Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 352 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

The

OLIVE PRESS

Mijas Costa FREE

Schools out! NEARLY 220 schools across Spain have recorded incidents of COVID-19, leading to the quarantine of classrooms and in some cases total closures. A total of 34 schools have been affected in Andalucia alone, the region with the most incidents. The Basque Country is the second most affected region with around 30 schools reporting cases of coronavirus either among staff or students by Tuesday. In total, only four of them had to be closed with the other centres adopting partial quarantine. Meanwhile Aragon has seen the closure of 24 classrooms, Castilla-La Mancha 20 classrooms, Madrid 26 classrooms. In the Balearic Islands, a total of 29 students have tested positive for coronavirus since the beginning of the school year.

Can you spot the original Peeping Tom? See page 13

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See our travel special on page 18

Vol. 13 Issue 352 www.theolivepress.es September 16th - September 29th 2020

SPECIAL DELIVERY Returned to sender...unless you have a legal team to tackle Correos By Lydia Spencer-Elliott

A WINTER jacket, a school bag and a 22-piece tea set are just a handful of the vast and varied items on expat Lynda Martin’s missing post list. Add in an expensive plasma pen and a €500 ultrasound machine and it starts to sound like an episode of the Generation Game. But these are just some of the things that have gone missing when sent from abroad to her local post office (Correos) on the Costa del Sol. Indeed, in the last year alone, over €1,000-worth of packages have mysteriously vanished into the void at Fuengirola post office. In the latest of the disappearances at the Los Boliches branch, the aesthetic medical practitioner lost a specialist ultrasound machine, shipped from China. She believes the items have been pilfered or mislaid by light-fingered posties. “I’m sure they must know what's valuable,” Martin, 57, from Cumbria, told the Olive Press, this week. “Because on the same day recently, we had a delivery slip through our letter box for a cheap dress and an-

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YELLOW CARD: Martin giving Correos a warning

other slip for an expensive dinner set. “The slip for the dress had the correct date. But the slip for the porcelain set was a month earlier, so it

was impossible for me to collect as you only have 15 days to get it. “I’m sure someone changed the date in order to keep it.” Martin however, isn’t the only expat with a bone to pick with the posties. “A guy from Correos THE SKY called me and said I have a Nespresso deDOCTOR livery for you,” says ALL AREAS COVERED Ruth Boden from Mijas Costa. 4G UNLIMITED “He said he’d leave it at the gate but it INTERNET vanished by the time IDEAL FOR I got there. I hope he STREAMING TV enjoys his coffee.” ALSO IPTV, Another expat ChrisSATELLITE TV tine Hunt, who lives beside Mijas Golf, tel: (0034) 952 763 840 also lost a valuable package at Christmas info@theskydoctor.com time. www.theskydoctor.com

EMPTY: Deserted classes

Andalucía

Tel: 952 147 834 TM

See page 24

“I got a ticket for some boots I ordered but the post office said they were sent back. Back where? I gave up and walked away. “Someone else got my new boots for Christmas.” Eventually, Martin decided enough was enough and last year contracted a lawyer to draft a legal letter demanding the branch give her all her post. “All of my missing post magically appeared when I turned up with this legal letter. However, all of it had been opened and someone had been through it.” Now the problem has started again she has vowed to get to the bottom of it. “Where is the depot? They say they have sent things back, but to where? I think anything that looks expensive they just keep,” claims Martin, who has lived in Spain for 17 years. When the Olive Press approached a manager at the branch this week, she insisted parcels were only held for up to 15 days before being returned to the sender. She totally denied that anyone was keeping post, and added: “There is no depot. But if it's here, they can have it,” she said.

CRIME

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF Bon appetit A school catering company in Malaga has denied bankruptcy and demanded the Ministry of Education pay them an alleged debt of €1.5 million so they can feed children in the area.

Dug up Archaeologists from the University of Southampton have discovered human remains at the bottom of Pena de los Enamorados, Antequera in a megalithic tomb.

Small price A predator who sexually assaulted a woman asleep on the beach in Granada has been sentenced to just two years in prison.

You’re fired Over half a million companies who were banned from layoffs under the ERTE initiative will once again be able to fire employees from this Autumn.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Torre del paedos A SECOND expat has been arrested in a sleepy Spanish resort accused of sick crimes against children in the last year. The unnamed Belgian drifter was the fourth man to be detained by police for child sex crimes in and around Torre del Mar since December. He was living out of his car in a bid to stay under the radar of

Sleepy resort town rocked by series of sex crime arrests authorities after escaping from a mental institution where he had been sent for sexually assaulting two girls aged 11 and 12. On July 30 last year the pervert, who also has a conviction for sexually assaulting a wom-

an, escaped from the Ankerstraat General Psychiatric Hospital in Belgium. The suspect, who is described as of ‘great importance to the Belgian Prosecutor’s Office’, was caught after a police surveillance unit spotted him.

Cop loses arm STASH: Hidden where the sun don’t shine

Hole-y moly A DRUG mule excreted 59 capsules of cocaine after being rumbled at Malaga airport. Guardia Civil were monitoring passengers arriving from outside the EU when they noticed an agitated and nervous Nigerian passenger. After a brief questioning, the individual was sent

for an X-ray, the results of which suggested he was carrying ‘foreign objects’ which could be narcotics inside his body. After expelling a total of 59 capsules, weighing 969.3 grams, he was tested and found to contain cocaine and the suspect was arrested.

A POLICE officer has lost his arm after being rammed into by a vehicle driven by a drug trafficker in Algeciras. The 33-year-old Policia Nacional officer was left in a serious condition after having his limb amputated at the Punta de Europa hospital. He had been in his car on the so-called Los Yankees highway and had ordered an approaching car to stop while blocking the road. The vehicle, a stolen BMW X5 from Marbella loaded with hashish, instead rammed the cop car, making it overturn. Two officers, an inspector and lower-ranking officer, were in the car blocking the road, believing the narco would come to a stop.

TRAGIC: Policeman seriously hurt

Cops stormed the Belgian pervert’s car between Torre del Mar and nearby Velez-Malaga after staking out his regular pit stops, including a petrol station, restaurant and former partner. In December last year a 77-year-old British man was arrested for allegedly sharing sexually explicit images and videos of minors on several social media sites. Just two months later in February, 1.3 million child porn images were seized from the home of a 50-year-old Spanish man, also living in Velez-Malaga. Meanwhile, in November 2019 a Spanish teacher was arrested charged with sexual abuse of children in Velez Malaga, while a primary school teacher was arrested in 2017 accused of assaulting three children aged between 10 and 11. Local expats have called the spate of arrests ‘deeply disturbing’ for a town with just 20,000 inhabitants. One father-of-two told the Olive Press: “They are not welcome here. Torre del Mar is a very open-minded and diverse place but paedophiles are the lowest of the low. “They should be castrated and we should be sending them back to their countries.” In 2012 Welshman Robert Edward Bill fled the town after attempting to abduct a 12-yearold girl.

Death flight A PROTECTED eagle has been shot dead by a hunter. The killing took place in the village of Iznajar near Cordoba. The male Bonelli’s Eagle named Nicasio, had been fitted with a GPS tracking device to monitor its location. According to GPS data, the bird was circling high above Iznajar reservoir when it was killed. Police said the hunter then removed the tracking device and threw it into the lake before dumping the bird in a bin. Guardia Civil have arrested a 46-year-old man from Archidona for the crime of killing a bird protected under the Andalucian Catalogue of Threatened Species.

Special delivery A BRITISH expat has been arrested for allegedly sending drugs to the US in the post. According to Policia Nacional, the 49-year-old was regularly posting cocaine and LSD while claiming they were keyrings or greeting cards. The Brit was sending the packages from Fuengirola and was rumbled when the post office suspected some of his parcels. Police were able to seize 1.8kg of cocaine and 202 units of LSD.

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NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Artful Dodger HE was one of the most audacious crooks in British history. And now the story of how a working class northerner climbed into London’s National Gallery to pilfer a painting by Spanish master Goya has been turned into a film. The movie ‘The Duke’, which was immortalised at the Venice Film Festival this month, retells the incredible swinging sixties yarn about how the painting, the Duke, was stolen. Made by Notting Hill director Roger Michell it stars Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. MISSING: Goya masterpiece

A-listers assemble HE’S best known as Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Now British superstar Colin Firth is set to grace the boardwalks of San Sebastian for the world premiere of his new film Supernova alongside Stanley Tucci. It has been over a decade since Firth last attended the famous film festival in 2008, when he walked the red carpet for the first screening of Genova, directed by English filmmaker Michael Winterbottom. Firth was praised for his role as a mourning father in the drama and similar success is likely for the King’s Speech actor this year. When a state of alarm was announced in Spain in March, Firth was filming a new film Operation Mincemeat in Malaga alongside Kelly Macdonald. So, the A-lister has multiple motivations to make his return to Spain.

See Double Take on page 11

Got the message

An unlikely overseas friendship has been sparked after an American bottle landed in Spain By Kirsty McKenzie

WHEN a busy dad with wanderlust Jerry Whitt died suddenly in 2018, his wife Mary was determined that he would finally get his chance to travel the world. So she lovingly placed the American’s ashes into a bottle with a note and dropped him into the Atlantic Ocean from their favourite holiday retreat in Florida and waved farewell one last time.

And to her surprise, two years later she received a phone call from a Spanish family who had found Jerry on a beach almost 5,000 miles away.

ISOLATED: Leonor is now quarantined

ESTUCO INTERIORS

STUNNING: Beautiful gown

FASHIONISTAS have flocked to Madrid fashion week. The 72nd edition of the event went ahead without a hitch from COVID-19. Famed for showcasing national designers, this year it teamed up with Amazon to give more visibility to everyone from independent to medium-sized fashion designers. It means users at home can shop straight off the runway and everyone could be in the front row this year.

FOUND: Ashes discovered on beach

Princess in isolation fears HEIR to the Spanish throne princess Leonor has been placed in quarantine. It comes after Leonor’s classmate at Santa Maria de los Rosales school in Madrid was diagnosed with COVID-19. The eldest daughter of King Felipe and Queen Letizia will now have to self isolate for 14 days within the Zarzuela Palace and be monitored closely for symptoms. The rest of her class are now in isolation as well as her younger sister princess Sofia.

Best foot forward

Now, after a series of letters and calls, the American is hoping to come and visit the Alvarez family, who found the bottle on Praia de Razo, in Carballo, Galicia. “I decided to put Jerry’s ashes in a bottle, and his picture and a note,” said Mary, from her home in Kentucky. “I thought that this would be a good way that he could travel.” She is now delighted that the Alvarez family are to spread Jerry’s ashes in the north of Spain. Mary said: “It touched all of our hearts. It’s just so heartwarming and touching that they are this good to us.” Jerry’s daughter Emilee added: “I think he would be so excited to think that we have friends in Spain now. “We talk often and he would have absolutely loved that.”

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NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

EXCLUSIVE Expat Barclays customers face being left high and dry By Lydia Spencer-Elliott

Waiving the rules A SURFER has been dragged off a Spanish beach for surfing after testing positive for COVID-19. Police in hazmat suits pulled the woman out of the sea and are set to fine her for breaking the mandatory 14-day quarantine rule. Someone who knew the woman called the authorities after seeing her in the water at La Zurriola beach, near San Sebastian. At first the belligerent woman refused to leave the water, despite being ordered to do so by the lifeguard and authorities. The lifeguard at nearby La Concha beach eventually came ashore and was handcuffed and arrested for ‘serious disobedience’. She could now face a fine of up to €600,000 for committing a serious offence under the Public Health Law.

BARCLAYS is set to abandon its expat customers next month by terminating the accounts of anyone without a residential address in the UK. Because of Brexit, the bank will cancel all Barclaycard credit cards of Brits living abroad full time. Unlucky expats have been told to get their affairs in order as their cards will only function until October 22. After this date, they have been told to cut up their credit cards but continue paying back their debt with the usual interest rate.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Bye bye bankers Their accounts will be frozen from November 16, with only deposits allowed in order to pay

off any debt. Tommy Lee, 55, who has banked with Barclays for 15

Cheap as chips A FOOD truck once owned by General Franco has been served up at auction for just €3,200. The vehicle that served the former dictator for 36 years was previously valued at €30,000. The Ford 817 T, rumoured to be gifted to Franco by Henry Ford in 1937, was used by the fascist leader as a dining car during the Civil War. It was bought by Asturias businessman Jorge Sandoval after Madrid company Desguaces La Torre went bankrupt and was forced to get rid of its fleet of historic cars.

SOLD: Franco’s food truck

years and lived in Alcoy for 14 of them, was horrified: “I’ve never missed a payment, ” he told the Olive Press. “They’re just being awkward. Maybe they’re using Brexit as an excuse to get rid of expats. I don’t know what to do instead.” He continued: “A lot of expats are using these cards to regularly live off. They need to be warned what’s coming and they better get ready. “If you need credit get your act together now because this could be really serious.” Barclays started pulling out of the EU in 2014 when it sold its retail banking business to CaixaBank for €800 million. Before Brexit, Barclays was once the largest foreign bank in Spain with over 500 branches in Madrid, Catalunya and Andalucia. A spokesman told the Olive Press this week: “With the UK due to leave the European Union, we can no longer offer credit cards to customers who do not have a residential UK address linked to their Barclaycard. “We have written to customers to give them advance notice of this decision,” she added.

Reina of terror AN Italian terrorist has been cuffed after being on the run for eight years. Police arrested the female neo-fascist in Marbella. The woman had been part of the Nucleos Armado Revolucionario (NAR), an extreme right terror group active in Italy during the 1970s and 80s. On August 2, 1980, the group detonated a bomb at Bologna train station which killed 85 people and injured a further 200.

Killed

The event remains the most serious terrorist massacre committed in the country since the end of World War Two. The woman is alleged to have been a long-time militant in the group and had been arrested with another woman in France in 2012. However while waiting to be extradited they managed to escape. Following a tip off, police raided a villa in Marbella, where the women had been living together. The other woman had died in February. Both had been sentenced by an Italian court to jail terms of nine and seven years. The fugitive now faces extradition.

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The Olive Press all editions FP (342mmx256mm) September 16

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 Big Planet THE modern world is characterised by globalisation. Watching an American film while eating a Thai curry perched on the edge of your Swedish sofa is a normal Saturday night. We have free roaming for our phone data and currency cards without transaction fees to make travelling painless. All these amenities to contemporary living make the antiquated restrictions that are now rearing their ugly head because of Brexit all the more frustrating. At Olive Press we wholly empathise with the trials and tribulations faced by expats. Since Big Ben’s knell shook parliament at midnight on January 31, life in the EU is significantly more complicated. Whether its a barrage of confusion at the extranjeria office (page number for TIE piece) or the news that Barclays is terminating credit cards for Brits living abroad (page number), it is clear ease of access has been replaced with increased exasperation. Since 1919, when commercial flights first began in the UK, we have benefited from a melting pot of homogenizing cultures . In this transition period of infuriating blurred lines and unspecified grey areas, it is more important than ever to remain outward looking and adventurous.

T started as a Cold War tale of intrigue involving a spy, international headlines and appearances from Robert and Edward Kennedy. It ended when a shepherd in a remote backwater of Spain discovered a decomposing corpse in a gulley. The mystery man could only be identified from documents found in a nearby wallet. Guardia Civil decided the body was that of 48-year-old Vladimir Kazan-Komarek – an American citizen of Czech descent. The year was 1972, with Spain still under the thumb of fascist dictator Francisco Franco and the world in the depths of the Cold War. The location was the now bustling - then sleepy - town of Estepona on the Costa del Sol. Kazan-Komarek had first

Cold war warrior A documentary is studying the enigma of spy Vladimir Kazan-Komarek, 50 years since his death, writes Dilip Kuner

come to public attention six years previously when he became embroiled in a spy scandal that would not have been out of place in the pages of a John le Carré thriller. It involved the shadowy world

Left Unread DESPITE emails, Whatsapps, Zoom calls and Facebook messages to keep us busy, nothing has quite overtaken the intimacy of a handwritten letter. This is what makes the loss of post all the more disappointing. Carefully penned anecdotes from loved ones needlessly go missing. Birthday wishes disappear without a trace. Sometimes, it’s just a let down to never receive the shopping you just splurged on. Narrowly behind medical records, post is the most personal commodity we have-- It’s not unreasonable to expect, without so much as hope and a prayer, to receive what’s rightfully yours in the mail. Publisher / Editor

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Kirsty McKenzie kirsty@theolivepress.es

John Culatto johnc@theolivepress.es

Isha Sesay isha.sesay@hotmail.com

Lydia Spencer-Elliott lydia@theolivepress.es

Simon Wade simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Admin Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

Office manager Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

Distribution ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es

Newsdesk: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 Head office

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AWARDS

2016 - 2020 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.

2012 - 2020

Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

RECEPTION: Robert Kennedy greets Kazan-Komarek

of espionage and high level diplomatic negotiations. Now, a French documentary team is looking into the mystery death of the American, trying to piece together his intriguing life. What was known was that on October 31, 1966, when Vladimir was returning from a travel agents’ conference in Moscow, the Soviet airliner on which he was traveling — supposedly on a nonstop flight to Paris —was diverted to Prague for ‘mechanical reasons’. It has never been proven that the flight was deliberately diverted at the behest of Czechoslo-

vakia, but the authorities certainly grabbed their chance to lay their hands on the suspected spy. He was hauled off the plane and charged with setting up and operating an underground espionage and terrorist network in the communist country between 1948 to 1950. They also held him responsible for the death of a policeman. Press reports from the Czechoslovak media had previously identified him as an agent for US Army Counterintelligence. A prisoner of the Nazis during World War II, Kazan-Komerak had worked for the US army in Germany in 1945 and 1946, before he returned to his home country. But when the communists took control, he fled Czechoslovakia in 1948 and lived in Paris before moving to the US in 1953. There he faded into the background, marrying a noted beauty, fathering five children and becoming a US citi-

TIEd up in Red Tape

It’s a bureacratic joke as I still can’t get my NIE after two months of trying By Lydia Spencer-Elliott

TIME passes at varying speeds: you age slower in a spaceship but faster when in the queue at the extranjeria office in Spain… A whole month has elapsed since I last wrote of my seemingly endless quest for a TIE residencia card. Since then I have mentally decayed faster than a peach in the Spanish sun … transformed from my prime (24) to the metaphorical autumn of my life, rotted by bureaucracy and fermenting with fury. Concerned that my A-level Spanish was insufficient for the task, a native speaker with five years experence in a legal firm called several official offices on my behalf to identify our next port of call on this marathon mission. “I’ll be honest, we don’t know the steps anymore, ” she was told. “Because of COVID and Brexit, everything has changed.” After another fruitless appointment at the police station in Estepona, some pleading and a borderline refusal to leave until we had more information than ‘no se’, we were handed the next clue in the treasure hunt: a website link. Into the search bar it went and three clicks later our appointment in Malaga was secured. Things surely had to work out differently on the fourth try. The instruc-

LONG WAIT: Lydia is still battling Spain’s infamous red tape tions had come straight from the horse’s mouth and, to mix metaphors, we knew better than to inspect the teeth of this gift horse too closely. Wrong decision, we discovered on our arrival in the city. “They told you the wrong thing,” said a genuinely sympathetic member of staff. “The appointment you need can only be booked on the phone. You have to come back another day.” It turns out lucky expats who secured residencia before July 6 are not required by law to obtain any new documents. But if, like me, you arrived after this critical date, the road to residencia is long, winding and may cause stress-induced alopecia. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Will our fifth attempt turn out to be the charm that works …or a one way ticket to an asylum? Watch this space.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

www.theolivepress.es

Olive Press online NEWS FEATURE

September 2nd - September 15th 2020 ‘Spain’s best English news website’

Bringing you the news SAFEGUARDING REAL NEWS After two years of rapid expansion, the Olive Press announces an online pay wall

S the Olive Press approaches its 15th anniversary it’s a good time to take stock of what we have experienced down the years. But even more important is to take the lessons we have learned as Spain’s only English language investigative newspaper and apply them for the next 15 years. Back in 2006 when a small but dedicated band launched the very first issues out of Ronda we couldn’t have dreamed how much we would expand in the coming years. A move to our head office in Sabinillas near Esteponsa proved to be a key move and within a few short years we went from covering all of Andalucia to launching editions in Gibraltar, Mallorca and the Costa Blanca North and

South. But perhaps the biggest change has been the rise of the internet as the medium through which we can reach a hugely expanded audience. We have striven to provide engaging, well researched and original content, with regularly over 20 stories and features a day. This has involved a heavy investment in the most important factor for any news organisation – the staff. Our dozens of fully-trained, NCTJ-qualified reporters have uncovered hundreds of exclusives which would make many a ‘bigger’ media group proud. It helps that many of our team have worked at UK national newspapers, including Dilip Kuner at the Sunday Mirror, Kirsty McKenzie at The Daily

Olive Press online ‘SPAIN’S BEST ENGLISH NEWS WEBSITE’

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: Benidorm officials say 130 million 1-demolition bill for illegal towers is not in the public interest (30,996) Village engulfed in mammoth fire on Spain’s Costa del Sol (27,542) 2- Laguna Levante Beach to end 3- Benidorm’s restrictions this Monday as domestic tourist season ends (24,402)

PRAGUE: Kazan-Komarek (inset) was imprisoned behind the Ironfrom Curtain - Terrifying footage inside Laguna

zen, all while settling into life as a travel agent. Life seemed to be going well until he made his fateful Moscow trip. In Prague he was charged with high treason and espionage. During the Kazan-Komarek trial in 1967, the most serious charges that he had been an American intelligence agent were quietly dropped after an intense diplomatic campaign by the US government. He was instead convicted on lesser charges of subversive activities against the Czechoslovakian state and jailed for eight years. His rapid release was brought about largely through the intervention of Senator Edward Kennedy, whose brother Robert was present when Kazan-Komarek’s flight touched down on American soil. Once safely back in the US, Vladimir admitted that the charges against him were partly true. He had helped people escape from Czechoslovakia, believing that he was working for French intel-

ligence. Subsequent investigations found he was being rather modest with the truth. It is believed that he was one of the most important agents for the French Secret Service (SDECE). And that he returned to the other side of the Iron Curtain to organise a network to rescue people threatened with death or prison for their resistance against the regime’s dictatorship. The network was liquidated by communist police and Kazan-Komarek alone managed to make it back to the West after a shoot-out with border guards. Seriously injured, he returned to Paris and spent several months in hospital. While the case caused a sensation at the time, Vladimir faded into the background. He severed ties with the Harvard Travel Service, of which he had been president. Then in 1971 he left his wife and five children in Wellesley, Massachusetts and disappeared to Europe. In November that year he re-

Village fire on Spain’s Costa del Sol (21,677)

Fire at Estepona’s Laguna Village: surfaced in Estepona where zan-Komerak through the(19,212) pictures from the scene 5-Exclusive he lived alone in a small flat. documents found nearby, toGet in touch a today at sales@theolivepress.es Guardia Civil investigators gether with key to his front or call us at 00 34 951273575 for a special quote said he led a normal life, door. passing his time writing a Strangely, the US authorities book about flying. in Spain failed to inform his He made friends with expat widow of the death. That was Americans and was due to fly left to the Canadian couple to the US with a he had been Canadian couset to travple when he disel with some The mystery appeared. months earlier. On June 5, US State Deof his life and 1972, the Unitpartment offideath have ed States concials said there sulate in Sevilla was no indicanever been was informed tion that Kaquite forgotten z a n - Ko m a r e k by Samuel Berman, an Amerimight still have can living in Esbeen involved tepona, that Kazan-Komarek in intelligence work, and inhad been missing since May sisted he had not been em11. ployed by any United States The authorities discounted intelligence agency. And the report after being in- there the matter rested. formed he had been seen in But the mystery of his life the first week of June. But a and death has never quite body was discovered on Sep- been forgotten. There are tember 7 in a hillside gully on still people who wonder if the a farm outside Estepona. body truly was his and why A Marbella court decid- he should have given up a ed there were no signs of successful career and large foul play and confirmed family to disappear into what the corpse’s identity as Ka- was, at the time, a remote backwater of a country living under a dictatorship. Now, nearly 50 years on, a French documentary team led by Karel Prokop and Laurence Guyot is trying to unravel the mystery of Kazan-Komarek’s death and is looking for anyone who knew him, or had heard any stories about the man of mystery. Their ultimate ambition is to solve the enigma of Kazan-Komarek - and find answers to the puzzle that briefly thrust the quiet town of Estepona into world headlines.

SLEEPY: The quiet backwater of Estepona found itself at the centre of world headlines

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T the Olive Press, there are few things Olive Press is following in the upgrades to an even better footstepsthan of The Times, Tele- unparalleled we love more a good story. news service. graph and New York Times respected Spanish pizza daiSure, ourand print night run and coflies such as El Mundo, El Pais Less adverts fee from andour Diario Sur to introduce a and pop ups pay wall. favourite corner And cafe it is extremely positive news. For, by charging just Best of all, anyone joining might be up there €4.99 -a month (or €49 a will find the service so much year) we can dramatically in- easier and cleaner to use, but the only thing crease investment employing with only one advert allowed Please contact us a more journalists and writers per story and a much simpler, desk@theolivepre that really beats for any questions to provide a news service that faster loading time. the thrill of setting the agenda and breaking the bigTO celebrate the biggest relaunch in the Olive cription to the new site, while a third r gest news stories Press is website’s history we are giving readers a will scoop a six month subscription. chance to win prizes in our 3-2-1 competition. Our first place winner will get to stay Top prize for one lucky reader will be a two-ni- stunning La Perla De Torrenueva villa hearing from our readers. ght stay and gourmet dinner in a luxurious vi- which comes complete with its own p lla onlisten the Costa del located between Marbella and Mij When you talk, we - Sol. whether it is pool when Second place will get a free 12-month subs- Set in an enclosed complex of eight vill rroundedof by lush gardens, the villa has you’re sharing your enthusiasm, differences tacular views over the Mediterranean, to Gibraltar and the Rif Mountains of Moro opinion or pointing us in the direction of an unThe lucky winner will also get to enjoy vateyou. three-course dinner cooked by F earthed story, we always love to hear from chef Joffrey Charles, who is well know coast. And receiving your feedback on the newthe payLa Perla villa complex (www.laperlade nueva.com) manages three exclusive wall is no exception. bedroom villas, a cottage, an apartmen an ensuite We’ve been thrilled with the uptake so far andbedroom and would be ide corporate groups and seminars. we hope you are equally delighted to be getting To enter the competition visit our we www.theolivepress.es top quality journalism for as little as €5.99 a month - or even better value at €59 a year. However, as your comments reminded us, not everyone can afford to pay, which is why we are happy to announce we will be offering a 50% discount to all pen- sioners and students. To those of you who have already subscribed, thank you. When you pay for journalism, you are paying for people who really excel at storytelling to do the work they love and the job they were trained to do. We are not working for clicks, we are working to bring you the biggest breaking news stories, the most important campaigns and the agenda setting content that has made us Spain’s only English language investigative paper and website. But we pay for our own late-night coffee runs. Promise.

Record and Jon Clarke at the Mail on Sunday, while our Costa Blanca reporter Alex Trelinski worked for many years at the BBC. This highly experienced group of journalists help to bring our young trainees through, showing them how to stand up stories and how to find and develop the many entertaining features that go into the Olive Press. And it takes a lot of resources. Historically our business model relied mostly on advertising, allowing our papers and website to be freely accessed at all times. But one thing the coronavirus crisis has taught us is that to rely on advertising alone is too slender a reed to hang our entire business on. While confident that businesses in Spain will bounce back from the present crisis as they have in the past, our thoughts have turned on how to guarantee our next 15 years as Spain’s leading English news outlet. Sure, we could go down the easy route and just translate what is in the Spanish news. That is cheap and easy to do, but offers no value to the reader. We prefer to employ real journalists and writers to look behind the headlines and come up with original content. This is why from this week the

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POLICE have recovered over three million items of COVID-19 protective gear after the largest theft of its kind in Spain. In total, 2.4 million pairs of gloves were recovered, along with 800,000 surgical masks and 100,000 further masks. The items, worth €700,000, were about to be resold on the

NEWS

September 16th September 29th 2020

No protection On trial black market having been stolen from a warehouse in Madrid. During a police raid, stolen televisions and cold meats were also discovered at another warehouse south of the city. So far five men have been arrested.

TRIALS for a Spanish COVID-19 vaccine have started. Madrid-based Janssen Pharmaceuticals will roll out Phase 2 testing on human volunteers for the next four to six months. A total of 40 people will be tested in two groups - 18 to 55-year-olds and over 65s - at a hospital in Santander, while two hospitals in Madrid have began trials on 75 volunteers. The vaccine has shown ‘very good protection’ in initial trials, but full development and testing of the vaccine could take up to two years. It comes as Spain’s purchase of three million doses of a British-developed vaccine hit a setback after one of the UK's test subjects fell ill. AstraZeneca, the Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company, has withdrawn all clinical trials until the cause of the subject's illness is discovered. "This is common procedure when any of our participants experience an unexplained illness," said a spokesperson from AstraZeneca.

Fuelling crime EXCLUSIVE By Kirsty McKenzie

Expats fear mystery gang smuggling dozens of petrol containers onto boats is ramping up costa crime IT comes during broad daylight and on an almost-daily basis: Over a dozen men carrying massive containers onto speed boats in Duquesa Port. Up to 30 bottles at a time, each 50 litres in size, the group load them onto boats in a matter of minutes. 100% Certified Green Energy

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Healthy teachers BLATANT: Crooks operate in brood daylight Now shocked expats have most days around 4pm yellreached out to the Olive Press ing in Spanish. They say to investigate the cloak and ‘Hurry up, everyone move, dagger operation which they let’s go faster’. fear is a system of refuelling “They stash litres of petrol in vans near the port and run narco boats and submarines. It comes as a hard-hitting out to collect them, each man Netflix docu-series La Lin- will carry a gallon in each ea exposed narco-traffick- hand. It’s always up to 30 ers, warning they were being men and a very small boat. driven out of the Campo de “Sometimes they end up Gibraltar area east into Mala- dropping the containers into the water.” ga and west into Huelva. A number of bar owners and He added: “These criminals local residents told us this are doing it right under our week how they watched the noses and we all know about masked men scurrying across it but there’s nothing we can the port on an ‘almost-daily do. They are too quick, too efficient. basis’ recently. “We call the police but the masked guys can be in and Chilling out of the port in five minIn a chilling video seen by utes flat. They are here and the Olive Press, the group gone in the blink of an eye.” wear hoodies, sunglasses and The police do sometimes masks to load up one boat. win out over the smugglers. Taken on Sunday, one man In August the Guardia Civstops, stares at the video and il recovered a 600 kilogram warns the unnamed expat to stash of hashish off the coast stop filming. of Nerja. Local residents fear that the One massive haul of cocaine family-friendly port could was seized, worth €40m, soon become like La Linea between the Canaries and overrun by criminal gangs if southern Spain this week. police do not step in and pre- But much continues to slip vent it. through, both in boats and in They believe the transfers so-called narco-subs - underare taking fuel to larger boats water vehicles stuffed with that then go on to Morocco to drugs which are extremely pick up shipments of drugs. difficult to find when they are “Much more needs to be on the move. done by police, who need The Costas have seen a to step up patrols to send dramatic increase in crime a message,” said one expat as cartels vie for control barman, who asked not to be of the lucrative smuggling named. route between Morocco and He added: “I see these guys Spain.

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TRANQUIL: But Duquesa port has hidden depths

ONLY 0.1% of teachers have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andalucia. Just 135 teachers where found to have the antibodies out of 87,911. Those who tested positive in serological tests then took a PCR test to determine if they still had the virus. In a bid to reassure the educational sector, Minister for Education, Javier Imbroda, emphasised that the return to the classroom is ‘safe’, although he added ‘there is no such thing as zero risk’. Imbroda acknowledges that cases will arise between teachers and students, that classrooms and some schools will be closed, but he insists that face-to-face classes should be resumed because ‘no screen replaces a teacher’. It comes as two schools in Mijas and Alhaurin de la Torre have delayed opening after detecting cases of COVID-19. The nursery school Los Claveles informed parents that all the teachers were under quarantine restrictions.

Much too much POLICE raided a restaurant in Spain and found a 20-strong group of British diners breaking capacity and distancing rules. The Policia Local got a tipoff that coronavirus protocols were being flouted at the Chinese diner in Puerto de Mazarron (Murcia). They paid it a visit and took a photo of the illegally setout tables. Up to six people are allowed to dine indoors as a group and a safe distance is mandated between tables. The restaurant faces a fine of up to €4,000 for those infractions as well as others including the availability of menu folders.

NEWS

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September 16th - September 29th 2020

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Green cash THE Spanish government has just approved €181 million worth of subsidies for renewables-based projects. It is part of a €316 million package that the Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) has put together for Spain’s renewable energy sector. The €181 million tranche will be available to finance solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass and renewable gas projects. Geothermal and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects will also be eligible for grants, although these are expected to be relatively minor in scale. Initially, the grants will be handed out in the regions of Andalucia, Principality of Asturias, Castila-La Mancha, Catalonia, Extremadura, Madrid and Murcia, with the government expecting the grants to attract investment of €551 million from private companies. MITECO said that it expects projects funded through the scheme to save about 712,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. It added that the scheme will also encourage an increase of renewable energy use in all sectors.

GREEN

Living in a tip ARTIST Laura Davies has spent a lifetime dreaming up fantastic projects and making them work against all odds. But even she wasn’t prepared for the dedication - and satisfaction - that would come from building an eco-home entirely out of trash. The epic green challenge took over seven years to complete and required dozens of car tyres, hundreds of old drink cans and bottle bricks to form the breathtaking dome structure. But it resulted in a gorgeous dream home for a silly price, that cost an estimated €20,000 to build and peanuts to run! Environmentally-minded Laura and partner Dave Buchanan, both 55, moved to Andalucia in 2002 after deciding to give up the rat race in the UK to seek a simpler life in Spain. The pair initially settled in a cortijo in Saliente Alto, near Albox, in Almeria where they added eco-friendly twists to the traditional ru-

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Expat couple spend seven years building a dream home that’s total rubbish

By Kirsty McKenzie

ral structure of their home. But soon they were fantasising about pushing their boundaries even further and building a house from the ground up using nothing more than local waste and old junk. After reading about architect Michael Reynolds’ concept of Earthships constructed from repurposed waste to pioneer radically sustainable living, the couple came up with ambitious plans to create their very own environmentally friendly pad in the Sorbas area of Almeria Province. Instead of heading to Leroy Merlin they scoured tips and junk yards for their raw materials. Other natural items used include the pine wood on the roof, designed to collect rainwater, which the couple use for washing, cooking and flushing the loo. Laura and Dave also transformed tired kitchen units

EPIC: Dave and Laura met their challenge

and busted old doors to create the dreamy new interiors for the home they now call Cuevas de Sol. “I never imagined that it would turn out as lovely as it is and be so nurturing to live in, and we haven’t even finished the interior yet,” said Laura, who can now

enjoy joking that she’s living in a virtual tip! “It is so light and airy - the insulation is natural cork from a forest in Valencia and the front of the building is glass. “It creates solar heat and keeps us warm during winter and cool in the summer months.”

The yearly running costs are minimal, with Laura estimating that the home only costs them an incredible €10 each month, on average. “The most fulfilling part of being here is living in it,” said Laura. “Sometimes we can’t believe we built it!”

LA CULTURA Double Take Do you have a what’s on?

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

SPAIN’S top film festival opens this month with the premiere of a Woody Allen film about itself. Shot in the city last year, the action in Rifkin’s Festival starring Elena Anaya and Louis Garrel is set during festival week. It tells the story of a married American couple seduced by the magic of the Basque

what’s on

a bienal de flamenco

Sevilla is hosting one of the country’s biggest Flamenco festivals until October 4, with some of Spain’s brightest stars from the genre taking part. More information: labienal.com

San Sebastian Film Festival to headline controversial Woody Allen film about sex in its own city city and the fantasy of the event (she has an affair with a French movie director, he falls in love with a Spanish woman). Amid sexual assault allega-

tions towards the American director, the selection of the rom-com to launch the programme hasn’t passed without controversy. However, Allen, 84, will not

attend the festival himself, due to coronavirus fears. Running from September

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

Finding out what makes life worth living

etween life and death there is a library…and every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’ Nora Seed has lived her life trying to please others, however, her own life has left her feeling desperate and suicidal. When she finds herself in the midnight library, she finds that all her possible lives are stored in books, all the different scenarios had she made different decisions and choices along the way. Nora gets the opportunity to ‘try on’ different versions of her own life, from rock star to Olympic athlete, to glaciologist, but ultimately Nora must decide what makes life worth living for her. Nietzsche meets It’s a Wonderful Life meets Doctor Who in this poignant, nuanced and eloquent new novel from the masterful Matt Haig.

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SINGLE IMPLANT

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18-26 and now in its 68th edition, the festival has long attracted esteemed directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Francis Ford Coppola, silver screen legends (Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis) and current stars like Penelope Cruz, John Malkovich and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this year, with Cannes cancelled and Venice scaled down due to the pandemic, San Seb is picking up the slack with top-tier cinema normally reserved for its famous rivals. Originally due to premiere on the French Riviera, Colombian filmmaker Fernando Trueba’s Forgotten We’ll Be will now close the festival. Other top movies to watch out for are Harry Macqueen’s British drama Supernova starring Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth and Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, starring Oscar award-winner Frances McDormand.

areja quartet

Jazz lovers can listen to the young Malaga band on Thursday, September 17 from 9pm at the city’s Centro Cultural MVA in Calle Ollerias, with free seats available by reservation only via mientrada. net.

icasso visto por Ortero

A fascinating exhibition featuring 60 photos of Picasso by film maker Roberto Ortero following the artist in his daily life is open at the Picasso Museum, Calle San Agustin, Malaga, daily from 11am until September 26, with entrance costing €9.

stepona week

fashion

Fashion, beauty and accessories parades will be held from September 17 to 20 at 8pm in Calle Terazza under the direction of stylist Miguel Toledo, with 15 local businesses taking part.

IMPLANT DENTURE

LA CULTURA

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Dancing Queen PASSION: Ursula in action

spends years, often a decade or more, practising and perfecting the strict framework of rhythmic patterns. And even when the steps are down pat, a dancer will never stop practicing and training daily. It’s this dedication that has propelled Urusla Lopez to the very top of her profession, as she explains. • How did it all begin?

ITH the grace of a ballet star, the passion of a flamenco artist and the regal air of a Queen Ursula Lopez was dancing towards her destiny at an age when most children are taking their first baby steps at school. “There was never a time ‘before’ flamenco, it was just something we all did, my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents before them,” says the 44-year-old beauty, born in Cordoba, raised in Algeciras and feted today as one of the best flamenco dancers and choreographers in the world. From being discovered by legendary film director Carlos Saura, to being a featured artist at t h e Spanish National

Ballet and wowing audiences at Sadler’s Wells in London with her own production, Ursula Lopez is on point for her next challenge as director of the Andalucian Flamenco Ballet in Seville. The Junta de Andalucía’s institutional dance company represents the region on stages all over the world and plays a fundamental role in attracting new audiences to experience Andalucia’s flamenco culture. Founded in 1994, it has won plaudits from the public and critics and a host of prestigious awards. Don’t be fooled by the overpriced and often tacky tourist shows. Andalucia’s most iconic dance style is so much more than overthe-top frilly wardrobes, fancy fans, castanets, excessive use of microphones and showy light

effects. Born out of oppression and suffering, flamenco should above all be fierce, evoking passion, temperament and energy. Puro flamenco relies on improvisation and though renowned artists rehearse for choreographed theatre productions, their true personality and creative flair shine during intimate, spontaneous performances of singing, guitar, and dance. An authentic performance will put equal focus each. To master the art, a flamenco dancer

I started in a dance academy at a very young age, graduating in both Spanish and classical dance. In Sevilla I had the opportunity to train with great flamenco maestros such as Manolete, an internationally reclaimed Spanish choreographer and dancer. And with Manolo Marín who choreographed the Opera Carmen, directed by Carlos Saura, which opened the doors to my professional career when I was 18. In 1996 I joined the Compañía Andaluza de Danza, known today as Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. For the next eight years I performed in the company’s shows, touring the most important festivals and theatres around the world. I then joined the Spanish National Ballet as a featured artist for two years before setting up my own dance company in 2007. Flamenco was always part of my life. My sister, Tamara, too, had an extensive career in dance, with a 12-year long trajectory in the Spanish National Ballet. She has taught Spanish dance all over the world, from London to Chicago and even received an award from the Emperor of Japan for cultural merit. Together we run our dance academy, Studio Flamencodanza in Seville.

“

consistent, dedicated and determined, it will show. In that sense, flamenco is very just. It’s a great honour that the Andalucian Flamenco Ballet have placed their trust in me. They have seen the direction I want to take and have given me their backing. I believe my proposals stood out for their artistic direction, based on the dissemination of dance and Andalucia’s intangible heritage. I now look forward to taking the Andalucian Flamenco Ballet to where it belongs. We have some very exciting projects coming up, both nationally and internationally, a three-year scheme which I’m very excited to lead.

Born out of opression and suffering, Flamenco should evoke passion and above all, energy

• You’ve just been appointed Director of the company you danced for. How does that feel?

ENERGY: Flamenco dancers in full flow

ART: Dancers strike beautiful poses

I received the news in a phone call, an incredible moment where I felt proud, happy, emotional all at the same time. It is a recognition of eight years of hard work where I proved my dedication to dance and flamenco day in and day out. Nothing is handed to anyone on a plate, especially not in flamenco. If you haven’t put the hours in, if you haven’t been

“

At 44, mother-of-two Ursula Lopez has danced her way to the top job at the Andalucian Flamenco Ballet. The homegrown Queen of Flamenco talks exclusively to Cristina Hodgson about her new role, flamenco as therapy and how today’s young dancers can follow in her footsteps

• You are currently holding auditions for the cast of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía (dancers, singers, guitarists, percussionists). What do you look for?

In a dancer, for someone who masters all the typical Spanish dance styles but whose underlying strength is flamenco. Nowadays dancers are extremely well-prepared. They have all been dancing since they were about six years old and their formation is excellent. My generation did not have the extensive training they have. These young dancers have a confidence about their abilities that is enviable. It took me years to reach that level of self-assurance in my abilities. This is positive for someone who intends to perform in front of thousands of spectators. In one way they have it easier as they are so well prepared, but, on the other hand, having so many well-prepared dancers makes the competition tougher. However, at the same time, there is a lack of individuality, of personal growth and experiences … shared moments with fellow dancers that I feel is missing. Perhaps social media is to blame. I know that

my experiences helped me grow into the dancer I am today, and I’m grateful for them. • Has flamenco changed since you first started out? With deep-seated roots, the principals remain the same as those taught from parent to child decades ago. I would even go as far as to say they remain steadfast from over a hundred years ago. There is of course a natural evolution process, but just as flamenco is in Andalucia its most significant expression, its deepest root, the fundamentals remain unwavering. •

Your day-to-day must be hectic with your new directorship, your own dance company and dance academy, and two young children?

I won’t lie, it is very tough. It’s a very long day which begins before 7am and ends after 11pm. Non-stop. Dance has taught me to be strong, determined and resilient, but it’s my love for flamenco that gives me the drive to set new challenges and I’m lucky to have a career which I love and have always loved. I feel very fortunate. • Can anyone take lessons at your Flamenco Danza Academy? Anyone, from beginners to advanced. The most important thing is not to feel intimidated or foolish. If you really let yourself go, flamenco is one of the best therapies. The connection between body and mind is incredible. To feel the music, you free your mind in an almost meditational way. And instead of feeling self-conscious, you will find it gives you confidence. With a good instructor and a bit of patience, even an inexperienced dancer can learn. What can I say, I highly recommend it!

www.juntadeandalucia.es/ cultura/flamenco/content/ www.flamencodanza. com/teacher-profile/ursula-lopez/

September 16th - September 29th 2020

How a local beauty’s perfect pins changed the course of Spanish history, writes Jack Gaioni

A legend with legs

‘S

HE’S got legs and she knows how to use them’. In 711 AD Roderic was the last Visigoth Christian king American rock band ZZ Top’s lyrics strike more before Muslim forces dominated the Iberian Peninsula. than a chord with the legend of From his tower fortress in Toledo, it is said the fair Florinda la Cava - a Spanthat the monarch often observed a young ish beauty whose ‘shapely legs’ may have woman named Florinda bathing in the Florinda is transformed the trajectory of her country’s Tagus River below and became obsessed. history. So alluring was her beauty that ‘love, with named as a Preposterous you say? An overstatement? beating wings, inflamed him’. They beseductress Perhaps, but judgements about Florinda came lovers and had a child. But then the run the gamut: Was she a devious seducdetails get somewhat muddled…. who bewitched tress? Or a young ‘bonne vivante’? Was In many Christian narratives, Florinda is Roderic... she a powerful political player, a conseportrayed as a seductress who bewitched quential historical figure? Or merely innoand ‘morally corrupted’ Roderic from his cent and playful? Did she even exist at all? role of leadership. So distracted was the Regardless, the many interpretations of Florinda la Cava king that he failed to properly recognise the imminent go a long way to explaining a major chapter in Spanish threat of the Muslim invasion. history. Let’s take a look… These Christian writers describe Florinda as a young

beauty who purposely bathed ‘au natural’ in full sight of Roderic. And that she and her young female companions would suggestively bathe while measuring each others’ legs to see who had ‘the roundest and best shaped’. Roderic evidently gave that designation to Florinda. Early Christian accounts suggest that it was because of Roderic’s moral laxness in the face of this temptress that Spain had to endure seven centuries of Muslim dominance as ‘Divine Punishment’. But was their relationship true love? Or was Florinda a vixen who used her sexual charms to seduce a powerful leader, and Roderic some sort of a ‘Peeping Tom voyeur’ who became her stalker? No matter the interpretation, most Christian sagas suggest that Spain lost to the invading Muslims due to moral corruption. Muslim versions tell a different story. They depict Florinda HIDDEN: Can you spot Rodeas the innocent daughter of Julien, the Christian governor ric in the picture below? of Ceuta on Africa’s north coast, sent by her father to Toledo for her education and refinement. In these narratives, the king is depicted as spying on her while she bathed.There she was ravished (read: raped) by Roderic. So vengeful was Julien that he turned renegade and began a campaign of colluding with the Muslim invaders. Blinded by hate, revenge and retribution, he provided military intelligence, troops and ships to topple Christian Spain, making the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula a lot easier. The first written account of Florinda and Roderic does not occur until the 12th century - a full 500 years after Roderic lost his Christian hold on Spain. For this reason, many historians find the legend surrounding Florinda factually suspect. Did she really exist at all? Or could the story be an extended allegory much like the biblical parables? These questions are unanswerable. Whether or not she captured Roderic’s heart, the legend of Florinda has captured the imagination of numerous authors, poets, artists and playwrights down the decades. In Don Quixote, Miguel Cervantes described her as ‘that wicked Christian woman through whom Spain was lost’. Clearly, Spain’s most iconic author gives credibility to the Christian accounts. From the same era, Jacobean writer/comic/actor William Rowley recounts the legend in his play, All’s Lost by Lust (c. 1619). It has been described as a ‘tragedy of remarkable frankness - both crude and fierce’. British writers Sir Walter Scott and Robert Southey (of Goldilocks fame) treat the legend poetically Scott in The Vision of Don Roderick (1811) and Southey in Roderick, Last of the Goths (1814). Meanwhile, American writer Washington Irving recalls the tale in his famous Legends of the Conquest of Spain. More recently, in London’s West End, the musical La Cava played to audiences from June 2000 to February 2001, with Oliver Tobias (who played opposite Joan Collins in The Stud) and Julie-Alanah Brighten as the lovers. Reviews were mixed. Over the centuries there have been plenty of examples of women toppling powerful men using their physical charms. Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, and Catherine the Great, come to mind. But in the case of Florinda, her reputation has lived through the centuries as manipulator, manipulatee and everything in between. We’ll never know - but that BEAUTIES: Florinda as depicted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter tells the story of the last King of the Visigoths. Credit: New York Met/Public Domain doesn’t make ZZ Top’s lyrics any less plausible!

THE ORIGINAL PEEPING TOM

LETTERS

14 Check out our issues online at www.theolivepress.es

PARENTS SPLIT

Mallorca Issue 88 OLIVE PRESS

Split on school return

FREE

Parents divided

How a rat gave me COVID-19 Your

expat

voice in Spain

Vol. 4 Issue 88 www.theolivepress.es September 4th - September 4th 2020

See Page 6

Banks a lot

EXPAT parents are completely split over whether it is the right time for children to return to school, an Olive Press reader survey shows that mums and dads are unsure whether September is too soon to send pupils back to the classroom. In our online poll, we asked readers share how they felt about schools to reopening for the first time since March. Exactly half said they were happy for their children to be back with their teachers and peers while the rest wanted a vaccine before they let their sons and daughters return.

Uncertainty

AT SCHOOL: Should they be back?

Who is the mystery man saving migrants?

Signed off, page 4

See Page 4

Losing out

GDP plunges more in Balearics

SPOKEN

THE Balearics have suffered their biggest financial drop in history. The economy plummeted by a shocking 40.5% in the second quarter of the year, revealed the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government. The dip in gross Collaborate with an domestic product (GDP) is the worst in expert producer on all of Spain, revealed your spoken memoirs Tourism and Labour Minister Iago NegCommission a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This Is ueruela. Your Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; style tribute Compared to the for a wedding, birthday same period in 2019 or anniversary it is the biggest drop recorded in the reCelebrate someone gionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history and special with a unique, higher than any oth-

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THE founder of National Day has revealed how the idea was formed by accident. In an exclusive interview, Sir Joe Bossano told the Olive Press how the idea came when he was Chief Minister. It came out of a rally organised in the Piazza before going to the UN for self-determination status in 1992. But, as it happened to be the 25th year since the famous 1967 referendum, it quickly gathered steam. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People spontaneously turned up dressed in the national colours and in numbers we had not he expected,â&#x20AC;? revealed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given that response, it seemed to me as the minister, that we had touched a chord in the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of their own identity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was too important to only do it once every 25 years, so we created it officially on September 10 and called it the National Day rally.â&#x20AC;?

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Bossano believes the celebration is still linked to the desire of Gibraltar to be recognised as a people in their own right by the United Nations. Gibraltar is regularly attacked by Spanish diplomats at the UN with the Committee of 24 tending to agree with them after they put in a lot of lobbying. On whether Gibraltar could ever become a state in its own right he said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nothing is impossibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Some commentators have said that it is the resistance to Spain that has formed that identity, but he believes it is not the only reason, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe the hostility of Spain has been a factor which helps us to close ranks to protect our identity and defend our homeland,â&#x20AC;? he added. See National Day celebrations on page 12

is the By Kirsty McKenzie SCORCHED and charred, thiswildfire devastation left by a ravaging comthat left a popular Costa del Sol rubble of destroyed homes. mercial centre in ashes. the mowhich Esteponaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laguna Village - restau- On top of the hill overlooking blackened housed around 20 shops and by the torway, a finca crumbled, with soot. rants - was completely gutted dramatic blaze, which ripped through Culprits it in little over an hour on Saturday. firefighters had to work Eerie photographs show the moment weath- Exhausted night after the out-of-conthe flames took hold, as intense through the down both sides of the A-7 er conditions propelled a mega-blaze busy trol fire tore from nearby scrubland across the motorway, leaving a path of destrucRio Padron area. A-7 motorway. showed tion in thehave now been charged with videos dramatic Meanwhile, eat- A couple the moment that families, manysome gross negligence, property damage and ALL AREAS COVERED the ing lunch, rushed out in panic, theft, after they allegedly caused screaming for their children. fire by illegally tapping into overhead began fire the According to neighbours water- electricity cables. 4G UNLIMITED 43 and close to the former Prado World The Spanish man and woman, close to living in a shack park, leaving burnt-out fields covered INTERNET and the 51, had been in ash, a charred electricity line the motorway, near a IDEAL FOR riding stables. STREAMING TV Police revealed that the fire was most likeALSO IPTV, ly caused when an SATELLITE TV appliance See page 16 electrical malfunctioned in their tel: (0034) 952 763 840 home, causing a spark fire. the to start info@theskydoctor.com www.theskydoctor.com

SPOKEN

INCINERATED: All that remains of Puro Beach after the devastating blaze

Luxury commercial centre gutted weekend wildfire

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equally on this one factor, so â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;it is to have seen this serious knock onnot surprising Looking at the drop in GDP by effect.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; islands, the er region of Spain. Pitiusas, which is made up of Ibiza and ForNegueruela attributed this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unprecedented lossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mentera, suffered the worst with a 41.7% drop. to the Balearicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reliance on tourism which has This was followed by Menorca with 41.7% been â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;deeply impacted by the coronavirus and cri- then Mallorca with 39.3%. sis.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Balearic financial decline was also much Only the Canary Islands came near to the same higher than that recorded in the whole of Spain, drop, suffering a 36% dip. which reported a loss of 22.1%, as well as the Other tourist hotspots were not as European Union with 14.1%. ed - although the figures are stillbadly affect- Meanwhile, disastrous, a total of 73,753 people were regiswith Andalucia recording a drop of 20.7%, and tered as unemployed in the Balearic Islands Valencia 25.6%. in the month of August. With the de-escalation phases not commencing This represents an alarming 90% more than until May and the opening of borders in the same month last year when just 34,912 were the end of June, April and May were not until unemployed. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;write offsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for international tourism. complete â&#x20AC;&#x153;The collapse of GDP is a consequence Crisis ing nothing from our most important of makactivity, The crisis in tourism worsened considerably internation- when the UK announced al tourism,â&#x20AC;? tine period for returning its two week quaranBritish tourists in July. said Neg- Germany, Holland and Denmark ueruela. to make the situation considerablyfollowed suit worse. The Min- Domestic tourism was thankfully See page 16 steady ister ex- -around the Balearics and around Spain, but plained that this did not allay the problems all other sec- of the tourist sector suffered. the vast majority tors depend

Gibraltar Issue 130

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Parents divided EXPAT parents are completely split over whether it is the right time children to return to school. An for Olive Press reader survey shows that mums and dads are unsure whether September is too soon to send pupils back to the classroom. In our online poll, we asked readers to share how they felt about schools reopening for the first time since March. Exactly half said they were happy for their children to be back with their teachers and peers while rest wanted a vaccine before theythe their sons and daughters return. let

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Uncertainty

And while not all parents want to keep their little ones at home, 56% said that they did not feel their child would be safe on their return. A whopping 83% agreed that social distancing would be impossible to maintain in the classrooms and 78% thought all children should be made to wear masks at school. Ominously, just 28% of parents said it was likely that pupils would able to complete a full school year.be RESCUED: Banksy says EU officials Spanish education officials have are ignoring the mercy mission weeks been debating how to get for pu- BANKSY has accused pils safely back to school this month European officials of deliberately ignoring disBy Alex Trelinski for in-person classes. tress signals after a refugee rescue boat he financed was left stranded Opinion Page 6 North Africa to Europe. in the Med. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like most people who The iconic artist hit out after his the art world, I bought make it in new mercy vessel, launched from a yacht cruise the Med,â&#x20AC;? Banksy posted to Valencia in August, failed to onre- line, accompanied by a video ceive any help when it came close of the to sinking, overloaded with over ship mixed in with footage of people stranded at sea. 200 refugees. is smaller but considerably fastIt came after the ship captain made â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because EU authorities delib- timated to have cost â&#x201A;Ź950,000, it er than other NGO rescue vessels. erately ignore distress calls from also found itself in a distress call after it became matrouble off the It is capable of reaching speeds of rooned due to overloading, with â&#x20AC;&#x2122;non-Europeansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? he continued. Sicilian island of Lampedusa. many of the refugees ill and one â&#x20AC;&#x153;All Black Lives Matter.â&#x20AC;? But with- After floundering for hours with 28 knots. The planning of its latest mission in weeks of launching, his ship, already dead. es- 219 refugees on board, Italian between was carried out in secrecy London, Berlin and BurriThe British street artist took coastguards and char- ana, where social media to attack the slow to ity Sea-Watch finally docked to the Louise Michel had rebe equipped for sea ressponse saying that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;EU authorities stepped in to save the cues. deliberately ignored the pleas from day, last week. The crew non-Europeansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. A coastguard motor tion could feared that media attenThe 31-metre rescue vessel Louise vessel took 49 of the If word hadcompromise their goals. SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS Michel, named after a 19th century most vulnerable trav- financed by circulated that a project French anarchist, set sail in secrecy ellers to the island to rescue Banksy would set to sea Moriaraâ&#x20AC;˘Calpeâ&#x20AC;˘Jalonâ&#x20AC;˘Javeaâ&#x20AC;˘Deniaâ&#x20AC;˘Altea from Burriana, near Castellon, of Lampedusa, while authoritiesmigrants, the European on August 18. Sea-Watch 4 took the thwart the could have attempted to mission. A spokesman Its aim is to save refugees making rest to Palermo, where for Burrianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s www.moraira-hamiltons.net port confirmed that the dangerous sea crossing from they were eventually the Louise Michel docked there given sanctuary. June 23 and left on August 18. on The Louise Michel is hard to miss, paintGay ed bright pink with a trademark Banksy â&#x20AC;&#x153;During this time, they have been PLUMBING & AIR CONDITIONING mural on the boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s repairing and preparing the boat SPECIALISTS hull, depicting a girl but they did it by themselves, they Collaborate with an in a life vest holding did not use the port servicesâ&#x20AC;?, he EAS Electric 25 basic expert producer on a heart-shaped safety said. Inverter hot and cold A++ your spoken memoirs Referring to Banksy, he added: buoy. SPECIAL â&#x20AC;&#x153;If It sails under a Ger- he has been here, he came incogStandard installation OFFER* Commission a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This Is man flag and is cap- nito,â&#x20AC;? the official said. Burriana, which Your Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; style tribute tained has 34000 residents is best 555â&#x201A;Ź (inc IVA) by a professional crew of 10 known for its Arenal music festival for a wedding, birthday European activists each summer. or anniversary *Available to Olive Press readers, with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;flat hierarchy Locals in the town had no idea what Simply call and mention Olive Press its planned and a vegan dietâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The mission was, but they Celebrate someone Air Conditioning | Bathroom motor yacht, former- dubbed it â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Orgullo gayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Proud to Fitting special with a unique, ly owned by French be gayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Gas and Oil Central Heating | Electrics customs authorities, hugely meaningul gift Certification & Inspection | Pool Opinion Page 6 | Solar Energy Contact Rosie Oliver t: +44 (0)7985 tel: +34 620 523 613 / +34 966 464314 498 993 e: rosie@tickertapeproductions.co.uk email: info@morairaph.com

Iconic British artist accuses officials of ignoring distress calls from Spanish refugee boat he financed

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figures ever been WHY havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any cancerknow how many new to like I ly? dai ed publish death rate. I have just cases a day and the daily there were 367,168 6/7 201 in and Googled it deaths. I bet 99.9% of new cases and 164,901tell me how or why we not can you reading this catch cancer? are mouths shut or Is it through not keepinginfected person? Why an from it ch cat we can s in power today panhavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the young wizz kidus all in self-isolation put and t tha ut icked abo s? But thank goodas they do for coronavirugoing up. The simple is rate l ness the surviva are not making the facts are the cancer figures ts are illness is naugh tho news on TV. My own already overcrowdtureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of controlling the k and the sick for wea ed planet replacing the Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that what hapck. sto lthy hea and young m? So please friends pens in the animal kingdo back into gear. d min r you ting start by put are we all going to be Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another thought: or drive a car? You oke sm we locked down if dying in an accident still have more chance of se or if you smoke hou r on the road or in you than dying from the virus. y, Malaga Derek Charles Rawnsle infectious Edâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: Cancer is not

REGARDLESS of what we personally think about COVID-19, the law is the law (Surfer dragged off beach in Spain by men in hazmat suits after testing positive for COVID-19, Online September 8). Slam her with a hefty fine! At least cover the costs of the coastguard and men in suits! Prize bloody plonker!

Catch it and pass it on

Mandy Smith, Marbella

SOME schools are not following government guidelines, so I would not consider it safe to send my children back to those schools. Children may be at lesser risk from the virus but they can still catch it and pass it on to parents and grandparents. Unfortunately, a lot of logical and sensible comments are currently being drowned out by the anti-mask/virus-is-a-hoax/virus-is-weakening brigade. Edward Morley-Davies, Malaga

Firm stance IF I had young kids there is no way in hell I'd allow them back in school yet! Thank God we aren't in America where the Trump Virus is still raging unchecked and out of control as Trump still pretends there is no medical emergency.

Practical approach Common sense must prevail. Now is not good for holidays anywhere and definitely not the best situation to be in globally but sadly it is as it is (Jet2 cancels ALL flights and holiday packages to Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Balearic Islands until November 30, Online August 28) Helenn WD McWhirterr, Stonehaven

Art Lietz, Coin

Right move FUNNY that! I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t met one parent that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want their child to go back! Keeping them off this long is having a serious effect on their mental wellbeing. What are we going to do, keep them off for the foreseeable?! Tom Batley, Gran Canaria

Time to return I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T believe parents are honestly waiting for an untested vaccine for their kids before they deem it safe to go back to school.

Hooked for life THIS is all about trillions in profit for big pharma, who we all know couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give a damn about our health (Spain COVID-19 vaccine setback as British test subject falls ill, Online September 9). They just want to peddle us the most profitable drugs and then keep us hooked for life.

Heather Childs, Malaga

Jon Alexander, Dorset

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MALLORCA

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Across 1 Uneasy (8) 5 Chilled (4) 9 Little (5) 10 Strange (7) 11 Vacant (5) 12 Small, powerful harbour vessel (7) 13 Dealer in smokersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; supplies (11) 18 Pilot (7) 20 Stupefy (5) 21 Virgin Mary (7) 22 Wide river-mouth (5) 23 Close (4) 24 Unfastened (8) Down 1 Dared (6) 2 Hair cleaner (7) 3 Boodle (5) 4 Fireproof theatre barrier (6,7) 6 Capital of Egypt (5) 7 Indicate (6) 8 Source (6) 14 Concentrate (6) 15 Bright red (7) 16 Freshwater food fish (6) 17 Recompense for hardship (6) 19 Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest democracy (5) 20 Relating to sound reproduction (5)

All solutions are on page 22

BUSINESS Business boom September 16th - September 29th 2020

Speedy roll-out

THE last of the ‘big four’ mobile phone operators has launched its 5G service. MásMovil, has reached an agreement to use the super-fast network of French company Orange to offer its customers the latest technology. Initially the service is being tested in 15 Spanish cities - Alicante, Alcobendas, Almeria, Avila, Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Huesca, Jaen, Madrid, Malaga, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Sevilla and Valencia. The test will see clients of Yoigo, which belongs to MásMovil, given the chance to hook up to 5G services that promise faster speeds and lower latency. The group will combine its own network with Orange’s to provide as wide a coverage as possible.

People setting up on their own despite coronavirus

PLUCKY young entrepreneurs are refusing to let COVID-19 stop them from a profit. Encouraging figures released by the Association of Statistics of Commercial Companies shows that the same number of new businesses signed up to the commercial register as in 2019. During July this year, 1,278 tycoons took the plunge and set up on their own, bucking the trend from the first quarter 2020. Malaga has become the epicentre of new businesses, with 29% of the total, close-

Winner takes it all Olive Press columnist Giles Brown has been pipped to the post in a €100,000 investment challenge organised by BINCKBANK Marbella. The fantasy contest saw Giles and fellow Talk Radio Europe host Hannah Murray compete to see who could make the most money off the hypothetical

wad of cash. Although Giles got off to a flying start, Hannah swiped the winner’s title when she took a chance on an investment in Japanese Industrials. Thanks to the risky business, Hannah triumphed with a €9,000 lead on Giles’ investment returns. Victorious Hannah received a €1,000 donation to her charity of choice: Age Concern Marbella.

TRADING BEYOND THE HORIZON WITH BINCK control your future lyTake followed byofSeville with and start-ups was in the Commake your own financial choices! 27.1%. merce and Repair industry The most popular sector for which includes retail, sales BinckBank.com/horizon and trades such as mechanics and electrical repair. Real Estate and Hospitality have also seen a boost during the ‘new normal’. . "Although I'm obviously gutBased on gender, 73.4% of ted to have lost, having been registrations were applied in the lead until the final for by men, with women week, hopefully I have been making up just 17.3% of the able to raise the awareness of applications my chosen charity DEBRA, According to experts, the who I will continue to suprise is possibly related to port," said Giles. the record unemployment "A massive thank you to Kasfigures during the coronavipar and his team at Binckrus pandemic. Bank for organising this event The amount of people being and proving that, in the world laid off from their respecof finance, I am the Wall of tive companies has forced Wolf Street..." many to attempt to go it alone.

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Double mission Saving both money AND the planet is the promise of fast-growing Malaga company Mariposa Energia IT should come as no surprise that Mariposa Energia is rapidly spreading its wings. Meaning ‘Butterfly Energy’, the expat-run firm is now covering the whole of Spain with its double mission: to save you money AND save the planet. The green business, which only set up a year ago, is shaking up the electricity market by providing cheaper energy tariffs, while also providing 100% sustainable energy, coming exclusively from Spanish wind farms. And the team, based in Marbella, are so confident they can save you money they are more than happy to prove it. Simply send over a recent energy bill and the team of ten will calculate the amount you would save if your electricity was supplied by Mariposa. Consumers who switch, not only save money, but they’re also reducing their carbon footprint with one of the cleanest forms of electricity available. Electricity from wind farms has very little environmental impact and unlike traditional fossil fuels, there are no emissions that pollute the air, creating greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the turbines take up far less space than traditional power plants and don’t consume large quantities of water (for generating electricity or for 100% Certified Green Energy cooling purposes). Even better, wind energy is renewable, meaning it’s constantly replenished and won’t run out.

ELECTRICITY

“Saving the planet is something the whole team at Mariposa are passionate about,” insists CEO and founder Martin Tye. The British businessman, based in Marbella for years, adds: “We know it’s often difficult to prioritise the planet but our cheaper tariffs give everyone the opportunity to save money FLEET-FOOTED: Some of the rapidly growing Mariposa Energia team in San Pedro de Alcantara and do their bit for the environment.” to understand, a key selling point for Mariposa EnWhile switching energy suppliers is common practice ergía. in many European countries it is a relatively new con“Electricity bills are notoriously difficult to undercept in Spain. stand and it’s often challenging to know how much energy you have consumed,” adds Martin, a long-time green campaigner. “That’s why we’ve made our bills simple, straightforIt is an incredibly straightforward process, explains ward and easy to understand.” Tye, a father-of-three, whose solar panel and LED bulb And when it comes to customer service you won’t have company supplies schools and universities around to deal with a faceless call centre, as each Mariposa the UK. client has their own account handler for any queries. “The team will make the switch for you and almost “We’re helping businesses and households alike to instantly you will get cleaner, greener energy down save money. As long as you spend €25 or more per the same cables. month on your electricity we’re confident we can save “There is no need for any new equipment or for any you money. “Some of our clients are saving as much work to be done. It’s literally easier than flicking a as 35% on their electricity bills. switch. You won’t even notice it’s happened until you “If you’re a business that consumes a high amount of start receiving cheaper bills.” energy, such as a restaurant, that could make a big A further benefit is that your bills will be a lot easier difference to your monthly fixed costs.”

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An opportunity for buyers

House sales now back to pre-COVID levels

HILE 2020 has been a bad year for home sales – for obvious reasons – there are encouraging signs of a market bounce back. While July sales were 5% down on the same month in 2019, they were still back to pre COVID levels. In fact the month was the busiest so far this year with 48,586 transactions, according to notaries. The prices fell on average by 9.4% year-on-year and to an average of €1,377sqm. This price fall presents an opportunity for buyers, as can be seen by the mortgage figures. Although the numbers of loans approved fell year on year, the fall was lower than the drop in sales – 3.3% compared to 5%. This may indicate that people looking to At the Finance Bureau we understand get on the property ladder or upgrade that there are enough differences in the their home have taken the chance to ben- Spanish system compared to those of efit from lower prices after the lockdown other countries that local knowledge is a ended. must. In total there were 21,441 mortgage op- Advisers coming from outside the country erations in July. The average loan was need to have not just the qualifications worth €144,793, 9.9% lower than in July but also the hard-won experience that 2019, reflecting the drop in allows them to avoid any prices. pitfalls that many people enThe percentage of home counter. The Finance purchases financed by a The Finance Bureau has mortgage loan stood at been trading for many years Bureau will 44.1%, with the amount of and keeps on top of all the the loan standing at an aver- never make you changes to Spanish legislaage of 72.8% of the selling tion and lenders’ practice. pay up front price. We can therefore offer the charges For those looking to take adlatest and most reliable advantage of the current comvice. bination of lower property Because of the volatility of prices and low interest rates it is advis- the Spanish Mortgage market and the able to do thorough research on the mort- fact that lenders will negotiate with brogage opportunities available. kers to secure quality clients, The Finance For this, an adviser who is experienced Bureau will never make upfront charges. in Spain and appropriately qualified and Access to a fully underwritten fiscal apexperienced is a must. proval is provided for no cost.

To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670

What a deal!

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Movers and shakers

FINDING a dreamy rental property in Spain during the summer season often turns into a nightmare. But the arrival of COVID-19 - in lieu of millions of holidaymakers - means landlords in hotspots across Spain are offering substantial discounts in some of the country’s most desirable postcodes. Some of the biggest bargains can be found on the party island of Ibiza, best known for its glamorous parties and big-name celebs - and counts Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, Rafael Nadal and Michael Fassbender among its A-List fans. The island, nicknamed the White Isle after its traditional lime-washed houses, is known as the clubbing capital of the world and acknowledged for its high octane parties - and equally high rental prices. But even the most hardcore ravers were forced to call it a night after coronavirus swept the globe and pulled the plug on the party island. Still, if

It’s the great Ibizan bargain hunt! Deals are on offer from chalets in Santa Eulalia to apartments in Sant Jordi

MOVE IN: Bargains to be had you’ve ever dreamed of living it large in Ibiza, now’s the time to make your move.

Time to move... CORONAVIRUS restrictions may have kept people at home, but while there, they have been investigating moving house. Two of Spain’s leading real estate websites – Idealista and fotocasa – have seen a surge in property searches over the past three months. For fotocasa this translated into 40% more traffic in June compared to the same month in 2019. The company’s communications director Anais Lopez said: “All the real estate agencies we work with say they’re seeing unprecedented interest in changing homes.” Benat del Coso, speaking for Idealista added that

online mortgage brokerage requests over the summer were 20% per cent higher than normally seen in the same period. These figures come as a relief when compared to the stark data reported by the bank of Spain for April, May and June.

Plunge

Across Spain house sales plunged 43% to 75,000 in the second quarter. Price growth slowed in the same period to a quarterly rate of 0.44% according to the College of Registrars, although there are signs that prices have started rising faster through the summer.

For instance, rental sites like Idealista and Fotocasa are advertising homes all across the island for 50% less than their usual rental price. The rent on a three-bedroom chalet in Santa Eulalia has fallen from €4,000 per month to €2,000. Meanwhile €1,500 has been knocked off a two-bedroom luxury penthouse with a jacuzzi in the center of Ibiza, and €775 off another villa in the same spot. Rooms in shared apartments are also seeing prices slashed by up to half. A room in a two-bedroom shared apartment in the centre has gone from €1,200 euros to €650. And in the town of Sant Jordi, the landlord of a four-bed villa is now offering a room for just €300 after previously asking for €500. In the same town, a room in a five-bedroom villa has decreased in price from €850 to €500. But remember, just like blearyeyed partygoers, properties in Ibiza move quickly. If you want to bag a bargain and secure a rental property in Ibiza, you better get a wiggle on.

Lobster increases data giving up to 50% more, for everyone, with no changes in price

LOBSTER, the only mobile operator in Spain to authentic and straightforward. The Lobster ofoffer a service completely in English, has re- fering is based on simplicity and understanding cently made all its tariff plans even better, with that customers enjoy a service and experience no changes in price. ‘like at home’. The company has increased data permanently This, together with a service completely in Enby up to 50% on all its tariff plans, so Lobster glish and competitive tariff plans tailor-made customers can now surf the internet more and for expatriates, has provided a winning formufor longer! All tariff plans continue to la that has appealed to tens of include unlimited calls and texts in thousands of happy customers and Spain, to the UK and other countries, growing rapidly. Our customers and start from just €12 per month VAT “Our customers are using more and included. are using more more data, browsing the internet Also, the tariff plans include ‘Roam keeping in touch with friends and more data more, Like At Home’ so that customers can and family with video conferencing enjoy the same services while at services, watching their favourite browsing the home in any country in the European series with video streaming, and internet Economic Area, at no additional cost. much more. We have increased Customers can keep their existing data for new and current Lobster Spanish number if they already have customers with no changes in price. one or opt for a brand new one. At Lobster it is important to us that our customThe Lobster brand was created to establish an ers have the highest levels of satisfaction in the emotional bond with British values and service. market,” said Tony Watts, Marketing Director of The DNA of the Company is ‘English, easy and the company. effortless’ together with a personality that is It is very easy to become a Lobster customer,

just provide identification and pay month by month with no commitments. You can cancel at any time. Signing up for the service can be done through any one of more than 600 retail stores. Customers can easily find the closest store to them using the store finder on their website lobster.es. If customers prefer, they can also sign up online or by calling the Customer Contact Centre for free on 1661 where all the agents are native English speakers.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Ooh la la

A SPANISH sausage has been linked to a salmonella outbreak in France. Fuet, a thin, dry cured Catalan sausage also known as Vic fuet, is suspected to be the cause of the foodborne outbreak. So far, 18 people have been diagnosed with salmonellosis. All of the patients, including a dozen children, had eaten the suspect Spanish sausage, which has also been exported to Belgium. While many Spanish chefs like to chop up fuet and use it in casseroles, soups or alongside warm bread, traditionalists say it is best served alone and sliced with a sharp knife.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Saving the day

Spanish ‘staycationers’ give glimmer of hope to tourism industry AMID dramatic estimates of 40 million fewer international visitors already this year, the campers and caravanners of Spain are offering some financial solace to the tourism industry. Costa Blanca’s leading hotel association, HOSBEC, Benidorm has averaged a 50% hotel occupancy during lockdown, with only 28% in holiday apartments. However, campsites have enjoyed rates of up to 84%, thanks to Spaniards taking

THE UK’s Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, has been in Spain to pick up a butt of sherry. The poet, playwright and novelist, appointed last year, was in Jerez to keep up a long standing tradition. Poet laureates have been gifted a butt of sherry – or in this case 720 bottles – on their appointment since the 17th century. So Yorkshireman Armitage made the trip to Andalucia to pick up his wine this summer. He said: “I hope to put the bottles to good use as gifts and prizes to raise money in the name of poetry, which is now needed more than ever before. My wife drew the

By Simon Wade

advantage of the unusually quiet beaches. In Northern Spain, the Cabarceno Nature Park in Cantabria has just had its busiest August on record, with 32% more visitors than usual. The Spanish Campings Federation (FEEC) claim that nationwide occupancy rates of 65% have ‘saved the season’. Spanish staycationers have increased in all communi-

SAVIOURS: Caravanners boosted tourism coffers ties apart from Madrid and Navarra, with an annual increase in spending of 25%,

Sherry good! image of the cuckoo on the front label. The bird has a folklore connection with the village of Marsden where I grew up and where so many of my poems are rooted. “My dialect poem, ‘The Phoenix,’ appears on the reverse of the label and tells a version of the Marsden cuckoo story. “There’s an annual Cuckoo Festival in the village, perhaps some sherry will be involved in forthcoming years and become part of the tradition itself!”

TREAT: Armitage travelled to Spain to pick up a butt of sherry

according to AirBnB. These figures are a ray of light compared to the data for international tourists. From January to August 2019, 58.2 million tourists arrived on Spanish shores, compared to only 13.2 million up to the end of July 2020. Assuming August had similar occupancy to the previous month (2.5 million), the total will be short of 16 million visitors this year. During the first eight months of 2019, tourist expenditure was over €64 billion. Spending from January to July 2019 was €14 billion, and if August 2020 was similar to July 2020, total spend would barely reach €16 billion. In areas that rely specifically on tourism, the situation is particularly grim.

Sip Sip ONTAÑON CRIANZA by Bodegas Ontañon has been voted Spain’s highest ranking wine at the 2020 Sommelier Awards in San Francisco. Made in La Rioja, the bottle was given a gold award and 95 points in the non vintage still wine category. With a powerful, fruity and spicy flavour, the 2016 red wine has a simultaneously broad and well balanced flavour. With 94 points respectively, the cabernet sauvignon Pepe Yllera and grenache noir Terra Remota Camino followed closely behind. Awarded a silver award was Conde de Artoiz Tinto by Bodegas Logos (2017). Meanwhile, taking bronze was the Lot 654 Rias Baixas Albariño by Cameron Hughes Wine. Spain is the number one worldwide producer of organic wine and production of the tipple has been noted down in history as early as the first century AD. Roman poet, Ovid, wrote that the most popular wine in Rome at that time - Spanish Saguntum - was great for getting your mistress drunk. You can even visit an interactive museum in Teia, Alella, when archeologists discovered evidence of an ancient Roman wine press in Catalonia.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Eye on IBIZA

You don’t have to be a millionaire A-lister to enjoy a week on the party island of Ibiza, discovers Olive Press editor Jon Clarke

It’ll be all

GOLDEN FIND: Chiringuito on Cala de Sa Ferradura sits below Ibiza’s most expensive rental

E’RE eating €8 sausage sandwiches with thinly-sliced Toro tomatoes, washed down with ice cold Estrella Damm lagers and a couple of fizzy drinks. With a plate of prawns as a

starter and ice-creams for the kids for postre, the bill comes to just €58 and the owner throws in a couple of sunbeds and a parasol for free, as it’s a ‘bit of a gloomy day’. The simple beach chiringuito, Es Pas de S’Illa, on Cala de

sa Ferradura, may not be the easiest place to find, but keep your eyes peeled and you might see an international superstar or footballer stopping in for a quick one. For above it is, reportedly the most expensive private island home in the entire Meditteranean. Built on a small rocky outcrop, actually joined by a small spit making it a peninsula, the stunning home has been rented by global starlets, including singer Madonna and Cesc Fabregas for his wedding. Russian-owned, it will set you back a lofty €250,000 a week in summer. But it sleeps 18, has 22 staff and you can arrive by boat or helicopter if the mood so takes you. With spectacular sea views, two swimming pools and a rotating sun-deck atop a tower, you get the picture that this is something out of the ordinary Costa rental market. Welcome to Ibiza, where even in the heart of the Covid crisis, the fashionable beach restaurants are busier than ever. Indeed, according to locals, many are almost twice as busy as usual. This is the island of the global super rich and don’t think for a minute that the coronavirus is stopping them from spending their money. Whether buzzing to and fro from nearby Formentera isle on a superyacht or shooting the breeze at a private villa party, they were very much in attendance. You could see it from the lineup of private jets at the airport and the designer schmutter being worn around Ibiza town. And while the island’s celebrated superclubs might have been shut this season, it didn’t stop the select few from splashing out on bottles of champagne at €500 a pop or a plate of Jamon Iberico de Bellota at €50 a throw. I watched it with my own eyes during a 10-day stay on the island with my family, taking advantage of an amazing €50

return fare on Ryanair from Malaga this summer. While hoping to experience some of the glamour of the socalled White Island, we were very much on a budget and looking to save our pennies as much as we could.

Taking picnics to isolated beaches is a great option, as is watching Netflix at home in the evening with an excellent bottle of Ribera (or a local Balearic wine) in the comfort of your rental home. I particularly recommend White Lines,

a drama about the genesis of Ibiza’s club scene, actually set in nearby Mallorca, but with some excellent storylines. Here are some other great money-saving ideas for doing Ibiza on a budget without missing out on a thing.

Take a hike

SECRET: Portitxol beach is accessed by mountain path only

t might come as a surprise to many, but Ibiza is excellent walking terrain. The island is criss-crossed with a network of fabulous hikes, many taking in secret, isolated beaches that can only be accessed via Shanks’s pony. The walks are well mapped out, particularly the ones in the north, and the excellent website and app Wikiloc provides plenty of easy-to-follow maps. One of my favourites, short and sweet at under 8km, is the amazing circular walk which takes in Playa es Portitxol, a stunning cove with a few boat houses and nothing else. Park up by the Urbanizacion Isla Blanca and, my advice, take the inland route downhill first, skirting around an incredibly unspoilt pine forest.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

white!

History tour

STUNNING: Dalt Vila

any wrongly assume that Ibiza is lacking in culture, being full of footballers and Love Island types. In fact the island has a rich history dating back to the Romans and Phoenicians before them. One of the best places to appreciate this is Ibiza Town, also known as Eivissa. Beautifully preserved behind formidable fortifi-

Super Santa

CONTRASTS: From hip W hotel to historic Puig de Missa church

cations, the historic core is known as Dalt Vila, a UNESCO protected World Heritage site and once one of the most important trading centres in the Med. Heavily fortified during the reigns of Kings Charles I and Felipe II to defend it against the French and the Ottomans, you enter on foot via the dramatic slope up to the drawbridge and gateway of Portal de Ses Taules.

Santa Eulalia is probably Ibiza’s only year-round resort. It’s great value for families, well looked after with a historic core and a friendly vibe. The polar opposite of rowdy ‘San An’, make sure to visit the charming Puig de Missa church which dates back to the 16th century before strolling along the promenade to the pretty marina. There are some excellent restaurants dotted along the seafront and a couple have live jazz in the evenings. But this is not a party town so by midnight most of the locals and tourists have gone to bed. The beaches are darned good too and the historic Hotel Buenavista, the island’s second oldest, has gorgeous gardens - paradise for cocktails or an evening meal. You should also take a look at the recently opened W Hotel which architecturally takes some beating.

From here you pass an ancient cobbled courtyard into a maze of narrow, winding streets full of rather overpriced restaurants and boutiques. You’re better off shopping in the grid of streets below the old town, home to one of the island’s oldest restaurants, Comidas Bar San Juan, or the nearby Santa Rita Ibiza, which has some great value tapas and wines by the glass.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Beach life

Breathtaking Benirras This gorgeous beach deserves special mention. It’s where the cool crowd go to strip off (often entirely, so be warned) and listen to the sunset bongo drums, particularly on a Sunday which is an all-dayer (although you now have to get bussed down as it gets very busy)

Dining secrets

TASTY: Atmospheric Aubergine, and top floor dining at OD Talamanca

Flights/Ferries

Getting to Ibiza from the mainland of Spain has never been cheaper. Since the Covid crisis took a grip direct flights have been costing not much more than €50 return. Flying at the end of September with Ryanair from Malaga will cost you €46 before you book in a bag or seat, or €54 via Vueling from Alicante. Alternatively take a ferry from Denia or Valencia via various companies.

Car hire

Be warned car hire is expensive in Ibiza whenever you go. Always book a long time in advance or look out for local firms, based in each town/ resort who will rent you cars for considerably less once in situ.

Where to stay

The supercool five-star OD hotel in Tala-

IBIZA has a great range of restaurants, although many are overpriced and underwhelming at the same time. It pays to have some local knowledge and, in particular, to have a car to get to the rural reaches of the island, where many of its best eateries are found. The northern triumvirate of Sant Miguel, Santa Gertrudis and Sant Llorenc have some of the best chestnuts. I particularly liked Aubergine (www. aubergineibiza.com), an unpretentious roadside venta from the outside that opens out into a stunning landscaped garden. Just outside Sant Miguel, its remit is offering a veritable feast of local goodness, with the Slow Food concept of ‘farm to table’. As you might expect there are plenty of great light vegetarian dishes, such as the fabulous roasted aubergine carpaccio, with cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, rocket pesto and a lot more...but it also had delicious lamb chops with homegrown potatoes at just €20 and a superb Aberdeen Angus burger. There is a kids menu at €12 and they also have a playpark at the back, plus on busy nights you’ll be spoilt by an unobtrusive fashion show of the restaurant shop’s wares.

manca (www.od-hotels.com) is easy walking distance to Ibiza Town and the famous nightclub of Pacha. Walk the other way and in ten minutes you are in amazing pine forests en route to the superb Cala Bonita. Hyper modern with a cascading trio of pools, it is where the DJs and thosein-the-know stay. It’s top floor restaurant has views to die for, as do most of the rooms. Another great place to stay is the Hotel Buenavista & Suites in Santa Eulalia which counts on fabulous, mature gardens and some spacious rooms (www.ibizabuenavista.com)

Markets

The hippy market in Las Dalias opened in 1985 and is bustling with people out to buy handmade jewellery, cool linen beachwear, and rustic-looking leatherwork.

biza is famous for its huge variety of beaches, ultra clean water and lush undersea Poseidon grass meadows. Don’t miss Cala Bonita (below), a great city beach near Eivissa with its own excellent chiringuito, Cala Nova, which rustles up great surf waves and fodder too at the hip Atzaro Beach club (above). Cala de Sant Vicent is another must visit, as are the beaches east of Portinatx including Cala Xucla, Cala Xarraca and, if you like to dive in from the rocks, S’Illot des Rencli. Another excellent beach for underwater exploration in the south is Cala Tarida, with its superb, good value beach restaurant Ses Eufabies.

Up the road in the village of San MIguel is the stunning La Luna Nell’Orto (www.lalunanellorto.com), where you sit under a shady fig tree and watch the beautiful people. It’s a touch overpriced, but the food is excellent and includes a delicious carrillada, or bulls cheek. Better value, although certainly not cheap, is La Paloma (www.palomaibiza.com), a genuine island secret and well worth seeking out in San Llorenc. The very definition of style, this rural delight is authentic in the extreme, based around a country farmhouse and you will definitely need to book. Top tips to eat must include the aubergine starter as well as the amazing salt cod fish cakes. The meringue cake pudding with rose petals and raspberries was the pudding of the holiday. Nearby in Santa Gertrudis you will find some charming places to eat. But nothing will beat Bottega il Buco (www.ilbuco.com), an amazing Italian with the best ingredients imaginable. The sister restaurant of the famous New York joint, it has dozens of homemade focaccia every day, made from its own largely gluten-free flour. The menu changes daily, so a burrata one day comes with peach the next day with figs… and there are loads of fresh vegetable dishes, including a superb cauliflower gratinale, with roast fennel. I particularly liked the smoked swordfish with cod roe, while the shoulder of lamb was particularly tender and slow cooked. In terms of beach restaurants, you are obviously spoilt for choice. I particularly liked Atzaro Beach (www. a t z a ro b e a c h . AUTHENTIC: La Paloma and (right) Luca com) in Cala explains the menu at il Buco

Nova for its amazing location and decent range of dishes to match. This is one cool spot overlooking the hip Cala Nova, famous for its surf waves on many days of the year. The view goes for miles to the Punta de Fonell and famous Tagomago island across a sea of green umbrella pines, dotted with cubist villas. Part of the fast-growing Atzaro chain, owned by a local Ibiza family, its menu includes an amazing ceviche of sea bass, with aubergine crisps, as well as a superb red prawn carpaccio, which is reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock or a Rothko, but far tastier. Finally, as hotel restaurants go, the sixth floor roof terrace of the hotel OD Talamanca takes some beating. Sitting at one end of trendy Talamanca beach, just a 15 minute walk to Eivissa town, Finally, looking for a great chiringuito, try the great value Es Pas de S’illa on Cala Ferradura You have one simple menu but views to die for.

HEALTH

Vital vitamin

A FORM of vitamin D may have kept COVID-19 sufferers out of intensive care (ICU), according to a Spanish study. Researchers followed 76 patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19. Of those, 50 were given calcifediol and only one of them needed to be admitted into ICU. All were discharged without complications. But of the 26 not treated with the drug, 13 were eventually admitted into the intensive care unit, and two died. Now larger trials of the drug are being carried out to confirm if calcifediol is able to reduce the severity of symptoms. “Our pilot study demonstrated that administration of a high dose of calcifediol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a main metabolite of vitamin D endocrine system, significantly reduced the need for ICU treatment of patients requiring hospitalisation due to proven COVID-19,” said lead author of the report, Marta Entrenas Castillo of Reina Sofía University Hospital in Cordoba. The research was started after doctors realised that a severe vitamin D deficiency is fairly common among COVID-19 victims. According to the researchers, the calcifediol hinders the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. They say that calcifediol is safe, cheap and potentially very effective.

A STUDY has revealed that teachers in Spain show clear symptoms of anxiety because of COVID-19 and the return to the classroom. Some 54% of teachers who responded to the study ‘Impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of workers in Spain’ reported clinical signs of depression or anxiety.

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Date rape breakthrough New test instantly shows if drink has been spiked

SPANISH researchers have come up with a way to easily detect if a drink has been spiked with date rape drug GHB. It allows people to see with their naked eye if the drug – which is colourless and odourless and has a slightly salty taste – has been poured into their drink. GHB (γ-hydroxybutyric acid) is notorious for leaving its victims helpless and open to attack. The Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) estimates that the substance is involved in approximately 20% of sexual assaults. University of Valencia (UV) predoctoral researcher Silvia Rodríguez Nuévalos ex-

Back to school blues

The report was led by consultancy firm Affor Prevencion Psicosocial. It showed that teachers suffered disturbed sleep (90%), nervousness, irritability or tension (89.5%), headaches (79.2%), delays in starting

tasks (62.9%) or a feeling of suffocation without physical exertion (52.1%). The report also highlighted that 64.6% of teachers feel more overwhelmed and stressed than usual and 42.7% feel unhappy and depressed.

SIMPLE: Colour test for suspect drinks plained that current tests ro, Professor of Organic are not particularly reliable. Chemistry at the university, She said: “When you mix the team has now patented spirits with non-alcoholic the test. GHB is relatively beverages, for example, a easily available. Its effects tonic, the detection prob- last from three to six hours lems increase, as those and the body metabolises beverages contain products it quickly, so it is very difthat can give false positives ficult to prove its intake afor false negatives. terwards. “With the sensor developed by the UV team, the compoDefenceless sition of the drinks does not It is used as a recreationchange the response, so it is al drug due to its euphoric a safer method.” The test comes in an easy to effects, but it is addictive use kit where a drop of the and produces loss of consuspect drink is added to a sciousness of reality, so the liquid. If it changes colour, person who swallows it is defenseless against dangers then GHB is present. Led by Ana Maria Coste- such as robbery or rape.

Eye tests available by appointment at Specsavers Ópticas. We’ve made some changes to our normal practices in store. We are thoroughly disinfecting the room and all the testing equipment used after each person we see, our team are wearing personal protective equipment and if you try on frames, we’ll ask you to give them back to us when you’re done so we can give them a good clean before they’re tried on or touched again.

For more information or to request an appointment visit specsavers.es Fuengirola Avda. Ramón y Cajal, 6 Tel. 952 467 837 Marbella Avda. Ricardo Soriano, 12 Tel. 952 863 332

Olive Press Costa del Sol – 170mm x 256mm – Colour

16 September

Testicle Trouble CORONAVIRUS may cause men’s testicles to swell and impair their ability to have children, Spanish scientits have warned. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) fever, dry cough and shortness of breath are the defining clinical aspects of COVID-19. However, scientists are now documenting a growing list of atypical coronavirus infection symptoms, giving doctors more insight into the emerging disease. Spanish scientists highlight ed a scientific study whose conclusions have been published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. The study covered the treatment of a patient who had swollen testicles after testing positive for coronavirus. The report explained that the patient, in addition to the typical symptoms of the disease, arrived at the hospital with severe testicular pain. In addition to this medical case, the study included other cases of coronavirus positives who also experienced inflammation in the testicles. This potential condition is painful and could lead to fertility problems if no action is taken, experts warned.

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COLUMNISTS

September 16th - September 29th 2020

Wake me up when W September ends

HEN I used to review restaurants for a lifestyle magazine, one of the main problems I encountered was that, as the publications were free and therefore the advertising paid your wages, you were unable to go full AA Gil and trash an establishment, even if the food was both unspeakable and inedible. It was after one particularly ghastly gastronomic experience (the Carpaccio had mould on in and I

Giles pays a ‘tribute’ to a ‘memorable’ summer...

USINESS was already dead from coronavirus but this is like the Plagues of Egypt’ is how one despairing Sevilla restaurateur described the latest scourge to her business: mosquitoes multiplying along the banks of the Guadalquivir River which transmit West Nile Virus to humans and have put over 30 people in hospital with meningitis. She’s right, life is getting scarily biblical. But could the 10 Plagues that helped Moses lead the Israelites to the Promised Land really be coming back to haunt us? Check them out: 1. Water turning to blood ‘Red tides’ of toxic algae blooms are spreading in a bloody stain across the world’s oceans due to climate change, killing fish and making shellfish poisonous to humans. 2. Frog invasion Householders in Chesterfield, England, reported frogs emerging through sinks and drains and bubbling up into toilet bowls this May. Yorkshire Water blamed frogs spawning in underground watercourses. 3. & 4. Plagues of gnats and flies Along with Sevilla’s alarming mosquito plague the Asian tiger mosquito, spreader of dengue fever and zika virus, has also made

Biblical times Coronavirus, West Nile Virus, bug swarms… and this is not Exodus the movie, writes Belinda Beckett itself at home on our increasingly tropical shores. Meanwhile, holiday villa swimming pools left untended during lockdown became a breeding ground for clouds of bloodsucking blackfly this summer. With everyone covering up against bites and wearing masks against coronavirus, even the fashion is becoming biblical! 5. Pestilence in livestock Covid-19 started in animals before it spread to humans. Meat packing plants have been hard hit by outbreaks and farm animals are being culled due to the production slowdown. 6. Festering boils The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported 45 cases of bubonic plague this summer, a disease still endemic in certain parts of the world, although treatable with antibiotics. It erupts in black boils in the

History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.

armpits, neck and groin. 7. Hail A freak hailstorm hit Malaga this July, showering down ice pellets the size of golf balls! 8. Locust swarms Both East Africa and China are currently fighting off biblical swarms. Our patio was jumping with grillos this spring, which kept the cat entertained. 9. Darkness over the land Power outages caused by extreme weather are on the increase. In California, dry lightning storms and strong winds have been whipping up fire tornados. 10. Death of first-borns Finally, some good news. Like the Passover of biblical times, coronavirus seems to have skipped over the younger generation– for now…

chipped a tooth on the rum baba) that I had enough and decided that, rather than continue to write bland descriptions I would devise supercar blasting out Algerian a code, so that the observant rap. I’m not sure what the rereader would heed my warnings. quirements are in Marseilles for Thus ‘the dessert will live long passing your driving test, but it in the memory’ and ‘the start- would appear that a thorough er really had the table talking’ knowledge of PlayStation driving were shorthand for awful food. games is one of them. ‘Popular with locals’ meant that Then there were the fires. I’m not there was a bunch of alcoholics going to pontificate or speculate at the bar and ‘child friendly’ de- on the causes of the blazes that noted feral bunches of skinhead gutted the Sisu Boutique Hotel, children tearing uncontrollably devastated Laguna Village and around the premises. briefly broke out on the roof of the The worst compliment, however, Playa Padre beach club. was that the evening was ‘mem- My ‘errant seagull with a careless orable’. Usually because it was cigarette’ theory was swiftly disthe worst meal I had ever expe- credited, but it was mind boggling rienced. to discover the number of forenSafe to say then, that summer sic and insurance claim experts 2020 will live long in the memory that suddenly sprung up on social as ‘memorable’. It was, if you like, media. a non-event. Once the lockdown My particular favourite, apart in Spain had been from the wealthy lifted but the Brityoga mums that ish government keep telling me The lucrative decided to impose to ‘WAKE UP’, (I’m summer quarantine restricawake you Gwyntions on most of eth Paltrow chanmonths on the Europe – apart neling bimbo.The coast were from the countries three café solos that Boris Johnbefore 8am endoomed son’s father was sure that) was the visiting, obviously troll who decided – the lucrative summer months to write ‘Fake News’ on my feed on the coast were doomed. when I reported on the Laguna That’s not to say that there were fire. But of course. The fire was no tourists however. obviously staged in Photoshop It’s safe to say that summer 2020 by mask wearing illuminati memwas the summer of French and bers and the MSM on their way Dutch ‘nationals’ – ie second to another blood sacrifice ritual generation Maghreb – decided with Obama.Remember, Michelle that Marbella was the place to Obama stayed in a hotel and visitbe. ed a beach club a mere five minYou couldn’t drive on the coast utes drive from Laguna Village a road without being tailgated, cut decade ago. Coincidence? I think up or undertaken by a 20-some- not…As I said before - 2020 was thing in a German registered a ‘memorable summer…

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Mistaken identity COPS busted a brothel in Tetuan and dished out 75 fines for flaunting COVID-19 restrictions after a man mistook the plain-clothed officers for punters and offered them ‘alcohol, girls and parties’.

Bomb surprise A DOG walker on a stroll in Murci’s Sangonera la Verde stumbled across an active mortar grenade dating back to the Civil War in the late thirties.

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Vol. 13 Issue 352 www.theolivepress.es September 16th - September 29th 2020

Sign of the times

A STORM is brewing over the makeover of a 90-year-old lighthouse with a campaign group taking a dim view of the colourful changes. The beacon, near the Cantabrian town of Ajo, is at the centre of a cultural row after a vibrant paint job by local artist Okuda San Miguel.

Zebra crossings and children warning signs are deemed to be sexist ROAD signs in Spain have been branded sexist. A government report highlighted what it called the 'machismo' displayed in tra-

Tomb raider 11 ANCIENT graves have been uncovered by student volunteers at Pobla de Ifach in Calpe on the northern Costa Blanca.

ditional road signage. In particular it claims that a ‘careful of children’ sign, which depicts a boy holding the hand of a girl leading

Missing post SPANISH police have tracked down a valuable painting by renowned Spanish artist Joan Miro that had been missing since it got ‘lost in the post’. Investigators tracked it down to a London auction where the piece was up for sale with an estimated price of €10,000. Investigations began after

the artwork from the famed Gaudi series failed to reach its destination.

her across the road, shows women in a 'situation of dependence and subordination.' Other signs such as those for 'zebra crossings' and 'tractors prohibited' are also under fire for showing only male figures. "Even when progress has been made, signs contrary to the principles of equality still survive,” said a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office. Critics argue that the signs, designed in 1957 by British typographer Margaret Calvert OBE, were created

without a specific gender in mind. A survey carried out in 2017 by El Pais showed that just 22% of Madrid's street names were after female figures, compared to 19% in Barcelona and just 10% in Valencia. This is not the first time that Spain has seen its roadside information come under fire. As early as 2006, the town of Fuenlabrada near Madrid gave all its signage and traffic lights a make over, swapping all of it's male signs for female outlines.

Vibrant

Some 4,000 people have signed a petition asking the council and the port authority to reverse the scheme for the monochrome sentry, which stood stark white over the Atlantic for almost a century. The council has been hoping the recently completed project, called Infinite Cantabria, would encourage tourists from across the globe to visit the landmark. Some of the money raised through events at the site will go to funding food banks in the area.

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* O f f e r v a l i d f o r n e w c u s t o m e r s o n l y. S u b j e c t t o c o n d i t i o n s . E n d s 3 1 / 1 2 / 2 0 .

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