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AT LEAST 40,000 jobs have been saved in Alicante Province for the time being, after the national government extended the ERTE furlough scheme until the end of January. The news came on Tuesday as around 600 vehicles took to the streets of Benidorm to demand the extension with thousands of local tourism and hospitality jobs on the line. The motorcade was led by a tourist bus with a banner proclaiming ‘ERTE OR DEATH’. The Valencian Business Federation(CEV) says that 27,567 workers are currently getting ERTE benefits. They estimate that an extra 12,500 people across Alicante Province will be able to claim as the area moves into the ‘low’ tourist season. The scheme, which was launched in
voice in Spain
Vol. 1 Issue 24 www.theolivepress.es October 1st - October 14th 2020
By Alex Trelinski
March, was scheduled to end yesterday (September 30) but will now run until at least January 31. A last-minute deal between the government and trade unions saw authorities climb down over plans to drastically cut help to struggling tourist-related and hospitality businesses. CEV president, Salvador Navarro, said: “Common sense has prevailed and the effect on the Alicante Province economy would have been barbaric.” Payments to laid-off staff will be kept at 70% and new benefits will start for short-term seasonal workers who would not normally qualify for unemployment benefits. Business owners will have their social
security contributions subsidised on a sliding scale of up to 100% depending on their size and the time of the year. Speaking to the Olive Press, San Fulgencio councillor, Darren Parmenter said: “This is excellent news as so many businesses in the area, including ones owned by expats, are related to tourism including bars and restaurants. This will help them get through the winter.” Though the ERTE extension has been universally welcomed, calls have already started for more to be done. Nuria Montes from the Benidormbased Costa Blanca Hotels Association (Hosbec) said: “We need payments to continue until we can return to normality and that means ERTE running until June and the start of the summer season.”
Fatal hug Tragic friends fell to deaths while taking a selfie
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TWO British holidaymakers plunged 30 feet to their deaths while hugging to take a selfie, an inquest has heard. The Olive Press has previously reported that Daniel Mee, 25, and Jayden Dolman, 20, died after the fall in Punta Prima, Orihuela in July 2019. Now an inquest in the UK has thrown more light on the tragic incident. The friends were taking a selfie along the seafront when they lost their balance and plunged over a railing onto the rocky beach below. Mee was killed instantly when he landed on a beach hut.
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Best pal Dolman was rushed to hospital in Torrevieja but died from his injuries shortly after. The inquest into the death of Mee, held in the pair’s hometown of Taunton, Somerset has revealed eye witness reports of the incident from their friend, Lewis Higgins who was at the scene at the time. “Jayden and Daniel were walking from the villa to the nearest beach,” he said. “They were taking pictures while they were walking. Daniel embraced Jayden. I saw them both close to the railings. Then they fell.” Toxicology report found that the alcohol level in Mee’s blood was 215mg, three times over the drink drive limit. The coroner pointed out that the three young men were simply having a good time, saying they ‘were walking not driving.’ “The pair had been drinking during the day, and unfortunately this was a large factor in the accident,” said Tony Williams, Somerset coroner. He added: “Daniel and Jayden are hugging close to the railings and during that, they have lost balance, they have gone over the railings and unfortunately fallen over where there is a steep drop of nine metres on the other side.” Official cause of death for
TRAGEDY: Jayden Dolman (left) and Daniel Mee were best friends Daniel was a severe head injury caused by the fall. Dolman’s body was not repatriat-
ed back to the UK for a coroner’s inquest. A Guardia Civil inquiry
alongside the British coroner’s report ruled the deaths as accidental.
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Wasted youth THREE teenagers were arrested for setting fire to 10 waste bins and containers at Alicante’s Playa de San Juan.
Recycling LA MANGA is to get a continuous 18 kilometre cycleway linking existing pavements and bike lanes at a cost of €1.2 million.
Camino woe FINES of up to €400 are being imposed for drivers illegally using a camino route as a shortcut between Quesada and the La Herrada urbanisation in Los Montesinos.
Strong odour FIRE crews at a Crevillente house discovered a burning building was being used as an illegal marijuana farm.
Late raid ALICANTE police closed down a bar in Plaza Vicente Mojica that was illegally serving 58 customers in the early hours of last Sunday morning.
October 1st - October 14th 2020
Black Widow A WOMAN, dubbed as the ‘Black Widow’, has gone on trial in Alicante charged with killing her husband of just 20 days so that she could get a cash payout. Concepcion Martin, aged 47, and her friend, 58-yearold Francisco Perez, are jointly facing charges over the death of Martin’s 69-year-old partner, Jose Luise Alonso. Prosecutors allege that the marriage to Luise Alonso in August 2018 and his subsequent killing were all about getting financial benefits. Reports at the time of her arrest suggested that Martin had been married three times previously and that
Woman accused of murdering her husband of just 20 days By Alex Trelinski
one of her husbands had met a violent death. It was also revealed that Martin pretended to be wheelchair-bound due to a road accident to get compensation. At an earlier hearing police had to carry her into court as she tried to maintain the pretence. Despite her apparent disability, she allegedly mustered enough energy to stand up and to hold her
Vile exploiter A MURCIA region farm manager has been arrested over 20 sexual assaults on foreign female casual workers. The 58-year-old man is accused of committing the attacks at a farm in La Palma, Cartagena. The Guardia Civil said that he exploited the fact that the women were not employed legally. The manager forced them to have sex to avoid having their ‘illegal’ status exposed to the authorities.
ACCUSED: Concepcion Martin arriving at court partner in a La Albufereta with a screwdriver. car park while Perez fatally The incident was witnessed stabbed him over 20 times by an off-duty Policia Nacional agent who shouted at them to stop. He raced to the scene and prevented the duo escaping, but was too late to save the victim. INDIAN spice dealers have been found to be smuggling huge quantities of Jail weapons and marijuana from the Netherlands to the Costa Blanca and Costa Prosecutors have called for del Sol.An Indian food business hid the 30 and 28 year jail terms for guns and drugs among spices with simMartin and Perez respecilar characteristics to the cannabis leaf. tively. Sources say the Amsterdam-based gang Martin’s story of what hapmade frequent trips to Spain in heavy pened has changed as she trucks, with 250kg of marijuana seized firstly accused two ‘black’ in the latest operation. Dutch and Spanmen of the killing and then ish police made three arrests in Alicante said it was two men dressed and another three in Amsterdam, with in black, before claiming 13 in various warehouses around the her husband’s son had comDutch capital. mitted the murder.
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Gambled and lost LUCK ran out for two men who decided to use Alicante Casino as a laundering point for 15 fake €500 notes. The men each face over seven years in jail after swapping the high quality counterfeits for gambling chips. The €500 note was a notorious target for counterfeiters around Europe, and by coincidence, the European Central Bank(ECB) stopped issuing it five days after the men tried to pull off their con in April 2019. The note remains as legal tender in countries that have the Euro as their currency, but most outlets refuse to accept it. The men obtained their bogus money from another person who has never been arrested, but they have been charged with producing fake currency. Casino management carried out a close check on the impressive-looking fake notes and spotted that they had been duped. The men were prevented from leaving the building with the police called in.
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San Sebastian Film Festival SPECIAL
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October 1st October 14th 2020
Depp takes Donostia
Celluloid central
W
The Olive Press’s Lydia Spencer-Elliott reports from the silver screen event of the year
ITH Cannes cancelled and Venice drastically downsized, Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival has led the way for cinema in 2020.
There was an emotional atmosphere as stars took to the red carpet and audiences sat in screenings for the first time since the pandemic’s economic downturn nearly
And the winner is... Golden Shell, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screenplay
‘Dasatskisi / Beginning’ The Silver Shell for Best Actor Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang and Lars Ranthe in ‘Druk / Another Round’ The Special Jury Prize Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
Olive Press picks Premiering at the Festival’s closing gala ceremony, Forgotten We’ll Be by Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba is a warm and sweeping drama centered around the family of a Colombian doctor and human rights activist Hector Abad Gomez in 1970s Medellin. Lessons in love and tolerance are at its heart: “It’s a universal story for all languages and all countries,” Trueba told reporters.
Woody Allen’s rising star KEN Appledorn (pictured left) first moved to Spain from Michigan for love. Fifteen years ago, after losing his heart to Jorge Cadaval of the beloved comedy duo Los Morancos, he packed his bags and headed for Triana, Sevilla. And, regardless of the popularity of his spouse, Appledorn’s talent has spoken for itself in the Spanish cinema scene as he featured in Woody Allen’s latest feature Rifkin’s Festival, which kicked off the San Sebastian Film Festival. “I’m excited to have worked with Woody, he was actually really cool and fun,” Appledorn told the Olive Press. “On set he told me to come over and my mouth just opened wide. The assistant director had to tell me ‘he’s not going to bite you’.”
squashed the creative industry. And there was no shortage of Hollywood glamour as some of the Silver Screen’s biggest names gave the event their full support. Matt Dillon (pictured above), Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen and Gina Gershon all jetted to San Sebastian for the 68th year of the festival. “Each edition of the film festival is unique and unrepeatable,” said host Edurne Ormazabal. “But this year’s has been even more so. There have been no parties and no crowds, not even whispering anything in the ear of our seat mates. We are moved by the exemplary behaviour of the audience.” Movie goers were jovial, clapping along to introductory music at every
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screening. In a pre-recorded message at the premiere of Nomadland Francis McDormand waxed lyrical about the city: “San Sebastian is fantastic,” she told the audience in her absence. “Eat some good food for me.” When he took to the stage in the Basque Country, Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen held an optimistic outlook: “COVID-19 has screwed us all and will continue to screw us for some time to come, but it is only another stumbling block in our existence,” he said. “Uncertainty is the law of life, but don’t let us forget that life is a gift. We must continue to forge ahead. Long live the cinema!”
Red Carpet Ravine When people say San Sebastian will blow you away they first mean by the Michelin star pintxos. After that, they’re referring to the gale force winds. Stars battled biblical rain and 90km gusts on the film festival’s red carpet as Louboutins got soggy and gown hems saturated. Despite the torrential rain, Gina Gershon wowed in a plunging black gown and black lace stilettos, while Matt Dillon was chic in a navy suit and v-neck jumper. Katherine Waterston was a picture of deadpan beauty at the premiere of World to Come at the Victoria Eugene Theatre. But she couldn’t help but flash a quick smirk when the Olive Press asked if she was pleased to have escaped the quarantine craziness of the UK. Tunbridge Wells boy Joe Alwyn took to the carpet in a striking geometric print shirt. The Favourite actor has been romantically linked to pop superstar Taylor Swift since 2017, with friends placing bets on when the pair will announce their engagement.
SMILE: Katherine Waterston was a picture of beauty
SPOKEN
CLAD in a baker boy hat, dark aviators and his famous assortment of rings, Johnny Depp touched down in Donostia to promote his new documentary Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan. Depp revealed to reporters he met the Pogues singer while on a bender in Dublin: “I remember bits of it,” said Depp. “I remember my breakfast, which was Guiness and Irish coffee, my lunch, which was Guiness and Irish coffee and dinner was just Jamesons or Black Bush.” The star was in high spirits as he recalled the memory, despite admitting to challenges with alcoholism at a court hearing over his alleged abuse of wife Amber Heard in June. “I don’t give a f**** about politics,” said Depp when quizzed on the upcoming US election. “I watch Trump speak and I laugh: It’s great comedy. But I would like to take people out of fear and danger and I don’t believe that he’s the one to do it.” The star then returned to the Maria Cristina Hotel and emerged in a petrol blue suit ahead of the evening’s premiere. Staff revealed to the Olive Press that even with A-list festival guests, like Depp and Matt Dillon, they still hadn’t managed to reach capacity following the coronavirus pandemic. Crock of Gold scooped The Special Jury Prize for director Julien Temple.
BOOTED OUT STAFF were forced to remove French director Eugene Green from his own movie premiere after he refused five times to wear a mask. “He lost his status as a festival guest due to his lack of respect,” said festival officials. An embarrassed audience continued with the screening of Atarrabi & Mikelats after the surly Frenchman had been ejected.
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NEWS
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NEWS IN BRIEF Connected TORREVIEJA’S San Luis health centre has become the first health centre in the Vega Baja area to make free Wi-fi available for patients and staff.
Modern-day slavery THE Spanish Policia Nacional havwe released a video warning people not to use prostitutes, highlighting that the industry indirectly funds human trafficking in the country.
War of words ROJALES City Council claims €70,000 of taxpayers cash is being spent on dealing with complaints from the Pader opposition party, something the group deny.
Young thug THE alleged leader of a migrant smuggling ring has been arrested in Mallorca. The Algerian suspect is aged just 22.
Maddie suspect confessed to crime links at Granada music festival, writes Jon Clarke THE key suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann allegedly confessed to his involvement in the case at a Spanish music festival over a decade ago. Christian Brueckner admitted his links to the snatch of the three-year-old, while socialising with pals at the Dragon Festival, in Granada, in March 2008. The German paedophile - who lived close to where Maddie was taken in Portugal in May 2007 came clean while negotiating a big drug deal at the week-long event, near Orgiva. According to his pal Helge Busching, 48, he confessed at the hippy bash that he attended on various occasions, the Olive Press can reveal. Speaking to The Sun in Corsica, he refused to give exact details of the information he gave British police from Operation
CAPTION xxxxx
SEUR Grapes THOUSANDS of expat customers of eBay and Amazon UK living in Spain claim they are having their parcels stolen by Spain’s leading delivery company. Droves have taken to review site Trustpilot to slam SEUR as a ‘scam outfit’, with one Olive Press reader refusing to shop anywhere that uses the firm for deliveries. The firm, which is part of the DPD group and self-professed ‘leader of the sector in Spain’, is accused of lying to customers, failing to deliver parcels, providing a phone number that doesn’t work and an email address to which an automatic reply says the package does not exist and is therefore not deliverable.
The company is accused of lying to customers and failing to deliver parcels by enraged expats.
Expat David Bullock told The Olive Press that he was left fuming then two Amazon orders were lost by SEUR. The electrical items that he
A Cat’s life
TORREVIEJA is to receive €12,000 from Alicante Provincial Council for the sterilisation of stray cats throughout the city. The Councillor for Animal Protection, Concha Sala, announced the funding should be enough to sterilize roughly 185 cats of both sexes, using a treatment in collaboration with local vets. She indicated that the move should reduce the massive increase in the number of strays, blaming the previous town hall incumbents for their lack of management in this respect. Sala insists: “Castration is the only way we can reduce the number of cats in colonies on the streets of the city.” She continued: “With the help of associations, we will control these colonies so that we can all live together in harmony.” Grange in 2017. However, he insisted he was ‘guilty’ and confirmed it was his tip off that led to German police to develop their current case against Brueckner. The German - who had briefly lived with Brueckner in Greece - is a convicted people smuggler, who is believed to have given his testimony in return for a reduction of a seven-year sentence. The Olive Press can reveal that it was Busching and another German, Manfred Seyferth, who had cleared out Brueckner’s Praia da Luz home, after he was sent to prison for diesel theft in March 2006. Making it look like a burglary, the pair had taken all incriminating evidence, including dozens of passports, money and watches. But, it was during that raid that they also took a video camera, on which they found sick recordings of Brueckner undertaking two rapes. One which last year convicted Brueckner of the 2005 rape of Diana Menkes, a 72-year-old American. A combination of a hair found at the scene, plus the testimony of Busching, led to Brueckner being handed a seven year sentence, which he is serving in Kiel, in Germany. Seyferth, who also knows Brueckner, said: ‘’I knew he (Busching) had told British police Christian was involved. He told me he had something very important to tell Scotland Yard… and what he had to say about Madeleine and Christian was very important.’’
bought for his car were not of huge value, but David said he refuses to order another Amazon item until the online retailer switch to a different delivery firm. He said: “I have had a negative experience with deliveries from SEUR, even to an Amazon locker. “SEUR stated the item was delivered but no access code for the locker was sent. It is fairly obvious what happened to the Amazon order. “Another item which was supposed to be delivered to my house have also gone missing.” He added: “I will not be ordering from Amazon again until they change delivery company.” A Mac Air ordered from a reputable company in the UK via eBay recently went missing.
October 1st - October 14th 2020
Arrivals REFUGEES continue in their attempts to enter the Spanish mainland, as two more pateras were intercepted. Torrevieja Maritime Rescue rescued the groups of Algerian refugees in waters off the city’s coast. Some 12 men were aboard one vessel, who were transferred to the Port of Alicante. Once landed, the COVID-19 protocol was activated to test them in accordance with health authority guidelines. Another boat was captured at Punta Prima on Orihuela Costa with seven onboard, including a child.
Welcome
ORIHUELA COSTA is to host the Arena 1000 beach handball tournament for the next three years. The Spanish Federation of Handball visited the region to announce the Costa Blanca leg of the Arena Handball Tour for June and July of 2021 through to 2023. The venue is to be the popular Cala Bosque in La Zenia, normally packed with holiday-makers from Britain and other countries. The first vice president of the federation claimed: “This is an exemplary tournament at European level and we take into account that it will be an Olympic sport in the future.”
Almoradi´s Bill
ALMORADI council has demanded €4 million of compensation for property damage caused by last year´s record-breaking floods. The authority blames the local destruction on the body that looks after the Segura river and the surrounding area. It sent a detailed and damning report to the Segura Hydrographic Confederation(CHS), compiled by an independent civil engineer. He concluded that ‘a lack of river maintenance and deterioration of a flood prevention wall’ were responsible for the damage suffered in Almoradi, which included the centre of the town being engulfed in water. The council said that it warned the CHS about the issues in 2017 and nothing was done to fix the problems. A detailed breakdown of the flood damage is listed in the report which ranges from municipal buildings and roads through to sewers and the local electricity supply.
Explain in Spain OLD PALS: (clockwise from left) Busching, Brueckner, Tatschl and Seyferth The Olive Press revealed in June how convicted rapist Brueckner was a frequent visitor to the Alpujarras region of Granada. He was certainly visiting the town of Orgiva to visit his best friend, Austrian expat Michael Tatschl around a month after Maddie went missing in 2007. “It was late May or early June when he turned up with this big American campervan, the Winnebago,” Tatschl said. “He came looking for me as he knew I had connections to the marijuana world,” added Tatschl, who lived with him in Portugal and spent eight months in prison with him for diesel theft.
“We all wondered where he’d got this big expensive van. We assumed a big drug deal or something like that. Now I suspect it was Maddie. “He was definitely a pervert and all his friends thought that about him.” He continued that Brueckner ‘often’ came to Spain ‘dealing drugs’ and had been to Orgiva many times. Granada police have now confirmed they looked to see if Brueckner could be linked to any sex offences in the area between 2007 and 2020. In particular the suspected rape of a child at the Dragon Festival in 2007, which Christian may have attended. According to
one user of the popular Facebook site Orgiva Massive, the crime was never solved. It comes as it emerged he is now facing a new charge of exposing himself to a 10-yearold German girl on an Algarve beach, just ONE MONTH before Maddie went missing. Joanna Eilts, 23, has now identified Brueckner as the naked man who grabbed her by the arm and began to masterbate. Just 10kms from Praia da Luz, he first talked to her in English and then German. In 2014, Brueckner assaulted a five-year-old girl in a public park in Braunschweig, Germany, before taking graphic photographs of her which he saved
on a memory card. During an investigation, police raided his flat, they found a Casio Exilim digital camera with 391 vile images and 68 videos of abuse. On the same camera, detectives found about five photographs of Brueckner abusing the five-year-old girl in the park. Portuguese police have also started reinvestigating his links to a rape of a 20-year-old Irish girl Hazel Bevan near Praia da Luz, as well as his exposure to four children in 2017. Brueckner’s lawyer Friedrich Fulscher insisted that his client was ‘innocent’ of any involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine.
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The Olive Press all editions FP (342mmx256mm) September 30
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NEWS FEATURE
www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
OPINION Breathing space THIS WEEK’S government’s decision to extend the ERTE furlough scheme to January is a welcome bit of breathing space for Spain’s tourism and hospitality sectors. It was a quick change on Monday from previous Madrid statements that the game was pretty much up for ERTE at the end of September. Who pays for it all will be decided further down the road, but make no mistake that higher taxes will be a future bitter pill that most of us will have to swallow. Right now, there was no logical choice for the Sanchez-led administration but to carry on paying or face a return to the high jobless figures of the previous decade. Nobody knows the future, but at least tens of thousands of tourist and hospitality workers will have some financial guarantees for the next four months. But what happens at the end of January when the next ERTE renewal is due? It’s a question that nobody can or perhaps wants to answer, but as we’ve seen this year, a heck of a lot can happen in just a few months.
Mailroom meltdown OUR front page deep dives into the dodgy mailbags belonging to SEUR delivery drivers - exposing the terrible service experienced by people all over the country from pocket pinching posties. The SEUR saga comes after our online story exposing the horrors of one unlucky expat’s battle for her post at a Correos office sent the comment section into overdrive. This week we’ve heard readers share their own experiences of letters and packages vanishing in ways that seem both unfair and unexplained. Isn’t it about time that we expats can expect our post to arrive at our door without hiring a legal team, undergoing an investigation or jumping through hoops? A hope and a prayer simply isn’t enough to ensure successful arrival anymore. Yet, posties even delivered letters and parcels during the blitz. So, how on earth have so many deliveries managed to go AWOL in modern day Spain?
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Eye of the hurricane La Linea mayor ‘with the most difficult job in Europe’ speaks exclusively to the Olive Press
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pain and the UK are both guilty of serious class divides. And, as in Britain, splashing the cash in Spain isn’t always synonymous with good taste or manners. Zara owner and retail giant Amancio Ortega is your prime example. Despite a net worth of 67 Billion USD, he has regularly been spotted driving a demure black Audi while dressed like anyone’s uncle in a blue shirt and sensible shoes. Meanwhile, on the streets of Puerto Banus, boy racers hurtle round corners in luminous purple Tron Aventadors and bedazzled Lamborghinis. The appearance is gauche and it certainly isn’t ‘upper class’. The grinding gears and revving engines deafen passers by. This is the way of the ‘pijo’. For simplification, think of them as types with ‘a fur coat no knickers’ philosophy. It’s all for show and while they may not earn a significant sum, they spend at a sensational rate. Most days they can be found ordering countless bottles of champagne at a beach club blow out. They dance with their hands in the air, not out of elation but to avoid water damage to their fake timepiece. In Britain, wealth manifests itself in a few choice items and behaviours. These include, but are not limited to:
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Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.
the surge of drug crime has become the greatest scourge of the southern coastline of Spain. In a hard-hitting interview with one of Andalucia’s most popular alcaldes, he tells the Olive Press that when he became mayor of La Linea in 2015, he knew he was taking on the ‘most difficult job in Europe’. Born and raised in the town that sprawls along the border of Gibraltar, Franco has
Where high society and high price tags don’t always go hand in hand. Lydia SpencerElliott sorts the pijos from the truly posh
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IRING gunshots into the air, police officers swarmed towards a boat full of drug traffickers as they raced towards the beach for a drop off in the dead of night. It looked like something from the Mexican narco wars. But the scene, from the new documentary on Netflix, is real and happening on an almost daily basis just kilometres from popular tourists hotspots on the Costa del Sol. While the hard-hitting miniseries, La Linea: shadow of Narco, makes for shocking viewing for those watching faraway from the comfort of their sofa, town mayor Jose Juan Franco Rodriguez knows better than anyone how
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Similarly in Spain, there are tell tale signs that sort the pijos from the truly privileged. ●● Paella is strictly a lunchtime dish. The elite don’t roast themselves on the beach in the midday heat— that’s reserved for Brits abroad or office workers with the day off. Instead, they indulge in luxurious long lunches. Think a shaded chiringuito wrapped in a slouchy Ralph Lauren linen shirt. Large meals are exclusively for lunchtimes so don’t order paella at 9pm. ●●A glow from within Despite spending seemingly all their time in the shade, the wealthy are deeply bronzed. They radiate the same golden hue as the Renaissance antiques in their coastal summer homes. This can only be achieved with the privilege that allows for summers that last from May to October. Not the same as the mahogany bronze you get from spending every day of your two week trip basted in Factor 4 tanning oil, sorry. ●● ‘Cortijo’ countryside boltholes The UK and Spain have this one in common. Whether a farm in Cordoba like Victoria Ortiz Martinez-Sagrera or a hillside hideaway in Sarria-Sant Gervasi, Barcelona, everyone needs a mountainside mansion to escape from the bustle of the weekday social scene. Must have horses. ●● Watersports. There’s a breed of lowkey pijo that melds the moneyed with the bohemian. Dubbed the ‘pijhippie’ they can be found in Tarifa in campervans or kitesurfing. Similar energy to ‘gap yah’ students from West London. ●● Bimba y Lola crossbody bags. I can’t explain this one. But they are on tabletops everywhere from Nobu to Restaurante El Paraguas. Costing €100 to €300, they don’t break the bank in the same way Dolce does. Yet, they have infiltrated the wardrobes of millenials and old-money mujeres alike. ●● Winters in Baquiera Beret. The Courchevel of Spain, nestled in the Pyrenees at Lleida, with winding slopes and a Sisley spa. Hotel Val de Neu is the go-to accommodation for the cognoscenti. Bogner ski jackets are a must. ●● Forget fast fashion. We’re talking ‘investment pieces’ people. Timeless silk and linen for summer, classic cashmere and denim for winter. Queen Letizia and Helena Revoredo rewear their outfits: sustainability is chic, honestly.
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October 1st - October 14th 2020
7
FRONT LINE: La Linea with the bright lights of Gibraltar and (inset) police raids which are common place in the fight against criminal gangs
Olive Press online ‘Spain’s best English news website’
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E at the Olive Press are always keen to talk to our readers to get constructive comments and feedback. After all, without readers – whether for our traditional newspapers or our website and online platforms – there is really very little point to our job. So we take note of what people are saying to us, as our announcement of a 50% discount on our paywall for pensioners and students proved. But one question we get is 'what do I get for my money – what am I paying for?' Well, what you get is journalism, you are paying for people who excel at storytelling to do the work they love and the job they were trained to do.
dedicated his career to improving the place he says remains ‘in the eye of the hurricane’. It used to be that just the presence of the police on the shores of La Linea de la Concepción was enough to deter the criminals - Franco once said he believed the earlier generations ‘had certain ethics’ when it came to the drugs trade. But in recent years they have grown bolder and more sophisticated in their ruthless dealings and it is estimated that more than 30 drug gangs employ circa 3,000 people, with the documentary sharing shocking footage of drug boats loaded full of packages as they speed past police boats and empty beaches, a law unto themselves. It’s these extreme circumstances that persuaded Franco to open the doors of the Town Hall to Netflix television crews for many months last year, in the hope that the documentary would expose the dangers faced by the city and put pressure on central government to cough up extra funds and resources. Whether they will, remains to be seen and Franco reveals that he is still in two minds about the documentary. “I would prefer to talk about the strength of our city but the reality of narcos traffic is always there,” he told the Olive Press from his La Linea office. “I understand it is the show they want to make. We are not Columbia, but it's clear they wanted to show that we were going that way because that is entertaining.” He adds: “We have a very uncomfortable reality in La Linea. Thousands of people try to earn their money honestly but the drug dealers are here and so is the tobacco smuggling industry. “When we talk with the people who live here, they want everyone to know the truth of the city - but it has two branches. “On the one hand we are a normal city, what we have built here is impressive but on the other, there is a dark social reality in our town. “The root of the problem is a very complicated social issue. Our city is just 50km from Morocco, the biggest producer of cannabis in the world, and we have 12km of beach that is very hard to monitor. We have become the gateway for drugs getting into Europe.”
ON DUTY: Police patrol the streets
Trailblazing
EERIE: Calm before the storm
Being behind a paywall frees us from the tyranny of 'clickbait journalism'. With the knowledge that money is coming in, we do not have to chain our reporters to their desks to chase ever more page views. Thanks to those people who have signed up for €5.99 a month – or €59 a year – we can afford to free our journalists to do what they do best – get out and about, meet people and report back to you, our readers. It is how we have managed to send one of our writers to the San Sebastian Film Festival this week to bring you daily reports on the latest news from what in these coronavirus-stricken times, is probably the most important fim event in Europe. This is the sort of event we can cover with an extra income stream – and we are pleased to announce out paywall website has got off to a flying start. Within just a month more than 3,000 people have registered with us, and hundreds have paid to get unlimited access to our site. This is way beyond our initial expectations – so thank you to everyone who has recognised that quality journalism is worth paying for!
Winning thanks
It’s the proximity to both Gibraltar and “We need a plan to improve the infraMorocco has made the city a key base structure here from the central governfor criminal gangs and drug kingpins, ment. We need Madrid’s attention to help with narcos travelling in by high-powered us ensure that young people can go into speedboats every night from north Africa good jobs, not just turn to criminal organisations for money.” to drop off several tonnes of Unemployment rates in hashish and tobacco. 2020 hover around the Franco says his main chalMadrid’s 33% mark – a fact that has lenge is getting through to pushed many of its people the youngster who, in some attention is into assisting the Rock’s areas of the city, worship narcos like pop stars. needed to stop smugglers by warehousing contraband tobacco from “The majority of people in young people Gibraltar and drugs from La Linea are against the drug trade,” insists Franco, turning to crime Morocco before it is distributed throughout mainland a lawyer by trade, who has Spain. children. “But there is a miBut Franco is hopeful that nority of people who idolise change is coming. As the final Brexit deadthe drug clans. “Even if we are talking just 1% of the pop- line looms, with the transition period due ulation, that is a big problem because to end on December 31, Franco predicts then that’sº about 700 people. In certain businesses will be looking to move their areas of the city, the operations from Gibraltar to La Linea, ponarcos are god. But tentially creating thousands of new jobs in the majority of peo- the area. ple hate the circum- “This is my focus for the next three stances we are in.” months. There are people, particularly in Change, Franco the financial sector, that need a passport says, will only come to work in Europe and I hope that La Linea from educating can become the platform for these activithese youngsters ties and connect people to the EU.” and ensuring they Franco - who has a strong mandate having enter better forms won a large majority in the elections - is of employment in- determined but admits that challenges stead of turning to his city faces are overwhelming. criminal gangs as a “The problem is that we cannot reject or way to make money. minimise the drugs arriving from Africa. “If we solve the We cannot change the fact that it is so problem of unem- close. ployment and low “But we are taking steps to change our reeducation that will ality here,” he concludes with a smile. “I help,” he believes. am committed to that.”
A
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: eyesore set to be knocked down 1-Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca (31,583) Lloyds becomes latest bank to strip Eu2but-ropean expats of British current accounts, Spanish customers remain in the dark (21,344)
on Spain’s Costa blanca use 3- Gang smishing scam to con bank customers (18,277) COVID-19 measures coming to 4- Sticter Spain’s Andalucia on Tuesday (12,423) defied dreadful August for stru5- Denia ggling hotels on Spain’s Costa Blanca (11,922)
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LA CULTURA
8
what’s on
F K
resh tunes
Listen to live music from The Cantinas at Torrevija’s Taberna Marco Polo on October 1.
araoke time
Dust off the mic and get ready to belt out your favourite tunes. Nikki Nock, the best karaoke on the planet, is on at The Inn Place in Torrevija on October 2.
Cruzing in PENELOPE Cruz has joined up with fellow Spanish superstar Antonio Banderas to resume shooting of one of the year’s biggest Spanish productions. The cameras have started rolling again on the set of
M
amma Mia
Abba fans rejoice! Supertroopers Chloe Leigh and Minnie are set to perform tribute act Abbalicious at Mazarron’s Zambuca Beach on October 2.
October 1st - October 14th 2020
SUPERSTAR: Banderas
BENIDORM Palace is to hold two fundraising shows on the same day, to keep visitors safe and comply with social distancing. The fifth SML (Save My Life) event will be on Saturday, October 3, with shows at 1.30pm and 6.30pm. This year will be an International Magic Gala to raise funds for abused, abandoned and sick animals that have no voice. Five of Europe’s most prestigious illusionists will be performing, in what promises to be a tremendous pair of Covid-safe back-to-back shows. The Olive Press spoke to Christine Clement, Benidorm Palace’s British co-owner, who said the problem with abandoned dogs on the Costa Blanca has worsened due to COVID-19. She revealed that people were buying dogs just to take them for walks during
Casa Amor
Spanish superstars restart shooting Spain’s biggest film of the year Official Competition, after filming was stopped in March after just eight days due to the coronavirus lockdown. The high-profile movie, produced by Mediapro Studio, features a heavyweight cast. As well as two of Spain’s biggest stars, Argentinian Oscar Martinez, a former San Sebastian, Venice and Argentine Academy best actor
Pooches’ Palace lockdown, before dumping them when restrictions were lifted. Christine says that selfish owners quickly realised owning a dog was quite a commitment, and simply gave them away, left them at charities or dumped them in the street. “The problem worsened when lockdown restrictions were lifted, and the owners could take in as much fresh air as they wanted, without the need for a dog,” she said. Christine added: “It’s very safe here but if you don’t want to come, there are still ways that you can help these poor animals.” Call the box office on 965 851 660 to buy tickets and reserve seats.
award-winner also features. The film focuses on Banderas and Martinez who play famous actors whose egos lead to an on set clash, with Cruz playing the film’s director. Gaston Duprat, who is directing the film alongside Mariano Cohn, said: “Within all the negatives of interrupting a shoot, there was something positive: We had an unusually large amount of time to study the already-shot material, and to put under a microscope the screenplay for what is left to film.
Tension
“The material we already have is wonderful: Penelope, Antonio and Oscar are extraordinary. The scenes have what we wanted, an uncomfortable mix of tension and sarcasm in an aesthetic framework of great conceptual strength. We restarted filming with the certainty that we have something really powerful on our hands.” Cohn added: “In this film are the experiences and knowledge gained after so many years of shooting. The film has our DNA as directors,
BEAUTY: Penelope Cruz but also that of Penelope, Antonio and Oscar, as they generously contributed their own experiences. In this film, you will see an intense distillation of the universe that we know best: that of directors and actors trying to do one of the most unnatural and complex things, for me, in the world - shooting a film.”
LOVE Island, the seismically popular dating reality TV show, has been filmed for the last six seasons in Mallorca. But only now have ITV execs announced Spain’s own version of Love Island, commissioned by Atresmedia and produced by Boomerang. Contestants on the 2019 series horrified Spaniards and Brits alike when they revealed they thought that Barcelona was in Rome. Despite geographical blunders, many international versions of the British programme have been released in previous years. Love Island Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, US, Poland, Romania, New Zealand, Sweden, Hungary, Finland, France and Australia have all taken a swing at the format, with varying degrees of success. But this is the first time a Spanish language series of the show has been commissioned. Love Island representatives have not revealed when the show will air as the coronavirus pandemic has made filming schedules uncertain.
LOVE SHACK: Mallorca
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LA CULTURA
Do you have a what’s on? Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es
October 1st - October 14th 2020
A legend with legs
9
How a local beauty’s perfect pins changed the course of Spanish history, writes Jack Gaioni
‘S HIDDEN: Can you spot Roderic in the picture below?
HE’S got legs and she knows how to use them’. American rock band ZZ Top’s lyrics strike more than a chord with the legend of the fair Florinda la Cava - a Spanish beauty whose ‘shapely legs’ may have transformed the trajectory of her country’s history. Preposterous you say? An overstatement? Perhaps, but judgements about Florinda run the gamut: Was she a devious seductress? Or a young ‘bonne vivante’? Was she a powerful political player, a consequential historical figure?
Or merely innocent and playful? Did she even exist at all? corruption. Regardless, the many interpretations of Florinda la Cava go Muslim versions tell a different story. They depict Floa long way to explaining a major chapter in Spanish history. rinda as the innocent daughter of Julien, the Christian governor of Ceuta on Africa’s north coast, sent by her faLet’s take a look… In 711 AD Roderic was the last Visigoth Christian king be- ther to Toledo for her education and refinement. In these fore Muslim forces dominated the Iberian Peninsula. From narratives, the king is depicted as spying on her while his tower fortress in Toledo, it is said that the monarch often she bathed.There she was ‘ravished’ by Roderic. So observed a young woman named Florinda bathing in the vengeful was Julien that he turned renegade and began Tagus River below and became obsessed. So alluring was a campaign of colluding with the Muslim invaders. Blindher beauty that ‘love, with beating wings, ed by hate, revenge and retribution, he provided military inflamed him’. They became lovers and intelligence, troops and ships to topple Christian Spain. had a child. But then the details get some- The first written account of Florinda and Roderic does not occur until the 12th century - a full 500 years after what muddled…. In many Christian narratives, Florinda is Roderic lost his Christian hold on Spain. For this reason, portrayed as a seductress who bewitched many historians find the legend surrounding Florinda and ‘morally corrupted’ Roderic from his factually suspect. role of leadership. So distracted was the Did she really exist at all? Or could the story be an extended allegory much like the biblical king that he failed to propparables? These questions are unanerly recognise the immiswerable. nent threat of the Muslim Florinda is Whether or not she captured Roderinvasion. These Christian named as a ic’s heart, the legend of Florinda has writers describe Florinda captured the imagination of numerous as a young beauty who seductress authors, poets, artists and playwrights purposely bathed ‘au natural’ in full sight of Roderwho bewitched down the decades. In Don Quixote, Miguel Cervantes described her as ‘that ic. And that she and her Roderic... wicked Christian woman through whom young female companions Spain was lost’. Clearly, Spain’s most would suggestively bathe iconic author gives credibility to the while measuring each others’ legs to see who had ‘the roundest Christian accounts. and best shaped’. Roderic evidently gave British writers Sir Walter Scott and Robert Southey (of that designation to Florinda. Early Chris- Goldilocks fame) treat the legend poetically - Scott in tian accounts suggest that it was because The Vision of Don Roderick (1811) and Southey in Rodof Roderic’s moral laxness in the face of erick, Last of the Goths (1814). More recently, in Lonthis temptress that Spain had to endure don’s West End, the musical La Cava played to audiencseven centuries of Muslim dominance as es from June 2000 to February 2001, with Oliver Tobias ‘Divine Punishment’. But was their rela- (who played opposite Joan Collins in The Stud) and Jutionship true love? Or was Florinda a vixen lie-Alanah Brighten as the lovers. Reviews were mixed. who used her sexual charms to seduce a Over the centuries there have been plenty of examples powerful leader, and Roderic some sort of women toppling powerful men using their physical of a ‘Peeping Tom voyeur’ who became charms. But in the case of Florinda, her reputation has her stalker? No matter the interpretation, lived through the centuries as manipulator, manipulamost Christian sagas suggest that Spain tee and everything in between. We’ll never know - but lost to the invading Muslims due to moral that doesn’t make ZZ Top’s lyrics any less plausible!
THE ORIGINAL PEEPING TOM
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BUSINESS Steaming in 10
October 1st - October 14th 2020
Leading train operator RENFE faces stiff new competition as French rival enters Spain
ur s to Yo ory d 00 er st ote 6,0 low 2 l om ly fo pr ar ok ne bo ce Fa
SPAIN’S number one train operator Renfe is to face fresh competition as a French company has announced its intentions to enter the market in 2021. French railway operator SNCF, under the brand name Ouigo, announced its plans to begin journeys on Spain’s high speed lines on March 15, 2021. Ouigo will make its first out-
ing on the Madrid to Barcelona line, with stops in Zaragoza and Tarragona, using the double decker Alstom Euroduplex high speed train. The service will offer 509 seats with waiting staff and a bar service. By 2022, the plan will be to expand to Andalucian cities such as Malaga, Sevilla, Alicante, Cordoba and Valen-
Electric decision
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PROTEST: Workers at the doomed plant
MAIS OUI: French rival to Renfe cia. General Director of the company, Helene Valenzuela an-
WORKERS at the doomed Nissan factory in Barcelona are waiting to see if their jobs have been saved by LG. The Korean giant is considering a proposal to convert the car assembly plant – slated for closure in December 2021 – into a battery factory. The Spanish government has offered direct aid of €600 million towards the €1.6 billion cost of the proposed takeover, with LG due to make a decision by the end of this month. Spain is the second largest electric vehicle manufacturing country in Europe after Germany. If given the go ahead, the plant would be LG’s second battery facility in Europe. Its first is in Poland. It would supply batteries to Seat, which has the largest car factory in Spain in Martorell. The converted factory would employ between 1,500 and 2,000 people. The facility presently has a 2,500 strong workforce.
Is it really true that my UK pension won’t be able to pay into my Spanish bank? I SUSPECT by now many of you have read the headlines with regards a number of UK banks, including Lloyds, Barclays and Coutts, stating that they will no longer be able to provide certain banking services to Brits living in the EU, and indeed beginning the process of closing accounts held by Brits in Spain. ‘Passporting’ which is the method of allowing provision of financial ser-
vices across the EU, will no longer to apply to the UK at the end of the year, meaning many UK based financial services providers, including banks, investment institutions and financial advisers, will no longer be able to provide service to Brits living in Spain. We’ve already seen how this affects those with UK financial advisers, and Chorus are regularly receiving referrals from UK based financial advisers looking for a trusted, regulated adviser in Spain to move their clients to. But how could this affect your pensions? One element we have already seen is UK pension companies refusing to provide full pension freedoms for those living in Spain – so this means Brits would be left with very limited options, like
buying an annuity with their pension funds, or simply transferring to another scheme. The banking risk, however, is proving to be another potential hurdle. Over the last few days Chorus have been in discussion with a number of UK pension providers, and it does appear this could have an effect. The issues again come down to the fact these pension companies use EU payment systems like SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), and the outlook is very unclear with regards payment systems from the UK into the EU working in future. One of the UK SIPP (Self Investment Personal Pension) providers Chorus work with, who specialise in providing UK based pensions to Brits overseas, stated to us that they have invested heavily in moving their banking and payments systems to Ireland, despite their pension being UK based and FCA regulated. This will protect those particular clients from this issue, but it is very unlikely that many UK based pensions, both private and occupational, have taken such steps. Chorus have worked with many clients here in Spain over the last
nounced the plans during a press conference. “We plan to run five outbound and five inbound journeys per day before expanding the network to a total of 30 services per day and a total of 30,000 seats.” said Valenzuela. Known for their budget price tags, Ouigo will enter the parket with a greatly reduced ticket price compared to their Spanish rivals. To celebrate their arrival into Spain, Ouigo will also offer €1 tickets on their website for the first 10,000 customers to purchase a fare. Valenzuela hopes that their arrival into Spain will give the eco friendly rail network a welcome boost and hopefully increase the number of train passengers twofold by 2030.
Providing multi-award winning advice for your pensions, investments & tax planning.
By Sam Kelly DipPFS, EFA, BA (Hons). Managing Partner, Chorus Financial few years to simplify and protect their pension arrangements for a post-Brexit world. You may have a single private or company pension, or potentially a number of smaller pensions you’d like to consolidate. Protecting your pension for the future shouldn’t mean needing to move it overseas or tying yourself in for many years to an overpriced plan. For simple, transparently priced pension solutions suitable for a post-Brexit world please contact me direct
on s.kelly@chorusfinancial.es, call +34 664 398 702 or visit our website www.chorusfinancial.es for more information.
The advisers trading as Chorus Financial are members of OpesFidelio and authorised to give financial advice subject to contract in parts of the EEA, including Spain, CNMV No Registro Oficial 3970. OpesFidelio is a trademarked network of the Aisa Group which includes Aisa Financial Planning Ltd and Aisa International s.r.o. Aisa Financial Planning is authorised and regulated in the UK as an independent financial adviser for UK retail clients by the Financial Conduct Authority, Reference number: 189652, and has permissions throughout the EEA under both directives IDD and MiFID. Aisa International s.r.o. is authorised and regulated in the Czech Republic as a financial adviser by the Czech National Bank and has permissions through selected EEA countries, including Spain.
Investment contracts are intended as medium to long term investments, and all investments have some level of risk. Figures in our articles are examples of what can be achieved and cannot be guaranteed; the value of your investments can go down as well as up. Fees and charges can vary and will be fully explained to you before any advice can take place. This article should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular product.
965 641 163
www.chorusfinancial.es info@chorusfinancial.es
PROPERTY
October 1st - October 14th 2020
Not a snip
SUPERB: Davinia’s (inset) Marbella home
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FORMER Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor has put her Marbella home on the market for €17 million. Taylor - who played Jude Cunningham on the Channel 4 soap - is said to be moving back to Lancashire after years of living in the Spanish sun. Listed on LuxuryEstate.com, the villa boasts a stunning frontline beach location in the exclusive Los Monteros urbanisation, not far from a spacious property owned by Antonio Banderas. It has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, a Balinese gazebo, tropical gardens, huge pool and extensive indoor and outdoor dining and living areas. The villa also incorporates an ancient stone tower featuring a luxurious suite.
Escape to the lake For a million euros, you can buy this sprawling property in Barranco Blanco - a place known for its fairytale forest, private saltwater lake and sinister past. A CHARMING villa with luscious green gardens and glittering springs that taper down to a freshwater lake, this place looks like a fairytale perfect home. Nestled in Barranco Blanco, meaning White Ravine in Spanish, the 1980s pad is surrounded by picturesque forests and a sense of peace and calm that belies its proximity to the hustle and bustle of Malaga. The surrounding forest area boasts crystalline pools and wildlife such as boars and mountain goats, who drink from the clear streams of running water that trickle all year round. Hidden between Coin and Alhaurin el Grande, the ultra private villa is now on sale for offers over €1,380,000
By Kirsty McKenzie
- proving that millionaires do not need to flee as far as the Caribbean to buy an elite hideaway. For your money, you’ll get four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool and private lake sprawling over six-and -a-half luxury acres, as well as a separate one-bed apartment, six car garage and three stables. The luxury villa is on sale supposedly after the death of the elderly owner who long enjoyed the mystery and seclusion offered by the secret estate that’s shrouded by greenery in the shade of the Mijas mountains. But as with all good fairytales, the dreamlike location
LUXURY: The home is beautifully furnished
SECLUDED: A hidden jewel in a secret valley is not without a dark past the Barranco Blanco area is forever blighted by its notorious associations. Rumour has it that during the Second World War it was deemed a strategic outpost by the German army, due to Hilter’s strong ties with Franco. The latter is said to have chosen the area of natural beauty as a retreat for his close friends before he offered the well-fortified base to the Nazis. While Barranco Blanco has remnants of the towers that were once guarded by Franco’s civil guards, and homes said to be part of a former Nazi military complex, most locals refuse to talk about the area’s chequered history. It is unlikely but possible that the home here, hidden away at the foot of the stunning natural valley, was ever used as a top secret Nazi hideaway - but could the new buyer be key to unlocking this area’s secret past?
Bright future DESPITE the property market having declined during the COVID-19 crisis, demand from foreign investors has simply been put on hold while waiting for a swift return. This is the conclusion of Miguel Arimont, founder and CEO of LEM Loan e-Market. His business specialises in buying and selling real estate debt in Spain and Portugal, and he thinks that foreign investors will return to the Spanish market in a big way by the end of the year. But this depends on the health crisis being managed effectively in order for the economy to pick up, he warned. Arimont said that Spain is normally a ‘very safe and attractive’ market for buyers and investors, a situation he says is recognised
POSITIVE: Miguel Arimont by those looking to make investments. He said: “With interest rates at historic lows, the returns from this sector will continue to attract international buyers, mainly large funds and estates.” He added that expats also continue to see Spain as an attractive location for holiday homes and to retire to.
12
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
October 1st - October 14th 2020
King of the Castles Cristina Hodgson visits some of the crowning glories that give Spain the highest castillo count of any country in Europe
F
ROM austere hilltop fortresses to splendid royal palaces and stunning Moorish alcazars, Spain out-castles all of Europe with over 2,500 to explore. Andalucia, fought over by Moors and Christians for seven centuries, is better-endowed than most regions with medieval fortified hilltop citadels. In Cadiz, where they marked the boundary between the two warring kingdoms, many
Castillo de Coca
of the towns that grew up around them still carry the suffix ‘de la frontera’. There’s romance in walking their wind-battered battlements and sharing the same sweeping views from their crenelated towers as the great kings, queens and warriors of old. So step away from the beach and ignite your imagination with some culture and the Olive Press guide to five must-do fortresses in Spain.
Alcazar de Segovia
Staying in the region of Segovia, the 15th century Castillo de Coca is another fabulous fortification for your digital photo album. Built in 1493 on the site of ancient Cauca, birthplace of the Roman emperor Theodosius whose death marked the beginning of the Middle Ages, it is protected by double-thickness walls of 2.5 metres in width and a 560-metre moat to further discourage invaders. A mix of Gothic and Moorish styles, it is considered Spain’s finest example of Mudejar brickwork. For nearly a century until it was declared a Spanish National Monument in 1926 it was known as the House of Alba, home to the Spanish aristocratic family of the same name who must have found its maze of corridors and chambers easy to get lost in.
This sleeping beauty rises out of the rocky slopes on a hill dominating the entire city of Segovia in Castile y Leon. Its fairytale turrets famously inspired the design of Walt Disney’s iconic Cinderella’s Castle. It was also the favourite residence of the monarchs of Castile before being demoted to a state prison for more than two centuries. A place of royal ceremonial importance in Early Modern times, Isabella of Castile, the monarch whose reign alongside hubby Ferdinand of Aragon marked Spain’s Golden Age, was crowned Queen here in 1474. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this amazing alcazar has to be on your hit list as one of the most Instagrammable castles in Spain.
La Alhambra
Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos Another of Ferdinand and Isabella’s preferred boltholes, the sober exterior of the Castle of the Christian Monarchs belies the splendour of the stunning gardens within. Surrounded by thick defensive walls, this 13th century palace fortress was famously where Ferdinand and Isabella first met with Christopher Columbus to discuss the explorer’s first trip to the New World, an event celebrated in
Spain on National Day every October 12. Revamped many times, the sumptuous palace is still used for royal occasions, such as the wedding reception of the Infanta Elena, and it also appeared in Game of Thrones. The royal baths and the hall of Roman mosaics are fascinating and the monumental grandeur of the patios and terraced gardens will take your breath away.
With its irresistible air of magic, Spain’s top tourist attraction is a must-see on any European itinerary, castle enthusiast or not. Considered one of the finest achievements in Moorish art and architecture on the planet, this stunning ‘Red Fort’ is perched in a dreamy hilltop setting surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and was the ‘last outpost’ of the Moors before the fortress fell to the Spanish in 1492. An oasis of musical fountains and lush land-
scaped gardens watered by the Rio Genil, it’s easy to see why the Moors, arriving from the arid deserts of North Africa, believed they had found ‘heaven on earth’, and why Granada’s last ruler wept at leaving it. Shady colonnades, fountains with running water and reflecting pools were used to cool and add light and beauty to the 13th century palace fortress described by one Moorish poet as ‘a pearl set in emeralds’. It has been treasured as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984.
Historians reckon some 10,000 castles have existed in Spain over the centuries. Sadly, most were successively abandoned while others were deliberately demolished by Spanish kings to prevent Moorish invaders from moving in and taking over. A good number of the 2,500 left standing can still be found in exceptionally good condition thanks to the dry climate and the relative rarity of wars on Spanish soil after the Reconquista.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
October 1st - October 14th 2020
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Test and pick
No need to whine as grape pickers undergo strict testing to ensure safety while working at vineyards in Alava SPAIN'S most famous wine-growing region will test all workers for COVID-19 before the 2020 harvest. Grape pickers in Alava will need the all clear before they are allowed to start work at vineyards in one of the country's highest producing Rioja regions. The health department will carry out the PCR tests and those who are able to work will be giv-
en individual baskets and scissors to avoid contamination. Seasonal pickers living in temporary accommodation were hit hard by the virus over the summer months which led to local lockdowns in fruit-growing areas across the nation. Authorities in the Basque Country, looking to avoid another lockdown, have made it compulsory for
SAFETY FIRST: Workers will be checked
wine estates to provide a list of workers. About 6,000 seasonal
Top bevvy
THE best beers in the world are Spanish. This is the conclusion of the British-run World Beer Challenge where the best beers are ranked according to type. Of the 355 brews assessed, just 20 were awarded a gold medal, with Spain dominating the list by scooping 13 of the coveted awards. And of the seven beers to get the top score of 100 points, six were Spanish, with only one German brew breaking the Spanish monopoly. Spain’s top-scoring beers – all with 100 points – were: 1906 Reserva Especial, by Hijos de Rivera better known as La Estrella de Galicia - whose 1906 Red Vintage and 1906 Black
Coupage also got top marks. The date refers to the year the brewery was set up. The other three 100-point scoring brews were from Mahou San Miguel - Manila de San Miguel, San Miguel Radler and Selecta de San Miguel.
OP QUICK Crossword 1
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OP Sudoku
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Across 6 Dark shade (4,4) 7 And the rest (2,2) 8 Ologies, perhaps (12) 10 Sinatra called him “Mr. Mumbles” (6) 13 “--- and Louise” (Geena Davis/Susan Sarandon film) (6) 14 Groundbreaking (3) 15 Cloak (6) 16 Light science (6) 18 Fuse blower (5-7) 22 Cattle poker (4) 23 Young tree (8)
workers are employed in the Rioja harvesting campaign in the Basque Country’s Alava and the neighbouring region of La Rioja. However La Rioja has not yet imposed mandatory testing as a condition of work. Farmers report that the harvest will start within days and they expect a good yield of high quality grapes following perfect weather for the correct ripening of fruit. Vineyards are said to be in excellent condition and barring unforeseen incidents a good harvest is expected - provided workers get the all clear to pick the grapes.
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Down 1 Group of tents (4) 2 Harmonize (4) 3 Without others (3,5) 4 Pickle purveyor (4) 5 Emollient (8) 7 Renowned (7) 9 Period of history (3) 11 Hearten (8) 12 Problematic (3,4) 13 What every story has, proverbially (3,5) 17 Critical ward (1-1,1) 19 Piece of work (4) 20 Black Beauty, when young (4) 21 Charged particles (4)
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COLUMNISTS Living la Vida Luddite
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Making good use of the things that we find
I
F the last couple months of what we can euphemistically refer to as ‘this, that and the other’ have taught me one thing, it is that I am definitely living in the past. I don’t mean in a ‘standing on one leg in tights playing a flute, Jethro Tull’ sort of way – although when I interviewed Tull frontman Ian Anderson, he dismissed my question if he was often recognised in public by the fact that he wasn’t often standing on one leg in tights and playing a flute in the vegetable section at Waitrose. While almost everyone I know binge watched entire seasons of TV series and had back to back online movie marathons during lockdown, that option was not available to me. In case you are not aware, I live off grid in a beautiful cottage on the banks of a reservoir
in the hills above Marbella. Water is provided by a huge deposit tank and electricity by a generator. Much to the horror of city types that (briefly) visit, this lack of power at the flick of a switch and my frugal freelance wages means that I fire up the ‘genny’ only once or twice a day.
OP Puzzle solutions Across: 6 Navy blue, 7 Et al, 8 Specialities, 10 Brando, 13 Thelma, 14 New, 15 Mantle, 16 Optics, 18 Short-circuit, 22 Prod, 23 Seedling. Down: 1 Camp, 2 Sync, 3 All alone, 4 Deli, 5 Balsamic, 7 Eminent, 9 Era, 11 Reassure, 12 Not good, 13 Two sides, 17 I-C U, 19 Task, 20 Colt, 21 Ions.
SUDOKU
Quick Crossword
With no Internet, I rely on DVDs for movie nights, and I recently underlined my ‘low tech Womble tendencies’, (‘making good use of the things that we find’ if you forgot the words to the 70s children’s TV classic) with two recent acquisitions. The first was picking up a VHS player during a house move, as well as a huge number of 80s classic series and films on tape. I popped a cassette into the player on a test run and it immediately chewed it up and spat it out, instantly transporting me back to the technical tribulations of my teenage
Dear Jennifer:
WHAT EXTRAS CAN I GET ON MY HOME INSURANCE?
I
often get inquiries about extending home insurance policies and I have to say that Liberty Seguros have the best range on the Spanish market. Liberty have just added a number of exciting optional extras, which I know that you will find of great interest. Here are some of the extras that you can choose from:
LOW TECH: Stuck in the past
Analogue
This means no fridge, no Wifi and no telephone. As the cottage dates back to the 19th century it has three feet thick walls to keep out the heat of summer and the cold of winter, but it also makes taking a call on the mobile something of a challenge, especially if it’s blowing a gale in December. The lack of Wifi also helps me cement my ‘analogue in a digital world credentials’.
October 1st - October 14th 2020
years in the 80s. The second was an ‘old skool’ Hifi system, compete with tape deck and CD player. What I didn’t know when I collected it was that the CD was a multi-player system that held a staggering 200 discs. If you assume that each album has around 12 songs that gives me 2,000 tracks at a time. With a huge grin on my face, I once again fired up the genny, hit ‘shuffle’ and let the random tunes from my early 90s version of an iPod wash over me. With my low tech home entertainment system, I am indeed able to party like it’s 1999. Now, does anyone have a fax machine or telex going spare?
EXTENDED DIY. Currently you are covered for 1 call out per policy year on a standard policy, but this can be increased to 2 x 3 hour call outs per policy year. All work carried out comes with a six month warranty. Conditions do apply to the extended DIY cover. REPAIR OF WHITE GOODS. has a maximum limit of €300 and three hours of labour. GARDEN PROTECTION. This cover has been extended and includes garden reconstruction and replanting of trees. The coverage for your garden furniture can be increased to €12,000 i n stead of the standard €3,000. There is also cover for exposed pipes without causing damage located within garages or on a building facade that has suffered breakage with a limit of up to €500 per claim per policy year. HOME IMPROVEMENTS. Aesthetic restoration of building and contents can be increased to 20% at a maximum of €12,000 per claim per year and the contents to a 20% maximum of €8000. THEFT COMPENSATION . Over the theft of valuable objects/jewellery – jewellery over €6,000 needs to be listed where on a standard policy this is €3,000. Also jewellery worth over €10,000 needs to be kept in a safe compared to €6,000 on a standard policy. Money and cash has cover of up to €6,000 when kept in a safe. When the money is not in a safe, you have cover for up to €1,500 which is only €500 on a standard policy. LANDLORD PROTECTION. For acts of vandalism by a tenant, you have cover for up to €3,000 per claim per year, while unpaid rent covers up to six months once a final legal judgement has been made. LEGAL DEFENCE COMPLETE. Illegal occupation of your property covers up to the limit of €6,000 for expenses incurred. PERSONAL MOBILITY VEHICLES. There is public liability cover for scooters, hoverboards, segways and electric scooters though conditions do apply. Please call one of my consultants to help with any questions you may have, and visit the website www.jennifercunningham.net or email info@jennifercunningham.net
HEALTH
October 1st - October 14th 2020
School’s out Sleepy head
Lisa Burgess
The trials of not being able to drop off
Thousands of classes across Spain in quarantine
IT has only been a few weeks, but already pupils from 2,852 classrooms across Spain have had to go into quarantine. The numbers of affected classes since the start of the new school year varies hugely between regions. But even in the worst affected areas, education authorities say the number of classes being forced to shut down in favour of remote learning is at a ‘manageable’ level. Most schools are still open
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MERICAN author Poppy Brite wrote, ‘the night is the hardest time to be alive and 4 am knows all my secrets’. Ain’t that the truth. It is the witching hour, nobody is awake, you can’t switch on the television or call a friend and you lie in bed wondering where on earth you put your birth certificate. I have always been a good sleeper until an array of cancer meds crash-landed into my bathroom cabinet. Healthline.com says research shows poor sleep has immediate negative effects on your hormones, exercise performance, brain function and can cause weight gain and increase disease risk in adults and children. Top tips from the Cancer Society for a good night’s sleep are as follows:
TESTS: Pupils are regularly checked for symptoms and operating ‘relatively normally’ as far as can be expected during the coronavirus pandemic.
Good mews SPANISH researchers have found that cats may be able to develop antibodies that neutralise COVID-19. Scientists studied two cats - one of which was known to have suffered from COVID-19 along with his human family - while the other showed no symptoms. They found that both had developed antibodies to the virus, with their immune systems putting up a robust response. The first cat - Negrito - was put down for a problem unrelated to coronavirus, but an autopsy showed he had been infected by the disease without any obvious symptoms. Further tests on the cats showed they had low viral loads and were able to fight the virus by developing antibodies. Researchers say this has given them a new insight into coronavirus, which may be useful in battling COVID-19 in the human population.
1.
The figures were revealed by the Ministry of Education, which had collated them from the 17 regional authorities. The figures do not show the number of pupils affected by quarantine, and it is difficult to assess a precise figure. According to El Pais, Madrid is by far the region with the most classes quarantined (832). Next is Catalunya (602) then the Basque Country (268), Castilla-La Mancha (180), Andalucia (168), Aragon (148), Navarre (142), Castilla y Leon (141), Valencia (130), Extremadura (73), the Balearic Islands (49, La Rioja (33) and Galicia (27). Murcia did not give a figure for classes quarantine, but said 187 pupils and 43 teachers had gone into self isolation.
2. 3.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day including weekends. Weekends are made for the lie on. Don’t take naps after 3 pm or nap longer than 20 minutes. Try telling that to sleep-deprived parents. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day. I am lucky I don’t drink coffee.
4. 5. 6. 7.
Get regular exercise but not within 2-3 hours of bedtime. Sex is exercise. Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day. This is Spain. Your bedroom needs to be dark, quiet and around 20 degrees. Tell that to my broken air-conditioner. Don’t lie in bed awake if you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes. Do something calming like listening to soft music. It’s 4 am I am wide awake, I am not feeling calm.
Personally, when I can’t sleep, my best remedy is reading. In the dark of night, I find myself Googling amusing quotes. Here is one that fits the bill from saucy American actress Phyllis Diller who said: “Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight!�
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FINAL WORDS
BARCELONA’S Sagrada Familia cathedral has become the latest victim of coronavirus as its 2026 final completion date has been put back after tourist numbers plunged.
Well spoken SPANISH politician Carlos Galiana has been criticised after he made a televised address to support Valencia’s bid to become the European Capital of Innovation 2020 with him being dubbed with a flawless English accent.
Finally justice STATELESS Palestinian woman Heba Nabil Iskandarani, 26, has been granted Spanish citizenship under a 2015 law as a descendant of Sephardic jews expelled from Spain in the 15th century.
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Vol. 1 Issue 24 www.theolivepress.es October 1st - October 14th 2020
CAT-astrophe!
True Hero
Triathlete captured the hearts of fans after selfless gesture A SPANISH triathlete has been hailed a true sporting hero after he stepped aside to let his British rival go first past the post. The events at the 2020 Triatlon de Santander
saw Madrid born athlete Diego Mentrida sacrifice his podium position to James Teagle, who had taken a wrong turn in the final stages. Teagle, who had held third place for a number of laps, en-
Killer ban YACHTS were banned along a 100 kilometre stretch of Spain’s northern coast after a series of attacks by Orcas. Also known as Killer Whales, the animals have approached very close to several vessels – including a Spanish Navy vessel – over
the past few weeks, damaging several. Spain’s Ministry of Transport issued a week-long ban on boats under 15 metres long between the capes of the Prioriño Grande and la Punta de Estaca de Bares. They were allowed to leave port but had to head straight out to open sea without lingering near the Galician coast.
Turtley amazing!
SPORTING: Mentrida and Teagle tered the final corner when he mistakenly attempted to head straight, hitting the barriers and losing his position to the closely following Mentrida. Aware of the Brit’s mistake, Mentrida backed off and slowed, allowing Teagle to overtake and reclaim his hard-earned podium slot. The crowd erupted as the pair shook hands and embraced as they crossed the finish line. “He must not have seen the
AN animal charity is re-housing 96 cats found in a single flat after their owner was evicted. They were crammed into an apartment in Gandia, Valencia. According to animal shelter SPAMA Safor, the cats had not seen natural daylight, nor received veterinary care since the day they were were born. But the animals seemed to have been well fed and the flat had been adapted to house them - even though in rather cramped conditions
detour to the finish line, or they did not signal it well. I don’t know, the fact is that he deserved it,” said Mentrida. “I deliberately slowed to allow him past, and I would do it again, every time.” Organisers of the event acknowledged Mentrida’s actions and awarded the 21-year-old the same prize money (€300) as Teagle in recognition for his selfless gesture.
A TOTAL of 37 sea turtle eggs hatched on the beach of Cabopino in Marbella. The original nesting took place on busy Los Boliches beach in Fuengirola. As the nest was located very close to the shore, the eggs were transferred to a quieter beach in Marbella. So far 37 loggerhead turtles have hatched. These are the first hatchlings of this species in Malaga or the Costa del Sol.