the EAE Business School which published the report.

Although Spain forks out €90 million every day to reduce what it owes, it is still in the red to the tune of €37.000 million. And 89% of that figure is just interest, compared to the original debt of only €4.070 million.

19

December 20th - January 4th 2019

on corruption - the second lowest figure in the EU along with Denmark and Luxembourg. According to the Verdes en la Eurocamara study the Netherlands is officially the least corrupt country, losing just 0.76%.

In the red

While the deficit has been reducing since 2012, the interest has kept on growing, making it almost impossible to make a dent in it without external financial support.

On a local level, Catalunya heads the rankings of most indebted autonomous communities, owning 27% of the national debt.

Andalucia comes in the middle of the list, between Melilla and Murcia.

Spain sits at 8% and follows Italy where the corruption bill is a whopping €237 billion, France (€120 billion) and Germany (€104 billion), while corruption costs the EU €904 billion annually overall.

Lacklustre

Spain’s corruption bill is equal to four times the annual unemployment benefits budget, 90% of its annual health budget or 88% of yearly pension payouts.

The news will infuriate Andalucians who have been demanding much-needed investment in their region’s lacklustre infrastructure and travel networks. Spain has witnessed dozens of high-profile corruption cases since it became a democracy in the 1978.

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PROPERTY Picture perfect 20 20

A VILLA in the Port of Andratx has been the most looked at luxury house in the Balearics on Idealista this year.

The real estate website named the 5-bedroom villa with guest house as the most viewed high-end house.

The 1,152 square metre villa sitting on a large piece of land is for sale for €9,550,000.

Keys Isl nd to the

By Amanda Butler

Shambles

O

December 20th - January 4th 2019

www.theolivepress.es

Dec 20th - Jan 4th 2019

Amanda Butler discusses the latest on Brexit and Mallorca’s rental market

H my goodness… two weeks on from my - but what a dramatic if rather stressful drama it is! last article and still complete chaos with Just as well the Brits aren’t as feisty as the French! the Brexit negotiations!

Returning to Mallorca politics – the overly strong The cabinet has decided to ‘ramp up’ hotel lobby has been putting further pressure on preparations for a no-deal Brexit amid uncertain- the Government for even more regulation regardty of Theresa May’s proposed exit deal. ing holiday lettings - even to those holding licencThe deal seems to have become very ‘personal’ to es - wishing to reduce the number of weeks rentthe PM whereas it is in fact the UK Government’s als permitted and including an allowance of only negotiated deal rather than Theresa May’s.

4 weeks in the peak months of July and August!

One has to admire her persistence in insisting According to my legal sources, this has just been delivering at least a version of what people voted rightly declined by many of the town halls petifor in 2016, albeit with a slightly more informed tioning against it and has been knocked back to view of what Brexit means in realMadrid. I feel strongly that people ity, many would probably change have the right to the choice of hotheir mind, given the choice. tel or private accommodation for The strong Ministers have approved GBP 2 their holidays – so let’s hope this hotel lobby has gets completely overturned. billion pounds to go to government departments to prepare for the inAnd so to Christmas – less than a been putting creasingly likely scenario whereby week to go! the UK leaves the EU without a forpressure on the We have opted to stay here for the mal agreement. In addition, 3500 festivities, just the two of us which government military personnel are ready to be will be a nice change. The weather deployed if needed.. Wow ….. it looks set to be kind, although persounds like we’re preparing for haps not as warm as it can often war, not leaving the EU! be, but with the sun shining it is always a lovely With only 100 days left until Brexit the drama Island to be. concludes, will it be Brexit with no-deal, Brexit With only one client visiting, it will be a time to with May’s deal or a Labour-lead re-vote? No-one relax and re-wind; time to reflect with gratitude on can even speculate what would be the questions a successful year and set our intentions, hopes asked on another referendum, which has to go and dreams for the coming year. through a lengthy parliamentary process anyway, The next time I write will be 2019 – wishing you all and use up time that doesn’t seem available be- a very Merry Christmas, and a very happy, healthy fore the March 29. It’s anyone’s guess right now and prosperous New Year!

Contact Amanda J Butler to buy or sell your home: Tel: +34690075169, www.mjcassociates.net.

Your professional one stop property shop around the Island!

Fashion forward

Louis Vuitton buy iconic Mallorca hotel as part of global billioneuro takeover

LOUIS Vuitton has landed in Mallorca after purchasing Deia's La Residencia hotel’s parent company for almost €3 billion.

The French luxury brand LVMH bought hotel company Belmond, who owns the 300-year-old Deia hotel, for a cool €2.8 billion.

Belmond owns hotels around the world, as well as cruises, safaris and trains.

ICONIC: Deia hotel bought by Louis Vuitton The Deia hotel has a long and luxurious past, including being the safe-haven for Prin-

Hotel heroes

MALLORCA’S 19th-century fortress-turned-luxury hotel Cap Rocat has been crowned the world’s 'most sensational spa'.

The new hotel, near Cala Blava, beat out more than 500 independent hotels from over 80 countries to make it onto the list of 17 winners by the Small Luxury Hotels of

STUNNING: Cap Rocat

the World group.

The 88-acre adults-only boutique hotel has 29 rooms, two restaurants and boasts a private rock cliff beach with direct access to the sea, jetty and a salt water pool.

The infinity pool on the fortress walls overlooking the bay of Palma is another unique draw.

Elsewhere, a hotelier on mainland Spain won the only award given to a person. The Hotel Hero award went to Alvaro Herrera Gomez from the Hacienda Zorita Wine Hotel & Spa outside Salamanca for 'demonstrating bravery and dedication to guests during difficult times'.

The runner up for the 'most family friendly hotel' award was given to Robert de Niro's Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay.

cess Diana after she divorced Prince Charles.

The hotel – once owned by Sir Richard Branson – sits on over 30 hectares of rustic lands with olive groves used to make their extra virgin olive oil.

Louis Vuitton will take over the hotel located in the heart of the Tramuntana mountains in early 2019, with the intention of reinforcing itself 'significantly' in the luxury hotel sector.

"Belmond delivers unique experiences to discerning travellers and owns a number of exceptional assets in the most desirable destinations," said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH. "Its heritage, its innovative services, its excellence in execution and its entrepreneurship resonates well with the values of the group and is complementary to our own Château Cheval Blanc and the Bulgari hotels and resorts."

Let us guide you home Real Estate | Immobilien | Inmobiliaria

www.themallorcadeal.com | +34 971 961 057

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.theolivepress.es

Milking it

DIOS mio but the Brits have been winding up Spanish foodies yet again.

Just two weeks ago, Morrisons’ cheesy churros became a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.

A flurry of Spaniards took to Twitter to slam the Christmas treat as ‘blasphemous’, begging the UK to ‘take Gibraltar instead’.

And now, it has happened again. This time it’s a ‘new vegan milk’ - horchata in Spain - made with tiger nuts that’s got everyone roaring with rage.

Tiger mylk, created in Bristol, is made with tiger nuts, split peas, sunflower oil, calcium carbonate and sunflower lecithin.

Social media site, NowThis describes the milk as an ‘African tradition’ which is delivered to London front doors in reusable glass bottles.

Although the video does make reference to the centuries-old Valencian drink, and has additional ingredients, it hasn’t stopped Spaniards from expressing their outrage.

“Attention, attention!!!

The Brits have discovered horchata. Vegan milk with ‘tiger nuts’ they say. ‘African tradition’ they say.

Yes,” tweeted one furious Twitter user.

Meanwhile, another user slammed the milk as a ‘guiri millennial’ invention with ‘added s***’.

December 20th - January 4th 2019

Lowering the bar Could it be last orders for Spain’s traditional watering holes

SPAIN’S bar culture could be in danger as hundreds of owners call time on their businesses every year, new figures have revealed.

Affectionately known as the ‘land of bars’, the country is famed for its independent watering holes but experts fear the culture is under threat.

Since 2010, Spain has lost a staggering 18,269 bars - a trend which many believe will continue next year.

Despite this, the hospitality in-

21 21

December 6th - December 19th 2018

What’s on for foodies!

X

-mas feasts SKIP the cooking this year and enjoy a Christmas dinner cooked by someone else. On the 25, feast on a traditional roast from the London Arms in Magaluf, a traditional local meal from Fulla D'Ostra in Santa Catalina or mix it up at Al Taco in Can Pastilla.

UNDER THREAT: Thousands of traditional bars have shut since 2010 dustry as a whole has grown, with 5,000 new restaurants and hotels opening in 2017.

This is good news for employ-

ment as more than 1.5 million Spaniards work in the sector.

According to the Spanish Hospitality Federation, in 2017 the

Clean up your act!

A WORRYING 21 restaurants in Mallorca have been branded a ‘danger to public health’ after scoring a pitiful score of ZERO in the recent health inspections.

The summer inspections, which were finished last month, saw a staggering 76% of restaurants with some form of violation.

Some 26 were so bad they scored a zero and have been temporarily shut down.

Nearly 50% of violations – or 1,717 – were classified as 'operational failures', ranging from lack of hygiene systems, inadequate employee training and improper handling

of food.

Nearly 30% of bars, restaurants and cafeterias inspected have been sanctioned for not providing allergy information to customers.

number of bars dropped for the seventh year in a row, with a total of 184,430 across the country.

The industry has blamed not only the recession but also recent demographic changes such as an aging population and the rural exodus movement.

Federation secretary general Emilio Gallego believes the changing property market led to a reshuffle of city dwellers.

“The new neighbourhoods attracted more people and businesses moved there, while traditional bars in areas with aging populations shut down,” he added.

Experts believe the rapid increase in chains has also played a significant role in the decline of independent bars.

P

eaky New Year RING in the New Year at Magaluf's Peaky Blinders Taverns on December 31, with a DJ, food, drinks and fireworks to celebrate 2019.

B

eer and brats BIERKONIG in Playa de Palma is throwing a massive New Year's Eve party, with an impressive selection of beers and bites until 4am.

22

Christmas is magical in Mallorca, but check in on those who are lonely, writes Lesley Keith

I

COLUMNISTS

December 20th - January 4th 2019

www.theolivepress.es

Dec 6th - Dec 19th 2018

In the spirit

REALLY like this time of year here in the latch for all it's worth on the other Mallorca. it gave in.

If it's a nice day as it so often is, Once opened of course, it was imposthen it's wonderful. The sun glints sible to close later (what a chilly night on a sparkling sea, the warmth of the that turned out to be). Then there's the sun soaks into your skin, you can stroll laundry situation, I don't think I'll ever along in just shirt sleeves and sit out- get used to the fact that it can be a side a cafe contemplating your good lovely sunny day but your washing will fortune at being here. still be pretty much as damp as when As I write this the sun is on my back it left the machine after several hours and it's a great feeling. Of course we in the sun. How can such a warm and all know that this is really winter and sunny place be so damp? I know I things can change reknow, it's all about the ally quickly but I don't 'warm wet winters with mind that either.

There are those westerly winds' that There's no dreary half they drummed into us measures, no contin- who won’t see or at school but the reality ual drizzle, no boring speak to anyone of it is very hard to get endless cloudy dullmy head around. ness, it's either a full The only downside I can for days this blown deluge with gale really see to being here season force winds or balmy is that a lot of friends sunshine. go home for the winI can live with that. The ter, and so many busiother bonus is it stays lighter longer. nesses are closed which means being Even now as we reach the shortest indoors more and inevitably watching day it's still relatively light at 5pm - no more TV. Am I the only person who such luck in the UK where in some doesn't like 'I'm a Celebrity', 'Strictly' parts the lights are on by 3pm. or 'The Apprentice' which seem to take I appreciate that I'm preaching to the over for months at a time. I am so glad converted here but sometimes we they've all now finished, maybe we'll have to remind ourselves of our good get some decent intelligent viewing. fortune. I certainly had to this week- Oh wait no, it's Christmas, not a hope. end as I scrubbed the walls of my flat Hey ho, where's the Kindle.... to remove the mold. The stuff I was Yes it's Christmas, that time when evusing stank and when I tried to open eryone is supposed to be in a cocoon the window it had swollen in it's frame of goodwill and happiness. Well I for and just wouldn't open. Eventually one know that it's so often not like with a hammer being bashed against that and that for many, and they feel the frame on one side and me pulling that they're the only ones on their own.

Mallorca diaries

By Lesley Keith

STUNNING: Mallorca comes alive over the xmas period Lovely though that may sound to some of us, there are those who won't see or even speak to anybody for days as everyone else seems to be so busy and engrossed in their own lives, So, can I make a little plea? If you think someone may not have any family or friends visiting, drop a card in, say hello, take them some mince pies anything to show

they aren't completely alone? Just a little thought like that just might make a difference. I am a very lucky person, I have a great family, a loving partner and many friends but I'm also fully aware that for some that just isn't the case. I always say that actually Christmas is only one day, and that my favourite day of the year is Boxing Day when it's all over!

I don't see why we all have to be under pressure to have the 'Perfect Christmas'? What does that even mean? As a child it meant that I could watch TV all day but now it's all got a bit serious, let's lighten up, as long as there's Branston pickle for the turkey sandwiches all will be well with my world. Merry Christmas and love to you all.

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SPORT

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December 6th - December 19th 2018

December 20th - January 4th 2019

23

Holly good show Teenage Brit makes golfing history in Andalucia

Sky’s the limit GOLF in Spain will be beamed across the world as Sky Sports loses out to new kid on the block, GOLF TV. The new streaming service, owned by Discovery, has secured the global rights to the European Tour and will launch on January 1, 2019.

The new platform clinched all of the rights outside the US earlier this year in a €1.76 billion deal that is set to last for 12 years.

The Andalucia Masters is one of over 40 European Tour events that the service will beam around the world.

As well as Spain, the new service will be available in Russia, Australia and Hong Kong, among other countries.

AN 18-year-old Brit shot herself into the record books as she won the Girls Junior European Open Golf Championship at Andalucia’s El Paraiso course.

Holly Haslam, from Essex, became the first girl to shoot under par in the competition’s 26-year history.

The young star now joins the tournament’s previous British winners, Women’s British Open-champion Georgia Hall and US Open winner Justin Rose.

“I was over the moon, it was a big moment for me,” said Holly whose mum Jo, 47, caddied for the teen champion.

Ecstatic

Holly, who celebrated the historic win on her 18th birthday, finished three under par and seven ahead of her nearest competitor.

First picking up a club at just 11 years of age, Holly’s skills on the fairway were broadcast on Sky Sports.

Accompanying Holly to Spain for the tournament was her dad, Steve, 53, who

WINNER: Holly Haslam takes home golf award

is a restaurateur back in the UK. “It was the biggest win of her life,” he told the Olive Press. “I was ecstatic when she won the tournament.”

The proud dad-of-three also revealed that the family would remain in Spain

for the festive period at their house in El Paraiso, where Holly is able to stroll straight onto the course.

Steve said: “We’ll have a nice family game of golf on Christmas Day and then we’ll go back home and have our Christmas dinner.”

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FINAL WORDS

Growing numbers NEARLY 10,000 people immigrated to the Balearics in the first six months of this year, one of the highest levels in Spain.

Some 30% came from the EU, and 25% from South

expat paper in Spain Music, gastronomy, design, comfort and great art.

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SEE the year out in style this year at the OD Port Portals hotel, where oysters, fois gras, suckling pig dumplings and scallops are all part of the New Year’s Eve OD Port Portals combines party menu - and that’s just for good location with UP FOR starters. contemporary and GRABS: For just €135 each, the menu mediterranean design.

Banksy’s also includes prawns cannelFor work or for pleasure, works, not loni, green apple sorbet, white as a true symbol of including this beef entrecote, three stages of quality, OD Port Portals is Xmas scene mahones cheese and caprice of everything anyone are on display staying in Majorca can chocolate, coffee and amaretto. ever wish for. A lively There will also be music and of place, with its own course the NYE countdown with events, Burger Meets Gin, the 12 lucky grapes provided.

Mexican Brunch or Visit www.odportportals.com Tasting Brunch, where for more info. locals and visitors are welcome.

America.

Global couple

Drive safely EXPECT more drug and alcohol controls in the Palma area over the Christmas holidays along with two new speed cameras.

Sun farm SOLAR power farms are coming to the Balearics with €40 million in aid from the Balearic Government.

THE work of one of the world’s most controversial graffiti artists is being exhibited without his permission in Spain.

Banksy, who recently pranked Sotheby’s in London with an auto-shredding piece of art, has been played at his own game.

Banksy, Genius or Vandal? is on display at Madrid’s Ifema centre until March 10 and features 73 of his most iconic works, such as Girl with Balloon, Pulp Fiction Banana

Unauthorised show for UK artist and The Flower Thrower.

All displayed pieces - comprising 28 originals and 45 copies - are available to buy, with a total value of a cool €17 million. But the guerilla artist, who is famed for his politically-charged graffiti decorating hidden UK streets, did not authorise the Spanish show.

The exhibition has already raked in half a million visitors

at previous venues in Moscow and St Petersburg, charging a €16.40 entrance fee.

Banksy expressed his distaste for the seemingly ‘official’ shows on his Instagram account. “I wish I could find it funny. What’s the opposite of LOL?” the artist wrote to his 5.1 million followers.

When pressed on whether he would release a statement

slamming the show, he admitted he was not the ‘best person to complain about people putting up pictures without permission’. Alexander Nachkebiya, who curated the exhibition having assembled private collectors, described Banksy as a ‘phenomenon’ and ‘one of the most brilliant and important artists of our epoch’.

The Bristol-based artist rose to fame in the 1990s but has never revealed his identity.

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THEY are definitively Spain’s golden couple when it comes to acting.

So it is appropriate that Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas have each been nominated for their fourth Golden Globe.

Spain’s Hollywood heroes have been nominated for their roles in two small screen roles this time around.

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