Olive Press Costa Blanca and Valencia - Issue 103

Arsonists to blame as thousands are evacuated around Eastern and northern Spain - with over 100 blazes set deliberately

See Page 4

My right to stay!

Expat goes on hunger strike after residency application is rejected due to Brexit withdrawal nightmare

A BRITISH man has gone on hunger strike over his ‘right to residency’ in Spain.

Mark Saxby is protesting the authorities’ refusal to grant him a resident’s permit because he did not have private medical insurance by the Brexit deadline.

Expat Saxby, who lives in Safor, near Valencia, has vowed to only drink water until the situation is resolved.

The 55-year-old teacher, from Birmingham, is now entering his fourth

Will it rain on the parade?

While the tourists might disagree, most locals and long-term expats are praying for the heavens to open this Easter as we approach a summer of drought...And as the Spanish will tell you it always seems to pour during Semana Santa. Happy Easter come rain or shine!

By Alex Trelinski

day without food.

He moved to the Valencia region at the beginning of 2020 with plans to work as an English language teacher, but returned to the UK just as the pandemic struck.

Once travel restrictions eased in the autumn that year he returned to Spain with an intention to become a resident. However continual delays in getting appointments resulted in his application only being sent in Decemberweeks before the Brexit Day deadline of January 1, 2021.

His application was eventually denied over the lack of private medical insurance, which Mark told the Olive Press could easily have been remedied without the delays.

“There were difficulties accessing websites to log in my details and then I kept being referred to different offices for appointments across the Valencia region due to Covid delays,” he explained, this week.

“We were promised a three-month period to deal with any problems which would have identified the insurance issue, but as everything ended up being submitted in December 2020, I was left with no time to do anything about it,” he added.

After Brexit Day and being told of his rejection, he immediately acquired the right medical insurance and informed the authorities.

“If this stipulation had been clearly flagged up in the initial application process it would have saved me a lot of time and bother,” he commented.

Continues on Page 2

EXCLUSIVE

HUNGER FOR JUSTICE: Mark Saxby is weighing himself

Shouldn’t happen to a vet

A VET was air-lifted to Alicante General Hospital after being kicked by a mule that he was treating in La Torre de Les Macanes.

Last hurrah

A COW escaped from a Burriana slaughterhouse and roamed the area for a fortnight until a drone located it on Tuesday, allowing police to finally capture the animal.

Fast buck

POLICE have scooped up 11 Valencia province scammers who defrauded €350,000 out of firms who paid bogus invoices sent by e-mails into gang bank accounts.

Drug induced

A PEGO man high on drugs was subdued in the street by police last Saturday night after threatening to kill a boy, 2, that he was holding.

Stab pals

A FIGHT involving two Irish holidaymakers staying in a Benidorm tourist apartment ended up with one of them being stabbed and requiring hospital treatment.

BRITAIN’S former most wanted female fugitive, finally arrested last year, has had her jail sentence doubled after she failed to repay a seven-figure sum.

Former private school girl Sarah Panitzke will now spend 17 years in jail when previously being sentenced to nine. The penalty was imposed at the City of London Magistrates' Court after she failed to repay £2.4 million she stole as part of a massive VAT fraud scheme.

Panitzke had spent nine years on the run in Spain, living incog nito as a local thanks to her excellent Span ish, before being cap tured and returned

Chokey for liver donor error

A LEBANESE multimillionaire has been jailed for eight months after attempting to buy a liver. Hatem Akkouche, former mayor of Al Kharayeb, asked family living in Alicante to search for a compatible liver in 2013. The politician, 69, who suffered from liver disease, offered €40,000 to anyone who could help him overcome his ‘incurable’ disease.

An NGO worker alerted authorities after he found a 28-year-old Algerian woman living in Valencia who agreed to be a ‘living donor’. The man was detained upon his return to Valencia for a check up in 2014. He eventually had surgery using part of his son’s liver, legally and free of charge at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.

PAY IT BACK

Britain’s most wanted female fugitive who spent nine years hiding out in Spain has her jail sentence doubled

to the UK while out walking her dogs.

She had been living in the town of Santa Barbara near Tarragona under the alias ‘Maria’, where she had an apartment above an English academy.

The fraudster was initially sentenced to 8 years in pris-

By Walter Finch

on, while being ordered to repay the sum, which was a tiny fraction of the £1 billion she is thought to have laundered on behalf of a scheme to sell mobile phones.

Her part involved laundering millions of pounds of stolen money through offshore bank

WATCH THE BIRDIES Revenge attack

FIVE teenagers have been arrested for stealing racing pigeons from a Benidorm club.

The gang was caught during a routine traffic check in Alicante when cops spotted seven birds inside their car.

The gang, who have been charged with theft, had forced cages to steal a total of 18 birds.

Police recovered an additional seven pigeons which have been returned to their owners.

During two robberies last year some 120 pigeons worth €100,000 were stolen from the same club.

A COUPLE in Valencia have been arrested after attacking a minor who is accused of killing their son in 2021. The incident took place outside the city’s courthouse after the alleged killer had attended juvenile court. The suspect managed to resist the attack, and was treated by an ambulance for minor knife injuries. He is accused of stabbing a 16-year-old boy in the heart after they arranged a fight on social media.

HUNGER STRIKE

He also argued that the Withdrawal Agreement made clear that the host state would help any applicants correct mistakes in their application.

accounts set up by the criminal gang she was part of, which claimed to be importing and selling the phones legitimately. Despite going to great lengths to hide the profits, HM Revenue and Customs investigators uncovered the complex web of transactions used to launder the stolen money through international bank accounts. These included accounts in the UK, Andorra, Dubai, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Portugal and the US.

Panitzke's failure to repay the stolen money means she still owes the full amount plus interest, which continues to accrue at a rate of £538 per day, and has now reached a total of £3,782,779.

Nicol Sheppard, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said Panitzke’s actions had deprived the UK of vital public money.

“Panitzke was part of a criminal gang that stole millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money and deprived our public services of vital funding,” Sheppard said.

It added that any such errors or omissions could not be used as an excuse to deny residence. Mark immediately appealed to Valencian immigration authorities but was refused and although the Ombudsman took up his case, the answer ended up the same.

He then appealed to the European Commission which agreed Spain may have misapplied the regulations in the Withdrawal Agreement. But unfortunately it added it could not intervene in any specific case.

Mark is now worried about leaving the country in case he is fined on his return for not having a residencia or even denied entry.

“It’s madness really. I normally work around the world on shortterm contracts, earning money that I then spend back home, effectively bringing money into Valencia,” he said.

“But right now I cannot travel so I cannot work and am surviving on my savings.”

As a final throw of the dice, he launched a hunger strike on Monday where he will only drink water until his situation is resolved.

“This is not something I am doing for a day or two to get some publicity, but to get action, as my life is in limbo as I cannot do anything,” declared Mark.

*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services.

From front

Armageddon approaches

BRITISH comedian Ricky Gervais will be making a stop in Spain on his upcoming Armageddon tour, thanks to a show in Barcelona’s Auditori Forum, on August 31. The tour will kick off on April 4 in Newcastle at two soldout shows, and will visit a range of UK cities including Manchester, Liverpool and London, as well as Dublin in Ireland. The international dates will see the award-winning comedian, director and writer visit the United States, Portugal, Sweden and Germany, among other destinations.

Gervais is the creator and star of The Office, Extras, Derek, and the critically acclaimed recent Netflix hit After Life. The Armageddon show will also be recorded so that it can be released via Netflix.

KRAFTWERK, the German grandfathers of electronica are set to dazzle a new generation of music lovers at Sevilla’s Iconica festival. Having virtually pioneered the entire genre of electronic music, the Dusseldorf synth artists will complete an eclectic line up featuring Spanish stars Pastora Soler and Lola Indigo among others. The festival has become one of the top musical events in Spain and has helped put Sevilla firmly on the musical culture map. The festival is spread over several weeks from June 15 to July 22. Kraftwerk will be headlining the show on July 3.

KING OF THE BEAT

Man

of

the

People: King Felipe VI stuns flamenco box players in Cadiz by joining in

THE King and Queen of Spain surprised a group of flamenco box drummers by sidling up and joining in their cajoneada session prior to a theatre show in Cadiz.

The event was held outside the Gran Teatro Falla and involved Felipe VI sitting on a flamenco box and drumming alongside a group of students. The performance was intended to welcome attendees to

Spanish Phantom

ANTONIO Banderas is taking part in the production of a Spanish-language version of Andrew Lloyd Weber's hit musical The Phantom of the Opera.

Lloyd Webber and Banderas teamed up a while ago with the aim of producing theatre, musicals and live entertainment shows for Spanish-speaking markets via their new company Amigos Para Siempre (friends forever).

The Spanish version of The Phantom of the Opera, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, is expected to premiere on October 4, at the UMusic Hotel Teatro Albeniz in Madrid.

the 9th International Spanish Language Congress in Cadiz - little did they realise they would attract the head of state to join in.

As the King and Queen ar-

SHE is seldom out of the society pages and now Ana Obregon has sent the Spanish celebrity magazines into a frenzy by revealing she has become a mother at the age of 68.

The model, actress, TV presenter and scriptwriter hired a surrogate to bear her a baby daughter in Miami, USA.

Best known outside Spain for her role in Bolero alongside Bo Derek, Obregon lost her 27-year-old son Alejandro Lequio to cancer in 2020.

At the time she was comforted by old friends, King Emetrius Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Now she has said she has recovered ‘the excitement to live’ after the arrival of her new daughter.

Hiring a surrogate mother is illegal in Spain, however, there are agencies that allow wealthy families to ‘order’ a kid from Eastern European countries and the USA. Obregón is being highly criticised online and on some Spanish TV programmes.

People have also pointed out how she left the hospital in a wheelchair as if she had given birth to the baby herself.

rived at the theatre for the opening show, Tiempo de Luz, they got out of their car and were immediately intrigued by the box-playing cajoneada.

The Queen and King then approached the two available boxes and Felipe VI briefly played one, joining in and singing the rumba Ali oh "The first cajon-playing king," proclaimed Guille, one of the percussionists who led the performance of 62 separate boxes - or cajones.

The Instituto Cervantes and the Cadiz City Council organised the cajoneada to commemorate the origin of the cajon flamenco. Members of the public attending the event were also free to join in.

BRAVE GENERATION ACADEMY

The Revolutionary approach to Education

A child should be given the opportunity to develop into the person they want to be, to learn what and how they want to learn, to discover and pursue a future that is theirs, designed by them. In this world we speak of, in which the outdated traditional education system seems to have reached its limits, a new approach to learning emerges.

Welcome Brave Generation Academy, a new method of schooling that is changing the face of education as we know it.

THE MISSION: To empower young generations with the resources they need to succeed in life, through educational and personal development programmes.

Brave Generation Academy (BGA) addresses the need for change in education, exploring the challenges faced by learners of the modern world. In a six-episode documentary series, BGA highlights their fight for a more personalised and empowering education system, the traditional education model versus the BGA hybrid education model, and the stories of

founders and co-workers who are developing it, plus families and learners who have benefited from it.

BGA has introduced the concept of hybrid learning – a three-pillar approach combining online academics, personalised skill development, and community-based projects whilst attending a learning centre or ‘hub’. The academic side is provided through an online platform on which the courses are designed and supported by specialist professors and tech wizards, exclusively for BGA. The documentary covers the premise behind this innovative approach to secondary education which provides the freedom and flexibility of working at one’s own pace alongside tutor support, mentor support, and on-site socialisation, as well as being immersed in the community and acquiring skills outside of academia, allowing learners to find their passions and follow their own path.

The BGA model removes the idea of hierarchy in school with all ages studying

Feline fantastic

A TOTAL of 43 new Iberian lynx cubs have been born throughout 2022 in different breeding centres managed by National Parks across Spain. The breeding season ended with the successful birth of seven cubs in the Doñana National Park (Huelva). A further nine cubs were born in Zarza de Granadilla; 14 in La Olivilla; 10 in Silves and three in Jerez Zoo. Additionally, last year saw a total of 33 lynx released into the wild at a national level as part of the Iberian Lynx Ex situ Conservation Programme.

together, bullying is taken out of the equation as each individual is equal. Every learner has the same opportunities, and each is in charge of their own future. Location is not a factor with BGA, you can learn from anywhere on the planet and receive the same qualifications, there are no geographical or socio-economic restrictions.

BGA is a young, fresh and exciting alternative to secondary education which focuses on the individual; it removes the four walls, the learning by heart, the stress of regular school timetables and peer pressure, the judgement, etc., to encourage individual, free-thinking, inspired and motivated young individuals to be ready for their next phase of life out in the world. With 1000+ learners leading the way for the evolution of the BGA educational model, there are currently more than fifty hubs across the globe, with locations in; Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and the USA.

QUIT: Maria Gamez

Quick spin at the top

THE Guardia Civil has a new female boss, a trained journalist, after its previous leader resigned over a corruption scandal.

Mercedes Gonzalez stepped in after Maria Gamez’ quit amid a scandal in which several commanders are accused of profiting from building work on police barracks.

Gamez, 54, put the blame for her departure down to the implication of her husband, lawyer Juan Carlos Martinez, in a separate corruption case. He has been dragged into the high profile Mediador scandal, which involved backhanders and bungs in return for contracts in the Canary Islands. The new broom, Gonzalez, 47, who has worked in politics, studied journalism at university.

TERRORISTS!

Arsonists

SPECIALIST fire units are counting the cost of one the biggest wildfires in Spain for a decade.

The Castellon fire is finally under control after raging for nine days, destroying 4,700 hectares of mountain woodland.

Some 1,700 residents were evacuated after the blaze started in the Alto Mijares region on March 23.

Strong gusts of wind caused a few embers to relight over the weekend but reappearing flames were quickly extinguished.

Most residents have finally been able to return to their homes, after being forced to stay at special emergency

By Alex Trelinski

centres.

While no properties were destroyed, a number of the 500 firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation.

The fire was described by Valencian president Ximo Puig as being more of a summer fire fanned by 'voracious' summer-like temperatures.

Hard-working fire crews were able to prevent it from entering the valuable Sierra de Espadan natural park.

The fire is believed to have started from a spark of a machine ‘used to collect brushwood'.

Raisin the roof

DENIA will have a new cultural centre on the top floor of a former Cooperative warehouse once owned by the Manchester retailer.

The building was built in 1910 to store Valencian raisins for export to London and Liverpool.

The Plaza del Convent business closed in the late sixties but its ground floor has been home to many outlets over the decades.

Denia council has now struck a deal to rent the top floor for cultural use with the 1,080 m2 space maintaining its original look with its original ceiling of iron and wood beams.

STRONG GUSTS: Winds and hot weather blamed

“Everything points to the fire starting due to agricultural malpractice,” claimed regional fire chief Jose Maria Angel. So serious was the blaze that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez insisted the intensity was down to the alarming drought conditions currently threatening Spain.

"There is no room for denial because the climate emergency causes dramas like the one we are experiencing," he said on a visit to the area.

A further 600 firefighters were drafted in to battle an alarming 91 blazes in the north of Spain last week.

Nearly 400 people were evacuated from a number of key inland areas of Asturias, as a

Always blue

CULLERA castle has hosted a 36th anniversary celebration for European Blue Flag winners.

The flags acknowledge beach quality and are awarded every May by an international jury. Just eight Spanish towns have been annual winners since the first awards in 1987, with seven of them in Valencia.

The long-standing winners are Alicante (Playa de San Juan); El Campello (Playa Carrer la Mar); Calpe (La Fossa); Alfaz del Pi (Raco de l’Albir); Alcala de Xivert (El Carregador); Cullera (Sant Antoni); and Gandia (Playa Nord).

shocking 135 fires were started around the Valdes, Villayon and Tineo areas.

“The fires were set by terrorists,” President of Asturias Adrian Barbon insisted.

“They are real organised criminals.”

Devastated

Meanwhile, in Cantabria firefighters were dealing with 28 fires at the weekend.

Last year Spain had nearly 500 serious wildfires which devastated 306,000 hectares - three times more than in 2021.

A serious lack of rain is feared to be set to make 2023 even worse.

Visitors charged

TOURISTS visiting Benitatxell’s Cala del Moraig and its surrounding coves will have to pay a car park charge of up to €12 per day between 9am and 7pm until October 15. But parking will be free for residents who pay the circulation tax (IVTM) in the municipality.

Extra cops

AN extra 34 police officers have been deployed to Alicante airport in time for the Easter holiday season - a staffing rise of over 30%.

to blame as thousands are evacuated around Eastern and northern Spain - with over 100 blazes set deliberately

FLOWING TRIBUTE

A DESIGN to incorporate both riverside and Mediterranean landscapes has won a competition to create a park at the mouth of Valencia’s Turia river.

The winning project called Confluir beat 16 contenders to win the international contest and will take on the €1 million drafting of the first phase of the Parc de Desembocadura.

After being approved a contractor will be appointed to work on phase one of the park, which will eventually cover 245,000m2.

The overhaul has a €35 million budget, with phase one costing €16.5 million - most of which is coming from the Valencia port authority.

Robbing the dead

Homes

of deceased expats worth over €3 million stolen in elaborate scam

A GANG targeted up to a dozen dead expats with no apparent heirs to steal 20 properties worth over €3 million. The unscrupulous thieves, who included funeral parlour and nursing home workers, also took jewellery, cash and other assets when bodies were left unclaimed.

The majority of victims were non-Spaniards, and included at least one Brit and eight Germans.

The homes of at least 22 elderly victims, including four in Paris, were raided by the gang.

So far, eight people have been detained between Denia and Calpe as well as Sopelana in the French Basque province of Biscay.

The driving force behind the fraud were a brother and sister from Sopelana, with the woman, 63, owning real estate agencies in Denia, Bilbao and Cantabria.

Her sibling, 54, was in charge of an insurance brokerage.

It’s believed they planned to flee Spain after they became aware of the police operation, which is ongoing. Their associates included two workers at a Marina Alta funeral parlour; a nursing home employee; and a former council worker in the region. Inquiries began in May 2021 after police learnt that a house belonging to a deceased person in Benissa had been illegally broken into.

The funeral home workers allegedly entered the property and stole jewellery and a Harley motorcycle. The keys were passed onto other gang members who carried out some improvements to the property before letting it out.

The modus operandi involved the undertakers setting up illegal home seizures once the body of a deceased person remained unclaimed. They then contacted the bosses in France who would either sell or rent out the properties.

A former Marina Alta council employee helped with the illegal transfer of property deeds and registration while a nursing home worker got hold of personal documents and bank access codes belonging to the dead victims.

The gang allegedly made over €112,000 from two bank accounts belonging to German and Swiss deceased residents alone.

Items removed by officers in house raids included cash, over 100 items of jewellery, eight cars, and a cryptocurrency wallet.

Tram boost

TWO new tram lines and an extension have been confirmed for Valencia city. Metrovalencia 11 will connect the city centre with Marítim-El Grau, and L12 will link the centre with Malilla and La Fe hospital. Meanwhile Line 10 will have its Nazaret terminus extended to La Marina and La Malvarrosa.

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.

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Desperate action

MARK Saxby’s decision to go on hunger strike over his denial for residency is certainly taking matters to the extreme.

But you have to admire his tenacity in contacting the European Commission and the Ombudsman to argue that he didn’t get enough time to submit proof of health insurance ahead of the January 2021 deadline.

That was an error on his part as rules changed some years ahead of Brexit which demanded all EU incomers to show they had enough money in the bank as well as health cover.

But the UK Withdrawal Agreement did allow for two months for mistakes to be cleared up.

And what was certainly not his fault was the autumn 2020 appointments logjam caused by the Covid pandemic. Moreover he is paying taxes into the Spanish system and just wants to be a good citizen rather than a villain who wants to live ‘under the radar’.

Surely some common sense from authorities is in order so that he can enjoy a hearty meal as soon as possible.

Easter warning

SO often have the Semana Santa processions been cancelled to the disappointment of millions that it’s become a bit of a running joke that ‘it always rains at Easter in Spain’.

This year, we could be forgiven for hoping the joke is fulfilled.

Much of Spain, as we report on page 8, is officially in drought. As reservoirs dry up, rain is desperately needed, with crops threatened.

Indeed, even a bishop has got involved to lead a special mass to call for rain (see back page).

But the real answer is, of course, nothing to do with prayer. There can be no doubt that climate change is taking effect.

It may be too late to reverse the damage, but it is within the power of all of us to at least try to stop things getting worse. Governments and big business must get their act together and take action much faster to combat CO2 emissions. Otherwise we had better all start praying.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

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Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

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

Spain’s Weirdest Easter Events

SEMANA Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated with great passion throughout Spain. Between April 2 and Easter Sunday on April 9, you can expect multiple processions day and night in the bigger towns and cities.

The floats (pasos) carrying saints, candles and flowers are carried through the streets on the shoulders of men, preceded by the clergy and followed by a cloud of incense, a

Procession of the Drunken Mobs, Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha)

crucifixion cross to Mount Calvary. The march gets under way at dawn on Good Friday, when ‘the mobs’ respectfully stage the ridicule of Christ to the sound of out-of-tune drums and trumpets while drinking resoli, the typical drink of Cuenca.

band or drummers, and penitents.

Biblical events are commemorated with great fervour in even the smallest of villages. But there are some places where the local population goes the extra mile, adding a personal touch or a twist on the Easter theme.

Here are some of Spain’s more unusual Semana Santa celebrations:

Descent of the Angel, Aranda de Duero (Burgos)

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HEAD OFFICE

Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva

THE Spanish government is preparing a law to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2040. It is part of a concerted effort to be the first European government to meet the EU’s official target of a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040.

Fair enough – we all want cleaner air.

In addition to the problems of polluting emissions, when you consider that fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) are becoming exponentially more expensive, it stands to reason that the automotive industry is heavily invested in producing emission-free electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids. Yet the reliance of EVs on the electrical grid system creates its own set of problems (more about that later).

So what about a solar car? After all, solar energy is front and centre in any discussion of clean, emission-free energy – especially here in sunny Spain!

But the silence around the topic is deafening, so I looked into it.

As mentioned, the internal combustion engine is going the way of the dinosaurs. Since the Spanish government announced its intention, 31 countries, states and cities have internal combustion bans in place.

Copenhagen, for example, wants to end all diesel sales starting

ON Easter Sunday, they stage the appearance of the angel who announced the Resurrection of Jesus to the Virgin. Using a system of pulleys, a globe – suspended from a cable – is lowered into position above a statue of the Virgin Mary, cloaked in black. To gasps and cheers from the crowd, the globe bursts apart showering confetti to reveal a small child, also dangling somewhat precariously from the cable, dressed as an angel. The angel releases two doves, swoops down and removes the cloak to signify the end of mourning, and flies up and down at quite some height.

Drumming of Hellin (Castilla-La Mancha)

MORE than 20,000 drums sound through the streets and rattle the windows of this city – and almost all week. The first drumming session takes place on Holy Wednesday and the last ones boom out on Easter Sunday. Attendees dress in black tunics with red scarves tied around their necks.

Driving on sunshine

Fossil fuels are bad for the planet, electricity is expensive. How about we all drive solar cars? Jack Gaioni explores the options while waiting for a breakthrough

next year. Likewise, Paris, Athens, Milan, and Mexico City plan bans by 2025; Norway by 2025; and France, Germany and the UK by 2040. In the United States, California, New York, and Washington have a 2030 target date for a ban in place.

With the aim of reducing emissions paramount, it’s logical the auto industry is promoting EVs. Indeed, running cars on electricity does reduce emissions, but there are unintended consequences.

Here in Spain, the cost of electricity has skyrocketed and costs four times what it did just a few short years ago.

Blackouts are becoming more common everywhere: the US already has more than any other developed nation, and the situation is getting worse. Experts expect a 38% increase in electricity consumption by 2050,

mostly due to the projected sales of EVs. Add to that another 10-15% increase to reflect the growth of energy-consuming industries, and power grids will be hard pressed to keep up with demand.

Bottlenecks in the supply of batteries and the high demand for components have already caused some manufactures to suspend EV production.

Doomed

Factors like these undermine confidence in the EV and hybrid markets. But if the internal combustion engine is doomed, and there are doubts about the reliability and capacity of electricity grids, what direction does the auto industry turn?

A few established auto manufacturers in-

It’s Easter, and in Spain that means saints and processions . . . as well as Nero, flying children, and drunken mobs, writes Nadia McDonald

THIS procession reenacts the mockery that Jesus Christ was subjected to while dragging his

Seaborne Jesus, Alicante

EASTER celebrations in Alicante have a maritime flavour starting with the figure of Christ of the Sea coming into harbour aboard a boat, accompanied by port police. Another unusual event is the Last Supper, where a monumental float requiring nearly 200 bearers is paraded through the streets.

Genarin’s Burial, León, Castile-Leon

ONE of the most unusual traditions during Semana Santa is the pagan celebration of Genarin’s Burial. A mock funeral procession takes place in the historic centre of Leon on Holy Thursday, in honour of Genaro Blanco, a drunk known for frequenting all the brothels in the city. He was run over by a truck in 1929, and, on the first anniversary of his death, four of his friends staged the mock funeral in homage to their dearly departed party companion. Over time, it became an excuse to parody the Holy Week processions. Though subjected to censorship during Franco’s dictatorship, the tradition re-emerged in the 1970s.

Holy Week of Ben-Hur, Lorca (Murcia)

DECLARED a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2007, this procession is more reminiscent of a flamboyant carnival. The city’s different religious brotherhoods spend months preparing floats for what has become something of a competition. Marc Anthony, Nero and Cleopatra are among some of the pre-Christian characters that feature in this Easter procession.

cluding Toyota and Hyundai have begun exploring solar-powered vehicles. The first order of business has been to enable normal ‘plug-in’ EVs to use solar to top up the batteries, providing ‘an auxiliary add-on’ to extend the EVs’ range.

Other manufacturers, mostly start-ups, are looking at ways to make cars that are totally powered by solar, or which use the grid solely as backup. Aperta Motors in California, for example, is on a mission ‘to build lightweight and aerodynamic vehicles powered by the sun that are able to handle most daily needs completely off the grid’.

Using solar roof panels, the Aperta charging system can provide enough energy to power a daily range of 44 km (as long as it’s sunny). The average commute in the US is 30 km per day (in Europe it is 28 km), and so, for the commuter, the need to stop and charge during the day is eliminated. Designed with three wheels, the vehicle can achieve speeds of over 95 km per hour, and, the manufacturers claim, reduce emissions by more than 6000 kg of CO2 per year.

At the time of writing, Aperta’s solar car is yet to pass all federal safety standards, but there is already a backlog of 12,000 pre-orders for the vehicles which cost between €27,000 and €42,000.

Germany’s Sono Motors aims to make ‘every vehicle solar for a world without fossil fuels’ and is developing an EV that charges itself. In a bid to achieve a ‘grid-free’ range of 305 km, more than 1000 solar cells have been adapted and embedded in the plastic body panels of the roof, the sides and the boot. Their prototypes use two to three times less battery power than any EV currently on the market, and already meet legal safety standards. They’re also more suited to today’s consumers, being four-wheeled, multi-passenger and traditional sedan style.

Prisoner freed, Malaga

WHEN plague broke out in 1759, prisoners rioted when they found out that Easter processions were cancelled. In the hope they could be saved from the plague, they then forced their way out of jail and carried a statue of Jesus through the streets before returning to their cells. King Carlos III was so impressed by their piety that from that day on he declared a prisoner should be set free in Malaga every Easter, so long as they had not been convicted

Dance of Death, Verges (Girona)

ON Maundy Tuesday, Verges lays on a Dance of Death. Two adults and three children dress up as skeletons and dance to the rhythm of drums. The origins of the tradition stem from medieval times when Christianity provided hope during the terror of the plague.

Look out below, Valencia

On Easter Saturday Valencianos like to make a noise. They celebrate Christ’s Resurrection with fireworks at midnight but they are not noisy enough for the locals. They join in the noise by throwing pots and old crockery from upper floor balconies. Take an umbrella if you are visiting - water is regularly dumped on unwary visitors too.

VERY SUCCESSFUL

Mail-out restaurant campaign bites BIG with our thousands of registered users

WITH a new restaurant opening looming and a need to spread the word, Malaga’s leading Metro Group turned to the Olive Press to help. Via two enticing emails, we hoped our 30,000 registered website users would bite. And bite, they certainly did.

For a limited period of just 11 days, our readers at www. theolivepress.es were offered a unique 50% discount code to redeem against a meal at the hot new restaurant Nomad, opening last month in Marbella. And boy, did they use it, with a staggering 83 BOOKINGS coming in for the launch.

“It was very successful and we have actually been a bit overwhelmed with the reservations,” Metro’s marketing manager Karen Wolfson explained.

“All in all we are very pleased with the result. Thanks so much. We will definitely be doing more with the Olive Press.”

One of the lucky readers to benefit from the generous meal offer was Danish expat, Carsten Christensen, based in San Pedro.

“We jumped at the offer and I took my wife for her birthday with friends,” he explained. “The meal came to €300, which dropped to only €150 after the discount code was applied.

“It was a great meal and we have already booked to come back, not to mention recommended it to a few of our friends.”

For more information on how to run a similar campaign for your restaurant or another business contact sales@theolivepress.es

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

1- Light at the end of the tunnel: Gibraltar’s new runway tunnel opens March 31 much to commuters’ glee

2- Why are the Semana Santa hats conical and are they linked to the KKK?

3- British parents pay £200 bill each after going on drinking session with their baby at a Gibraltar bar

4- Ryanair boss fumes over latest Spain flight disruptions caused by French air traffic controller strike

5- Spanish celebrity Ana Obregon become a mother at 68

Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info

DRYING UP

Ongoing drought sees waters shortages and fires across Spain

THREE quarters of Spain is affected by water shortages according to reports from water management company Aqualia.

The country has been struggling with ongoing droughts since 2017 and last week weather agency Aemet declared the country to have officially entered a longterm drought period due to a lack of rainfall and increasing average temperatures.

This Autumn the country experienced 27% less rainfall than the average.

According to the Ministry for Ecological transition, reservoirs contain 35% less water than the average volume in the past decade. Water basins with the lowest levels of capacity are in Catalunya (33.8%), Ebro (35.4%), Guadiana basin (23%) and Guadalquivir basin (18.6%).

In many parts of the country restrictions have been

Electric delivery

OIL and energy giant Repsol is teaming up with delivery company SEUR to reduce greenhouse gasses.

They have signed an agreement under which Repsol will install and operate more than 150 recharging points in the 55 work centres that the transport company has throughout the country.

SEUR has pledged to carry out deliveries with low-emission vehicles in 64 Spanish cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants by 2025.

At the moment SEUR claims that 13% of its fleet is ‘environmentally friendly’ and, by 2030, the company plans to incorporate 3,000 electric vehicles.

PLASTIC FASHION

AS plastic pollution rapidly escalates, Spanish fishermen are salvaging waste from the ocean to turn into something useful.

Plastic bottles, fishing nets and other smaller particles are being recycled into fabric to make stylish fashion items and accessories.

By Nadia McDonald

put on water usage and consumption, including the entire metropolitan area of Barcelona.

The drought is striking farmers hard in Northern Spain, and has also led to an earlier than usual fire season. Around 100 blazes have started in Asturias, with the majority thought to have been set by arsonists. The tinder-dry conditions have also seen fires in the Valencia region. On World Water Day the UN called for ‘governments to work up to four times faster’

in making changes to water management and consumption. The sixth UN Sustainable Development Goal establish-

es universal access to drinking water and sanitation. Currently 60% of the global population lives in areas with water scarcity.

In 2022, thanks to the work of around 2,600 fishermen, a total of 189,844 kilos of waste was collected from the Spanish seabed via the Upcycling the Oceans Spain project, currently working in 45 Spanish ports.

THE WORLD IS GETTING HOTTER

THE last few years has seen the world experience extreme weather, record temperatures and rapid ice melt.

Latest reports indicate that we are running out of time for easier solutions and that human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and irreversible ways.

CHECK OUT THE FACTS

● The 10 warmest years since records began in 1880 have all been recorded since 2010

● A total of 28 countries experienced their warmest year ever last year

● Record warmth was recorded in Western Europe…..including Spain, Portugal, Andorra, France, Belgium, Morocco and Germany. All very close to home.

● The UK hit 40·C for the first time ever

● In 2022 there was a heatwave in the Antarctic which briefly pushed up temperatures by 38·C above the average

● The drought in Europe last year was the worst for 500 years

● The Alps had unusually low levels of snow

PRETTY DISMAL READING

Berkeley Earth, a Californian based independent research institute, predicts that this year will be hotter than last year and that 2024 will break the record again. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change (which all European countries signed up to in 2015), set a target of limiting global warming to 1.5·C . We are on a trajectory to hit 1.5·C before 2034 and hit 2.0·C before 2060.

ATMOSPHERIC CO2 LEVELS

Last year levels of CO2 exceeded the recorded levels of 2021, which in turn were higher than the previous year. This simply cannot continue.

Planting more trees and protecting carbon absorbing ecosystems is one of the most effective ways of capturing carbon.

But forests worldwide are shrinking at an alarming rate.

Destruction of tropical forests is far outstripping the current rate of replanting.

A massive concern is that over a quarter of the

Amazon now emits more carbon than it absorbs.

MELTING ICE

Arctic sea ice has shrunk.

The rapid loss of Arctic sea ice is not just a symptom of climate change. It is also a driver. There is less snow and ice now to reflect heat. The white reflective surface is being replaced by a darker heat absorbing surface, which leads to further loss of sea ice.

This is a vicious circle that has to be broken. Now is the time for governments to act. Therein lies the problem. Talk is cheap…..action costs money.

Green Matters By Martin Tye

DRYING UP: Reservoirs are at low levels

greenest house in Spain

roperty

See page 6

INSIDE OUT

HIS genius eye made him the world’s most creative architect in his day. And now you can get up and intimate with Gaudi’s stunning homebuilding talents, with today half a dozen properties open to the public in Barcelona. His eye for detail will amaze you.

See page 4

FOREIGN RUSH

FOREIGN property buyers accounted for 88,858 home purchases in Spain last year - up by 45% on 2021 figures.

The College of Registrars says deals struck by non-Spaniards worth at least €500,000 increased by 63.5% compared to the previous year, accounting for 8,975 transactions.

The registrars added that the percentage of foreigners entering the Spanish housing market is normally around 13% annually, but rose last

HighspendingforeignersboostpropertymarketwithBritsontop

By Alex Trelinski

year to 13.8%.

Overall, nearly 650,000 sales were carried out last year - the highest figure since 2007, just before the property bubble burst in Spain.

The breakdown of results by nationality puts UK buyers at 11.07% of purchases made by foreigners.

They are followed by Germans with

9.47%, French (6.97%), Belgians (5.21%), Moroccans (5.15%), Romanians (5.07%) and Dutch (4.91%).

The registrars deduced that properties with an area of over 100 m2 are bought by Americans, the British, Danes and Dutch, while those below 80 m2 are usually acquired by Moroccans, Romanians, Bulgarians, Poles and Italians.

Unsurprisingly tourist areas are the areas that most foreign buyers go

for- led by Alicante province with 41.7% of all house deals, with Tenerife on 35%.

In terms of regions, the Balearic Islands account for 34.38% of all non-Spanish sales.

That's followed by the Canary Islands (28.6%), Valencia (26.8%), Murcia (19%), Andalucia (15%) and Catalunya (13.5%).

Broadly speaking, British and German buyers led the list of foreign

buyers in coastal and island areas, while Romanians and Moroccans were the leading non-Spanish purchasers in landlocked regions like Aragon, Extremadura and Madrid. Total transactions last year were 646,241 deals - 14.5% more than in 2021 with used property sales exceeding 530,000.

The average price paid for a home in Spain was around €188,000 - a 4.5% rise, with bigger increases in the Balearic Islands, Madrid, the Basque Country and Catalunya.

The

Home from home

ALICANTE province was the most popular destination amongst foreign buyers in 2022 by a significant margin, and also the province with the second-highest rate of growth.

Some 20,865 home sales in Alicante province involved foreign buyers in 2022, the highest level in Spain, and 68% higher than 2021, reveals the 2022 market report just published by the land registrars’ association.

Foreign demand in Alicante province was 50% higher than Malaga province (13,908), the second most popular province with foreign investors, and home to the Costa del sol. The chart shows foreign demand in 2022 in key regions and provinces of interest to foreign buyers. Alicante province attracted 23.5% of all foreign buyers in Spain last year, and Alicante and Malaga province between them accounted for just under

40% of foreign demand.

If you look at just key regions of interest to second-home buyers Alicante was 25.8% of the market and Malaga 17.2% (combined total of 43%), as illustrated in the pie chart.

In terms of growth, sales almost doubled in Valencia province (+97%) followed by Alicante province (+68%). Foreign demand increased the least in the Balearics (+22%) and Madrid (+15%).

The market share of foreign buyers was the highest last year in Alicante province (+42%) and Tenerife in the Canaries (35%) and lowest in the Madrid region (5%), excluding other areas that are not of interest to second-home buyers. This information will be enough for many. For those who want more detail, subscribe to my website, Spanish Property Insight for unrestricted access to all the data and charts. www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

Alicante is the most popular province with foreign buyers

Yanks a lot

SPAIN is the second best country to relocate to for Americans.

Only Japan is a more popular choice to become an expat, while France comes third.

The research by Ibrinfo took the top 13 countries according to the number of American expats living there.

Next it scored the countries on nine factors: road quality, pollution, landmarks, healthcare, nature, monthly costs (without rent), salary after tax, average internet download speed and average rent for a one-bed flat in a city center.

Spain has an average monthly income after tax of 1839 dollars and average rent at 811 dollars, it discovered.

Meanwhile its healthcare index score is 77.9, 3.8 points higher than the UK, and has a pollution index of 39.6 out of 100.

It scored top in internet download speed, a factor that is crucial for those working remotely. The country also enjoys 5,666 nature spots, 17,264 landmarks and the third best road quality score, making it great for those looking to do some weekend trips.

In total Spain scored 81 out of 117 points, only 12 points behind Japan and 2 above France.

Advantage Building Surveys

If you are buying property in Spain or have problems with a property you already own, a professional structural survey can help identify and record defects whilst suggesting remedial solutions and cost implications.

Mark Paddon BSc Hons. MCIOB. CAAT. is a British Building Surveyor and Spanish registered Arquitecto Tecnico, insured via Lloyd’s of London. He has been working on the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida for over 20 years carrying out buyers structural surveys and providing general property purchase and insurance claims. (Thermal camera inspection is also included).

Whether its an old town house, apartment or luxury villa every property purchase represents a considerable investment and deserves a close inspection for defects such as damp, termites, subsidence etc. Specialist structural assessment of problem retaining walls and swimming pools is also undertaken.

Fast turnaround video survey options now available.

FREE buyers guide available via website. Initial telephone and email advice is FREE.

Good life beckons

A BRAND new website is encouraging townies to swap for the quiet life in the country.

The site Come and Live in a Village (www.venteaviviraunpueblo.com) aims to be a platform to help repopulate the many villages and hamlets in Spain that are suffering from depopulation.

There are eight stunning inland villages in the Valencian Community already on the site, each with alluring videos extolling their best virtues. As well as interviews with the local mayors, there are potted pointers on transport links and other key facts, such as closest hospital, wifi speeds and population statistics.

Feel the draft

EUROPE-wide plans to clamp down on drafty homes are expected to hammer Spanish property owners where many buildings are poorly insulated.

Under proposed new EU rules, homeowners will be expected to invest in reducing their energy wastage.

It is estimated that an alarming 80% of Spanish homes don’t meet the EU's criteria for energy efficiency. Properties will be required to boost their energy ratings to at least a category E by 2030 and then push it up to a D by 2033, under EU plans.

Spain has around 28 million old and badly insulated buildings, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Efficiency

Meanwhile, over 80% of homeowners believe they live in an efficient and sustainable house, and 60% do not know their own energy rating, according to real estate union UCI. Initially the proposal was to restrict sales and rentals that didn’t fit the new rules, but now the EU is leaving the issuing of fines down to each member state.

The EU has recognised the costly investment of green renovations and has stressed the need for financial support and incentives.

Solar panels, insulating windows, thermal insulation, and low-consumption lighting are among the most popular changes people must consider.

Another survey found that 85% of owners, if able to, would be willing to invest in sustainable renovations, in particular as it will likely dramatically lower bills.

TIME TO SHUT UP!

SPAIN’S ombudsman has called on councils to do something about the noise caused by outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants, and crowds celebrating large events.

The platform also provides job offers and information on available housing in the area, plus average costs to rent and buy.

The platform, created by Ramon Pradera, showcases more than 300 villages all over the country, from

Galicia to the Canary Islands. It has so far enabled more than 2,000 families to start a new life in rural locations.

It points to the ‘hundreds of complaints’ it receives every year about the issue, and has reminded local leaders that they must ‘guarantee’ citizens’ right to peace.

The call came in the 2022 annual activity report from the ombudsman, which particularly singled out Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid.

LifestyleinSpainisseen aspreferabletoUKby youngBrits

ESCAPE FROM BREXIT

By Nadia McDonald

THERE has been a huge 31% increase in the number of young Brits (aged 18 – 24) looking to relocate to Europe.

According to research, growing numbers of young people are considering a move to the continent as the cost-of-living crisis in the UK gathers pace.

Average house prices on the continent are significantly lower than the British Isles and lifestyles in Spain, Italy and Portugal are seen as pref-

Bigger and better

A €1.5 million makeover for Mutxamel’s indoor market has been completed with the enhanced facility reopening as soon as the end of the month.

The project doubling the number of market stall spaces has been jointly funded by Mutxamel City Council and Alicante Provincial Council.

The market will also have a restaurant and leisure area within

erable to the grey skies back home. The average UK property price is £294,000, more than double

the average prices in Spain of €120,000, France, €102,000, Portugal, €69,500, and Italy, €65,000 on Kyero.com.

Property prices are not the only thing enticing Gen Z-ers to hop across the Channel. According to data from Eurostat, the average cost for housing, water, electricity and other fuels in the UK was an alarming 68% higher than the rest of Europe.

Remote

The Defensor del Pueblo, as the ombudsman is known in Spanish, stated that noise is ‘the most-frequent and repeated reason’ for complaints received. ‘Only regulation and effective supervision will avoid urban centres becoming uninhabitable places,’ the text ruled.

Dustmen

The ombudsman also called on councils to better regulate extractor fans in restaurants, dustmen working in the early hours and the noise from air conditioning units.

The report also pointed to the regular complaints from associations and platforms during 2022 in Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid, in response to the ‘proliferation’ of pavement cafes, the invasion of public space by them, and the crowds of people that they attract.

It also called into question the fact that this invasion of public space was an effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, but that no changes have been made despite its ending.

SPEEDY DELIVERY

A HEALTHY 20% of Spanish properties sold within a week last year.

the old El Salvador school building which dates back to 1932.

The full original exterior design of the building has been respected and Mutxamel council plans to hold numerous cultural and fiesta events with it and outside.

Companies are increasingly giving employees the opportunity to work remotely, making a move to Europe an option for many young people. Several countries have set up attractive visa schemes for remote workers, such as the increasingly popular Digital nomad visa in Spain.

And only 14% took over a year from going on the market, according to property portal Idealista.

The quickest sales took place in Granada where 34% took under a week, while a quarter of Madrid properties sold within the same time.

A third of homes took between three months to a year to sell.

RURAL IDYLLS: Cofrentes and Cortes de Pallas (left)

A little Gaudi glory

It might be on the small side for a Gaudi building, but it’s big on style. We form an orderly queue to look inside one of Barcelona’s lesser-known must-see attractions, the Casa Vicens

ANTONI Gaudi is an architect synonymous with the Catalan city of Barcelona.

By far, his most famous work is the unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral (pictured right).

SOMETHING IN THE AIR…

By Dilip Kuner

But the architect, who lived from 1852 to 1926, is also responsible for a host of other buildings scattered throughout the city.

Each is a wonderful example of the Catalan Modernisme style of architecture, distinctive for being colourful, eye-catching, and inspired in part by nature.

Some are well-known, including Casa Batllo and La Pedrera.

But also on the tourism map and fast gaining popularity, is the first house he ever built.

Casa Vicens was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005, but has been open to the public for five years. Carefully restored, the house is close to its original state, providing visitors with a unique insight into the architect’s style.

Gaudi had been qualified only five years when he was hired in 1883 by tile manufacturer Manuel Vicens Montaner to design a summer house in the suberb of Gracia.

Gracia was swallowed up by the city long ago. Now, to any visitor happening upon Casa Vicens in its narrow street among offices and apartment blocks, it comes as a delightful surprise, as if a Moorish palace had arrived on a magic carpet. It is equally delightful and surprising inside where there are stucco walls symbolising reeds and ferns, murals of herons and cranes, and papier-mache cherries and leaves between the ceiling beams. Even the furniture was made to his own design. The influence of Andalucia is appa-

rent in the Arabian smoking room: Gaudi has created a pastiche of the stalactite ceilings of the Alhambra in Granada – his version is made from moulded cardboard. With access limited to 500 people a day, it is best to visit the website (casavicens.org) and book a ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.

Tsome warmth and sunshine.

Or perhaps it’s the buzz of the opening of new restaurants, various food markets, fairs and sailing regattas. The island is wak ing up.

There has been an increase of interest in buying a property on the island since 2020 and so far, this remains, even with increased inflation and the European energy crisis. Mallorca property prices re main among the highest in Spain. Have you been thinking of relocating to the Mediterranean? Of relaxing on your private terrace soaking up the Mediterranean sun shine and listening to the waves.

We are thrilled to introduce this magnificent waterfront property in the hidden bay of Cap

For more information on this and many more properties in The Agency’s portfolio, visit www.theagencyre.com or telephone on +34 871 610 678

FIRST EFFORT: Casa Vicens is a prime example of the style inside and out, as well as in

Unique home gives privacy yet access to all the best of Mallorca

The Agency Mallorca is a franchise of The Agency A global, boutique real estate brokerage

WISE WALLS

Award-winning Casa Sophia is said to be Spain’s greenest home

IT is said to be Spain’s most renewable home.

Casa Sophia, near Madrid, is constructed entirely from recycled and low-impact materials which ‘protect the planet but also the health of its inhabitants’.

Covered in an incredible 60 solar panels generating a whopping 24,000 kWh of electricity a year, it creates much more energy than it can consume and can sell the rest back to the grid.

Its walls are made from stone and a natural photocatalytic mortar decontaminates the air while its interior has a fir cladding and all furniture is made from fully sustainable wood, free of formaldehyde.

It also has a green roof and a vertical garden, which climbs up the wall to give extra insulation and to further improve air quality as well as aid cooling.

Rainwater and wastewater meanwhile, are

collected and treated in a ‘bioplant’ to then be reused in toilet cisterns and for irrigation in the garden.

The award-winning house, in the village of Guadalix de la Sierra, has a garden planted entirely from native plants and trees. The firm that carried out the works, 100x100biopasiva, also recycled 100% of

its waste and offset all CO2 produced in the building process.

The building is the result of 28 years of research in green construction and two years of design. It has received some of Europe’s highest certifications for its sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon neutrality.

“We hope it will lead the way for many others,” insisted architect, Joaquin Ruiz, who has got a certification from prestigious German ratings company Passivhaus. Casa Sophia - which means ‘wisdom’ in Greek - has won many gongs, including the Excellence award from Europe’s Horizon 2020 programme.

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TASTE OF SPRING

WITH Semana Santa upon us, it’s time to resume outdoor living.

Summer ranges are about to drop in store… and will usually be gone by the end of May. So, if you want to get ahead outside, here are some top terrace tips.

On your marks, get set, go: More-is-more maximalism – a hot trend right now, and our strong sunlight, deep blue skies, staggering sunsets, and colourful landscapes can certainly handle it. Add in plenty of patterns with different

sized repeats, lots of strong colour (a wide range from light to dark) including the frames of furniture, and a variety of surface textures too.

Not a style for shrinking violets - if you have a go and it looks a bit sad, you probably need to add more!

Quiet minimalism – if bold colour and pattern set your nerves on edge, then follow Nicky Dobree’s advice (below) and take inspiration for colour from the landscape.

Establish a base neutral palette (e.g. off-white, beige, taupe, or grey) and hold back with the accessories, limiting the colour palette to soft and muted tones and shades picked up when you survey your surroundings.

Invest for long-lasting style – use high quality sun and weather-resistant textiles, such as Designers Guild fabrics, to get years of pristine performance. According to Jacqueline Roberts of TerazzaBella, in Estepona, among the biggest developments in terrace design has been the huge increase in exciting colour and pattern, not just in textiles but in outdoor rugs and wallpaper too. Now you can have whatever you want, inside or out!

Visit www.telabella.es

Live like Jackie O

HARD WEARING: Materials from Designers Guild

JUST between us, there is something special going on at Ikea right now: a partnership with cult Finnish design brand Marimekko – beloved of Jackie O and Carrie Bradshaw. If you know, you know. These star designer collaborations sell fast and are one season only. The Marimekko products

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PROS

Designer Nicky Dobree on how she was inspired by the local vernacular to create the sumptuous look of hip Vejer hotel Plaza 18

“EVERY project has to be grounded by its location and its architecture…having a sense of place for any building is absolutely vital.”

British interior designer Nicky Dobree is best known for a portfolio chock-full of sumptuous, snowblown ski chalets.

So Plaza 18, a boutique hotel in sun-baked Vejer de la Frontera, is

quite a departure and is Nicky’s first hotel project. Judging by the ecstatic guest reviews, it won’t be her last.

You might wonder how an outsider - even a professional one - could drop in, flawlessly convert a venerable Andalucian building, and deliver an impeccable sense of place.

It helps that Nicky has been a regular visitor to Vejer and is a true champion of the Andalucian vernacular.

Plus she’s a veteran when it comes to getting wide things up narrow tracks.

Of particular interest from an interior design point of view is how Plaza 18 manages to feel both historic and contemporary, and cool and cosy, all at

are branded ‘bastua’: use this term to filter the Ikea website and discover a small but perfectly formed capsule range of kimonos, floor cushions, rechargeable lanterns, trays and platters, glorious glassware, and all manner of beach and terrace textiles to get you and your home summer-ready!

The branded carrier bag (watch out for late summer resale prices on eBay) is just €0.99 and would make a great gift / beach bag.

the same time.

Here she gives the Olive Press her tips for renovating and decorating in Spain.

ON COLOUR: Take local inspiration for colour, look to nature and local culture, so for example, against the soft stone tones of the south of France you might pick a palette of soft pinks and greens, whereas in the south of Spain, you start with a black and white canvas and you can afford to use bolder colour.

ON MIXING OLD AND NEW: Even if you want contemporary style, don’t strip out beautiful original details, instead invest in restoring these. Furnishings don’t have to work so hard when the architecture is beautiful; you can mix very modern pieces with antiques in a well-restored period building, particularly when you select local pieces.

ON PUEBLO BLANCO STYLE: The pueblo blanco vernacular is strongly black and white, but in an older building, the patina of use alters colour. Plaza 18’s blacks and whites are off-blacks and offwhites, and not off-the-ferretería-shelf. All colours

were carefully tested on site. Culturally, Africa also has a role to play in Andalucian style, and in Plaza 18 artworks by African artists were also woven in.

ON OUR CLIMATE: A room that is decorated using light-coloured linens to alleviate the summer heat can also be cosy on a chilly winter’s night when you turn on lamps, sink your feet into rugs, plump cushions and surround yourself with a collection of art and decorative objects.

ABOVE ALL: Save time and money by getting professional design help, learn about local style by working with an expert who knows instinctively what’s right and where to find it.

As we finally move outside back into our gardens and roof terraces, Julia Begbie, takes a look at a few hot options

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THE world’s largest expo on the history of the artform has opened at the CaixaForum Agora building within Valencia’s Arts and Sciences complex. The exhibition goes back to the origins of body art and showcases how its popularity has surged in recent years.

A special feature is the bizarre sight of 20 silicone torsos tattooed by masters of the art, as well as models of other body parts. ‘Tattoo. Art under the skin’ will remain in Valencia until August 27.

It has been put together by France’s Musee du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, with exhibition coordinator

Loads of ink

A bizarre exhibition is celebrating the art of the tattooist

By Alex Trelinski

Adrien Flament, saying: “A tattoo is still the expression of the relationship that an

FACE TO THE NAME

THE Cueva de Nerja has managed to virtually ‘resurrect’ Pepita’s skeleton.

This is the name given to the remains of a young woman found in 1982 in the Torca Room of the Cueva de Nerja during the archaeological excavations directed by Professor Manuel Pellicer.

Since then, ‘Pepita’ has become the most emblematic piece of the Nerja Museum, which belongs to the Cueva de Nerja Fondation. Now, the face of the ancient skel-

individual maintains with his society.

“It is an expression of contemporary history that does not stop evolving,” Flament added.

This exhibition brings together more than 240 historical and contemporary works from different parts of the world including contributions from Japan and Polynesia to Thailand and Los Angeles.

FACING HISTORY: How Pepita would have looked

eton, one of the best preserved of its time in Europe, has been rendered on computer to give an idea of what she looked like.

It documents tattoo artists and tattooed people both past and present to explore the development of the art form into one of global artistic expression. Displays include paintings, drawings, photographs, audio-visual displays and books, as well as objects such as tools, masks and stamps.

CaixaForum Valencia head, Alvaro Borras, commented that the tattoo has every right to be included as ‘part of the history of art’.

LA CULTURA

PICASSO QUIZ: How much do you know about his art?

It’s Picasso Year, in case you hadn’t noticed. April 8, 2023 marks a significant anniversary of the death of the great Spanish modern artist, and major exhibitions are happening across Spain and around the world commemorating his life and work

LOVE him or hate him (or quite like some of his stuff sometimes), Picasso achieved massive fame and success.

So you shouldn’t have any trouble with our Picasso Year Quiz. The questions are all multiple choice.

1- Big anniversary – so what year did he die?

a) 1923

b) 1948

c) 1973

d) 1993

2- Where was he born?

a) Malaga

b) Barcelona

c) Torremolinos

d) Valencia

3- Which of these is Picasso’s first known oil painting? (below)

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

4- He was a very busy artist indeed and left behind somewhere in the region of 20,000 works in one form or the other. Best known as a painter, he was creative in other ways. What discipline isn’t he famous for?

a) Poetry

b) Theatrical sets

c) Pottery

d) Embroidery

6- If there is one painting associated with the Spanish Civil War, it’s Guernica. Where was it first exhibited?

a) Bilbao

b) Madrid

c) New York

d) Paris

7- Where did Picasso spend most of his life?

a) Malaga

b) Barcelona

c) Paris

d) The French Riviera

Across

6 Permit (5)

7 Move in haste (6)

8 Goad (4)

9 Period of greatest success (8)

10 Hang loosely (6)

12 Third Greek letter (5)

14 Homer, to Bart (3)

16 Sweet gourd (5)

17 Go to bed (6)

19 Cut noses off for noblewoman (8)

21 West African republic bordering Ghana (4)

22 Wasn’t level (6)

23 Frosting (5)

Down

1 Combat aircraft (8)

2 Make indistinct (4)

3 Paired (7)

4 Take away (8)

5 Stepped (4)

7 Hit the mall (4)

11 Adults, to the young (5-

3)

SUDOKU

5- Over the space of five months, Picasso created a suite of 58 works called Las Meninas, 44 of which (including this one below) were inspired by a painting by which artist?

a) Joan Miro

b) Modigliani

c) Diego Velasquez

d) Juan Gris

13 Wrong gamer got debt (8)

15 Severe (7)

18 Variety of knot (4)

20 Overly smooth (4)

21 Group of three (4)

All solutions are on page 15

8- He named his daughter Paloma after

a) the universal symbol for peace

b) the pigeons flying around Malaga

c) the song, Paloma Blanca

d) the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova but had – famously

– misheard her name

9- Robert Capa’s iconic 1948 photo of the Spanish artist and his lover (left) was taken on:

a) the Costa Brava

b) the Costa del Sol

c) the Costa Blanca

d) the French Riviera

10

- His name and his art are known around the world. But could you pick the young artist out from a lineup (above)?

For details of all major exhibitions, visit Spain is Culture Fabulous at anytime: Museo Picasso Malaga and Museu Picasso Barcelona

10 - A - Pablo Picasso, photographed in 1908. The others are: Antoni Gaudi (b); George Bernard Shaw (c); and, another Spanish artist being commemorated this year, Joaquin Sorolla (c) who died 100 years ago this August.

9 - D - The French Riviera. It shows Picasso (65) and the artist François Gilot (25). Although they never married (Picasso was already married to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova), they met in 1943, had two children, and remained together for almost a decade.

8 - B - The pigeons in Plaza de la Merced, Malaga, that he could see from the window of his family home obviously had a profound impression on the young Picasso.

7 - C - Paris. Picasso’s family left Malaga when he was 10 (for A Coruña). He lived in Barcelona for close to nine years (1885-1904) but began spending an increasing amount of time in Paris, and left Spain for good in 1904, remaining in Paris for 63 years, before moving to the French Riviera.

6 - D - Picasso was living in Paris when he painted Guernica in 1937. It was first shown at the International Exposition in Paris the same year, before being sent to MoMA in New York, where it stayed until finally coming to Spain after Franco’s death. It is now at the Reina Sofia in Madrid.

5 - C - Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, painted way back in 1656. The masterpiece by the Sevilla-born Velazquez caught the eye of the young Picasso during one of his many trips to the Prado Museum while studying art in Madrid, and you can still see it there today. Picasso’s -inter pretations are part of the permanent collection at the Museu Picasso, Barcelona.

4 - D - Embroidery.

c) Blue Coat by Paul Klee (aged 69); d) Last Supper by Emil Nolde (aged 42).

3 - B - El Picador, painted by Picasso in 1889 when he was eight years old, and a painting he kept all his life. The others are: a) Portrait of Gertrude Stein, also by Picasso but done 16 years later;

2 - A - Picasso was born in Malaga. His family lived in Plaza de la Merced for the first 10 years of his life, and the family home is now a museum, the Museo Casa Natal de Picasso [https:// museocasanatalpicasso.malaga.eu/].

1 - C - Picasso died on April 8, 1973, aged 91. This is the 50th anniversary of his death.

PICASSO QUIZ ANSWERS

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CENTURY OF SOROLLA!!

In a

new

fortnightly what’s on column, local journalist Sarah Gordon remembers Valencia’s famous artist son and gives her other tips on things to see and do around the Valencia region

SPRING is well and truly here and Easter is underway… which, of course means a flurry of activity across the whole Valencian Community.

By Sarah Gordon

From al fresco concerts to new exhibitions there is so much to see and do.

Why not add one of these events to your diary:

Drink in the inland sites

A digital wine tour in the Requena region

Just a short train journey away from the capital, Valencia’s protected wine region is a lush escape inland.

Anchoring the vines to the mountain region are the two towns of Utiel and Requena, where you can explore castles, caves once used to store wines and rustic eateries.

If you fancy touring the vineyards under your own steam, winemaker Pago de Tharsys has taken the experience digital, with an app you can use to explore the 35 acres of vines that surround its wine cellar. You’ll be guided by GPS for more than a mile with stop offs at eight points of interest to learn about different grape varieties, the soils and winemaking traditions. Download it from the App Store or Google Play Store and let ‘Medusa’, the mythological figurehead of the wine brand, be your guide for the day.

Imparting information in English and Spanish along the way, your tour will appropriately finish with a tasting beneath an arbour.

Looking to make a weekend of it? Combine your tour with a stay at the charming Las Canilleros B&B in Requena, a thoughtfully renovated village house complete with its own historic cave.

DON’T MISS:

Terracotta Plan

Let there be light!

Joaquin Sorolla at Bellas Artes

Valencia’s grand, blue-domed Bellas Artes museum is already well-known for its collection of beautiful paintings by Joaquin Sorolla, the Valencian son who so magically captured the city’s light and everyday life at the turn of the 20th Century.

It’s a landmark year for the so-called ‘Master of light’ with 2023 marking the 100th anniversary of his death.

To mark the occasion, a new temporary exhibition has just opened at Bellas Artes to explore his earlier works.

Entitled Origins, it features a big range of canvases, including his 1883 painting The Slave and the Dove, created when he was just 20 years old and considered the first to showcase his ability to capture light.

The exhibition, in partnership with the Sorolla Museum in Madrid, will feature other works never before displayed in Valencia, tracing his career from early drawings to his first seascapes and including photos and watercolours, too.

It will run until June 11 and is just one of the ways the city is marking the centenary of Sorolla’s death.

Squid Game escape

DATE

Stay in architect Bofill’s cult work of art in Calpe

He was famous for his geometric buildings and the Mediterranean and Arabic styles that inspired his work. Now architect Ricardo Bofill - whose iconic designs have been compared to the backdrops of hit Netflix series

The Squid Game - is being celebrated this year in the colourful resort of Calpe.

The Alicante hotspot had declared 2023 its ‘Year of Bofill’, just before he died in early 2022, but the celebrations are still going ahead.

Bofill’s most famous work in Calpe is the 1972 apartment complex ‘The Red Wall’, which perches on the cliff to the southern end of the Bay of Calpe, looking across to the striking Penyal d’Ifac rock.

Said to have been inspired by the design of a North African kasbah, all terraces, patios and hidden walkways, it is actually just one of three quirky buildings that make up the coastal Manzanera urbanisation designed by Bofill.

The forest-green Xanadu building looks like a teetering pile of houses on top of each other right on the coast and is home to 18 modern apartments while the sleek Amphitheatre complex, all creamy exteriors set around a red-tiled pool, is home to another 27 luxury homes.

From April to the end of September, Calpe will offer weekly guided tours of the city’s Bofill architecture, which is normally closed to the public. Email infocultura@ajcalp.es for more details. Or you could always book a stay in one of the apartments within the urbanisation. Apartments in The Red Wall are available on Booking and Airbnb from €95 a night.

Sarah Gordon relocated to Valencia city from London, where she was the online Travel Editor for the Mail and Commercial Travel Editor for the Telegraph. She is now Editor at Valencia.Style a travel resource for the best experiences in the Valencian Community

VISIT: Take a trip to the bodega of Pago de Tharsys

A Happy Easter

Bumper Semana Santa for tourism businesses

SPAIN’S tourism sector is expecting to do big business this Easter, with forecasts suggesting that visitor numbers and spending will break records of recent years.

The end of Covid-19 restrictions will see the return of international visitors while Spaniards are also very keen to enjoy a domestic vacation. This has led to many hotels and other establishments to already hang up the ‘no vacancy’ sign, according to news agency Euro -

By Simon Hunter

pa Press.

Melia Hotels International, for example, has reported a 22% rise in sales compared to 2019 thanks both to price rises and the return of tourists from key markets such as the UK and Germany. This boost has been felt in particular in the Canary Islands, where hotels are already above 65% occupation levels.

Barcelo Hotel Group also reported a rise in sales, with average occupancy expected to be 10 percent -

POLICE have arrested three men in Madrid on suspicion of stealing €25,000 worth of wine from shops in the city’s upscale Salamanca district. Among the stolen bottles were Bordeaux wines from Chateaux Pétrus, one of which had a price tag of €6,700.

The suspects would first visit the stores in question to ask questions about high-priced wines,

age points above that of 2022, and a major boost in revenue.

As for flights, bookings for trips into Spain are just

Pricey wine

before later returning to steal them. The arrests come after another high-profile case in Spain involving stolen wines.

In early March, a former Mexican beauty queen and her partner were sentenced to four years in prison for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth an estimated €1.6 million from a hotel.

3% below the numbers for the same period in 2019, Spanish daily El Pais reported, while domestic flights are up 12% on four years ago, the last Easter before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Strikes

But there are worries that strikes in Germany where unions want above 10% pay rises could have an impact on popular destinations for Germans like the Balearics. The strikes have hit the aviation sector as well as ports and trains.

Manuel labour

AMID a barrage of bright economic news, including GDP growth of 5.5% last year, Spain faces a deficit in one of its traditional strengths: a lack of waiters.

With bookings for Easter weekend up 20% on last year, there is concern among tourism chiefs that labour will be unable to meet demand.

The after effects of the pandemic are still lingering, with claims that it continues to put workers off from entering the tourism and hospitality industry.

Coupled with hotels forecasting occupancy to be at 90% throughout the whole summer season, Spain will need at least 60,000 additional workers in the sector.

Leading companies such as Meliá have been looking for young talent on social networks, while hospitality schools in Madrid have taken the unusual step of guaranteeing their students a job upon graduation.

Fixing investigation

By Alex Trelinski

SPAIN'S competition authority, the CNMC, has launched a probe into Google and its parent company Alphabet into alleged restrictive practices concerning Spanish publishers and news agencies.

The CNMC in a statement said: “Specifically, these practices consist of the possible imposition of unfair commercial conditions on publishers of press publications and news agencies established in Spain for the exploitation of their copyrighted content.”

“There are rational indications of possible infringements,” the CNMC added. They will investigate whether

VUELING FINED

Probe into search engine giant’s ‘restrictive practices’

Business booming

SPANISH companies nearly doubled their business volume in 2022 compared to the year before, thanks in large part to the energy sector.

Firms saw their volume of business increase by 41% in 2022 compared to the year before when the country was emerging from the pandemic.

Of that 41%, the energy sector accounted for nearly 17 percentage points, according to the Bank of Spain figures. Electricity and gas firms saw joint profits of €12.8 billion in 2022, partly due to the rise in energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine.

Inflation surprise

SPAIN'S inflation rate in March clocked in at 3.3% according to preliminary figures from the National Statistics Institute. That's down on February's figure of 6% and is attributed to falls in electricity and fuel prices and the big hikes recorded in March 2022 working their way out of the system.

Google broke Spain’s competition laws by abusing its dominant market position and hindering free competition.

The CNMC investigation will last for up to 18 months and was prompted by a 2021 complaint from the Spanish Reproduction Rights Centre

BUDGET airline Vueling has been hit with a €30,000 fine in a landmark decision over discrimination between female and male cabin crews. The penalty was imposed by Catalunya’s Labour Inspectorate after a complaint from the Stavla cabin crew union.

Barcelona-based Vueling - part of the IAG group - is studying the ruling and has the right to appeal.

It’s the first-such adjudication in Spain over cabin crews with the Inspectorate saying that Vueling committed a ‘very serious infraction’ by forcing female employees to wear heels and make up while their male colleagues only required ‘a clean and groomed appearance’.

(CEDRO) - a group representing writers and publishers.

CEDRO legal director, Javier Diaz de Olarte, said: “Google has not treated press publishers in an appropriate way un-

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der competition rules or in the same manner as other similar companies operating in the market.”

The complaint talks about protecting intellectual property rights and asserts that Google is threatening the ‘plurality, independence, and freedom of the press’ in Spain

The CNMC did not specify the period to be covered by the probe, nor what sanctions Google could face if it is proven the company abused its strong market position in the country.

The European Union and several member states have taken steps to stop companies like Google from hindering competition, as well as tax avoidance on profits made from accessing news articles.

The March inflation rate is the lowest annual figure since August 2021 and has confounded predictions from economists who projected a rate of around 3.8%.

Angel Talavera, chief economist for Europe at Oxford Economics, said: “This should not make us believe that inflationary tensions are over.”

“Core and food prices will remain high, and in addition, the large fall in energy prices in the last months of last year will cause the opposite effect to that of March on the inflation rate in the last months of 2023,” he added.

Core inflation, which does not include variable fresh food and energy prices, was 7.5% year-on-year, slightly below the 7.6% recorded in February.

It’s the first drop - albeit marginal - in the core rate in 23 months.

Food prices are the main issue for most people in Spain with the last stripped-out figure reporting a 16.6% annual rate in February.

The Bank of Spain has predicted that food inflation will remain in double digits for the rest of 2023 with the annual rate in December predicted to be 12.2% before falling to an average rate of 4.6% next year.

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HAYFEVER sufferers will be able to breath easy this year. According to the SEAIC allergology society, 2023 will likely be mild for allergy sufferers.

By using a model based on historical data and weather forecasts, the society has predicted that spring will be mild for pollen on the Mediterranean coast but a little worse in areas such as Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura.

SEAIC reported that coastal cities such as Barcelona, Alicante and Murcia will see pollen levels of between 1,000 and 1,200 grains per square metre, rising to 2,000 in inland urban centres such as Lleida and above 4,000 grains in areas south of Madrid..

The cold winter has had an effect on pollen levels, in particular from cypresses and conifers, which are usually the first to shed their grains.

THE Murcia Mental Health Federation has been awarded the Gold Medal of the City for 25 years of defending the rights and serving the needs of people with mental health problems and their families. Coordinator Rosa Garrigos said: “We are very happy and grateful to all the people who have helped us in these

GOLD SERVICE AWARD

25 years and who are the true heroes of this recognition.” The federation offers mental health counselling and care for those with mental health disorders, as well as legal advice, including to people in

prison. The medal will also be awarded to la Plataforma ILP del Mar Menor for protecting Europe’s largest salt water lagoon and cyclist Alejandro Valverde.

Sperm mistake

A MAN who had a son via IVF treatment has discovered that the child is not his biological offspring and now wants €1 million compensation. The situation came to light due to a series of coincidences which included repeated comments from relatives about how little the child, who was born in late 2021, resembled his father.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 6 Allow, 7 Scurry, 8 Spur, 9 Noontide, 10 Dangle, 12 Gamma, 14 Dad, 16 Melon, 17 Retire, 19 Countess, 21 Togo, 22 Sloped, 23 Icing.

Down: 1 Warplane, 2 Blur, 3 Twinned, 4 Subtract, 5 Trod, 7 Shop, 11 Grown-ups, 13 Mortgage, 15 Drastic, 18 Bend, 20 Oily, 21 Trio.

IVF baby is not biological offspring of father

By Simon Hunter

Then a friend with medical knowledge noticed that the blood group of the baby was incompatible with those of his parents.

This prompted the family to take a paternity test, the result of which showed that the woman was the child’s biological mother, but that the man was not the father.

“The result was communicated to the family on February 27, 2023 and was devastating for them,” a lawsuit filed by pressure group The Patient’s Ombudsman states.

Suing

The family is suing the health system as well as the Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar in Cadiz. The regional health chief, Catalina Garcia, launched an investigation into what exactly happened. The lawyer acting for the family, which has not been identified, also raised fears about how far-reaching the error could be: i.e. another fami-

Close call

ly undergoing IVF treatment may have had a baby using the man’s sperm. The group has opted to go public with the story in order to avoid such mistakes happening again. “It’s obvious that what happened cannot be sorted out, but perhaps if everyone hears about it, it won’t happen again,” a spokesman said.

A 10-YEAR-OLD child ended up in intensive care after a hospital accidentally administered him a dose of the tranquiliser ketamine that was meant for an adult weighing 130 kilos. The incident happened after the boy was taken to the Universitario Hospital in Torrejon de Ardoz with a broken arm. Twenty minutes after he had been attended to by doctors, he was found in a strange position and was making odd noises. Checks revealed that he had a blood saturation level of 40%, when a normal level is between 95 and 100%, and that he was having problems breathing. It was then that the medical team realised that he had been given a large dose of ketamine in preparation for surgery. A dose of 250 milligrams was prepared instead of 50 milligrams. Fortunately, the full dose was not given to the patient.

Fooled you

OLIVE Press writer Simon Hunter has attracted more than 2.3m views - and many outraged comments - with his April Fool tweet featuring a tortilla espanola including sausages and cheese as ingredients.

Speed freak

A BRITISH biker has been clocked speeding at 202kph on the A7 in Manilva on the Costa del Sol and is now under investigation for a crime against road safety.

Just learning

POLICE are investigating a 58-year-old man after he allowed his eight-year-old son behind the wheel in a Malaga car park used by parents to teach their children how to drive.

O P LIVE RESS The

COSTA BLANCA NORTE / VALENCIA

RAIN GOD

Villagers pray for end to drought at special Mass to Lady of the Torrents

A DROUGHT stricken village has revived an old practice to pray for rain.

The inhabitants of L’Espunyola in Catalunya decided to hold a special mass to Our Lady of the Torrents, a local virgin associated with rainfall, in a bid to save their crops.

Some 250 residents joined a procession, with worshippers bearing the colourfully paint-

By Dilip Kuner

ed statue of the virgin from its home in the local church (pictured) and around the village streets followed by the bishop and parishioners. Together with tourism, farming is the main source of income for L’Espunyola, which is about an hour-and-a-half north of Barcelona.

Following three dry years, much of Catalunya is affected by drought, putting crops at peril unless it rains soon. All three reservoirs in the area

PLUCKY PEACOCKS

IT makes a change from rescuing cats from trees. Fire crews in Valencia were called out on a peacock rescue mission after four birds were spotted leaping across rooftops. Residents were surprised to see the colourful creatures enjoying freedom on top of buildings on Godella's Calle Mayor. There were concerns that one or more might suffer a fatal fall and that pedestrians might be injured as well. Firefighters from Burjassot and Paterna were assigned the task of getting the peacocks to safety.

are below a third of their capacity and nearby La Baells reservoir is at just 35% capacity. It may be an old Mass revived, but the villagers have tried the same method of ‘rainmaking’ in recent times. And they claim it workedsoon after offering prayers and hymns to Our Lady of the Torrents in 2008 the heavens opened. But Bishop Francesc Conesa (pictured) is being cagey over whether the villagers’ prayers will be answered this time. He said: “We have asked with faith, and many people have come and prayed with faith. “The Lord will give us what suits us.”

FIVE Komodo Dragons have been hatched in a

This is the first successful breeding of the world’s largest lizard in Spain for a decade. Currently there are only 1,300 of the endangered species in the

The breeding success at Fuengirola’s BioParc is a milestone for the species as it is particularly difficult to get the lizards to mate. Female dragons are only on heat for one week a year and spend the other 51 weeks actively avoiding the male.

Conceived

Each of the baby dragons have been named: Juanito (for being conceived on San Juan’s day), Phoenix (as his egg broke during incubation but he managed to survive), Embum (meaning ‘morning dew’ in Indonesian), Saya (a tribute to a previous female dragon at the zoo) and Drakaris (named by a team member who is a self confessed Game of Thrones fan).