Olive Press Gibraltar Issue 213 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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FESTIVE TRIP TO THE SLOPES: Don’t miss our Xmas gift on the Sierra Nevada inside

PIZZA-SLICE PERFECT

December 2023

The Costa del Ski is perfect for Christmas card snowscapes and adrenaline pumping thrills, writes Iona Napier, recalling her ‘pizzashaped’ teaching tips

“

THERE’S no way ing down that. I’ll I’m skiget my ski and walk up, take the lift down,” insisted ive Press colleague, my Ollooking longingly uphill, zipped gracefully while skiers His grimace was past us. ible through the barely vislayers of buff, hat and goggles, snarls were audible but the spread-eagled one as he lay tres above him, ski 20 metaken a tumble. where he’d It had been a testing day on the slopes for ski virgin Rob, and after a particularly ambitious blue run with secutive wipeouts, three conhis sense of humour had vanished without trace. It didn’t help that the rest of our impatient zoomed back to group had base for a

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ICY BLAST: The snow cannons going blast, while (inset) the view from the full top

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Vol. 8 Issue 213 www.theolivepress.es December 13th - January 10th 2024

FESTIVE GLEE

USIC and entertainment will welcome shoppers in the lead-up to Christmas finishing off with a bang or two for the New Year. The Ministries of Culture and Business have combined to put on a Christmas extravaganza in town on December 16 with dance, music, fair attractions and an art and dance market. And local production company GibMedia has lined up extra special entertainment for New Year’s Eve with a clock countdown, live bands and DJs. Minister for Culture Christian Santos said: “Our community deserves to celebrate together in true Gibraltarian style.” The Christmas Saturday will follow on from the success of the Christmas Wonderland events which Santos called a

‘resounding success’. Bands, orchestras and choirs will fill the air with musical notes to help residents and tourists explore all the great deals Gibraltar has to offer. Minister for Business Gemma Arias Vasquez said the government wanted to ‘create a great atmosphere in town’ before Christmas ‘to support local businesses’. The party to celebrate the New Year will start on December 31, 2023 at 10.30pm with hosts James Neish, now GBC CEO, and Miss Gibraltar, Faith Torres. Popular bands Jet Stream and The Jesse Tree will usher in the new year with a host of their own songs and chart hits that will keep the public singing along until the early hours. DJs will then take over to give the remaining people the chance to dance the night away as they welcome in 2024. “I am delighted that we are back at Casemates Square for our New Year’s celebrations,” Santos said. “I am confident that our community will once again go down to the Square and enjoy the celebrations.”

AIRPORT FRENZY

SPAIN has said it would be ‘absurd’ not to have access to Gibraltar’s airport as part of any EU treaty on its post-Brexit future. And UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty said earlier in the week he was ‘prepared to explore practical and technical options to facilitate flights between Gibraltar and the EU’. EU negotiator in the talks Maros Sefcovic said he was expecting ‘big progress’ in the ‘final push’ for an EU treaty in the

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14th round of talks on December 13-14. Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares said he was ‘optimistic’ and that ‘Spain is doing everything it can’ to sign a deal. But his comments on the airport drive dangerously close to Gibraltar’s red lines on sovereignty concerns. “What sense would it make to leave out an element as beneficial for the population as the airport?” Manuel Albares asked. “To me, it seems like progress that flights can come from Spanish airports and from other European countries, promoting tourism and relationships. “The airport has to be in the agreement, of course.” His comments appeared in an interview with Spanish national newspaper El Pais. And despite Docherty’s enthusiasm he said Gibraltar had to be ‘content’ with the final deal and that the UK would not do anything that ‘compromises sovereignty’ on the Rock. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo focused on the ‘rainbow of opportunities that will bring prosperity for the whole region’ as

part of the EU treaty. “The use of the airport for European flights in that equation would be good, but it is not essential,” Picardo added. Albares has already called the European Parliament elections in June 2024 ‘a cut-off point’ for treaty talks. And the UK general election in April or May next year could further stall talks, adding to their current urgency. Picardo said he is hoping the ‘good will’ of Christmas can help push EU treaty talks ‘forward in some way, if we can’. He echoed the words of Gibraltar Governor Sir David Steel who said he wanted to see an ‘in principle agreement’ during the festive season. The comments came in interviews with GBC after Picardo returned from the latest talks in Malaga. He had travelled to the city with Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia to continue trying to establish an EU treaty. “The people around the table have all become at a personal level quite friendly, but we’re sick of seeing each other to talk,”

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he said. “We want to see each other to sign!” he exclaimed. But he said he did not want to put a ‘timeline on the table’ adding that ‘objective criteria’ could push the negotiations towards agreement or not. Picardo did not comment on Spanish Foreign Minister Jose

Manuel Albares and the Governor’s claims that the airport was a sticking point. “I have to keep it to myself at this time because I think it is in the interests of the people of Gibraltar that I do,” he said. Instead, he promised to leave the talks with an agreement that was ‘safe and secure’ but also ‘beneficial’.

Terror tactics EMERGENCY services have combined with the military to practise their response to a marauding terrorist attack. The exercise was centred on The Mount where emergency workers acted out an attack on a high-profile security conference. A Gibraltar-wide manhunt would follow in such a situation, with the threat level set to critical and more armed forces patrolling the streets. They practised the finding of a suspicious package at police marine base and an assault on the Lathbury Barracks using armed police to neutralise the threat. A Strategic Coordinating Group afterwards held a ‘cold debrief’ at the government’s central building. Minister for Civil Contingencies Leslie Bruzon said the exercise had shown ‘how complex and challenging an incident of this nature will be for all of us’. “A key element of preparedness is training, learning lessons and implementing these into our plans and procedures,” he added.

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Careful tea party THE Care Agency will hold a Christmas tea party for charities and individuals who supported it throughout the year on December 18 at Waterport Terraces.

Banking hope MINISTER for Trade and Industry Nigel Feetham is hoping to get more youngsters into banking after visiting the Trusted Novus Bank in Gibraltar’s Main Street.

Zarzuela magic A GRAND Zarzuela, featuring opera and popular songs, will take place at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gibraltar on December 19.

Fair enough WESTSIDE School is holding a Christmas Fair for the community on its podium at lunchtimes on December 11-15 helping to raise funds for needy charities.

December 13th - January 10th 2024

Maddie’s army Legion of former friends and exlovers flying in from Spain and Portugal to help cage Christian Brueckner for life

AN army of expats from around Spain and Portugal are queuing up to put Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner behind bars for life. The group, that includes ex-girlfriends, former acquaintances and police, will be flying in to Germany in February to give evidence The German sex offender is facing a permanent life sentence if found guilty of a trio of rapes, as well as two further child sex offences all committed in Portugal. A total of 46 witnesses and police have been summoned for the trial at Braunschweig Criminal Court, between Feb-

EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke

ruary 16 and June 27, the Olive Press can reveal. This includes a number who have never spoken – or even been identified – before. At least three are flying in from Spain, where Brueckner spent considerable time, mostly around the hippie communes, near Orgiva, in Granada. It was there, in 2008, that Brueckner allegedly confessed to snatching toddler Maddie from her bed in Praia da Luz a year earlier. He told friend, Helge Busching, that ‘she didn’t scream’

EX-PALS: Includes Helge Busching, Michael Tatschl and Manfred Seyferth

at Orgiva’s Dragon Festival. At least four of his former acquaintances, all petty crooks including Busching, Manfred Seyferth, Michael Tatschl and Mario Schonberg - lived for long periods in Andalucia. “All the dates are now in the diary,” prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters explained. “We hope to get all the charges read out on the first morning, a half day, on February 16, and then the trial continues the following week.” According to the schedule, spread over 29 days, his first lover, SilPOLICE have arrested 32 people for their involvement in a 'marriage ke Becker takes of convenience' scam that enabled foreigners to get Spanish residency. to the stand on The Spaniards and Moroccans were detained in Jaen, Cordoba and April 10. Malaga including the gang’s 43-year-old leader. Brueckner had The gang recruited Spanish citizens - mainly women in Cordoba - who fled Germany to were paid around €400 each to register a civil partnership with people live in Portugal from Africa. with Becker, in They had no previous relationship with the men who paid up to €5,000 the mid 1990s, each for the service. in the process

Wedding residency scam

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

failing to complete a prison sentence for child sex crimes. Other girlfriends include Marina Flache, a travel agent, who had helped clear incriminating evidence from his rented home in the Algarve, when he had been sent to prison in April 2006.

Sadistic

Her evidence helped cage Brueckner for seven years over the sadistic filmed rape of an American pensioner Diana Menkes, 72, in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is currently still serving this sentence at Oldenburg prison. At least five Portuguese police will also be taking the stand over two days in May. A leading forensic psychiatrist, Dr Christian Riedemann, will be in court every day to monitor Brueckner’s behaviour.

LINEKER LET OFF A PAIR of Dutchmen have been dramatically acquitted of the 2021 murder of a Kinahan cartel bagman who was killed in a hail of bullets while driving his Bentley in Marbella. The gangland hit on Abdelhadi ‘Marco’ Yaqout, 49, who partowned Linekers bar in Puerto Banus, was thought to have been ordered by a member of the Dutch-Moroccan mafia. The playboy businessman, a pal of gangster Daniel Kinahan, was shot 12 times by two hooded men as he arrived at his luxury two-storey villa in the early hours of January 21, 2019. Marco part-owned several bars and nightclubs in Puerto Banus as well as the popular joint set up by Gary Lineker’s brother Wayne. The two accused, named as Badr K, 33, and Omar C, 23, were arrested in Spain and held in pre-trial detention for four and three years respectively. Despite the acquittal in Spain, Badr K received a 25-year jail sentence in Holland for a separate 2019 murder in Amsterdam this year.

SLAIN: ‘Marco’ Yaqout

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December 13th - January 10th 2024

SIMPLE ENTERTAINMENT

ONE of the eighties’ biggest rock bands, Simple Minds, is set to return to Spain next summer. On July 22 the group will take to the stage at the Starlite Festival in Marbella alongside other famous names like Take That and Sheryl Crow. Simple Minds last played the festival in 2022, wowing audiences with their hits from their 20 album career.

Considered one of the most famous groups of the 1980s, the rock quintet has sold over 60 million records with hit tracks like Don't You (Forget About Me), Sparkle in the Rain and Once Upon a Time. Led by Jim Kerr, Simple Minds has been loyal acts to the Starlite Festival, first playing the event in 2012. The 2024 edition is due to take place from June 14 to August 3.

A Real boost The wonderful gift from Jude Bellingham and co that made the dreams come true for an autistic British boy whose life has been turned around by football AN autistic British boy received an early Christmas present when his hero Jude Bellingham and the Real Madrid team gifted him a signed shirt at a match with Cadiz CF. UK-born Ben Nadarajah Marr, 17, known to everyone as Benjy, has been inspired by his hero Bellingham as another young British footballer making it in Spain. It managed to turn a r o u n d what otherwise was a disappointing 3-0 defeat for his beloved Cadiz CF, the club Benjy plays for in the Inclusive League (La Liga Genuine). He had brought a gi-

EXCLUSIVE By Walter Finch

ant poster asking former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham to give him his shirt as he was subbed off the pitch after scoring Madrid’s third goal. Bellingham saw the sign and gave a smile and a wave. “He was so happy to get the shirt signed by the team and it means so much to someone like Benjy,” mother Renuka (pictured with Benjy) told the Olive Press. “Because of his autism and ADD, he really struggles to make friends and he doesn’t understand why people don’t want to be

WHEN it comes to Christmas markets in Spain the variety is plentiful, but you can’t look past Spain’s oldest, the Fira de Santa Llucia in Barcelona. This beloved market stretches out along Avinguda de la Catedral in the gothic quarter of the Catalonian capital and was traditionally where single women went to attract a husband. It originally sold paper and clay nativity figurines to churchgoers in 1786 and first mention of the market was by Rafael Amat, a Catalan writer in the 18th century.

his friend. “So when he gets this recognition from the Real Madrid players - global megastars - it gives him a sense of acceptance and belonging.” Benjy’s difficulties in life were laid bare when Spanish football TV show El Dia Despues captured on camera Benjy’s efforts to catch Bellingham’s attention. They put together a comical segment laughing at his persistent efforts to catch the attention of the Real Madrid bench and the irritated reaction of the other fans to Benjy’s commotion. The editor of the show called Renuka within minutes of her sending an email pointing out Amat made reference to a ‘party in her son is authe street’, where nativity scenes, tistic to apoloimages of saints, shepherds, animals gise profusely and a ‘multitude of people’ gathered. and promptIt was also known as the ‘fair of ly sent a TV the girls’, since it was believed that crew to meet single girls went there to arrange Benjy and marriages. film an inGirls were accompanied by their terview with mothers, were well dressed and well him. groomed, in order to find a suitor. Benjy was diagnosed early

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in life with autism, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder and delayed development. After a tough childhood in England and Gibraltar, Benjy’s mother, who has raised him as a single parent, relocated them to Cadiz in search of a fresh start when he was 12. But troubles followed him and Renuka really feared for Benjy’s future. “He’s had zero friends for the last five years,” Renuka said. “There might have been one or two people who were nice to him in school and kind to him but nobody wanted to invite him to the movies or play football.” Benjy’s dream was to meet Messi, who was ‘like a father figure for him’, and it led him, by chance, to Cadiz CF and the Inclusive League. Suddenly he had found a group, all of whom had different disabilities and special needs, where he did not struggle so much with social cues and interactions. Since he joined Cadiz CF’s inclusive team, Benjy’s behaviour and performance in school have improved immeasurably. “It really has saved both our lives,” Renuka said.

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A PREVIEW of the latest trends in Flamenco fashion has been given in Sevilla. The ‘official’ season for designers to show off their latest creations starts with the We Love Flamenco show, being held in Sevilla’s Hotel Alfonso XIII from January 13 to 19. But a glimpse of some of the designs on show has just been given at the Casino de la Exposicion to whet the appetites of Flamenco fashionistas. The show, which was first held in 2009, has since become one of the most important events in the Flamenco fashion world.

ROYAL RUMPUS SPAIN’s Royal family is remaining tight-lipped after the ex-husband of the Queen’s sister claimed he had an affair with Letizia following her marriage to King Felipe. Jaime del Burgo, 53, who was married to Telma Ortiz from 2012 to 2014, revealed the alleged affair in a tell-all book about the former journalist, providing a photo and series of Tweets and messages as supposed ‘proof’ of their relationship. Many doubt del Burgo’s claims as there is no evidence that Letizia actually sent him the photo or accompanying messages. The Royals have declined to comment.

NEWS

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December 13th - January 10th 2024

DESTROYER STOPS BY BRITISH destroyer HMS Diamond has stopped in Gibraltar on its way to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean on a mission to protect merchant shipping.

Climate crisis GIBRALTAR’S Minister for Climate Change spoke at the UK Pavilion of COP 28 in the UAE on how close British territories were to getting to Net Zero. Minister John Cortes, a keen environmentalist, took part in the panel discussion with ministers from Bermuda, Jersey and Guernsey. “It is an honour to represent Gibraltar and form part of the UK delegation at COP 28,” he said. Cortes, who heads the climate change portfolio in the current Gibraltar government, had earlier chaired the UK overseas territories’ Council of Environment Ministers in London. He said Gibraltar could be ‘involved’ in enforcing the 30 by 30 initiative to make 30% of the land and sea protected areas by 2030.

Career connect

OVER 80 people took part in a government-run workshop to help the younger generations get into the online gaming, financial and digital services sector. Minister for Trade and Industry Nigel Feetham welcomed the ‘broad range of attendees’ at the event. Feetham’s open-door policy saw people of ‘all backgrounds, ages and experiences get a ‘unique opportunity for a one-to-one interaction with Minister Feetham’, said a spokesman. The discussion focused on young people’s career prospects in the sectors that have made Gibraltar prosper. Gaming companies first relocated to the Rock in the 1990s along with insurance firms and mainly UK business interests.

The Type 45 Royal Navy destroyer stopped for 72 hours on the Rock before refuelling and setting off once again to join up with HMS Lancaster as part of Operation Kipion. It follows what UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps called ‘the unlawful and brazen seizure’ of the MV Galaxy Leader car carrier by the Iranbacked Houthi Yemen rebel group in the Red Sea. The ship will focus on patrolling chokepoints such as where the Red Sea connects with the Gulf of Aden.

LEGIONNAIRE’S DEATH

A PERSON has tragically died from Legionnaire’s Disease in Gibraltar as health chiefs continue to search out the source that infected four people. Health chiefs reported Monday that the victim had been in intensive care, probably with pneumonia, before losing the battle against the bacterial illness. “It is with great sadness that the GHA can confirm that a patient has passed away from Legionnaire’s Disease,” Minister for Health and Care

MORE THAN Health experts try to narrow down EVER cause of four infections BEFORE

By John Culatto

Gemma Arias-Vasquez said in a statement. Another victim remains in hospital after the outbreak first recorded in September, the statement added. The origin of the four cases of this latest Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak and investigations continue to explore different possibilities, its government said after its latest strategic government

meeting. Legionnaire’s Disease is caused not by drinking contaminated water but by breathing in the bacteria after it has aerosolized. Its symptoms go from shortness of breath to full-blown pneumonia. To try to hone in on the source of the infection, the health protection team once again interviewed the two recovered people. Environment Agency professionals have taken samples of possible sources of

COLLECTOR’S ITEM

A UNIQUE Christmas coin collection bearing the face of King Charles III for the first time is already on sale in Gibraltar. Minister Sir Joe Bossano who is responsible for the Gibraltar National Mint revealed the new collection at the Gibraltar Savings Bank on December 8. It is 35 years since the government presented the first collection of coins in 1988. “For the last few years the Gibraltar National Mint has produced a £2 coin together with the MINTED: Unique Christmas coins 50p Collection,” the government said in a statement. tremely popular’ the government said. “Due to the popularity of the collec- Collectors or gifters can buy the latest tions, both the 50p and £2 have been set, which includes Christmas cards, issued again this year. at the Gibraltar Savings Bank on Main Coin collectors have found the coin ‘ex- Street.

the infection. “Sampling is ongoing but results are not expected before 18th December due to the time required to culture the bacteria,” the Gibraltar Health Authority said in a statement. Director of Public Health Helen Carter said residents should watch out for ‘worsening shortness of breath’ as an early sign people had caught the disease. “It’s important to remember that Legionnaire’s Disease can’t be passed from person to person and is circulated by aerosolised droplets of the bacteria, not from drinking water,” she reminded. “Please remember to run any taps that haven’t been opened for more than 7 days for two minutes, and use proper windscreen wash in your vehicles.” In 2015, a man died after contracting the bacterial infection from car screen wash that was ridden with the bacteria.

GIBRALTAR has gone through a population explosion in the last few years that has seen it grow by about 12% to 38,000 people. It now boasts a 6,000-strong population of UK nationals, one of the largest numbers registered on the Rock since the UK’s military left the Rock in the 1990s.

Nationality

The figures come after early estimates of the 2022 census suggested the local population had grown to 38,000 people. There are now 6,000 UK nationals living locally, 900 Spaniards, over 250 Moroccans and 2,000 residents of other nationalities. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said his government had laid down the foundations to meet any challenges set by population growth.

Developer success

BANKED: Vietnamese investor wins award in London

THE Vietnamese investor at the heart of some of the largest construction projects in Gibraltar’s history picked up awards at the 2023 Bank of the Year awards in London. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Financial Services Minister Nigel Feetham attended the event alongside TNG Global Foundation founder Tuan Tran. The businessman got the award for Best Bank in Vietnam for his Vietnam Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MSB), of which the Gibraltar-based TNG Global Foundation is a shareholder. Tran plans to build a huge leisure and commercial area at the Eastside reclamation and another at the site of the old Bayside school. He also owns the Trusted Novus Bank on the Rock that has given local people more options after Brexit. Gibraltar’s government noted that there was no cost to the taxpayer for travel to London and accommodation once there.

JEWISH SOLIDARITY THE youngest children from one of Gibraltar’s government schools learnt about the Jewish festival of Hanukkah from Year 3 pupils of the Hebrew primary schools. Reception age children at St Paul’s School discovered the significance of the hanukkah candle set and sufganiyot jam doughnut that represent the eight-day feast. The children from St Paul’s school visited the Hebrew Primary School ‘to provide more real and meaningful learning experiences,’ the Gibraltar government said in a statement.

NEWS FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

OPINION Land grab or partnership? EU treaty talks are heating up and the pressure seems to be on to do the deal before Christmas. With the 14th round of negotiations starting in London, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares raised the tempo by insisting that any deal without airport joint use would be ‘absurd’. But Gibraltar’s leaders are wary of how far his proposal is from the original New Year’s Eve framework agreement. Although Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has not said anything specific, his refusal to budge on airport joint use has been a staple argument for his party. Picardo has instead vouched for ‘enhanced use’ of the airport, which is designed to transport far more passengers than it presently caters for. It puts the Rock in a tough place as Albares has seemed to make it clear he wants to see Spanish airlines flying into the airfield. And while UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty has given the airport idea his ‘support’ he has also backed Gibraltar’s British sovereignty as a prime concern. The 2006 Cordoba Agreement with the last PSOE government created a way to channel all Spanish flights straight to Spain. The air terminal reaches out to a point overlooking the border fence where it could then connect with a Spanish immigration post. But it seems that as all airport traffic would have to be controlled by Frontex officers under Spanish oversight, observers believe Spain wants to be based on Gibraltar's own sovereign land. This might be a step too far, in particular considering that Spanish politicians sometimes claim Gibraltar annexed the land for the airfield in the early 19th century. Once again, the devil is in the details, and such a detail might just be the sort that needs a referendum to come into effect. And with the clock ticking on talks, it seems progress is inevitable this week or barriers will come up and Gibraltar will once again be left in the cold.

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POISONED WATERS

DISPATCH: The idyllic Andalucian retreat favoured by expats that is being torn apart by excessive water bills that are threatening some property owners with ruin

EXCLUSIVE By Walter Finch

LOUDS of paranoia are gathering over the lush green hills of La Viñuela and its once-great reservoir, now little more than an alarming puddle. As the Olive Press first reported a month ago, the truculent town hall slammed a number of its residents with unfathomable water bills in the tens of thousands of euros, without warning and a year late. Since followed up in the UK media, including the Daily Mail, and with the Spanish media now taking up the baton, the beleaguered mayor has, not unexpectedly for Spain, put on his tin hat and dug a deeper trench. Insisting there is nothing wrong with the council’s billing system, he has even, shockingly, insisted the residents, mostly northern European expats, can ‘afford to pay’. Protests have been called, but incredibly, the case has not yet come to the boil. It soon will, as we discovered on a trip to the area this month. The first many residents knew about the saga was when they received a call from their banks in September telling them they had, often, five-figure direct debits coming out of their account. Thus the stage was set for a showdown between the town’s mayor, Jose Jiminez - affectionately known as ‘Juani’ - and its expat residents who occupy dozens of wonderful rural properties located around the lake. “We penny-pinched all our lives to be able to retire here,” Howard Kilduff and his wife Jane, both 69, told the Olive Press. The quantity surveyor and primary school

EXPATS: Howard Kilduff (top), Lee Talbot’s private water tank (right) and Paul and wife Jules (far right) teacher bought their remote, three-bedroom finca five years ago for its ‘tranquillity’ and spectacular views. But their plans to further renovate it and refurbish the kitchen have been put on hold after the town hall tried to take €6,000 out of their account on September 18. Now, like two dozen other residents - mostly Brits - they face the crippling possibility of their bank accounts and then homes being embargoed if they don’t pay up. One expat, Lee Talbot, 63, from Canterbury, was stunned with a demand of €43,000 from the third trimester of 2022 - now standing at €53,000 after further bills were added. Absolutely adamant he didn’t use this water, he is refusing to pay and has turned off the mains water to his six-bed property and now ships in his own supply privately. “Hardly cheap, but better than continually receiving water bills in the thousands from the town hall,” he told the Olive Press. Talbot is one of the few residents to make a As if to prove exactly how ridiculous the situ- formal legal complaint to the town hall, who ation has become he even received a bill of duly took his water meter away for testing, only €3,600 last month - despite the valves being to return a few days later conceding there was nailed completely shut. a small error in the reading - and knocking “In total it works out at €1,500 a month in €600 off the total. water usage - that’s like having another mort- “Now pay up the rest,’ is basically what they gage!” told me,” continues the property developer,

T was exactly a year ago that I sat down with friends for one of the most otherworldly culinary experiences of my life. Seated in an almost spaceship-style capsule, we were taken on a three-hour journey through the science of food by Paco Morales at Noor in Cordoba. A genius long-aiming for the stars, it was highly appropriate then that he should land his third Michelin star last month, becoming Spain’s 15th restaurant with the world’s highest accolade. To say Spanish cooking has gone stratospheric over the last decade would be an understatement. A decade ago, the country had 148 stars, with just seven places snaring the top honour. Today Spain has 271 stars handed out from the French food bible. The numbers are soaring by the year, and let’s not forget how painful the French find handing out plaudits to other countries when it comes to cuisine. So perhaps a better measure of Iberian success is the recent ‘Best Chefs’ in the world' award, which saw an incredible HALF of the top 10 coming from Spain. At the awards ceremony in Mexico last month, number one for the third year running was Dabiz Munoz, from Madrid’s amazing Diverxo. I’ve been fortunate to meet the man on a couple of occasions

Chefs

SCIENCE LESSON: Jon with Noor’s Paco Morales

and sat down with him a decade ago for his first interview after snaring three Michelin stars for the first time for Madrid. Almost the exact opposite of the intellectual Morales, he insisted he wanted his food to ‘feel like a bullet in the heat’. It was certainly a meal I’ll never forget. But Spain has always had these incredible mavericks, the eccentric types who grabbed the world’s attention with their culinary skills.

Famous five

It started with the likes of Pedro Subijana, Martin Berasategui and Juan Mari Arzak in the Basque region and soon spread to Catalunya in the guise of Joan Roca and Ferran Adria,

The Spanish are now the world’s number one cooking nation, grinding the French, Italians and Japanese into a pulp, writes Jon Clarke. And not just for quality, price too!

at world-renowned El Bulli. This group of five chefs were always among the world’s best at one time or another, for their groundbreaking (yet all different) styles of cooking. But what is different now is the sheer numbers of chefs that are leading the world. Aside from Munoz at number one in the Best Chefs poll, Spain has Albert Adria (Ferran’s brother) at number two and Andoni Luis Aduriz, from Mugaritz, in the Basque region in fifth spot. That’s three in the top five, and when you add in the team at Disfrutar in Barcelona at seventh and Joan Roca at Celler de Can Roca at eighth and it really is hard to deny Spain the

top spot. The Best Chefs poll is selected, I should point out, by 150 professionals around the world, including critics, initially, before it is refined by 200 global chefs in the final round. This makes it a genuine industry award, a chef’s chef honour and it is easy to see how well Spain has grown since the list first came out in 2017, when Spain had seven chefs in the Top 100, while France had 23 chefs and Italy 17. Today, six years on, Spain now has 17 restaurants in that select 100, while Italy has 15 and incredibly France has just nine. Talk about tables turned, the French must be feeling just a

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December 2023

PIZZA-SLICE PERFECT The Costa del Ski is perfect for Christmas card snowscapes and adrenalinepumping thrills, writes Iona Napier, recalling her ‘pizzashaped’ teaching tips

“

THERE’S no way I’m skiing down that. I’ll walk up, get my ski and take the lift down,” insisted my Olive Press colleague, looking longingly uphill, while skiers zipped gracefully past us. His grimace was barely visible through the layers of buff, hat and goggles, but the snarls were audible as he lay spread-eagled one ski 20 metres above him, where he’d taken a tumble. It had been a testing day on the slopes for ski virgin Rob, and after a particularly ambitious blue run with three consecutive wipeouts, his sense of humour had vanished without trace. It didn’t help that the rest of our impatient group had zoomed back to base for a Continues on next page

ICY BLAST: The snow cannons going full blast, while (inset) the view from the top

December 2023

All about

From front page

cana, without a second thought for Rob. With my several years of experience I had naturally ended up volunteering to become his impromptu ‘professor’. After rescuing his ski and a bit of gentle cajoling, we set off gingerly down the highest mountain range in peninsular Spain, making ‘giant pizza slices’, as my first teacher had called them, with our skis. He was soon back in the saddle and I was considering a career change, as I later sped down the Olympico run, in the Laguna de las Yeguas valley, which at the top has amazing views towards the Rif mountains of north Africa across the shimmering Med. It was the beginning of the perfect Sierra Nevada weekend, with perfect powder snow, bright sunshine and some of Spain’s best après ski at the end. The Sierra Nevada is easily Spain’s best skiing resort, with nearly 113 kms of pistes over 1200 vertical metres. The longest piste, SLICING UP: The pizza slice shapes Aguila, is a dreamy need improving 6.3km of easy turns and magnificent views, while the series of black runs, including Trampolin by late afternoon. and Visera, that will test most skiers. And on the subject of sunbathing, Of course the resort is most famous some fanatics - including me - even for allowing tourists to test the adage brave the slopes in a bikini for the last of being able to ski in the morning and day of the season in late April or early sunbathe on the coast, a cava in hand, May (la bajada en bikini see pic above).

HALF PIPE HEAVEN

Believe me, it’s an unmissable day festooned with champagne, near nudity and plenty of hedonism. But it’s not just for fun junkies; expert skiers insist the snow, particularly in springtime, is a soft and sumptuous

ride, unlike the tightly-packed icy pistes found in many European resorts. The long termers call it ‘cream snow’ (nieve crema), and most say it is at its best from February to April, although the season often begins in late November, weather permitting (this year it began on Dec 3 with just a few kilometres open). Best of all, the price for passes has not gone up much over recent years (it’s €37.50 to 58.90 for an adult day pass depending on time of year). “It’s a magnificent place with sun and a great location,” explains Mercedes Delgado, who has worked in the resort’s Cetursa admin team for over three decades. “The temperature is usually pleasant and makes for excellent snow conditions, with late night skiing too, and the season usually continues to May making it very versatile.” She continues: “And our proximity to Granada city is a huge plus, whereas many European resorts are very isolat-

ed. “You can come to the Sierra Nevada and also see the Alhambra, eat some famous Granada tapas.. . there is something for everyone.” She is one of many long-timers, who have worked in the resort for verging on half a century. Take a wonder around and chat to the various business owners and you’ll be amazed at how experienced they are.” There’s Luis Casanove, at Telemark, who began on the slopes in 1987, while Jose at Skisol is now in his 41st year working here. It wasn’t long after that in the 1990s that Giles Birch and Jonathan Buzzard set up together, going on to run their now famous British Ski Center (yes, American spelling). The strategic location is near the beach, not far from Madrid, and perfectly accessible from most of southern Spain (Valencia, Murcia etc) and increasingly Portugal.

Est.2002

Sierra Nevada

English Ski & Snowboard Instructors Holiday Arrangements: sierraessence@skisierranevada.co.uk

info@britishskicenter.co.uk T: 670 461330 / 646 178406 www.skisierranevada.co.uk

December 2023

POCKET-FRIENDLY RESORT

THE Sierra Nevada is incredibly good value, blasting the international competition out of the water. A day ski pass averages at around €49, while Colorado resort Beaver Creek charges a mind-boggling €212 per day, Whistler in Canada is also €212 and Switzerland’s Zermatt can set you back €94. In terms of ski hire it comes in around €25, while skiwear is found as cheaply as €20 per day, with a small helmet supplement which is a must, regardless of your vanity.

Alongside a loyal British crowd, many of them expats from Alicante and Malaga, the majority (around 80%) of the skiers are Spanish. They are particularly drawn to the resort’s authenticity and charm that swanky French resorts have long since lost, with prices to match. The place was quietly successful in the 1980s, but grew massively since the world ski championships in 1995. Spanish is still the lingua franca – although virtually all restaurateurs speak English. By contrast, in high-end Swiss resorts or in France’s Courchevel or Meribel, where the super-rich walk their Chihuahuas in white skin-tight salopettes, you’re hard pushed to find a native

French speaker. The resort is very family friendly, with the majority of the 139 runs at a beginner or intermediate level. There are several zones purpose-designed for little ones: with magic carpet lifts, bike-skiing and toboggan runs for kids or non-skiers. More experienced skiers - and hundreds of snowboarders - head to the Sulayr Terrain Park, where there are well over 100 different ramps and rails, with the largest ski-jump in Europe. The cool kids also hang out in the Loma de Dilar area, which boasts the biggest permanent halfpipe in Spain, with a cross country ski and snowboard run. And it’s not just the class skiing that keeps punters coming back, the nightlife and restaurants are second to none. And the Sierra Nevada’s businesses are delighted to meet you, friendly down to earth businesses that do not mock their customers with ski-high prices. Try Nichi at Bar Ski for some apres-ski vibes of the highest calibre… his bar and the ones around it are perfect for a cheeky beer or glass of wine before heading to one of the nearby restaurants. Looking for a bit of the high life, you will easily find yourself distracted by Marbella Club’s Sierra Nevada outposts, El Lodge, or its recently added sister Meribel, two sumptuous, high-end additions to the local scene. These are the sort of top end places that rival anywhere in Ibiza or Cannes, and keep the wealthy expats on the Costa del Sol more than happy whether there is snow or not. And you can easily get a slice of it (even a high-end pizza slice) for a lot less money than you might realise as their restaurants are open to everyone.

IN THE FAMILY

More than 4 decades experience

MEDIUM – BEGINNERS Ski’s for 25€ – Snowboard & Snowblades for 25€ HIGH – INTERMEDIATE Ski’s for 35€ – Snowboard & Snowblades for 34€ PREMIUM – EXPERTS Ski’s for 45€ – Snowboard & Snowblades for 44€ Jackets & Trousers – 22€ Helmet – 6€

T is a classic family business. Jose Antonio Lopez and his wife Montse are now joined by their two children, particularly when the resort gets busy. But thankfully it’s not too far, the family living in nearby La Zubia, just at the foot of the slopes. In an excellent location, their shop Skisol has some of the best quality skis and snowboards to rent and customer service is the key to its success. “We always put the customer first and have plenty of returning business,” explains Jose Antonio, who has been renting out skis in the Sierra Nevada for four decades. Visit www.skisol.es or call 958 48 08 57

NATURAL SETTING: And (top) competing in the European Championships

EXPERIENCED: Montse with son and pal

Snow Glasses – 5€

December 2023

All about

The Maribel Hotel in the Sierra Nevada adds an additional upmarket pull to Spain’s hippest ski resort, writes Jon Clarke

HE last time I’d luxuriated in Alpine-style bliss in the Sierra Nevada was a decade ago, and right next door. When El Lodge reopened after a stunning refit in 2012 I was lucky enough to take my family - including two young children - as the season kicked off. It had gone swimmingly, even despite our pair stripping off and bombing into the outdoor heated pool completely naked, quickly followed by my wife in a bra and knickers! Something of a test run to sample the exclusive hotel’s offering, its well-travelled manager insisted I needn’t ‘worry’ about the kids and explained the sort of guests who stayed here could pretty much do what they wanted. Almost nothing was off limits. The Lodge has proven to be one of Andalucia’s resounding success stories over the last decade enticing up an extremely mixed international crowd, half of whom just come to relax, with no intention of skiing. Seeing the super rich at play is always something to behold and the Lodge has completely nailed their needs, its terrace the very definition of privilege, glasses of champagne (not cava) clinking, as the sun’s rays start to drop and the shadows lengthen. So, I suppose, with occupation rates often nudging into the 90s, it was little surprise that the celebrated luxury hotel group behind the five-star Marbella Club and Puente Romano would look for a further addition to its Pradollano portfolio. And, as it turns out, they have now acquired two new properties right next to the Lodge… the Monachil Hotel, and Maribel Hotel, which has just reopened with 29 rooms, all geared towards the luxury end. There is something undeniably comforting about the Maribel, which immediately feels like a home on arrival, not a grand showy hotel, except, of course, for the doorman, who quickly whisks away your car and speeds your luggage up to your room, while you check in. Billing itself as a chalet, this is very much the feel as the subtly-lit reception area doubles up as an open-plan snug, pool room and bar area and the sheer variety of sumptuous furnishings and faux fur is impressive. Everything is geared towards comfort and nature and its pick-and-mix wooden furniture further adds to the homely feel, while the smell of natural oils is

ELEGANCE: Maribel’s beautiful Finnish wood spa and (below right) two rooms

MARVELLOUS

immediately calming. ed with plenty of faux fur throws and There is a real focus on wood, sustain- a series of original stone and shell able Finnish wood, from the beams sculptures, while a circular wooden and pillars to the panelling and floors, chip tells you to ‘leave me’ on the bed while a series of drinks tables are if you don’t need the sheets changing. made from original oak. A giant ski resort photo from the On one wall a false bookshelf gives 1980s holds court on one wall and way leading to the is a continuous theme rooms, which are all throughout the hotel, in remarkably well-apparticular in the impresA wonderful pointed, each with their sive restaurant downwide open own balcony, looking stairs. through a thin stand of It is here that I felt most space offering pines into the snowy at home, despite the mountains behind. a true sense of warmth of the bar upNothing is lacking from stairs. escape the smart entertainBilling itself as a ‘gasment system to inteltronomic club’, it is a ligent lighting and the wonderful wide open coffee machine to electric loos (be space with acres of glass offering the careful of the automatic bidet button, most amazing views and a true sense though, unless you want to cool down). of escape. The theme is geared towards travel Its focus (apart from the views) are the and, in particular, leather suitcases, elegant bar at one end and the giant all edges sealed in brown leather, in- scene stting circular lights (above), cluding the side ta- which are tempered depending on the bles, desk and even mood and time of day. cupboards. The It’s very much a stand alone restauscene is complet- rant, encouraging diners in from the

outside, and with input from wellknown local DJs it has a distinct buzz about the place in the evenings, particularly at weekends and in the holidays, I’m told. I was really impressed with the dinner menu, which was striking in its length with 13 starters alone, including caviar and oysters. The stand-out dishes include the celebrated Motril shrimp croquettes with cane honey alioli and the marinated beef carpaccio with artichoke and truffle dressing. I fancied something a bit different and went for the ‘shaved cauliflower salad’ with apple and smoked almonds, which was delicious and, as one of the chefs later admitted, was a real ballache to prepare. I also tried the classic French onion soup with Gruyere croutons, a brilliant winter warmer after a day on the slopes. For those looking for nostalgia, the ‘Alpine specialities’ section naturally included a Raclette and a separate cheese fondue, as well as an artichoke flower, served with foie and burrata cheese. But first I should mention the amazing giant crusty warm roll that comes out with the very best olive oil, either from the organic Belvis mill in Istan (lunch), or the award-winning Castillo de Canela of Jaen (dinner). For mains I wasn’t looking for anything too heavy, so a simple plate of spaghetti with Boletus mushrooms, from northern Spain, was splendid. For lunch the following day I ordered in room service, having come down with a touch of the flu, and was seriously cheered up by the most delicious buffalo mozzarella I have eaten, alongside some of the sweetest cherry tomatoes one can possibly imagine. A remarkable baked aubergine, with olive, tomato and basil sauce, recommended by the kitchen for a dickie tummy, couldn’t have been a better recommendation. The sweetness of the tomatoes (again) really cheered me up. The wine list would be hard to beat

with dozens by the glass and a particularly exciting top end, exclusive section, where you can grab an amazing glass of white Chassagne Montrachet (Domaine Bader Mimeur) for €29 a glass, or an Italian Barolo (‘Cannubi’) for €23. Aside from that, there were plenty of Spanish wines from around the country, many in most readers’ price range. And on that front…OK, while many of the mains were over €30, there were plenty of plates for just over €20, which for such a high quality joint isn’t bad at all. So, all in all, the Maribel more than matches up to the amazing opulence of El Lodge next door, while being considerably more accessible and less fussy and certainly better for families. Aside from the fact you can also ski right from the door (snow willing) and there is a ski shop renting and selling equipment, you also have the impressive spa too AND a heated outdoor pool to boot, plus a hot tub and jacuzzi. Now I finally understand why so many of the guests of these two wonderful hotels don’t even consider strapping on a plank or two of wood to their feet. Marvellous Maribel it certainly is! More info on Maribel Ski & Après Ski can be found at www.maribels. com For El Lodge Ski & Spa visit www.ellodge.com

December 13th - January 10th 2024

ONLINE ADVERTISING WORKS!

who has an office in Marbella. village. “It was like checkmate. But they never released Jimenez infamously said in a newspaper interthe actual report into this investigation they view that ‘if the residents used the water, they claimed to have done,” he continued. “We still must pay - and they can pay.’ don’t know how they made their calculations.” Yet the actual Spanish locals we spoke to this This experience has deterred other victims month were keen to impress they got along from having their meters tested, fearing that very well with their foreign neighbours and that it is just a means for the town hall to rubber the community was actually well-integrated. stamp their bills. But one woman’s face hardened when asked if The reluctance of the town hall she sympathised with those hit and the mayor to address the with the bills issue or even reassure its resi“If they used that much water, The town hall dents has slowly introduced ‘a they have to pay for it,” she said. poison’ into the community. However, a handful of Spanish was paying This wouldn’t be happening ‘if residents do also count among €10,000 a it were the Spanish getting the the victims. bills’, is the grumble being whisLocal goat farmer Jose Antonio month to pump pered louder and louder. received an assurance from the its water La Viñuela town hall has still not mayor that he would resolve the published its accounts for 2022 issue. - as it is legally obliged to do “Then they hit me with a bill for and it sat on the huge water bills for months €17,000 without warning. I only found out I’d before sending them out. been charged when I saw it in the bank. It is This was apparently due to a ‘technical glitch’ basic robbery.” in their computer systems, an excuse that has He continued: “In other villages, if a huge bill been greeted with scepticism. arrives they would ring the person and explain It has prompted some to wonder out loud if the what is going on. They needed to warn us betown hall is deliberately passing on huge costs fore sending out the bills.” to ‘los guiris’ in order to shield the rest of the Theories to get to the bottom of the matter

BEST CHEF: Dabiz Muñoz has been number one for three years little browned off and wondering how to spice up their boeuf bourguignon. Well, take it from me, having spent nearly two decades writing about Spanish cuisine and even publishing my own book Dining Secrets of Andalucia, they need to concentrate on basic local produce and respecting their ingredients. What I think the Spanish have done so well over the last two decades is to think local and cook local… but then again, the Spanish did have a head start.

All the local chefs had to do after all, was simply head down to their local markets and see what was in season and arriving that day. Aside from the legendary vegetables and fruits that grow all around the country, the pork from around Jabugo and Salamanca, the beef from Cadiz and Galicia and the fish from around Barbate, Denia, and Murcia, so much more is staggeringly good. Take the rice from around Valencia, the saffron from inland and the wild mush-

rooms from the many varied sierras, the list could go on. And I’ll leave you with a thought: After our amazing 11-course adventure at Noor last Christmas, we were left with a bill of just €115 per head. Sure, now it’s got three stars the price has gone up, but at just €145 a head, Noor is still easily one of the best value leading restaurants in the world. See Star Turns, p38

IRECT exposure to the Olive Press’ 30,000plus registered online database is getting amazing results. Our followers get daily news emails, twice-weekly travel mailouts and a detailed health newsletter every Sunday. As well as announcing financial seminars and special surgical procedures, a number of astute restaurant groups and hotels have caught on. Musaka in San Pedro got 20 bookings from a one off deal including a free bottle of wine. as Party at Musaka Book your Christm DINNER – LUNCH PARTIES – Meanwhile, Malaga’s Metro group has used the OlCHR ISTM AS ) (groups of 4 and more ive Press’s Turk unique tool on three separate oct Beef ey, Roasmarketing Scrumptious Christma gs the trim casions thisallyear somin far. ed with or Salmon Fillet serv h from 33.90€ Luncdiscount A rse 50% for0€the open3 Cou 49.9 from drinks included OR withing hours) exclusive fortnight – 2,5their drinksof (wine, cava, beer, soft 49.90€ Nomad restaurant got 96 5 Course Dinner from 0€ 74.9 from ded OR with drinks inclu bookings, while drinks – 3 hours) (wine, cava, beer, soft F offOF brunch 20% 15% OFFa 25% 10% OFF for boo king s for boo king sdeal brought 18 peopleover 30. over for bookings le peop over 12 over 6 people 23’ G ‘MUSAKA “We’ve been very happy with the results” DISCOUNT BY USIN APPLY FOR YOUR SPECIAL DATES explained boss, E D DECEMBER E N Cmarketing & JANUARY LU F N I K E E R G L U s WO N D E R F MIXED GROUPS Karen Wolfson. 24th, 25th – Christma OD FO N A E N A Y R R UAR E T I JAN MED Lunch from 59.90€ DECEMBER & Five-star Kempinski hotel ner Day ng h/din Boxi lunc 26th Christmas 7th, 8th, 9th, Lunch from and SO/Sotogrande spa59.90€ y EVERY WEEK 14th, 15th, 16th, - New Years Eve Part 31st S W have used our database, O H S 85€ 21st, 22nd & 23rd Dec C I 5 course dinner from LIVE MUS ary 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Janu 119€ with OR from 72 42 while an67exclusive room disApp: 602 s hats drink tel/W soft , m for beer a.co , wine info@musak Sundays available count ed atonDDG Retreat, near Estepona, Parties Private Christmas Sunday Clos le e Kings Thre Jan 6th groups over 20 peop 20, tero Quin takers - ‘even moreLunc bookfor anos Alvarezof Hermdozens Av.got h from 59.90€ (the Restaurant is solely Pedro de Alcántara in the 0, San 2967 you and your guests ings than the Times’. hours 1pm - 5 pm) m) (between 8pm-11.30p

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abound, with the most prevalent being that air is entering the pipes and causing the meters to spin wildly and inflate the count. Retired mechanical engineer and unofficial ‘Viñuela water bills’ spokesperson Paul Rouse is adamant that this occurs when the water pumps are switched off and on again. But this was dismissed as a ‘bad theory’ at the town hall amid a finger-jabbing conversation when we were finally able to confront someone at the town hall. The mayor was ‘on holiday’ for most of the week. “If that was the case, then all the properties in the same road would have the high bills,” the official - who demanded he was not named pointed out. “But it’s not the case. You have houses next to each other with very different bills.” The town hall continues to insist that each case is different and it is just a coincidence with no common cause - despite the high bills all coming in the same quarter and being followed by two quarters of low bills. “Such huge bills are almost impossible to justify,” the former expat mayor of neighbouring Alcaucin, Mario Blancke, told the Olive Press. “Something has clearly gone wrong there.” The real estate boss, from Belgium, holds the distinction of being the only expat to become mayor in the region. “La Viñuela used to get most of its water from a borehole in Alcaucin free of charge in exchange for paying the electricity bill on the pump and maintaining it,” he explained. However, Blancke added that the electricity costs came to €10,000 a month. In an ironic twist, it was a bill that Jiminez and the town hall ultimately found exorbitant themselves. In a series of back door deals that were never written down, according to the Belgian ex-mayor, the two town halls negotiated a new deal to just charge for the water going through the pipes from Alcaucin to La Viñuela. He also added that recent water bills include a 50% surcharge tax by the Junta which are going towards new sewage stations in the region. But it still does not explain the mystery of the shocking water bills. “In Alcaucin we offered residents the option to have a second meter installed to give two readings, at a cost of €120.” Perhaps this is a simple measure that could help head off future problems in La Viñuela , but what is needed is a solution now. The ball is in the hands of the local mayor - let us hope common sense prevails and he does not drop it.

CHRISTMAS DISCOUNT SCAN HERE TO LAND YOURSELF AN UNLIMITED, AD-FREE HALF PRICE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION DON’T miss the limited Christmas discount on our online subscriptions! Enter code XMAS2023 to receive a 50% discount on the first three months, or six months if you purchase our annual plan. Select the plan you want on our website and the ‘promo code’ box will open up below. Subscription will offer at least a 75% reduction in ads and access to all of our premium articles. You will also have access to digital versions of our multiple newspaper editions across Spain and Gibraltar, daily newsletters of the top stories and weekly mailouts on the best travel and health stories.

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: strikes in Spain: Which flights will be 1- Airport affected by walkouts planned for December? This town in Malaga province has been crow2-ned the best in Spain to spend New Year's Eve IPTV illegal in Spain? All you need to know 3- Isafter British expat is arrested for 'breaking intellectual property laws' holidays in Spain: When are they in 4- Bank December and what shops will be open? WATCH: Vintage video from 1962 shows how 5-Spain's Costa del Sol looked before the arrival of mass tourism

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Hotel plan kicks off

CONSTRUCTION has begun on the Costa del Sol’s latest 5-star hotel located in an old cinema with money put up by Shakira’s ex Gerard Pique. Hotel chain Melia is set to open a new luxury venue in the area with funds from the former Barcelona footballer’s investment group, Kerad EB. The hotel will be in an old cinema between Malaga’s Calle Victoria and Calle Mundo Nuevo and building work will take around 20 months. Some €20 million is being invested in the project which will have eight suites, 15 junior suites and 105 double rooms. Construction had been delayed for an archeological dig after an ancient Islamic necropolis was found on the site.

Ring in the New Year Town has been crowned the best in Spain to spend New Year’s Eve FORGET the iconic Puerta del Sol in Madrid or Plaça Espanya in Barcelona - a string of small towns have been named as the best spots in Spain in which to ring in the New Year. And the tiny but picturesque Malaga town of Frigiliana has achieved the sought after title of best place to spend New Year in Spain, as chosen by travel magazine Viajar. Although it may seem counterintuitive, it is precisely because of the lack of big nightclubs, bars and rowdy

By Yzabelle Bostyn

streets that Viajar chose it as its top destination. The white village nestled in the hills outside Malaga, was selected for its tranquil atmosphere, pretty streets and surrounding nature. The quiet environment is perfect to reflect on the past year and look forward to 2024. The magazine highlighted the ‘labyrinthine’ streets covered with colourful flower pots and the area’s close-

HIDDEN BEAUTY

A LITTLE known town has been put atop a list of Spain’s 20 most beautiful towns. According to UK newspaper The Telegraph, Sanlucar de Barrameda is the fairest of them all. It is nestled out of the way on the northwest coast of Cadiz province, next to the Guadalquivir River and facing the Doñana Natural Park. And this hidden gem boasts a range of attributes that have led the newspaper to label it as their ‘favourite holiday destination without exception.’ According to The Telegraph', you can find ‘elegant ports, tranquil beaches, and exquisite seafood restaurants’ in Sanlucar de Barrameda, in a town of ‘charming whitewashed buildings adorned with vibrant bougainvillaea.’

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SPAIN is set to be Brits’ favourite holiday destination in 2024, closely followed by the USA. Over 22% of British holidaymakers will head to sunny Spain in 2024 and if this year’s data is anything to go by, most will head to the Canary Islands. In 2023, 30% of British tourists visiting Spain went to the Canary Islands, with the Balearic Islands receiving 21.8% of British tourists. Catalunya also received a high number of Brits thanks to the capital city Barcelona, with 20.8% of all British tourists visiting Spain. Valencia and Andalucia were also popular with Brits, receiving 13.1% and 10.8% of British tourists respectively.

Go it alone

PLANNING on travelling solo? Then look no further than Spain, which has just been crowned the third best country in the world to do so. According to data compiled by RatePunk, Thailand takes the top spot, followed by Italy. The hotel rates analyser found the most popular areas by investigating which countries had the most hotel bookings for one person. Popular destinations for solo travellers include Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla thanks to their rich culture, history and nightlife.

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sugar cane factory, which is one of a kind in Europe. Many restaurants in the area are offering New Year’s dinners or you could snuggle up in a local ‘Casa Rural’ with a bottle of local wine. Second on the list is the historic town of Trujillo in Extremadura’s Caceres province. The birthplace of many Spanish conquistadores is famous for its castle and Renaissance churches and palaces And in third spot is the tiny village of Pastrana (Guadalajara) with a population of just 873. It follows a Medieval street plan and features a splendid 16th century ducal palace and ancient convent.

Favourite spot

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December 13th - January 10th 2024

1 Gratis (4) 4 Pipe up (5) 8 Mineral spring (3) 11 Dress with care (5) 12 Hollowed inward (7) 13 Naïve (4) 14 Misshapen (8) 16 Delighted (6) 17 Shook US wine: it’s not recommended (6) 20 Baptize (8) 22 Demonstrative pronoun (4) 25 Make clear (7) 26 Very large (5) 27 Light meal (3) 28 Laziness (5) 29 Social standing (4) Down 2 It has points and lines (7) 3 Spot (4) 5 Locate exactly (8) 6 Fright (5) 7 Initiate an oil well (4) 9 Land measures (5) 10 One of a series off the Isle of Wight (6) 15 Best (8) 16 Short coat (6) 18 Brutal (7) 19 Stood for men at work (5) 21 Drive back (5) 23 Norse god of thunder (4) 24 Partly open (4)

All solutions are on page 46

HEALTH

Breathless vigour RUNNING to catch a bus, taking the stairs instead of a lift or carrying shopping bags home can all help to improve your cardiovascular health. The concept of VILPA (Vigorous, Intermittent Physical Activity in Lifestyle) has recently been coined by experts and studies by several institutions including Cadiz University shows it works. Researchers found an average of 3.4 minutes of daily vigorous activity can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in sedentary women by up to 45%. Cadiz's Borja del Pozo, one of the study authors, says the key to integrating intensity into daily tasks is to 'take a little breath away' when doing them.

ANTIBIOTIC WARNING A LEADING Spanish medic is claiming that 5% of Spanish pharmacies are dispensing antibiotics without a prescription. Bruno Gonzalez-Zorn from Madrid's Complutense University says that 23,000 people died this year from multi-drug resistant bacterial infections and that the public needs educating. We need people to know that it is not trivial to take a drug like amoxicillin without a prescription because this is an antibiotic of last resort,” he warned. Gonzalez-Zorn added that self-medicating on home stocks of antibiotics was wrong and that some pharmacies are not helping by selling them over the counter like paracetamol. “We have to take action,” he added.

December 13th - January 10th 2024

GET OFF THE HAMSTER WHEEL

Being glued to your phone or their apps has a word – addiction

ddiction used to be a word associated with drugs, alcohol, sex or eating. At a very basic level, an addiction is something that causes you to feel that you cannot do without it and when it starts to interfere in other parts of your life. Given this statement, how many of you can honestly say that you are not addicted to watching, holding and engaging with your mobile phones? How many of you have felt acutely anxious when you cannot access your mobile phone and worse still, how many of you access your mobile phone to check on social media apps like ‘X’. If, for example, you are regularly checking every hour, there is a chance that you are now on the hamster wheel of getting that dopamine hit which at the most basic level, is what

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By Fiyaz Mughal

drives addictive behaviour. Dopamine is the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter, one which with a number of other eurotransmitters, gives the ‘high’ that is associated with addictions. What is also interesting to note and be aware of, is that mobile phones are gateways to other addictions. The range of gambling ‘apps’ and the ease of accessing pornography means that mobile phones have become one of the most mentally captivating of all technological items that have been developed in the last 50 years. They have literally given access to gambling, sex and illicit drug distribution opportunities, within the click of a few buttons. It is the ultimate consumer icon of this century. Whilst mobile phone addiction may not have the stigma of alcohol or sex addictions, the mechanisms of addiction are pretty much the same. The same brain circuitry is involved in drug or sex addictions and the difference may be in the potency and efficacy between these areas of addiction, though do not underestimate the addictive pulls that are driven by social media platforms or gambling ‘apps’ on mobiles. It is also important to note that addictions are not just physical, they create cognitive disturbances and distortions. For example, taking cocaine not only physically creates changes in individuals, making them more alert and more engaging, they also create a sense of cognitive control in users and this is a cross-cutting theme in all of the addictions. The fact is that when

people satisfy their addictions, counter-column, which lists althey feel more in control. ternative thoughts and facts to Again, I ask the question. Does dispute the original thoughts regularly checking your mothat lead to the addiction. bile phone, whether it be for It is important you do this on a ‘Whatsapp’ messages, or for regular basis and to collate the social media apps, make you papers and read them regularly feel more in control? so that you can expose yourself I suspect that for many people, to the challenging thoughts that this is precisely the case, that you have come up with and there is a synergy to physically which are meaningful to you. holding the phone and engagBeing addicted to screens and ing with it and also meeting the to your mobile phone also has psychological long term physineed for checkcal impacts. ing and control. Phone addiction Long-term use So how can we can create patmay not have wean ourselves terns of thought off addictions? that become the stigma of The first way is habitual and through cognialcohol or sex more difficult tive and psychoto change and addictions logical support. counter. The second is They also affect by actively doing eyesight, mood the opposite that the addiction and can create emotional disdrives you too, but this changturbances and swings because ing pattern of behaviour needs dopamine also affects the emoto take place some way down tional centres of the brain. the line after therapeutic and So as we move towards Christmental health support mechmas and the festive season, anisms have been in place for please do spare a thought to some time. the amount of time you will be Another way is to use cognitive spending on your phone. disputation techniques. This Watching a Netflix movie on involves getting a paper and your phone may well be enjoylisting the thoughts associatable, but watching t h e ed with the need for movie, then staying on constantly checking social media platforms your mobile phone. and reverting to gambling apps, These thoughts can compromise your mental should be placed well-being. in the first column Bear that in mind and considagainst a er speaking and engaging with family and friends on a face to face basis. Sometimes, ‘old-school’ ways of engaging are the best, because they have been tried and tested for tens of thousands of years, rather than technology that has been around for only four decades.

Change through relocation abroad can also add to mental health pressures and these life changes are never easy. Counselling and therapy has changed the lives of many. Getting in touch is the first step. Recognising that there is an issue is the first step on the road to recovery. Help is available through our confidential counselling service.

+34 664 666 252 info@counselling4anxiety.eu www.counselling4anxiety.eu

OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 1 Free, 4 Speak, 8 Spa, 11 Primp, 12 Concave, 13 Dewy, 14 Deformed, 16 Joyful, 17 Unwise, 20 Christen, 22 That, 25 Explain, 26 Jumbo, 27 Tea, 28 Sloth, 29 Rank. Down: 2 Railway, 3 Espy, 5 Pinpoint, 6 Alarm, 7 Spud, 9 Acres, 10 Needle, 15 Outsmart, 16 Jacket, 18 Inhuman, 19 Meant, 21 Repel, 23 Thor, 24 Ajar.

If you are in need of private therapy support, you can contact Counselling4Anxiety via info@counselling4anxiety. com

LA CULTURA

December 13th - January 10th 2024

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS BELÉNS

Christmas started early (as usual) when decorations went up last week between Constitution Day and Immaculate Conception Day. As well as trees, lights and baubles, many homes and towns feature a nativity scene celebrating the birth of Christ known as Belens. These vary from a small collection of figurines to elaborate recreations of Bethlehem featuring its landscape and the Magi. Some nativity scenes add ‘hilariously’ crude elements, for example the ‘caganer’ that depicts a peasant with his trousers down doing his business although in recent years the role of the peasant has been taken over by celebrities and politicians. Live nativity scenes are also popular and the village of Beas in Huelva is famous for them, where its inhabitants represent over 3 0 biblical scenes.

Spain has no shortage of festive traditions that differ regionally. Starting at the beginning of December and ending in January there are plenty of scrumptious treats on offer as well as parades to go and see. Here are some of the interesting traditions that make Navidad special.

4 FOOD - DEC 24 On Christmas Eve people across the country leave work early to gather with their families to enjoy a feast of traditional dishes. The menu differs regionally but many favour seafood or baked fish for mains as well as suckling pig and lamb. This is followed by desserts such as turron (honey and almond nougat), marzipan and polvorones (crumbly shortbread).

CAGA TIO LOG DEC 24 MALLORCA MASS DEC 24

LOTTERY - DEC 22 For many the start of Christmas is December 22 when Spaniards gather around radios and televisions holding their tickets in hope of winning the Christmas lottery. Dating back to 1812 in Cadiz, it has been held every year since without interruption (even during the Civil War). People purchase the €20 decimos (tenth of a ticket) annually from July. The draw occurs at Madrid’s Loterias y Apuestas del Estado draw room and the top prize is known as El Gordo valued at €720 million.

Every Christmas Eve, Christians attend a midnight mass (La Misa del Gallo) to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Mallorca does something else during the mass known as the ‘chant of the Sybil’ ; it is recognised as Intangible Heritage by UNESCO. The chant is performed by a character dressed in a tunic, helmet and sword.

This pagan rooted Catalonian tradition of the Caga Tio (Pooping log) is a log that parents give to their children in early December, on which they draw a face, cover it with a blanket to keep it warm and crown it with the typical Catalan barretina (a red wool hat). Children give him food and look after him so that, when they sing and hit him with a stick on Christmas Eve, he poops out turron for them.

NEW YEARS - DEC 31 & JAN 1 Thousands congregate in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol each year to hear its clock produce the 12 chimes that are broadcast on radio and television across Spain counting down to the new year. A popular tradition that started in 1909 is trying to eat 12 grapes to the rhythm of the clock’s chimes. In order to have a lucky year one must eat the last grape at the last toll of the bell. Champions and unlucky participants alike toast the New Year with a glass of cava to wash it all down and at the end of the night a tasty portion of churros con chocolate. Another lucky talisman is the wearing of red underwear underneath one’s clothes which is said to guarantee a prosperous year. Someone to look out for on December 31 is the ‘man with the noses’, a mythical character who has as many noses as there are days left in the year. He can be seen on New Year’s Eve at midnight in Placa de Palau, Barcelona, the only night he has a normal appearance. The next day on January 1 he will have 365 noses all over his body.

8 OLENTZERO & APALPADOR - DEC 24 Instead of Father Christmas or the Magis some Spanish regions have their own gift giving friends such as the Olentzero from the Basque Country. The kind natured Olentzero loves food and drink. He lives in the forests of Navarre and the Basque Country making charcoal, but comes down on Christmas Eve to bring gifts to good children. Head northwest and you will reach Galicia, home of Apalpador. The redbearded charcoal burner always carries a lit pipe in his mouth, a beret on his head and a walking stick. He is known to travel throughout Galicia on December 24 and 31 ensuring everyone is fed. Originally sweets and chestnuts were given out but now small toys are also given to children.

DÍA DE LOS INOCENTES - DEC 28

Just a fews days later marks the celebration of the Dia de los Inocentes on December 28. The festivities commemorates the failure of King Herod’s plan to murder all the babies in Bethlehem for fear that baby Jesus would take his throne. Throughout the day Spaniards play pranks on each other varying in extremity and many newspapers try to trick readers by publishing false articles - much the same as April Fools Day in the UK.

THE THREE KINGS - JAN 5-6 Although some children await the arrival of Father Christmas, this custom is not as popular in Spain. Most leave their shoes out and some food awaiting a visit from the Three Wise Men - Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar - in the early hours of January 6. If a child has been naughty they will receive a lump of coal and if they have been good they will receive some gifts. Three Kings Day also marks the end of Christmas in Spain. The celebration begins on January 5 with the Cavalcade of the Magi, parades that are organised all over Spain. Children can see the three

Wise Men, their camels, and other magical characters parade around and throw sweets to them. It is also customary to share a Roscon de Reyes, a sweet ring shaped treat filled with cream and candied fruits. The treat also contains two items - there is a small figurine and whoever finds it is crowned king of the house for the day and a dried bean which is supposed to bring bad luck to its finder.

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FINAL WORDS

A SERIES of hair salons in Madrid were discovered to be using banned products made from sheep placenta and other cancer-causing products. Several arrests were made.

Toothbrush swallow A WOMAN went viral in Spain after she swallowed a toothbrush, which she had wedged down her own throat in a bid to dislodge a piece of jamon. She has made a full recovery.

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GIBRALTAR

It was THIS big! Record breaking catch as 11-yearold lands 69 kilo monster fish A BRITISH youngster had a Spanish holiday that he'll never forget after netting a record-breaking 69 kilo catfish. Joshua Davenport, 11, from West Sussex got his catch of the day while out fishing with his parents on the banks of the Ebro river. The 2.7 metre-long catfish nibbled on Joshua's rod and he could scarcely believe what was waiting for him at the end

Pet food win SPANISH airline Vueling has become the first carrier in Europe to offer food and treats for dogs travelling with their owners.

By Alex Trelinski

of the line. It took 25 minutes to reel in the monster fish (pictured with Joshua) which has now become the biggest freshwater fish to be caught by a boy in Europe. Catfish are nothing new to Joshua who had previously netted a 50 kilo whopper. His

mother Lorna said: “Fishing is everything to Josh who got his first rod when he was four and

FINGER LICKIN’ AROMA IF you love the smell of fried chicken then KFC has the perfect Christmas present for you - a limited edition ‘fragrance’ smelling of its popular product. Called Eau D'uardo, it has the aroma of fried chicken and its bottle has been shaped like a chicken drumstick. The unisex perfume - retailing at a

pocket friendly €3.99 - has been commissioned by KFC Spain. It contains the herbs and spices from Colonel Sanders' original recipe, including ‘notes of bergamot, geranium, mandarin, and pink pepper’.

caught his first catfish aged six which weighed 10 kilos.” Lorna explained his love of catfish is simply down to their large size and that her son's historic catch was the last one he made during their weeklong break in Spain. “It was his dream to catch one over 45 kilos so there was no way he was going to let go. He did brilliantly and it took him about 25 minutes,” added Lorna “When he saw it he just couldn't believe the size of it and it took three adults and Josh to lift it.”

Paw patrol AN adorable chocolate labrador has not only joined its local police force but has also been chosen to star in their Christmas video message. Keta the puppy is barely three months old, but has already been taken on as a colleague by officers in Malaga after she was born part of a litter that was rejected by its mother. In the Christmas video Keta as the narrator explains that ‘when she was born, she looked a bit like a croqueta’. That’s where the name ‘Keta’ came from, she adds. She is seen in the film patrolling the streets of the city with officers, as well as discovering their duties over the festive period, which mainly involve ensuring citizen safety.

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. The Olive Press will return on 10th January 2024

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