Olive Press Andalucia Issue 428

LIFE CUT SHORT

Body of expat Anne found ‘asphyxiated’ in Torremolinos

See page 2

WOLVES

Friends or foes?

O P LIVE RESS The ANDALUCÍA

FAR RIGHT BOLTHOLE

REVEALED: Tommy Robinson’s

luxury

€1.6m

where he filmed far-right podcasts is owned by billionaire boss of Jaeger and Austin Reed

AN investigation is underway into how Tommy Robinson accessed a stunning costa villa owned by a British billionaire to film his extreme far-right podcasts, the Olive Press can reveal.

The former leader of the far right English Defence League (EDL) has been using the

villa

EXCLUSIVE

By Walter Finch &

By Laurence Dollimore

€5,000-a-month property of fashion tycoon Philip Day to promote a series of US and British extremists.

Videos filmed at

the €1.6 million villa show Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - chatting with a string of white nationalist leaders and racists.

They include Gavin McInnes, the founder of white nationalist group ‘the Proud Boys’, which helped

lead the shocking 2021 assault on America’s Capitol building.

He also hosted Laura Loomer, an avowed Islamophobe so extreme that even

former president Donald Trump was forced to distance himself from her. Other controversial figures are former Sikh EDL leader Guramit Singh Kalirai, rapper Young Spray and bare knuckle fighter Danny Christie. The hate-filled podcasts contain many homopho-

bic, misogynistic and anti-Islamic statements, including referring to the Prophet Mohammed as a ‘paedophile’ and ‘rapist’.

In one, Robinson supports notorious misogynist Andrew Tate, currently facing charges of human trafficking and rape in Romania.

The villa in L’Albir, on the Costa Blanca, boasts six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a swimming pool and a state-of-the-art security system.

Tycoon

According to public data from the Spanish land registry, the property is owned by EWM INVESTCO LIMITED, linked to British tycoon Day, 56, through his ownership of The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group.

The impresario - who owns a string of high street names including Peacocks, Jaeger and Austin Reed - denies any involvement in the podcasts.

There is no suggestion the Stockport-born businessman, estimated to be worth €1.3 billion, had any knowledge of Robinson using the villa, nor

that he has any links with him.

When contacted by the Olive Press , a spokesman said Day was ‘shocked’ and ‘furious’ that one of his properties was being used by Robinson.

“[The management company] will take immediate action if they find that Robinson still has any access at all,” he said.

“They’re very grateful you’ve raised this and very keen to ensure it’s dealt with firmly and won't happen again.”

But Neil Bennett of Maitland PR later explained he had been ‘misinformed’ and Day ‘is unaware of the situation’.

“[Day] has no control or say over the company, which is managed by a professional team and owns multiple properties,” he added. But when later pressed, he finally admitted Day’s management company takes the allegations ‘very seriously’ and the team are ‘investigating the matter.’

Day, who is believed to reside between Switzerland and Dubai, is known to own a number of properties and businesses in L'Albir.

Curiously, L’Albir is the same Al-

Tel: 952 147 834

See pages 9, 22 & 32

icante resort where Hitler-loving neo-Nazi Kris ‘Charlie Big Potatoes’ Kearney lived before being extradited back to the UK to be imprisoned on terrorism charges last year.

Robinson, infamous for his anti-immigrant views, has also been

hiding out in the area after breaking a High Court injunction in the UK for airing defamatory claims in his film Silenced . The controversial documentary could land him behind bars again after he previously had stretches for assault, mortgage fraud, travelling on false documents and contempt of court.

Several British expats said they have seen Robinson around in recent weeks and he is still believed to be staying in the area thanks to an Irish passport.

It is thought that a network of sympathisers and direct online donations have been supporting his lifestyle.

He posts frequent social media photos of his workouts and was even recently pictured posing for selfies with a young fan on Benidorm’s notorious party strip.

Trump

He also tucked into an ice cream in L'Albir with Loomer, who was tipped to join Trump’s campaign team until background checks revealed she had branded herself a 'proud Islamophobe'.

Over 40 members of the Proud Boys have been charged for their role in the insurrection to overturn the US elections on January 6, 2021, with four receiving jail sentences so far, one as long as 18 years.

Have you met Yaxley or Kearney?

What do you think of them? Email newsdesk@theolivepress.es

MANSION: Owned by impresario Philip Day (inset) used for far-right podcasts (right)

EXTREME PALS: Robinson (right) and McInnes

Horror story

A MOTHER and son duo were arrested for torturing and murdering a teenage boy in Alicante and sending pictures to his family in Algeria with the intent to extort €30,000.

Backfired

SPAIN’S ‘only yes means yes’ law has seen the prison sentence reduced of Angel Boza, one of the convicted gang rapists in the notorious ‘Wolf Pack’ case.

Not tonight

FOUR party-goers have accused a Fuengirola nightclub of barring them entry for being gay after one turned up in a mesh tank top.

Cave men

A GERMAN man has been jailed after another German man was beaten to death in the Nerja cave system where they both lived.

WHO DID THIS TO ANNE?

THE body of a young woman found dumped by a zebra crossing in Torremolinos has been identified as a 21-yearold expat.

Anne Mathea Morken, from Norway, moved to Spain only a year ago before being found strewn across the road near the entrance of an apartment

EXCLUSIVE

By Dilip Kuner & Laurence Dollimore

building in Playamar.

A popular student and keen skier, from Ringebu, near Lillehammer, she was found dead showing signs of being asphyxiated, confirmed Spanish police. Her family, who have now been notified of her death, are demanding answers over her mysterious death. She was discovered by a group of young people at around 1.30am on September 13 and had been dead for around 10 hours.

It means the woman, who lived in Malaga city, must have been dumped there following her death. While her name has not yet been officially revealed in Spain, it was confirmed by authorities in Norway. The final autopsy is awaiting a toxicology report before the exact cause of death

can be determined.

Homicide detectives believe she likely suffered a violent death, however it is not ruled out that she could have drowned due to an ‘allergic reaction to a substance.’

Her body was found in a side street off Benyamina avenue, which runs down to the beach.

The Norwegian serious crime unit, Kripos, has been assisting in the investigation, having flown in from Oslo over the last few days.

The Norwegian embassy in Madrid and the Seamen's Church, in Fuengirola, has been assisting the family. Meanwhile, the death has triggered an outpouring of mourning in her home village.

Active

Director of the local school, Havard Gangsas, told VG: “We feel very much for the family. This is a deeply tragic event, and we are all very sad.”

The local youth centre opened for a special memorial session from 6pm last night.

According to local reports, Anne was active in the

Ringebu-Fåvang Ski Club in her youth and participated, among other things, in the NM relay in 2018.

She studied sports at Gausdal upper secondary school, before working part time at a local delicatessen. She fell in love with Spain when spending a semester here in 2022, while training to be a personal trainer at Norwegian private school Active Education, in nearby Fuengirola. Manager Ola Furseth described the news as ‘very sad’ adding his thoughts ‘go out to

the next of kin’. He added he hopes the Spanish police, with assistance from Kripos, can help clarify the cause of the death. The police are said to have obtained surveillance videos and interviewed witnesses in the area at the time. They are still awaiting the autopsy report and do not wish to comment on the cause of death for the time being. Her body was allegedly found without any identification, although her handbag was believed to have been found on the street next to her.

TRAGIC: Anne Mathea Morken

SPORTY: Anne was an excellent skier

Scandinavian expat family and locals demand urgent answers over tragic Norwegian ‘asphyxiated’ in Torremolinos

Photo courtesy of facebook

RETURNING PUNTER

Black mark

HOLLYWOOD legend Natalie Portman has spoken out in support of the Spanish women’s football team.

The Oscar-winner - who part owns Los Angeles soccer team Angel City - slammed the way the controversial kiss by disgraced Luis Rubiales had sullied their amazing World Cup win.

“I wish the players could just focus on the sport,” she insisted. “Unfortunately they have had to be political inherently, as we have seen at the last two World Cups.

“The US were fighting for equal pay at the same time they were winning the World Cup (last time),” continued the Black Swan star.

Rubiales finally resigned last week, and faced his first day in court over sexual assault. Meanwhile, the Spanish women’s team are still refusing to play until various demands are met over management and pay.

SHE told them she’d be back… and Michelle Obama returned on a recent stopover in the capital.

The former First Lady, 59, had lunch at Madrid’s Murillo Cafe Bistro, near the Prado Museum, during a two-week holiday in Spain. She was visiting the city after spending a week in Mallorca with her friend and former ambassador Jaime Costos and his partner, Michael Smith.

It was certainly a big surprise when she rocked up at the Madrid eatery, which posted

on social media that it was a ‘great honour’ to play host to Obama again.

In Mallorca she was spotted out eating in Flanigans, as well as enjoying sunset cocktails on the rooftop of Hotel Sant Francesc in Palma.

They also had dinner at Restaurant El Camino, with Costos sharing a snapshot of the menu and two bottles of fine Spanish wine on social media.

It was Obama’s fifth holiday in Spain since 2016.

Bill’s bathtub boat

The tiny tender serving a tech billionaire and a trio of other boats currently on show in Malaga port

By Cristina Hodgson Wayfind

FOR most people the 67-metre boat would be a giant gin-palace of extraordinary luxury. But for Bill Gates the 21-knot vessel is actually just a tender to his bigger yacht, the Aqua Based in Malaga port, the

er, is being used to provide fuel, supplies, spare parts, maintenance staff and smaller recreational boats for Aqua, which is currently

cruising the Med.

It is certainly anything but shabby and comfortably sleeps a crew of 18 with room for 12 lucky guests. The vessel also boasts a helipad doubling as a pickleball court, a sport that combines paddle, tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It is also being used to trans-

port everything from jet skis to scuba diving gear. The tech mogul’s main yacht, Aqua, measures in at 112 metres and is the world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht,

WALK THE WALK

sleeping 14 guests. It’s a busy month for Malaga port, with a trio of other mega-yachts also in situ. They include Tatoosh, owned by the family of Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, and worth around €90 million. The five-deck vessel stretches over 92 metres and counts on its own cinema, helicopter pad and even a lobster tank. The megayacht Octopus meanwhile is currently the world’s eighth largest yacht, sold for a whopping €235 million to Swedish pharma billionaire Roger Samuelsson. It has its own basketball court and two submarines, plus other ancillary boats. It hosts up to 26 guests and

SOME of the longest legs in fashion, appropriately, turned up to shimmy down the longest catwalk in Europe. At 300 metres long, Pasarela Larios, in Malaga, was a real sight to behold for up to 30,000 visitors at the weekend. Over two nights hundreds of models strutted a range of new designs from designers including Livia Montecarlo, Bananamoon, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Vertize Gala. The shows were the highlight of Malaga Fashion Week, which was returning for its 12th year.

FAME

IT reflects on the ‘influence of technology and narcissism’ in today's society. And it’s one Pop Art/photographic exhibition certainly worth visiting in Sevilla this Autumn.

is crewed by a giant staff of 63 people. The Zenobia, owned by Saudi billionaire Wafic Said, is also currently docked in Malaga. Worth €40 million, it boasts a variety of amenities, including a gym, a pool, a cinema, and a library.

The show by famous Mexican-Austrian expat Hubertus von Hohenlohe is a fascinating mix of 49 works featuring his visions from around the world.

The son of Marbella Club cre- ator, Alfonso Hohenlohe - who is often cred- ited with putting the Costa del Sol on the map - he began a career in photography in 2001. His current FAMA Everybody show is a contemplative, experimental look at the world, through many portraits and self portraits.

It reflects his fascinating life, which has seen him ski at the Olympics, forge a TV career in Germany and Austria and work as a designer and publicist.

He is well connected to both Spanish and German aristocracy via the Medinaceli and Fürstenberg dynasties, as well as the Italian Agnelli family, owners of Fiat.

FAMA Everybody runs until October 14 at Fundacion Cajasol.

GATES’ BOATS: The hydrogen-powered Aqua has its own 67m tender Wayfinder (below) in Malaga

I

Expat killed by scooter

A GERMAN grandmother killed by a reckless e-scooter rider in Estepona was returning to see her family for the first time in 14 years.

The 80-year-old victim, known as Ingrid, was heading to the beach with her son when she was hit by the scooter on a pedestrian crossing.

In tragic circumstances the rider sent her tumbling to the ground where she hit her head on the tarmac. An ambulance rushed her to Carlos Haya Hospital in

Calls for ban on e-scooters grow after octogenarian German was mowed down on the Costa del Sol

By Walter Finch

Malaga with severe head injuries, where doctors delivered the devastating news to the family that she had slipped into a coma.

"She used to come on holiday to my house and walked for miles and miles,” family member Ana Ponte told

RIVER CLEAN UP

LOCAL residents have organized a river clean up in Estepona this weekend.

The private initiative will remove ‘masses of trash’ beside Rio La Cala before heavy Autumn rains wash it all into the sea.

Alongside the group LIBERA ‘United Against Rubbish, organizers hope to raise awareness about the impact of waste on our environment and the importance of recycling.

The group meets on Saturday (September 23) at 10am at Chiringuito Palm Beach. Bring bin bags and gloves.

For more information call Theodora Delville on 951 318 480.

Area Costa del Sol.

She added she was far from fragile or immobile for her age and walked unaided. "She was in great shape," Ponte said.

The death of Ingrid marks the second fatal accident involving electric scooters in Estepona, where it is a popular mode of transport.

The family have now called for stronger control and regulation of electric scooters and have been backed by both the PSOE and IU parties.

Currently they are only permitted on the road and on bike lanes in Spain. They are not allowed on pavements and maximum speeds are set at 25 km/h. Nonetheless, rules are frequently flouted or not enforced.

Anyone caught riding e-scooters in pedestrianised areas can face fines of between €1,500 and €3,000.

THE difference between the cheapest and most expensive tank of petrol is a staggering €23 in Malaga. Indeed, the variation in the cost of filling a 60-litre tank is at its highest in the province, it has emerged. It goes to prove that many service stations are taking advantage of struggling drivers, Spain’s national association of self-service fuel stations (Aesae) revealed.

The report highlights that the most substantial savings are for 95-octane petrol, ranging from €8 to €23 depending on the location.

The key factor contributing to these differences is the lower cost structure of self-service stations compared to traditional ones, enabling cost savings to be passed on to consumers.

Brand approval

Spanish clinic stands by ‘longtime friend’ Russell Brand amid allegations of rape

DRIVERS BEWARE

SOME 12 people were killed on Malaga roads over July and August in what has become the deadliest summer for traffic accidents in a decade.

By Laurence Dollimore and models.

EXCLUSIVE

RUSSELL Brand visited a rehab centre in Spain and told addicts to ‘admit their f****d up behaviour’ and apologise.

The under-fire comedian, 48, gave a talk at the Ibiza Calm clinic back in 2018, following the release of his book Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions.

It comes as years of alleged sexual assaults surfaced against the comedian in the UK and America.

So far multiple women have come forward to accuse the Essex-born star, who has dated a string of famous singers

Banus woes

The Olive Press is attempting to establish if he may have committed any crimes in Spain. We understand he has been on holiday here on various occasions and he was certainly in the Balearics five years ago peddling his bizarre 12-step recovery programme. Among the strange list he recommended to readers of his book was one: “Watch out for f****d up thinking and behaviour and be honest

The numbers have more than doubled compared to last year, when five deaths were recorded, according to the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT). There were also 223 crashes this summer, a 22% increase on 2022, when there were 182.

Of these 223 accidents, 214 resulted in at least one injury, of which 34 required hospital treatment.

The deadliest journey was the 38km-long A-355 road between Marbella and Casapalma, which counted six deaths this summer, all of them occurring in the area of Coin.

A furious employee at the clinic told the Olive Press this

week the current allegations facing the presenter amount to a ‘witch hunt’, refusing to when it happens.”

had shared his ‘unique blend of honesty, humour, wisdom and advice’.

Saving at the pump Growth spurt

‘CHEAP’ tourists and crime are ruining the reputation of upmarket Puerto Banus, local workers have claimed. In an extraordinary broadside, workers in designer stores have blasted this year’s visitors, who they say are of ‘low quality’ and tend to ‘look more and buy less.’

Speaking to the Spanish press, they called on the local government to clean up the port and create new events to attract more families.

Versace sales assistant Nawar Ahmat said Banus ‘is not a friendly place’ for families at night due to the existence of ‘drugs, prostitution and fights.’ Outlet worker Fatima Chantal said the atmosphere of the port, with ‘naked women on the street’, gives a bad image for family tourism, particularly wealthy Arabs. She believes the area has lost up to 20% of its high-paying clientele this year.

comment further. At the time of his visit, a press release described Brand as a ‘long-time friend’ and said he had ‘attended a meeting and delivered an inspirational talk to clients’. It added he

The actor, who divorced Katy Perry in 2012, is facing assault allegations from at least four women which allegedly occurred between 2006 and 2013. He is also accused of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour, following a joint investigation by The Times and Channel 4. In a video posted online, Brand strongly denied the claims, insisting all of his relationships have been ‘consensual’.

SPAIN’S population swelled by an impressive half a million people over the last year in a boom driven almost entirely by foreigners. Spanish nationals accounted for a paltry 3% (13,524) of the 537,611 people surge between July 2022 and July 2023. The foreign-born population in Spain has now reached 6.34 million, making up 13% of the country’s 47.8 million inhabitants.

WITCH HUNT?: But Brand is accused of rape

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

FLIPPING LUCKY?

EXCLUSIVE:

Justice for Anne!

THE circumstances surrounding the death of young Norwegian expat Anne Mathea Morken are truly harrowing. The 21-year-old moved to Spain just one year ago and like many of us, instantly fell in love with the lifestyle. But somehow, this young, popular student ended up dead and dumped on the side of the road, with signs of asphyxiation.

If she was murdered, as Spanish police seem to believe, it adds to what is sure to be a record year for the number of women killed at the hands of men - the majority by their partners.

Spanish police must work fast to uncover the truth of what really happened to Anne, and most importantly, the identity of the coward/s who left her lifeless body by the side of a road.

It is vital they move quickly so we don’t get bogged down in yet another long and drawn out case, such as that of Marta Castillo, in Sevilla, or Agnese Klavina, in Marbella. Our sympathies go out to this young woman’s family and pray they get rapid answers to what happened to their tragic daughter on the Costa del Crime.

Who’s the puppet master?

TOMMY Robinson always seems to get a strong reaction, whatever he is up to, but in the case of his Spanish podcast, the Englishman is actually the sideshow.

The activities of Robinson, a chancer and grifter at best, pail among the gallery of villains who turned up to the pleasant climes of Phillip Day’s luxury Costa Blanca villa. Former Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes led a militia group that tried to overthrow democracy in the USA.

Meanwhile, Republican primary candidate Laura Loomer dreams of a world in which Muslims are downtrodden, marginalised and discriminated against. The operation to bring all these people over to Spain, and put them in a plush villa was slick, well-organised and well-funded.

Which begs the question: Who is pulling the strings?

The Olive Press does not believe it is Phillip Day for a moment, but someone is orchestrating far-right figures to connect, organise and unite.

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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. AWARDS Best

LEGENDARY crime boss John Gilligan, 71, avoided prison for trafficking marijuana in flip flops and gun possession after cutting a deal with Spanish prosecutors this month.

The Irish mafia don - suspected of ordering the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin - did a plea bargain earning him a lenient 22-month suspended sentence with a fine of just €14,000.

The gang leader moved to Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca following a failed assassination plot against him in 2014. He had just served a 17-year stretch over a long drug smuggling operation that netted him €35 million. But, while one might have expected the grandfather to settle down quietly and live the easy life on the costas, things turned out rather differently.

In an extract from a book, The Gilligan Tapes, exclusively serialised in the Olive Press, he recalls to author Jason O’Toole how his move to Alicante was plagued by Spanish bureaucracy after being caught with a suitcase stashed with tens of thousands of euros.

WOLF AT I

T is the reviled monster of European folklore that gobbles up girls in red hoods and blows down the houses of little piggies. But the reality is that wolves, which seldom attack humans, have long been hunted and even faced near-extinction in Spain in

Numbers had dwindled to the mere hundreds by 1980 thanks to a deliberate eradication policy through poisoning, until protections were put in place.

Now the fate of the wolf is once again in the balance after the winds blowing in from Brussels have indicated that their protected is coming under review.

la von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, recently declared resurgent wolf populations ‘a real danger for livestock and potentially also for humans’. The news will come as music to the ears of Spanish farmers and hunting federations, which have faced a total ban on killing wolves since 2021. Hunting them was permitted with quotas north of the River Duero until the prohibition south of the river was extended to the entire country. Despite fierce opposition from those who view wolves as a nuisance or even a pest, the conservationists

won out thanks to fears that the population had still not recovered sufficiently. Today the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation blames ravenous wolf packs for the loss

By Jason O’Toole

John Gilligan miraculously managed to maintain a relatively low profile between 2014 and 2018 – no mean feat for a criminal once considered public enemy number one.

He escaped lightly, with only the occasional screaming tabloid headline about him being down on his luck and hiding in England.

The only other time Gilligan’s name popped up during this five-year time frame was when it was alleged that he had threatened an English solicitor during a heated discussion over money.

But, apart from these two episodes, things were relatively quiet for him on the Costa

of 10,000 heads of livestock a year, with over half coming in Castilla y Leon.

Farmers have reported finding entire flocks of sheep massacred in overnight blood baths, leaving them traumatised and with a substantial fi nancial loss to bear.

Yet, in the 2021 census, Spain was found to be home to a population of just 2,500 Ibe rian wolves spread across 297 packs, 90% of which roamed north of the Duero, including in Galicia and Asturias.

Combined with the population in Portu gal, the Iberian wolf represents the largest population in Europe.

However, it also represents the most deadly, according to Professor Krzysztof Schmidt from the Mammal Research Institute in Poland. In the post-war years, some nine cases of a wolf killing a human have been recorded across Europe, and they all occurred in Spain. Most of the victims were unattended children, picked off by wolves in scenes reminiscent of a Grimm fairy tale.

Yet those attacks occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, during a different time when Spain was a more rural and agrarian society. This period marked the prelude to the wolf population reaching its most precarious state, before bouncing back slowly after protections

At home with a mafia kingpin, whose new life planned for Spain was - like most expatsanything but plain sailing, not helped by €21,000 cash seizure at the airport

Blanca, where Gilligan had relocated. Away from the eagle eyes of

GUIN AND YANG: Pulling pints in Torrevieja’s Judge’s Chambers and (above) his arrest

the Gardai and the Irish media, Gilligan had grand notions about getting back into his old business: smuggling hash.

It was clearly one of the reasons why he picked the drug-infested city of Torrevieja, but Gilligan also went over there because his daughter Tracey had resided in that city for many years. She offered to put him up while he got back on his feet.

At the time, Tracey still owned a bar called (appropriately) The Judge’s Chambers. Most bar receipts would simply thank you for your business, but the one at her bar couldn’t resist a quip with ‘The Jury’s still out’ printed on the bill.

According to Gilligan, it all went south for him when he put together enough

friend Sharon, 61.

The then 66-year-old was suddenly catapulted back into the limelight when arrested with a suitcase full of money at Belfast International Airport in October 2019.

Where did it all go wrong this time?

During a series of interviews at his home in Torrevieja, Gilligan told me: “I was coming back to Spain. I had €8,000 to bring back with me. But a man owed me money for over three years.

I spoke to him the day before I

“‘Would you have the money what you owe me?’ I asked.

“‘I will have. I’m borrowing money off a sister of mine. She’s coming into a good few quid,’ he said. ‘Can you bring it over

“I asked for the money because I was going to rent a place for 12 months [in Spain]. “I was staying at my daughter’s and I promised her I’d only stay a few weeks.

“I’d been talking to an estate agent and he said, ‘You can’t get a place because of who you are.

“You’re high profile and you have no bank account in Spain and you have no NIE [Foreign Identity Number]. You will need 12 months

HOWL AT THE TRUTH

Facts about wolves

up front in advance.’

“I said okay. He showed me three properties. I picked one. I said to myself, ‘When I go back with the €8,000 I’ll give it to him. Then when I get some more money I’ll give it to him and see if I can talk him into letting me have the property.’

“I got up the morning I was leaving. I got some breakfast and showered and cleaned up. “My niece came and said, ‘Uncle John, a man’s after knocking at the door. And he said, there’s your €14,000.’

“So, I now had €22,000. I went to the North because there was no flight in Dublin. The flights in Northern Ireland were really cheap.

“I had the money in my suitcase. I didn’t get stopped by the customs, but when I was boarding the flight the woman [at the desk] said to me, ‘You’re not on this flight.’

“‘There’s me boarding pass,’ I said. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I think you’ll be taken off it.’

“And then she called the customs man and said, ‘Is this the man that you want to see?’

“And he said, ‘John Gilligan?’ I said yeah. ‘You got any money?’ I could’ve taken a chance, but I didn’t want to tell any lies.

“‘I have about €1,000 in me pocket, but I have €21,000 in the suitcase.’ ‘Where’s your suitcase?’ he said. ‘It’s on board. It’s for rent. I’ve the papers with it in me suitcase for the rental.’ “‘Come with us,’ he said.

“He was after saying to one customs officer, ‘Go down and get his case, right.’

BUSY SUMMER!

THE Olive Press has once again proven itself as THE paper to read for expats living in Spain.

A slew of our exclusive stories have featured in the national newspapers back home this summer, including the Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Sun.

Unlike our rivals, we have reporters on the ground undertaking investigations and chasing the big stories of the day.

Our coverage of the drama surrounding ousted football boss Luis Rubiales, for example, garnered two consecutive days' leads in the Telegraph, one on page 3, as well as a trio in the Sun.

It came as our reporter camped out in Motril for four days to cover all the latest angles, that included tracking down the Costa Tropical villa (above), where Rubiales allegedly held orgies paid for by the Spanish FA.

But it’s the heartfelt - and much needed - stories from the expat community that best provide unrivalled content to our readers.

Take the heartwarming story of paralysed Aaron Salter (left), who celebrated having a ‘miracle’ baby via IVF treatment with his beautiful Spanish partner Estrella.

It was picked up by both the Sun and Mirror

And then there was the unbelievable and ongoing story of single mother Kate Langshaw who has been mercilessly evicted by her landlord - who branded her a squatter despite having paid seven years of rent.

Now the Sun has followed up the story her ongoing battle just got that bit stronger.

were put in place in the 1970s.

Even so, the Iberian wolf was recently declared extinct in Andalucia, as zero sightings have been reported in a decade.

In 2021 the Spanish government announced its wolf recovery plan to try and get wolf numbers up 18% to 350 packs.

This plan will now run head first into the EC’s plans to potentially introduce ‘flexibility’ into their protection status. Thus goes the tumultuous existence of the wolf in Spain.

1. Their effect on humans: Wolves usually pose no threat to humans. They are cautious animals and will avoid humans unless provoked. They neither see us as a threat nor as prey.

2. Subspecies of wolf: There are around 30 subspecies of wolves around the world. Grey and black wolves are the most common. The subspecies that live in Spain include the Iberian wolf and the Eurasian wolf.

3. What do they eat:

Wolves are pack hunters and predominantly feed on herbivores. Due to being pack hunters, they are able to successfully kill and consume much larger animals such as moose, deer, and wild boar. In Spain the packs are smaller meaning they typically hunt smaller animals, such as deer, ibex, rabbits and, even, fish. They are even known to eat apples, pears, figs and berries. Similarly to dogs, wolves will also eat grass, but mainly to induce sickness.

4. Depredation of livestock:

The hunting of livestock is a severe problem for farmers. Domesticated animals are easy targets as they are used to being cared for by humans and cannot defend themselves well. In 2021 over 1,500 wolf attacks took place in Castilla y Leon alone.

5. What diseases they spread:

Diseases are easily transmitted between wolves and humans. Gastrointestinal parasites have been found in 57-100% of the native iberian wolf. Research shows that leishmania has also been found in 46% of wolves in Spain. It causes anaemia, fever and an enlargement of the spleen and liver.

6. Extinction of wolves

The number of species of wolf has declined dramatically, with the Sicilian wolf and Japanese wolf becoming extinct in recent years, along with 14 others. The iberian wolf has an estimated 2,500 individuals in the peninsular.

“I only walked three minutes across the floor. So, by the time we got across the room the case was coming through the door – so they already had it. So, I was delighted I told the truth.

“‘Am I getting on the plane?’

“And he said no. A couple of customs officers said: ‘We think you’ll be getting your money back. Our boss has just gone to make another phone call to the Criminal Assets Bureau.

“It’s them guys that’s picking on you. It’s them guys who want you locked up and the money taken off you. But you didn’t hear that from us.’

What happened next?

“They brought me to a police station and then brought me to court and got me held in custody. The maximum sentence for that was six months in prison. You got 50 per cent remission off. It should be only three months inside.

But I was in prison for five-and-a- half months. I applied for bail 10 or 15 times.”

The Gilligan Tapes – by Jason O’Toole is out now from Merrion Press, available from online booksellers and as a Kindle ebook.

Even the Spanish press have been hot on our tails, with Diario Sur following up our incredible story of an 80-year-old expat (right) who was run over at least four times by his neighbour. The story was also run in the Sun, Daily Mail and Mirror back home.

And there’s a reason expats trust us with their stories, thanks to our team of NCTJtrained journalists who have had years of experience working in Fleet Street before making the move to Spain.

If you have a story you think needs telling, don’t hesitate to contact us at tips@theolivepress.es

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

1- OPINION: Luis Rubiales comes from a long tradition of Andalucian entitlement and impunity

2- EXC: British single mother, 44, is branded a 'squatter' by her Spanish landlord and faces eviction despite paying rent for SEVEN years

3-

Watch: Man arrested in Madrid after sexually assaulting a female reporter live on Spanish TV

4- Is Spain due a mammoth earthquake? What the Morocco disaster means for neighbouring Andalucia

5- Bill Gates' mega yacht docks in Spain’s Malaga Port

UP CLOSE: Journalist Jason O’Toole (left) grilled Gilligan

RAVENOUS: Wolves kill 10,000 farm animals a year in Spain

‘There’s me boarding pass,’ I said. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I think you’ll be taken off it.’

PAEDO PRIEST PROBE

SPANISH prosecutors have called for a thorough investigation into child sex abuse cases within the Catholic Church.

It comes after an in-depth investigation by El Pais, unearthed 1,021 alleged abusers and, so far, 2,190 victims.

In at least 75 cases, bishops or their superiors have covered up, silenced or concealed cases of abuse.

Yet, incredibly no Spanish bishop has ever been charged with the crimes.

The Prosecutor General began its investigations into the abuse back in January

2022, after El Pais handed over a dossier of its findings. It eventually instructed prosecutors across the country to coordinate and collate the 68 open cases.

An internal report by the Spanish Episcopal Conference – the institution composed of all the bishops in Spain – is expected to be released in several weeks.

The ombudsman is also continuing to carry out an investigation into these cases after being commissioned to do so by lawmakers in Spain’s Congress.

Olive Press appeal raises hundreds for expat mother being turfed out of her home

THANK YOU!

A BRITISH mother who is being ‘unfairly’ evicted from her home is ‘forever grateful’ after the expat community raised hundreds of euros to help with her legal costs.

Kate Langshaw, 44, has been branded a squatter by her Spanish landlord despite not missing a rent payment for seven years. The single parent, her seven-year-old son Lucas and their dog Orri now face be-

By Laurence Dollimore

ing left on the streets after being given just weeks to move out.

Following an Olive Press appeal, €600 has so far been donated to Kate’s cause, but it is likely she will need much more.

“I want to thank everyone who has donated, it really means the

SEX ASSAULT RISE

SPAIN is suffering an ‘alarming’ rise in the number of sexual assaults carried out by minors.

The number of cases has doubled between 2017 and 2022. There were 451 attacks in 2017, which rose by 116% to 974 in 2022. The public ministry added that the causes for the phenomenon are ‘complex’, and that ‘diverse factors’ are behind it. These include a lack of proper sex education, as well as early access to violent pornography.

Clean up the books!

world,” Kate told the Olive Press.

“I know money is tight for everyone right now so every euro donated is very much appreciated.”

Kate has found a new apartment on the Costa Blanca but still desperately needs funds to help with the deposit and moving costs - as well as legal bills which could total more than €30,000.

Kate began renting her twobed villa in Javea, in 2017, but unbeknown to her, the landlord passed over the deeds to her son in 2019.

Last year, the son tried to ‘bully’ Kate to pay him instead of the mum with an increase of €200 more a month, despite her having a fixed contract in place until 2026.

When this failed, he instead took her to court, claiming she was a ‘squatter’ because she had no contract with him - despite proving she had paid rent since 2017.

His case failed in Denia court in May, but he took an appeal to the courts in Alicante, and, extraordinarily, the decision was reversed in July making the latest rental contract void.

Worse, he is now suing Kate for backdated rent which totals over €30,000.

Ronda mayor faces grilling over cleaning firm’s ‘missing cash’ and mystery €86,000 payment

THE conservative mayor of Ronda will be dragged in front of a judge over the alleged embezzlement of tens of thousands of euros of government cash.

Mari Paz Fernandez is to be grilled about her former role as president of the public cleaning company Soliarsa, which is currently under investigation.

The Guardia Civil probe relates to a series of suspicious ‘move-

By Laurence Dollimore

ments’ at the firm between 2017 and 2020, when she was a president on its board. Among them is a payment of €86,817 that cannot be accounted for by any receipts or documents.

The court will also look into the hiring of staff that does not ‘comply with the principles of

Prison for racist cops

A GROUP of racist Spanish cops have been sent to prison for beating, spitting on and verbally abusing a young black man in a racially motivated assault.

During the attack, the officers in Catalunya even fired a gun into the air to intimidate the victim and hurled racist insults such as ‘monkey’ and ‘human garbage’.

The attack occurred in Manresa, in 2019, when the group went to carry out a court order to identify the occupants. Once inside, they found Wubi D.C and began to push him and spit on him, before punching and kicking him in the head while throwing rubbish bags at him. They even called him ‘Kunta’, a reference to the fictional character Kunta Kinte, who was a young 19th century slave from the 1976 novel Roots

The victim, who recorded the ordeal on his phone, managed to escape his tormentors and run away.

As he ran, one officer fired a shot into the air in an attempt to scare him. The prosecution initially demanded three years in prison, but eventually accepted just one year and a ban for six months. It means the group could be back on the streets in just two years.

They must also pay €300 fines and €80,000 in compensation to the victim.

equality and merit for public employment’.

Other alleged ‘issues’ include salary advances paid in cash, bonuses ‘that were not justified’ and an imbalance in the books due to outgoing cash payments without receipts. Ronda council confirmed the mayor had been called to testify, but insisted she had not been accused of ‘intervening or participating’ in anything specific.

"At no time is she accused of having anything to do with the reported circumstances, nor is it even indicated that she had knowledge of them."

A BRITISH expat has allegedly been stabbed to death by her partner in Spain.

The 76-year-old was killed inside the home she shared with her Norwegian partner, 82, in the eastern region of Valencia. The incident took place in a development popular with British retirees near the town of Pilar de la Horadada.

It is reported that the Norwegian had asked the neighbour to call in police to help him surrender.

SPOTLIGHT: On Mari Paz Fernandez

HOPE FOR LOST SOULS

A SERIES of excavations have unearthed the remains of dozens of victims of the Franco regime in a ravine of ‘horror, death, and tragedy’.

A third excavation at the Viznar site, near Granada, revealed 44 skeletal remains to go with the 49 found in other nearby mass graves.

All of them showed harrowing signs of a violent death, often from gunshot wounds to the head, and bore marks of torture prior to execution.

The dig, which began in April, will now take the

Dozens more ‘ghosts’ from Spain’s dark Franco era are unearthed in Granada

By Walter Finch

bones to the lab for detailed forensic analysis.

DNA samples are also being taken to try to identify the victims.

The dig came after new funds arrived to continue

Farewell Little Mike

A RETIRED British grandfather, affectionately known as 'Little Mike,' tragically died in a glider crash at the Santa Cilia aerodrome in northern Spain.

The incident occurred during landing when Mike, 75, couldn't brake in time, resulting in a fatal collision with nearby trees.

Since the accident, tributes from friends have poured in, with many expressing their heartfelt goodbyes and fond memories of him.

research into war crimes and mass burials in the area.

A total of €100,000 was specifically designated for the Víznar ravine.

GRIM: Task to recover Civil War victims

With a further €70,000 from the Junta, the intention is to resume excavations by the end of the year. Under the guidance of archaeology professor Francisco Carrion from Granada University a further excavation is set to take place at the Barranco del Carrizal, in Orgiva.

Truck-loads of Franco’s prisoners regularly arrived there for execution and burial.

WHY

Many of the Republicans interred hailed from the surrounding villages, as well as the Granada coast.

Many victims of the infamous ‘Desbanda’ from Malaga, when the city fell in 1937, are also believed to be buried there. During the Franco era, tens of thousands of people were killed, and many of them were buried in mass graves. In Paterna, a small town outside Valencia, an estimated 2,238 victims of repression were dumped in pits.

BEE-LIEVE IT!

Inspired by an article in the Olive Press, a British production company travelled to Andalucia to make a film highlighting the importance of bees

“MOST people are vaguely aware that we need to save the bees, but they don’t know precisely why,” film producer Michael Jackson, 43, told the Olive Press.

The Brit, who heads up Berkshire-based production company Ambanja, was browsing the news earlier in the year when a story by this newspaper came before his eyes.

“I saw the Olive Press news story and the thing that drew me in was the headline that 47 million bees are to be released in Malaga. And so I did a bit more research.”

His investigations led the Reading native to Paola Vecino, who leads the Smart Green Bee project in Spain that is working to re-populate the country with as many Iberian honeybees as there are people.

“Or, in other words, 900 beehives,” Vecino said. “Our lives depend on the bees.” With this discovery, Jackson decided to make a short film on the subject as a passion project.

Connection

Vecino was one of the first to recognise the connection between Spain’s biodiversity crisis and its overproduction of single-crop plants that don’t produce pollen for the bees to consume.

“And, once you lose the bees, everything else seems to fall away,” Jackson explained. “From there, it’s a tipping point.”

“Without the bees, flowers die out, which kills off the insects that birds and lizards feed on, and it works all the way up the food chain until you get to us.”

Bee specialist Vecino chose to focus on the Iberian honey bee because, as a native species, it has evolved to be able to pollinate the flowers that grow naturally in Spain.

Hot as hell

ANDALUCIA has just experienced its hottest August since data collection began in 1961.

By Walter Finch

With a small crew of filmmakers, Jackson joined Vecino and her team on an odyssey across Andalucia to film the process of nurturing the many hives of Iberian honeybees.

“We started out in Colmenar, which is known for its beekeeping and in fact its name comes from the Spanish word for ‘bee hive’,” the producer said. “And then we drove over to Cutar and Comares, and stopped in Torrox, then we

ILIKE to think of myself as a positive person. My glass is always half full, never half empty.

Yet when it comes to looking at the facts about climate change, forgive me for reverting to sounding like The Prophet of Doom.

This summer has been a taster for things to come as climate change worsens. Extreme weather conditions in different countries around the world serve to remind us all of how mankind is creating catastrophe after catastrophe.

The United Nations and leading scientific bodies continue to urge governments to stick to the promises they have made and to urgently tackle climate change. Actions speak louder than words. The sound of inadequate and meaningful action remains deafening.

FILM: Crew followed the bee team

Jackson hopes that his film can help spread the word on the importance of Spain’s

Look at the facts:

bees.

“Sometimes I think we don’t quite realise how important they are and how fragile our ecosystems really are.”

According to Spain’s Met Office (AEMET), the average temperature in the region during the month reached 28.1C, which is two degrees higher than the typical August temperature observed over the past three decades. Until now, the record for the month was shared between 2003, 2010, 2012, and 2017, which all had an average temperature of 27.2C.

FIRES: Devastated Greece

● The Northern Hemisphere has been battered by extreme weather – heat, torrential rain, wildfires, typhoons, hurricanes…

● In the UK June was the hottest recorded

● In July we saw the hottest day ever recorded on Earth

● In the Mediterranean, two long and blistering heat waves struck the region

● In Athens, the Acropolis was forced to close for fear of people dying from the heat

● In Tunisia and Algeria temperatures soared to more than 48C

● In July the horrific wildfires that swept through parts of Greece emitted over one million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide)

● El Niño, which started in June, is, according to scientists, going to make 2023 the hottest year ever on record

● At the end of July, terrible winds and torrential rain hit the Philippines and China. Typhoon Doksuri displaced more than one million people

● Hawaii was devastated in August and nearly 400 people lost their lives

● Canada has had its worst fire season ever. An area bigger than England has been razed to the

ground. The World Attribution Group has confirmed that climate change led to the hot, dry and windy conditions that drove the wildfires in Quebec. Over 15,000 homes had to be evacuated

● California, normally a US state that is accustomed to wildfires, instead saw its first tropical storm since 1939.

All this is here and now…….not something that might happen in the future.

Jeremiah, the prophet of doom, took pleasure in predicting pain and destruction.

I take no pleasure in reporting what is actually happening on planet Earth.

drove across the beautiful agricul tural landscape to Alhaurín el Grande via Malaga.

Green Matters By Martin Tye

FLOODS: in the Philippines

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SEVILLA UNIVERSITY experts say modern technology has enabled them to find evidence of a giant Roman circus at the site of the ancient city of Italica in Santiponce. Work using geo-radar and electrical topography allowed scientists to pinpoint the location after previous suggestions for possible sites turned out to be wrong.

The giant stadium would have occupied over eight hectares - equating to eight football fields - east of Italica, with an 80,000 spectator capacity.

Researchers found part of the building

Circus discovery

floor which they suggest would have had a maximum length of 532 metres and a width of between 140 metres and 155 metres from where chariot races would start. The events would then take place around a circular track in the stadium.

The circus foundation stand was made out of a 30 metre wide concrete slab with a depth of six meters.

Detection techniques used a device that injected electrical currents into the ground which measured the resistance

by the underlying structures, which allowed digital mapping of buildings detected in the subsoil. With the results obtained so far, the next step will be a formal archaeological excavation of the site.

The existence of a circus in Italica would complete a trio of major buildings discovered in the old city along with the Augustan theatre and the Adrianeo amphitheatre.

PHILANDERING PICASSO

Womanising artist defended by grandson in BBC TV series

LEGENDARY Spanish painter Pablo Piccaso’s penchant for women will be featured in a new BBC TV documentary series, Picasso: The Beauty and the Beast Malaga-born Picasso, who died in 1973, was regarded as painting some of the finest masterpieces of the 20th century but many branded him as a notorious womaniser. He once said that ‘there are only two kinds of womengoddesses and doormats’. Decades later those comments are regarded as sexist and misogynistic and the

By Alex Trelinski

documentary describes his personal life as ‘full of contradictions’. But his grandson has defended Picasso saying that women that got close to him knew beforehand what he was like.

Olivier Widmaier Picasso says that his grandmother, Marie-Therese Walter, always recalled the excitement of being with him – even though he had abandoned her just after the birth of their daughter, Maya.

“She still described him as wonderfully terrible,” Olivier said “In a way, she was talking about him as if they were still together.”

Picasso was already married to a former ballerina when he first spotted Walter outside a

Paris gallery in 1927 and they became lovers despite a 28year age gap. Inevitably, Picasso moved to somebody else, but grandson Olivier said: “My grandfather had love stories with each woman and no one was forced to do anything.”

GODDESSES AND DOORMATS: How Picasso described women

San Pedro Alcantara & Guadalmina

SWEET ADDITION: The old sugar cane factory in El Ingenio has a total reform

GOOD NEIGHBOURS

SOMETHING awesome this way comes for the residents of San Pedro Alcantara.

The sister town of Marbella is yet again upgrading its charm thanks to the addition of a new barrio - aka neighbourhood - called El Ingenio. Across the road from the La Colonia shopping centre, and next to the historic sugar factory, extensive works are creating a nucleus of shops, bars and restaurants. While yet to be completed, the charming epicentre of the up-and-coming area along Calle Jose Echegaray already counts a pottery school, bakery, independent fashion stores and two popular tapas restaurants.

Another revamped up-and-coming barrio is further increasing the allure of San Pedro Alcantara, writes

Laurence Dollimore

It is just one of the latest developments that has turned this once humble fishing village into a jewel of the Costa del Sol. Meanwhile, there is a spate of new luxury homes sprouting up in the south of the town towards the beach, and close to the recently revamped Nueva Alcantara padel club.

A striking urban boulevard sprouting trendy pavement cafes has reclaimed the once maligned area, which was plagued by lines of traffic before an underground tunnel was created, allowing cars from the N-340 coast road to travel underneath most of the town.

With a skating rink, a skate park and a hat trick of new children’s play parks, the seaside village is growing increasingly unrecognisable from a decade ago.

The town’s head-turning footbridge with its serpentine coils, is doing for San Pedro what the Golden Gate did for San Francisco.

Just 10km west of Marbella, ‘San Peds’ has been reborn over the last decade. But some things have never changed in the 20 or so years I have been visiting the town.

The evenings still see veteran Sanpedreños gather on shaded benches around

Continues overleaf

THRIVING: The revamped barrio of El Ingenio

OLD AND NEW

St Peter’s statue, outside the parish church, and you can bet your bottom centimo the pavement cafes and ice cream parlours are heaving on Sunday nights.

What has kept San Pedro special has been its ability to hang on to its Spanish persona in the face of massive investment from Marbella Town Hall - more than €100 million.

The central boulevard, crowned by its snaking pedestrian bridge, has turned the town from an also-ran suburb into a spanking new social hub where whole families come to skate on the all-weather artificial ice rink and enjoy the regular food truck festivals.

Other welcome upgrades include the €85 million tunnel diverting dangerous high-speed traffic below the town centre, and a much-needed underground car park.

New investment has also seen the centre of town part-pedestrianised.

And beneath the glitzy exterior,

San Pedraños are as friendly and unassuming as they were in their 19th century farming days.

Central to its evolution has been its bustling beach promenade that links seamlessly to Banus and Marbella, putting the town on the map for cyclists, joggers and walkers. Its beaches fly the prestigious blue flag, the worldwide standard of excellence, while chic chiringuitos like Macaao and Guayaba are hotspots for the cool and hip.

The once-barren wasteland between the boulevard and coast now includes shops, restaurants, residential communities and world class amenities

like Nueva Alcantara paddle and tennis club, which reopened this year following a massive revamp. And there’s more. San Pedro has its own leafy satellite suburb in the shape of Guadalmina (Baja and Alta), just west of the town centre. This exclusive neighbourhood – a kind of western golden mile - boasts multi-million euro mansions galore.

The coast’s only cable ski lake which thrill-seekers can circuit

ten seen jogging or walking along the tree-lined avenues, flanked by two or three burly bodyguards. Guadalmina Alta, on the opposite side of the A7, has an 18-hole course and the coast’s only cable ski lake which thrill-seekers can circuit on water skis or a wakeboard.

Guadalmina Baja is frequently home to ex-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who is of-

“I adore it here, you feel like you are in the real Spain,” raves Irish Guadalmina resident Debbie Lush.

“You are so close to Marbella and Es-

HISTORICAL: The old watchtower on San Pedro beach and Roman bath house and (above left) park with giant anchor and statue of town founder the Marques del Duero

tepona but without the madness and business of Puerto Banus, it’s perfect.

“You can walk to the beach, cycle to Marbella and there are so many good places to eat, you have everything on your doorstep,” she adds.

Like most locals, these days, she’s proud to tell anyone who asks that, no, she’s not Marbelli - she’s ‘Sanpedreño, actually’.

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This splendid detached villa is located in the highly desirable beachside area of San Pedro Alcántara known as Linda Vista Baja. It has a wonderful mature garden and private pool. This villa boasts four bedrooms and four bathrooms, along with a furnished kitchen, a charming living area featuring a fireplace and direct access to the garden. Additionally, the property includes a spacious basement with abundant storage space, making it the perfect choice for a family seeking an ideal home.

SNAKING: The celebrated pedestrian overpass

FEELING GOOD

Body n Soul can supply CBD oil not just

Spain

through the EU

Body n Soul is the best CBD shop not only in Marbella, but on the whole Costa del Sol.

Kim, from Denmark and his wife Rita, who is Spanish/ Brazilian, had a feel-good dream when they moved to sunny Spain in 2016.

Only a year later, in the vibrant heart of San Pedro Alcantara, they opened the doors of their fantastic space. Now, they have dozens of regular customers who come weekly to enjoy the many benefits of their organic products. Not only that, they have customers from all around Europe and deliver to the EU and UK. Among their large number of products, Body n Soul’s premium organic CBD oil is the most popular. Produced by them in Denmark, it has a very mild taste and it is the shop’s best oil.

But there is more to it, as customers can also enjoy many other outstanding products such as organic CBD hash, vapes, gummies, teas and cosmetics. They also have by far the largest selection of HCC vapes, HCC cartridges, HCC hash and HCC flowers and buds on the whole Costa del Sol.

“We get our very high quality CBD from Switzerland and have a marvelous range of products at a really good price,” Kim, proud owner of Body n Soul said. The entrepreneur added: “Our shop is so popular because our products have the power to relax and take the pain away.”

So, what are you waiting for? Take a walk to Avenida Lope de Mena 24 in Marbella’s San Pedro Alcantara and have a look at their feel-good products.

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ROMANS & MORE

A Roman bathhouse and one of Spain’s oldest churches lie next to San Pedro’s beach, writes Jon Clarke

AS the lineup of SUVs edges slowly closer to the entrance of popular Calpe primary school each morning, one hopes the parents get a lift from the view off to the south.

For right there in plain sight is one of the true hidden gems of the Costa del Solthe sixth century Basilica de Vega del Mar.

The remains of this Visigothic church - one of the oldest churches in Andalucia - is just a stone’s throw from the end of the popular promenade. For lovers of ancient history, this is an intriguing doorway into pre-Islamic Spain. The remains in Lindavistaalong with the nearby Roman baths of Las Bovedas - are on

the site of the Roman settlement of Cilniana

While its exact location and size is lost in the mists of time, every year the coastal area gives up more clues, such as the beachside ovens appearing after a storm in November 2021.

The basilica was first discovered in 1915 by a farmer planting trees, but extensive excavations only began in 1929, led by archaeologist Jose Perez de Barradas.

He and his team mapped out the basilica and initially unearthed 148 tombs, though later excavations have found a total of over 200.

The most significant is that of ‘Constantine Crimson’, named after the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, which may be the

oldest Christian tombstone yet to be discovered in Spain.

While the adjacent necropolis dates back to Roman rule in the fourth century, archaeologists disagree over the construction of the basilica.

Perez de Barra-

sanpedrotraducciones@gmail.com

das initially believed it was built around then, although today historians insist it was built by the Visigoths from the north in the sixth century. The significant features are its

rectangular plan and the presence of three naves, along with its apses. Unlike most churches of the time, it has two apses, which are the semicircular terminations or recesses of an ecclesiastical building. And most unusually, its western apse is its main one.

Protection

The basilica is usually open from 11.15 am to 2pm but it’s

best to call Marbella’s Delegacion Municipal de Cultura on 952 825 035 to check. Nearby, just across the stream by Macaao restaurant you will find the remarkable Las Bovedas Roman bathhouse. Sitting on private land in someone’s garden, it is not often open to the public and you will need to ask when to visit. But it is a remarkable construction, in urgent need of protection and repair.

VAMOS A LA FERIA

SAN PEDRO’S much awaited Feria kicks off on October 16. Thousands of people from all over Andalucia and other parts of Spain are expected to attend the popular local celebrations that goes on until the 22nd.

Centro

Launching with a firework display, the seven-day event will feature hundreds of brilliant activities. From the usual feria attractions to the food and game stalls, the frenetic week will be unforgettable for most. On October 19 the procession in the honour of San Pedro will take place.

A full programme will be published a week before its start, Marbella’s City Hall has confirmed to the Olive Press.

This year’s Queen and King of the feria have already been chosen with Alicia Mancilla and Marco Carcela taking the honours.

The monarchs get a free pass to all the attractions.

VISIGOTH TO ROMAN: Basilica and (top) Las Bovedas

SUPER SAN PEDRO

San Pedro’s wining and dining scene keeps improving, writes Jon Clarke

MY Vietnamese ‘nems’ came out glistening on a bed of lettuce and mint, their serving on a raised African bowl bringing something of a regal touch. They were crunchy and delicious, as would be expected from a restaurateur who trained with legendary French chef Alain Ducasse.

This is Macaao beach, a wonderful laid back chi ringuito serving up some of the coast’s finest food for nearly a decade.

A classic family restaurant run by the Dhondts, from Belgium, fish is very much the name of the game

mend the hake in the freshest pea salad with watercress and new potatoes I have had this year. The black cod is also excellent, served with a medley of vegetables on a bed of mash and cep mushrooms, with tiny cherry tomatoes as a garnish.

There are also many specials of day - including surprises, regularly mussels - as well as fabulous shrimp croquettes and, often, a good cevi -

“We ran two restaurants back in the St Tropez of Belgium, Knokke le Zoute, before deciding to up sticks and make a go of it here,” explains dad Michel. Having just undergone a stunning refit

and renovation it’s clear they are here to stay especially now daughter Lisa is in charge.

Heading into the centre of San Pedro town, La Bodega del Cantinero is slowly becoming THE place to eat quality food and, certainly, wine. Said to have the best collection of sherries in Spain (even better than in Jerez itself) you can have many by the glass, a lot of them between 30 and 50 years old.

My vintage Oloroso from historic Bodegas Tradicion, served alongside a delicious rabo de toro oxtail, was a true pairing from heaven.

Garnering 98 points from American wine guru Robert Parker, the vino is fittingly among the 50 top white wines in Spain.

And this is some way down the list of the best wines on offer at Alberto’s remarkable restaurant.

“I’ve got every 100 point white wine from Parker,” insists the friendly restaurateur, who has been improving his offering at his locale for over two decades now.

Increasingly though he is investing in other wines from around Spain, including some from the north.

And besides the wine, the food keeps getting better with plenty of specials, including an excellent braised artichoke dish and an ocean fresh tartaki blue fin salad.

His appropriately renamed Ensaladilla Kyev (thanks to his Ukrainian wife, one of the chefs) takes some beating while the thick creamy chocolate mousse is the perfect fit for one of the pudding

TO A TEE: The hake at Macaao is exceptional, while location (above right)

DISHY: One of Alberto’s tasty artichoke specials, with jamon Iberico

and, in particular, I recom -

wines.

Another great place to sip fabulous wine with a few decent tapas is Nicolas in Guadalmina, which is part of the famous two century old French wine shop chain.

This is the project of husband and wife team Pierre-Carlos and Georgina Galvan and they have hundreds of different bottles of Champagne, fine Burgundy and Bordeaux, with dozens available by the glass, served up alongside gourmet products such as patés and cheese.

“We try to find a bottle to match everyone’s taste and budget,” explains Pierre, who is looking to open more shops in Marbella and already has another in Elviria.

New places open in the town by the

TALENTS: Simon at Albert & Simon and (right) dishes at excellent Greek Musaka

month these days with Musaka , an exciting Greek place just setting up right on the boulevard. With an excellent terrace overlooking the park, this is a lovely place to while away half a day, but you are here for the wonder-

fully fresh Greek-inspired dishes, including taramasalata and hummus. There are so many other great places to eat around San Pedro, from established garden restaurant Casa Fernando to historic Albert & Simon , which once had a Michelin star, to stylish El Ancla , with its natural salt pool swimming pool on a headland by the beach. The latest addition is Barbillon down on the beach in Guadalmina, which sits in a fantastic location by the ancient Roman bathhouse and 18th century watchtower.

A stylish spot, with great views to Africa and Gibraltar, it is part of a small Madrid chain that has recently decided to invest on the coast.

ROMANTIC: Recently opened Barbillon at night

GUADALMINA ALTA €1,150,000 REF: WW1818

This well presented villa is located in the renowned urbanisation of Guadalmina Alta, within walking distance to amenities, the commercial centre and the Real Club de Golf of Guadalmina. It is situated only a short two minute drive to the up and coming town of San Pedro de Alcantara and 5 minutes to the famous yachting marina of Puerto Banus.

Nestled within the prestigious enclave of Guadalmina Alta, this villa offers a harmonious blend of style and functionality. The property boasts convenient off-street parking, featuring a single-car garage and an elegant open-top pergola.

GUADALMINA ALTA €2,150,000 REF: WW1832

REDUCED FROM €2,350,000!

A spectacular family home located very close to Guadalmina Golf Club House and within walking distance to the famous Centro Comercial Guadalmina.

Deceptively large 6 bedroom villa sits on an above average sized plot with a southern orientation allowing all day sun.

SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA €725,000 REF: WW1810

REDUCED FROM €795,000!

This luxurious 3 bedroom, two bathroom penthouse is located very close to San Pedro beach and its gorgeous promenade. Puerto Banus and Marbella are a very short drive away and possible on foot if you are a keen walker. All amenities such as restaurants, schools, boutique shops are also all within walking distance. There is a newly built spacious Boulevard with restaurants, play areas for children and where a variety of social events occur throughout the year.

GUADALMINA ALTA €325,000 REF: WW1860

This sunny and bright two bedroom, two bathroom apartment is situated in a highly desirable urbanization in Guadalmina Alta. It boasts a generous terrace with picturesque views of the golf course and the communal pool area. The apartment features a fully equipped kitchen for your convenience. Its strategic location ensures quick access to San Pedro de Alcántara, with its abundance of amenities just a short drive away.

CATALEYA ESTEPONA €750,000 REF: WW1852

This sophisticated ground-floor residence is in the esteemed Cataleya complex, nestled between Marbella and Estepona along the renowned New Golden Mile. It´s privileged setting adjacent to the tranquil greens of the Atalaya golf course sets it apart, ensuring both convenience and access to an array of amenities, dining establishments, golf links, beaches, and educational institutions. Just a short drive away from Puerto Banus, Marbella, and Estepona, in an enviable location.

A CHANGE OF SEASONS

DAYS of quiet and brightness. And a rich yellow light that floods the valley.

Now more than ever is the moment for forest walks and meditative gazings at distant views – always keeping an eye on the fading light.

I eat the year’s very last fresh tomato out of a bowl and genuinely feel a long chapter has come to a close. October: my birthday month. Even more conducive than other months, then, to ruminative contemplation of past and future and the moment that sits, delicately poised, between both: the present.

A dark misty morning, dripping with the rainfall I missed during the night, and there’s a good autumn sogginess in the air. Everything I sowed before the rains has come up, the rye in brave little shoots powering skyward, the fine green stubble like an adolescent’s first growth of beard.

The leaves are still green on the oaks. It’s as though, after the long heats and drought when some of them shed their foliage in a foreshadowing of autumn, they’ve decided they’ll cling on to their remaining leaves a little longer. Can trees feel relief? Sometimes when I’m watering I hear, or imagine I hear, tiny creaks, subsonic squeaks of enjoyment, as the plant relaxes and unfurls.

October is a month of change for Spain, when the heat of the summer

into Autumn vegetables, fruits and seed husks, writes Paul Richardson in an excerpt from his book Hidden Valley

shapes and sizes. Some, like parsley, were so fine they were a dusty powder. Others were spiky burrs (chard and spinach) or curious flat flying saucers (parsnips).

Melons and courgettes were left to dry into a yellowish husk and broken into for the seeds, which were still attached to tough skeins of dry flesh. All of this, pods and stalks, was piled up on the kitchen table.

I found that, this way, anyone sitting at the table would almost unthinkingly set to work, albeit with a glass of wine beside them.

their jars

The temperature crept downwards. There were days of constant rain, sultry and grey and dripping. A change in the light, as the days shortened, and sometimes a luscious, peachy gold in the evening sun, which came in slanting over the brow of the hill. Heavy dews in the early dawn, and that rank late-summer smell of organic matter wetted and dried out and wetted again by the morning’s

moisture.

A new set of tasks hove into view –like the rescue of things needing to be kept dry that would be spoiled by a rainstorm. Into the kitchen came bagfuls of seed pods in all their variety of

CONSERVES: So much produce goes into jars, while (inset) pomegranates

It was a guarantee of continuance, and also a source of comfort, to have the seeds neatly stored in their jars labelled with the variety and year.

It was all very well to buy commercial seed in packets but our home-produced seeds had an inbuilt advantage, apart from costing nothing: as year followed year the varieties we planted became better and better adapted to the terroir, preserving this improved adaptability in their DNA.

CANNELLINI AND PEANUT BUTTER

Chickpeas, white cannellini beans and black-eyed peas all did well on this sandy, acidic soil, and it was around now, as the plants withered and the dry pods rattled, that we began the work of threshing. It was a matter of pushing the dead plants into jute sacks and trampling them to release the pulses from their pods. Few things gave me a keener sense of fulfilment than seeing the rows of big jars on the top shelf of the produce rack, packed with pulses in their variegated textures and colours.

Chickpeas made fabulous protein-rich stews and hummus, while the blackeyed peas were best cooked and cold in a hearty salad with tomatoes, onion, green pepper, all in tiny pieces andsoned with a

good strong vinaigrette.

Our first harvest of cannellini beans took me back to a dish I used to make in my student years, slow-cooking the pearlwhite beans with rosemary and garlic as a creamy accompaniment to roast lamb. The other big October crop was peanuts, and these became one of my foremost specialities. I was fascinated by the plant’s bizarre lifecycle, the neat yellow flowers that droop down and bury themselves in the soil to form the familiar peanut pod, and enjoyed pulling up the whole plant, roots and all, to find the mass of pods fully formed and caked with dark earth like tiny potatoes. More work ensued, the plants being tied into stooks and hung from the rafters in an

league from the shop-bought kind. The fruits of the season in their autumnal tones of deep red, deep yellow, deep orange: always that depth of long-ripened colour. We tended to ignore the quince tree, giving it neither manure nor attention, for what was the point, when it never failed to give us more quinces than we had any real use for? For months the fruits were green and hard and had no discernible scent, but after the rains they swelled up and the tree would be hung with gorgeous yellow orbs covered with a soft white fluff and giving off a penetrating fragrance. Cauldrons of quince paste and quince jelly plopped and bubbled, filling the whole house with the warm smell of caramel. I took

WEATHER CHANGES YOUR WORLD

Proust says somewhere that a change of weather can change your whole world. True. Everything feels different. The forest breathes, the odours fresh, nose-wrinkling. I dodged the rain yesterday afternoon – it was a mere half-hour break between successive storms – to head down the track to where the stream comes down through high walls.

I could hear it long before I saw it: a roar of falling water. Still brown-tinted from all the

leaf-mulch and dirt it picked up in its wake.

The water surging over the stepping stones. I watched and listened for a good while, wondering at this sound and fury.

All of that summer and post-summer anxiety seems long gone. No chance of a wildfire now – the land is sodden. The water with which

I’ve rinsed out the pig bucket, normally kept to water each thirsty almond tree in turn, I now cheerfully chuck out on the ground

upper room where heating pipes kept the atmosphere bone dry. The pay-off was our homemade peanut butter, which was in another

to slipping a quince into the roasting pan along with a joint of pork. They were good in a crumble, and I tried baking them like apples with a core of brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins: not bad.

CANCER BATTLERS

We had read somewhere that pomegranate juice was full of natural antioxidants and reputed to stave off prostate cancer. On an untended farmstead nearby we found an ancient pomegranate tree growing beside a well, and took cuttings for a new plantation of a dozen trees on its own small terrace down by the stream. For a year or two the plants grew strongly, in October of the third year they were already small trees and I was surprised by the first great shiny baubles turning from green to red like traffic lights, and by the end of year three the pomegranates

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

piled up on the kitchen table demanding to be dealt with – a clear case of ‘be careful what you wish for’. Below the deep cracks in their thick skins, glittering rubies could be glimpsed. For a week each year our evening routine was removing the jewel-like seeds, correctly known as arils, and crushing them in an old Soviet-era lemon-squeezer I had bought in a street market in Uzbekistan.

We regaled ourselves with big glasses of cold fresh pomegranate juice, feeling the threat of cancer recede very slightly with every gulp. But then what? Now dosed up with juice, we sprinkled the rubies on autumn salads of rocket and frisée, made bright-coloured fruit jellies with them, and steeped them with our own wine vinegar in a big Kilner jar, watching the brown liquid slowly turn a garnet red.

Across

1 This town used to be Aquae Sulis (4)

4 Perceptible to the eye (7)

8 Helps drivers see (8)

9 Tart (4)

10 Organ controls (5)

11 Reporter (7)

13 Pot cooker (4)

15 Statute (3)

16 Outstanding sportsperson (4)

17 Six-legged creatures (7)

19 As foal is to mare, so --- is to cow (5)

22 The national one distributes juice (4)

23 Boot Iran out - it’s a failure (8)

24 Depresses (7)

25 Nip (4)

Down

2 Wide-awake (5)

3 Kind of bend (7)

4 The power to reject (4)

5 Press ten maladjusted old instruments (8)

6 Fundamental principle (5)

7 Send to school (7)

12 Fashion industry (3,5)

14 Entrails (7)

16 Jumped in fright (7)

18 Came to a close (5)

20 Shipwrecked Shakespearean heroine (5)

21 Scottish bog (4)18 Ships’ companies (5)

19 Got into bed (5)

All solutions are on page 28

subsides

TIME OF PLENTY: And at Paul’s Extremadura finca its quinces in droves and seeds

A source of comfort, to have the seeds neatly stored in

GREEN GOLD Record smashed

MALAGA airport is continuing its trend of record-breaking passenger numbers in 2023, with August seeing a significant surge in tourism and travellers.

According to Aena, the airport operator, August saw 2,419,072 passengers use the airport, marking a notable increase compared to the previous year when the passenger count was 2,053,341 for the same month.

Stocking up

EXECUTIVE directors of the companies listed on the ibex 35 have made earnings, on average, 54 times more than their workers, according to the National Stock Market Commission (CNMV).

Last year, the CNMV found that the employers earned 60 times that of their employees. This shows promise as the wage gap has seen a slight reduction.

The report also found that the average salary of executive directors decreased by 4.3% in 2022 to €1.6million on average. For non-executive directors, it decreased by 8.4%. For companies outside the Ibex index, the ratio remains at 17 times more than their employees, mirroring the previous year’s figures.

Price

olive oil in Spain

Malaga water bill hike

By Alberto Lejarraga

AS olive prices soar, some supermarkets are being accused of ‘speculation’ over huge profit margins.

A bottle of what has been called ‘green gold’ is now 114.8% more expensive than it was in March 2021.

But prices can differ massively from one supermarket to another, as Spain’s Consumers’ Association FACUA has pointed out, accusing them of speculation.

A one litre bottle of popular brand Carbonell costs €7.49 in Aldi and €8.86 in Alcampo, but the exact same product is €12.85 in Carrefour.

FACUA has asked the Government to investigate the price rises and to apply

caps on supermarkets’ profit margins.

“Four euro difference between two bottles of the same oil from one supermarket to another

- when is the Government going to intervene?” the organisation asked on social media.

The price of olive oil has experienced an ongoing growth over the last 28 months, according to the Spanish Institute for National Statistics (INE).

The product is 52.5% more expensive than a year ago, after seeing an 8.7% increment from July to August 2023.

A one litre bottle of olive

www.glasscurtains.direct

oil costs an average €8.91, while consumers pay around €44.35 for a five litre container. In 2021, Spanish households spent on average €77.6 on olive oil, which

increased to €97.7 in 2022. But this year buyers have reacted by purchasing less, with sales down by 51% in the first half of the year, according to figures from the University of Jaen.

WATER bills in Malaga city will increase by 42% starting from spring, seeing an average of €20 per month for a family of three. This hike is in response to an adjustment in Emasa’s average domestic rate, which has remained unchanged for the past eight years, and the introduction of a new levy set to run until 2043, that will fund a €100.3 million plan for infrastructure projects.

Despite the increase, the city council maintains that the water bill will remain one of the most affordable in Andalucia and below what larger municipalities in the province, such as Torremolinos, Marbella, Velez-Malaga, Rincon de la Victoria, Mijas, and Estepona charge, while also facilitating the introduction of new services.

GOING UNDERGROUND

THE Malaga Metro’s expansion to the city centre has had a significant impact this summer, setting a new record for the underground transport system. In fact, in July and August, it came close to the two million passenger mark (1,990,232), marking a remarkable 145% increase compared to the same period in the previous year when it had 810,889 users.

24/7 EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

BREAK DOWN COVER

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BREAKDOWN KIT

To help you stay safe here is a checklist of some important safety items in the event of a breakdown. This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility jacket, first aid kit, jump start cables, empty fuel can, food and drink, two reflective warning signs, a road atlas, and a mobile phone charger.

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We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Línea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

CROP: Money does grow on trees

of

more than doubles in two years as supermarkets are accused of ‘speculation’

LIQUID CULTURE

PEDRO XIMENEZ wines, produced from a grape grown in the Andalucian municipality of Montilla, are in line to be named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

The mayor of the town, Rafael Llamas, has announced that he is applying for the recognition as the production process makes Pedro Ximenez unique. The intensely sweet, dark dessert sherries could be given the designation in about three years.

It will, however, be the regional government of Andalucia that will have to file the actual application, being the only authority with the power to do so. The process of making Pedro Ximenez wines involves drying grapes under an intensely hot sun, which concentrates the sweetness of the fruit. The result is a thick black liquid tasting of raisins and molasses, which is fortified and then aged in barrels in a process known as solera.

Popular temple

MALAGA Cathedral has achieved a historic milestone this summer by welcoming 110,606 visitors during July and August.

This represents a 10% surge in tourist

numbers compared to the pre-pandemic era.

The cathedral, built over two centuries starting in the 16th century, combines Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles, and is known for its intricate design, impressive interior, and religious art collection.

Tasty congress

Star Spanish chef Ferran Adria to be honoured at 25th edition of Gastronimika culinary congress

THE Basque Country is rightly known for its exquisite cuisine, and this October foodies from all over the world will have yet another excuse to make a visit there. The San Sebastian Gastronomika culinary event will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, and will be held in the Kursaal Con-

Booming tourism

SPAIN’s tourism sector has just closed a record summer season, with an average occupation rate of 93%.

In some destinations, the rate was as high as 100%.

According to data from travel website ebooking.com, much of this success is due to Spaniards opting to visit domestic destinations this summer rather than travel abroad.

By Simon Hunter

gress Centre from October 9 to 11.

The anniversary will not just reflect on the past accomplishments of the event but also the role it has played ‘in shaping the narrative of global cuisine’, according to

The figures also come despite a serious hike in prices, with accommodation costs up 15% across the country, with last minute deals as much as 30% higher than a year ago.

According to ebooking.com, the price rise is down to increased demand and the high inflation that has been suffered in Spain since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among the most popular destinations for domestic tourists are Andalucia, Catalunya and Valencia.

the organisers. As part of the celebrations, three illustrious figures from the culinary world will be honoured for their contributions.

Star Spanish chef Ferran Adria,

Five star Malaga

MALAGA aims to triple its current count of nearly 1,000 five-star hotel rooms within four years.

The capital of the Costa del Sol currently offers approximately 15,000 hotel rooms, with only four high-end options.

According to Jacobo Florido, the Tourism Councillor, this limited selection is insufficient to attract highnet-worth tourists.

To address this, the city aims to double its number of five-star hotel rooms to reach 2,000 beds in four years, with aspirations to ultimately offer 3,000 such rooms, signalling a focus on high-end tourism.

TOP OF THE POLLS

HONOUR: Star chef Ferran Adria

best known for his El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, will be given the Homage Award. The Gueridon de Oro, meanwhile, will be bestowed on British wine critic, journalist and wine writer Jancis Robinson, and the Pau Alborna y Torras Journalism Award will hon-

our Rafael Garcia Santos, who has writing a number of books and has also been a pioneer of gastronomy congresses in Spain. Also in attendance will be other stars of the world of food including US-based Spanish chef Jose Andres, and Rasmus Munk and Rene Redzepi from Denmark.

ANDALUCIA boasts three of Europe’s best top-rated monuments.

In TripAdvisor's recent ranking, the region secured three of the top five spots, establishing itself as an essential European destination.

Top attractions include Cordoba’s Mosque-Cathedral, the Basilica of St Peter in Rome, the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, the Alhambra of Granada, and the Alcazar of Sevilla.

RESERVATIONS:

+34 951 74 47 77 / +34 627 12 14 43

clive@cotorestaurante.com www.cotorestaurante.com

Monday

PEAK OF GASTRONOMY

The hilltop village of Gaucin is offering a tasty weekend of treats to show off its classic mountain fare co is offering an even better reason to ascend its spectacular access roads. For three days, this weekend (Sept 22 - 24), the Serrania de Ronda village is coming alive to a full menu of good food, drinks and live music.

IT doesn’t take much to entice visitors up to the emblematic mountain village of Gaucin for a day trip. But now the classic pueblo blan-

Its first Encuentro Gastronómico will be showing off its unique local food scene at its very best. Set around a brand-new tapas route that winds around the pretty white village, special dishes will be on offer in many of its award-winning restaurants.

There will also be cookery demonstrations, the opportunity to sample locally-produced wines, beers and spirits - and all accompanied by an exciting line-up of live music.

Whether you want to visit for lunch or dinner, the bars and restaurants will be open from noon to 4pm and 8pm to 11pm with the tastings and entertainment in the plaza following the same schedule.

Just a short 30-minute drive from the beautiful beaches of the Costa del Sol, and 45 minutes from the Campo de Gibraltar, it is an easy place to get to.

“Gaucin’s unique location has led to the development of a diverse gastronomy offering, a fusion of Andalucian and International flavours which will be represented throughout the weekend,” a spokesperson told the Olive Press.

Jointly organised by the town hall's

ALLURING: Wonderful pueblo blanco and some things on

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

tourism and culture departments, 11 of the village's bars and restaurants will take part in the event.

THE FOOD:

There will be a traditional Tapas Route with all the bars offering a unique tapa for just €2,50 and simply by sampling five tapas in different bars participants will be able to enter the prize draw with prizes valuing 225€. In addition, the award-winning restaurants will be offering a special dish, each their unique version of Iberian pork presented with seasonal accompaniments. Just by sampling one of these dishes there will be the chance of entering a draw with prizes valued at 325€.

THE DRINK:

In addition to the wonderful food, there will be a chance to sample locally produced wine, gin and beer in the main square, the centre of the weekend’s activities. Pop up bars from local producers Gaugin, Bodegas Cezar and Cerveza La Catarina will provide a bar

service all weekend.

THE ENTERTAINMENT:

Gaucin-born chef Luis Carlos Rodriguez will be demonstrating his incredible style of fusion cookery in the plaza at 7pm on Saturday night. He will create four different tapas based on locally-produced morcilla (black pudding) and each with his own special twist. Musical entertainment will be provided by the Coldplay tribute band on Friday night at 11pm and by Radio Petrarca at the same time on Saturday night.

GIFTS TO TAKE AWAY:

Bottles of locally-produced beers, gin and wines will be on sale in the Plaza to take home to enjoy at home or to gift to your loved ones.

ACCOMMODATION:

Why not make a weekend of it? Gaucin offers a range of accommodation from hotels and hostals to charming rural houses and apartments. The beautiful boutique hotel La Fructuosa in the centre of the village makes an ideal place to stay. Alternatively just 10-minute drive away is the newly opened Hotel Karma La Herriza. In addition, the Breñaverde and Moncada hostals provide affordable rooms just walking distance away.

For more accommodation options you can visit Gaucin’s tourism website www.visitgaucin.com/en/ where-to-stay/

For more information about the event: www.visitgaucin.com/ en/2023/08/24/encuentro-gastronomico-2/ www.facebook.com/VisitGaucin/ Instagram @visitgaucin

SUNDOWNER: No better location than Gaucin

TASTY: Special tapas route planned, while (below) Hotel La Fructuosa

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

NEW QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

Global warming is turning Galicia’s Rias Baixas coastline into the next big holiday destination in Spain, writes Elsa Ibanez

SPAIN’S classical summer destinations are shifting. Climate change is taking care of that.

While the south will remain Spain’s veritable queen in winter, the northwest corner of the country is set to become one of the most attractive summer holiday destinations in Europe over the next few years.

Locals and holidaymakers in Galicia agree and the stats seem to bear it out: It’s raining less and the average temperatures are up a little.

Such has been the enthusiasm for Galicia in the last few summers that not only are Spanish nationals opting to spend their holidays there, but more and more international tourists are getting in on the know.

It’s a big region with various stretches of coastline and plenty of big breaking waves. For the best trip you’ll need to narrow down the area you visit as the roads are windy and the distances (like much of Spain) are surprisingly big. A more than manageable area for a week or two's trip is the Rias Baixas, the five southernmost estuaries of Galicia that carve into the peninsula from the Atlantic, just north of Portugal. These estuaries are also protected by a group of islands (including Cíes, Ons and Sálvora) and away from the open sea, the waters are a haven of peace, alongside Caribbean-white sandy beaches and rolling unspoilt green hills. We started our adventure in Vilanova de Arousa, where many of Spain’s most infamous narcos were plying their trade during the 70s and 80s. The town itself has little to see, but the house museum of the famous Spanish

writer Valle Inclan is a highlight and definitely worth a look in.

The main reason to visit is to take the narrow walkway from the middle of its fishing port which leads directly to one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. Playa del Terron is a true gem and being heavily protected there is only one chiringuito: Namare Beach Club, which is a must for lunch or supper. The sunsets, in particular, will blow you away, while the posey Ibiza/Marbella scene and attitudes (not to mention prices and luxury brands) are thankfully absent.

Even better, everything is authentic and unfussy (and that’s the people as well as the food). Vilanova de Arosa has another treasure - The Island of Arousa, which is only accessible across a bridge and leading to a small village with a port and a few small, unpretentious chiringuitos that dot its wonderful beaches. I recommend Camaxiñas Beach and its beach bar,

UNSPOILT: The Isla de Arousa is accessed by a bridge

LITTLE VISITED: Charming Pontevedra and (inset) a classic granary or horreo

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

MIX: The virgin shores of the Isla de Arousa and (inset) Cambados

Carpe Diem. The island is perfect for long walks and bicycle rides and one place to head for is the beach bar, O Faro, on the western side with its extraordinary views over the bay and beach, Area da Secada. The typical dishes you will find everywhere are two types of scallops - zamburiñas y volanderias. The zamburiñas are finer and gain in texture and flavour. They have only one ‘ear’ in comparison with volandeiras. So don't be fooled when asking for zamburiñas! For foodies, you’ll also love the furanchos, private homes that, a few years ago, obtained permission from the local government to sell each year’s wine vintages.

Over time, these furanchos have become unofficial, off-the-radar restaurants and it’s really only the locals who know the best ones.

The deep-rooted seafaring tradition of the Rias Baixas means that the gastronomy is based on traditionally home-cooked fresh fish, oysters, mussels, cock-

les and incredible xoubas (sardine pie).

The excellent award-winning Galician bread is always present. Nothing like the frozen, sticky baguettes found in much of

Spain, it is usually darker with a crunchy crust and variable hardness.

Handmade with soft wheat flour and no additives, since 2017, it has had its own unique DO protection status and is considered the best bread in Spain.

Next up is the Rias Baixas capital of Pontevedra, one of the most underrated cities in Galicia.

Its historic center looks like something out of a fairy tale and takes you back in time in its old town.

Pontevedra is best visited on foot. It is full of beautiful historical houses, pazos (palaces) and long covered arcades wherever you go.

It is an experience to stroll through the evocative streets full of bars and small stores that keep leading to new, more beautiful squares, full of granite buildings, showing off the region’s celtic roots.

Another place not to be missed is Cambados - a town that offers a very particular mix not easily matched anywhere else in the world.

In equal parts it’s a small, monumental town, a coastal village, and the starting point of the probably best white wine route in the world, where the famous Albarino grape emerged at the end of the 1990s.

Its cobbled streets and stone houses, particularly its central square, Plaza de Ferfiñan, are considered one of the most beautiful in Galicia.

Its seafaring spirit resides in the emblematic neighborhood of San Tomé. This neighborhood has managed to preserve all its essence and fishing traditions and from here you will spot hundreds of floating platforms (bateas) for the cultivation of mussels and scallops.

In addition, and to add a twist, Cambados is known as the capital of Albarino wine.

It is the starting point of the official Albarino Wine Route and is home to 22 wineries belonging to the Denomination of Origin DO Rias Baixas. The perfect place to raise your glass and toast!

FISHY: The seafood is among the world’s best

BOOKING CODE: ‘MUSAKA11’

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Who’s to blame?

JUST for context: an average of 3.1 people are killed every day by cars on Spain's roads. Scooters are less dangerous, but there isn't really a safe place to ride them, and plenty of them are being ridden recklessly.

Ban the reckless riders, not the scooters in the same way we do with cars.

Oliver Neilson

Reckless riders

E-SCOOTERS are a menace. The riders don’t comply with the rules of the road, don’t wear helmets and go too fast. Many still ride on the pavements, especially in Pilar de la Horadada in Alicante. One almost hit us this week. They think it’s funny, too. We need a better police presence. Now rental e-scooters are appearing everywhere on roads, too.

Happy customer

One OP fan enjoyed our serialisation of travel writer Paul Richardson’s new book, Hidden Valley, and his creative if macabre description of the August heat

I ABSOLUTELY love the Olive Press! There is so much more to actually read, it’s interesting and it far outweighs the other freebie newspapers.

I loved the article on high temperatures throughout August, really identified with it and found it both funny and scary too.

The sun nosing round the windows, looking for a way in, sitting in darkened rooms and the melted brain effect!

I’ve been here over 20 years but have struggled with the heat myself this year. When speaking to some people recently, I was moaning about the heat, they looked at me blankly and uttered something like ‘that is why we came here’.

I am sure that they are fairly new to Spain and still in their honeymoon period, in which this country can do no wrong, including with the weather. It was a well written, absorbing article. Congratulations!

Marie Ryan, Oliva

SINS OF THE FATHER!

MY god, talk about the sins of the father! Give Rubiales -+a break! Children and women are beaten in Spain every day. Spain has a history of violence and murder of spouses etc. Meanwhile, this guy kissed someone in a very emotional moment! Big deal. All the glory of the match lost due to everyone jumping on the bandwagon. What hypocrites!

Lynda Martin

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

SORDID AND SEEDY

Mosquito heaven

I READ with great frustration the situation regarding the tiger mosquito and how we can deter these pests by not allowing any standing water.

It’s absolutely laughable that the disgraceful state of the water gullies along all our service roads are choked with weeds and tumbleweed.

They never get removed and when it rains the water is held for weeks.

And of course any flood water from torrential rain can’t flow away.

Lynn Reeves

Across: 1 Bath, 4 Visible, 8 Demister, 9 Sour, 10 Stops, 11 Newsman, 13 Kiln, 15 Act, 16 Seed, 17 Insects, 19 Calve, 22 Grid, 23 Abortion, 24 Saddens, 25 Dram.

Down: 2 Alert, 3 Hairpin, 4 Veto, 5 Serpents, 6 Basis, 7 Educate, 12 Rag trade, 14 Innards, 16 Started, 18 Ended, 20 Viola, 21 Moss.

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FOOD ALERT

A WARNING has been issued by the European Union in Spain over a shipment of olives exported from Morocco contains high levels of an unauthorised pesticide.

A border check was carried out on the olives that were being imported into Spain, which

discovered the pesticide chlorpyrifos, and the risk level was set at serious by the European authorities.

According to the Pesticide Action Network, which works to ‘end reliance on hazardous pesticides’, chlorpyrifos is known for its damaging effects on the human nervous system. Its risks are particularly high for children, as it can affect their neurological development.

Please jail me

A 60-YEAR-OLD cancer sufferer has asked to be sent to jail despite having done nothing wrong because, he says, he is afraid of ‘being alone’ given his state of health.

In prison, he claims, he would have companions who could ‘attend to him and assist him’.

As well as having cancer, Justo Marquez from Granada also suffers heart problems, depression and anxiety.

His poor state of health has seen him referred to mental

Lonely cancer patient asks to be sent to prison because he is tired of being alone

By Simon Hunter

health services on a number of occasions, but he has been repeatedly told to visit his GP.

As a result he says that he feels he has been left ‘destitute’ by the social and health services.

WEST NILE FEARS

ANDALUCIA is seeing a surge in tiger mosquitos carrying the West Nile Virus (WNV), experts have warned.

Tests carried out by the Junta between September 4 and 8 revealed the circulation of the disease among mosquito populations in Vejer de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera and Tarifa.

The study set up some 27 traps in the provinces of Sevilla, Cadiz, Huelva and Cordoba, 23 of which did not detect the disease.

The report insisted that people take appropriate measures to avoid bites - including nets and repellant spray - particularly when tiger mosquitos are most active - just before dawn and immediately after sunset.

“I can’t find any help anywhere and going into jail is an idea that I had,” he said. “But I don’t want to commit any crime.”

He added that he was ‘desperate’ to find a solution to his problem and to no longer be ‘alone 24 hours a day’.

He actually recently turned up at the Alhaurin de la Torre prison to request he be let in. He was carrying a sign that read: “I want to go to jail.”

He has made clear that he will continue to protest at the doors of the prison until his situation is resolved. Marquez, a father of five, also managed to speak to the prison warden, who said that he would not be able to enter the penitentiary on a voluntary basis. He previously spent two years in jail when he was a younger man on drugs-related charges, but claims that he has been clean for more than three decades.

Five-finger discount

SPANISH supermarkets have followed the UK’s suit in giving formerly affordable items such as Spain’s much-cherished olive oil security tags to deter rampant shoplifters.

Bear stunner

A BROWN bear stunned locals in Castilla y Leon by getting its head stuck in a plastic drum. Experts had the perilous job of removing it before it starved to death.

Cultural crime

TOURISTS to Barcelona have been complaining that the much-admired gothic cathedral has been plastered with a giant flashing advert selling mobile phones.

O P LIVE RESS The

SAND WEDGE

Women golfers tee off bringing €300m gift for sandy southern Spain

A STAGGERING 82,000 tickets have already been sold for this month’s Solheim Cup, appearing for the first time in Spain.

The world’s top women’s golf tournament is set to sprinkle a healthy €300m on the Costa del Sol when it takes place this weekend.

Held at Finca Cortesin, in Casares, from September 22 to 24 it will see the best players

from Europe and the United States do battle.

Billed as the women’s version of the Ryder Cup, teams consist of 12 players each, with a total of 28 matches to be played. There are eight foursomes and eight four-ball games on the first two days, and then 12 singles games on the last day.

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show and its impact has already been noted at all levels,”

A WATER company employee could have hit the jackpot after unearthing a 2,500 year-old gold necklace on the job.

Sergio Marciandi found the Iron Age artefact concealed among rocks in Cavandi, Asturias.

Now he has been praised by the regional government for immediately calling in archaeologists rather than attempting to pocket the valuable jewellery.

said Andalucia tourist chief Arturo Bernal.

The US team holds the world

Honest worker

It means scientists can now undertake a full study of the site to put the find into context. Since the find, the authorities have already discovered a second ancient necklace, with a specialist team being assembled to examine the site further.

Follow the leader

AN ultralight aircraft is guiding endangered Alpine birds on a 2000-km journey to their new home in Andalucia. The Northern Bald Ibises, from Austria, had disappeared from Europe centuries ago, with the only surviving populations in Morocco and Syria.

The Eremita project however, has worked hard to establish new populations in Europe, with Austria, Germany and Switzerland being the main beneficiaries.

ranking advantage, with an average score of 24.42 compared to Europe's 42.58. The home side, however, has an overwhelming advantage with more experience and momentum, winning four of the last six cups.

“I can't remember another time, another year, where so many Americans and Europeans were winning leading up to the Solheim Cup," US assistant captain Angela Stanford said.

“I can't remember a time where it just felt like all year long it was back and forth.”

The project is now hoping to re-establish their migration route to Andalucia after a successful scheme led to the establishment of wild colonies in Tuscany in Italy. The young birds follow the ultralight for two or three migrations before they have learned their own way.

WE’RE BACK: Ibis

PIC CREDIT: fincacortesin.com

CREDIT: Waldrappteam Naturschutz & Forschung