SPAIN has suffered its hottest July on record. Official data shows the mercury soar ing to nearly three degrees above the average of the last 60 years, when re cords began. The country’s temperature for the month was 25.6 degrees, according to AEMET, the national meteorological office on Monday. It makes it 2.7ºC higher than the aver age from records dating back to 1961. Predictably, the hottest place in the country was Moron de la Frontera, in Sevilla province, where the dials hit The period, which sizzled from July 9 until July 26, was described as ‘the most intense, the most extensive and the second longest’ in history. It has also been one of the driest Ju ly’s with the least rainfall in the last 15 years.
DYING FOR A DRINK: Grape harvests threatened By Fiona Govan 46ºC on July 24 during summer.ofheatwavesecondthethe worst year of wildfires on record. Some 240,000 hectares had already been scorched in more than 370 blazes by the end of July. Meanwhile, water levels in reservoirs are worryingly low, although Valen cia’s reservoirs are higher than in the rest of Spain. Full According to official data, the reser voirs in Valencia are 60% full com pared to the national average of 40%. Locally, Benagever reservoir, which is 100km from Valencia city, is 96.6% However,full. Alicante’s capacity is loweraccording to official data reservoirs are at 50% and for this reason water re strictions are expected in the province. Over in Andalucia, reservoirs sit at 28% capacity, some 7% below where they were this time last year.
ChildrenCOPING: in Madrid deal with the heat Battle for the bottle
THE heatwaves of the summer aren’t only taking their toll on land where wildfires have ravaged more than 230,000 hectares already across Spain. Temperatures are also rising in unprec edented levels in waters off the Spanish coast, posing a threat to marine life. In some areas of the Mediterranean off the Spanish coast, temperatures reached above 30ºC during the latest heatwave. Waters off Spain’s eastern and south eastern coasts and around the Balear ic Islands are between 2.5ºC and 4ºC warmer than usual this summer, reach ing 30ºC in some places.
It was degreesthreeabove the average as newtotemperaturesJulysoaranalarmingrecord
Sea threat
Opinion Page 6
THE heatwaves and drought are threatening this year’s wine harvest in Spain. An exceptionally hot summer has left grapes withering on the vines with many winemakers choosing to bring the harvest forward by at least a month. The vendemia (grape harvest) usually takes place during Sep tember but many have decided to start picking in August. Yields are expected to be down by an average of 15% to 25% depending on the region. Positive Grapes will be smaller but some winemakers believe this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “We will have fewer grapes to pick but it will have a positive effect on the markets because the wine will be better quality and at a good price,” says Cas tilla La Mancha Agriculture Minister Francisco Martinez. Spain’s olive groves are also struggling with warnings that harvests will be massively re duced pushing up prices of oil. Meanwhile, the country’s corn, wheat and barley crops could fall by as much as 13% this year, with prices inevitably rising.
OPLIVERESSThe Vol. 3 Issue 87 www.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 2022FREE COSTA BLANCA reservas: 963 51 49 94 Open every day ClosedC/MosentMondayreservas@palaciodelabellota.comwww.palaciodelabellota.comFemades,7CP.46002VALENCIA MORAIRA PLUMBING PLUMBINGwww.morairaph.comHEATING&AIRCONDITIONINGSPECIALISTS tel: +34 620 523 613 / +34 966 498 993 email: info@morairaph.com Calle Mulhalcen 3, Ctra Moraira de Calpe 142b, Moraira Teulada 03724, Alicante New location further down the road towards Moraira town centre, next to Gemisant & Kostas Restaurant Air Conditioning | Bathroom Fitting Gas and Oil Central Heating | Electrics Certification & Inspection | Pool | Solar Energy SPECIALOFFER Giastu Aroma 2 2,5 kw R32 gas refrigerate A+++20db 3 years warranty including 599installationstandardandmaterial € (inc IVA) SOLAR ELECTRIC ENERGY NOW BEING INSTALLED SALES&RENTALSSPECIALISTS 966491883 Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea
Alarmingly, the months of May and June were also the warmest on record, with AEMET warning that summer seems to be starting a month earlier than it did six decades ago. As a result of the extreme heat and drought, Spain is suffering nearly its
These sudden, atypical spikes in tem perature – which come on top of the long-term trajectory of the oceans warming – have disastrous conse quences for aquatic fauna and flora. Aemet warned that the rise in water temperatures can lead to the prolifera tion of algae in coastal waters as well as a rise in jellyfish blooms. The warm sea temperature also brings an increased risk of storms with sudden torrential downpours likely to occur when cooler temperatures roll in.
Scorchio!
Surge in cases of women drugged by hypodermics hits Alicante POLICE are investigating a spate of attacks across Spain on women who believe they have been spiked with needles at Thenightclubs.victims have complained that they have been drugged and suffered memory loss, with many discovering bruising in dicating that they had been pricked with a needle. Most recently, four women went to Denia Hospital in just one evening on suspicion of suffering needle attacks in city Tennightclubs.morefemales went to hos pital over last weekend for the same reason, taking the total number of local cases to 22 since late May. And a teenage girl claims two men kidnapped her at a Marina Alta beach party and kept her in a house for two days where she was sexually assaulted.
Football crazy
The 14-year-old told Policia Nacional officers that she was jabbed by a needle to stun her during a party on the unnamed Abeach.number of such cases were re ported during San Fermin fes tivities in Pamplona, northern Spain, with at least four women seeking help from emergency services because they were diz zy or lost consciousness after feeling a pinprick. In total at least 60 cases have been reported in Catalunya, the Canary Islands, the Baleares, the Basque Country and Anda Spain’slucia.
rapedBrits
Tidy sum ALTEA council has re ceived €25,000 from the Costa Blanca Tourist Board to organise and publicise entertainment events in the area.
returnVoucher
police saved the life of a fe male tourist, 31, who tried to take her life in a city centre hotel. Officers stopped heavy bleeding from her arm which she had slashed. Bad break A French motorcylist, 59, suffered multiple leg frac tures after colliding with a delivery van in Javea on Monday. He was taken to Denia Hospital after the accident on Calle Cap Negre.
NANNY RETRIALCASE
Equality Minster Irene Montero acknowledged the growing problem and said: “In the last few days, there’s been a few reports of women who have been needle spiked in clubs, bars and pubs.”
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CRIMEwww.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 20222 NEWS IN BRIEF
Spanish authorities issued guidelines to those who believe they may have been drugged in this way; don’t be alone, tell staff at the bar/nightclub and report it to police by calling 112.
A BRITISH tourist in Benidorm had his €35,000 watch stolen af ter two men faked a street argument about football. James Norvill, 42, from Newport, South Wales identified one of the thieves who was known to the police and he was arrested three days later. The Policia Nacional branded the robbery as the ‘Ronaldinho’ method in tribute to the Brazil and ex-Barcelona foot ball star. Drunk Norvill was walking back to his hotel when he was approached by two peo ple, who pretended to be Theydrunk.tried to get him into an argument about foot ball before hugging him and one of them simu lated a Ronaldinho-style dribble with a soccer ball. As the distraction hit fullflow, one of the ‘drunks’ grabbed Norvill’s wrist and stole his watch. The two men ran off leav ing the victim bewildered about what had hap pened and minus his ex pensive timepiece. Police subsequently arrested a 29-year-old Tunisian but the watch has not been retrieved.
crazyFootball
A new round of holiday discount vouchers for Valencian Community residents will be available from September. Savings of up to 70% will be avail able for accommodation and activities based in the region.
COPS in Valencia are investigating an al leged double rape af ter two British men reported waking up in a hotel room with in Thejuries.men believe that they had been drugged in a Valencia night Theyclub. were taken to La Fe Hospital for tresat ment. On June 18, a 28-yearold Irish man was raped in Valencia - he told the police that he was sexually assaulted on the last night of his Theholiday.incident happened after he decided to go for a walk with two men of Arabic origin whom he met in the El Carmen neighbour THEhood. Supreme Court has ordered the retrial of a Kuwaiti business man who was convicted of raping his children’s nanny three times at his Calpe villa. The man was found guilty of sexual assault and injury in May 2021. He was jailed for 36 years and ordered to pay over €30,000 in compensation after the attacks during the summer of 2019. A fresh hearing in Al icante will now take place with a different set of judges. The Supreme justices said that evidence was wrongly disbarred from the first trial.
By George
Keep up withthe flockers corralVolunteers600 flamingo chicks annualunusualinevent
EVA LONGORIA has been bringing a sprinkling of stardust to Spain this Eversummer.since her friend Maria Bravo recruited her into the NGO Glob al Gift Foundation, she has been a regular visi tor to Marbella. This year The Desper ate Housewives star returned to the Anda lucian coast to com bine charity work with pleasure. She chaired the 10th edition of the Glob al Gift Gala where entertainment was provided by former Big Breakfast host Denise Van Out en (below), who was wearing her DJ hat The Global Gift Foundation supports many projects world-wide that help disad vantaged and disabled chil dren, wom en and families.their
NEWSwww.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 2022 3 NEW Opening in Calpe! Av Pais Valenciá 2 Parking Sotano 1,03710 Calpe Alicante FOR OLIVE PRESS READERS 10% OFFCalle Ramiro de maeztu 43, bajo, 46022 – Valencia +34 960 19 54 30 / +34 605 46 69 83 YOUR INTERNATIONAL DENTAL CLINIC IN VALENCIA DR. SERRAMÍA NEUNDORF CO-FOUNDER PEDIATRICDENTALPROSTHODONTICSENDODONTICSAESTHETICSDENTISTRY NR. 46004511 DR. MARTINEZ PEREZ CO-FOUNDER ORAL FACIALPROSTHODONTICSIMPLANTOLOGYSURGERYAESTHETICS NR. 46004693 WWW.MASERDENTALCLINIC.COM 20% OFF for readers of OLIVE PRESS First dental visit free of charge and 20% off* all our treatments and services Der erste Zahnarztbesuch ist kostenlos * Valid until 31 August
The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player, along with ex-Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, will be tried for alleged corruption and fraud re lated to the 2013 transfer, with prosecutors wanting Neymar to get a two year jail Investmentsentence.fund DIS ar gue that they were enti tled to 40% of Neymar's 2013 transfer fee when he left Brazilian club Santos. They are claiming compensation of €120 million.
FORMULA 1 legend Fernando Alonso is to join Aston Martin at the end of the season. The two-time world champion has been with the French team Alpine since 2021, but will now replace retiring Sebastian Vettel in his seat. The 41-year-old is a veteran of the sport every season except ning the champion 2005 and 2006. comes unexpected ly, with the Alpine team achievingconsistentlytop10 finishes all season and lying 4th in the constructors cham pionship, while Aston Martin is 9th, with only Williams lower.
SHAKIRA’S GAMBLE On the move
Cashing in By George Mathias
FOOTBALL star Neymar will go on trial this October over financial irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona from Bra zilian club Santos.
POP star Shakira could be jailed for eight years if she's convicted of tax Barcelonadodging. prosecutors also want her to be fined almost €24 million for allegedly defrauding the Tax Agency out of €14.5 million on in come earned between 2012 and 2014.Theprosecution demand came af ter the 45-year-old singer rejected a plea deal stating that she was innocent and that would be proven in a trial. Her position is that she worked outside Spain during the years in question. Prosecutors argue that she moved to Spain in 2011 due to her relationship with Barcelona footballer, Gerard Pique, but kept her tax residency go ing in the Bahamas until 2015.
IT may not be quite as difficult as herd ing cats but the annual roundup of young flamin gos at a Spanish reserve is still quite a challenge. The Laguna de Fuente de Piedra reserve hosted the return of its tra ditional ringing of the long-legged chicks after a two year Covid hiatus. A 400 strong work force, including many volunteers, was need ed to herd and catch around 600 chicks. Al though this may seem to be too many birds to wave a stick at, the birds’ natural tendency to flock meant this was exactly what the ‘catch ers’ Wavingdid. sticks to grab the chicks’ attention they herded them into a Aftercorral.this, the ring ing and marking of the chicks began, with each bird marked with a metal ring on the right leg and a plastic one on the left. Since 1986, some 20,000 flamingos have been tagged for scientific pur poses and to allow for bet ter planning to protect the population in their natu ral Thehabitat.tagged birds will be analysed throughout their life, making it possible to better understand the dis persion of the population, as well as their reproduc tive and grazing behaviors. Breeding The information is essen tial both for the manage ment of the breeding col ony and for evaluating the effectiveness of the Anda lusian Wetlands Network.
A real gift
TOO MANY: to wave a stick at
By Fiona Govan
PARTS of Pego’s old town have become a vehicle-free zone for visitors with new rules being phased in. Access is currently restricted on a Thursday morning with the measure extending to be tween Thursday and Sunday from September. Only residents will be allowed entry along with business hours permission for loading and Thursdayunloading.mornings are being used as a test for the automat ic bollards that have already been installed, with units be ing put in on additional roads throughout August.
CONSTRUCTION of Calpe's brand new marina could start ‘in months’ after the Coastal Authority gave the go-ahead for the Workproject.onMarina PortBlanc should have begun last year after plans were un veiled in December 2020. Getting permission was mired in bu reaucratic delays involving different administrations. The firm Port Bou MARINA GO-AHEAD tique Calp will spend €5 million to re vitalise the existing rundown marina and said that ‘we hope to start as soon as Therepossible’.willbe 203 moorings, most of which will be for eight-metre long yachts, with some berths for 15-metre craft. Five new commercial outlets are to be developed with a bid to attract hotels and sea-tourism businesses to the area.
Spain beefs up animal welfare law but doesn’t touch bull fights Dogillness.owners will now have to have official identifica tion for their pets and all breeders must be listed on an official register. The rules are hoped to stem an endemic abandonment problem in Spain, one of the highest in Europe. The country also has a problem with a prolifera tion of so-called ‘backyard’ breeders. The new regulation also bans the selling of dogs, cats and ferrets in pet shops and bans the use of wild animals in circuses, as well as cock fights. Rights Despite the beefed up laws, there is no mention of bull fighting, an omission that has been criticised by ani mal rights groups. All zoos and dolphinariums are also required to be con verted into 'centres for the recovery of native species'.
Offer tanked SCRAP: Tanks
SEVERE penalties have been introduced for the mistreatment of animals. The new animal welfare law brings Spain in line with most of its European neigh bours, with prison sentenc es of up to two years. It prohibits killing any do mestic pets except for specif ic sanitary or health reasons. It also stipulates that pets may not be sacrificed un less for sanitary reasons or
About time
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NEWSwww.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 20224
IN response to huge confusion among the British expat community about driving licence rules in Spain, the char ity Age in Spain has drawn up a guide. Brexit meant that British licences can no longer be exchanged for Spanish ones by those resident in Spain for more than six months. Negotiations are currently underway - backed by the Olive Press’s U-turn Driving tips campaign - for a new agreement to al low British licences to be recognised but a delay and the refusal by Spanish authorities to extend the grace period has meant that since May 1, thousands of Brits have been unable to drive. Age in Spain, which works with expats across the coasts, carried out an online poll and discovered that 42.6% of respon dents have yet to ac quire a Spanish driving licence. While we await an agreement the Guide to Driving to Spain is available from ageinspain.org
BENIDORM council is of fering pensioners in the city a discount of at least €50 on electricity bills. A €300,000 fund has been created and ap plications can be made online or in Peopleperson.agedover 65 years who have been registered continu ally on the municipal padron for the last five years can apply. To qualify, residents have to be owners of a property or a tenant of a home that is their permanent residence. An important rider is that if the person has other family mem bers living with them, then to qualify for the money, they all must be aged at least 65 and have been on the padron for five uninterrupted years.
BANNED: Wild animals in circuses
URNNOW!
AN offer to send Spanish tanks to Ukraine has been withdrawn because they're not up to the job and would cost too much to repair. The 10 German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks had been moth-balled at the Casetas military base near DefenceZaragoza. Minister, Mar garita Robles, admitted they are in a ‘pitiful state’ and would actually endan ger the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
U-T
WORK on creating a Low Emissions Pedestrian Zone (ZBE) on a busy Benidorm street will start in a few weeks Thetime.€1.2 million project on Avenida Armada Españo la- parallel to Poniente beach- begins on September 5 as summer tourist numbers Benidormsubside.
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a €1 million first prize. A formal application for the iCapital Awards has been co-ordinated and submitted by Valencia City Council. The city was a finalist for the award in 2020, when it received a €100,000 prize for its 'Va lencia 2030 Climate Mission' project.
HAVE
InnovationPOWERmoveVALENCIAisbiddingtowinthe2022EuropeanCapitalofInnovationawardand
NEWSwww.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 2022 5
Anyone with information that may help find Scott can contact ham@gmail.comFindScottGra YOU SEEN HIM?
Family appeal for missing Canadian man last seen in Madrid
THE family of a Canadian man who vanished in mysterious circumstances a month ago have issued a desperate appeal for help to find him. Scott Graham, 67, was on a solo trip across Spain when the bus he was travelling on be tween Vigo and San Sebastian departed without him after a rest stop. On board the bus was Gra ham’s luggage including his passport and daily medication he requires after having a kid ney transplant in 2014. His family are attempting to piece together his movements since “Nobodythen.wants to live this nightmare and every minute counts,” his daughter Georgia told the Olive Press. So far the family have con firmed that he showed up on July 15, but his problems worsened when he was unable to retrieve his bag from the bus company and contacted police in San Sebastian. Passport They told him to go to the Canadian Embassy in Ma drid for help and to get a new Laterpassport.that day, he was treated at La Paz Hospital in Madrid for injuries to his head and hand that he told doctors he had sustained in a fall. He had applied for a new pass port at the embassy and was told to pick it up on July 18, but he never showed up. “If you have any information about our father’s whereabouts please contact police or contact us directly,” said Georgia. “Our father is in poor health and needs to be taken home where he can receive medical treatment.”
mayor, Toni Perez, said: “This is a very important area of 24,000 square metres, which will be transformed to address more sustainable mobility, with more space for pedestrians in line with pro tecting the environment.” Cars A key objective of the ZBE is to promote travel on bicycles and mobility vehicles with cars moving further away from the centre of Benidorm. Campaigns to encourage bicycle usage and to mini mise CO2 emissions will be launched as well as intro ducing better information services for public transport and an environmental mon itoring system.
A MECHANICAL fault left a group of thrill seekers hanging from a rollercoaster for an Thehour.midsummer hor rorshow at Madrid’s Parque Atracciones left them sitting ver tically on one of the Abysmal! hottest days on re cord. No one suffered any health issues on the Abismo ride, which re-opened the follow ing day. By Fiona Govan A-LIST film star Matt Damon recently enjoyed a family holiday in the Marina Alta area of Alicante Province. Damon also took time out to take photographs with the staff of the Cala Clemence del Portichol bar in Javea. The 51-year-old actor has strong links to the area with his brother-in-law Xuan Bozan living there. He and his wife, Luciana Barroso, went to Bozan’s wedding in 2016.
Cleaning up
HIGH SCANDAL
‘I drink beer when I have occasion… and sometimes when I have no occasion’, Jack Gaioni agrees with Miguel de Cervantes SPANISH wine culture dates back 3,000 years to the Phoenicians. But what about that other fermented de light - namely beer? Although not as consistent in its popularity as wine, the erratic and unpredictable popu larity of Spanish beer has a colourful story to tell. The Roman Republic’s conquest of Hispania (approx: 218 B.C.) was not seamless. The native Celtiberian tribes - a loose alli ance of ancient Celtic tribes - were strongly opposed to relin quishing control of Hispanic lands to Rome. Known as the Celtiberians Wars (181-151 BC), the native pop ulations were so fiercely combative that Rome was forced to send large armies to quell the unrest. In one battle at Numantia (Castilla y Leon), the warlike tenacity of the beer drinking natives led the Romans to reconsider their strategy. Numantian women, as part of their daily routine of baking bread, would often liquify the wheat, barley and hops left over from their bread making process. Left to ferment this ‘liquid bread’ (read: beer) was an extremely powerful intoxi cant. So potent in fact, that before every battle the Numan tians would increase their morale and courage by getting wildly drunk on the liquid bread. The Romans soon learned to fear them as ‘crazed, fierce, de monic fighters’. The ferocity of the native beer guzzlers success fully held off the invaders until the Romans had suffered enough losses to stop fighting. Instead, they reverted to building a wall, a moat and im paling rods around the settlement as part of laying siege. For two years the Numantians refused to sur render but as famine and suicide took their toll, the natives burned their city to the ground rath er then become Roman slaves. In the centuries to follow, the victorious Romans replaced the beer-drinking culture with one built around However,wine.when Charles V became King of Spain (1516) he began to change the culture. Although grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles was born Dutch and had inherited his crown via com plicated Hapsburg marriage arrangements. King Charles and his court imported their strong Northern European taste for beer to Spain. He hired Flemish, German and Alsatian brew mas ters and began Spain’s first beer factory along the Manzanares River in Madrid. Charles established rules and regulations as they applied to beer manufacture: the amount of wheat, barley and hops, the alcohol content, and fermentation time. If anything was changed, the brewers would suffer a penalty. Charles, his entourage and his beer were wildly unpopular - the public didn’t like him or his beer and rejected both. Wine remained the public’s libation of choice for the next few centuries. Only in the beginning of the 20th Century did a beer drinking preference begin to gain enough popularity for large breweries to open. Mahou and El Aguila Beer opened Madrid in 1900. Cruzcam po started brewing in 1904 in Sevilla, Estrella in Barcelona in 1906, while Alhambra began in Granada in 1925. By the 1960s with Spain’s boom in tourism, beer became the common drink in bars it is today. The ‘beer linked with tapas’ craze took off in thousands of tabernas throughout the pen insula. The splendid golden liquid has since far surpassed wine as the libation of choice. Spaniards now drink twice as much beer by volume than wine. Granted, Spain will always be fa mous for its amazing wines, but cerveza inarguably has taken on an important part of Spanish day to day life. As for the ‘Beer Today - gone to morrow’ trope? A definite yes to the former and not likely to the latter… YOU KNOW?
OVER €25,000 per month on cocaine, €400,000 for a fake chicken farm, and thousands of euros on holidays – just a few of the ways €680 million of embezzled Junta de Andalucia cash was spent. Now Andalucia’s ex-president and corrupt Socialist cronies face jail in one of the biggest fraud scandals to hit Spain’s political elite after their ap peals were rejected by Sevilla’s High Court. The appeal ruling comes three years after 19 former top offi cials in Andalucia’s then rul ing Socialist government were convicted for diverting public Spain’sfunds. top court upheld 16 of the 19 convictions, including that of the former president of the Junta, José Antonio Griñan, for embezzlement and misap propriation of public funds for which he has received a jail sentence of six years. The con viction of his successor, Manu el ‘Monolo’ Chaves, for malad ministration was also upheld, and Chaves was banned from public office. The ruling, now ratified by the Sevilla High Court, found that both former presidents of the Junta were ‘fully aware of the blatant and patent illegality’ of fraudulently allocated funds that were distributed from the public coffers between 2000 and 2009. Prison sentences were also upheld for the ex-councillors Antonio Fernandez, Francisco Vallejo, Jose Antonio Vieira and Carmen Martinez Aguayo, who were each sentenced to be tween six and eight years.
● The expression ‘Numantian re sistance’ has become a Spanish proverb used to imply a strident, single minded resistance to au thority. Many Spanish authors, in cluding Cervantes, find meaning in Numantia similar to that of the Masada for Israelis.
The ex-president of the Junta, the union boss, a coke-addicted chauffeur - just three of the criminals who turned more than half a billion euros destined for unemployed Andalucian workers into a ‘reptile fund’ to pay for drugs, fast cars and prostitutes
THE above phrase could be a legitimate sign placed at airports across the costas in future as we have confirmation that July was indeed the hottest month ever recorded in Spain, with the mercury rising some 2.7ºC above the usual average temperature. The official data will come as no surprise to anyone who endured the month and who are suffering in what is now the third heatwave of the summer. You may have developed your own coping mech anisms to deal with the heat beyond staying at home with the blinds down. It almost certainly won’t include taking a cooling dip in the Med, whose waters have not surpris ingly also reached record warm temperatures surpassing 30ºC in some places posing a threat to marine life while encouraging a proliferation of jellyfish and invader algae. If you discovered that spending the hottest days wandering around climate controlled shopping centres brought a reprieve from the scorching heat, think again. Those days are over as the government brings in plans to limit A/C temperature to a rather balmy 27ºC. And don’t rely on ice-filled drinks as an anec dote to the heat. A perfect storm of early heat waves eating into the stockpile teamed with rising energy costs and distribution problems means those bags of ice we all depend on in summer are now rationed… if you can get your hands on them at all. If you’re not in a position to head for cooler climes in the nearby hills or even better, the more forgiving northern coast of Spain and cooler Atlantic waters to ride out the rest of summer, then we wish you good luck. And roll on September!
Jorge Hinojosa jorge@theolivepress.es Welcome to the inferno
● “ Cerveza Artesana “ or craft beer is rapidly beco ming part of the discussion of beer in Spain. In less than a decade there have been 400 new producers introducing 650 varieties of craft beer throughout Spain. Openly counte ring Charles V demand for strict regulations, craft beer brewers creatively experiment with flavours (e.g. coffee, citrus, honey) to the delight of many. Could Cerveza Artesana be posed to be the next exciting chapter in the his tory of Spanish beer?
● In March, 2021 the Heineken España, brewery in Jaen, crea tor of Cruzcampo, Alazar and Amstel beers, became the first AND largest brewery in Euro pe to be completely emissions free. With solar panels and heat energy generated by waste from the nearby olive oil indus try, they have eliminated 2,500 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Special report by DollimoreLaurence and Sorrell Downer
Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow?
NEWS FEATUREwww.theolivepress.es6 HEAD OFFICE Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es DISTRIBUTIONENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month. Deposito Legal MA-498-2019 AWARDS Best expat paper in 2016Spain-2020 Best2020English language publication in Google2012Andalucia-2022NewsInitiativegivestheOlivePressasubstantialgrant. PUBLISHER / EDITOR Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es Jo SimonChipchaseWade simon@theolivepress.es Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es Fiona Govan fiona@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es George Mathias george@theolivepress.es
And that’s just the start. Hundreds of politicians, busi nesses and intermediaries are involved in this massive fraud scandal that’s grabbed the headlines across Spain. The prosecution process is one of the longest – and slowest – in Spanish judicial history. At the root of it all is an un employment support scheme known as ERE that was sup posed to help companies in a region suffering the highest jobless rate in the country. Dubbed the ‘reptile fund’, this vast pool of money came from Madrid with the intention of stimulating employment and aiding ailing companies.
ERE (standing for Expediente de Regulacion de Empleo) is a procedure which allows companies facing bankrupt cy to fire workers and receive public funding to underwrite severance and early retirement But,packages.inreality, the funds were il legally syphoned off for private gain, creating what is the big gest public money corruption case in Spanish history – so Mostfar. fraudulent payments were made off the books and without any form of public scru tiny. But more than 500 people have been investigated since the scandal broke in 2010, and now the ERE fraud prosecu tions of politicians, companies, and intermediaries like lawyers and bankers, are coming thick and fast.
DID
THE UNION BOSS EDUARDO Pascual Arxe is another intermediary –and a fugitive. A Catalan ex-banker who helped commission the fraudulent EREs, he fled to Africa in July 2015 and is yet to be extradited. The slippery money man was once the president of Eurobank, which he fraudulently bankrupt ed 15 years ago, enriching him self to the tune of €12 million. Pascual prepared an escape plan years in advance: After in vestigations began in 2005, he married a Bolivian woman, ac quired Bolivian nationality, and changed his name to Marcellino Jose Monasterios Arce, before fleeing to Africa. By the time the trial came to court Pascual was in Burkina Faso cultivating medical mari Hejuana.isnow suspected to be in the Republic of Benin. Should he ever show up, the An ti-Corruption Prosector’s Office is requesting he gets a 28-year jail sentence.
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2- Spanish tourism officials sets the record straight about travel requirements for British tourism visiting Spain
4- Alert for high concentration of jellyfish in Costa del Sol Torremolinos and Marbella
Hundreds of articlesfrom restaurant reviews to travel features and from crime stories to explainers on new laws - are not making the printed paper for many reasons. But fortunately, modern technology has come to the rescue in the shape and form of our website.
EURO MONTHLY NEWS
W E are proud at the Olive Press to provide expat communities in Spain with the lat est news - and plenty of features - in our five print editions. But while each copy is guaranteed to be full of at least 50% editorial, sad ly plenty of things do not make the edition, which is fortnightly, after all.
A JUDGE’S HUNCH
MARQUESSTHE
THE MONEYMISSINGMAN
The Minister’s trial takes place at Sevilla High Court in September. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has requested 14 years in prison, and the money back.
DON’T MISS OUT!
THE MINISTER JUAN Lanzas, a socialist from the UGT union, is one of the intermediaries being investigated for admitting companies into the ring of corruption and pocketing an alleged €13 million in return. His mother once boasted to the Guardia Civil at their home in Jaen: “Mi hijo tiene dinero para asar una vaca” (literally: my son has enough money to roast a cow), meaning he had cash to burn. This was probably true, given he bought 16 properties and still had €80,000 cash left to stash inside a mat tress. But now the authorities would like it back. Lanzas faces multiple charges after more than a de cade of investigation. He’s due to stand trial for fraud relating to a €2.3 mil lion payment to Sevilla photographic laboratory Surcolor in July 2023.
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www.theolivepress.es 7July 28th - August 10th 2022
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
OOKING like a Mafia capo, Guerrero ruled the roost with energetic aplomb –fuelled, it turns out, by a €25,000-a-month cocaine habit. He could make anything happen as long as you played by his rules, vot ed Socialist and made sure he got generous kickbacks. His regal beneficence won him the name ‘the HeMarquess’.handed out cash from the fund at will. His hometown, El Pedro so, north of Sevilla, where he was mayor from 1999 to 2008, did part cularly well, and literally dozens of friends and neighbours benefited. His pal, Jose Llorente, received a severance package from a cork pro duction company despite never hav ing worked there. (Llorente told investigators he thought the money that arrived in his account was ‘a gift from God’.) Another neighbour was ‘fired’ from a bogus company he’d never worked for, earning himself a €1,100 a for countless locals who had supposedly worked in the nearby Alquife mine (despite never having set foot in Ait). network of fake compa nies was set up listing dozens of local res idents who had taken early retire ment. In to tal, the group was paid around €60 million over five years. The fake com pany nessesicpaniesmarketingschools,fakespreadnetworkwithlanguageITandcomandorganfruitandvegbusisetupacross
HE ERE scandal was exposed in November 2010 when campaigning judge Mercedes Alaya launched a probe into ir regularities in the municipal com pany Mercasevilla. It came after two former direc tors attempted to bribe a pair of hotel owners, offering them the concession for a hospitality training school for €450,000. Unluckily for them, the business men recorded the meetings and handed the tapes over to Madrid’s Ministry of Employment, which sent them to the prosecutor’s of fice. While the Junta’s then employ ment minister, Francisco Javier Guerrero, brushed it off as mere ly a fund which ‘helped business es breathe’, Alaya realised there was something more sinister going on. What quickly became clear was that chain-smoking Guerrero was the man with the keys to the safe. Along with the Minister, the Union Boss and the Missing Man, he is one of hundreds of fraudsters whose stories have been filling
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hundreds of fake retirees receiving money in a similar way. The diedmandthanpealed,Guerrerokickbacksreceivedfundedhisdrughabit,homeim-provements,fastcarsandinternationalholidaysforfriends,fam-ilyandhisfellowcoun-cillors.GuerrerowassentencedbySevillaHighCourttosevenyears,11monthsinprisonforembezzlement,andanothersixyearsonrelatedcharges.Heapspentlessayearonreincustody,andinOctober2020.
5- Exclusive: Two men arrested after being caught on camera as they tried to break into homes in Marbella in Spain’s Costa del Sol
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G UERRERO’S driver, Juan Trujillo, provided the court with juicy testimony, admitting to judges he’d spent at least €900,000 of public cash on cocaine, booze and ‘par tying’ at brothels with his boss –as well as on antiques. He admitted accepting €1.4 mil lion in public funds from his boss for business projects which never materialised, including a non-ex istent chicken farm, for which he received €450,000. One of the sacked workers from the fake firms was his mother, who re ceived €122,468 in compensa He’stion. a cheating criminal, but wellgroomed, apparently: “Like a min ister,” said a neighbour of Trujillo in Andujar, Jaen. “In fact, that’s what we call him.”
And as a very special early Summer deal for Augustwe are offering all new clients AN AMAZING VALUE€1 EURO DEAL to access our website for a month.That means full access with no annoying pop upads for an entire month, plus all our printed issuesFREE on top.That’s for ALL our stories, features, explainers andinvestigations - around 600 of them - working out atjust 0.0016c a story.With around 20 professional journalists, writersand experts providing content every week, whatare you waiting for?
The portal www.theolivepress.es gives us un limited space to expand on topics and really go to town on the most in teresting subjects. Our team of trained journalists, who have experience at The Daily Telegraph , The Times and the Dai ly Mail , spend hours each day investigat ing and producing great content for the site. This is where you will find a host of special web-on ly features and explainers as well as news from around the regions that we simply can’t fit in the print editions. FOMO So if you feel you are missing out (the so-called FOMO effect), the solution is at hand: Just go to our website and you will find a huge amount of high-quality articles, news and views – all at your Wefingertips.arealso pretty sure that you’ll soon get regis tered, ensuring you get a daily email giving you a breakdown of the main stories of the week. You’ll even get one a week on travel. With theolivepress.es you never have to miss out!
3- U- turn campaign everything you need to know about the driving license exchange debacle for Brits in Spain
1- Family call for justice after British father of two dies in Magaluf after police knelt on him
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638 145 664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es about too little to late … the latest advice is farcical WHEN it comes to talking about climate change, it is impossible to stay away from politics. They are completely intertwined. My recent columns have focused on the dire situation that planet earth faces as a result of governments around the world failing to act quickly enough to reduce the more than obvious impact of global warming. So, this week, let’s look at the humorous side of things. That’s what we do in the face of adversity. I’m going to ignore:
Offices, shops, cinemas, the atres, and hospitality venues will no longer be allowed to set their cooling systems below 27 degrees in summer nor raise heating above 19 degrees in the Thewinter.measure also applies to airports and railway stations. Shops will also be obliged to keep doors closed and heating systems must be checked more often to increase efficiency un der the new measures. The package also includes shops having to switch off win dow lights after 10pm. Street lighting will not be affected. The government is demanding A BIG TURN-OFF
● The fact that only the misguided delusional op timists, and mentally challenged still think that keeping global warming within the agreed target of a maximum increase of 1.5C is possible
Green MattersBy Martin Tye
GREENwww.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 20228 +34 951 120 830 | gogreen@mariposaenergia.es | www.mariposaenergia.es 100% Certified Green Energy Reduce your energy bill Switch to our 100% Green Energy Save even more money with our solar PV panel installations! Generate your own electricity Solar PV Panels Simply send us a recent bill & we will calculate how much you can save. Get a quote today Contact us today
Too hot to grow
● The impact on the environment caused by the murdering lunatic Putin ● Pretend that the Taiwan escalation is not hap pening (there’s nothing the rednecks like more than a war on foreign soil)
● Deforestation is increasing And focus on Pedro Sanchez’s solution. He recently announced that to save energy he is go ing to stop wearing a tie! This is unreal and truly farcical and worthy of a West End comedy. Bring back Morecambe and Wise. He is also advocating the same initiative for all pub lic employees and in the private sector. Tie shops must love him. I can’t recall ever witnessing such a blatant attempt to divert attention from the major challenges his leadership faces. Many political commentators are wondering what item of clothing he endorses removing next. Unreliable sources are expecting him to start pro moting the famed Spanish Straw Donkey. Remem ber those? They were highly popular with the advent of mass tourism in the 1970s. Less popular if you happened to be seated on a plane next to a muppet who had bought one. But now Pedro’s pony is set for a comeback. It’s made by hand and requires no electricity. All part of the government’s drive to encourage tourism to Spanish shores. (Forget the 90 day rule, the British driving licence exchange fiasco and the less than speedy Spanish residency application Soprocess).Sánchez has it cracked. God help us.
NGOs are warning that lit terbugs are causing forest fires. A report from the associa tion BirdLife and Ecoem bes revealed that care lessly discarded plastic, cigarette butts and aerosol cans can spark and feed Theblazes.report comes after it was revealed that a fire in Cebreros in Avila was caused by rubbish. Both associations believe that it is important to pro mote environmental edu cation and prevention.
SANCHEZ HAS IT CRACKED
NO TIE: PM Sanchez COMEBACK: Straw donkey NEW rules have come into force to save energy at public venues across Spain. The Council of Ministers ap proved the first tranche of measures to cut Spain's gas consumption by 7% as part of a European Union agreement to limit dependency on gas from Spain'sRussia. reductions will be low er than the EU-wide figure of 15% and will be maintained until at least November 1, 2023. Ecological Transition Minister, Theresa Ribera, said: “This is an unprecedented ef fort not seen since after the end of the Second World War.”
Litterbugs
Furtherbuildings’.measures will be an nounced in September. It will be down to Spain's 17 regions to make sure that rules are be ing followed.
Plans approved to cut energy consumption By Alex Trelinski air-conditioned premises to have a door closing system in place before September 30 and for premises to review boilers and thermal installations be fore December 1. It’s also going back to the days of the Covid pandemic by en couraging more home working to ‘save on travel and heating
Talk
SPAIN’S Agriculture Minister, Luis Planas, says this sum mer’s hot weather will dent this year's olive harvest if things don't change soon. Spain is the world's leading producer and exporter of ol ive oil, accounting for 15% of arable land in the country. It produces 70% of the EU’s olive oil and represents 46% of the worldwide market, according to government sta tistics. The effects of extreme weather are being felt right across Spain's agricul tural sector. Luis Planas has estimat ed that Spain’s overall production of grain crops like corn, wheat and barley, could fall as much as 13% this year to 17.5 million tonnes.
roperty www.theolivepress.es P inpropertySpain’sbestmagEnglish AUGUST 2022
SPANISH country property sales were close to alltime highs in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Sta tistics (INE). There were 43,650 rural property sales in Q1, up 11% on the same period last year and 8.4% higher than 2019. It was the highest level of quarterly sales since the boom year of 2007. Country property sales have been steadily climbing since they bottomed out in 2011 with just 103,609 rural land sales that year, down from a peak of 192,302 in 2007, a decline of 46%. By last year rural property sales were up 53% compared to the trough of 2011. However, country property sales have really taken off in the last few quarters in the wake of the pandemic, with growth near or above double-digits in most quarters. Most rural property sales in Spain are located in the three biggest regions of Castilla y Leon, Andalucia, and Castilla –La Mancha. Along with the Valencian region they make up 58% of all rural property sales in Spain. If you look at the quarterly change in sales (year-on-year) in a selection of regions and provinces of most interest to foreign investors, you see the biggest growth in sales in Q1 came from the Catalan provinces of Barcelona (+40.5%) and Tarragona (+32.1%). This reflects a pandemic-related displacement of demand away from urban areas to rural areas with good access to city centres and transport hubs. Industry insiders report that rural property sales are being driven by lifestyle changes in the light of the pandemic, and some also mention a growing interest in rural real-estate as an inflation-proof asset offering a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Mark Stucklin is the owner and editor of property website www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRYRuralpropertysalessoarto53%above2011lows,writesMarkStucklin Fincas&VillasCREDIT:PIC Making the Pueblos white, see page 14
PROPERTYAUGUST 2022 10
Ena
Unique “From the moment you get in the house you realise it is an unique property, you feel that you are in an unique place,” the owner explained. “The white roofs and the wide curves, in harmony with na ture, makes this villa special,” he Theadded.1,479 sqm home has sev eral terraces including outdoor dining areas, indoor entertain ment and relaxation rooms, an infinity pool, barbecue, gym and a separate guest villa.
La Oveja Verde – opportunity to purchase an ongoing hotel business with the potential to sell separate apartments the region, where visitors can partake in hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, or simply relax and enjoy the magnificent mountain views and the many hours of sunshine that grace the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada. La Taha de Pitres sits at an altitude of about 1,250 metres and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest for its exceptional architecture and landscape. La Taha also includes Mecina, Ferreirola, Fondales, Capilerilla, Atalbéitar and Mecinilla, which are quieter villages, with indi vidual charm. The rivers Trevélez, Guadalfeo and Poqueira run through its land. Bordering La Taha de Pitres are the other popular Alpujarran municipalities of Pampa neira, Bubión, Capileira, Pórtugos, Busquístar, Almegíjar, Torvizcón, Órgiva and Carataunas. Pitres is a 20min drive from Soportujar, which is popular for its witch theme and draws many visitors to the area. Currently for sale, La Oveja Verde offers the opportunity to continue with the established hotel business, or to form a small urbanisation, in which the apartments could be sold sepa rately to individual buyers. The building offers generous, ground-level storage rooms for the apartments, as well as five parking spaces. It is surrounded by more than 2,000 metres of gar den, with abundant irrigation water distributed through pipes and sprinklers. It also features a beautiful swimming pool. Jose – 00 34 649 118 079
FOR SALE Exceptional investment opportunity in Alpujarra de Granada Tourist complex 12 apartments 5 parking 1250m2spacesbuilt 200m2 of garden and swimming pool tel: +34 958 064 WWW.THEGREENSHEEP.ESinfo@laovejaverde.es109
FANS of the ITV series Love Island can rent the villa used for filming from Septem ber The24.villa, Sa Vinyasssa in Sant Lloren, boasts an infinity pool, six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, and will be transformed after the series concludes in early August. The minimum that the villa can be rented for is seven nights, and it has the capacity for a group of up to 12 people and will cost around €6,000 a week. Thankfully, the villa will have its cameras removed with an interior overhaul before guests arrive. The distinctive neon signage will also be removed with exposed brickwork and snug sofas also to be added. The villa used for the previous series last year was recently sold for €3 million, and is a 10 minute drive from this year’s villa. Producers of Love Island opted for a shake-up after seven seasons in the previous lodgings. This year’s villa has bigger bedrooms, and more outdoor space than the last one.
SPLASHING
TOP OFCOSTATHE
THE Oveja Verde complex occupies a prime site at the entrance of the Alpujar ran town of Pitres, in the popular munic ipality of La Taha, which lies close to the Sierra Nevada national park. This area is popu lar with visitors of many nationalities, as well as permanent residents from Britain and northern Europe. La Oveja Verde is currently for sale, as a going concern that offers many opportunities.
NEARLY €10 billion has been invested in Spanish property in the first half of the year - a new record. Real estate investment reached €9.87 billion, some 80% more than the same pe riod of According2021.to the CBRE con sultancy, the retail sector led the way with €2.9 billion invested, eight times high er than that recorded in the first half of last year. This was largely thanks to BBVA's €1.987 billion purchase of more than 629 branches of Merlin Properties. The residential sector was in second place with €2.451 billion, up 71%, with rental assets accounting for 60% of total investment in residen tial real estate, student resi dences for 19% and coliving another 18%. The hotel sector was worth €1.65 billion, the best result in the first half of the year for five Anotheryears.€1.175 billion was accounted for by the indus trial and logistics sector and the office sector fifth posi tion with neatly €1.15 billion worth of transactions - a 27% “Theincrease.investment volumes re corded in the first half of the year show that the real estate sector in Spain continues to be attractive to investors, even in a changing macroeco nomic context.” said Miriam Goicoechea, Director of Re search at CBRE Spain.
THE proportion of Brits buy ing homes in Spain as part of the foreign market has halved since TheyBrexit.accounted for 12% of the total houses bought by foreign ers in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. Before Brexit, the British made up 24% of foreign buyers ac cording to Idealista In 2016, after the Brexit referen dum, the UK share dropped to 15% in just a year and this fell to 10% in mid-2021 before starting a Accordingrecovery. to Idealista, Brits’ favourite regions are Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia.
Love for rent
The director of the report, Ger man Perez Barrio, claimed that Brexit has had a negative in fluence on home sales in Spain, partly offset by an increase in buyers from other countries.
OUT
Costa lot
Recordlevelsof investmentaspropertysectorbooms By Dilip Kuner
BLUESBREXIT
PRICY: But cool JAVEA has kept its long-standing place for having the highest property prices in the Valencian Community. House buyers have to pay €721,003 on av erage to secure a property in Javea, accord ing to a survey compiled by online housing portal Idealista. This makes it the fifth-most expensive in Spain. Second in the Valencia region, and ninth na tionally, is Altea, which is home to numerous luxury villas in the Altea Hills urbanisation, with average prices coming in at €605,163. Calpe, l’Alfas del Pi and Denia complete the top five most expensive municipalities in the Valencian Community and are, respectively, in 16th, 18th and 23rd place in the national Averagerankings. prices are €459,353 for Calpe; €405,245 in l’Alfas; and €342,158 in Denia. Despite its massive draw with tourism, av erage prices in Benidorm are a comparative mere snip at €218,047. Valencia City is in 51st place in the national table with prices averaging €216,309.
THE most expensive property on website Idealista has been revealed to be in Mallorca. The €35 million villa sits on a plot of 8,263 sqm in exclusive Cala Vinyes. Not only does the seaside property have its own bar, sev eral chill out areas and access to a private yacht dock, it also boasts its own cave, said to be perfect for private events.
Inhabiting two adjoining buildings, the proper ty comprises a well-appointed complex of 12 independent apartments and a restaurant, surrounded by a beautiful private garden and a biologically purified swimming pool. Open to the public since 2007, and with a loyal customer base, Oveja Verde is a tourist high light in the area. It is conveniently situated close to the Pitres town centre, providing easy access to amenities that include a supermarket, phar macy, 24-hour emergency health centre, bank branch and ATM, teaching school and institute, as well as several bars and restaurants. Well-placed in the heart of the Alpujarra of Granada, between two important tourist ar eas, La Taha of Pitres is an authentic part of LIVE THE DREAM
Enquiries should be made to
HousesCountryGalicianCREDIT:PIC
“I WALK my dog through olive fields in the morning and pick my own fruit and vegetables to eat in the eve nings. I can work less because I live more cheaply, and I do it with this view,” says Julia, a Ger man friend, looking over moun tains in Cordoba. She has a remote job in custo mer services for a sports com pany, but her main focus ‘is ha ving a healthy, simple life, being close to nature, and living the Thedream’.sale of rural properties is booming in Spain. Farm sales rose by 30% last year, and de mand for countryside homes outstrips supply. The pandemic made people think about how they’d like bi gger houses and some outdoor Itspace.made remote working normal and living anywhere possible. And plenty of people who’d had a break from work decided not to go back but to take early reti rement and follow their dreams. For a lot of people, the dream is a small farm in Spain. “People were looking in the countryside, but the pandemic accelerated the process,” says Adrian Llored of Busco Masia. The Barcelona-based agency specialises in the picturesque stonewalled farmhouses typical across Catalunya. “Most buyers are open-minded, a bit hippy, lets say. About 60% are from Spain and the rest from abroad, many from the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the UK.” People want farms but they don’t want to be farmers. “They want the countryside lifestyle,” says Llored, “a house of around 300m2 and two to three hecta It’sres.”hard to make a commercial success of a small farm, he says, but a few intend to do something useful with the land: “One wo man was looking to grow medi cinal plants,” he says, “and there are others who want to keep Propertieshorses”. are being snapped up fastest in areas that enjoyed a tourism boom last year. Sales of rural homes in the northwest province of Guipuzcoa (borde ring France), in Badajoz (in Ex tremadura, bordering Portugal), and in Ourense in the south of Galicia, have all shot up by over Ourense60%. has the advantage of being both beautiful and affor dable. According to analysts at property platform Idealista, last year three-hectare farm pro perties went for an average of €19,125 (around €6000/ha), making the land some of the cheapest in Spain. Rural land in Lugo, Asturias, and Castellon (Valencia) was chea per still, says Idealista, and in the Aragon province of Teruel, whe re it averaged just €3,000/ha, there was a 50% jump in sales. People are prepared to venture further afield for a bargain, but price isn’t always the top factor when it comes to dreams – bu yers are also flocking to the Ba leares, Malaga, Barcelona and Cadiz where rural land prices are on average the highest in the Vastcountry.empty estates are plentiful. Finding a piece of land that’s a manageable size, with a habi table house, correct paperwork, good access, which also mat ches the dream vision, and then negotiating a deal, is trickier – especially for foreign buyers. That’s where agents and brokers come in. They’ve all been busy: the number of property transac tions by foreigners jumped by over 40% last year, totalling a fifth of all sales. Old farmhouses may need in tensive modernisation, while long-abandoned farms often come with a ruin or just a nave (shed). Building a house might seem the easiest option, but laws governing use of suelo rustico are generally geared towards preventing that happening. “The biggest misconception in ternational buyers have is they Many of them are looking for land for rural businesses. “Our clients are typically mid-40’s and upwards,” says Lee Govier, “plus the occasional younger client who wants the good life living off the land.” As well as handling logistics, the agency is careful to discover the ‘client’s expectations, correct any mis conceptions, ensuring they are fully prepared for living in Spain’.
We had 26 people put deposits down on the basis of video viewings think they can build whatever they want,” says Anita Schmidt from Villas & Fincas. “Even though the law is opening up a bit in Andalucia, the building of private dwellings is still very Luckily,restricted.”the agency’s mainly American and northern Euro pean clients tend to have the budgets that allow them to choose a ready-ma de dream home.
CHOICE IS YOURS: A doer-upper or ready to move in perwork that purchasing clus ters of properties, abandoned long ago by multiple owners, Asentails.well as retirees looking to invest upwards of €500,000 for top-end projects, they at tract ‘buyers who can run their existing businesses from a rural location, such as architects, and people with children who want to start a rural business or farm’, says manager Elvira Fafian. People don’t need a massive bu dget: aldeas with heaps of po tential are available from as low as €50,000. “There are many, aged 35 and above, who have been prompted by the cost of city properties and the economy to change their lives. “During the pandemic, people took the chance to explore a rural world which had become almost unknown to them. In our parents’ times, these places we ren’t appreciated,” says Fafian. There was an exodus to find work in the cities, and abroad. “But Spain has changed, and now these aldeas are recogni sed as jewels. Many people with Spanish ancestry from Mexico, Argentina, North America and Germany are returning to their roots, wanting to buy property in the regions where they or their parents were born. “It’s as if we all had to leave to make lives for ourselves. Now we are all coming home again, returning to the simpler times of the past, and the lives we re member as children.”
AUGUST 112022
Demand for rural properties continues to grow as people dream of swapping a home in the city for a fixerupper with nice views and space to keep chickens in the Spanish countyside
MasiaBuscoCREDIT:PIC
The rural dream can be cha llenging, especially when it in volves a fixer-upper. Properties available through Galician Coun try Homes range from multi-mi llion euro chalets to a watermill in need of restora tion in Lugo for € For25,000.those with energy and time to invest, getting a bargain and creating a home is part of the appeal. Luckily, the agency has an army of local specialists on hand to stop it becoming a ni Unlikeghtmare.in many regions of Spain, ‘around 60% of the rural proper ties we handle are small, around half a hectare’, says founder Mark Adkinson. The combination of affordable fixer-uppers, green countryside, internet connectivity and mana geably-sized pieces of land, is proving a hit – they’re selling 1820 rural properties a month and getting 50 enquiries a day.
Rural is on trend in the lu xury sector, too: “More clients are looking for larger plots and houses, more inland, to be in dependent tercountrysidebeplecreaseseeingBritish,thecia,Inlandsupply.”demandThereself-sufficient.andismorethanAndaluwherehalfclientsareisalsoanininpeowantingtooutintheaflockdown.
AndaluciaInlandCREDIT:PIC
The boom started after the first wave of Covid: “People stuck in flats in Madrid and Barcelona were calling us, desperate to es cape,” says Adkinson. “We had 26 people put deposits down on the basis of video viewings.” Now buyers are pouring in from as far afield as Australia and Abu Dhabi, with lots from Ire land – a place that’s similar in looks, just colder. “So far, the oldest client has been 80, the youngest, 18. We get lots with children who want to get away to somewhere na tural without vio lence and theft, and with fewer drugs. They’re not looking to farm, though most want enou gh land to grow fruit and vege tables and be reasonably inde pendent.” For many, that means starting a tourism business, ‘but we’ve also had buyers wanting to set up breweries and grow medicinal cannabis. We get all Focusedsorts’. mainly on Galicia and the north of Spain, Aldeas Abandonadas has caught peo ple’s imagination around the world. Specialising in deserted hamlets (aldeas), usually with four or five buildings to recons truct, the agency, like Galician Country Homes, is able to mobilise a team of specialists, and handle the hardcore pa
AbandonadasAldeasCREDIT:PICCountryandCoastCREDIT:PIC
OLIVE PRESS’ GUIDE TO RURAL LIVING
TREEMENDOUS: Rustic bargains with character
By Sorrel Downer
THE GOOD LIFE
One of the main factors that has prompted consumers to opt for so lar panels is the volatility in the en ergy market as Martin Tye explains: “The wholesale cost of electricity has sky-rocketed over the last 12 months and with so many external factors that can cause fluctuations in those costs, many homeowners and busi nesses are choosing to produce their own electricity, putting themselves firmly in control of their electricity costs and allowing them to make huge savings. “In fact our clients are finding that, with the savings they are making, their solar installation has paid for itself in just two to three years.”
THE solar energy revolution has firmly taken hold across Spain, with demand for solar panel in stallations soaring. Homeowners and businesses alike realise the huge benefits that gener ating their own electricity can offer. To cater for the growing demand, Spain’s leading solar panel and green energy company, Mar iposa Energía has just opened a new office in LaunchedAlicante. in San Pe dro de Alcántara on the Costa del Sol al most three years ago, Mariposa Energía has gone from strength-to strength, rapidly in creasing its reach from Andalucia ini tially to the whole of Spain. The new Alicante office is ideally lo cated to support the high level of in terest from the English-speaking mar ket, who welcome the ability to work with a company which speaks their Martinlanguage.Tye, CEO at Mariposa En ergía said: “We are delighted to have opened a new Alicante office, with a team on the ground in the area. “We pride ourselves on our first-class customer service and so it is important that we have solar specialists based in the Alicante area as local points of contact for
SUNNY DELIGHT
Clients also receive an app so that they can monitor their solar instal lation from anywhere in the world, seeing how much electricity it is generating and how much they are What’sconsuming.more, the Mariposa Energía team handles all of the registration paperwork on behalf of their clients. All solar installations come with a 30-year comprehensive guarantee, giving you peace of mind that your solar installation will stand the test of time and full maintenance sup port is provided, although solar pan els require very little maintenance. “Installing solar panels really is a win, win situation. You will make huge savings, you will gain the free dom to use your high consuming appliances, such as the dishwasher and washing machine during the day and you will even add value to your home. What’s more you will be helping to protect our planet for fu ture generations to come.”
To find out more about solar panels contact the friendly team at Mariposa Energía today on +34 951 120 830, by emailing gogreen@mariposaenergia.es or by visiting the website www.mariposaenergia.es
Wholesale cost of rocketedhaselectricitysky-overthelastyear
AN INVESTMENT THAT PAYS FOR ITSELF
A SIMPLE STRAIGHTFORWARDANDPROCESS
As solartemperaturessoar,sodoesdemandforpowerandenergyprices er-growing client base.” With more than 300 days of sun per year, Spain is the perfect location for solar panels, yet historically the coun try has lagged behind some of its European neighbours in terms of the numbers of solar installations. This was mainly due to the infamous ‘sun tax’ which previously levied un fair taxes on those who chose to generate their own electricity with so lar Thankfullypanels. that tax has been abolished, paving the way for both homeowners and businesses to make substantial savings from this plentiful and renewable source of energy. “Interest in solar panels is at an all time high,” Martin Tye said. “And it’s easy to understand why when you look at all the benefits an installation has to offer.”
And it’s not just the substantial cost savings which make solar panels such an attractive investment. It’s also a fantastic way for consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. “Climate change is a very real and very urgent problem. The planet’s average temperature is rising at an alarming rate and it’s vital that we take immediate action to slow down global warming. The effects of this temperature rise can already be seen with an increase in forest fires, droughts, flooding and the erosion of coastal areas. If action isn’t taken this problem will only get worse with an increase in crop failures, loss of habitats and rising sea levels,” Mar tin “Theexplains.burning of fossil fuels to pro duce electricity is one of the main contributing factors to climate change. The harmful emissions that are produced as a result of this pro cess, known as greenhouse gases, become trapped in the earth’s at mosphere, leading to global warm “Bying. moving to green energy sources, such as solar power, we can reduce the levels of harmful emissions in our atmosphere and help to protect the future of our planet. “Unlike fossil fuels, solar power does not produce these harmful emissions. What’s more it’s a re newable source of energy, meaning that as long as the sun continues to shine, it will never run out.”
Installing and using solar panels is actually a lot easier than you may Atthink.Mariposa Energía it all starts with a satellite survey of the roof or available land space and analysis of your electricity bill to determine how much energy you consume on average. From there the solar specialist team creates a proposal, recommending the size and layout of the solar in Thestallation.proposal is incredibly detailed and includes information on the amount of electricity your solar pan els will produce, along with a 20year cash flow forecast so you can see how much money you will save and how soon your investment will have paid for itself. “The cost savings really are stagger ing and our clients are often really surprised at just how much money they will save and how quickly they see a return on investment.”
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THE WHITE STUFF
Andalucia’s famous white village houses are cool and beautiful – and they might just keep out plagues By Livia Cockerell
OF all the possible images of An dalucia, the white village set against a mountainous landsca pe is one of the most iconic. In provinces such as Cadiz and Malaga, the pueblos blancos shimmer blindingly under the Andalucian sun. They happen to be as pretty as a picture, but there are practical reasons for why they are white. Between the 8th and 15th century, Anda lucia was an Islamic kingdom, separated from the north of Spain, which was ruled by Christian kings. During this period of divi sion, the decision to use lime (or cal) to whi tewash entire villages in Andalucia helped create a sense of unity between the Moorish pueblos Choosing the colour had practical as well as political benefits. The bright white reflects the sunlight, kee ping the houses cool during the hot summer months. The Moors had several ingenious strategies for combatting the Mediterranean heat, from building on the north face of crags to designing streets so narrow they were shaded by houses on either side, and using white was an integral part of their Inplan.the past, the whitewash that coats these buildings was made by artisan caleros from slaked lime, known to be both an effective insect repellent and a powerful disinfectant. During epidemics of yellow fever and pla gue, houses were whitewashed in an at tempt to prevent the further spread of disea se. While it’s uncertain whether this worked, it was a particularly valuable course of ac tion during the cholera outbreak of the 19th century, when the highly alkaline properties of slaked lime proved effective in killing this particular bacteria. So important was cal that UNESCO has granted the traditional method of its pro duction ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hu manity’ status. Today, most cal is industrially produced and the centuries old artisan practice is in dan ger of dying out – but not everywhere.
An hour’s drive from Sevilla, the Museo de Cal de Moron demonstrates the artisanal Itprocess.occupies a large area of 3,000 m2. Vi sitors can see two fully restored, traditional and utensils characteristic of the period. The museum has an interpretation centre and projection room, where visitors can learn first-hand the whole process of lime production and how its impact on Anda lusian culture has made it a world-fa mous symbol of the region's identity.
GETTING READY: Limestone is stacked... ...then when ready the kiln is lit... ...and a worker tests to see if it’s ready... ...with the final cal powder ready to be mixed into paint 19th century lime kilns and a shed ca lled ‘Del Caler’ built at about the same time and made with materials from the Bothperiod.the shed and all decorationtainseuminbuildingsthethemurethe
TENDING THE FIRE: at the Museo de Cal Moronde
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John Muir, the driving force behind the Nationalparks of the USA
www.theolivepress.es 26th 2022 voiceSpainPOLIVERESSThe expat ANDALUCÍA FREE X + info@theskydoctor.comALLDOCTORUNLIMITEDPAY INFORMATIONMORE, ANTHONY’S ANTIQUES Mijas Costa beenfootballexpectedecologyremainingcamprojects6.2 develop its infrastructure.countlessscarceApartprojectsthisneedsGil,Torre
PRISTINE: The Costa de la Luz remains unspoiled yorkshirelinencostablanca.comCOMEANDGETINSPIRED! us on Facebook and Instagram · ALTEA
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“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to findout that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; andthat mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timberand irrigating rivers, but as fountains oflife. Awakening from the stupefying effectsof the vice of over-industry and the deadlyapathy of luxury, they are trying as best theycan to mix and enrich their own little ongoings with those of Nature, and to get ridof rust and disease.”
Fight them onthe beaches HAN OF URC TAS Battle lines are being drawnas massive mega-projectcould see football pitchesof homes and hotels ‘swamp’Tarifa’s famous virginbeaches opmentSpainsome buildings,protectedoppositeareadehope ButEnvironmental building Lancesthe see plans whenValdeva schemes.Francisco OFF OUR COSTAS
P h o n e : 9 5 2 9 2 3 5 2 0 w w w . s u r v e y s p a i n . c o m C u r r e n t M a r k e t V a l u a t i o n s B u i l d i n g C o n d i t i o n S u r v e y s N e w b u i l d S n a g g i n g R e g u l a t e d b y R I C S AS she was driven from her luxury home to her plush office in central Madrid, Pilar, the CEO of ABC developments, reflected on the previous day’s events. After a busy morning signing off on the first occupation li cences for a brand new de velopment on the outskirts of the capital it was off to a long summer lunch at her favourite air-conditioned restaurant half way up the Paseo Castellana. It had become a repetitive con versation with the always eager Manuel, the principal financier, boasting of how much mon ey the company had and then complaining there were so few places to invest it and then wily Juanjo - who represents the company’s shareholders - urg ing Pilar to act. Juanjo was always looking for Pilar to use that money to main tain a continuing solid return on the shares, as that's what the pension funds required. Quite simply, the pressure was on to start new developments as soon as possible - and as big as possible - so that the cash flow would keep coming in. So today is the day for getting things moving. Her team of 20 professionals, all with substan tial salaries tied to mortgages, private schools, etc, are des perate for movement. Oh yes, and first she has a meeting with Miguel, the head of the construction company, that now has over 200 em ployed personnel, again all with mouths to feed, plus an army of subcontractors, self employed professionals and casual la bourers, all of whom depend upon the developer (her) to move things forward. It is a ‘beast’ that needs to be continuously ‘fed’. When did this treadmill start and how would it ever stop? She and hundreds of similar companies like hers couldn’t cover the whole country with concrete surely, but that's what was happening. The team had been primed to bring forward projects that could be acted on quickly and had a reasonable chance for success. The discussions continued well into the afternoon. Some were just run-of-the-mill extensions to existing developments, while most were coming out as too expensive and with low profit margins, even with the opti mistic projections of the sales team. A combination of high site ac quisition prices and ever-es calating construction and material costs, were the main Evenproblems.though inflation was go ing to lower the effects of his torical costs, Pilar just wasn’t in a risk-taking mood. Towards the end, when every one was tired and the post lun cheon coffee ‘rush’ had died, Miguel mentioned the two po tential sites at Tarifa on Anda lucia’s Costa de la Luz. Pilar admitted she had nev er been there, having been brought up in Cantabria, but she admitted the long pristine beaches and plentiful land be hind them seemed a natural choice for development. The luxury units to sell at over a half a million a throw would inevita bly However,shift. Carolina, the ecol ogist in the team, raised the natural problems such as lack of infrastructure, a shortage of water, and a reputation for the coast’s infamous winds to drive potential buyers mad. Also, said Carolina, it’s one of the in Andalucia and vital to pre serve with the looming climate crisis. The mention of the environ ment and global warming brought Pilar back to when she helped her daughter with her geography homework the previous night, stressing the need for radical changes in “Yousociety.build houses, don’t you Mummy?”, she had asked. ”Did you know all the concrete, steel and bricks account for ap proximately 40% of the world’s carbon pollution?” Pricked by the thought of her daughter and her potential grandchildren, she thankfully came to her senses. na says are sustainable. We may own the land, but we bought it cheaply, but we’ve now got to look at life and work differently. Caroline, you and I must visit there as soon as pos sible to get a better view.” And that’s how the company lost their CEO for a few months, who came, saw and was con quered by the Light. The temporary halt and hiatus of activity meant the company could survive in reduced form when the 2023 economic col lapse came, without having scarred the land with yet more development. The beaches would remain the pride and joy of thousands who would discover them in the IF ONLY
“In the meantime, the wildest health andpleasure grounds accessible and availableto tourists seeking escape from care anddust and early death are the parks and reservations of the West.”
An imaginary sketch on how the mass development of the virgin coastline of Tarifa might go, writes Campbell Ferguson of Survey Spain
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GAME OF THRONES fans are eagerly gearing up for the new prequel series House of the Dragon which premieres on August 21 in the US and over the following days inter Locationnationally. shoots happened last year in Spain, with Cace res being used, like in Game of Thrones, for the drama which stars ex-Doctor Who, Matt Smith. The original worldwide hit used stunning international locations and four of the top five most popular for visitors are in Spain. Pop culture specialists, Zavvi, produced their list of most visited locations by looking at photos posted on social media featuring location hashtags and filtering. The most visited location is the Castillo de Zafra in Gua dalajara - also known as the Tower of Joy, which featured in season six of Game of Thrones According to Google Trends, Thrones filming locations had a 92% rise in interest in July, with the Castillo de Zafra, see ing a 50% increase in searches. Dragonstone Morocco’s Essaouira came second followed by Caceres with the old castle doubling up as King’s Landing. Fourth on the list is Itzurun beach at Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country which in season seven showed the landing of Queen Daenerys at Dragon stone. In fifth place is Peñiscola in Castellon Province which became the city of Meer een, which was captured by Daenerys.
By Alex Trelinski
IT can not be overstated how important it is to read and under stand the documents that come with your insurance policies. Very few people seem to be aware of the importance of first checking if your policy documents are totally correct with all the right information. This is especially important for car policies where it is vital that the number plate information is correct. Also, these documents should be kept in the car, but make sure you have copies at home too in case the vehicle is stolen.
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With the increases to both inflation and the cost of living, unfor tunately burglaries are on the increase, especially with unoccu pied properties. Ensure you understand what you need to do to not only protect your property but also ensure you have the right cover with your insurance. It is worth making sure know in advance what to do if anything happens. For example, know what telephone numbers to call and research what documentation and information you will be required to provide. Obviously health insurance is a little more complicated. Ensure you know what information you need, have the contact details with you at all times and it helps to store the telephone numbers on your telephone, along with your policy number. If you are unsure how to use your medical insurance, ask your agent or broker. It is always better to be prepared, I know that insurance docu ments are not easy reading but it always pays to know and un derstand your policy. It will make your life easier, less stressful and in some cases, will prevent large unexpected bills. To help you with your claim, I have a special Claim Administrator to guide you through the process with Liberty Seguros, an ASSSA administrator to assist you with your health policy and a renew als department to help you with your renewals, and to check that your policy coverage is correct and up to date. Outside of my office hours, all the insurance companies have emergency contact information, which comes with your policy.
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NEW LADY PLEAELCHE council has made a fresh ap peal to the Ministry of Culture and the National Archaeological Muse um in Madrid to return the ‘Lady of Elche’ bust. Mayor Carlos Gonzalez made the plea at a ceremony on the 125th an niversary of its discovery. The Lady of Elche is a stone bust that was found on August 4, 1897 at It’sL’Alcudia.anIberian sculpture dating back to the fourth century BC and was bought by the Louvre museum in Paris for 4,000 francs. In 1941, it returned to Spain where it stayed for 30 years in the Prado Mu Elcheseum. council has campaigned for many years for it to be permanently displayed in its home city.
LA CULTURA 17August 11thAugust 24th 2022
NEWS June 3rd - June 16th 2021 3
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Spain has 4 out of top 5 Game of Thrones locations
No kidding NEWLY discovered engrav ings found just outside Bar celona have been dated at 14,000 years Archaeologistsold.from the Au tonomous University of Bar celona made the discovery of the ancient engravings and have now determined they were engraved during the Upper Paleolithic era. In addition, a full 3D scan re vealed the engravings were of a Pyrenean Ibex, an ancient wild goat which was officially declared extinct in 2000. Such was the skill of the art ist that the engraving can be used to partly trace the evo lution of the species. In 2003, scientists at tempted to clone a Py renean ibex from DNA. A live kid was born - the first exam ple of the birth of an speciesextinct-butitdiedshortlyafterduetoalungdefect. The tablet Moraira. 96 561 5061 / 692 live in Spain or It’s advisable Spanish CONSULTAS offer a can guide to CONSULTAS –
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Scent successof IT may be a feast for the eyes, but Madrid’s Prado museum also made one masterpiece a treat for the nostrils too. Last month it experi mented with exhibit ing The Sense of Smell by Jan Breughel and Rubens accompanied by scents and aromas. The painting’s original goal was to evoke the im mense range of smells a human can distinguish through its subject mat ter of a sucious garden. So the Prado decided to go a step further by part nering with the Perfume Academy Foundation to create 10 distinct scents to bring the painting to life for visitors. Using AirParfum, a tech nology developed by Puig, the perfumer Gre gorio Sola created the fragrances which were wafted towards visitors.
Hilly Barmby – Author of ‘From My Cold Dead Hands’ playing,” she says. Although it has taken 20 years to achieve her ‘over night success’, Hilly is now full speed ahead with various novels. Her first book – ‘ From My Cold Dead Hands ’, published by Blood H ILLY and her partner first came to the Alpu jarra from Brigh ton in the early 1990s, to work as Wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms). They ended up above Lanjaron, helping on a farm there. Hilly later set up an arts and crafts shop in the municipal market in Orgiva. She left the area in 1995 but returned in G RANADA cele brated its annual romeria of the Virgin de las Nieves, which is said to be the highest altitude pilgrim age in the world, taking place on Mulhacen and Valeta – the Iberian Penin sula’s two highest peaks.
Three womenamazingauthors of La Alpujarra talk to Jo andaboutChipchasetheirliveslatestworks FROM Frederico Garcia Lorca to Gerald Bren nan and, more recent ly, Chris Stewart, Andy Bailey and David Ludding ton, La Alpujarra has played home to many successful Itsauthors.beautiful landscape seems to inspire word smiths of diverse genres to put pen to paper, or fingers to Now,keyboard.female authors are taking the area by storm, with three women from Orgiva launching their own novels from the same town where the Olive Press was born in 2006.
The event on Mulhacen, which started in Trevelez, attracted the usual ded icated horse riders who camped overnight on Au gust 4 at the Siete Lagu nas (seven lakes). It was also attended by hikers who parked at Hoya del Portillo at Capil eira and walked for three hours to see the mass, Granada celebrates Spain’s peaksnation’spilgrimagehighestonthetwohighest which occurred at noon. Those who returned to Trev elez enjoyed an evening fi
Sheree Griffin (aka Chloe Phoenix)author of ‘Behind You’
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LA CULTURA18 August 11thAugust 24th 2022 SELL WITH CONFIDENCE Live video walk throughs of your property Professional marketing and photographs No sale no fee Regular advertising on A Place in the Sun TV Existing database of clients Buyers are in safe hands Area covered between Benidorm and Gandia Vanessawww.hello2spain.comMob:+34672 208 879 Silvio Mob: +34 649 154 199 Hello2SpainSL “ ” Just bought my dream home with Hello 2 Spain. If anyone is looking for a safe, legal and great property – stick with these agents. Vanessa provided me with extra contact details and important documents to get me started with changing over the utilities. The team have given me amazing before and after care. Vanessa and her team are so sincere, helpful and professional. So so happy! Email for information: admin@si-academy.com or visit us: www.si-academy.com A BRITISH EDUCATION WITH A APPROACHMODERN Reach Higher, See Further, Shine Brighter Shine inclusiveAcademyInternationalisanewand British primary school offering an alternative to the traditional school experience. ENROLMENT FROM APRIL 2022 SMALL CLASS SUPPORTIN-SCHOOLSIZESFOR ALL APPROACHCHILDTEACHINGEXCEPTIONALCENTEREDOPSUDOKUOP QUICK CROSSWORD All solutions are on page 20 Across 6 Cold, dry Adriatic wind 8(4)Gloaming (8) 9 “---, home’s best” (4,4) 10 German idealist phi losopher (4) 11 Pot bakers (5) 12 “Who cares?” (2,4) 14 Lot, to Abraham (6) 16 Cake topper (5) 18 Burn slightly (4) 20 Kind of aural implant 21(8)Pack it up (4,2,2) 22 “--- of the D’Urber villes” (4) Down 1 Essential constituent 2(4,3,6)Stately horse (5) 3 Small informal restau rant (6) 4 Very popular confec tion (4,9) 5 At that time (4) 7 Like some cysts (7) 12 Baste, perhaps (3) 13 “--- That Shook the World” (John Reed book) 15(3,4)Money held by a third party (6) 17 Chip off the old block 19(5) WWI field-marshal (4) S HEREE visited La Alpujarra on holiday from Warwickshire in the UK, met her now husband, Mark, and fell in love with both him and the area, which is con veniently close to the ‘love ly Mediterranean coast’. She decided to retire early and moved to Las Barreras, near Orgiva, with Mark and her cats and dogs. Her novel, ‘ Behind You ’, is a ‘cosy, whimsical, mystery about a middle-aged nurse, Shona Jones, who comes to La Alpujarra for a holiday and finds herself solving a mystery with a tall, dark enigmat ic man’. onthebasedShereenovelwhat she knew person ally, and with flavouraddedanof La Alpujarra. It took her a couple of years to write and was published in 2021. She has just finished the sequel, ‘ A Strange Prac tice ’, which continues Sho na’s story, along with an other mystery to solve. She is now working on the third book in the trilogy. ‘ Behind You ’ is available through Amazon in Paper back or Kindle edition, as well as on the shelves of Camac and Libreria Atlanti da in Orgiva.
TREK: Horses took the high road
FOLLOWING THE
Hilly2016.lives in an old cortijo ’ near Orgiva with her musician partner, Malk, and two rescue dogs. She has created a ‘wooden lady shed’, where she paints, makes crafts and writes her novels, taking inspiration from the view. “I look out of my win dow and can see the Lujar moun tains, our vegetable patch, the wood pile and the dogs
Amanthi Harris – author of ‘Beautiful Place’ esta of music and dancing. The Valeta route was at tended by people who parked at Hoya de la Mora in Monachil and then at 3.30am hiked 10km to Ta jos de la Virgin The virgin was carried from Pradollano, home of the Si erra Nevada ski resort, and passed Borreguiles, where the participants stopped to drink hot chocolate before facing a steep uphill trek to Tajos de la Virgin. The mass was at 8.30am, with the rising sun illumi nating the altar and the participants enjoying im pressive views.
Top virgin
LA CULTURA Live sports and music and the occasional celeb! Traditional English pub service and banter along with great food, family area and open for breakfast tel: +34 653 44 60 48 / 608 609 860 goodtimes@sharpeyssportsbar.com www.sharpeyssportsbar.com Centro Comercial Arenal, Carretera del Cabo La Nao Pla 126, Javea – Comunidad Valenciana VISIT LEE SHARPES BAR JAVEA The Ex England, Man Utd and Leeds Utd star (and Love Island!) would like to welcome you to Sharpeys Bar sonderwell.co.uk 11-15 St Mary at Hill, London, EC3R 8EE LIVE IN SPAIN WORK IN THE UK EARN UP TO PER WEEK INTERESTED?£980 CALL OR EMAIL US! 07599 111347 jayne.vale@sonderwell.co.uk FOOTSTEPS OF LORCA AMANTHI visited La Alpujarra af ter bumping into a lady who ar ranged concerts in La Taha and Poquiera valley - this prompted her to explore the area with her hus band, and then their newborn daughter. In 2020, they moved permanently from ‘BeautifulLondon. Place’ is set in Sri Lanka, in a guesthouse on a re mote beach along the southern coast. It follows the lives of the owners of the guesthouse, their friends and the actual Saysguests.Amanthi: “I wanted to recapture the atmosphere of my childhood home in Sri Lanka, where I grew up.” The book took 10 years to write and was published in 2019 in the UK (Salt Publishing) and 2020 in South Asia (Pan Macmillan India). It has been praised in reviews from ‘The Guardian’, author Amit Chaudhuri and ‘Grazia India’. Amanthi is now finishing editing a collection of short stories, some of which have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, as well as planning her second novel. She is inspired by the “generous and creative folk of La Alpujarra.” A Beautiful Place’ is available from Amazon, Libreria Inusual in Granada, Camac and Libreria At lantida in Orgiva. AS well as playing home to many au thors, Orgiva has itself featured in various books. Olive Press editor, Jon Clarke, has written a non-fiction book that ex plores how the linethesuspectmaininMadeMc Cann case, predator BruekenChristian er, spent time in Orgiva’s alternative communities, where the transient population would be unlikely to notice anoth er ‘van lifer’ appearing in their midst. The well-researched book is available on Amazon. co.uk hound Books in July 2022 - is about a woman, Cassie, who has lost her memory: can she piece together the truth about her family, her life, and a friend’s murder? The idea for the book came from watching Michael Moore’s film, ‘ Bowl ing for Columbine ’. Hilly thought: “What if someone wakes up with amnesia in a particular world/ lifestyle? If she has a clean slate, would she view her world Hilly’sdifferently?”hasa threebook contract for her ondthrillers.psychologicalHersecbook,‘ The Pact ’, will be re leased by Blood hound Books on October 4, 2022, and the third book is pending. She also has a three-book con tract to write a young adult trilo gy for a different publisher, Spell Bound Books. ‘ From My Cold Dead Hands ’ is available on Am azon worldwide, Barnes and Noble, Kobi and Water stones. It has a 4.8 out of 5 rat ing on UK Amazon and 4.54 on Go odreads.
By Alex Trelinski
after
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Down: 1 Part and parcel, 2 Steed, 3 Bistro, 4 Milk chocolate, 5 Then, 7 Ovarian, 12 Sew, 13 Ten days, 15 Escrow, 17 Scion, 19 Haig. journey a live-in carer to £ Career development
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SPAIN'S government has outlined details of new windfall taxes on banks and fuel companies which aim to bring in €7 billion into state coffers over the next two years. The tax will fund measures to fight rising costs for people in the country. A 1.2% levy will be im posed on fuel company profits while banks will face a 4.8% levy on their
Energy companies and banks targeted by windfall taxes net interest income and net commissions. Repsol CEO, Josu Jon Imaz said that gas and oil com panies don't make windfall profits. “We must not forget the billions of euros of loss es we recorded in previous years,” Imaz commented. Banks are being targeted on the grounds that their profitability is boosted by rising interest rates. Fines set at up to 150% will be imposed if banks pass on the tax via increased cus tomer charges. Savers Chief executives from both Santander and Sabadell banks warned that the tax would hit mostly small savers and shareholders. Santander CEO, Jose An tonio Alvarez, said: “If €3 billion of capital comes out of the sector, then it takes away €50 billion of lend ing capacity.”
THE Spanish government’s plan to invest €12 billion in high tech indus tries is struggling to get off the ground thanks to a lack of chipmakers willing to take on the project. The new tech drive has received bil lions of euros of investment from the EU’s Covid recovery But firms courted by the Spanish government are instead opting for partnerships with business es in Germany, which already has an
as
FRENCH retailer Auchan says its Spanish sub sidiary Alcampo will buy 235 supermarkets and a warehouse from the struggling DIA group. Subject to clearances from competition au thorities, the deal should be concluded within weeks with all transfers completed before the summer of 2023. Alcampo pounces established semiconductor ecosystem. The EU and US are locked in a race to increase chip production, with West ern governments keen to reduce their dependence on an industry typically outsourced to Asian markets. The US recently announced a $52 bil lion investment into semiconductor Chips are down SPAIN'S unemployment figures have dropped below three million for the first time since 2008. According to the National Statistics Institute,(INE), the total fell to 2.9 mil lion for the second-quarter of 2022 compared to 3.2 million for the first three months of the year.
GBP/EUR exchange rate drops from three-month high BoE recession warning HE Pound to Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate climbed to a three-month high over the last two weeks as EUR investors grew increasingly concerned about the intensifying Europe an energy crisis. Meanwhile, Sterling rose as markets anticipated a 0.5% rate rise from the Bank of England (BoE), but a recession warning slashed the pound’s gains. GBP/EUR rose by more than two cents from lows of €1.174 to a three-month high of almost €1.199 before falling to €1.188.
Currency volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that two-cent gap between €1.17 and €1.19 translates to a €4,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against Servicesyou.like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need Atthem.Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.
Looking ahead, economic data is sparse through most of the second week of August. As a result, GBP/EUR may trade on external factors. Any fresh warnings or concerns about the gas crisis in Europe could weigh heavily on the single currency. Likewise, eurozone recession fears may dampen the appeal of the euro. As for Sterling, increased industrial action, social unrest and political instability in the UK may prevent the pound from making significant gains. UK GDP data on Friday could potentially see GBP/EUR fall. At the time of writing, economists expect the UK economy to have con tracted by 0.3% in June. The following week brings high-impact data for both currencies. The UK’s latest labour market report, inflation rate and retail sales will be the focus for GBP investors. Signs that the UK economy is slowing would likely hurt the pound, while any data that might prompt more action from the BoE – such as a hot inflation reading or above-fore cast wage growth – could see Sterling climb. Meanwhile, Germany’s latest ZEW economic sentiment index may dent the Euro. While no official forecasts are out at the time of writing, the worsening gas crisis and looming recession risks may see anoth er steep drop in morale.
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The welcome news- at a time of inflation hitting 10.8% - is the lowest jobless total since the world bank ing crisis 14 years ago. The unemployment rate stands at 12.5% with 617,000 additional perma nent jobs compared to the second-quarter of 2021. The figures validate labour reforms in Spain aimed at cutting down temporary contracts and black market working.
Rolls sell off ROLLS-ROYCE has been given the goahead to sell its Span ish subsidiary ITP TheAero.company had orig inally announced the €1.7 billion sale last September, but has had to wait for Spain’s government to approve the deal. It is expected that the sale to a consortium of investors headed by Bain Capital Private Equity will be complet ed within a few weeks. Rolls-Royce took ac tion to strengthen its balance sheet after it was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. ITP Aero is an aeronau tical engine company based in Zamudio, the Basque Country which maintains engines for the Spanish armed forces.
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The BoE decision then slashed Sterling’s gains. Although the bank did raise rates by 0.5%, it also warned that in the fourth quarter of 2022 the UK economy would enter a recession, which would last throughout the following year. GBP/EUR slumped by a cent. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?
PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY
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BUSINESS August 11th - August 24th 202220 OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 6 Bora, 8 Twilight, 9 East West, 10 Kant, 11 Kilns, 12 So what?, 14 Nephew, 16 Icing, 18 Char, 20 Cochlear, 21 Time to go, 22 Tess.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING? Sterling soared through the final week of July, with GBP/EUR climbing to a three-month high. Throughout the week, recession fears hammered the euro. Poor economic data from Germany and the wider eurozone worried markets, with confidence among consumers, investors and busi nesses all Additionally,declining.Russia’s Gazprom slashed gas exports to Europe, ex acerbating concerns about the EU’s worsening energy crisis. Meanwhile, markets became increasingly confident that the Bank of England would raise rates by 50 basis points at its August meet ing. This lifted the pound to a three-month high against a weak ening However,Euro.concerns about economic and political instability in the UK may have limited GBP’s gains. As wage growth lags behind inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze tightens, workers across the country are striking to demand pay increases. In addition, the Tory leadership contest brought out bitter divides in the ruling Conservative Party, as the political turbulence con GBP/EURtinues. wavered higher at the beginning of August, although movement was perhaps limited as investors awaited the BoE de cision. The pound suffered from a downward revision to the final UK services PMI while a stronger US dollar weighed on the Euro.
FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL 21August 11thAugust 24th 2022 Paseo Maritimo de la Patacona n 14, 46120, Alboraya, Valencia I T. 96 372 40 95 I 618 356 043 I info@casapatacona.com Enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in a beautiful environment Gabschidgey@gmail.com
Tourism sector buzzing as number of visitors doubles earlier. June’s 7.5 million visitors spent close to €9 billion with visitor numbers over the six months of 2022 running at over 80% of the same period back in Tourism2019.Minister, Reyes Maroto, said that based on June’s figures and if the cur rent trend is maintained, pre-pandemic levels will be ‘clearly’ achieved and de scribed the news as ‘extraor Speakingdinary’. to TVE, Maroto re flected on the 30 million-plus foreign visitors this year and their increase in spending power. She said: “We have tourists who spend more and who are staying longer. “This has to be the way for ward where quality and diversification are the hall marks of this recovery. We are avoiding very well the uncertainties derived from the Ukraine war and from in flation which makes us opti mistic but also realistic.”
Fruits “The tourism sector has made a great effort to resist the effects of the pandemic and we are benefiting from the fruits of good work and the safety net that we de ployed to protect the sector and families,” Maroto con cluded. By Alex Trelinski No peace EASYJET has made peace with protesting cabin crew only for its pilots to call a series of Thestrikes.pilots’ union SEPLA has called for action over nine days in August to demand better working conditions for Spain-based pilots at the Theairline.strikes at the British low-cost airline are to take place for three periods of 72 hours each, with stoppages on August 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29. Meanwhile, Vueling cabin crew may also go on strike. Up until now, the Barcelona based OVER twice as many foreign tourists visited Spain in June than in the same month last year, according to official government figures. Arrivals also spent almost three times as much during their stay compared to a year
CLEAR: Reyes Maroto PACKED: Beaches are busier than ever low-cost airline has benefited from strikes at two of its big rivals, Easyjet and Ryanair but now cabin crew are threatening strikes in Au gust over pay.
Good times roll
YES, wooden barrels are a ‘thing’. On their sides they are more like tubes. That’s not the most prac tical shape for accommodation, so all you get in them is a bed, sheets, plug sockets and, if lucky, air Thankfully,conditioning.theytendto be locat ed on campsites that have show er blocks and more, like the Do mus Baco barrels at Camping Alicante Imperium in Villajoyosa, where there’s a pool, restaurant and shop (€70 for two nights); or those at Camping El No galejo in Setenil de las Bode gas, near Ronda. Go for the larg er Reserva, Gran Reserva or Crianza bar ricas at Camp ing (€1050Bañaresfor seven nights) if you want to squeeze in the kids. These sleep four, though as the management points out, you can’t cook in there. The campsite is packed with ser vices, sports facilities and a wa terpark, and located in La Rioja. It’s just possible if you and go visit one of the local wineries you’ll draw your own conclusions about the best use for barrels. But if you’re looking for wooden and weird, you’ve found it.
www.caprocat.com
www.campingalicanteimperium.com
TREE houses were springing up in woods across Spain before the pandemic, and they proved a popular, safe ly-distanced, back-to-nature retreat option, during it. The wooden cabins, many high in the canopy for eye to eye contact with birdlife and accessed by steps wrapped around tree trunks, ladders or bouncing walkways, are like play Cabañashouses.en los Arboles Zeanuri, south of Bilbao in the Basque Country, has the range – from cabins 17 metres up, to others on the ground (where children over the age of seven are welcome) or deep in the woods for total dis Showers,connection.café, and other services are provided in a central Breakfastsfarmhouse.are delivered – if you’re up in the canopy, you’ll have a pulley system so you can pull it up to your platform. From €150-€270.
FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL22 August 11thAugust 24th 2022 reservas@verarestaurante.esTel:+34 625 361 511 Avenida de Navarro Reverter, 8 46004 València www.verarestaurante.es A FUSION OF TASTES 20% OFF for readers of OLIVE PRESS A fusion restaurant of Ecuadorian and Spanish cuisine Spanish and Ecuadorian Tapas Exceptional stone grilled meat KITCHEN OPEN ALL DAY iq windows and glass curtains tel: 965 973 307 tel: 603 874 www.iqglasscurtains.comenquiries@iqglasscurtains.com006 INTELLIGENTTHECHOICEFORALLTHINGSGLASS GLASS CURTAINS WINDOWS AND GLASS CURTAINS Covering the whole of the Costa Blanca GLASS CURTAINS • PVC WINDOWS GLASS FENCING • ALUMINIUM
NEST like a lucky sand martin or an auk or something, tucked into the cliffs of the Bay of Palma, Mallorca. The Centinela rooms at former fortress Hotel Cap Ro cat are carved into the rugged rock at the defence points where the cannons were hidden. Each has a ledge with pool and seating above the sea and is very special – with a special price of €9950 for the twonight minimum (mind, that is high season, and it does in clude breakfast). For cliff face accommodation that’s both more affordable and terrifying, opt for a portaledge experience.
www.zielodelevante.com
CLIFF FACE
The Olive Press brings you a guide to some of the more unusual holiday spots to take a break in this summer...
Rab Riglos Suite started it by offering beginners and experi enced climbers the opportunity to spend the night in one of three ‘rooms’ hung 100 metres off the ground on the sheer cliffs of the Mallos de Riglos in Aragon (each with a ‘terrace to allow you to stretch your legs’). The ‘rooms’ aren’t there permanently, but the reviews were glowing, so hopefully they’ll be back by popular demand.
WHEN it comes to holiday accommodation, it’s fair to say four walls, a front desk and a lift not a ladder are fairly standard requirements. But these days real luxury comes in all shapes and sizes – and often with spectacular views, without the crowds, and a bit of adventure on the side. We pack our bags and check out some of the quirkier stays in Spain. So join us on a mini break that won’t cost you a family of five (hobbits), kids will love them – as will dogs, which are also welcome. From around €460 high sea son for a two night stay.
QUIRKYpenny... STAYSINDULGEyourinnerhob-bitatMiTesoro(MyTrea-sure)inLugo,Galicia.‘Cute’isonewordforthesethreecheerylittleapartmentspokingoutofthehillside;‘eco’isanother,giventheyarenaturallyinsulatedbyturfroofsandwellintegratedintothelandscape.Withspacefora
ro.com/eswww.experienciamiteso BARRELS HOBBIT HOMES www.cabanasenlosarboles.com/es TREE HOUSES
BUBBLES WANT to continue gazing at the moon and the stars, but also really want to go to bed? These largely transparent bubble pods are for you. Fans of zorbing might think they know what to expect but will be in for a surprise: the orbs are firmly tethered, well-equipped and always luxurious. At Zielo de Levante in Tirig, Castellon (two hours from Barcelona, one from Valen cia), for example, the bubbles have ho tel-style mod cons plus telescopes (from €240), while the Mil Estrelles site in Banyoles, Catalunya, has pool and sau na (from €116). Dozens of bubbles have been inflated at dark sky sites across Spain, providing spectacular views with out the neck ache. There are no refunds if it’s cloudy, so you might want to check the forecast before booking.
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SPAIN’S bullet train service between Madrid and Barcelona ground to a halt when 600 me tres of fibre optic cable used for its signalling system were stolen. A man has been arrested. DJ Calvin Harris may have bought himself a farm on Ibiza but that does not necessarily make him a farmer. The Scotsman claimed on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show, that he can’t get a cow on Ibiza because the island is too hot. This will be a surprise to locals who have long kept cattle - in cluding a herd just 8 kilome tres from his property.
voice inOPRESSLIVEThe COSTA BLANCA FREE Vol. 3 Issue 87 www.theolivepress.es August 11th - August 24th 2022We use recycled paper REREREuseducecycle WORDSFINAL
Clean escape BENIDORM firefight ers rescued a man from a city self-ser vice launderette after he was trapped when the front door auto matically bolted shut at Bad10pm.signal
rubbishUdder
AN Alicante beggar has scooped a life-changing €1.2 million first prize in the Bonoloto lottery. The unnamed winner would beg for cash every day close to a tobacconist which sold her the winning ticket. Shop owners Mariangeles Torregrosa and De siree Agorreta told the Informacion newspaper that the woman ‘told us that we have changed her Theylife’.added that the ticket holder lived in the WHAT could be worse than a bull in a china shop? Ap parently, a goat in a jewellery Astore.black goat caused chaos in Cartagena when it was chased around the city by police be fore smashing a glass display in the store. The animal had entered the city from the Murcia road and ran down Paseo Alfonso XIII. The female then hoofed it with police on motorbikes and in patrol cars in hot pur suit. Even passers-bye on electric scooters joined in the chase. She finally turned into pedes trianised Calle Mayor, scat tering shoppers before taking refuge in the ‘lo soy joy’ jewel lery Storeshop.owner Laura Nicolau told the newspaper: “She ran in very quickly. She had very large horns, it was a good thing that she did not hit anybody, especially a child. “She struck a glass item very hard and shattered it,” she added. Burly Seven people were in the shop at the time. It took four burly officers to corner the horned beast in the shop’s loo using riot shields, before two shepherds arrived to help tie up the ani mal and man-handle it out of the shop.
Cops get their goat after daylight chase shoppingthroughstreets
By Alex Trelinski FEELING HORNY: Cops grab the goat Rags to riches area and after wrapping up her begging at around 2pm, she would pop into the shop. She’d only buy Bonoloto and Primitiva lottery tickets rather than Euromillions tickets as they were Localscheaper.described the woman as popular. She usually spent cash raised on food for her family. IT gives the term a ‘room with a view ‘ a whole new meaning. A luxury hotel in Ibiza is of fering guests the chance of an overnight stay for free, but the catch is that everyone can see them. This is because the ‘Zero Suite’ has glass walls and is in the middle of The Paradiso Art Hotel’s lobby in full view of other guests as they check in and head for their own more private suites. The hotel website describes the suite as ‘A room with glass walls in the middle of the lob by of the Paradiso Art Hotel where you can sleep one night for free…’ withRooma view ofBarrelsfun AN Irish whiskey distill ery has saved 100-yearold Spanish wine barrels to reuse them maturing whiskey. The 68 Oloro so casks were bought by Boann Distillery when a Cordoban bodega closed.
