Get in the spirit of the festive season with our 10th anniversary Sierra Nevada special inside S A Sierra Nevada AXARQUIA
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COSTA DEL SKI
Vol. 13 Issue 307
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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 added are New kilometres of pistes 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. 13 Issue 307 www.theolivepress.es December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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BRITON’S PRISON NIGHTMARE CONTINUES INTO FESTIVE SEASON
Un-merry Xmas
Brighten up the dark nights with Malaga’s festive lights See page 14 How to celebrate Christmas like a Spaniard
Friends send festive gifts to ‘innocent’ Brit spending Christmas in solitary confinement in Algeciras prison FRIENDS and family are rallying round a seriously ill British man set to spend Christmas behind bars in Andalucia. Robert Mansfield-Hewitt, 51, still insists he known nothing about a €5.5million haul of hashish found in a San Roque Airbnb rental property he stayed at on a business trip six months ago. The Chichester engineer, (pictured right) who has severe liver disease ascites, is ‘miserable’ and ‘confused’ at having to spend the festive season locked up. Neither an appeal from his local MP or UK press reports have helped him get bail over the offence, for which he has still not been charged. Mansfield-Hewitt, who has a PhD, has been in Algeciras’ Botafuegos prison - which houses ETA terrorists - since June after 1.5 tonnes of drugs were foundTMin
EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez
the garage of the rental home in Campamento. His PA, Pilar Ford, 54, told the Olive Press she has now organised a raffle and raised €200 for him to buy books, shampoo and pens as Christmas presents. “He’s locked up in a hell hole and is absolutely devastated to spend Christmas there,” said Ford who works alongside the Brit at electrical company Genco Holdings Ltd in Gibraltar. “He’s been stuck in solitary confinement. Imagine that, an innocent man and keeps asking ‘why am I here?’ We just don’t know what to do.” Ford, who visited him a fortnight ago, is extremely concerned about his health, after doctors said his ‘liver was functioning at
See page 16
15%’ having collapsed following his incarceration in June. “Robert is not well - he needs a walking stick and he’s not been given one. He also told me he has to go back into hospital. Meanwhile, friend of 20 years, Vicar Rebekah Cannon, based in Chichester, has also described the ‘hopeless’ situation as ‘a stalemate’.
Letters
She is exasperated that she cannot reach him on the telephone and while her letters have arrived in Spain, they are all returned to sender without being opened. “It’s all one way, he sends us letters but we can’t get in touch. I don’t even think his family have got their letters through the prison,” she told the Olive Press. “Robert has to request permis-
sion for our visits, but since we can’t talk to him and none of us speak Spanish, we just don’t know what to do.” She said one friend has managed to get in touch and is planning to fly to Spain in the New Year to visit him in prison. According to his colleagues he may finally be charged this week and could face up to six years in prison if found guilty. He has been denied bail twice, with one reason being that a Japanese ‘Katana’ Samurai sword was allegedly found in the house, the Olive Press has learnt. The judge refused bail in October given the ‘quantity of drugs seized, which were located in the garage, and the presence of a Katana weapon in the living room’, stated in court documents obtai-
Costa del Sol traditions not to miss this year See page 40
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CRIME
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Prison woe From front page
ned by the Olive Press. The owner of the rental property - a 62-year-old Moroccan-Gibraltarian - has still not been arrested in connection to the stash. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged last year with the possession of cocaine coming into Gibraltar with intent to supply. The case was later dropped. Chichester MP Gillian Keegan has been demanding answers since the Olive Press brought the story to her in September. Our story was followed up in the Mirror, the Sunday People and the Metro in September. Mansfield-Hewitt’s lawyer is set to appeal for bail for a third time
NEWS IN BRIEF Mafia suicide POLICE believe the Irish Kinahan mafia member Michael Cumberton who plunged to his death in Marbella took his own life.
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.
Fobbed off
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
HARDLY CIVIL
CHRISTMAS WARNING: Expats targeted by key cloning gangs on Costa del Sol A GANG of youths are ‘cloning’ car keys to rob vehicles on the Costa del Sol. Expat Dave Gosley, 61, has sounded the alarm after he had €2,500 worth of speakers and equipment stolen from his van, despite NO signs of a break in. The entertainer claims various neighbours have also had equipment and valuables stolen from their cars
Rape law changes SPAIN is to change a law that makes any non-consensual sex act defined as rape. A legal panel of experts was assembled after protests over the infamous wolfpack ‘La Manada’ gang being cleared of rape in Pamplona. The group are recommending that the maximum sentence for rape remain 15 years, while the proposal is still being worked on. Under current law, violence or intimidation has to be proven for a sex attack to be classed as rape.
be using key fob cloners that receive a radio frequency as you unlock your car. They then encode that frequency into another fob – gaining access to your vehicle at a time to suit them. “It means they are watching and monitoring their targets, it’s really unsettling,” added Gosley, from Basingstoke. He claimed the thieves can
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
in Calahonda Park, in Mijas. “This is the third such incident in my urbanisation,” singer Gosley told the Olive Press. “One builder woke up to find thousands of euros of tools stolen from his van.” The robbers are believed to
Claim: Police are firing at smugglers POLICE have allegedly shot at drug traffickers in the Campo de Gibraltar. The incident occurred at around 3am on December 10 after a RHIB boat carrying two people came close to the shore off La Linea, near the football stadium. A British expat, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Olive Press he filmed the incident from his balcony after hearing numerous gunshots being fired at the boat. He added that a van with around seven Guardia Civil officers arrived shortly
EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez
after and scanned the beach for half an hour. “I heard boats going up and down the coast from Gibraltar, then around 10 gunshots over a 15-minute period. I saw police fire at this smuggler boat as it came close to the shore,” the Leicester-born Brit said. The expat, who has lived in La Linea for five years, said he ‘always sees and hears RHIB boats’ near the shore but he had never heard them fired on.
SHOOK: Dave Gosley stand by roundabouts where you pass slowly, or in superstore car parks where they can roam the frequencies at will. “Another neighbour was ‘blipped’ and the doors locked as she passed a group of young men, one who pointed his arm at the car.” A quick search on eBay reveals that such cloners are available at the click of a button. For just €70, anyone can buy the small gadgets which can clone practically any wireless key. Shipped from China, products like the ‘Duplicator Copier Writer Programmer’ even come with a selection of key fobs to create the new keys which, in some cases, will be used to rob cars. “Do not leave anything valuable in your car or van, especially over the Christmas period,” added Gosley. Police in Mijas did not comment in time for press.
A CIVIL servant who ran a multi-million euro drug empire has been arrested with 56 others. The town hall employee was behind the importation of over 62 tonnes of marijuana a year to Spain. During Operation Albarraxín police found 10 tonnes of hashish and €3.3 million in goods hidden in Manilva, Casares, Estepona, Tarifa and San Roque.
Laundering
Police started probing the ‘very active’ gang, who used speed boats to import the drugs, in August. A judge investigating the case has now sent half of the men to prison. “This was one of the most important criminal organisations dedicated to drug trafficking in Andalucia,” a police spokesperson said. “They were heavily involved in money laundering and other types of crime.”
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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
Carey carol SANTA came early for a group of Madrilenos when their night out was interrupted by a live performance from singer Mariah Carey. The RnB diva wowed punters in the Madrid bar starting a singalong of her famous smash hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You. The 49-year-old, donning a plunging sequin mini dress, teamed with knee-high boots, was enjoying a night out at the end of her festive tour. The five-times Grammy-winning star has toured during the Christmas period for the last five years, ending this year in the Spanish capital.
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
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.
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win the world’s highest culinary accolade, he will close the doors of his Puente Romano hotel joint at the end 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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Beautiful liar? 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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Running scared NINE out of 10 female runners feel unsafe when out jogging alone in Spain. Women in Spain mostly choose to run in busy areas during daylight hours, according to the magazine Runners’ World. Some 28% of female runners claim to have been verbally abused or threatened in some way while out training.
NEWS
Home for Christmas A BRITISH expat is set to be reunited with her husband for Christmas after he mysteriously vanished from the Costa del
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Sol for almost two weeks. Aysla Wright was fearing the worst when hubby Donald Wright, 59, disappeared from Fuengirola on December 3. Aysla thought she would be spending the festive period alone after Donald, who told her he was nipping to the bank, failed to return, despite leaving behind his phone. After being put through a hellish two weeks, in which the Olive Press made two online appeals, Aysla was relieved to discover that her husband had shown up in the UK. “I am very relieved,” she revealed. “I’m going over on Sunday for a week so hopefully we can resolve his issues.” Aysla revealed that Donald had simply got in his car and ‘just kept driving’. “He worked his way up the
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Expat family to be reunited after desperate two-week search ends in good news
Murky lurky SPAIN has been blasted after its navy shadowed a Royal Navy nuclear submarine as it left Gibraltar on a secret mission. A Spanish ship breached maritime regulations by following HMS Talent as it left the Rock at the weekend. According to Royal Navy sources, a British frigate had to be scrambled and sent to steer the Spanish ship away from the sub. The incident has been labelled as a ‘clear sabre rattling exercise by Madrid’ over the Gibraltar dispute. It comes just two weeks after the UK filed a complaint with Spain when a warship ‘illegally’ entered British waters blaring the national anthem.
Monkeys
Spain’s inflammatory wargames were shared in an online video and applauded by Spanish Vice-President of the European Parliament, Ramón Luis Valcárcel. The Brussels MEP labelled Gibraltarians ‘laughing monkeys’ in an explosive Twitter thread, which he swiftly deleted. “Strong applause for the patrol boat ‘Infanta Elena’ who today sailed past the Rock playing her national anthem at full volume.” British Ambassador Simon Manley confirmed he was set to send a formal complaint ‘in the next few days.’ “As we always do, we will send in the next few days a diplomatic complaint about the incursion of the ship in those waters,” he said.
HAPPY: Aysla and Donald before his departure coast to Barcelona, crossed the ferry port before eventhe border into France then tually contacting his family took the ferry from Calais. in the UK. “He spent a couple of days at “He is with them now and hopefully we as a family can resolve this.” Aysla thanked the Olive Press and all the other expat groups on the coast who had aided her desperate search. “Thanks for your help and thanks to everyone for your wishes and concerns. I am just so happy he is safe,” she THE dad of missing expat teen Amy Fitzpatrick has revealed added. how the family have been targeted by a torrent of online abuse. The family have received 300 threatening emails from a sick troll, who claimed Amy has been living in the US after she went missing in 2008 from the Costa del Sol. The anonymous online hater has already sent 37 emails THE International Monetary EXCLUSIVE this month and also claimed that Amy, who vanished from Fund has warned Spain that By Heather Galloway Mijas when she was 15, had been to France. ongoing hikes in property Amy’s dad Christopher revealed: “This person has been prices could create another in Barcelona to just 2%. making all sorts of allegations and he seems to be obsessed ‘bubble’ if the approach to “We believe this is because with the case. credit is relaxed. of the political instability in The IMF claims a ‘slight Barcelona but also becauover-valuation’ has been de- se Barcelona is usually the Heartbreak tected and that authorities trend-setter” he told the Oli“I don’t know why they’re doing it but this is just giving us need to be ‘vigilant’ despite ve Press. false hope, it’s only adding to the trauma and heartbreak there not yet being clear evi- “It was where prices first we have endured all these years.” dence of a significant devia- rose.” Christopher’s son Dean, 23, was killed by his ex-wife Aution from credit rules. Besides offering advice on drey’s partner Dave Mahon in 2013. According to a spokesman credit, the IMF report also reMahon, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in prison from Idealista, the price commended moving forward earlier this year claimed Dean had run into his knife during index between 2017 and with new construction schea heated argument in an ‘attempted suicide’. 2018 has risen in Madrid by mes in order to bring properSpeaking at the sixth annual Missing Persons Day, Christoaround 18% but has dropped ty prices down. pher added: “All I am asking for is more support for famiSee Don’t Fret, on page 44 lies because they are all in a living hell.”
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Not over yet A ROW over extreme-right party Vox could allow the PSOE and Susana Diaz to stay in power in Andalucia. It comes as Ciudadanos and the Partido Popular failed to reach an agreement to pact despite collectively picking up more seats than the Socialists in the December 2 snap election. Their fall out comes as centre-right Ciudadanos is refusing to join any coalition that would include Vox, which stormed Andalucia with 11% of the vote. In contrast the PP party is happy to include the 12 elected members of Vox, as it means an overall majority for a right wing coalition.
Power
The lack of progress means there is unlikely to be an agreement by the December 27 deadline, which is when the government must decide its president, vice president and all other ministerial positions. The Socialist deputy leader, María Jesús Serrano, confirmed the PSOE has yet to throw in the towel and confirmed the party was negotiating with other parties to stay in power. It comes after the party, still under the leadership of embattled Susana Diaz, said it would vote down a Ciudadanos-PP minority government. If there is no agreement by
December 27, the deadline will be pushed back by two months. And if there is still no deal made, another election will have to be called. *See Vox of the People, page 7
Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
SPAIN’S far right Vox party could form part of the national government if an election was held tomorrow, a new poll has revealed. The PSOE would win the most votes, but it would have to form a coalition with Unidos Podemos and others to get the majority needed to form a government. However the conservative Partido Popular could also form a government by forming a pact with the
Theresa May and Pedro Sanchez to sign reciprocal expat deal 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 parlia-
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Top of the Vox centre-right Ciudadanos, as well as Vox. According to a poll prepared by Sigma Dos for Antena 3, the PSOE would pick up 24.1% of the vote, followed by the PP with 21.2%, Ciudadanos 18.4%, Unidos Podemos 16.7%, and Vox with 9.2%. It would mean Vox picking up 15 to 17 seats.
Voter friendly ment, 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 elections on May 26. This is despite Spain’s Foreign
SPANISH PLEASE
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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.
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%.
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FEATURE
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 Fair trial?
IT is unbelievable how an apparently innocent man is set to spend Christmas behind bars having already languished for six months in prison still waiting to be charged. Brit, Robert Mansfield-Hewitt, has been locked up with some of the country’s most high profile criminals for half a year without a sniff of a fair trial. We all know the Spanish justice system is slow but one might hope a person suffering a critical health condition would be treated with greater care until found guilty. The Olive Press has been probing the Chichester engineer’s case since the summer and we find the case distinctly murky and disturbing. In particular, we worry about the lack of proof the police have, the connections of the landlord to drug smuggling, but perhaps more importantly how little information is being offered out. We are failing to get answers from police, the courts and even his own lawyer, who indicated that if we published his plight we could in some way damage his case. This comes despite the engineer not being charged.
Christmas cheer It is a wonderful time of year here in Spain. The sun is out again, the floods have dissipated and the atmosphere is distinctly festive, with Christmas lights out in force and a general feeling of goodwill. Please however, spare a thought for those less fortunate than us, the army of rough sleepers, the legions of mistreated children and those suffering horrific illnesses. Here, on this page we list a few of the excellent charities and individuals fighting to help others, but there are dozens more. Please dig deep to help, and above all, make sure you have as happy a Christmas as possible. Thanks to all our readers and advertisers at this festive time of year. See you again in 2019.
‘Tis the season to help
As the festive season is upon us the Olive Press has rounded up charitable causes in need of some Christmas cheer
T
HEY say Christmas is a time for giving. Although it has become somewhat of a cliche, the festive season is the perfect time to remind us of what we are grateful for and spare a moment for those less fortunate. Every year the Olive Press rounds up charitable causes that need help from the community. Although there are dozens of organisations worth supporting along the coast, this festive season the Olive Press has decided to focus on children and families in need. Below we have rounded up four charities and one appeal of our own, which would benefit from a little Christmas spirit.
Two British expats have set up a Facebook page, Just A Little Help, to provide Christmas presents for children at underfunded orphanages in Malaga. Housing some 36 youngsters, aged between nine months and 19, Mundo Infantil Asociacion cares for kids who have lost their parents and domestic violence victims in Malaga, Alora and Antequera. Fundraisers Elle Monaghan and Teresa Leaver set up the page after Christmas last year, having learnt how much the orphanage desperately needed help. “Although kids live at different orphanages in Malaga, they all go to the same schools,” La Cala-based Elle, 23, told the Olive Press. “So some kids from better funded orphanages were coming back after the Christmas holidays with lots of gifts, whereas other kids get nothing and feel left out. It’s sad they should miss out so we set up the page and we have had brilliant support.” The Brits also chose Mundo as it helps kids for a year and a half after they hit
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HELPING HAND: Elle (left) and Teresa
the age of 18, unlike other organisations which stop support when they are adults. Mundo offers them rent-free apartments on the agreement that they apply for jobs or study, while allowing them to save up for their own accommodation. “They are doing something different and the teenagers really see the benefits of it so we want to make sure it continues,” added Elle. For updates on how and what to donate, join the Facebook group, Just A Little Help.
Bancosol Foodbank
Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es
Elisa Menendez elisa@theolivepress.es
HELP NEEDED: (Left to right) Dad Juan, Alexia, Eric, and mum Fabiola meeting Santa
Just a Little Help
Publisher/ Editor
Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
BANKING IN: Volunteers collecting food
Sack of Dreams for Debra A British expat singer has released a charity Christmas song in a bid to raise funds for the ‘Butterfly Children’ charity. Marbella-based organisation, Debra, cares for children who have a genetic skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa. The song, called Sack of Dreams, is composed and sung by Rashpal Singh, 37, who felt inspired to help the cause after coming across the charity this year. Sack of Dreams is available to download on iTunes, Spotify and other leading music platforms, with 100% of proceeds going to the charity.
The Costa del Sol’s annual foodbank collection, La Gran Recogida, has received an incredible 602,500 kilos of food this month. Run by foodbank, Bancosol, the event aims to provide food for Malaga’s most needy, including children and families. Now in its seventh successful year, some 343 supermarkets and shopping centres across the province took part in the charity initiative, with 4,000 volunteers taking part. But the charity needs year-round support and you can help out in a number of ways by volunteering, fundraising, food collection and donating as an individual or as an organisation. Bancosol asks volunteers to dedicate four hours at least two days a week to either work in the warehouse distributing food or helping with a Social-Labour Inclusion project. To donate visit www.bancosol.info or call 952 179 579. Santa came to town this month to offer a helping hand for the association Research into Childhood Cancer (RICC), with a grotto at Ocean Village in Gibraltar. More than £2,000 was raised at the six-day event, where kids got the chance to meet not only Father Christmas but their favourite Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Elsa and Cinderella. The charity aims to help find a cure and minimise the harmful effects of treatment for children with cancer.
The Olive Press launched a Christmas appeal in November to help a Torremolinos-based family needing thousands to cover medical costs for their four-year-old twins who are going blind. Little Erik and Alexia, who have a rare form of retinal dystrophy, urgently need more tests to determine if their deteriorating vision can be treated. Our campaign has received great support and raised almost €2,000 with one reader donating an incredible €500. Mum Fabiola has been overwhelmed and said she ‘won’t ever forget’ how people have helped. “I can’t say thank you enough to the Olive Press and everyone who has donated, there are so many kind-hearted people out there,” the Liverpudlian mum told the paper. But the family still need your help. The genetic tests are crippling the family, who had to opt for private health care after doctors warned it could take two years to diagnose the kids on the public healthcare system. Due to the rarity of the disease it requires a team of specialists to analyse the results in Madrid. But their eyesight is deteriorating so rapidly, they could go blind in that time. Fabiola and dad Juan feel ‘hopeless’ after being forced to sell their car to pay for the escalating medical costs. But after three rounds of medical tests costing €3,000 per child, doctors are still unable to identify the gene, meaning they cannot diagnose the severity, nor advise on treatment. Any help our readers can spare would help the family greatly. To donate please visit: www.gofundme.com/
Research into Childhood Cancer Founded in 1989, the RICC, supports a small team of scientists based at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital - one of the leading centres finding treatment and cures. “We are delighted with the amount raised this year by our Santa’s Grotto team at Ocean Village,” said RICC founder, Craig Sacarello. “We wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas and
the very best for 2019.” To find out how you can get involved visit the Facebook page at @RICC1989.
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FEATURE
December 19th - January 3rd 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
H
E has called feminists ‘bitches’ and ‘scum’, wants to undo gay marriage and has called for a new ‘reconquista’ - which saw the violent expulsion of Jews and Muslims in Spain in the 15th century. Yet, Andalucia’s Vox leader Jose Serrano managed to secure an alarming 11% of the vote in the recent Andalucia elections… and picked up 12 seats in the regional parliament, as part of the deal. The shock result - which makes Vox potentially the kingmakers in any deal to run the region - came after polls predicted the extreme right party would win just one seat. Nationally Vox, which means ‘Voice’, would command around 10% of the vote if a general election was called tomorrow. It is a worrying time for Spain, Europe’s most tolerant country, and unsurprisingly, it has led to column inches in the international press, while pundits have been quick to claim victory for the far-right. France’s hard-right leader Marine Le Pen and former KKK leader David Duke were among the first to congratulate their ‘friends’ at Vox, who boast to being the only party in Spain to support US President Donald Trump. It’s clearly a major concern for the EU project at large, but does the Vox victory represent a change in voter opinion or were there other factors at play? Firstly we need to take into account the huge voter disillusionment with the political establishment in Andalucia. The PSOE has been in power for 36 years since the first free election after the death of dictator Franco in the 1970s and has been plagued by some of Spain’s worst corruption scandals. These include the appalling ERE scam, which fleeced around €1 billion for its leaders, while a fake training scheme scandal may well end up being even more. Its main rival, the PP, meanwhile, has also been tainted by corruption on a national level, with prime minister Mariano Rajoy being ousted this year in a no confidence vote after appearing in court to answer questions on the infamous Gurtel probe. It was probably only natural that voters would even-
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olive press online Spain’s highest-ranked English daily news website
Vox of the people?
tually tire of the corrupt status quo and turn to the ning here, weaponising how Quim Torra, the current newest political kid on the block. president of Catalunya, wrote against ‘the beasts’ Founded exactly five years ago, Vox was set up in who speak Spanish. response to what its leaders viewed as a weak res- There is also believed to have been an underlying ponse by the PP government to the Basque separa- backlash against the movement for women’s rights tist group ETA. in Spain. Vox’s current leader Santiago Abascal - seen riding The ‘La Manada’ case in Sevilla helped sparked the a horse in the recent election drive, national ‘Cuentalo’ movement whiwith the catchphrase ‘the reconle new PSOE prime minister Pedro quest will begin in Andalucia’ - and Sanchez created the most femaVox would fellow member Jose Antonio Ortega le-heavy cabinet in Spanish history. Lara were actually kidnapped by command 10% of According to pollster Narciso Michathe group and held for more than almost seven out of 10 Vox vothe vote if there vila, a year. ters were men. But it was the Catalunya crisis, was an election It’s most likely that many men who which saw an initial surge in suare against women’s rights saw an tomorrow pport for the party. ally in Vox, which is seen as anti-feIn 2017, its member numbers inminist and which wants to scrap the creased by 20% in just 40 days forecent gender violence law. llowing the independence referendum furore. Elsewhere, and much like France and the UK, immiVox’s tough stance on all forms of separatism will gration has become a central campaign issue. have struck a chord with proud Andalucians, who, Vox, which campaigned hard against migrants, and living in the poorest region, are often mocked by the it is therefore no surprise that it did well in areas rest of Spain, not least by those in wealthy Catalunya. like Cadiz and Almeria, which have seen the largest Vox took advantage of that fact during its campaig- number of Africans wash up on their shores in recent years. Now it is likely the party will enter a coalition of right YOUR LOCAL VOICE! - Meet the local Vox politicians in power wing parties led by Ciudadanos and the PP, which will seriously shift Andalucia to the right. Francisco Serrano Manuel Gavira While it is excellent news to see PSOE and Susana Lawyer from Sevilla and notoLawyer born in 1969, based in Diaz ousted after so many years, expect to see touriously anti-feminist Cadiz gher stances on migration and Catalunya. This step to the right has already apparently influenced PM Sanchez, who recently denied passage to María José Piñero Angela Mulas a ship carrying migrants, striking a deal with Malta A doctor and mother-of-seven, Lawyer specialized in commercial which agreed to take them in instead. He also oddly, current president of Vox Sevilla law, based in Cadiz against the normal PSOE stance, took up the issue of shared sovereignty of Gibraltar. Luz Belinda Rodríguez Rafael Segovia Just this week he appeared to take a stronger tone Ex Armed Forces in Almeria. A GP, in Huelva, whose uncle on the Catalunya issue, promising a ‘forceful’ resHousewife, married to a soldier was the former city mayor ponse if the region tried to hold another independence vote unilaterally. Rodrigo Alonso Francisco Castellón What is clear is that the political elite in Spain will Degree in Business, with a teleCommercial pilot, who owns a need to clean up their act if they want to hold on to communications company based drone company, based in Granatheir voters. in Almeria da The years of corruption by the country’s two biggest parties have left a stain on their reputations, while Eugenio Moltó Benito Morillo the temptation for the average voter to throw cauPresident of Vox Malaga, a forEx military and one of the first tion to the wind and ‘shake things up’ is often immer PP councillor in Estepona Vox affiliates in Jaen possible to beat - look at Trump and Brexit. But with a possible snap general election coming to Ana Gil Román Alejandro Hernández Spain next year, the country’s biggest parties better Lawyer, married and with three Former law firm employee, stood get to work if they don’t want to have Vox deciding children, based in Cordoba for mayor in Estepona in 2015 who will form the government.
For our last edition of the year the Olive Press website continues to be the number one rated English news website in Spain, bring on 2019! The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
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- MISSING: Fears for British expat
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who disappeared from Spain’s Costa del Sol two days ago (9,002)
- WATCH: Truck destroys archway
entry to urbanisation on Spain’s Costa del Sol
(6,307)
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- PEED OFF:
Dog walkers on Spain’s Costa del Sol to be fined for not cleaning up pets urine in new crackdown
(5,804)
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- Desperate wife of British expat who
mysteriously vanished from Costa del Sol four days ago reveals more details as search continues (4,692)
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- REVEALED: What’s really behind
the surge in narco terrorism on Spain’s Costa del Sol as €100 million cash and 40 tonnes of drugs seized
(3,890)
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Old banger ban
Gloom and doom METEOROLOGISTS in Spain have warned that the link between extreme weather and climate change is self-evident from weather patterns. Global temperatures during the first 10 months of 2018 were one degree hotter than in the preindustrial age (18591900), says Ruben del Campo of AEMET (Agencia Española de Meteorologia). While closer to home in Spain, five of the hottest summers have occurred since 1965, three of them over the last three years.
Madrid introduces anti-pollution exclusion zone for cars past their sell-by date
MADRID is banning aged cars from its city centre in a bid to reduce monster levels of air pollution. The vintage veto, coming into effect this week, will banish older vehicles from within the perimeter of the M-30 ring road. And from April next year, owners will have to display an environmental sticker detai-
SLAMMED: Ribera
SIERRA de las Nieves is one step nearer to achieving National Park status. Spain’s Council of Ministers has given it the green light and the draft bill will be presented to the Congreso de los Diputados. It will be the 16th national park in Spain and only the third in Andalucia.
Wildlife
DRIVING BAN: Polluting cars banned in central zone ling their vehicle’s emissions levels, issued by Spain’s DGT traffic authority.
A new speed limit of 70km per hour has also been set for the area as part of the new
Ribera slammed
Extreme
According to fellow meteorologist Jose Miguel Viñas, heatwaves are the most evident indicator of the link between extreme weather and climate change, since storms and torrential rains are less frequent. “Mankind has never faced such a challenge like this, we are playing with our survival,” he said. “People know the problem, but they don’t react to it,” he added. “There’s awareness that something needs to be done but in the end not much is done.”
Welcome to the club
A LEADING Spanish conservation group has blasted Spain’s environment minister over her ‘ignorance’ on bullfighting and hunting. Teresa Ribera, the Minister of Environment was criticised for coming out against the ‘traditional activities of the rural world such as bullfighting or hunting’. The director of the Artemisan Foundation, Luis Fernando Villanueva, labelled the minister ‘irresponsible’ and ‘ignorant’. The non-profit organisation says it aims to promote conservation through the ‘use of game species for the benefit of the Ecosystems and the rural world’. It makes its case by arguing that hunting contributes €6.5 billion to GDP and employs 186,000 people.
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mobility plan from Madrid Town hall, which covers 472 hectares of the capital. Police checks and traffic cameras are also in place to prevent cars without the eco sticker from entering the controlled drive zone. Those classified as 0 - electric cars with zero emissions, ECO - hybrid vehicles, C and B - modern diesel and petrol cars - will be the only vehicles admitted. Petrol-powered vehicles produced before 2000 and diesel cars made before 2006 will not qualify for eco stickers, meaning they are permanently barred from the city centre. Fines for rule flouters will not be enforced until after the law comes into effect on April 24, 2019.
“It’s fantastic news for the conservation of our biodiversity” said Environment Minister Teresa Ribera, adding that the new status will benefit the area in terms of tourism, investment and employment. Sierra de las Nieves, between Ronda, Marbella and Coin is home to multiple species of flora and fauna, with some extremely rare species. Its wildlife diversity gives the impression of ‘traveling through different European landscapes’, said the minister.
PROTECTED: Las Nieves
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NEWS
Do you have a what’s on?
Banksied
Roman riches PRICELESS Roman coins have been restored in Spain after almost seven decades of restoration work. Madrid’s National Archaeology Museum has finished bringing the ancient currency back to life and will return them to the Palencia Museum after a 67-year long labour of love. The coins were discovered in 1937 when young siblings Eusebia and Tomas Roldan, discovered a cauldron on an old path connecting the villages of Valsadornin and Gramedo in Palencia.
Treasure
Weighing 45 kilos, the pot contained more than 8,000 silver and copper coins spanning the reigns of 18 Roman emperors and empresses. It is now known as the ‘treasure of Valsadornin’. Experts believe the owner of the cauldron hid the treasure due to the political instability in Spain around 270 AD but never returned.
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 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-char-
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Madrid exhibits UK’s graffiti artist in unauthorised show
what’s on Christmas Carol AN English Christmas concert at St George’s Church in the English Cemetery in Avenida de Pries will be held on December 19 at 7pm.
Xmas jig UP FOR GRABS: Banksy’s works are on display in Madrid ged graffiti decorating hidden UK streets, did not authorise the Spanish show. The exhibition has already raked in half a million visitors
Summer nights THE Rock the Coast Festival has unveiled the full-belting line-up for its first edition at Fuengirola’s Marenostrum Music Castle Park on June 14 and 15. Scorpions will headline the first night while Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow takes centre stage on the second night. The action starts with a pre-festival party on June 13, with Norwegian folk band Wardruna topping the bill at Fuengirola Castle. The Rock the Coast line-up is completed by 14 other bands: The Broken Horizon, Taken, Thyrant, Debler, Absolva, Hypno5e, Aborted, Von Herzen Brothers, Tribulation, Crisalida, Seventh Wonder, Twelve Foot Ninja, Europe and Jinjer.
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.
FAMOUS traditional flamenco competition festival Mayor de Verdiales will take place on December 28 in Puerto de la Torre.
Festive fun MIMA fair offers four to 12 year olds to take part in workshops, eco friendly games and sports from December 26 to January 4 at FYCMA in Malaga.
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Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Plastic fantastic Spanish designers are creating collections made from recycled plastic and it could be the perfect environmentallyfriendly gift this Christmas, writes Heather Galloway
R
adiohead sang about Fake Plastic Trees in 1995, using plastic as a symbol for the dehumanising aspects of modernity. More than 20 years on, the fashion world is finding ways of giving the wretched material a more positive spin as a handful of designers and brands begin to weave recycled plastic PET into their latest designs. ‘Slow fashion’ is the long-awaited antidote to the throwaway culture. And Spain’s coastline has become the source not only of a healthy Mediterranean diet but also of recycled thread. Driven by frustration at the excessive use of the world’s natural resources, Javier Goyeneche set up Ecoalf in 2009 after the birth of his son in a bid to create a truly sustainable fashion brand. By 2015, his Upcycling
RECYCLED: Fishermen reel in plastic from the ocean the Oceans program was plundering Spain’s – and Thailand’s – seas for plastic waste. Since then, 3,000 fishermen have reeled in 250 tons of it, subsequently turning it into sneakers and a range of jackets and coats that consumers can feel good in. Meanwhile Spanish designers Juanjo Oliva and Moisés Nieto have come up with recycled plastic collections that have adorned Spain’s most prestigious catwalks. Selected by recycling pioneers Ecoembes to produce designs using recycled PET for the Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week in July, Juanjo Oliva delivered what he dubbed the Oliva Collection III. Almost all the garments were cut from 100% PET fabrics into a no-frills all-weather look in muted shades of blue and black. As
Juanjo says, the recycled PET fabric currently available is very similar to nylon. “It is good for sportswear and rain gear,” the designer tells the Olive Press. “More sophisticated recycled plastic fabrics would be more ex-
pensive to produce and consumers are increasingly less sophisticated. In general, people don’t dress up anymore for the theatre or dinner. They don’t care about coordinating their gloves with their scarf and skirt. And there aren’t many who have silk or designer clothes in their wardrobes. The Olive Collection III was aimed at making clothes that people want. A raincoat can be cute or ugly. If it’s cute and well designed and people want to wear it and, on top of that, it’s using recycled plastic, it becomes an interesting project.”
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Juanjo was selected by Ecoembes because of Another drawback is that it is inadvisable to his cutting-edge and environmentally-friendly wear plastic-based fabrics against the skin credentials. “Luckily, there are an increasing due to the hormone disruptors connected to number of designers like Juanjo Oliva who are cancer. Sneakers and coats generally have a aware of the potential fashion has to drive new layer in between, but it does raise questions consumer trends and create a social conscienabout the desirability of taking the concept ce,” Elena López, head of Ecoembes commufurther. nications tells the Olive Press. “And that helps Juanjo, however, believes that we have to to make these kinds of fabrics more ‘democrawork within the framework of the world as it tic’ and mainstream.” is. “We’re not living in the 1900s on an Amish What many of us don’t realise is that much farm,” he points out. “Isn’t it better that the of our clothing is made from various forms of nylon you’re wearing against your skin is replastic – just not the recycled kind. One look cycled? In any case, there is no natural fabric at the label and you will likely see polyester, that hasn’t been through some kind of indusacrylic, nylon and other synthetic fibres in the trial process and all thread has some nylon in mix. These materials are far cheaper than the it, so we have to be realistic. Everything has its recycled variety, despite Ecoemdownside.” bes’ insistence that the price is Elena from Ecoembes rejects not wildly different. the notion that consumers miEcoalf’s sneakers, for example, ght be lulled into believing that They have no are over €100 and its jackets if plastic can be recycled in this idea how many and coats closer to the €200 way, there is no need to cut it mark. Meanwhile, Juanjo’s co- clothes are made out. “Fortunately,” she says, llection [available from his shop “consumers are increasingly from polluting on C/José Marañon 4, Madrid] aware of the importance of cahas a price tag of between €300 ring for the environment. The chemicals and €600, which is, he says, study Brands with Values recheaper than his other designs. vealed that 60% of Spaniards Naturally, clothes made from reprefer to buy clothes that have cycled plastic has its sceptics. “The problem been made with the social and environmental with making clothes from recycled plastic is impact in mind.” that you are creating a material that is now But Paloma is not as upbeat about our conindestructible,” says Paloma García López, sumer awareness. “I give talks at universities the founder of The Circular Project, which suand the students end up with their mouths pports 30 small designers exploiting recycled open,” she says. “They have no idea how much materials. “The PET is woven into other fabrics of their clothes are made from plastic nor the to make it more durable. But how do you reamounts of polluting chemicals which are cycle the recycled? The process of separating used in the production process. There’s also the plastic from these other materials is very the social aspect. So many in the industry outdifficult and expensive.” source to companies in the developing world
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
where child labour is common. These are the things we don’t see.” According to Paloma, fashion is now the second most contaminating industry on our planet, hard on the heels of the oil industry. “Clothes get thrown out and leak chemicals into the environment. We have to buy less.” Juanjo agrees. He says greater thought needs to go into our wardrobe. “People have no criteria when they shop and that has to change,” he says. “People’s have mounds of clothes that lack character and design and all they do is fuel the consumer machine. Marketing has drilled it into us that it is good to buy on impulse and they’ve done a great job of turning us into sheep.” It takes between 450 and 1,000 years for plastic to decompose – plenty of time for it to poison the planet’s ecosystems and discarded clothes have become a huge part of the problem. On the bright side, Paloma says, “I’m convinced we’ll get to the point where plastic stops being produced. In the meantime, I understand we have to use as much as we can.”
ECO: Designer Paloma’s recyled clothes
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Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
Grab some seasonal sparkle with our pictorial guide to the Costa’s coolest Christmas illuminations, writes Charlie Smith
M
ALAGA does Christmas like nowhere else, but it’s not the only corner of the Costa del Sol with a spectacular display of festive sparkle. The city’s cathedral-inspired lights twinkling along Calle Larios are a sight to behold but other resorts are threatening to outshine the provincial capital with their own urban razzle-dazzle. Estepona’s display this year centres on Plaza Antonia Guerrero, where a huge Christmas tree lights up the square, while the whole of Calle Terraza is also illuminated. In Marbella, Avenida Miguel Cano is the place to switch on to the yuletide cheer with a brilliantly-lit street that’s a hive of activity for families after dark and long into the night. However the star of Costa del Christmas 2018 may well be Fuengirola’s gigantic glittering bauble which returns to grace the town’s Plaza de Espana. Wherever you’re celebrating the season, wrap up warm and get out there before the big switch-off plunges us back into the sombre reality of Monday, January 7.
ILLUMINATE: Malaga, Fuengirola, Marbella and Estepona’s famous lights
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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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 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.
12 lucky grapes
guarantee 12 months of good luck in the coming year.
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 the church clock. It’s not as easy as you think but there’s an imperative to eat the lot in order to
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 ne-
CHRISTMAS SHOCKER: President Trump as a ‘caganer’
ver 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.
Deserted streets
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 families get together for a feast at home although teenagers may head out to discos in the wee small hours. It is the same on New Year’s Eve until around an hour before midnight when a human earthquake hits In the fifth book of the Shadow Sisters the streets, with some revellers series Tiggy travels from the Alhambra partying on until to South America on a journey of selfdawn.
Seeing stars discovery
Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
M
oon Sister is the eagerly awaited fifth volume in the Shadow Sisters series, however, the books can also be read as stand-alone no-
vels. This novel follows one of Pa Salt’s adopted daughters, Tiggy. Tiggy takes a job caring for animals on the Scottish estate of Kinnaird where she meets Chilly, a gypsy, who informs her that she has a sixth sense passed down from her Spanish ancestors. This revelation takes Tiggy to Granada and the Alhambra. She discovers her connections to the Gypsy community of Sacromonte, who suffered appalling treatment under Franco during the Spanish civil war. From here Tiggy travels to South America and New York on a journey of self-discovery. With meticulous historical detail and a captivating narrative, Lucinda Riley’s latest offering does not disappoint.
Sweet Jesus
These days Spanish kids get two rounds of Christmas presents - some from Santa on the morning of December 25, the rest on January 6, the so-called Day of the Wizard Kings. They are the same three kings who brought gifts for the baby Jesus
CHRISTMAS CRACKER: Most Spaniards wear red underwear
but while the good kids receive presents, the naughty ones are supposed to receive coal. The 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 Bethlehem to the baby Jesus, his pa-
rents’ 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.
Yule handout
€19.50, Available from The Bookshop San Pedro www.thebookshop.es TURKEY TWISTER: Not a common dish at Xmas
It’s a tradition on the verge of extinction but it still survives in small towns. In the build-up to Christmas, children roam the streets, stopping at every door to sing a villancico in return for some yuletide pocket money known as an aguinaldo.
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AWAY-DAY TO A MANGER: Belens are the highlight of many towns, while (right) pile of turrons
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 nou-
gat 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.
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LETTERS
LE T T E R S
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019 FEATURE
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In the aftermath of the tragic death of British teen Richard Fitzsimmons, the Olive Press investigates triggers for teenage suicide and how parents can look out for the signs
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OPINION
Chance for change
but confirmed departure of the PSOE a is a chance for leaders in Andalucia from out the corruption which has plaguedto fithis r decades. most southern autonomous community much to offer and has great potential, been given the chance over the past but 30 anks to self-serving leaders who cared hing more than lining their own pockets. for leaders to address the REAL concerns ople and to start actually doing their jobs. leader Susana Diaz had made a real tamp out corrupt practices then perhaps d have held onto her job, but she chose to e rumbling discontent among the people antly called a snap election thinking the uld never turn right - she thought wrong.
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By Elisa Menendez
December 5th - December 18th 2018
LET’S TALK MENTAL HEALTH
COLLECTION of teddy bears, flowers and delicately handwritten notes decorate the wall of a busy department store. It’s hard to believe that one month a teenage boy took his own life by jumping ago from the fourth floor of El Corte Ingles in Puerto Banus, in an apparent suicide pact with his girlfriend. The untimely death of 16-year-old Brit Fitzsimmons and the circumstances Richard that surround it have rocked the coast and united many in grief. But the incident has encouraged many action by raising awareness about to take health in teenagers and, above all, try mental to break down the stigma that engulfs it. Aloha College, the private school Richard and his girlfriend, 14, attended, quickly activated a plan following his death and brought in a psychologist to talk to pupils. It also emails advising parents to talk with circulated their children about what had happened. In an open letter, the college described ‘wonderful boy’ and offered their sincerehim as a condolences to his family. In 2017 there were 177 suicides among 15 to Olive Press. “Aloha College continues to be focussed on the 19-year-olds, compared with 110 in 2010 - fig- Dr Hallin, who wellbeing of its pupils, to help them through owns mental health centres in this ures which have risen almost every year, accord- Marbella, Sotogrande, difficult time. He will be warmly remembered, ing to the UK Office of National Statistics. Malaga, Gibraltar and Cadiz, believes the surge and sorely missed.” Depression and bipolar are the most common flection of a pressurised, in depression is a reAlthough it is unknown what tragically causes of suicide globally, stressed society and youngsters to suicide, unfortunately drove the stance abuse, schizophrenia followed by sub- suicide is a consequence of ill-treated mental their story and anxiety disor- health. is not an unusual one. ders, says Marbella-based child psychologist Dr “The Spanish mental health system Suicide is the second leading cause is of death in Alejandra Hallin. atic, unless you are dying they won’t problemyoung people aged between 15 to 29 While Samaritans in Spain volunteer, see you in Spain, Jilly Hodg- - that’s a luxury they cannot following tumours, reveal national statistics. es, says exam pressure, gender afford. They don’t And growing numbers of teens killing have enough resources. issues and feeling like an outthemselves in the UK are sparking fresh “We have to start valuing our cast are the main reasons over the mental health crisis in young concerns teens call the Costa del expat mental health and invest in it. Sol helppeople in Another general. When there’s diabetes in the line feeling suicidal. “Some have a lack of friends, important factor family, you’re more aware of what you eat. It should be the or are unhappy having left their same for mental illnesses, it’s that is very friends in the UK, or feel like an genetic.” outsider especially in Spanish damaging is the The doctor also adds that exspeaking schools,” the Costa del Sol-based Samaritan tells language we use pats are one of the groups most at risk. the Olive Press. Moving to another country, she Despite great advances in meninsists, is the second biggest tal health awareness in recent years, why do so cause of depression, as many still suffer in silence? foreigners do not have the same support network. Dr Hallin says the main problem with it is still considered taboo, despite it suicide is Another important factor that is incredibly damsecond leading cause of death in the being the aging - reflecting societal views on mental illness world. and suicide - is the language we use. “There are so many programmes and teaching you what to do when someoneadverts Supposed ‘throw away’ everyday terms such EXPERT: Harvard professor Alejandra heart attack or stroke, but there’s nothing has a as ‘I just wanted to kill myself’ are loaded comHallin suicide,” the Harvard University doctor about ments for people who have thought about killing told the themselves, or for those who have been through
Fantastic work
In ref to your in-depth feature Let's Talk Mental Health in the last issue, let me congratulate you for the fantastic investigative work that you and your team are doing. It is a pleasure to read the Olive Press and I really appreciate all the research and information you disclose. One thing, I would say, there is quite a lot more to the death of that teenaNew ger Richard, much of which cannot be divulged, and I suspect you know most of it. All in all then, thanks forPearlbeing so senLuxury Rugs sitive to the parents and the school. AP-7
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Spanish Councils are so short of money that they are breaking the law and demanding a tax that has been ruled to be illegal. Spain's Constitution ruled that where a property was sold at a loss, the local council was not entitled to charge the plusvalia tax, the tax resulting from an increase in value of the land. Logically, if the property is sold at a loss then there is no increase in land value and therefore no tax. However, many Town Halls are so dependent on this tax for their finances that they still demand solicitors hand it over on completion, leaving owners to battle to reclaim it back later. In November 2015 my wife and I sold, at a loss, our apartment in Duquesa, which fell under the Manilva Town Hall. The solicitor was obliged to hand over some € 7,800 and since then we have battled to be refunded, but have been ignored. In May we issued proceedings against the Council and have heard that our case will be heard in December 2020 - yes that is 2020.
Press freedom The rise of hard right-wing parties in Spain - which this coalition in Andalucia will be - does not bode well for the freedom of journalism (Election shocker as PSOE to be ousted from Junta after 36-year reign, Issue 306). Will this outcome constrain the crusading nature of the Olive Press? Stefanjo, Malaga ED: Hi Stefanjo, in a word, no. The Olive Press will continue to crusade and investigate on issues across Andalucia, despite the rise of the far-right. Regardless of the politics of the region, our journalists remain determined to report the news honestly and investigate shady goings-on.
Michael Alinek, London
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Beef it up
Vox pops
Britain should beef up its defence of the Rock (Spanish warship sails into Gibraltar waters blaring national anthem, Issue 306). At least get a couple of typhoons to scare the crap out of them. Fully armed, travelling at speed towards them - that would make them think twice.
Readers react to an expert’s warning that the rise of farright party VOX could make life worse for British expats in Andalucia
John Hillaby, Finestrat
Stuffing their gobs
You cannot have a cheesy churro (Morrisons’ Christmas cheesy churros send Twitter into meltdown with Spaniards begging UK to ‘keep Gibraltar’ instead, Issue 306). That is silly. British The worry is that illegal economic migrants are copeople will eat any old shite ming to Spain like they did to the UK. Spain doesn’t at Christmas though. They want the same to happen to its country and who can stuff their gobs with all sorts, blame them. Amongst these economic migrants are tethen moan they’re fat in Culinary maestro rrorists. This is a fact. Europe and the countries they January. I’m not saying the Albert Adria introduces ‘cakes are coming from should be searching for the people London to sweet ones are better, but at and bubbles’ foodie in firstthe smugglers who organise these people into boats etc.Peace ofleast Spanish don’t gorge venture outside of Spain Many of these people are not refugees. They have mo-the pie on them. O ney to pay the people traffickers and buy mobile phones so they are not quite penniless refugees. This is Julie Frank, Malaga why the right-wing can get votes!
Terrorists lurking
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
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Across 7 Broad-brimmed straw hat (8) 8 Tiered shelves (4) 9 Forced high notes (8) 10 Helps (4) 11 Midday nap (6) 14 Polar top layer (3,3) 15 Chatter (3) 16 Third sign of the zodiac (6) 18 Flexible pipework (6) 20 Scheme (4) 21 Kind of soup (8) 24 Autocratic ruler (4) 25 Exceptionally tense (8) Down 1 Roster (4) 2 Mistreats (6) 3 Baby's bottle feature (4) 4 Driver (8) 5 Lubricant (6) 6 Polluted precipitation (4,4) 12 Put on a pedestal (8) 13 Excited (8) 17 Discount (6) 19 Explosions (6) 22 Secret look (4) 23 Way out (4)
Answers on page 49
Brenda Newsam, Sheffield
Innovative
Bigger fish to fry
Democrat Congressman John Delaney, who nominated Andres, said: “With an incredible spirit and an innovative mind, Andres is solving one of the world’s ancient problems.” Andres wrote about his Puerto Rico efforts in his book: We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time.
I think there are bigger issues at stake right now, especially with this UN deal which would alienate the far right completely. However, with Italy, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and the Swiss refusing to sign, where does Spain stand? The EU is looking shaky right now. I hope the UK leaves Europe. Macron is on shaky ground as well. Spain has no idea if it’s left, right, centre or actually clueless. I think we are all stuck in the ocean with no wind right now.
Geoff Harding, Benahavis
Street, Cakes & Bubbles is a spin-off from La Dolca - the fantasy desert space at his restaurant Tickets, in Barcelona. The choice of London for his first non-Spanish venture was an obvious one for gastronomic revolutionary Adria, who
A BRITISH supermarket has sparked outrage among Spaniards after announcing it will sell cheesy churros this Christmas. Foodies have taken to Twitter to slam Morrisons for 'blasphemy,' claiming that this new twist on their beloved breakfast treat does not deserve to be called churros. One Spanish foodie insisted: ‘Keep Gibraltar but don't
describes the city as ‘the great capital of the world’. “You’re not going to find anywhere in the world like this, London was the perfect venue - a gift,” said 49-year-old Adria. “I have been working 33 years towards such a project.”
Cheesy idea
do this please,’ while another joked, ‘cooking fish and chips with vanilla ice cream in three, two, one.’ Morrisons describe their controversial Christmas creation as a ‘blend of mashed potato, cheese sauce and Gouda cheese with a red pepper dip and a medium-fat hard cheese sprinkle.’ It comes in the wake of Jamie
Oliver’s foodie faux pas, when he insisted that chorizo was an integral part of paella. Nevertheless, cheesy churros will go on sale from December 16.
Ignorance is bliss At least these children know where meat comes from (PACMA slams hunting rituals in Spain where 10-year-old children’s faces smeared with blood, online). n escape perfect Autum The killed The animal looks like. a wild boar killed for food. I eat meat and a wild animal is happier than an intensely farmed animal. I would rather eat the hunted wild boar as it had a better life. •
Plaza de España, 16. Vejer de la Frontera Tel. 34 956 447 730
James Garton, Marbella
Expat economics Expats from all countries help the economy. They are spending hard-earned money that they likely earned in another country. Spain should be thankful for this money pumped into its economy. Yes, everyone should be legal, but the sales tax on everything bought adds up too.
Denise Bayliss, Torre del Mar
No monkeying around I hope she knows she won't have an automatic entitlement to claiming benefits (Gorilla to leave UK in search of love and new family on Spain’s Costa del Sol, Issue 306). Frank Gillespie, London Voted BEST
Thia Hostad, Casarabonela Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@theolivepress.es or alternatively message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress
www.rcgtreeservices.com rockscampogardens@gmail.com
Slight destruction THE Spanish government has admitted its minimum wage hikes to €900 a month will cause job losses, calling the effect ‘some slight job destruction.’
School’s out MALAGA schools will be shut from December 6 to 9 in a ‘macropuente,’ a four-day weekend that allows Andalucia to correct the calendar over Christmas.
Round the world ONE of the world’s most famous ships, the replica of the Nao Victoria, is set to dock in La Linea today (wednesday) and can be visited until Sunday.
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Vol. 13 Issue 306 www.theolivepress.es December 5th - December 18th 2018
BABY GOT SILVERBACK
UK gorilla looking for love on Costa del Sol
THIS is Buu (right), the UKbased gorilla set to travel 2,300km in a bid to start a new family in Spain. The female, 20, will leave her home at Chessington zoo in London, before travelling to meet her new potential partner Echo at the Bioparc in Fuengirola. Buu, already a mother in London, will share the habitat with the younger 'Echo', who arrived a year and a half ago from a zoo in Kolmarden (Sweden) with Kim, an elderly female. Before Buu embarks on her expat journey, Bioparc caregiver Javier Vicent must travel to London to meet her. It is essential he bonds with
her and learns everything about her, including her character, diet, behaviours and how she interacts with caregivers. The silverback gorillas are much more social than other types of primates like chimpanzees. Vicent will observe Buu's daily life before sharing what he learns with the technical and veterinary team at the park in Fuengirola. A keeper from the Chessington zoo will also accompany Buu and Javier on the journey to make sure she is as SOON TO BE EXPAT: Buu headed to Fuengirola least distressed as possible. her new home. They will also stay for The meeting of Buu and which is in serious danger around a month to make Echo is hugely important of extinction and is among sure Buu settles in well to for the silverback species, the 10 most threatened primates in the world.
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If people don’t agree with the lefty luvvies that say ‘oh you have to accept everyone else’s beliefs’ then they are classed as far right. Vox will not do anything to the Brits and others that live here, as long as they respect the laws. They might get rid of a lot of the illegal immigrants that are really just economic migrants. But with the way Macron, Barnier, Tusk etc. want to stop planes flying from the UK, it is those Communist dictators you should be more worried about. There are 18 million tourists flying to the costas every year. If they stop coming then many people’s livelihoods in Spain will disappear.
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“No Worries, Just Memories”
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ANDALUCIA i ing a hotbed fo lence. The reg three-Michelin rants and a t more than dou ago. Andalucia fifth place in S stars, with two joining the glit While, Marbe stole the show credible third chez’s Baga in Fernandez’s L won their firs 2019 listings French food g “The region fashionable Undoubtedly, the star of the added the re faworld Michelin-star menu is the chef’s mous Tickets’ cheesecake - a The ‘Chef of t trompe l’oeil hazelnut and wowing dine white chocolate coulommiers El Puerto de Alevante in S cheese wheel. Creating a guilt-free haven, Cadiz provin Cakes & Bubbles’ treats have Spain’s lege less added sugar than usual, no Adria, told t colourants, icing or glitter and lier this yea are based on seasonal produce a massive gr to emulate Japan ‘where their over recent y different “The chefs a desserts reflect the the quality o seasons of the year’. Each dessert takes the team ond to none of seven three hours to create editor Jon C batches of 150 treats. Other patisserie winners in- *** Dani G clude the ‘air-pancake’ finished Marbella, D with caramelised banana, Thai * LU Coci grapefruit and papaya salad, frozen coconut and chocolate Jerez, Juan flower and a strawberry and * Baga (+ chocolate marshmallow After Jaen, Pedro Eight.
Sweet success
NE of Spain’s most iconic chefs is set to cook up a storm in the UK. Albert Adria, former co-owner of the five-time winning World’s Best Restaurant El Bulli, has opened his first permanent restaurant outside Spain. The legendary pastry chef joins fellow Spanish chefs David Munoz, Eneko Atxa and Martin Berasategui in London, with his new neoclassical eatery. Called Cakes & Bubbles, it will only be serving up champagne and pastries. Housed in the luxury five-star hotel Cafe Royal on Regent
BIG-hearted Spanish super-chef Jose Andres has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize after helping disaster victims. His World Central Kitchen organisation, set up by Andres in 2010, helped feed three million people in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Most recently, the humanitarian and author, who has a series of restaurants in America, helped feed 15,000 survivors of the California wildfires, mobilising local and celebrity chefs.
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Olive Press Crossword 1
TO SANTA
FINAL WORDS
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MEATY: Vote ballot
Choriz-no
WOMEN in Andalucia have protested against political corruption in a very unusual way. Instead of voting with an ‘X’, numerous women placed slices of chorizo inside ballots at a Ronda polling station during Andalucia's regional election. Chorizo is used in Spanish slang to mean thief, with the poll booth stunt referring to the male politicians who have plundered public funds on strip clubs and prostitutes over the past three decades.
Shake and not stirred
AN earthquake has shaken Andalucia this evening in the small town of Atajate. The website of the National Geographic Institute registered a quake of magnitude 3 at 17km below the municipality at 15.57. The Emergencias 112 Andalucía system has not received any calls over the tremor, which is not believed to be serious.
A
S A Sierra Nevada
19www.ll about theolive-ll about AXARQUIA the olive press - October 30 - November 12 2014 www.theolivepress.es
Vol. 13 Issue 307
ierra Nevada
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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December 19th- January 3rd 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 DeContinues 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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Ski central
From Page 20
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
MELIÃ
SIERRA NEVADA
www.theolivepress.es December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Sierra Nevada
www.theolivepress.es ll about
THE LIFE: Sunbathing over lunch and (below) punters at friendly Bar Ski
towards 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’)
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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 for de-
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 mini-olympiads 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.
cades. “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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SMALL ACORN: First bar, (right) Muralla Burguer and (below) La Muralla food
With half a dozen businesses on the slopes, including a new burger joint, the Funes family are going places
Sierra Nevada’s coolest new restaurant ONLY the Best Beef! Edif Mont Blanc, Sierra Nevada (in front of Melia hotel)
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OMING together for Christmas is what families are all about. And the Funes’ know this more than anyone, building one of the Sierra Nevada’s most dynamic and bustling businesses. Under the parent name of Las Gondolas, they have a supermarket, ski hire company, a school and three restaurants in the resort of Pradollano. The Argentinian family all do their bit, with the three children Lorena, 41, Gonzalo, 39 and Luciano, 37, doing the daily graft. It was their father who brought them over from Argentina two decades ago, wanting to come back to his natural home of Granada (he was born nearby in Lanjaron). They had run a supermarket in south America, so it was perhaps natural that their first business in the Sierra Nevada was a similar type of shop. It did so well, they had soon opened a bar and restaurant next door, before expanding across the street
RENTAL & SCHOOL
Beefed up
with a ski rental business. To this, they have now added a ski school - run by Luciano’s girlfriend Simone, a super friendly Austrian - as well as two more restaurants, the celebrated La Muralla and the brand new La Muralla Burguer. Together they have become a for-
ce of nature in situ with Sierra’s stunning scenery. “The key to our success is quality and excellent service and we bend over backwards to help our clients,” explains Gonzalo, who takes particularly pride in the amazing steaks on offer at his main restaurant La Muralla.
SKI & SNOWBOARD
Music · Food & Aprés Ski
www.alquilerlasgondolas.com
Plaza Pradollano, Edif. Genciana · Frente Telesilla Parador · Tel. 675 825 756
Plaza Pradollano, Edif. Telecabina · Information and Reservations: 657 454 448 Email: lasgondolasrentalschool@gmail.com
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Icy blast from the past
Going downhill fast
CHILD’S PLAY: It’s fun for kids on the slopes... but not if their dads are teaching them
Jon Clarke on the terrors of teaching your children how to ski
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F there’s one golden rule of skiing it’s DON’T Up there on the one degree slope practically noteach your children how to do it. thing can go wrong, and it was a huge relief when It was a lesson I learnt the hard way when I I handed them over to the very capable teachers found myself flailing down a green run in the at the Las Gondalas ski school, whose patience Sierra Nevada with both my youngsters in tow a apparently knows no bounds. few years ago. So why on Earth am I so keen for my youngsters Enthusiastic and fearless - like their dad - they to learn to ski? had somehow persuaded me to The unselfish reason is I want take them up for a couple of runs them to develop a skill that will before their scheduled lesson was Horribly having keep them fit and that they can set to begin at 11am. enjoy for years to come. to decide which The selfish reason is that I want But when we all fell over in the first lift queue I got the hint that I might an excuse to go to the Sierra Nechild to save, I have been a touch foolhardy. vada as much as possible throuPulling them both up again we finaplumped for the ghout the season. lly alighted the chair only for Alfie, For there is nothing as lovely as youngest my then five-year-old, to fall off the taking in the mountain air and other side, stopping the lift for him breathtaking views of the Sierra to be scooped up by the lift operaNevada. Bright sunshine, a gentle tor. breath of wind and a glass of Veuve Cliquot in the Within 30 seconds of moving again came the first champagne bar on the way down. cry of cold and then the announcement that he Now something of a winter ritual since moving to was ‘not going to ski down’ Andalucia 16 years ago, a day or weekend away And after falling over again as we got off the lift, I in the Granada skiing resort is always great fun. felt pretty certain he was going to have to be ca- Heading up with friends, there are usually berried down. tween 50 and 100kms of runs in a good year and However, he suddenly got his ski legs and we took the choice of places to eat in the resort is surprioff - well tumbled really – down the slope. singly good, not to mention good value compared I had tried to get their skies into the classic to the normal skiing resort prices. snowplough position and Then, of course, you get told them to head sideways the health benefits. All that not straight downhill. fresh air and movement for But, of course, it doesn’t hours at a time has got to work like that and while Alfie be good for you. My search went left, Maia, then eight, engine produces millions of shot off to the right, screaresults when the keywords ming blue murder. ‘health benefit’ and ‘skiing’ A horrible moment having are entered. to decide which of your two A random look at one deschildren to save, I plumped cribes it as so ‘Pure zingy for the youngest, a daredemountain air contains lower vil, with no fear, but no soolevels of oxygen than we are ner had I picked him up, I generally used to… the body skidded off after Maia, who becomes more efficient in was by now on a totally diffeits circulation and oxygen rent run 100 metres away delivery… which is great for and in floods of tears. sluggish desk-bound types! We regrouped and I attempQuite. ted to get them to follow me It goes on to talk about down in a zig zag with promistress-busting, facing fears ses of bravery medals and and overcoming frustrahot chocolate at the bottom. tions. After five falls each and a And so ultimately came as shout from an angry teaa lovely surprise that after cher, when we bombed one of the most exhilarastraight through his class ting mornings skiing I could IN SAFE HANDS: Jon finally sending the pupils tumremember, I picked up my hands kids over to a teacher bling, they made it to the bokids with huge smiles on ttom with, guess what, huge their faces. smiles on their faces. I proposed lunch down in the resort with their It was a lesson in damage control and I just about mother to which, they screwed up their faces and passed, but I vowed to leave the job of training insisted it should be a bocadillo and chips at the them to the professionals. top, followed by an afternoon’s skiing with dad. The rest of the hour before their lesson was spent I can tell you it got better. And by the end of the on the very, very nursery slope (and its bizarre second day, these two tornadoes were hooked. ‘magic carpet’ tunnel), luckily with a Dutch friend It made my year, and we have been coming back and her daughter, who was an equal novice. ever since.
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NO TUNNEL VISION: Maia and Alfie on the way up
Tlf: +34 958 17 72 93 Plaza de Andalucía, Edificio Montebajo, Local 1, 18196, Sierra Nevada National Park
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Timeline of a ski station • Angel Ganivet, Spanish Consul to Helsinki, gave birth to the idea of turning Sierra Nevada into a ski resort at the end of the 19th century. He likened his Granada homeland to the ‘Finland of Andalucia’ in a local newspaper. • 1898 marked the creation of Diez Amigos Limited, a group that led skiing excursions around the area. • Thanks to their continued success, the organisation was able to create the first youth hostel in the area not long after rebranding itself Sociedad Sierra Nevada in 1912. • The main road from Granada to Sierra Nevada and a cable car were both put in place at the beginning of the 1920s, which allowed more people to discover the joys of snow-oriented fun. • The boom years of the resort began in 1964, when Centros Turísticos S.A. (CETURSA), was created, allowing its rapid development. • Sierra Nevada is the southernmost ski station in Europe and sits at the highest point in Spain. -The station hosted the World Alpine Ski Championships in 1996. It has also welcomed several Alpine Ski World Cup events, with the first in 1977. In addition, it has been the main venue for the Winter Olympics. • In 2017, Sierra Nevada will host the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle World Championships (see poster right), a major international contest put together by the board of the International Ski Federation
Sierra
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Route to the It used to be a two hour bus ride from Granada and then a donkey up the slope
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HE only way to get to the top of the slope was to walk... or take a friendly donkey! Indeed, until the first two ski lifts (Borreguiles and Parador) were built in 1969, this was the preferred route. The resort actually dates back to 1912 when Spain's oldest ski club, the Sierra Nevada Society was founded. However, it was not until the 1920s – with the modernisation of Granada’s roads - that the Sierra Nevada started to become known. By the last 1950s a bus used to chug its way up to the slopes, while cars would turn up in their dozens at weekends. Visitor numbers slowly grew
CHUGGING UP: An old bus takes skiers up the slopes
from then and, in 1964, Cetursa, a business dedicated to reserving ski tickets, was founded. It was around then that the resort was at its most glamourous with the likes of Principe Alfons Hohenlohe, the owner the Marbella Club hotel, regularly bringing up friends, including Sean Connery to ski. The best selection of old pictures, not just some of the vintage visitors to the resort, can be found in the charming Tito Luigi restaurant, which has been open for 30 years and counts the King as an occasional visitor. “We have had them all in here,” explains owner Javier, who heralds from Menorca. “Spain’s best footballers, bullfighters and its leading politicians... everyone loves to ski in the Sierra Nevada.” One of the longest-established workers in the resort Jose Carlos Villanueva remembers the 1960s well. “I actually had my first communion on the slopes wearing ski boots and a jersey. I was the only one in Spain,” he explains pointing at a photo of him as a child, with his sister.He had arrived there in 1961 when his father got a job running the 'alberge' one of just three
COMPETITION: There have been tournaments here since 1950
buildings in the resort back then. Living there for five years, it was no surprise that he always had a strong urge to return and at the age of 15 he became a ski
Reserves: +34 695 425 633 www.lafonduedenoa.com
Address: c/ Virgen de las Nieves, 3P29. Sierra Nevada
WHEELY MISSED: A tram used to rattle up from Granada
teacher. Now, appropriately – after 38 years teaching and an incredible 50,000 students – Jose Carlos is running the charming bar Bodega Casablanca.
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Jetting in! World champion Jet Skier David Selles has set up on the slopes
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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 shop and school in the heart of Pradollano.
PUSH: Helping get a bus up the slopes and (below) a donkey lift and cars on slopes
HOT SEAT: David with team and (top) after winning jet ski title
Be Snow is the culmination of a three-year 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 decades for the father-of-two,
Plz. Andalucia Edif. Montebajo, Local 8, Sierra Nevada
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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Sierra Nevada
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Telemark has been catering for families and adventurers on the snow since 1989, writes Jon Clarke
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HERE are not many inches of the Sierra Nevada that Luis Casanova and partner Jesus Fernandez don’t know. Be it hiking, b i king, cross country or off-piste skiing, they have slipped, slided or skidded down the lot for the last three decades. Celebrated for their famous off-piste mountain adventures that last from a morning to two days, they are perhaps the most experienced and wisest pair in the Sierra Nevada. But their ski and snowboard school, set up in 1989, is now focusing very much on families and children.
hite orld “We have realised that our knowledge and know-how is perfect for families who want the perfect personal one to one skiing break,” explains Casanova, who spends half the year in the resort and the other half in Africa. The company also still runs amazing wilderness trips that literally end up in another world... the charming cobbled villages of the Genil valley, in the Alpujarras. These one or two-day adventures take you through deep off-piste snow onto narrow mountain tracks. “We try to put an emphasis on ecology and nature and it is impressive to see the typically old farmhouses in the area and how little
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Sking is for all ages and the Telemark team are famous for looking after all ages they have changed,” adds Luis, in perfect English. “It is a real, fun adventure, something you will not forget. “Best of all, a team of mules ends up helping to bring your stuff back to Pradollano,” he adds. The day trip costs just €100 per person and includes transport and lunch. Another popular pastime for those, who don’t fancy risking life and limb on the pistes, is to have a day of
cross-country skiing on two or three well established paths around the resort. “It is great fitness and you do get to enjoy the fabulous views and nature at the same time,” he adds. The company can also help organise hard-core uphill climbing for mountaineers to a half day soft snow walking trip with snow rackets. Contact the team on telemark@ telemark.es or call 958 48 11 53
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+34 958 481 170 +34 675 470 669 www.alquileressierranevada.es
Urban legends
MONKEYING AROUND: But the Mono Careto warns against this
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O local Granada folk, the Sierra Nevada mountains are hugely important - and not only as a source of tourism and pride. Their snow-capped peaks are the setting for many legends and urban myths. The stories, designed to help explain tragic events and natural phenomena like avalanches, have been passed down over the centuries and remain classics to this day. Below are the two most famous.
The Sierra Nevada’s treacherous nature has created a land of myth and folklore a bad mood that The mono careto granaina’, makes you snappy towards The literal meaning is ‘monkey face’ but the mono careto may be a magical monkey or a mystical fairy, depending on who is telling the story. The small, hairy creature is blamed for many of the ills that befall the local populace, including the ‘la malafolla
DID YOU SNOW? Do you know all these facts about the Sierra Nevada ski resort? • The Mulhacen peak is 3478 metres high and is the highest point of continental Spain. • There are 66 plant species and 80 animal species native to the Sierra Nevada National Park. • Sierra Nevada has been part of La Vuelta a España with the final stage of the cycling race ending there on several occasions. • At 1200 metres it has the largest difference in gradient in any resort in Spain. • Night skiing is held at Pradollano on weekends, weather permitting • The Super parque Sulayr has a 165 metre Half Pipe for freestylers and snowboarders and is Europe’s largest freestyle snowboard park. • It is the most Southern ski resort in Europe and 80% of its days are sunny during season. • Sierra Nevada ski station hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1996 and the 2015 Winter Universiade, the world university games. • The name Sierra Nevada means ‘Snowy Range’ in English • Sierra Nevada has 107km of skiable slopes, with 115 runs (40 blue, nine black, 50 red and 16 green as well as cross-country ski trails). • The resort’s ski lifts can carry 45,555 skiers every hour. • In case of a lack of snow, there are 353 artificial snow cannons which cover 35km of piste.
DID YOU KNOW?
others. It has also been fingered for causing avalanches which have buried mountaineers, cutting climbers’ ropes and throwing rocks at visitors. The cheek critter is believed to have been created as a metaphor for how dangerous the mountains can be if you don’t treat them with respect.
The Devil’s Broom LEGEND has it that there was once a wealthy lord who lived with his beautiful daughter in a remote castle in the Alpujarras, on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The lord planned to marry his daughter off to a fellow landowner, and kept her hidden away from the world so she could not meet anyone else. But unknown to him, she had been sneaking out of the house at night and had already fallen for a local shepherd. When the lovers learned of her father’s plans, they decided to elope north through the treacherous, snow-bound mountain passes, even if it meant their deaths. On his way to meet her, the shepherd bumped into the devil who offered him a broom to hide his tracks in the snow. Pursued by the rich lord, the couple fled until they reached the 3,371-metre peak of Mount Alcazaba, just a few metres short of the mighty Mulhacen (3,482m) But when they dropped the broom it began to sweep by itself, causing an avalanche and burying their pursuers. The story goes that the broom was left there forgotten, where it still sweeps, causing landslides to this day.
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We’re fly The Sierra Nevada is fast becoming a natural haven for Spain’s top snowboarders
‘Your snowboarding centre in the Sierra Nevada'
'Lessons, gear, advice and tips’ Plaza de Pradollano 3 y Plaza Andalucía Edificio Salvia, local 16 · Granada
Tel. 958 48 07 31 LOCAL PRO: Jesus at South Star shop, the Mecca for snowboarders
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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OCALS boast of its cream snow. So it is no wonder the Sierra Nevada is a Mecca for thrill-seeking snowboarders, who come in their droves to take advantage of a soft and sumptuous ride. For beginners and experts alike, Spain’s highest resort is a glorious setting. With its stunning scenery and top-class facilities, it was no surprise that it won the bid to host the Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships last year. One of the best places to catch the top riders in action is at SuperPark Sulayr, Europe’s largest freestyle snowboard park. Sitting at an altitude of 2,700 metres on Borreguiles, the famed snowboarding park houses the country’s biggest permanent half-pipe. Measuring an astonishing 165 metres in length with a height of six metres, the spe-
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CARVE UP: Some of the sections of the superpark Sulayr
cial design flattens the snow on the side of the half-pipe so boarders can jump on both sides. Rookies will also find a place to carve their niche in the resort, thanks to the gentle gradients of central station, Borreguiles. Here, lifts deposit snowboarders on a smooth and well-groomed area where they can hone their skills. Many professional snowboarders class Sierra Nevada as their home and a few shops specialise just in snowboarding. These include South Star, where Jesus and his brother juggle their passion for the snow with running their own two shops. “It’s a fantastic place for snowboarders, one of the best in Spain, if not Europe,” explains Jesus. “It has grown loads over the last few years and we are always busy.”
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Brits on the piste
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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, coago. llectively 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 Joto help him grow nathan, who lived his travel business, working with the likes of Neilson Ski in Marbella in the golden years before alongside First Choice and Thomp- it was ruined by corrupt leader Jesus sons, that had just launched in Gra- Gil. “Sierra Nevada used to see in thounada. 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 sufriendly, outgoing persona. “I had no idea what was going on but ffered 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
Your English centre on the slopes
resorts don’t open until mid December 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.
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
SUITED AND BOOTED A massive investment puts Rio Sport at the very peak of ski technology
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HE Sanchez del Rio family have been working on the slopes for well over five decades. First in Australia and more recently in Spain their company Rio Sport has been ahead of the game in terms of quality of equipment and expertise. Set up originally by Alfonso and wife Joan in the Sierra Nevada in 1988, the business is now run by son Phillip, 41, while brother Alexander is regularly found on the slopes too. Based out of two locations, both just yards from the main ski-lifts, they have cleverly cornered the expat and foreign market that makes up around 20% of the resort’s clientele. “Around 70% of our clients are foreign and probably about half of those British and Irish,” explains Phillip, who loves his job, particularly as he gets to ski almost every lunchtime. “I put our success with expats down to giving good service and offering good quality products,” he continues. “We were also the first expat business here, now open for 30 years, so that counts for a lot,” he adds. The company, which has around 20 staff, including teachers, particularly specialises in the quality of its boots. Indeed, Riosport is one of only a few dozen places in the world where you can get the top quality, personalised Strolz make of ski boots and a specia-
ALL CHANGE: Phillip has overseen a huge investment at Rio Sport this year list Fischer machine fits your feet. Custom-fitted for the most tricky customers, they almost guarantee not to give you pain. Phillip can even make personal footbeds for ski boots. “They are perfect for any foot,” Philip explains. A huge expensive refit of the main shop has made it one of the most modern-looking in the resort. visit www.riosport.es
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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- with mango and strawberries cades, this wonderful restau- and a rocket salad, followed by rant has provided tucker for a churrasco de ternera served bullfighters, Hollywood stars with a ripe melon and brown and politicians. sugar! And it’s perhaps not a surprise The trendy joint is the second for a joint that consistently pro- place she and partner Jaime vides for 250 covers at night have opened after working for during the busy season… and seven years at the nearby La it won’t cost you an arm and a Fondue de Noa restaurant, leg. which is a more traditional plaSpecialising in good Italian ce, but really popular with punfare, it serves up great pizzas, ters on the slopes. pasta dishes and my favou- With its classic Alpine look, it rite squid-ink spaghetti with is hard to miss, but be warned, prawns. there are a few modern twists The pair have another, hipper on the food including the half restaurant Tito Tapas just up dozen different ways to have a the road and a third more for- fondue. One is a Mexican-style mal restaurant up the hill in the called ‘Chingona’ and another middle of the resort. is called ‘Curry House’ which is One thing for sure, since I first obviously a hit with the Brits. came to review the restaurant But, without a doubt, still leascene of the ding the way in Sierra Nevada the creativity a decade ago, stakes is Stevie You really need Silva and his hip things have changed subsyoung team at to have your tantially. Ci Vediamo. specific niche While this may I met him and not be San Sehis charming and I like to do bastian, the girlfriend Luna sheer variety of things differently Coronado, who restaurants in runs the resPradollano is taurant, exactly as good as ana decade ago, ywhere in Andalucia… and the and their success could not be quality keeps getting better. more deserved. Much of this is thanks to a Opening just as the worst restrong influx of foodie restaura- cession in Spain’s history kicteurs in recent years, with the ked in, they did anything but latest including an excellent Ja- contemplate their navels and panese, Shimbuya, the buzzy came out fighting with new diMar Sala and the excellent shes by the week and a new Braseria. look every season. “You really need to have your Former professional snowboarspecific niche and I really like to der Silva loves to experiment in do things differently,” Yolanda, the kitchen (much of this after from Braseria told me. his regular trips abroad in the This certainly rung true when autumn to places like Indoneshe brought out a delicious sia, Mexico and Brazil) and he starter of thinly sliced foie gras changes his menu by the day
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. December 19th - January 3rdproduce. 2019 Dishes made with love and high quality
Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
PLATE CREATIVE: Inaki and (inset) bosses Stevie and Luna at Shimbuya depending on what he can find in the markets. And after the success of various Asiatic dishes such as uzukuri of turbot with yuzu and kimchi and an amazing soft crab tempura - it was perhaps no surprise that he 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, Continues 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 19th - January 3rd 2019 ll about
Top of the pile From previous page
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 particular 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
TRENDY: Swell
HOT: La Mar de Buena and boss Carlos 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’
SOUL FOOD: Fatima’s La Cariguela and (right) Carlos at Tia Maria
other bustling spot Las Gondalas, 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-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 ano-
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Nevada
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Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
ther place called La Mar del Bueno, which is a very stylish place and promises to be a true winner this LENTIL TIME: At Bodega Casablanca and (below) team at La Visera 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 a Plaza has de Andalucía, Edificio Montebajo, Local 1, superb mix of Italian 18196, Sierra Nevada National Park and Spanish dishes. My tomato, mozzarella
Tlf: +34 958 17 72 93
See next page
LA
MAR
DE BUENO by La Mar Salá
We specialise in fresh fish, seafood, rice and BBQ meat
Abrimos a las 12.30 Plaza Pradollano s/n, Edificio Mont Blanc Local 30, Sierra Nevada Telefonos de Reservas: 958 480 800 | 662 028 033
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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Tlf: +34 638 58 83 73 Plaza de Andalucía, Edificio Montebajo Local 2, 18196, Sierra Nevada National Park
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www.labraseriadesierranevada.com Reserves: 622 809 275 Address: c/Virgen de las Nieves, 3 Local 1. Sierra Nevada.
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Sierra
December 19th - January 3rd 2019 ll about
TEAM: At Croissanteria From previous page
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 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.
Home-made Tapas and all TV Games Plaza de Pradollano, Bajos Melia Sol y Nieve, Sierra Nevada – Granada
Tel: 657 198 524
TALENTED: Boss at Vertical and (top) original Burger Telesilla’s
Nevada
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37 Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 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 19th - January 3rd 2019
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GO UP TO THE SKY
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family · friends · apreski · night skiing · snowpark · competition
Celebrating a century in business
Family affair www.theolivepress.es
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
How Gibraltar’s leading jewellers have remained relevant after 100 years in business
T
UCKED away on Gibraltar’s Main Street stands a store that tells a long story of heritage and history. Celebrating 100 years since it first opened its doors to the public, Essardas has survived two world wars, a civil war and the Suez Crisis. The Budhrani family established the business in 1918 and four generations later Essardas still remains one of the go-to jewellers on the Rock. But how has the family-run business stood the test of time and remained relevant in an ever-changing competitive market? It’s down to community spirit, first rate customer service and above all remaining versatile, says co-owner Vikram Budhrani. “We operate by the phrase ‘treat a customer how you would like to be treated’. We’re
doing something right because the majority of our clientele are returning customers,” adds the 34-year-old who started working in the shop at the age of 18. The story of Essardas began during the First World War when Vikram’s great grandfather, Essardas Budhrani, set up the store that is still there today. The British merchant began working with everything from brass wear to ivory, before his son Kishinchand took it on in the 1930s and started the next generation of the business. Moving into the wholesale food market the store developed over time and has started trading jewellery in the last 20 years, now offering everything from watches, jewels and accessories at prices that are suitable for all tastes and budgets.
And as Essardas grew, so did other local businesses off the back of it. The jewellers has maintained a strong partnership with Jyske Bank Partnership - formerly known as Galliano’s - since the 1940s, ensuring the businesses grew
together. “Not many companies can boast that a bank has grown because of them - we always send our customers over there and they do the same with us. It’s been a brilliant community partnership,” says Vikram.
Now recognised as the largest quality jeweller in Gibraltar with six boutiques, Essardas offers a wide selection of gold, diamond and gemstone jewellery along with brands offering affordable and luxury watch brands.
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Essardas offer services such as engraving, diamond mounting services, jewellery repair and cleaning, insurance valuations and customised jewellery. “There have been good times and bad times. The business has shrunk and grown. Given everything that has happened in Gibraltar over the last century, we were there throughout it all. “But one thing we have always done is adapt ourselves to the changing market and embrace it,” says Vikram. Next the Budhrani family plan to ‘diversify’ the business by venturing into the health and beauty market under the name of Pure Wellness. Offering something different to your typical health stores, the brand will offer a range of natural cosmetics at a new site at 9 Parliament Lane. The first health store which is set to open in the new year will be in La Linea, named Lifestyle Essardas - offering more affordable ranges. “It’s exciting and we’re looking forward to the next chapter in our story,” adds Vikram. With new stores, a changing market and a new generation of the Budhrani family, the next 100 years are sure to be eventful for Essardas.
GIBRALTAR FINE WATCHES & JEWELLERY
FOLLOW US FOR ALL OUR TAX FREE OFFERS
TAX-FREE SHOPPING 64 MAIN STREET, GIBRALTAR T: +350 200 78441 E: CUSTOMERSERVICES@ESSARDASGROUP.COM WWW.ESSARDASGROUP.COM
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40 www.theolivepress.es 40 December 19th - January 3rd 2019
BUSINESS
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Wish you were here? Airbnb clients do as Andalucia soars into their holiday hotlist top 20
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ANDALUCIA is among the top 20 most sought-after travel destinations in the world for Airbnb customers. According to the property portal, Spain’s southernmost region was one of the most searched or reserved destinations this year, as well as one of the most popular additions to travellers’ wish lists. Its 18th place ranking represents a 100% increase in its popularity in just one year. According to Airbnb, tren-
ding locations are more likely to boast sustainable and authentic tourism models which ‘equally benefit locals and travellers’. The good news comes as Malaga was declared the second-most resilient province to ‘seasonality’ in Spain following huge investments in inland tourism, year-round projects and unique offerings like the Caminito del Rey. “More and more people are looking to Andalucia, with
Kids are alright SPAIN is set to inject €2 billion into the economy in a bid to tackle youth unemployment. It comes after a recent report found that today’s youth are worse off than a decade ago, despite them being better trained and educated. One in every three youngsters in Spain is out of a job in a country which has the second highest unemployment rates (14.55%) in the EU after Greece. Labour Minister Magdalena Valerio noted that many Spaniards in their 20s are still ‘dependent on their parents and sometimes grandparents, due to a lack of opportunities’. The government has now announced it will spend €2 billion over three years to better train under-30s in language and digital skills.
The Grapevine
the number of people adding it to their wish list doubling,” Airbnb said, noting that Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla are the ‘crown jewels’ in its collection. “It is a destination loved globally for its incredible architecture: the set of the Real Alcazar de Sevilla, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, the Alhambra of Granada and more,” the company added.
Authentic
“However those travellers who want a unique journey filled with authenticity can follow the route of the white villages or marvel at the beauty of locations like Malaga’s Frigiliana, whose Moorish neighbourhood will delight lovers of history.” The most sought-after destination on Airbnb’s list was the coastal resort of Kaikoura on South Island, New Zealand, with a 295% surge in bookings year-on-year, followed by the desert island of Xiamen in China, which had a 282% increase.
by Laura Wood
A very Spanish Christmas Try some local traditions this festive season, writes Grapevine’s Laura Wood
T
HE most cherished tradition for Spanish children at Christmas is the arrival of Los Reyes Magos. Although Santa Claus also exists, the Three Kings are the stars of the show, arriving on the morning of January 6 every year with gifts for the kids of every household. When December comes around, children start to write their letters to the Magi asking for presents and informing them of the all the good deeds they have done throughout the year. It is said that if a child is good, they will receive presents and if they have been naughty, only a lump of coal will await them. Their majesties are said to arrive on camels from the east, which is why they took so long to get to Spain after the birth of Jesus and nothing to do with ‘mañana syndrome’.
On the evening of the 5th, there are parades in every town with a huge variety of colourful floats, costumes, music and dancing.
This marks the arrival of Los Reyes Magos, who throw handfuls of sweets to the children watching.
On that same night children put their shoes next to the front door so that the three kings will know how many little ones are in each
house. They also leave a glass of water for the kings after their long journey through the desert, with a bowl of grass for the camels. In the morning, the children find their presents in and around their respective shoes and find the water glasses and bowls of grass empty. The rest of the day is spent with the family, usually with lunch out and a stroll along the paseo on this frequently sunny January day. So, how about adding a little Spanish festive cheer into your household? Even if it’s just going to the annual Three Kings parade and getting your hands on some of the sweets being thrown into the crowds, it’s a great way of feeling a little more connected with the local community.
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Travel turmoil CHRISTMAS is on track for rail chaos as staff at Renfe and ADIF plan 24hour national strikes on two of the busiest travelling days of the festive season. The stoppages are timed for December 21 - for many the last working day before Christmas - and January 7, the first day back at work after Three Kings. The reason for the industrial action, according to
the CCOO trades union, is the ageing workforce (average age 55) and chronic staff shortages, particularly of female staff who represent just 13% of employees. Workers are demanding 5,000 new staff to replace those fired during the economic crisis and a shorter working week of 37.5 hours - a deal agreed by the previous government but never implemented.
December 19th - January 3rd 2019 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 ori-
The price of corruption Dodgy dealings cost Spain four times more than it pays out to the nation’s jobless 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 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%. Spain sits at 8% and follows Italy where the corruption bill is a whopping €237 billion, France (€120 billion)
In the red 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. 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.
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
and Germany (€104 billion), while corruption costs the EU €904 billion annually overall. 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. The ERE scandal in Andalucia saw almost €1 billion stolen by leaders of the Junta. The decade-long scandal saw politicians from the socialist-run government divert public money from an €855 million fund meant for unemployed and retired workers. Other scandals like Gurtel saw dozens of Partido Popular leaders accused of taking more than €450 million in backhanders in return for awarding construction contracts and other favours. The case became the first with a sitting prime minister in the dock when Mariano Rajoy was questioned over his knowledge of the slush fund.
Santa Sanchez ginally pledged the new 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’.
BONUS: Sanchez to increase minimum wage
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BUSINESS
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Brexit Xmas panto
P
ANTOMIME season is a British tradition that many expats miss. But this year the Brexit panto is keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. It stars Theresa May, dres-
Going public
A COSTA del Sol-based been a drop in the number financial firm is to make of Britons buying homes a public offering on the here, down by a third in the NASDAQ exchange. sed as the principal boy in through parliament? Oh no, me villains, Michel Barnier past year, according to the The announcement by the Woodbrook Group, a firm tight trousers and sparkly it won’t! and Leo Varadkar. That’s Association of Registrars. shoes. Have you got a deal? Look behind you, Theresa, why your backbenchers Yet, in a sign of the confu- of financial consultants Oh yes, I have! Will it get for here come the pantomi- are hissing. No, hold on, it sion caused by Brexit, there with an office in Marbella, seems to be you they are has been a sharp increase in will see significant growth the number of Britons appl- in this rapidly-rising comhissing at. Ho! Ho! Ho! But it’s no lau- ying for Spanish citizenship, pany. which will safeguard their ri- Woodbrook, in partnersghing matter for the thought to residency, work and hip with Inter-M Traders sands of British expats health care. These rights Ltd and its affiliates heawho have made are protected under ded by Demetri Michalatheir homes and built the Withdrawal kis and his team, has purtheir businesses A g r e e m e n t chased a company in the across the European but cannot be US as it prepares an RPO Union. guaranteed if in advance of qualifying More British peothe UK leaves for listing on the NASDAQ ple live in Spain without a deal. Exchange when practicathan in any other Unfortunately, the ble. country other Brexit pantomime Michael Doherty, the than their own does not have a 45-year-old Irishman who and Brexit has fairy godmother who heads Woodbrook and is already taken can wave her wand a regular columnist with its toll on the and make the problems The Olive Press, will be c o m m u n i t y. vanish. CEO and President of the According to It is possible, none- newly-restructured entity. a recent report theless, to take some in El Pais its numprecautions; to hedge bers have dropped Prestigious against currency fluctuafrom a peak of 400,000 He is joined by existing seto safeguard your penundertaker, contact our school. toInterested 250,000. in becoming antion, nior Woodbrook executision, to protect invest-........ 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www.theolivepress.es
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Time to
Following on from previous articles, our Malaga based legal associates at M1 Legal have enjoyed many successes on behalf of our clients!
In the majority of cases, their contracts have been deemed null and void as a result of them failing to adhere to Spanish timeshare legislation requirements, in particular perpetuity (period in excess of 50 years), points, floating time, fractional, receiving deposit during the cooling off period and failure to provide the necessary pre-contractual information. Some recent successes include: APPEAL VICTORY - CLUB LA COSTA After an initial court decision that the case did not fall under Spanish jurisdiction, Our associate Spanish law firm M1 Legal appealed the decision which was reversed by the Malaga Court of Appeal. The defence argued that the case should not be heard in Spain claiming that the contract fell under English law. The appeal judge ruled that the contractual party i.e. Club la Costa (UK) Sucursal en España is a Spanish entity and the case should be heard in Spain. All cases with the above contractual name
are currently being re-submitted to the court of first instance. M1 Legal can now confirm receipt of FOUR more victories against Club la Costa on Jurisdiction regarding the same contractual party.
Gran Canaria has confirmed the original sentence. This means M1 legal have won twice on behalf of this client.
APPEAL VICTORY - ANFI RESORTS S.L.
It was revealed that the Silverpoint contract was in perpetuity which means there was no end date disclosed.
The court of first instance issued a judgement whereby Anfi Resorts had to refund the sum of £19,607 plus interest and also declared that the contract be deemed null and void. Anfi Resor ts appealed against the judgement and we are pleased to report that the court of appeal in Las Palmas de
VICTORY - SILVERPOINT
The judge presiding over the case ruled in favour of the client and ordered that the contract be deemed null and void. Silverpoint have been instructed to pay out £22,000.
In the month of November alone we secured victories for claims against Anfi Group totalling £61,000. All contracts were deemed null and void with the majority being in perpetuity (no end date). A further £36,914 was awarded to clients against Silverpoint & Lion resorts. For any other timeshare enquiries contact Sharon Johnson at sharon@m1legal.com
Our Spanish headquarters
Call us:
951 562 550 (Spain) 0800 6101512 (UK)
Visit us:
www.ecc-eu.com From all the team here at ECC, we wish you and your families a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Make 2019 time to share YOUR story! As seen on
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Property of the Week
Fuente de Piedra - TH3898 84.950€ Semi detached townhouse. To the front of the property is a gated courtyard which leads to the main entrance. The ground floor has a shower room, large lounge diner with fireplace and a spacious fitted kitchen with plenty of storage.
tel: +34 952 741 525 Calle de la Villa 14, 29532, Mollina, Malaga info@inlandandalucia.com www.inlandandalucia.com
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Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
Marbella mansion where One Direction made debut, among top 10 most viewed properties this year THE Marbella mansion where boyband One Direction made their debut performance has been one of the most viewed properties of 2018. On the market for a whopping €40 million, the 12-bed villa boasts 180-degree views of the Mediterranean. Perhaps most famous for hosting X Factor’s Simon Cowell in the ‘judge’s houses’ stage of the competition, the luxury pad has been hosting a stampede of viewings this year according to Rightmove. In a list compiled by Mail Online of the site’s most viewed houses currently on the market, the celebrity pad shares top popularity stakes with a Scottish castle and a Maldives
PROPERTY
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Villa with X-Factor SHOW STOPPER: Simon Cowell’s ‘judge house’ island resort with an ocean relaxing by the pool with waterslide. guest judge Sinitta as the pair It was back in 2010 that mu- scrutinised the babyfaced 1D sic mogul Cowell was filmed boys at their first ever perfor-
Bubble-free THERE are no signs of a new property bubble in Spain, according to the head of the bank of Spain. The Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos made the comments after house sales rose by 15.8% in October, a seventh straight month of increases. “We’re a long way from any excessive growth in credit and the weight of construction has seen an important adjustment,” he said at a banking conference in Madrid.
MORTGAGE THINK TANK Spain is not entering a new property bubble, but it can still do more to prevent another, writes Tancrede de Pola
W
E all remember the horrific aftermath of the 2008 property crash in Spain. It’s why the recent warning from the International Monetary Fund may have been a cause for concern for many a homeowner or investor. The government lender claimed it had detected early signs of ‘a slight overvaluation’, advising Spain to begin monitoring its property market more closely. “It is critical that the Bank of Spain has a comprehensive toolkit at its disposal so that it can act promptly should misalignments emerge,” the IMF said in its annual report on Spain. “The authorities need to be vigilant. The set of macroprudential tools should be expanded to deal with potential financial stability risks.” But let’s not carried away. While house prices have increased by around 15% between 2014 and 2017, sales are being driven by existing housing stock rather than new housing. Additionally, the homeownership rate has dropped from 80% to
INCREASE: Hernandez
mance. The fivesome famously performed after band member Louis Tomlinson was stung by a local sea urchin, before his new bandmates carried him into the audition. The Marbella mansion’s musical legacy, after hosting the seven-time Brit Award-winners, explains why the property is Rightmove’s second-most viewed outside the UK this year. It was pipped to the top spot by a 12-bed villa on Kunfunadhoo Island in the Maldives, on the market for €12.6 million. With a swimming pool dining room, ocean views from the bedroom and even a private waterslide, it is easy to see why this house fit for a king is the most viewed abroad this year. Hollywood, Monaco and another Maldives house, were the other most viewed non-UK properties, while the UK’s most popular home is a 6-bed, €5.6 million family home in Greater Manchester.
by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola
Don’t fret! 77% as people are turning to the rental market, while the Spanish economy is much more stable
than it was prior to the 2008 bubble. The growth in house prices is not
being matched by a rise in credit flows while private debt levels are remaining stable and the coun-
try’s balance is positive - a far cry from the days when it was borrowing around €100 billion each year. It means a bubble is far less likely, but it doesn’t mean Spain should shy away from bringing in new tools to stave off another crisis. The Bank of Spain already has levers it can employ to limit mortgage approvals - when necessary - based on the value of the home, the borrower’s income or payment deadlines. Spain should also be vigilant to systemic risk in order to prevent the emergence of imbalances or bubbles. As the country’s property market continues its healthy progress, Spain can put measures in place to prevent another disaster, however unlikely it may seem at present. A previous proposal which called for bringing the Bank of Spain, the CNMV watchdog and Economy Ministry together into one agency would be a welcomed idea. In the end, it is up to the Bank of Spain to encourage responsibility within the mortgage market but only when necessary.
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.theolivepress.es
Flock off
AN Andalucian city has pledged to banish 5,000 pigeons amid complaints from restaurant and hotel owners that they’re driving away tourists. Cadiz is set to remove thousands of its feathered foes after Horeca, a federation of hoteliers in the city, claimed the city centre was overrun with the birds. The group slammed the issue as ‘intolerable’ having lost 20% of its business due to the pigeons, which steal food from customers and leave ‘excrement’ everywhere. Horeca, which first brought up the issue two years ago, said the pigeons could lead to health problems, with waiters constantly cleaning up faeces near customers when they are eating. Some 5,000 birds will be rounded up and relocated to the Valencia town of Riba-Roja de Turia next year.
December 19th - January 3rd 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-
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
La Consula come-back
BACK TO WORK: Malaga school
A TOP Andalucia catering college has finally reopened its restaurant to the public to an avalanche of over 300 bookings. La Consula, in Malaga - where three Michelin-starred chef Dani Garcia trained – took half of those reservations in the first 48 hours of its website going live. Some 145 students train at the academy, while second year students create and prepare the menu for diners in the 40-seater restaurant. The regular menu is
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
available for €20 and the tasting menu is priced at €50. The school is set in a stunning villa surrounded by gardens that was an old holiday haunt of writer Ernest Hemingway. The restaurant was much-loved by Spanish and expat foodies alike for its affordable fine dining but the school closed down in 2013 due to the financial crisis. La Consula and La Fonda, in Benalmadena, will be open to the public until June 6, 2019.
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.
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.
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FOOD,DRINK &
46
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
How to beat the Xmas hangover
There is no scientifically proven cure for the morning after, but here’s a number of strategies that together could blast away the cobwebs and get you through the next day, writes Heather Galloway
A Open Tuesday to Sunday. until 22.00 Closed 12.00 until mid February
restaurant | lunch and dinner restaurant | lunch and dinner
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s Christmas approaches, there’s a tacit understanding that we will all throw caution to the wind and have a glass or two more than we should. This, we will pay for afterwards with a state of fragility that inevitably raises a laugh or two. But a severe hangover is far from funny. Not only do we spend the following day dogged by an unshakeable sense of guilt and shame, we also get a premonition of how it might feel to have one foot in the grave. Usually, over-indulgence precedes 24 hours of downtime for snoozing and scarfing large fry-ups. But this year, a friend of mine has scheduled her Christmas-themed wedding bash bash on a Sunday night. This ought to be illegal. But as it is not, I am considering my options. I could of course exercise some self-restraint and simply water down the fun by matching every glass of wine with a glass of H20 or similar. This seems feasible now but could, in the event, prove somewhat optimistic. I have also ruled out staying home –too cowardly – and have busied myself instead with preparing an assault on a number of different fronts on the inevitable state of ensuing collapse. First, there’s bad news– which you probably already know. Those ‘experts’ promising miracles have either mistaken the Babycham for the Champagne or are peddling scientifically unproven remedies for financial gain. Secondly, the Brits seem to have looked into this matter in far more depth than the Spanish. The predominant advice from ‘experts’ on the peninsula involves a Paracetamol the morning after and gallons of water –tactics that have yet to yield results in my experience. The Brits, meanwhile, have obviously been casting around desperately for some solution to the beastly aftershock of their binges and come up with a far more extensive range of suggestions.
After some careful investigation, I have drawn up the following plan of action:
Pre-party
Take a couple of high quality fish oil and a couple of starflower or primrose oil capsules. Besides coating the stomach, the combination of the Omega-6 fat GLA in the starflower or primrose oil and EPA and DHA Omega-3 fats in fish oils is said to inhibit the production of inflammatory prostaglandins partly responsible for hangover symptoms while triggering anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Research carried out in the 1980s found that this made a hangover significantly more bearable. Further line the stomach with a protein-packed pre-party dish involving either meat, fish, chickpeas, eggs and nuts. Protein is broken down more gradually than sugar and carbohydrates and so decelerates the rate at which the alcohol is absorbed. Take two Milk Thistle capsules – known as Liquido de cardo de leche in Spain. The jury is out on whether this herb extract will do much to alleviate symptoms but as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, it could prod the liver into more efficient action as it deals with 95% of the toxins coursing through my system. Plan how much I will drink before leaving the house and dwell for a while on my last hangover, giving serious consideration to the fact that no pharmaceutical company has yet come up with a bona fide cure.
During the party
Avoid all dark-coloured liquids, including bourbon, whiskey, brandy and – yes – red wine. These contain high concentrations of a compound known The cheapest way to get fantastic new as congeners produced during the designer jewellery is to remodel fermentation process, which tend to your own jewellery trigger the most devilish hangovers. I 30 Years Experience | Diamond Sales will also break with Design & Remodeling | Repairs tradition and say no to the bubbly as it raises blood alcohol levels more quickly. Contact Tim Try to alternate between glasses of (0034) 677 195 638 wine and glasses of water; though I
don’t hold out much hope for this strategy, it is possibly the most reliable angle to come in on.
Before bed
Drink a glass of warm water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and honey, according to Icelandic custom. As veterans of drinking themselves into a stupor, the Icelanders should know a thing or two about hangover remedies and this one tackles basic rehydration as well as countering the acidity of the alcohol with the vinegar,which becomes alkaline once consumed. As for the honey, apart from being an antioxidant, it provides plenty of potassium, which is diminished b y the alcohol and also contains fructose, which breaks down alcohol faster. Take another two Milk Thistle capsules. Put a large glass of coconut water beside the bed and try to drink at least some of it before swimming off to sleep. Coconut water contains electrolytes – sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride and hydrogen phosphate and hydrogen carbonate – which help the body to rehydrate more effectively. As dehydration is one of the main pillars of the hangover, this has to work in some measure or another.
The morning after
Drink a cup of warm water with the juice of half a lemon and a big dollop of honey. The lemon increases bile flow and helps to detox the liver. Drink another cup of warm water with slices of fresh ginger, eating as much as the ginger as possible as it has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Eat a large onion, garlic and rocket omelette fried lightly in olive oil with bread. Eggs, onion, garlic and green leafy vegetables are a rich source of B6. Eggs also contain the all-important amino acids cysteine and taurine. Taurine boosts liver function while cysteine tackles the toxic chemical produced by too much alcohol, known as acetaldehyde, a nasty by-product of metabolising alcohol that turns out to be more toxic than alcohol itself and thatwill be making me want to hurl. Other foods that contain cysteine are legumes, cheese, soybeans, fish, beef, lamb, chicken, sunflower seeds and oats. Take a multivitamin tablet with minerals. Snack on sunflower seeds – rich in cysteine – and other seeds and nuts throu-
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Christmas drinking survival list
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
• Fish oil capsules • Starflower or Primrose oil capsules • Milk Thistle capsules • Apple cider vinegar • Honey • Coconut water • Ginger • Garlic • Sunflower seeds
ghout the morning while trying to focus on work. These are rich in zinc, magnesium and calcium. Drink more coconut water. Take two more Milk Thistle capsules.
Go for a brisk walk. Exertion helps to sweat out some of the toxins. Go to bed as soon as work is finished and pray that no one else throws a party on a school night.
The perfect Autumn escape. •
Plaza de España, 16. Vejer de la Frontera • Tel. 34 956 447 730 www.califavejer.com
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Dec 19th - Jan 3rd 2019
Jon Clarke is blown away with a lot more than the views at new restaurant Sarmiento
E
VERY once in a while a new restaurant opens with real panache and style. Few also manage to provide good
food. Sarmiento is one of those rare exceptions, a spot so different from the normal offering on the Costa del Sol, that you feel it’s almost out of place. But, in fact, it couldn’t be more authentic. Take the short 10-minute ride inland from the coast at Estepona and you will discover, the very best of what Andalucia can offer: A restaurant combining Europe’s best local produce with an ability to use it AND a team of staff able to properly explain and present it. I had deliberately waited a couple of months before visiting for lunch, after it had reopened following a massive refit this summer.
I wanted to wait until the darker months, by which time chef Victor Carracedo, from Zaragoza, would have better bedded in. And what a transformation the team of Victor and brothers Juan and Miguel Sarmiento (after which the restaurant is named) have made with this roadside venta that clambers up a near vertical hillside, on the edge of Casares. Everything from the seductive planting on the way in, to the stylish use of esparto grass hats on the walls and natural lampshades shows careful thought for design. And make this clear, opening a restaurant in the small white village of Casares is anything but a cakewalk… after all, the road up from the coast has, no less, than a dozen restaurants, a handful of which are excellent and one, which has a Michelin star (Kabuki Raw).
Dine with wonderful views on our amazing Winter
VISTA: Of Casares and (left) the owners, with chef Victor (right)
But Juan and Miguel had an ability - perhaps even a duty - to make this place work. For it was their father and mother, who first opened this place 40 years ago, on returning from many years living in the north of Spain. They had arrived in Casares entirely by accident, but soon fell in love with the classic white village and decided to stay, opening the place as a restaurant, before leasing it out to another local family to run. But that was until a couple of years ago when the lease came up again and, following the death of their father, the brothers felt like having a crack at running it. terrace It came after the pair had spent many years working abroad in hotels and restaurants, but finally came back to land plum jobs nearby at the Hotel Don Pepe, in Marbella, and at
Sotogrande SA. They had soon teamed up with Victor, who has also worked around the world for leading chains, including Ritz-Carlton and Hilton, and is currently head chef at the five star Don Pepe hotel. So far so good, they then came up with their concept which is ‘based on the essential pillars of the Andalucian lifestyle: authenticity, spontaneity and the enjoyment of friends and family’. They should have added location. For this place has possibly the most amazing views in Christendom, stretching not just to Gibraltar, but across the Med to Morocco and, on our visit, an incredible four lines of mountains, reaching well into the Rif. Despite already knowing the village well - having sent our kids to the local school for a couple of years - we initially sat in stunned silence, as a dozen vultures all but landed on the balcony next to us. The menu itself is very complete and ‘full of exciting dishes’, to quote the missus, who was enjoying her first return to the village for years. I was particularly impressed with the detailed wine list, which took up nearly an entire page and had dozens of really
Christmas Day 25th December NY Eve Gala Dinner, Bar open until 02:00 Special three course meal, Live music Live music, Twelve good luck grapes 35 euros pp excl drinks 80 euros pp incl drinks tel: 952 89 50 35 info@restaurantesarmiento.com Wed-Mon: 13:00 to 16.00 & Wed-Sun: 19:00 to 22:30 Crta. de Casares Km 12’5
www.restaurantesarmiento.com authenticity, spontaneity and enjoyment when being around a table
HILLSIDE: Stunning location and (above) an octopus starter
interesting local wines, including listings from the Sierra Norte of Sevilla and the Altiplano of Granada. There were some good foreign wines, such as a trio of Champagnes, however it was a Moscatel from Casares, called Victum, which most impressed at just €20 a bottle. The menu was broken down into well thought out sections, such as ‘From the barnyard’ and ‘The Axarquia Green Belt’, which comprised a bunch of healthy vegetable and salad options, such as roasted beetroot salad with goats cheese. We tried a delicious bluefin tuna stew, from the ‘cuchareo’ section, which literally means to be eaten by spoons. It served as an excellent starter, slightly spicy, with its pickled gherkins and herring roe. Another good starter is the beef meatballs with Ramen noodles and portobello mushrooms although the caramel-coated foie micuit with fig jam and Pedro Ximenez sauce was also great. The local kid croquettes with hoisin sauce were a winner for all the family! So good in fact, I stuck with kid for my main course and was not let down. Slow cooked for six hours at just 60 degrees, it was as succulent as any meat I have eaten in Andalucia, and perhaps, no surprise, coming from the hills, literally behind the restaurant. The pudding list was a bit less exciting and we were told that the apple tart would take 20 minutes, so plumped (it being the operative word) for a rather bizarre take on Banoffee pie, a rather insidious mix of toffee, banana and ice cream in a bowl. The kids fared much better with the Maria biscuit cake, a typical local tart, made from Maria biscuits, which reminded them of old school birthday parties. Given the size of the menu, the ambience and the enthusiasm of its owners, we will be back sooner than later… and what an exciting addition to, what I once dubbed ‘Restaurant road’, the short journey up from the coast to Casares. Sarmiento is at the very top. A position it might just deserve to stay.
www.restaurante-sarmiento.com • Tel: 952 89 50 35 • Crta. de Casares Km 12’5
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Santa versus Drones He’s a clinically obese fur-wearing smoker and now the world’s most unPC icon faces competition from flying robots, writes Belinda Beckett
house, the package is placed into a sealed plastic box and rolls down a conveyor belt to the drone docking station. Step three: the drone lifts off with its consignment into the blue yonder, guided by GPS to its destination where it lands, drops off the package and returns to base. The goal is to get packages into customers' hands within 30 minutes of ordering. Serious competition for Santa? With baubles on according to online mathematician Greg Stevens. He worked out that by using F16s which fly at Mach 2
(a sight speedier than Amazon’s 50mph drones), a ‘Yuletide Swarm of 80 million could see worldwide delivery completed in just over eight hours’. ‘Besides which,’ he added, ‘reindeer are charming and all that
The thoughts of Lao Tzu
I
Mijas councillors could do with listening to this wise man from the East, writes Bill Anderson
HAVE been known to publish the odd novel or two; in fact, two, with number three still simmering on the back burner. The writer who has offered me the most inspiration dates back to around 600 BC the Taoist Master Lao Tzu. Let’s see what he has to say about Mijas. He writes, ‘The wise man considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teacher.’ So, what does this have to do with Mijas? Well, in the last couple of weeks it has become clear that neither the mayor, nor the councillor for foreign residents, are in any way in agreement with this suggestion. Just a couple of weeks ago at the full council meeting, a young lady who represents the women’s Football Team in La Cala asked the councillors for sport and equal opportunities if they thought it was fair that the squad was being excluded from using the municipal pitches to train. The two ladies in question were rescued by the mayor from embarrassing themselves, as he pronounced forcefully: “Do not criticise my councillors.” Only last week, I had reason to write to the councillor responsible for foreign residents regarding the somewhat erratic treatment received by these residents when they tried to sign onto the voters’ roll. His response, “It is ‘irresponsible’ to criticise council staff!” I was speechless. These were not problems invented for political advantage but real conversations with real people who had experienced problems. Apparently, those who point out the flaws in Mijas are their enemies, not their ‘most benevolent teachers’.
MIJAS MATTERS By Bill Anderson
I don’t like criticism just for the sake of it. But I was very clear WHAT the problems were and gave the mayor the opportunity to address them but apparently, it was not seen this way. At a human level, how do we learn and grow if our failings are not pointed out to us? At a business level - and Mijas is a business (we pay for services and they provide them) - it is the noise that comes before a disaster. You are not happy with what your builder does, and you point it out, and he replies, “don’t criticise me!” Are you going to give him any more work? Don’t think so! Lao Tzu continues his wise words, “He who desires to take the Empire in hand and govern it, I see that he will not succeed. He who holds it by force, loses it.” When egos, indifference, and winning elections become more important than doing the job you are paid for, something has gone drastically wrong in the democratic system, which is ‘rule by the people’. When the people have their voice silenced because it is ‘criticism’, there is no democracy. So, what should the mayor have done? According to Lao Tzu, it is very simple: ‘A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realises it. Having realised it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it.’ Is that really so difficult? Apparently, yes.
but what child would not prefer the excitement of having a drone land on the roof on Christmas Eve?” It all sounds like ‘Pi’ in the sky but Santa is already skating on thin ice. The jolly pipe-smoking figure with the off-the-scale Body Mass Index whose name is an anagram for ‘Satan’ is not the
ideal role model for children in this politically correct day and age. But robots taking over his job? Bah humbug! Santa shouldn’t hang up his sleigh bells yet because ... He’s human. You can’t snog a drone under the mistletoe! He’s faster. Amazon drones
would fly at speeds of 50mph. Scientists have worked out that Santa travels at 1,800 miles per second. He’s more versatile. Drone technology hasn’t worked out how Santa fits a Clementine, a bag of nuts and a cuddly toy into a child-sized sock. He’s unlimited. Santa totes the world’s presents on one sleigh. The maximum payload of an Amazon drone is 5lbs. He’s sexier. Jake Gyllenhaal looked hot sporting a Santa hat in the 2005 Iraq War drama Jarhead. He would have looked daft dressed as a drone. He has the parents’ vote. Santa owns the copyright of the naughty and nice list, a handy disciplinary incentive. With drones, all bad kids need is Mum’s credit card.
Festive fun? As the work Christmas party season is upon us, Giles Brown looks back at some of his most (unfortunately) memorable bashes
I
WRITE this on the eve of the Olive Press Christmas Party. Being the upstanding group of elegant media professionals that we are, I can assure you that this newspaper's annual event is a refined and sober soiree of charming conversation and sparkling wit. Having worked in publishing for over 30 years, however, I have been to some Christmas celebrations that have made happy hour with Pablo Escobar seem tame. Over in the US a recent poll in the New York Post found that there were quite a few things you could predict about your company’s Christmas bash, with one in three party goers doing something immediately regrettable before the night ends. “Anything can happen at an office Christmas party, which is why it’s no surprise that the majority of employees look forward to it every year," Julian Clark, Evite’s in-house party specialist, explained in a press release. Never mind the fact that 'in-house party specialist' sounds like a bad Tinder bio, Clark actually knows what he's talking about. According to his research, a Friday night is the preferred time for a holiday party. In the aftermath of weekday bashes, 35% of employees will show up late the next morning and 17% won't show up at all. One of the most infamous of these ‘noshows’ was former Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter Chris Evans. In the wee
small hours of his Christmas Party – and perhaps a little 'over refreshed' – he decided that it would be an excellent joke if none of the staff turned up to do the Breakfast Show the next morning. BBC Top Brass were not amused. Some of the most memorable Christmas functions took place when I was working for a publishing house in Clerkenwell. The sales department tended to get a little bit 'feisty' after a few beers and there was normally a scuffle over something as the party moved on to whatever late night drinking den we could find, normally in Smithfield Market at some ungodly hour. Then there was the hugely boozy bash for 400 journalists for one of the leading property firms who erected a marquee in the underground car park just off Hanover Square. Private Eye Editor Ian Hislop was the speaker and it got predictably messy. Not as messy as the time, however, that a sozzled journalist fell backwards over a table, showering guests, including a government minister, in festive canapés. Having to write the festive apology with a screaming hangover the next morning was not one of my finest moments, though the minister involved thought it was hilarious. The mere sight of a voulevant is enough to bring on a savage flashback... So enjoy your Christmas bash, try not to damage your professional reputation in some way and see you in the New Year!
Across: 7 Sombrero, 8 Rack, 9 Falsetto, 10 Aids, 11 Siesta, 14 Ice cap, 15 Gas, 16 Gemini, 18 Tubing, 20 Plan, 21 Alphabet, 24 Czar, 25 Electric.
I
F Santa has been keeping up with the news at his North Pole toy factory, he won’t have found much to ho-ho-ho about. Parcel delivery by drones could be a reality next Christmas, making Santa and his red-nosed sidekick Rudolph old hat with bells on. Amazon’s Prime Air postal service by unmanned, aerial vehicle is a prototype raring to go public and the website shows how amazingly simple the process is. Step one: the customer places an order via a tablet or smartphone. Step two: at the ware-
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Down: 1 Rota, 2 Abuses, 3 Teat, 4 Motorist, 5 Grease, 6 Acid rain, 12 Idealize, 13 Agitated, 17 Ignore, 19 Blasts, 22 Peek, 23 Exit.
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Golfing great SOTOGRANDE gathered 125 of golf’s top pros to pay homage to one of the European Tour’s only Spanish directors. José María Zamora is one of just two Spaniards to work as a director of the prestigious tournament and
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dozens gathered at Real Club Valderrama to celebrate his career. “We surrender to a great of the sport,” said Jacobo Florido, CEO of Tourism Costa del Sol, during the event, a preamble to the 20th edition of the prestigious ‘Pro Am Costa del Golf Tourism tournament hosted by Valderrama.
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
Teenage Brit makes golfing history in Andalucia
REUNION: Top golf pros together in Sotogrande
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.
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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
JUST months after his Valderrama Masters win, Sergio Garcia has launched a new technology-based golfing academy in Spain. At the PGA Catalunya Resort Spain’s Ryder Cup Champion unveiled state-of-the-art tracking technologies and social gaming systems. The upgraded academy has 10 covered bays using the Toptracer Range technology that gives players live statistics. It comes as Spain’s top pro putted to victory for a third straight time at Andalucia’s Valderrama Masters in October.
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a big moment for me,” said Holly whose mum Jo, 47, caddied for the teen champion. 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 is a restaurateur back in the UK.
Ecstatic
“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.”
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.
tel: 685 280 713 andrewfergusson21@gmail.com Avda. Espana, 168, Estepona
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December 19th - January 3rd 2019
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Bad man with a van
VAN drivers were denounced or fined more than any other driver on the road last month, the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT)
H2-woah THE first hydrogen powered car has been registered in Spain. The Hyundai Nexo, available from next year, charges in just five minutes and can travel 666 km with a full charge. The car has an electric engine which mixes hydrogen and oxygen, meaning its exhaust pipe only spits out water.
December 19th - January 3rd 2019
has revealed. Between November 26 and 29 alone, 3,294 van drivers were pulled up on infractions ranging from having an expired ITV to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Crackdown
While it is quicker to charge than a purely electrical car, it comes with a heftier price tag up around €60,000, and there are very few existing charging points.
Some 672 were fined for speeding over the same three-day period. The DGT has been forced to crackdown on van drivers after the number of accidents they were involved in soared by 54% between between 2012 and 2017.
Norway Jose Norwegian navy slams Spanish defence firm that makes Saudi warships over sunken boat fiasco
SPAIN’S national shipbuilding company has been slammed by Norway after its warship sank in Scandinavia. A bitter row ensued between state-owned defense firm Navantia and the Norwegian navy as the frigate KNM Helge collided with an oil tanker off the Trondelag coast. Returning from NATO drills, the Spanish-built vessel sunk rapidly following the collision, which the Norwegians blamed on the engine room flooding very quickly. Norwegian accident investigation experts blasted technical errors in the waterproofing of the out-of-control warship, but Navantia refutes this. “Imagine you have a car,
NOT A DRILL: Spanish vessel sinks after collision even if it's a good one, it will run into problems if you crash it,” said Navantia Shipyard official and union leader Javier Galán to NRK. “We have never received such complaints ever before, not even once,” the shipbuilding chief added.
Spat
The spat comes as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended a €1.8 billion deal to sell sell five Cadiz-built Navantia warships to Saudi Arabia. Spain’s Socialist leader justified the decision, on which
6,000 jobs rely, to prop up the Saudi war chest amid controversy over the Gulf state’s involvement in the Yemeni Civil War. Sanchez claimed he was acting in ‘the interests of the Spaniards’ by securing the deal that would see Spain add to Saudi’s arsenal of European weapons that have killed thousands of Yemenis. Sanchez said: “We are talking about valid contracts, which comply with the requirements of thelaws in use in our country, and which do not enter in conflict with the Resolution 2216 of the UN Security Council of 2015.”
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REPS from 15 Chinese football clubs have travelled to Spain to learn more about La Liga and its organization in a bid to inspire the Chinese Super League.
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Peed off
Clean up your dog’s wee or face a fine, orders town hall
Going strong THE growth of the Spanish economy could stand between 0.7% and 0.8% for the last quarter of 2018, slightly above the average observed throughout the year (0.6%).
Top of props CONSTRUCTION giant Quabit has announced it is investing €23.75 million into 700 homes in Mijas which will be completed by the end of 2020. POTTY TRAINED: Pooch
DOG walkers on the Costa del Sol will now be FINED if they don’t clean up their pet’s urine. Walkers in Benalmadena will now have to wash the wee away with water and vinegar or soap. “We are responding to a demand from a majority of citizens who complain about dogs urinating on lampposts,” said mayor Victor Navas. “This change seeks to raise awareness that having a pet entails responsibility and collaboration to keep the streets clean.” The town hall said the move was aimed at reducing the odor of dog urine which in some parts has become overwhelming. According to officials some
STARS: Penelope and Antonio
dog walkers carry a bottle filled with water and vinegar for when their furry friend has an urge on the street. According to the new law, dogs are now officially forbidden from urinating on street furniture, buildings and vehicles. They must also try to use dog designated areas where possible. Local police now have the right to fine dog walkers who break the new guidelines, although by how much has not been announced.
couple
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. Cruz is up for ‘best supporting actress’ for her role as Donatella in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The blockbuster Netflix series is the second season of American Crime Story, which explores the death of fashion designer Gianni Versace. The show also got nominated for ‘best series’, ‘best actor’ and ‘best supporting actor’. Meanwhile Malaga’s Antonio Banderas is in contention for ‘best actor’ after his portrayal of Spain’s world-famous artist in Genius: Picasso.
Up in smoke Spanish efforts to stub out smoking have backfired. A ban on smoking inside in bars, restaurants and offices has led to an increase, not decrease in the numbers of smokers. The number of Spanish smokers between the ages of 15 and 64 has actually risen from 33% in 2005, when the ban came in, to 34% today. The rise in the number of smokers may be partly explained by an increase in the number of women and young people using tobacco. Rodrigo Cordoba, the former president of the National Committee for Tobacco Prevention, said the government should address the increase urgently. “Nothing has been done in recent years. In the fight against tobacco you have to continue to introduce measures. It's like riding a bike. If you stop pedalling, you fall over,” he said.
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