Olive Press Mallorca Issue 146

Tables turned

Judge and prosecutor in the failed Cursach trial now in the dock for shady nature of their investigation

THE judge and prosecutor who led the trial of Tolo Cursach, Mallorca’s ‘king of the night’, are facing up to 30 years behind bars for their handling of the investigation.

Lawyers for Cursach and his fellow

defendants have made the demands against Judge Manuel Penalva and anti-corruption prosecutor Miguel Angel Subiran, who are sensationally set to go on trial themselves next year.

New leads for Levi EXCLUSIVE

A PRIVATE investigator who worked with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is chasing ‘several leads’ in the missing Levi Davis case. Investigator Gavin Burrows volunteered to help track down the former X-Factor star and sent a team of detectives from his firm, Line of Inquiry, to Barcelona.

His 12 agents have been working on rotation around the clock scouring the streets. “We have a number of leads but one could be really significant we are following up,” Bur-

They also want jail terms for four anti-money laundering police who were allegedly caught colluding with the judge and prosecutor to influence the trial against night club magnate Cursach.

The former Cursach hunters are now facing charges of illegal detention, judicial prevaricacion (abusing judicial power), torture, threats, disclosure of secrets, obstruction of justice and omission of duty to prosecute crimes.

Penalva and Subiran were removed from the trial in 2018 amid suspicions of pressuring witnesses and leaking information - including one policeman who was threatened with jail if he did not make the witness statement they demanded.

Further revelations of a Whatsapp

group between the investigators showed they routinely insulted the defendants and their lawyers, even threatening to put them in handcuffs if ‘they have the balls to make [Penalva] resign’.

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The disclosures saw the pair removed and ultimately led to the dramatic collapse of the trial last month, with new prosecutor Tomas

By Walter Finch

ACCUSED: Judge Penalva (left) and prosecutor Subiran

German boost

THE recovery of tourist activity in Mallorca this festive season continues, with the Jetcost flight search website ranking Palma as the favourite destination for Germans during the second half of December.

Crime wave

A WAVE of robberies and fights in Palma’s Porziuncola area has prompted police to step up patrols, with a group of young men from a local shelter under suspicion.

New route

BRITISH charter airline TUI will start offering a direct weekly service between Belfast and Mallorca with flights every Saturday from June 10 until August 26, 2023.

Grim task

A TEAM of forensic scientists have restarted work to recover the bodies of 110 victims of the Civil War at the Valley of Cuelgamuros monument just outside of Madrid.

Playboy ‘mastermind’ of biggest real estate scam in Mallorca given bail

THE alleged mastermind of Mallorca’s biggest real estate scam has been bailed after spending nearly four years behind bars ahead of his trial.

Carlos Garcia Roldan, known as Charly, was released from prison on Monday but cannot leave Mallorca without prior permission and has to report to the Palma court every 15 days.

He is one of nine people who allegedly led a high-octane lifestyle of sex, booze and pool parties financed by property fraud.

The accused men are alleged to have led the highlife after conning people out of a least €3.3 million by selling ‘off plan’ real estate that was never going to be built. Initial reports suggested that as much as €7 million may have been lost to the gang.

Prosecutors allege that 235 vic-

Champagne Charly

By Alex Trelinski

tims were conned over 32 bogus property promotions in Mallorca between 2015 and 2018 that were run by Promociones Lujo Casa under its Colombian boss Charly.

Entice

He would entice his victims with attractive real estate projects, asking for a down payment of 10% on homes that were never going to be built.

Huge amounts of cash were spent on escorts, restaurants, casinos, vehicles, and jewellery as the alleged fraudsters lived life to the full, allegedly at the

Express delivery

POLICE have arrested a man, 32, who ran a home delivery drug service in Palma..

He used an electric scooter for his rounds and was intercepted en route by officers.

At the time of his arrest he had several pouches of cocaine hidden in his genitals.

The man went to different areas of the city daily to sell drugs on the street or to deliver to customers who had pre-ordered.

Officers seized drug processing equipment from his house in addition to cocaine and cash.

expense of their duped clients. He would then make continuous excuses about construction delays to deceive his victims. When his first victim came forward to the police about the scam in 2018 Charly fled to Buga in Colombia, dramatically changing his appearance and allegedly undergoing cosmetic surgery in a bid to hide his identity.

However, he was finally arrested in 2019 through a joint operation launched by the Colombian Police and the Guardia Civil. Holed up inside the home of his girlfriend’s grandmother, he was extradited back to Spain to stand trial.

He and his eight colleagues face money laundering and fraud charges.

Stealing

Promociones Lujo Casa operated from an office in Coll d’en Rabassa. The fraudulent agency reeled in potential victims via the internet by stealing photos of other people’s property promotions and architect images. The money ended up in Lujo Casa’s bank account and was then laundered via salary payments to fictitious employees. Charly’s lawyer, Victor Coma,

CHARLY: before...

Lethal cocktail

A MAN who murdered his wife after lacing her glass of sangria with MDMA before drowning her in a Jacuzzi in Menorca has been jailed for 25 years.

Throughout the trial Eduardo Enrique Estela pleaded his innocence, claiming the 2018 incident was accidental and that he and his wife had both deliberately wanted to get high by taking MDMA with sangria.

MDMA is the same drug as ecstasy only in powder form.

Jacuzzi

Estela told Palma court he dozed off while relaxing in the Jacuzzi of their home in Ciutadella and woke up to see his wife dead underwater.

But the judge rejected his version and said the defendant ‘knew the effects of the substance’.

... and after operation

plans to appeal the bail conditions on the grounds that it is ‘an illusion to believe that he would commit further crimes related to the real estate sector’. Coma added that Charly’s mother- who lives in Catalunya - is seriously ill and cannot be looked after by her disabled daughter.

The judge also told the court that at dawn, the woman began to feel the effects of the drug without Estela ‘adopting any measure to help her’.

An hour later, the woman fell to the ground hitting her head and Estela then dragged her body to the Jacuzzi and put her head beneath the water, the court heard.

Tickets for Blur, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Robbie Williams on sale, while Pet Shops Boys perform for free

THE Three Kings are bringing music lovers a real treat this year.

A string of top-name acts is lined up for appearances in Spain, with fans of Blur being given an early Christmas present as they have finally been named as headliners at the massive Primavera Sound festival.

Meanwhile, the Mad Cool festival promises to heat up with Red Hot Chilli Peppers topping the bill in Madrid in July.

No doubt tick ets to two of the hottest music festivals in Spain will be slipped into Santa’s sack or brought by the Three Kings now the news is

ALICANTE clearly loves this time of year because it has the largest nativity scene in the world.

The display on the Esplanade de España, has figures up to 17 metres high, and has been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest nativity scene in the world.

Baby Jesus is 3.25 metres tall, while his mother Mary is 10 metres tall and Joseph towers over her at 17 metres. This year there are some new figures in the form of the Magi visiting Jesus, and as in previous years, six giant angels were distributed in the city centre.

ALL I WANT FOR XMAS

By Dilip Kuner

out.

While Blur joins a strong lineup at the Madrid and Barcelona Primavera Sounds concerts, which includes Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar and Rosalía as headliners, the biggest present is the appearance of the Pet Shop Boys.

They will headline the ‘opening pre-festival concert’ night with a free gig at Barcelona's Parc del Forum. They will then

head over to Madrid to repeat the free concert at the Civitas Metropolitano stadium, home of Atletico Madrid football team on June 7.

Primavera Sound is taking place on consecutive weekends in Barcelona's Parc del

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.

It first 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.

Amat made reference to a ‘party in the street’, where nativity scenes, images of saints, shepherds, animals and a ‘multitude of people’ gathered.

Forum from June 1 to 3 and then at Madrid's Ciudad del Rock de Arganda del Rey from June 8 to 10, with the headliners playing both festivals. A month later Red Hot Chili Peppers will also be in Madrid.

The Californian funk-rock legends are joining a string of British legends from July 6 to 8 including Liam Gallagher, Robbie Williiams, Sam Smith and The Prodigy.

Fans

So British music fans will be hoping Santa brings them some tickets for their favourite acts, while Spanish aficionados hope the Los Reyes do the same for them!

Tasty scene

WHEN it comes to na tivity scenes, some of Spain’s look good enough to eat. In one case it is quite literally so.

The town of Rute in Cordoba is home to what is said to be the world’s largest edible nativity scene. This year a fantastic ren dition of the Holy Land has been created by seven skilled choco latiers over six months, using nearly one-and-a-half tonnes of chocolate.

Up to 20,000 people are ex pected to turn up to see the huge ‘belen’ which is created each year at Galleros Artesa nos cake and sweet factory. There are also life-sized stat ues of the Spanish Royals and the Pope – all crafted from chocolate.

Green grinches

ENVIRONMENTAL activists failed to get into the Christmas Spirit when they vandalised part of a nativity scene for children with red and black paint.

The Futuro Vegetal group struck in Madrid at El Corte Ingles’s famous ‘Cortylandia’ display, claiming that the department store sells brands that are ‘bringing down the planet’.

Bumper Xmas

BARS, restaurants and the rest of the food service sector are in line for a happy and prosperous festive season.

According to the NPD foodservice consultancy, Spaniards are ignoring the cost of living crisis and spending more than before.

Take care

IF you are going to consume alcohol in the run up to Christmas leave your car behind.

The Guardia Civil has launched its seasonal drinkdrive campaign and is testing thousands of drivers.

In its first week, 20 checkpoints across the islands breathalysed 2,800 drivers with 70 proving positive.

The campaign will continue throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Called off

THE threatened strike by members of the CCOO union that would have affected Spain’s airports over the festive period will not go ahead.

An agreement was reached on Wednesday evening with the national Ministry of Transport, the dispute having been about non payment of productivity bonuses.

These payments had been suspended during the pandemic, and not restored.

OUT THE WOODWORK

SPAIN’S humbling World Cup defeat to Morocco has seen an alarming number of far right hooligans crawl out to ‘defend

The

“Nationalists

makers, but unfortunately there were too many police for action,” they wrote.

NIGHTMARE AT CHRISTMAS

A BRITISH expat is pleading for help after waiting nearly six years to get his Spanish pension.

The 70-year-old faces bankruptcy and potential homelessness in the new year if the authorities don’t step in and help. It comes after Jerry Wayne was turned down by Spain’s Social Security department despite paying tax for 35 years here.

Describing it as a ‘nightmare’, he told the Olive Press: “I have worked here for well over three decades and paid my taxes, I've done everything in line with the law yet here I am being forced to deal with this awful ongoing saga.”

He added: “I’ve only got enough money to see me through to February. I really fear for the future.”

Expat denied pension despite paying ‘over half a million euros’ in tax over three decades

generally the finer things of life that this wonderful country has to offer,” explained Wayne.

The former hotel manager, based in Marbella, continued: “I’ve probably paid over half a million euros to the state in tax while working here. And this is how they treat me.”

Having studied hotel management, he launched his own consultancy business in the UK.

As well as working with fivestar hotels, he also ran his own restaurants.

“I have been involved in hotels, restaurants, golf clubs and

His problems began though as he approached his 65th birthday in 2017 when he got a gestor to help him apply for his pension.

But due to a technicality, in which he allegedly owed a few thousand euros in unpaid autonomo (self employed) payments, his claim was denied.

Despite then getting a lawyer involved, he still has not received a penny five years on. “I’m desperate and really hope a campaigning paper like yours can somehow help to get what’s

Not just for Christmas

RISING numbers of abandoned dogs over the past two years have prompted Palma City Council to launch a campaign promoting responsible pet ownership.

Buses, billboards and social media will feature the slogan ‘Adopt responsibly. Animals are not toys’.

The Christmas period always sees a rise in pets being given as gifts.

Palma’s animal welfare councillor, Ramon Perpinya, said: “We must stop pets being given as impulse presents because anybody who gets one has to realise that it is like having a new member of the family”.

The Son Reus municipal kennel has seen numbers leap up in the post-pandemic period.

In 2020 and 2021, it housed 53 dogs, but now has 113, with a big influx after the summer months.

rightfully mine,” he pleaded. While reaching out to the authorities we have found other expat pensioners in a similar position and plan to launch a campaign in the new year. One, Chris Scott, based in Palma, has been fighting a similar battle for over two years.

The British consulate explained this week that expats struggling to claim their Spanish pension needed to ‘deal directly’ with the social security office.

However, organisation Brexpats in Spain pledged to help as best it could.

Horror

Its founder Anne Hernandez, added: “It sounds like a horror story, we will put this out to our members to see if anyone else can help.”

Spain’s Ministry of Social Security has been contacted for comment on various occasions, with no reply.

Please contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es if you are in a similar situation

*Names have been changed as the victims do not want to prejudice their ongoing claims with Social Security.

From front

Judge in the dock

Herranz calling it a ‘failure of justice’.

Cursach, his right hand man Bartolomo Sbert, and 24 others had been on trial accused of running a protection and extortion racket on the Mediterranean island aimed at crushing their competition.

It was claimed he bribed local police and municipal officials with cash, drugs, prostitutes and other articles of sleaze so that they would target rival nightclubs incessantly with fines, complaints and non-stop inspections.

Decades

All to the benefit of an empire of 30-plus establishments that he had accumulated over two decades, including some of the island's main night spots, such as Riu Palace and Megapark. But now it is the investigators who will go on trial in a stunning turn around for Cursach, a powerful figure on the island and a man who ‘had a reputation.’

Yet the murky nature of the original trial does not end there - Penalva had previously been granted judicial protection some months before he was removed, after being on the receiving end of harassment that included graffiti on his house and an attempt to set his car on fire.

From front

Still missing

rows, who has also worked with Elton John, told the Olive Press.

“This is an odd case. He must have spoken to somebody when he came to Barcelona or arranged to meet somebody but that person has never come forward.”

The 24-year-old Brit, who played rugby union for Bath, went missing on October 29 and has not been heard from since.

EXCLUSIVE By Anthony Piovesan

the streets of Spain’. A worrying alliance saw usually fierce rivals of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid unite to stop ‘acts of violence by Morocco fans’.

Ultras Not Reds Telegram channel posted videos of masked thugs marching through Valencia holding a Spain flag with a fascist symbol and singing anti-Muslim songs.

of Valencia defended the city from Moroccan trouble-

THUGS: On the streets

Tropical Mallorca

MALLORCA is set to experience a tropical Christmas with a string of warm nights forecast.

Storm Efrain, which is currently battering parts of Europe with heavy rain and sub zero temperatures, is only ‘indirectly’ affecting Spain, according to weather experts. But the storm is actually causing warmer than usual temperatures in Mallorca, especially at night.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in the Balearics reported that in the early hours of Monday to Tuesday the temperature did not drop below 21 degrees in Pollensa and 20 degrees in Banyalbufar, port de Soller, Palma Portopi and Son Bonet airport.

These were considered tropical nights as the temperature did not drop below 20 degrees.

Records

IB3 TV meteorologist Miquel Salamanca said the phenomenon was common during the summer, but not at the tail end of autumn.

“This year we have had tropical nights in May, June, July, August, September, October and November and now also in December,” he said.

“This has never happened before since records began.

Christmas cheer

A BRITISH Good Samaritan may have saved the life of an elderly homeless man living with his dog in a freezing Civil War bunker.

Retired policeman Derek Hepple, 80, came to the rescue of the Czech man, known as George, and his dog, Boba, a month ago.

Derek, who lives by Santa Pola’s Tamarit beach, came across the 71-year-old on one of his daily coastline walks.

Concerned about his safety as the weather deteriorated, he explored ways to help within the community.

Now, after an urgent twoweek search, he has managed to get George a bed at Elche

By Alex Trelinski

Hospital, while his Portuguese Waterdog pet is being cared for by members of the Barkingside charity.

“Nobody this old should be living like this, especially with the cold nights drawing in,” Derek told the Olive Press.

“I hope he can find himself a permanent home in the new year.”

Derek, who has a background of animal charity fundraising in his native North-East England, had been helping a group of abandoned cats close to George’s shelter for

Airport upgrade

PALMA airport is to end the requirements for travellers to remove liquids and electronics from their bags when they pass through security control.

The announcement comes as part of a huge €559 million redevelopment of Son Sant Joan airport over the next four winters, timed to coincide with reduced usage but without affecting operations.

The plans include installing two more lines of check-in counters and another two baggage claim carousels so that separate flights do not end up sharing one carousel.

Brit gives lifeline to homeless septuagenarian expat and his dog

five years.

It was on one of his regular 5am feeding visits so as not to attract the wrath of neighbours, that he came across the Czech man.

He explained how he got a shock when a head suddenly peeked out from underneath some blankets in the concrete bunker, which is like an igloo around 12 feet in diameter. While the language was quite a barrier, he got talking to him and discovered how he had been living in the area for some time, although police occasionally moved him on. “I went straight back to my nearby apartment and returned with sandwiches and coffee for George, plus some dog food for Boba,” he explained.

“Since then I made sure to make daily visits to feed both of them,” added Derek.

Meanwhile, Another former policeman, Richard Sparrow, provided a sleeping bag, while a Spaniard named Paco brought in some extra food. Despite living off just an old age pension, Derek’s generosity stretched to bringing new socks, a scarf, a hoodie, and

SAFE: Derek (left) hands

hat.

“I had to do something because what he was wearing was soiled and wet,” he explained.

But he also knew providing help was not going to solve the problem and he contacted Santa Pola’s social services. Finally, council worker Marga Salmeron met with Derek to check out George’s living conditions.

Hospital

“She was appalled and phoned a doctor before an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital,” Derek said. Boba had apparently vanished but thankfully was found on the beach a few days later.

“All’s well that ends well I hope and I’m really pleased that it’s all come good after nearly a month, thanks to Marga,” exclaimed Derek.

STREP ALERT

THREE children with serious cases of the Strep A are currently in Palma’s Son Espases Hospital.

Six infections have been confirmed since November, with one youngster admitted to intensive care. Strep A bacteria are contagious and spread through coughs and sneezes, or even by sharing food.

Fever

It can lead to life-threatening infections including scarlet fever and pneumonia.

IB-Salut is asking doctors to perform rapid Strep A tests when patient symptoms compatible with it are presented.

They are also recommending home isolation to stop the spread of cases.

Safety first

BEEFED up security measures including more police on the streets will be brought in for the Christmas period. Areas where large crowds are expected, such as Christmas markets, shopping centres, transport hubs and religious events, will be targeted from December 19 to January 15. The terrorist threat is at level four out of a possible five.

kitchens

EXCLUSIVE

Boba to charity helpers a

Hydrogen deal

Massive pipeline pact to decarbonise industry agreed by Spain, Portugal and France

THE leaders of Spain, Portugal, and France have agreed on a €2.5 billion plan for a green hydrogen pipeline that should become operational by 2030.

The deal was struck in Alicante with Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, saying the new corridor would carry 10% of all hydrogen consumed within the EU.

The use of green hydrogen is said to be crucial for decarbonising industries that are difficult to electrify like steel and cement production.

Pipelines would carry renewable hydrogen from Portugal to Zaragoza and then from Barcelona to Marseille.

The network was to have carried natural gas but will now be exclusively used for green hydrogen.

The EU has made hydrogen the cornerstone of its strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 with the share of hydrogen in the block’s energy mix predicted to reach 20% by the middle of the century.

Sanchez said that EU funds could cover half of the cost of the massive infrastructure project.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that the

Port goes green

THE Costa del Sol’s Puerto Banus, is joining six other Spanish ports in applying a technology to preserve marine ecosystems. It will become the first Andalucian port to use the innovative technology.

The regeneration system allows the revitalisation and recycling of marine infrastructure and damaged environments.

The BioBoosting System (BBS) makes it possible to mimic nature and recover marine ecosystems. So far 10 structures have been built to provide a haven for coral and other marine life.

By

three countries will submit the project to the European Commission which has a deadline of December 15 to have it declared as a ‘project of common interest’ to get EU cash.

Iberian Peninsula because

we aren’t going to be energy importers; we’ll be producers and exporters to the rest of Europe,” said Portugal’s Prime Minister, Antonio Costa.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the H2MED project is ‘going in the right direction’ as it ‘has the potential to help us build a real European hydrogen backbone’.

THERE is an old Chinese proverb that states: “The best kind of tree is one that was planted 20 years ago.”

This makes sense, certainly when we look at the environmental impact.

Trees really do count.

A mature tree can absorb 21kg a year of CO2, which is a major contributor to global warming.

CROAKIN’ IT

FROGS are going extinct in Spain due to the ravages of global warming and a pandemic of deadly amphibian-killing viruses. New research shows that the number of green croakers on the Iberian peninsula has declined by as much as a third in the past five years alone.

The collapse was linked to the loss of Spanish wetlands where they made their homes, and polluted rivers which infected their natural habits.

But the underlying killer of our amphibian amigos is a multi-headed Hydra of viruses known as ranaviruses, which have been introduced by human behaviour through pathogens (fungi and viruses) and their spread has accelerated by global warming.

Trees count!

This is not breaking news - the removal of trees through logging or fires has been highlighted as one of the main factors behind nature loss and environmental harm for decades.

Yet, still it continues.

The United Nations says that 420 million hectares (one billion acres) of forest have been lost since 1990.

Despite repeated promises from the world’s politicians, inadequate progress has been made.

The countries that continue to ignore international directives are:

● Brazil

● Indonesia

● DR Congo

● Bolivia

According to the National Space Research Institute, deforestation increased by a massive 22% last year.

Much of this is through illegal activity. Surely there must be a workable solution here.

The Romans watched Rome burn - we shouldn’t be watching planet Earth self-destruct.

As always, things agreed at an international level are not enacted by national governments.

THE EU TAKES BABY STEPS

The European Union plans to ban goods linked to the destruction of trees.

New rules will cover goods imported into the EU including palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber.

This also encompasses goods derived from these products.

Companies selling these products will have to prove their goods are not linked to deforestation.

It affects a lot - the coffee we drink, the chocolate we eat, the charcoal in our barbecues and the paper in our books, for example.

Maybe, just maybe it could be a major breakthrough for our forests.

We have to stand firm on this and ignore the inevitable moaning that will come from countries which will see this as a disadvantage to their economies.

Surprisingly, the first country to whinge has been Canada which has said these new regulations will be ‘burdensome’ and potentially damage trade between Canada and the EU.

Much better to damage trade than fuel global warming me thinks!!

“This changes the trend for the

Green Matters By Martin Tye

VALUABLE: Ancient trees

Alex Trelinski

LEADERS: Reached agreement

Sierra Nevada

WINTER WONDERLAND

IT was two decades ago that I looked out from a hillside near Ronda and spotted the distant snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada over 150 kilometres away. Like a giant white magnet I was immediately pulled in, seduced by the thrills of winter sports, right here on our doorstep.

None of the hassle of flying to Geneva and a four-hour coach trip, or braving the big freeze in Glencoe, in Scotland, most of us on the costas are under a three-hour drive to the winter wonderland of the Sierra Nevada. While entirely possible to do in a day trip from the Costa del Sol, take it from me you are missing out half of the fun if you don’t stay at least one night.

This is rightly dubbed ‘southern Europe’s top skiing resort’ and naturally - it being Spain - with it comes the usual dollop of fun and excellent culinary fare, not to mention usually clement weather.

Something of a rite of passage since a school trip to the Alps as a teenager, my itchy feet to strap on skis get more and more apparent as the month of December

inches closer to Christmas.

By mid-December the first heavy snows of the year have normally fallen and the slopes are usually warm during the day and with a fair few regulars actually skiing in t-shirts.

Yes, while most winter sports fanatics will be shivering in the Alps at Christmas or struggling to see through fog in the Pyrenees, visitors to the Sierra Nevada will be sinking canas in the sunshine… and best of all at little over €2 a throw (or well under half the price of the Alps).

“This is the nicest place in the world to ski,” explains Luis Casanove, of Telemark ski school, who has been wintering here for 35 years. “We offer the best weather and the prices have hardly gone up in years.”

And if you’re looking for something else to do en route, the magical architecture of Spain’s most visited monu Continues on page 10

The Sierra Nevada is the true icing on the cake of living in southern Spain, writes Jon Clarke

EXCITEMENT AND SURPRISES: View approaching the Sierra Nevada slopes from Malaga, while a dog goes for a slide with his owner

Photos by Jon Clarke

WITH snow like fine powder, the Sierra Nevada is a Mecca for thrill-seeking snowboarders.

For beginners and experts alike, Spain’s highest resort is a glorious setting and gets more and more popular by the year.

Stunning scenery is matched by the top-class facilities, which saw the resort host the Snowboard World Championships in 2017.

Novices should head to the central station Borreguiles, where lifts deposit snowboarders on a smooth and groomed area where they can hone their skills.

Once ready, or for those of a higher standard, they then need to head up to the SuperPark Sulayr, Europe’s largest freestyle snowboard park.

Now relocated to an altitude of 2,700 metres on Borreguiles, Spain’s most famous snowboarding park also houses the country’s biggest half-pipe.

Measuring an astonishing 165 metres in length with a height of six metres, the special design flattens the snow on the side of the halfpipe so boarders can jump on both sides.

Winter wonderland

ment, the Alhambra, is just 30 minutes away, while the fascinating region of the Alpujarras is the other side of the mountain.

The well worn claim of being able to ‘ski in the morning, sunbathe in the afternoon’ is perfectly possible… but that’s not for me. I like getting up there for a few nights, enjoying the mountain scenery, food and fresh air, plus of course a bit of mountain sport.

One of the real joys though is seeing the snowy peaks first appear on the skyline and then loom in front as you drive from around Spain (or fly to Malaga, Granada or Gibraltar).

The snow-capped peaks of Veleta and Mulhacen (mainland Spain’s highest mountain) can be seen for miles around and winding up the steep, scenic road to the top is as exhilarating as any drive in Spain, particularly on the sharp curves with steep drops.

Run by an offshoot of the Junta de Andalucia, Cetursa has upped its game considerably in recent years, getting increasingly automated in both parking and buying the ski passes (forfeits).

It’s easy to park right under the two main ski-lifts to the top and it costs around 20 euros a day.

Most places to rent skis and boots, or snowboards, can be found within 200m of the car park.

Slopes-wide, new pistes are added most years, while the latest version of snow cannons have been installed guaranteeing snow until, normally, early May.

The season often kicks off in late November, but is normally getting properly going by the ‘puente’ weekend of

Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

While this year the snow has arrived late, frequently 40,000 skiers can rock up around this time, so better to come a week later.

There will be up to 110 kms of pistes open at the peak, including the amazing Laguna valley, for expert skiers, where the Netflix series about the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes was filmed earlier this year (see Page 6)

For snowboarders or jump-lovers make your way to Superpark Sulayr, in the Loma de Dilar area, Europe’s largest freestyle park, with its giant 165 metre ‘half pipe’.

And then there is the famous ‘Rio’ run that leads right down to the resort of Pradollano, which sits at 2,100 metres.

Cyprus

The geography of the area is simply staggering given it is on the same latitude as Cyprus and just 30 miles from the beaches of the Costa del Sol.

Getting so much snow here is all to do with its altitude, which goes up to a staggering 3,482 metres (11,423 feet) above sea level.

Its highest peak, Mulhacen, is named after Moorish king Muley Hacen (Abdul Hassan Ali), who is said to have been buried

CARVE UP: Superpark Sulayr

at the top.

The views from the highest ski lift, at 3,300 metres, are among the best in Europe, with the views across the Mediterranean to the Rif mountains of Morocco making the ocean look like a small pond. From here, decent skiers access the amazing runs of the Laguna de las Yeguas valley, including the celebrated Olympic run with its many twists and turns.

The sheer nature and landscape here is stunning and you will sometimes find yourself skiing alone here midweek if you time your trip well.

It definitely pays to pick your days with Easter and Christmas frequently saturated with queues for the lifts, although Christmas Day can often be relatively quiet, while on the day of the Reyes (January 6), almost all of the Spanish will be at home opening presents.

Don’t forget to try and avoid Semana Blanca (literally ‘white week’) – or half term at the end of February – when school children learn to ski, and, of course, bank holidays can also be very busy. The main tip is to go up early at 8am to 9am before the Spanish get going or waiting till midday.

Apres-ski

While a modern resort, the main base at Pradollano is a nice spot to take in the air or a spot of lunch, and there are things for the kids to do, with entertainers and Disney figures wandering around, particularly around Christmas.

The Sierra Nevada has also got a reputation as being a resort for fun, with the apres ski being some of the best in Europe, once you know where to find it (tip: it’s mostly uphill).

The skiing resort started to develop rapidly from 1995 when the World Skiing Championship was scheduled to be held there (due to poor snow it actually took place the following year).

“Since then the infrastructure changes were huge and it is now a big resort,” explains resort marketing boss Santiago Sevilla, who has worked there for nearly two decades.

The ticket office in Plaza Andalucia is fully digital and now has dozens of machines installed for credit cars and phone payments so you shouldn’t have to queue for long.

A day’s skiing costs €33 to €57 at peak time, but normally about €45, while those in their 70s get free passes.

IN THE FAMILY

IT 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. Best of all, the prices have not gone up for a decade.

“And we don’t just rent out any old equipment…

we buy at least 50 new

each season,” he adds. Visit www.skisol.es or call 958 48 08 57

EXPERIENCED: Montse with son and pal

pairs of boots alone

Photos by Telemark

SNOW TREKKING: Across the sierra, while (above) chilling in the resort

Big lift-up

A GIANT €21 million has been spent on two new chairlifts this season.

The Emile Allais and Veleta II lifts in the Borreguiles area are the largest investment in renovation in the resort for decades.

President of Cetursa, Marifrán Carazo, said the lifts would ‘completely reorganise’ the beginners area in Borreguiles and added it was the ‘biggest project in Sierra Nevada since the 1990s’.

“It will help to make it a reference resort in Spain and Europe,” she added.

Thaw-some!

THE Sierra Nevada welcomed 2,830 users for its first weekend despite there being little snow.

Some 1,750 skiers and snowboarders headed up to the resort for a reduced rate on the ski passes.

An additional 1,080 visitors used the cable cars to get to the ski slopes or enjoyed the attractions for non-skiers in Pradollano or in Borreguiles.

Sierra Nevada kicked off the winter season with good snow conditions on at least five slopes in the beginner area of Borreguiles.

Sierra Nevada All about

BRITS ON THE PISTE!

STROLLING through the doors of the Crescendo bar at the foot of the slopes is like going back to the 1970s.

Its retro furniture, mirrors and glitter ball give off the sensation that John Travolta might stroll in and put in a couple of swift turns.

And this is appropriately where seasoned British Sierra Nevada legends Jonathan Buzzard and Giles Birch met well over two decades ago.

Now their second office, this is where you’ll find the pair propping

up the wooden bar after a hard day’s teaching on the slopes,

they know like a fox in a fox hole.

Step back to the 1990s, a boom time in Spain, and Giles was looking for the ideal transport rep to help him grow his fledgling travel business, working with the likes of First Choice and Thompsons, that had just launched in

Granada. With his long flashers mac, ‘big hair’ and a friendly, outgoing persona, Jonathan had all the right traits.

“I had no idea what was going on but had been told that Crescendo was the place to find the Brits and the reps-in-the know,” he recalls.

“Next thing in walks Jonathan with just the right attitude and he was soon helping me deal with the three to four flights we regularly dealt with on a Sunday.” “And so it soon made sense to get

together, given that we quickly became good mates, and we pooled resources.

“We weren’t treading on anybody’s toes, because we were focusing specifically on the English-speaking market, and in those days there were hardly any instructors who spoke English.”

The pair are still working together, collectively running the extremely successful British Ski Center (American spelling) from their base in the resort (next to Tia Maria). They still teach hundreds of students a month, as well as sort out numerous trips, each year.

“Of course things were completely different back then,” explains Jonathan, who lived in Marbella in the golden years before it was ruined by corrupt leader Jesus Gil.

“We used to bring in thousands of foreigners every week, but after a couple of dry years in the 1980s the resort’s reputation suffered badly and things all began to change.

“Luckily the snow came back, albeit not yet this year, but these days it is all independent travellers and the agencies have all but disappeared.”

Of course there have been some bad years such as 1995 when Jonathan recalls cycling up the

Borreguiles slope in shorts on Christmas Day.

“But generally it is as good as most other international resorts and the range of skiing and schools is hard to beat,” explains Giles, who has three kids at school in nearby Granada.

Since arriving he has married a fellow ski instructor and their children are ‘basically in ski gloves every weekend and in the Christmas holiday’.

Special vibe

So what makes the Sierra Nevada so special, according to Giles?

“It’s just being in that environment; of being in the outdoors, the snow, the mountain, and the people you’re with. There’s quite a special vibe in a ski resort environment and it’s not changed from the initial novelty as a kid doing my first few seasons, the learning of the language and so forth.

“Just becoming part of that mountain life is where my heart is at the end of the day.

“Whether I’m teaching 20 hours, 50 hours or zero hours, it’s just a pleasure to be up here.”

The Sierra Nevada also boasts of longer seasons than other resorts, being open from late November and staying open until early May, while other resorts don’t open until mid December and end their season in March.

This is partly due to the resort’s altitude and the quality of the snow which is constantly worked on during the night.

In recent years the resort has added two new chairlifts - including a six-seater, a new user service centre and 105 new snow cannons.

“That’s why you’ll never see slush even in the latter part of the season,” adds Giles.

For more info, please visit www.britishskicenter.co.uk

It’s two decades since intrepid expats Giles Birch and Jonathan Buzzard opened the British Ski Centre, writes Walter Finch

which

EXPERIENCED: British ski center owners Jonathan and Giles

It was in 1987 that Luis Casanove first slid onto the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

Arriving as an enthusiastic young skiing teacher, he quickly picked up the local knowledge and many local friends.

A few years later he and three others set up the Telemark ski school, which is still going strong nearly three and a half decades on.

Counting on around 20 teachers with well over a century of experience of teaching between them, it is no surprise that they are the most trusted school on the slopes.

“We’ve seen some amazing changes,” explains Luis, one of the resort’s true village elders, who usually spends the year in Africa, and actually speaks Kenyan. “But, above all, what a different world it was back then with so few schools.”

He continues: “We wanted to be the pioneers of the new world offering a much more private, personalised service and doing it in various languages.”

English, in particular, was a key requirement for the team (and still is) and among their first clients were various British expats from Marbella, as well as many Scandinavians and Portuguese.

The name of the company comes from the style of skiing known as ‘telemarking’.

This can be seen in a photo on the wall of the company… a grainy black and white picture of Luis’s grandfather skiing in 1912 in the Guadarrama mountains near Madrid.

“Telemark skiing was the original

way before Alpine skiing became more fashionable later in the century,” he explains.

Be it hiking, Telemarking, cross country, snowboarding or off-piste skiing, there are not many inches of the Sierra Nevada that Luis and his business partner Jesus Fernandez don’t know.

They can arrange everything from accommodation to ski passes and are well known for their famous off-piste mountain adventures that last from a morning to two days.

“Our knowledge and know-how is ideal for families who want the perfect personal one to one break,” he adds.

The company also runs amazing wilderness trips that literally end up in another world... the charming cobbled villages of the Genil valley, in the Alpujarras.

These one or two-day adventures take you through deep off-piste snow onto narrow mountain tracks.

Another popular pastime for those who don’t fancy risking life and limb on the pistes, is to have a day of cross-country skiing on two or three well established paths around the resort.

“It is great fitness and you do get to enjoy the fabulous views and nature at the same time,” he adds.

The company can also help organise hard-core uphill climbing for mountaineers to a half day soft snow walking trip with snow rackets.

Contact the team on telemark@telemark.es or call 958 48 11 53.

Vintage years

Celebrating

35 years on the slopes WE ALSO ORGANISE ACCOMMODATION AND SKI PASSES

BEFORE AND AFTER: The team in 1991 and 2022

The team at Telemark reach their 35th anniversary this year, writes Jon Clarke

Peak of good dining

APIPING hot raclette, a burger and chips and a few tasty tapas used to be the basic offering in the Sierra Nevada two decades ago. Today a Moroccan Harira soup, ramen and gyozas or a spicy red tuna burrito are more likely to be on the menu for your evening’s grazing. Just as the quality of food has gone up around Spain over recent times, the same has happened in the country’s most famous ski resort.

One of the trailblazers in this improvement is former snowboard pro Stevie Silva, who swapped his board for a set of sharp knives, over a decade ago now. A man never content on standing still (and with three restaurants in Pradollano these days), his main joint Ci Vediamo is still hard to beat.

While he dubs it ‘rebel food’ and there is plenty of creativity here, the truth is you are just as likely to eat a simple soft crab tempura or a superb bowl of pasta. What he guarantees is quality and always a few nice twists. This year I loved his deep-fried ‘parcels’ of egg, bacon and leeks (below) that melted in the mouth in one bite, while an amazing

spaghetti of giant crayfish with pecorino cheese was unbeatable after a hard morning on the slopes.

“I arrange it so all the juices flow from the head and claws into the dish,” he explains, as he personally shaved the pecorino on top.

“It really adds to the flavour”.

A tight ship run by Stevie and his Maitre’d girlfriend Luna, their wanderlust takes them around the world in summer time (to the Far East and around Europe) tasting new dishes.

One of the best places to try their current favourites is their new joint, Makalu, named after the fifth highest mountain in the world, bordering China and Nepal.

This hip spot feels like a Shoreditch pop-up, literally carved out of a wall in the heart of the resort.

Set up by Stevie and three partners, it is focusing on ‘fusion cooking’, a mix of Asiatic, Basque and European dishes, around 12 in total. “We’ve got stuff like Ramen, some cuchara (literally spoon) dishes and

an amazing Spanish tortilla with white truffle,” adds Stevie.

His other Japanese restaurant, Shimbuya , now in its fourth year, goes from strength to strength, adding a new chef, who’s ‘spent 25 years making sushi, many years in Japan’.

A bit further up the hill it is well worth seeking out and expect some delicious gyozas, noodles and a cool vibe.

My top tip, go for the California Roll with a king prawn, salmon and sesame seeds.

Another couple really focussing on creative food are Nestor and Sonia, who have just opened their first restaurant, Confusion , in Pradollano after running holiday apartments for five years.

You can tell it’s going to be different from the floral decor outside, while inside it has a sense of Alice in Wonderland , thanks to the creative interior design skills of artist Sonia.

Luckily, the food is able to match and, while just finding its feet, it has a real international team in

CREATIVE: Stevie at Ci Vediamo

The quality of food in the Sierra Nevada is going up as rapidly as the resort, writes Jon Clarke

the kitchen coming up with some great ideas.

There are lots of vegetarian options, which is rare for skiing resorts, and a great section of sharing dishes, salads and soups.

I really liked their Harira soup, from the Rif mountains, a rich broth of chickpeas, lamb, harina and apricots, among other ingredients.

The tostada section was also enticing, with a lovely avocado and anchovy number, with watercress and cherry tomatoes from the couple’s own huerta (vegetable garden).

Easily the most established restaurant in the Sierra Nevada is Tito Luigi , run by two long term pals Luis and Xavi, whose brother runs Tia Maria cafe just off the slopes.

They can claim at least two kings of Spain eating here and the walls pay tribute to their esteemed clientele, including various international film stars, bullfighters and politicians.

An absolute must for any stay in the resort, in partic -

ular to see it in action (it can serve up to 250 people in one sitting), so make sure you book in high season. Expect some of the best pizzas in the resort, generally splendid Italian fare, while a stand out dish is easily the squid-ink spaghetti with prawns.

Looking for something a bit more creative and informal, the pair also run the hipper joint Tito Tapas a few doors up, while a third restaurant is up in the middle of the resort.

Guaranteed to be full every night, the wines by the glass are excellent and the tapas change regularly.

If meat is your thing make sure to try out La Muralla , run by Argentinian Gonzalo Funes, whose steaks sit pride of place in the window and are among the best in the resort.

The ‘tostas’ are also great and come in various guises, while I loved the milhoja of foie gras and a courgette carpaccio with fig sauce and the melt-in-the-mouth bulls cheek is also stunning.

Festive fun

He and his brother Luciano also run Muralla Burger , almost next door, which specialises in the best quality burgers on the slopes.

It’s hard to disagree trying his ‘gourmet’ burger, which is actually made from oxtail ‘ rabo de toro ’ with a thin slice of cheese and mayonnaise and cooked in its own juice.

The pair also run popular Las Gondalas just off the slopes and excellent for some apres ski light bites, a hot drink or a beer.

Fancy Mexican? Then you are now spoilt for choice in Pradollano.

Somewhere really worth checking out is Canalla a brand new place set up by Raul, fresh from six years living in London and with a really good sense of taste.

A good use of space with an excellent terrace just below the Kenia Nevada hotel, the staff are dressed in utilitarian boiler outfits and music is distinctly London grime.

I loved the decent list of tacos and burritos, an amazing ribs taco coming out steaming and delicious sweet sauce.

Atmosphere

Nearby, is Calambrito , a lovely space, with an equally good mix of Mexican favourites. I particularly liked the tacos, while the staff were really attentive.

Another place focussing just on burgers, La Calle , opened up last season.

The resort is one of the most festive places to be in Spain, and the Spaniards know it, as they arrive in their droves for Christmas and New Year.

‘Nochebuena’ or Christmas eve, when the Spaniards celebrate the festive season with a huge family meal and lashings of turron, is usually a sell out.

Meanwhile ‘nochevieja’, or New Year’s Eve, where massive screens show the countdown in Madrid’s iconic Puerta del Sol, with grapes galore, is a riot. For the eve of the Reyes on Jan 5 the three kings duly arrive on skis. Kids will love it.

Carnival, from February 6-14, also sees a mass arrival for the fancy dress competition and snow-sport contests.

Another great simple joint, but with great home cooked food, is Telesilla Burger first hostals in the 1960s. The historic photos add to the atmosphere, while the heart-warming soul food is always excellent, and includes stews and lentils.

Another excellent place overlooking the slopes is Tia Maria , which has a good mix of dishes and is a great place for breakfast.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Designer Sonia and husband Nestor have brought some magic to Confusion

MAGICAL: Three kings trudge up the slopes on January 5

THRILLSEEKERS: Get their kit off every year

WHERE TO STAY

SNOW DREAMS

The Sierra Nevada only has a handful of reliable hotels, writes Jon Clarke

IT is hard to describe Pradollano as an authentic mountain village.

But would he approve?

A COLLECTION of Sierra Nevada’s bravest and silliest thrill seekers rush down the mountain in swimsuits for the last day of the season.

Next year, the unusual downhill event will start at Borreguiles where participants hand in their clothes to take to the slopes into Pradollano where drinks and hedonism awaits.

Budding nudists often get a discounted ski pass if they sign up to the official page.

However, space is normally limited to 500 people and prizes are given to the best and most outrageous

One regular visitor to the slopes, King Felipe, is not expected to take part. In former years he normally drops in around Christmas time with friends (pictured right).

But, with a metre of snow on the ground and the sun finally out, it certainly has its charms.

There are lots of places to stay but easily one of the most charming has got to be the authentic Hotel Kenia Nevada, which is well located near the centre of town and open most of the year.

Friendly

Run by the friendly Don Pedro – who used to ski for the country as a youngster - it is clean, well run and serves up one of the best breakfasts in Spain.

It also has a gym and spa, with an in-house masseur, and plenty of communal areas, filled with charming old furniture.

You could also go upmarket and splurge on one of

the two wonderful Melia hotels, right in the heart of the resort.

The rooms at the Melia Sierra Nevada have been recently renovated and the New Premium rooms have been built on floors 7 and 8.

SPLURGE: At luxurious Melia hotel

KeniaAUTHENTIC: Nevada

Rafa endorses

MALLORCAN tennis ace Rafa Nadal has hooked up with the island-based Melia Hotels International to promote its new Zel chain.

Melia is one of Spain’s largest operators of holiday resort hotels and is the 17th-biggest hotel chain internationally.

Nadal launched the alliance with Melia CEO, Gabriel Escarrer, in Madrid on Thursday. The first Zel branded-hotel will open in Mallorca next year.

The tennis star told reporters that Zel will roll out with over 20 hotels in many cities where he has won Grand Slams including Paris, London and New York.

New year hikes

SPAIN'S biggest telecoms provider Telefonica is putting up its prices from January 13, 2023. The firm is raising tariffs for all of its Movistar fibre-optic internet and mobile phone packages to millions of customers including their pay tv services.

The average hike is 6.8% with its high-end bundles going up by as much as €13 per month.

Cash delivery

Barcelona to levy ‘Amazon tax’ in bid to empty streets of delivery vans

BARCELONA is to become the first Spanish city to implement a so-called ‘Amazon tax’, which will target online sellers as well as postal services whose revenues exceed €1 million a year.

The aim of the levy is to tax these companies for the use of public space by delivery vehicles, as well as to level the playing field for small businesses.

“We want local traders to have equal fiscal condi-

By Simon Hunter

tions compared to the major e-commerce platforms, which have a very high market share,” said Jaume Collboni, economy chief at Barcelona City council.

Wage wars

MEN on average earn 21% more than women in Spain, according to new figures.

Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) conducted a survey where it also found that the number of female employees with the lowest salaries was double that of men.

Men earned an average of €2,276 per month in 2021, while women earned €1,883 per month, or €393 less.

The wage gap widened even further when it came to salaries in the highest-paid jobs.

The data showed one in three men received a high salary compared with one in four women.

Lower salaries were considered to be less than €1,37640.5% of women surveyed received below this amount compared to just 20.2% of men.

The plan is likely to be approved at the end of February, and is expected to help empty the city of delivery vans. For example, the tax will not be applied when deliveries are left at collection points rather than being taken to the consumer’s door.

‘This planet cannot allow for a 300 gramme package to be transported to your home in a vehicle that weighs more than a tonne,’ said city councillor Jordi Marti about the plan.

Tax

By focusing on large e-commerce firms and postal services with a high revenue level, the tax will not be applied to self-employed workers who make deliveries, nor small firms.

The idea of the tax was initially recommended by the central government’s finance minister, Maria Jesus Montero.

GBP/EUR exchange rate briefly strikes three-month high on fleeting UK economic optimism

WHILE it has continued to fluctuate, trade in the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate over the past couple of weeks has been more subdued than in recent months, in part likely due to fewer high-impact data releases. During this time, we have seen GBP/EUR trade in a range between €1.16 and €1.15.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

After ending November on a sour note in response to lacklustre retail and mortgage figures, the pound was able to find its feet again at the start of December.

The GBP/EUR exchange rate was carried to a three-month high on the back of UK economic optimism, after a stronger-than-expected manufacturing PMI helped to buoy hopes for a milder UK recession than previously feared.

This uptick in GBP/EUR was assisted by weakness in the euro after the Eurozone’s consumer price index reported inflation in the bloc cooled more than expected in November.

The following week saw the GBP/EUR exchange rate quickly retreat from its best levels as some hawkish comments from a few European Central Bank (ECB) officials revived demand for the euro.

This uptrend in the single currency was reinforced by some upbeat German industrial data, while the pound was undermined by a cautious market mood.

The euro’s momentum quickly faded again however, following comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he suggested the war in Ukraine could be a ‘long-term process’. Meanwhile, Sterling found its feet again amid an improving market mood and optimism over a UK-US gas deal to help shore up Britain’s energy supply.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Looking ahead, the spotlight will be on both the Bank of England (BoE) and ECB as they deliv-

er their final interest rate decisions of 2022.

The BoE is expected to opt for a 50bps rate hike this month, after a bumper 75bps increase in November. But with the move largely priced in, the focus is likely to be on the bank’s outlook for 2023. If the BoE hints it may further moderate the pace of future interest rate hikes, the pound could stumble. It’s a similar story for the ECB, with a 50bps hike widely expected the focus turns to the bank’s forward guidance. Will a cautious outlook result in the euro giving ground?

Also of note to GBP investors will be the publication of the UK’s latest jobs report and consumer price index. The CPI release in particular could infuse volatility in the pound. While another uptick in UK inflation will place pressure on the BoE to maintain its rate hikes, it will also raise cost-of-living concerns.

Meanwhile the Eurozone’s latest PMI releases could undermine the euro if December’s preliminary releases report another contraction in private sector activity.

PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY

Currency market volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that three-cent gap between €1.16 and €1.15 translates to a €2,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market.

For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you.

Services like rate alerts and daily upDecember 16th - January 13th 2023s make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need them.

At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers.

Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.

CLINICA VETERINARIA BENDINAT tel: 971 404 459 www.vet-bendinat.com

THE EUROPEAN DENTAL PRACTICE

EMERGENCIES: 636 308 789 Tel: 971 681 439

www.theeuropeandentalpractice.com

Dr.Mónica Bonet – University of Barcelona

Dr. Yasmina Adebibe – B.D.S London

Susan Taylor-Vickers – BSc, EDH

Mercadona Centre, Son Caliu, Palma Nova

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

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).

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 30 biblical scenes.

Help is at hand

AGE in Spain was the first national charity in Spain dedicated to the welfare of English-speaking pensioners.

It aims to empower older people to lead fuller lives in their adopted country, providing support and access to services to meet people’s changing needs and circumstances.

The charity helps people to help themselves, integrate into local society and to access available support if needed.

It relies on a network of volunteers throughout the mainland, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands, and has been providing support and services to older people since the 1980s. Age in Spain also helps UK armed forces veterans and their families in Spain on behalf of the Soldiers Charity, Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the Royal

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.

Air Force Benevolent Fund.

As the charity explains: “Some people need extra help - people who face barriers to self help through health or other incapacity issues, lack of experience with using the internet or not actually having access to a mobile phone or computer to manage their affairs, caring responsibilities, financial or language problems.

“Whilst these issues might affect some older people, they are not age specific, so our support service is for everyone. Getting things right when you are younger helps to ensure that later life is as well planned as possible.”

Although the charity does get some grant help, it relies largely on donations. To donate or for more information visit www.ageinspain.org or phone +34 932 20 97 41

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 af ter him so that, when they sing and hit him with a stick on Christmas Eve, he poops out turron them.

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.

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.

The Olive Press is throwing a spotlight on charities that help expats in Spain. Here we highlight the work of Age in Spain, which is a national charity based in Palma

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.

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.

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 De cember 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 Pa lau, Barcelona, the only night he has a normal appearance.

The next day on January 1 he will have 365 noses all over his body.

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 mag ical char acters 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.

Fantastic house situated on a plot of approx 862m2, a constructed area of approx 480m2 and is distributed over 2 floors and a basement. The living area is approx 200m2 and the different levels can be accessed via a lift. On the first floor is the living-dining room with open kitchen, from which we have access to the terrace and the pool. There is also a double bedroom with bathroom en suite, dressing room and a guest bathroom. The stairs or lift lead to the lower level where there are three double bedrooms, all with bathrooms en suite, one of them with dressing room. Finally there is the basement with a double garage, the laundry room and a utility room.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Very Noor-ish

Jon Clarke gets a lesson in Andalucian culinary history with Cordoba’s rapidly rising star Paco Morales

HALF science lesson, half history, a meal at Cordoba’s food science lab, known as Noor, is an essential journey for anyone interested in Spanish food.

Very much the rising star of Andalucia’s culinary scene, its eccentric boss Paco Morales is easily up there with the most intellectual chefs of his time.

Managing to create an extra di mension to his recipes, a meal at Noor is much more than just

an education for the palate. It is not for nothing that he has just seen himself jettisoned into the World’s Top Chefs awards at a spectacular number 43.

Putting him among the dozen Spanish superchefs, it is restaurants like his that are the reason the country is now, definitively, the world leader in the cooking stakes.

Now into his seventh year of opening, he shows no signs of

slowing up. Alongside Andoni Aduriz at Mugaritz or Ferran Adria before him at seminal El Bulli (where he coincidentally trained), bespectacled Morales has found ways to completely push boundaries.

For starters, his ability of taking ancient Spanish recipes and giving them modern twists is extremely admirable, while each season he is moving a century

we have got to the 16th century, or the ‘edad de la luz’ (enlightenment).

You also have to admire how he has come back to the barrio of his upbringing, where he began his life as a cook in the roast chicken shop of his dad.

And you will most certainly be impressed with his attention to detail and how Noor is as much a cultural project transcending what a restaurant should be.

Like a choreographer inspecting his troupe, Morales stands at the pass glowering at everything and everyone, which is unnerving enough for the diners, let alone staff.

Every dish is triple-checked before coming out and, make no mistake, this is a performance with Morales getting involved in every aspect of our meal at the two-Michelin star joint.

Despite having six waiters (all named on the honours board) he is continually popping up like Where’s Wally to serve and then explain a dish, and even swooped in twice to top up the wine glasses.

BE SECURE

JUST as we all have medical check-ups to make sure we are in good health or take our cars for a MOT to make sure they are road-worthy, we should also check our homes regularly to safeguard ourselves against unforeseen events and to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Lotti Lundstedt, from Liberty Seguros offers us some tips on how best to avoid damage to our homes and shares with us the popular home insurance covers for properties in Spain.

“The most common claims are those caused by water damage. As a general rule, we always recommend closing stopcocks – even if you are only going to be away for a short period of time.

“What’s more, there are other small actions that can be taken to prevent unintended damage too. From not using the toilet as a waste bin, to protecting drains with filters, unblocking drains as soon as you come across a blockage, preventing damp by maintaining good ventilation throughout the home, checking pipe joints and making

sure there are no leaks coming from the cistern or dripping taps. These are all simple but effective ways to keep your home protected all year round.”

Nevertheless, in the case of damage caused by water, Liberty Seguros home insurance policies do offer extensive cover. Policy holders can rest assured that expenses incurred with regard to locating the damage are covered, as is the repair and/ or replacement of damaged parts within the confines of the home.

Home insurance policies with Liberty Seguros also cover the breakage of pipes - even if there is no actual damage caused by the leak – and excess water consumption can be claimed for up to 1.000 euros per claim each year.

Lotti Lundstedt continues: “In recent years – and as a result of climate change – extreme events which cause significant damage to homes have become more and more common. With this in mind, coverages that include damage due to atmospheric, meteorological, geological or seismic phenomena such as landslides, subsidence or floods are in high demand.

At Liberty Seguros we have taken this into account and with our optional ‘Accidental All Risks’ cover, all of these scenarios are covered – even if they are not actually con-

sidered ‘extraordinary’ under current legislation.”

Lundstedt also explains that one of the most asked questions is whether locks and keys are included in Liberty Seguros home policy. She reveals: “Our Liberty Seguros home insurance policy includes a complete assistance. We will actually send a locksmith out to you if you find yourself locked out by accident, and of course, you are also covered for locksmith services if your keys are lost, stolen or broken, or even if the lock has been rendered useless due to an attempted burglary, or other.”

Essential

Liberty Seguros believes that whilst it’s not compulsory by law, having a home insurance policy that is adapted to YOU is essential for your peace of mind. It’s for this reason that Liberty Seguros makes it as easy for you as possible to adapt your home policy to meet your REAL needs.

What’s more, with Liberty Seguros there are more than 300 expats agents and brokers that are available to assist you with face-to-face advice in your OWN language.

nearer to the present day. This year, coincidentally,

Noor (meaning ‘light’ in Arabic) is certainly a place that guarantees something you’ve never experienced before.

The arrival alone on a poorly-lit suburban street somewhere in the Cordoba hinterlands was the first big surprise. We actually had to grill our taxi driver

if he knew where he was going as we stepped out to a row of simple, single-storey terraced houses.

And there on the corner it was, a fabulous silver cube, seductively lit and resembling a nightclub with no windows, nor hardly a sign.

A door slides open and your adventure begins, firstly in a small corridor where your waiters take your coat and wash your hands pouring water from an Arabic copper teapot.

Suddenly you are thrust into the main dining room, which is deceptively small, but made

WHAT LIES BENEATH

There are so many layers to peel at Cordoba’s most beautiful boutique hotel Hospes Palacio del Bailio,

WHEN the owners of Cordoba’s most charming boutique hotel decided to expand a few years ago they knew there would be something below the building next door.

But what the Hospes Palacio del Bailio couldn’t have known was the extent of what they would find, including an almost perfectly intact Roman villa, replete with columns and mosaics.

Now, in a wonderful conversion the team has managed to fuse this basement discovery with an underground spa, as well as their main restaurant, Arbequina, on the ground floor.

It is here, during breakfast, lunch or dinner, that guests can marvel at the sheer weight of history at play in this wonderful Andalucian city.

Indeed, there is no better place to stay in Cordoba that offers such a good sense of

what this ancient Roman (later Moorish) city can offer.

For this 16th century palace sits on its own small hill in the heart of Cordoba’s casco historico, featuring a series of stunning leafy patios and gardens that help keep the hotel cool in summer.

Even better, the five-star hotel has four-star prices off season (ie now until March, outside key holidays, or in the heat of the summer) when you can get a double room for €150 including vat.

And what lovely rooms they are, particularly the junior suites, facing into the main garden, with its amazing mix of citrus and palms and, of course, enticing pool. What I liked most however, was the arrival at the palace through an ancient arch,

onto cobbles, where carriages once disgorged their privileged visitors before turning around another large leafy ivy-clad patio. It was so evocative of centuries past and has been so carefully restored with nothing out of place.

From here you're into the lobby, which blends contemporary chic with avant-garde fittings and furnishings, while all the orig-

TOP CHEF: Paco Morales

GREAT VALUE: Luxury rooms at the hotel

writes Jon Clarke

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

to look larger with its unusual wood and eye-shape patterned ceiling.

There are only eight tables, which explains why we had to book months in advance and why, having secured a booking, we had up to half a dozen calls and emails from the management sorting out the fine tuning and our menus of choice. We also had to put a credit card down to guarantee our arrival. This is the way these days, with proper fine dining, where margins are tight and no shows can cost dearly. It’s more than fair enough.

We had opted for the basic ‘bereber’ (or Berber) menu, which still counted on 11 courses, albeit one being the bread and another the petit fours. Having reached the 16th century we were finding ingredients and influences from the new world, items brought back by the Conquistadores This meant that while earlier seasons were inspired by the Almoravid and Almohad periods (12th and 13th centuries) we should have now been getting products including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or cocoa.

The truth is there was so much more going on, such as the cuajada de khan’, the yoke of a free range egg, with capers and caviar, while the ‘karim’ of pistachio, came with herrings and a green apple sauce.

My personal favourites, despite looking like a dog’s dinner, were the main course of durum wheat pasta with eels and smoked butter, swimming in a lemon and black truffle sauce, while the roasted pigeon on a carob pate (above), with sage and black truffle was also a real winner.

The lemon ‘ceuti’ pudding (above right) with a mint biscuit infused with coriander and black pepper, should have been foul… but it was wonderful.

Detail

The attention to detail throughout was amazing, including the Christmas tree shaped holder for the petit fours, which actually resonated, I noticed, with the coping on top of the nearby Mesquita.

inal decor, including the 18th century frescoes in the main patio have been carefully restored.

This is a lovely place to start the day taking breakfast, which generously runs until 11.30am, before it converts into the main restaurant, now with talented Javier Moreno at the helm.

Benefit

One other major key benefit of staying at the palace is its location. While it is in the pedestrianised casco historico you are not in the main drag so you won’t get swamped with tourists like in the Jewish or Patio quarters, which are still only a ten minute walk away.

For more information visit www. hospes.com/es/palacio-bailio or call (34) 957 498 993

The wine list is almost as good as I’ve found in Spain, in particular, as there were at least a dozen interesting and varied wines from around the world coming in at under €30 which is extraordinary for a two Michelin star joint.

Nowadays always avoiding the so-called ‘maridaje’ or pairing, which so rarely work for me, we chose an excellent Godello from Valdeorras for €26 and a superb basic Pinot Noir from Morey St.Denis, in Burgundy at €38. It was not a heavy meal and the end result was an incredible €115 per head, which must be the best value leading restaurant I’ve ever eaten at.

Noor is located on C. Pablo Ruiz Picasso, 8, Cordoba. For bookings and information, visit www. noorrestaurant.es

SHINY: Noor is hard to miss

EXQUISITE: The food is fantastic, while (left) a history lesson explaining the menu

BEAUTY: Roman remains fused with more modern hotel

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

WHY do we feel so much nostalgia for the 80s? It was such a stressfree decade with bold fashion statements and new hair trends. Remember mixing music on cassette tapes, recording your message on home answering machines, and not to forget how neon colours rocked with scrunched-up legwarmers over spandex tights. So satisfying. Well 9 out of 10 Línea Directa customers get the same satisfaction and recommend the best priced car, bike and home insurance to friends and family.

EXPAT2EXPAT REWARDS

When an existing Línea Directa customer recommends a new customer, they both receive 30€. Línea Directa’s Expat2Expat programme is free and open to all existing customers. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to 300€ in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call 952-14-78-34 and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of next or first premium. For more information, see terms and conditions at lineadirecta.com

CHECK-OUT OUR POLICIES

All customer service and documentation is in English, their claims service is fast and efficient, you can get quick no obligation quotes over the phone, and their easy payment options help spread the cost of premiums.

DEDICATED TO EXPATS

Línea Directa has been providing comprehen-

sive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years. With over 3 million customers nationwide, Línea Directa makes sure you get the best possible price for the kind of insurance you really need.

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IS IN ENGLISH

Their Roadside Assistance team speaks English and will quickly help you with your onward journey. If you urgently need a duplicate set of keys for your motorcycle, then their English-speaking customer service will sort it out. And should you require Home Assistance to set up your new Wi-Fi connection, then English speaking technical staff will set up a visit.

DID YOU KNOW?

All Línea Directa insurance policies offer some exciting features specifically designed for British expatriates living in Spain. Their home insurance includes Pet Assistance, IT Assistance, and Home Maintenance. All motorbike policies come with Replacement Motorbike, Technical Equipment cover and even Young Person’s Night-time Assistance. And their car insurance includes helpful services such as Legal Assistance that can provide help when applying or renewing your driving license in Spain.

FOREIGN RELIANCE

FOREIGN demand has been propping up the Spanish housing market even as demand from the biggest buyers - the British - has dried up, Spanish Property Insight report.

Back in the glory days of 2007, domestic demand from within Spain outweighed foreign demand for property - until the bubble burst.

Since then, while foreign demand quickly recovered and was above 2007 levels by 2014, domestic demand has never recovered.

By the first half of this year, foreign demand was 120% higher than in 2007.

In contrast, Spanish demand has not recovered to its 2007 levels and was still 30% lower in the first half of this year.

Show the evolution of the market

And it is a reliance on the growth in foreign demand that has contributed to the recovery of Spain's property market, propping up much of the economy.

When comparing the performance of foreign markets over the period from

2007, it appears that Germany has performed the best, with its demand up 680%, while the UK is still 30% below its 2007 levels.

Climbing the Pole

Poles coming up fast in foreign buyers of Spanish property table after being spooked by war in Ukraine

POLES have been in a buying frenzy for Spanish property this year in an overheating housing market, thought to be driven by a booming economy and an existential fear of their warmongering Russian neighbours.

Polish buyers have seen a record 2,300 property purchase so far this year, already more than double the entire of 2021. This brings the Polish share of foreign buyers of Spanish houses to 3.2%, someway behind perennial champion investors the Brits, who are still in the lead at 11.2%.

It means the Poles already outstrip the Americans (1.6%), the Chinese (2.6%), and - ironically - the Russians (2%), with the Swedes in their sights (4.2%), according to stats from the Statistical Information Centre of

Notaries in Spain. But overall, foreign buyers have increased 19% on 2021, helping to drive up prices 7.5% year-on-year.

Expensive

Barcelona still presides over the most expensive housing market, with a square metre costing €4,352 (up 5.3% on last year), followed by Madrid with €3,851 a square metre (up 71%) and Palma de Mallorca property €3,122 but up a whopping 12%.

One famous Pole who can afford property in Mallorca is World Cup flop Robert Lewandowski, who has a property in Santa Ponsa.

By Walter Finch

HOME: Robert Lewandowski and wife have property in Spain

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FINAL WORDS

Gender agenda

NEW rules have been brought in meaning Christmas ads can not target girls with the colour pink and boys with blue to avoid ‘gender stereotyping’ of children.

Stamp up!

A BID by right wing parties to ban a stamp celebrating the centenary of Spain’s Communist Party has been turned down by a judge and sales have boomed with an extended print run ordered.

Bad cop

A GUARDIA Civil officer in Almeria has been stripped of his job and jailed for four years after issuing unfair fines against a neighbour he did not like, going as far as falsifying documents.

THAT’S RUFF

A Brit was left stranded at the airport after a dog chewed his passport

WE’VE all used the ‘my dog ate my homework’ excuse before.

But Brit Nicholas Hyde never thought he’d need to pull that old chestnut out in front of border authorities as he pleaded with them to be allowed to board a flight back to the UK.

And what was even more absurd, it wasn’t an excuse. His dog - a four-year-old Beagle called Simba (pictured) - actually had mauled his pass-

By Anthony Piovesan

port right before he was due to fly back to London from Valencia on Sunday.

His concerned mother Antonia Hyde posted an urgent plea for help online seeking advice.

“Help! My son is stuck at Valencia Airport. His dog ate his passport! He has his NIE but they won’t let him fly to

IN a twist to the David v Goliath case, Goliath has won!

A tiny burger and pizza joint in Cadiz has changed its name after global giants McDonald’s got on their case saying the Menoc Donald moniker of the fast-food restaurant was too similar.

So, after 34 years, the restaurant has changed its name to Menoc

Gatwick,” she explained. Speaking exclusively to the Olive Press Nicholas described the entire situation as ‘surreal’. “He just devoured it, the bottom corner of the passport with the identification number

Silly burgers

Burger instead. “We received a burofax asking us in a friendly way to change the name. Obviously, we got down to work because we knew that we had everything to lose if we didn’t”, explained owner Jose Antonio Calvo.

was destroyed,” the 23-yearold said.

He pleaded with the airline which contacted immigration at Gatwick airport with a photo of the mauled passport - but that was also to no avail.

His only option was to apply for an ‘emergency passport’ at the British consulate in Barcelona.

Train

In just a few hours he had an appointment time confirmed, so he booked a train to the Catalunyan capital, picked up the document on Tuesday and flew to Gatwick that evening.

On a wing and a prayer

SPAIN’s very own ‘bird man’ pulled off an astonishing feat when he flew under the famous arch bridge of Ronda at 300km per hour.

Daredevil Daniel Roman leapt out of a paramotor in the cool December sky in a wingsuit from several thousand metres up and prepared to take aim at the barely ten-metre gap under Ronda’s imposing Tajo bridge.

Coming in at a third of the speed of sound, any miscalculation would have spelt a messy end to the elite jumper.

Having burst through the central arch and cleared the cliffs. Roman pulled the cord on his parachute and the ‘bird man’ gently descended to land.

We’re back in print on Jan 13, but online every day at www.theolivepress.es

EXCLUSIVE