LIVE FOREVER Want to stick around as long as Spain’s Maria - age 116?
All about
JANUARY 2024
Walk your way fit ... and live 16 years longer
R THE LONGE LIFE ress.es
www.theolivep
the t the best in Spain amongsexpectancy world for life Lancet prestudy by The
D
shed some ESPERATE to timber but apexcess festive hitting the prehensive about local gym?
world’s A 2018 to worry as sciencould hold the2040, at There’s no need the best way to dicted Spain cy by tists have revealed cy in highest life expectan - a daily walk. life expectan By Yzabelle Bostyn get into shape 85.8 years old. ts have speculated THE averagefourth highest in the highlighted sevinwalks Researchers have that can bring a Other specialis Spain is the years above the siestas, regular could eral small changes ing, health-imworld and three Korea (83.6). life expec- that frequent frequent sex y of 83.3, (83.9) and and even more wide range of anti-agenhancing benternational average. s live to at leastby the The worldwide average the UK be influencing the longevit fitness-e with and Spaniard years, Most proving is just 80.3 years. a new report also rankSpaniards. above, at 80.4 according to for Economic Co-op- tancy can alefits. clocking in justSpain’s high life ex- This comes despite Spain greater intent . Organisation such as toWalking with strengthen muscles ment (OECD) to good ing highly for negatives the oldest takes It is believed eration and Develop could be linked leviate stress, n, and alcohol use. flexibility and Australia which SAMPLES fromworld - Maria bacco, cocaine in cocaine They tie with the report, Health at pectancyide healthcare provisio in the and bones, increase well as The country ranks third in woman nationw as without the addianalysed spot all the diet, being fourth ranean use, following a. lengthen lives, fitness classes. Branyas - are the key to a long at 84.5 the Mediter a glance. UK and Australi tional costs of found that nasal the top spot, to try and find the warm climate. year, Japan took by Switzerland In the last a Studies have life. of walks, the techfrom Cataluny years, followed almost 3% UK breathing during g through your The Spaniard le 116 years old, of breathin incredib adults in the enan tions is nique mouth, complica your and Spain admitto but has no health and mobility nose rather than coof improvements ted to using past other than hearing ables a range health. anacaine in the Ausissues. al Sciences is your cardiovasculared by Colorado her age, she year and in the El BurriUniversity of Agricultur Unlike most peoplescular probResearch conduct extract- The from animals at ty showed athletes tralia this figure team has been what lysing the blood on, in Hinojos, in Andalucia’s has zero cardiova issues, and State Universi nasal breathing had to see A SWEDISH university rose to 4%. the lems nor memory to Feliz AssociatiDoñana National Park. Spanish donkeys who practiced ry rate than when s stories from ing blood fromto help humans who are losing However, Spain at the ‘enormouto can recount if they happened respirato inlooking lowest lower is a It learnt can be manes their mouths, had the age of four as strength’ of theirto be transbreathing through flow of oxygen their hair. rates of overall ly yesterday. has previous obtain a formulahair. use in the dicating an improvedeam. herself opioid Maria e HAIR natural yoghurt ferred to human Negro exthrough the bloodstra weighted vest world, alongsid and credited eating just BRAINED Researcher Juan her longevity, “I Likewise, wearing Israel, with usate the health are looking at each day for ’, adding: SCHEME?: plained: “We of hair was found to accentu 0.1% of adults the avoiding ‘excesses little, but evwalk. Donkeys the characteristics ing opioids in benefits of a dailyed by the journal by humans folhave always eaten in Doñana growth sharedd animals. I have never not conduct year. and , who study last A erything ed men to I have could help and four-legge will find posAccording data, Ergonomics suggest lowed any regime. vest burnt 6% cure bald“Hopefully we to baldness, any illness or been most recent 7th (a 2.5 wore a nine-kilo suffered from g room.” ness sible remedies than without t to some Spain rankedalcothrough an operatin more calories is recommended for which is importan in terms of kilogram vest peohol use, the averwomen). conthe speed of ple.” litres. age person average is 8.6 Best of all, altering rates were also greatest impact. suming 10.5 litres s, with Spanish smoking a walk has the of power walkworld average per capita. higher than 15 smoking Even small bursts l to reduce people over They drink more have the potentia s such as UK, 19.8% of ing the in disease than ranked daily. d to the international averthe risk of key . which with li- Compare UK ranks low, type 2 diabetes 11th, with 10 age of 16%, the smoking daily. tres per capita. just 12.7% of people The international
Old age wonder
TMENT DONKEY TREA
ulls No protection Numbsk
OLIVE PRESS MALLORCA
The
Sponsored by
Take a a look at our tips inside our special health supplement
ON BEST WEAP
appointment free without an are now available FLU vaccinations around Andalucia. respiratory illnessas the spread of at all health centres however, just a fall The move comes across Spain, with is starting to subside. es, such as flu, of 2024 saw a 3.2% decrease s. The first week cases per 100,000 resident nationwide with only from 966 to 935has the second lowest rateby the Balearic Islands. also ia bettered only Andaluc per 100,000. 100,000, a rate rate of 1691 cases 460 cases per has an infection Castilla-La Mancha
FREE
Your expat
VIEWS WITH A BLOOM
A breathtaking natural spectacle is just round the corner See page 14
voice in Spain
Vol. 7 Issue 173 www.theolivepress.es January 26th - February 8th 2024
NEVER AGAIN! sleep with someone s say they ‘almost who had a ‘sexual insaid FOUR in 10 Spaniardduring sex. fection’, but 30% never’ use a condomreason (40%) for not it depended on the type. of othfour out of The most common was the ‘existence Despite this, say they do not using protection of the peo10 Spaniards er methods’. they forgo condoms due check the sexual health status it Some 29% say ’, while 18% say ple they sleep with. s and Sex, spoke to sensitivity of to a ‘loss report, Spaniard . s have The men and women aged between ‘ruins the moment’ 30% of Spaniard 2,000 Meanwhile, only for HIV. 18 and 58. ever been checked said they would not Almost half (48%)
te a pioneer in priva nal Hospital, ital GibMed Internatio d to be the first private hosp prou a focus on healthcare, is in Gibraltar. With nd Better Beyo to open its doors go promise is to innovation, our www.gibmed.
gi | (+350) 200
49999 | info@g
ibmed.gi | Floor
2, ICC Buildin
A BRITISH expat has died after being given the deadly painkiller Nolotil for a shoulder injury, it has emerged. Mark Brooks, 42, was enjoying a game of golf near his home in Alicante when he began experiencing shoulder pain. The next day, he went to his local health clinic on the Costa Blanca, where he received a shot of metamizole, also known as Nolotil. Some 48 hours later the gardener, from Derbyshire, was admitted to hospital in Torrevieja with depleted white blood cells and sepsis.
FINAL HOLE: Just 48 hours later, Mark (centre left ) was dead
g, Gibraltar, GX11
1AA
The next day, he was taken into intensive care with organ failure. Two days later, he was dead. His partner, Summer Moses (right) has been left to pick up the pieces with their fouryear-old daughter, Aurora. The pair had been planning to get married, before the tragic incident took Mark’s life in October last year. “Summer was in complete shock. One day he was playing golf, really excited, and then the next he was dead,” anti-Nolotil campaigner Christina del Campo told the Olive Press this week. “She’s now working two jobs just to make ends meet. It’s not just his life that’s been ruined, it’s her life and her daughter’s too. All because of a painkiller.” The incident happened when he attended a clinic popular with expats in Ciudad Quesada on October 15. Within hours of receiving an injection of Nolotil he developed a rash and blisters on his buttocks. When he was taken to A&E in Torrevieja,
CALUM Best has been acquitted of sexually assaulting a British holidaymaker at Wayne Lineker’s Ibiza beach club two years ago. Judges ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Best forced the tourist’s hand down his shorts to touch his penis. The reality TV star, who had flown into Mallorca to attend the trial, declared afterwards that the ‘truth had prevailed’ and thanked his fans for their support. The son of legendary footballer George Best and TV celebrity in his own right, Best, 42, faced a possible three-year prison sentence if convicted. The court found that the testimony of Best’s female accuser on its own was insufficient to overturn the presumption of innocence. The judges were unimpressed by the lack of corroboration for her allegations and wondered why the prosecution had not called key witnesses to testify. Both the woman’s friend who was with her at
British expat, 42, dies after taking Nolotil: Father-of-one developed sepsis after being given the ‘lethal’ painkiller for a minor golf injury
that Mark’s death was as the result ‘an apparent allergic reaction to doctors found he had a low metamizole’. white blood cell count, along- Anything but the first, side signs of liver and kidney the drug has now been TRAGIC: 4-yearlinked to over 40 deaths failure. old Aurora is left His condition rapidly deteri- in Spain, including without her dad, orated and just four days af- many expats. Mark (above) ter receiving the injection, he So dangerous is the drug, the Olive Press slipped into a coma. launched a campaign in 2017 to have it banned agranulocytosis’ among cerDeaths for expat patients, in particu- tain populations. According to death certifi- lar, as many clinics continued A 1999 Swedish study esticate records, Brooks’ cause of to hand out the drug. mated the risk at one in every death on October 20 was ‘or- Spain’s most popular sub- 2000 prescriptions, with a gan failure, septic shock and scription painkiller, Nolotil is 26% mortality rate. cellulitis.’ known to have adverse effects It is believed the drug could Now his ex-partner has on Northern Europeans and have contributed to up to 350 reached out to the Nolotil is banned in 30 countries, in- cases of agranulocytosis, incampaign group, the Associa- cluding Britain, Ireland, Aus- cluding 170 Britons living in tion of Drug Affected Patients tralia and the US. Spain. (ADAF) run by del Campo. A 2018 report from the Eu- Yet incredibly, only one SpanIt came after she discovered ropean Medicines Agency ish health authority, Catalundocuments, which revealed showed a ‘potential to induce ya, has warned against using the drug as a first-choice painkiller. It ruled there was ‘no evidence’ it was better at controlling pain than ‘safer alternatives’ like paracetamol or ibuprofen. Meanwhile, one English expat newspaper recently even the time and the security guard who hanpublished a two-page feature dled the situation initially remained away effectively promoting the from the courtroom. drug. The accuser had claimed that Best had It came just after ADAF betold her, ‘I’ve got something for you, gan legal action against the close your eyes’ and forced her right Spanish Medical Agency (AEhand down his trousers. MPS) in November, claiming The accuser said: “I remember crying a 2018 government directive and having a panic attack and going to speak to the security guard immediately afterwards.” The incident, which left her in ‘shock and tears,’ occurred on April 22, 2022, at O Beach club in San Antonio, Ibiza. Best was arrested shortly after and held in custody for about a day. The reality TV star blamed the incident on the woman’s drunken state. By Yzabelle Bostyn
Best cleared
952 147 834
not to sell Nolotil to Northern Europeans is not being followed. “We’re not looking for money or damages. We want to make them stop giving Nolotil to British people,” explained del Campo.
Regulations
“I want them to revise and modify regulations and investigate cases properly. They need to act because it keeps being given without a prescription. People’s lives are at stake.” The campaigner is also demanding new analysis of the risks of the drug and a revision of the information sheet given to medical professionals. Boehringer Ingelheim, the company that makes Nolotil, claims all the side effects are clearly listed in its information packet. Opinion Page 6
Tel: 952 147 834 TM
See pages 12 & 15
CRIME
www.theolivepress.es
NEWS IN BRIEF Organ blinder SPAIN shattered its own record for organ transplants by 9% last year, with a total of 5,861 procedures. It is the country’s 32nd year in a row in first place globally.
Transgression AN update to Catalunya’s Trans law could permit children aged 12 and above to legally challenge their parents if they stop them having a sex change.
Capital race MADRID’S new F1 Grand Prix track layout has been revealed. It will be 5.4km long, feature 20 turns and should take one minute and 32.4 seconds to complete.
Cop car NINE Guardia Civil officers took ‘psychological’ sick leave when assigned to Ibiza airport last summer as low salaries and high rental demand forced them to sleep in their cars.
January 26th - February 8th 2024
Gangster axed BBC erases notorious costa fugitive from its dramatisation of armed robbery heist after accusations of ‘glamorising’ killer AN infamous British criminal finally snared in Spain has been written out of his own hit TV series. The UK’s one-time most wanted fugitive Kenneth Noye has been erased from the second part of a BBC dramatisation of his infamous 1983 Brink’s-Mat gold robbery. It comes after The Gold was criticised for glamorising Noye - played by Scottish heartthrob Jack Lowden - as a ‘handsome class warrior’. To stoke the outrage, the double killer who is now
By Walter Finch
out of prison, was reportedly ‘over the moon’ about his portrayal in the first season. Admirers allegedly even approached him in the street to shake his hand, claimed friends. It led to the BBC receiving a severe backlash for its ‘heroic’ portrayal of the man who murdered 21-year-old Stephen Cameron in 1996 and policeman, John Fordham, in 1985. In one of the most notorious
WATCH OUT!
A TRAVELLER at Ibiza airport underwent an ordeal when he found that his luxury watch worth €10,000 had vanished from his belongings tray after going through the scanners. He immediately alerted the authorities, who looked back at the CCTV footage of the trays going through security scanners and were able to identify a Spanish man who pilfered the watch. Police quickly tracked down and arrested the suspect just as he was about to board his flight. The watch was recovered and handed back to its owner.
Copyright: BBC
2
MURDERER: Noye (inset) and actor Jack Lowden
cases of road rage in British history, Noye stabbed Cameron on the M25 while on release from prison - and then promptly fled to Spain. Noye had been most famous up to that point for helping to mastermind the Brink'sMat warehouse robbery which netted over €30m in gold bullion.
Captured
The six robbers had been expecting to find €4 million in cash but instead found the gold worth the equivalent to €108 million today. “Relatives of the victims were very upset and the BBC did not want to take the
risk of more of those accusations,” a source told The Times. Cameron’s uncle slammed the broadcaster for making Noye out to be ‘some kind of good guy when he was a cold-blooded murderer.’ Noye was captured while having lunch with his girlfriend, Mina Al Taiba, in a restaurant in Barbate, Cadiz, in August 1998. He lived nearby in Zahara de los Atunes. He had previously enjoyed the hospitality of fellow London gangster Joey Wilkin’s luxury villa in Estepona while on the run. It is believed Wilkins had given him up to Scotland Yard.
WRONG TURN
A DRUNK motorist who got stuck driving down stairs in Palma’s Plaza Mayor blamed Google Maps for his plight. The bizarre event happened on Monday night on the Costa d'En Sintes, the 70metre long stairs linking the plaza with the Rambla. Police found a van wedged in the corner of the alleyway and unable to move. The driver was breathalysed and found to be three times over the alcohol limit.
Alley
He and his passenger said they were following instructions on the Google Maps navigation app. When they reached the street which narrowed into a stairway, they realised they could not turn back. Palma Fire Brigade freed the van and lowered it to the bottom of the stairs. The vehicle was subsequently towed to the municipal depot.
STUCK: Driver had nowhere to go
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
Place in our home
IT is something of a rite of passage for anyone moving to Spain. So it was no surprise when the costas’ latest expat celebrity to move in, Jasmine Harman, announced she was adopting a kitten. The Place in the Sun star, 48, took in the rescue cat after a friend found it living by a bin. “Family News! We have a new addition! Over the holidays, a friend of ours found a kitten all alone by some bins,” she put on her Instagram feed. “We have taken her in, she’s now called Hazel and she’s adapting amazingly to life with a family.” After spending decades helping Brits find their ‘dream life’ abroad, Harman finally took the plunge in October buying a home in Estepona.
She told her 143,000 followers this month that relocating had been a great decision. Smiling after a beachside Zumba class, she gushed: “I’m starting the year as I mean to go on. “Whatever happened to you, whatever went on in 2023, hold onto the good, let go of the bad and start afresh i n 2024.” She continued: “Family is the most important thing and this will give us a much better balance.” On why she chose EsADOPTED: tepona, she added: “It Jasmine and has a lovely commufamily have nity feel. We have taken in a lots of Spanish famstray kitten ilies nearby.” (far left)
FRUIT CAKE HE is the best-selling Spanish artist of all time having sold over 150 million albums worldwide. Yet, Julio Iglesias, 80, still travels with foodstuffs in his suitcases. The Marbella-based multi-millionaire was ‘almost arrested’ on his arrival in the Dominican Republic with an astonishing 42 kilograms of food stuffed into his luggage. The so-called ‘King of Latin’ was pulled over at Punta Cana airport where immigration officers seized vast quantities of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, celery, beans, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and meat. Falling foul of the country’s
By Ben Pawlowski
stringent import rules he was detained, according to a popular Spanish TV show Fiesta. A spokesman for the Dominican Republic’s Agriculture Ministry confirmed the stop after Iglesias arrived on a private flight. Meanwhile an ex-girlfriend, María Jose ‘Makoke’ Giaever revealed she often used to transport food for Iglesias, who has performed over 5,000 concerts around the world. “Sometimes I would bring him seafood from Galicia which he loved,” she told the Fiesta programme. The father of eight, including
CLEAN START
FIFTH-tier Spanish football side Malaga City have announced a surprising new addition to their staff. Former Liverpool and Tottenham star Steven Caulker has joined the club as a player-manager. The former Premiership star joined up after discovering the club while on holiday with his girlfriend and son in Nerja. It was sadly anything but a commanding start with the team being on the wrong end of a 6-0 hammering in his first game. Things improved for
Julio Iglesias stopped at airport with suitcase full of berries and meat
pop star Enrique, has lived a quiet life since retiring. He mostly splits his time
between The Bahamas and Punta Cana, living with his 58-year-old Dutch wife, Miranda Rithe second game, losing 1-0 to the league leaders, while jnsburger. they drew 0-0 on Sunday. He regularThe centre-back made 123 appearances in England’s ly visits his top flight, including spells at Tottenham, Southampton huge estate and Liverpool. between The 32-year old’s career had previously been derailed Marbella by a wave of personal issues, as the defender suffered and Ojen, with depression, anxiety, alcoholism and a gambling where his addiction. son Enrique “I hit so many rock bottoms and they just kept getting grew up. lower and lower,” he confessed. Reports “It was a mental rock bottom, a financial rock bottom, in the US a physical rock bottom, an emotional and spiritual rock bottom”. suggest his Following intensive rehab and therapy, Caulker admits health is dehe has to confront his personal battles day-by-day. teriorating, He set up Behind the White Lines, an organisation in particuwhich seeks to provide training camps to young players lar suffering who are released from clubs when young. from moWhile Brexit rules mean Caulker can not yet play for bility issues the club until he has a special licence, he has been able and memoto manage the team while completing coaching badges. ry loss.
January 26th - February 8th 2024
3
Shot in the foot
A BMW dealership in Spain has dropped an ad campaign featuring Money Heist actress Itziar Ituno for protesting in defence of the rights of political prisoners from ETA. The garage in Bilbao took offence at her appearance at the protest of 20,000 people in Bilbao. Airline Iberia also removed an interview with the star for its
inflight magazine. The actress took part in a similar demonstration in 2017. ETA was an armed terrorist group that waged a bloody campaign for independence for the Basque Country killing 829 people over nearly 60 years. The group eventually disbanded in April 2018. Ituno played inspector Raquel Murillo in the hit Netflix show.
FANCY yourself as a boxer? All Comers can earn €368 a session if they fancy a whirl in the ring with heavyweight contender Oleksandr Usyk (pictured). Actually, the Ukrainian - who is training in Valencia for his forthcoming world title fight with Tyson Fury - needs right-handed boxers between 200 and 210 cm tall and have an arm span of 200 to 216 cm. Usyk fights the Gypsy King, the WBC champion, in Saudi Arabia on February 17. Fury, 35, is training in Morecambe, Lancashire, having previously trained for fights at Daniel Kinahan’s controversial MTK gym in Marbella.
Bit of a tough guy?
ME? R READERS E E S U CAN YOO CAN ALL OU YOUR BUSINESS COULD THEN S BE AS VISUAL AS THIS
FROM AS LITTLE AS €50 AN ISSUE
OR T US FUR C A T N CO ON ON O MATI SING R INFO ED ADVERTI OR T 75 TARGE 951 27 35 SS.ES ON VEPRE I L O E @TH SALES
+34 659 887 455
info@cancersupportmallorca.com
www.cancersupportmallorca.com
NEWS
4 www.theolivepress.es No passport? No problem! A SPANISH airline has launched a system allowing passengers to breeze through the Balearic Islands’ airports without papers. Budget airline Vueling has officially launched a new paperless system across multiple Spanish airports. Using facial recognition, the biometric checks were launched in Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Barcelona and Madrid airports in November last year.
Expand
Now, the programme is set to expand to a further two locations: Tenerife North and Gran Canaria. Passengers can sign up for the programme while checking in online or at Vueling’s airport desks. Facial recognition can be used on both national and international flights. However, if you travel to an airport without facial recognition technology, you will still have to carry travel documents with you to pass through border control.
January 26th - February 8th 2024
Real deal
REAL Mallorca have reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for just the fifth time in their history following a 3-2 victory over high-flying Girona. Mallorca triumphed following a nervy encounter at the San Moix Stadium in Palma. Girona, traditionally a small side, are currently top of La Liga - nevertheless, Mallorca, who are 15th in the same division, won 3-2 despite going a man down to qualify for the semis for the first time in 15 years.
MEG’S CANCER CHALLENGE
A BRITISH expat has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise €10,000 for cancer research in memory of her husband who died in November. Meg Williams, who has lived in Palma for eight years, hopes to reach the total by getting people to join her swimming 555 kilometres in stages - the equivalent of the Mallorca
Swim in memory of husband aims to raise €10,000
Meg said: “He managed to raise €7,000 for coastline. The money will go to the Fero Cancer SupFoundation where Meg’s hus- port Mallorband, Philip Baber - a profes- ca and did a sional photographer, poster lot of sports designer and gallery owner to have more - volunteered in clinical trials time with his to fight his stage four terminal d a u g h t e r s (Farrah, 13, prostate cancer. Alexa, He was diagnosed with the and condition in May 2019 at the 11).” “The doctors age of 47. “It was very hard and serious told him that IN MEMORY: of Philip, pictured with wife for him, he was very young,” exercise was Meg and daughters Farrah and Alexa Meg says. good for him after chemotheras her husband told her that The idea of organising the apy.” when he left he ‘didn't want event came as a result of a Meg and other volunteers beany regrets’. challenge that Philip himself gan the challenge of swimming Meg believes that they will took in 2020 to raise funds. the 555 kilometres last month, achieve ‘their sporting mission before the summer’. “We swim to fight cancer and honour Philip who as A CYBERATTACK on Calvia coun- R o d r i a surfer had a cil’s computer network accompa- guez. great passion nied by a €10 million ransom is B u t for the sea - a not as bad as first feared, despite A m e n place where he the major disruption caused by it. gual exwas happy.” An infamous hacking group called plained So far €5,418 LockBit struck on January 13, t h a t has been with Calvia mayor Juan Antonio a f t e r raised, which Amengual refusing to give in to serious will help fund their demands. initial access to gene The Balearic Island Consumers concerns, the data breach therapies for Association (Consubal) has now was not as bad as first thought as patients sufferasked the town hall to reveal the ‘the largest databases were not ing from prosextent of any private data taken by damaged’. tate the hackers. The council expects to have can“People have the right to know if reached 90% of normal service by cer. personal data has been stolen,” January 29 in tax management said Consubal president, Alfonso and collection. By Alex Trelinski
Hacked off
Flaming tradition
A STRANGE ritual dating back 500 years continues to see horses jumping through flaming bonfires in Valencia. The San Anton festival in Vilanova D’Alcolea took place again this month in memory of a devastating epidemic that wiped out a large part of the area’s cattle and horses. The smoke from bonfires is meant to drive away evil spirits. A similar event is held in San Bartolome, near Avila, despite the protests of animal rights groups, such as PACMA, which denounces the ‘unnecessary suffering’ inflicted on the animals.
BREXIT DIVIDEND BREXIT is forcing one of Mallorca’s flagship companies to raise wages for its workers as it complains of a severe staff shortage in the UK. The CEO and founder of Melia Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer, has admitted the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has squeezed the company’s finances. “Due to Brexit, it is difficult to find workers that want to work in certain jobs in the tourism sector,” Escarrer said.
Salary
“To ensure we capture the talent we need, salary increments have been higher than budgeted.” Across the entire company, labour costs increased 13% in 2023. Escarrer assured that this outlay was in order to be ‘good employers and to ensure that we are able to attract the best possible talent and retain it.’ Despite this, Melia is still planning to open 20 new hotels boasting 4,000 rooms across 2024, with half being in the luxury sector.
GONE TOO FAR
A SIGNIFICANT number of men in Spain believe that they are being discriminated against. Nearly half ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that the country has gone ‘too far’ promoting women’s rights. Some 41% of men say ‘promoting women’s equality means men are now being discriminated against’, according to a CIS survey.
Gender
The questions look at perceptions of gender equality, as well as stereotypes. Perhaps surprisingly some 32% of women agreed that things have gone too far. Findings reveal 67% of women believe inequality remains ‘very large’ or ‘quite large'.
www.theolivepress.es
NEWS
January 26th - February 8th 2024
5
6
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 All in a flutter SPAIN’S Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has again insisted on ‘joint use’ of the airport before the next round of EU treaty negotiations. His comments at the New Economic Forum that challenged the UK to sign the EU treaty on Gibraltar ‘soon’ continue to mount the pressure on Foreign Secretary David Cameron. But Gibraltar’s reluctance to lose control over the airport has been evident for various years. And with Picardo suggesting the government would have final say on anything related to Gibraltar, this could be the pebble in the EU treaty’s shoe. Local experts have questioned the reasons for Spain’s desire to have joint use of the airport. After the last attempt to fly to Madrid failed because of lack of demand, Albares’ claim that it will benefit the area seems somewhat unfounded. Iberia, GB Airways and Andalus Lineas Aereas all tried to run the route but failed to make it profitable soon after the 2006 Cordoba Agreement. They promptly stopped running the service until this day. Instead, travellers preferred to use either the established airports of Malaga or Jerez, while Gibraltar instead expanded its UK connections. But the airport can easily handle more than its current number of flights, especially after the tunnel opened last year. What the Rock’s leaders might be more concerned about is Spain getting a foothold on Gibraltar territory, especially of an area it contests to this day. But some sort of a deal now seems ever closer and we must not shut up shop to the EU altogether. That would hurt both Gibraltar and the local Spanish region so the Gibraltar Olive Press hopes common sense will prevail.
PUBLISHER / EDITOR
Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es
Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es
Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es
Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es
Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es
John Culatto
ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 154 841 admin@ theolivepress.es
OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es
DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 154 841 distribution@ theolivepress.es
NEWSDESK: 0034 951 154 841 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 15 48 41 Deposito Legal MA: 1097-2020
AWARDS
2016 - 2020 Best expat paper in Spain
2020 Google News Initiative gives the Olive Press a substantial grant.
2012 - 2023 Best English language publication in Andalucia
The curious history of free parties in Spain can be traced back to the 1990s in England, discovers Yzabelle Bostyn
T
HEY swooped down on southern Spain en masse and ended up partying for six full days over the New Year period. Yet, incredibly the 8,000 or so ravers who danced until dawn, imbibing just about every illegal substance known to man, managed to do it almost completely unimpeded. Despite squatting on a private racetrack, setting up dozens of stalls and stages without a licence, and selling thousands of items undeclared to the tax authorities, only 100 of them ended up with any sort of fine or sanction, most of them very small. Indeed, it is nothing short of remarkable that the illegal rave in Fuente Alamo, Murcia known as Big F**cking Party - was able to take place in modern Europe. But it turns out it not only happens every new year, but it is only one of dozens of such free festivals to take place in Spain each year. The country, it emerges, has a pedigree for them. Without invitations or publicity, the location
ALL THE RAVE of such raves - or ‘alternative’ festivals - are only given via word of mouth, closed Facebook groups and clandestine message boards. Within hours, ravers ranging from New Age travellers to tourists and hippies to hedonists swarm down to the agreed location in their motorhomes, converted buses and vans. The usually deserted areas soon resemble small villages, complete with stages, food trucks and stalls to keep attendees going. A ‘free party’, events like this have no official start or end time, no entry fee and no line-up. Dancing goes on 24/7 and police only occasionally patrol the entrances. And in the case of Big F**cking Party (our asterisks), the organisers - believed to be French - arranged a similar party a year ago with 5,000 people at La Peza, in Granada. Such events became popu-
lar in the late 1990s, with the best known, such as Andalucia’s Dragon Fest, regularly attracting well over 10,000 people at their peak. “At any given moment, there will be a free party going on somewhere in Spain,” Fluor Nation (far left), who runs a UV paint and clothing company, told the Olive Press. The Sevilla-based business makes almost all of its income from attending free parties, but how did Spain become a hotspot for these illegal events? To understand this, we need to go back to 1990s England. In the spring of 1992, some 20,000 people attended the largest unauthorised rave in history in Castle
Free, powerful and necessary FREE festivals are often linked with alternative communities and political struggle. Golshanak, creator of Chapi’Teuf, a circus performer, (pictured inset) said: “My parents organised many underground music events in the 90s and I am following in their footsteps. I joined the movement for freedom of expression. We are a big family and our economy sits outside the normal ‘system’ and I respect that. It is powerful and necessary in a world where everything is being controlled by governments.” Although the Spanish government has no specific law banning free parties, many aspects of the gatherings are illegal under the ‘Ley de Espectaculos Publicos’. As a result, police do not tackle free festivals head on, instead deterring attendees by performing drug and alcohol testing or, sometimes, arresting those selling alcohol, food and clothing without permits.
Exercise your rights UK citizens previously disenfranchised for living abroad for more than 15 years can now vote again
B
RITISH citizens living abroad are now eligible to vote in UK general elections and referendums regardless of how long they’ve been living overseas. New legislation has restored the voting rights of over three million Brits who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years. The move represents the biggest increase in the British electoral franchise since the introduction of full female suffrage in 1928. Sue Wilson MBE, chair of the Bremain in Spain group which has campaigned for the reinstatement of voting rights, told the Olive Press: “Now the task of ensuring that Brits abroad understand the registration process and get themselves on the electoral register begins.”
By Ben Pawlowski
British citizens, eligible Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies can now register to vote as long as they were either previously registered to vote in the UK or were previously resident in the UK. Before beginning the process of registration, prospective voters will require proof of ID and a former UK address. Acceptable documentation for this includes: a UK driving licence (current or expired); council tax statement; credit card statement; utility or mobile phone bill; letter from an insurance company; correspondence from HMRC or the Department for Work and Pensions; P45, P60 form or a pays-
lip; bank / building society passbook or a local authority rent book. If you are unable to provide satisfactory evidence of your ID and former UK address, there will be the option of providing an attestation - you will need to ask someone (not a relative), who is over 18 and registered to vote in the UK, to attest to the details you provide. British citizens living overseas can register to vote on the gov.uk website.
All about JANUARY 2024
www.theolivepress.es
THE LONGER LIFE
Walk your way fit ... and live 16 years longer
Spain amongst the best in the world for life expectancy
A 2018 study by The Lancet predicted Spain could hold the world’s highest life expectancy by 2040, at 85.8 years old. (83.9) and Korea (83.6). Other specialists have speculated The worldwide average life expec- that frequent siestas, regular walks tancy is just 80.3 years, with the UK and even more frequent sex could clocking in just above, at 80.4 years. be influencing the longevity of It is believed Spain’s high life ex- Spaniards. pectancy could be linked to good This comes despite Spain also ranknationwide healthcare provision, ing highly for negatives such as tothe Mediterranean diet, as well as bacco, cocaine and alcohol use. the warm climate. The country ranks third in cocaine use, following the UK and Australia. In the last year, almost 3% of adults in the UK and Spain admitted to using coA SWEDISH university team has been extract- The University of Agricultural Sciences is anacaine in the past ing blood from Spanish donkeys to see what lysing the blood from animals at the El Burriyear and in Auscan be learnt to help humans who are losing to Feliz Association, in Hinojos, in Andalucia’s tralia this figure their hair. Doñana National Park. rose to 4%. It is looking at the ‘enormous However, Spain strength’ of their manes to had the lowest obtain a formula to be transHAIR rates of overall ferred to human hair. BRAINED opioid use in the Researcher Juan Negro exSCHEME?: world, alongside plained: “We are looking at Donkeys Israel, with just the characteristics of hair in Doñana 0.1% of adults usgrowth shared by humans could help ing opioids in the and four-legged animals. cure baldlast year. “Hopefully we will find posness According to sible remedies to baldness, most recent data, which is important to some Spain ranked 7th peoin terms of alcople.” hol use, the average person consuming 10.5 litres per capita. They drink more than in the UK, which ranked 11th, with 10 litres per capita. The international
THE average life expectancy in Spain is the fourth highest in the world and three years above the international average. Most Spaniards live to at least 83.3, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They tie with Australia which takes fourth spot in the report, Health at a glance. Japan took the top spot, at 84.5 years, followed by Switzerland
By Yzabelle Bostyn
DONKEY TREATMENT
No protection Numbskulls FOUR in 10 Spaniards say they ‘almost never’ use a condom during sex. The most common reason (40%) for not using protection was the ‘existence of other methods’. Some 29% say they forgo condoms due to a ‘loss of sensitivity’, while 18% say it ‘ruins the moment’. Meanwhile, only 30% of Spaniards have ever been checked for HIV. Almost half (48%) said they would not
A
A STUDY has revealed how four foods could help you live 10 years longer. UK firm, Nature Food, revealed certain foods also improve your overall health. The study showed that sustained dietary change from 40 onwards can help improve life expectancy by up to 10.8 years. COLOURFUL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Widely recognised as part of a healthy diet, fruit and veg contain essential antioxidants which can help fight infection and ageing. They are also a good source of fibre which improves digestive health. There is strong
sleep with someone who had a ‘sexual infection’, but 30% said it depended on the type. Despite this, four out of 10 Spaniards say they do not check the sexual health status of the people they sleep with. The report, Spaniards and Sex, spoke to 2,000 men and women aged between 18 and 58.
D Old age wonder
SAMPLES from the oldest woman in the world - Maria Branyas - are being analysed to try and find the key to a long life. The Spaniard from Catalunya is an incredible 116 years old, but has no health complications other than hearing and mobility issues. Unlike most people her age, she has zero cardiovascular problems nor memory issues, and can recount stories from the age of four as if they happened yesterday. Maria herself has previously credited eating natural yoghurt each day for her longevity, and avoiding ‘excesses’, adding: “I have always eaten little, but everything, and I have never followed any regime. I have not suffered from any illness or been through an operating room.” average is 8.6 litres. Spanish smoking rates were also higher than world averages, with 19.8% of people over 15 smoking daily. Compared to the international average of 16%, the UK ranks low, with just 12.7% of people smoking daily.
CHOC HORROR THE Guardia Civil has put out a public health warning to dog owners: feeding them chocolate can kill your beloved pooch. The warning comes as chocolate poisoning became the third most common cause of poisoning treated by veterinarians. A toxic component, theobromine, is metabolised much more slowly in dogs than in humans, leading to a build-up that can cause a range of symptoms, from vomiting and diarrhoea to heart problems, seizures and death.
EAT YOUR WAY TO A LONG LIFE By Yzabelle Bostyn scientific evidence to suggest that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of many illnesses including cancer, heart disease and stroke. The study also advised reducing intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, opting for drinks with naturally occurring sugar such as fruit smoothies instead.
ESPERATE to shed some excess festive timber but apprehensive about hitting the local gym? There’s no need to worry as scientists have revealed the best way to get into shape - a daily walk. Researchers have highlighted several small changes that can bring a wide range of anti-ageing, health-improving and fitness-enhancing benefits. Walking with greater intent can alleviate stress, strengthen muscles and bones, increase flexibility and lengthen lives, all without the additional costs of fitness classes. Studies have found that nasal breathing during walks, the technique of breathing through your nose rather than your mouth, enables a range of improvements to your cardiovascular health. Research conducted by Colorado State University showed athletes who practiced nasal breathing had a lower respiratory rate than when breathing through their mouths, indicating an improved flow of oxygen through the bloodstream. Likewise, wearing a weighted vest was found to accentuate the health benefits of a daily walk. A study conducted by the journal Ergonomics suggested men who wore a nine-kilo vest burnt 6% more calories than without (a 2.5 kilogram vest is recommended for women). Best of all, altering the speed of a walk has the greatest impact. Even small bursts of power walking have the potential to reduce the risk of key diseases such as type 2 diabetes. One study conducted by the University of Leicester even suggests that brisk walking can add 16 years to your life, and slow down your biological age.
WHOLE GRAINS Going for whole grains instead of refined options can improve heart health and lead to a longer life. That’s because they contain lots of vitamins and minerals which can contribute to overall health as well as fibre which aids digestion. They also help to control cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. HEALTHY FATS Although fat has been demonised in the past, the truth is we need healthy fats to have a full diet. Av-
ocados, nuts and fish help us to get essential fatty acids the body cannot produce itself and help in the absorption of vitamin A, D and E. LEAN PROTEINS Eating protein sources such as pulses, fish and chicken can improve brain function, lower cholesterol and promote a higher metabolic rate. A high protein diet can also help keep you feel fuller for longer to avoid overeating. The study also recommended opting for less processed meats in order to live a longer life.
8
November 2023
All about
6 REASONS TO GET WELL OILED
As its price soars, just remember that olive oil is good for you
O
LIVE oil is nicknamed ‘liquid gold’ in Spain - perhaps a very apt description these days with prices tripling in the last two years. Older readers from the UK may well remember the days when they had to make a special order at the chemist to get olive oil, so rare and expensive was it. While in those days it was most commonly ‘prescribed’ in the UK to soften earwax before having patients’ ears syringed, there are a host of other health benefits associated with the Spanish staple. And the g o o d news is that rather than squirt it in your ear, it is best sampled as part of a balanced and delicious diet. Here we give a rundown of half a dozen ways in which olive oil is good for you - and here's hoping it doesn't get so expensive that aw trip to the farmacia is in order to get your hands on some…
1. HEALTHY FATS About 14% of the oil
By Dilip Kuner is saturated fat, whereas 11% is polyunsaturated, such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (1). But the predominant fatty acid in olive oil is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, making up 73% of the total oil content. Studies suggest that oleic acid reduces inflammation and may even have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. Monounsaturated fats are also quite resistant to high h e a t , making e x t r a virgin olive oil a healthy choice for cooking.
2. ANTIOXIDANTS Extra virgin olive oil is packed full of powerful antioxidants which are known to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. They can also help fight inflammation and protect your blood cholesterol from ‘oxidation’, which lowers the risk of heart disease.
3.
ANTI-INF L A M M AT O RY Chronic flam-
HEALTHY FATS: Spain’s liquid gold is an essential part of a balanced and nutritious diet
in-
mation can cause cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, arthritis and even obesity. Olive oil is filled with anti-inflammatories like oleocanthal, which has been shown to work similarly to ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug. Some scientists estimate that the oleocanthal in 3.4 tablespoons (50 ml) of extra virgin olive oil has a similar effect to 10% of the adult dosage of ibuprofen.
4. STROKE SAFEGUARD The effect of olive oil on the risk of stroke has been studied heavily. A large review of studies in 841,000 people found that olive oil was the only source of monounsaturated fat associated with a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease. In another review in 140,000 participants, those who consumed olive oil were at a much lower risk of stroke than those who did not.
5. BRAIN BENEFITS Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative condition in the world. One of its key features is a build-up of so-called beta-amyloid plaques inside brain cells. But one study in mice showed that a substance in olive oil can help remove these plaques. Additionally, a hu- man study indicated that a Mediterranean diet
Scientists estimate that extra virgin olive oil has a similar effect to 10% of the adult dosage of ibuprofen. rich in olive efitted brain function.
oil ben-
6. TYPE 2 DIABETES PROTECTION Olive oil appears to be highly protective against type 2 diabetes.
Several studies have linked olive oil to beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. A randomised clinical trial in 418 healthy people recently confirmed the protective effects of olive oil. In the study, a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by over 40%.
TASTY: Olive oil is not just delicious but is good for you too
9
November 2023
BRINGERS OF JOY
tain treatments to have a baby or carry out some diagnostic tests in their own countries. This would be the case, for example, of single mothers, lesbian couples or future parents who wish to access safe and anonymous egg donation programmes or who are looking for genetic answers they cannot access in Destination is undoubtedly an important factor their countries of origin. when choosing a clinic. Spain, in addition to the This law allows pre-implantation well-known virtues such as climate, culture and genetic diagnosis techniques to gastronomy, has excellent flight connections, determine whether an embryo which increase in the summer season, and is healthy before implantation which have led to an increase in the number of in the future mother, something patients from all over the world. that is not permitted in countries The current Spanish law 14/2006 represents such as Germany. In our country a scientific and technical advance compared there are strict regulations for to other legislation in gamete donation which, by law, our neighbouring coun- is anonymous and altruistic. In tries. Today it continues contrast, there is no anonymity to be a reference, both in other countries such as the for the techniques it United Kingdom, Switzerland, regulates and for the the Netherlands, Norway, Gerusers or recipients who many or Denmark, which is why take advantage of it. it is possible to carry out techSpecifically, many of niques that include egg donation the patients who come or embryo adoption. to Instituto Bernabeu’s According to data from the Instituto Bernabeu clinics do so because Group, currently, more than 55% of the people they cannot access cer- they treat are of foreign origin. Women from 137 different countries, some as remote as Nepal, the Cayman • 55% of Group Instituto BerIslands, the Bahamas, Namibia nabeu’s patients come from and Thailand, come at its eight 137 different countries. national clinics located in Alican• The quality of reproducte, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, tive medicine in Spain and Albacete, Cartagena, Elche and the country’s advance legisBenidorm. lation are the main reasons For more than three decades, for their visit. Instituto Bernabeu has been at
Thousands of couples around the world chose Instituto Bernabeu for their fertility treatment in Spain
R
eproductive medicine in Spain is one of the most highly valued in the world. This fact is confirmed by the 13,588 women who came to our country in 2020 to undergo fertility techniques, according to the latest data from the registry of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF). Our medical professionals’ high level and advanced diagnostic and clinical techniques make the difference.
the forefront of reproductive medicine research. The group of specialised clinics is led by doctors Rafael and Andrea Bernabeu. This renowned Spanish institution has an extensive track record and its milestones include the birth of a child using spermatids for the first time in Spain and sixth in the world, and the recent creation of the first artificial intelligence (AI) unit dedicated to reproductive medicine. Every day three babies are born in the world thanks to Instituto Bernabeu’s professionals, which has already surpassed 150,000 clinical records since it first opened.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.INSTITUTOBERNABEU.COM OR CALL +34 900 922 902
10
All about
November 2023
Poisons in the home SCIENTISTS have found an alarming 921 chemicals in products we use daily that could be causing cancer. Around 90% of these substances are found in food, drink, pesticides, medicines and workplaces. Researchers also found almost a third of these chemicals create tumours in animals, the ‘best predictor’ of whether they
An increase of cancer could be caused by synthetic chemicals, study reveals
cancer in young women, claimed the report by the Silent Spring Institute. “Recent data show rates cause cancer in humans. These synthetic chemicals increasing in young womare being developed ‘all en, a trend that can’t be the time’ and could explain explained by genetics,” exthe recent rise in breast plained a spokesman at the American institute. Some 4,132 people under 44 were diagnosed with breast cancer in Spain in 2023, a 9% infor dogs and cats in crease over 2021. Spain!! Get the right “Breast cancer is inhealthcare cover creasing in younger women,” oncologist Dr The ONLY ENGLISH VET Javier Salvador told the Olive Press. CLINICA VETERINARIA By Yzabelle Bostyn
WARNING
BENDINAT
tel: 971 404 459
www.vet-bendinat.com
THE EUROPEAN DENTAL PRACTICE Established 1989
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
ALARM: As breast cancer incidence soars in Spain The Sevilla-based doctor added: “The general occurrence is rising and it is fundamentally associated with unhealthy habits. Breast cancer is no exception”.
SUNGLASSES CON A DISTRIBUTOR who supplied fake Italian sunglasses to a nationwide chain of opticians has been arrested. The Policia Nacional and customs officials from the Tax Agency inspected 12 stores across the country as well as a warehouse belonging to the unnamed retailer. Some 719 counterfeit items including 290 fake designer sunglasses were seized during the police operation. Investigations started after police got a complaint from the Italian company that makes the upmarket sunglasses, saying that fakes were being sold in Spain. The probe led officers to a man who previously worked for the manufacturer and who had owned several opticians.
Cancer among the under 50s has risen by an incredible 79% over the last three decades, according to a study by Global Burden of Disease (GBD). And it is no coincidence that during this time, the number of synthetic chemicals has risen dramatically. Globally, the production of chemicals has increased fiftyfold since 1950. This number is set to triple by 2050 believes the European Environment Agency. It comes after Europe’s largest ever screening programme discovered residents are subject to ‘alarmingly high’ levels of toxic chemicals, which could lead to ‘serious illness’.
S
SUPER AVO
PAIN is home to many delicious and nutritious foods, but did you know the strange way eating one fruit could help with anti-ageing? Often eaten with breakfast, as a dip or even to make creamy desserts, this superfood is highly versatile and healthy. While avocados are full of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, many people overlook the most beneficial part of the fruit. The seed, often tossed in the bin, is packed full of healthy antioxidants which can help you to fight disease. Avocado seeds, once peeled and mashed, can be added to salads, soups and smoothies for an extra health boost. They have a slightly bitter taste, but it’s worth it to make the most out of the fruit’s anti-ageing properties. The flesh of the avocado also has amazing properties for our health, including high levels of vitamin C, which helps to protect our cells, vitamin K, which keeps bones strong and vitamin E which strengthens the immune system. They are also rich in B vitamins, which help us maintain our vision, healthy skin and functioning nervous systems. The superfood is also full of magnesium, potassium and omega-3, which can help fight heart disease. Avocados are also high in fibre which is beneficial for gut health and healthy fats which help keep us fuller for longer. If that weren’t enough, studies have shown that greater consumption of avocados can lead to better brain function in older people, so it slows both visible and mental ageing. In Spain, over 100 varieties of the fruit are available, the most common being Hass avocados. The Europeans that consume the most avocados are the French, followed by Germans, Brits and Spaniards.
SALE 50%
FREE eye test
off selected frames Or choose Reactions, UltraClear SuperClean or Thin + Light FREE* Request an appointment at specsavers.es Santa Ponça Avda. Rei Jaume, 117 (opposite Eroski center) Tel. 871 964 331
50% off selected frames from 89€ marked in the store with a red sticker come with standard 1.5 single-vision lenses. Or one free pair of lenses with full price frames 89€ or above. Reactions: except for Fineform and Rimless ranges. Thin and Light lenses: single-vision lenses, UltraClear SuperClean and scratch-resistant treatment included. Cannot be used with any other offers. Additional charge for other lenses and extra options. Ask in store for details. Specsavers España Franchisor S.L. (with VAT number B84536291 and registered office in Pradillo Street 5 Ground floor, 28002, Madrid, Spain) is responsible for this offer.
Olive Press Mallorca– 170mm x 256mm – Colour
-
January 26th
January 26th - February 8th 2024
11 NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
From Hollywood to park bench
A FAMOUS Spanish actress is living on a park bench in Marbella since 2016. for money at traffic lights.and forced to beg So tough has become Goya-nominated Monic stopped working in TV her life after she is best known for her a Cervera, 48, Avecina, that she becam show, La Que Se lead role in the 2004 Alex de la Iglesia She shocked fans when e homeless. she told a magazine film, Crimen Ferpecto. this week that she is curren tly ‘living on the Her performance in streets’. the comedy-horror saw her nominated She described her homele ssness as a ‘perfor ‘best new actress’ at the Goya sonal’ decision. award s Spain’ s answer to the Oscars. She has a family - among them a 14-yearHowever she fell out old son - and a home to of favour after the 2006 film, Busco, and bella, although for unspecreturn to in Marhas not worked has decided to live on her ified reasons she own.
January 10th - January 23rd 2024
3
‘NO OP, NO IDEA!’
Sent to heaven Goodbye to Maria ‘Go the former smuggler atslayer’, died at 110 years old who has
SCENE: An abandoned racetrack turned rave village and (right) how we reported the story morton, in rural Worcestershire. Lasting seven days, the seminal party only ended when the dancing stopped, the generators ran out and police began arresting those involved. The unfairly-maligned festival sparked a nationwide debate about free parties, culminating in the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. The infamous legislation criminalised any gathering of 20 or more people where music using ‘a succession of repetitive beats’ was being played, effectively banning illegal raves. In Britain, the party was effectively over, forcing many sound systems to move to mainland Europe. Among them was Spiral Tribe, 13 members of which had been arrested for organising the legendary Castlemorton festival. They were eventually acquitted of all charges. Not long after arriving in Spain they started a series of events here, including allegedly the country’s first ‘free festival’, held in Valencia in 1993. Either way, that giant event (that lasted for nearly a week) sparked an interest in free festivals around the country with many Spaniards joining in… and today, there are dozens of similar events taking place with reportedly over 200 ‘sound systems’ (groups who provide the music technology and DJs) running them. It is perhaps, no surprise, that the parties are concentrated in Catalunya, Andalucia and
“
Playing with fire
FREE HEAR ING TEST | FREE CONS ULTAT IONS ALL TYPES OF HEAR ING AIDS | SWIMMING PLUGS Benalmadena – 952 574 075 C/Flores 3, Aroyo de la Miel
There are dozens of similar events taking place with reportedly over 200 ‘sound systems
“
When applying to the electoral register, expats should use the last address where they were registered as a UK resident. Any eligible voters previously resident in the UK, even as children, but who have never been registered to vote, can apply by using their last UK address. Once registered to vote, British expats will need to renew their registration every three years, before November 1.
W
HAT’S going on in politics today? What are the latest law changes affecting expats? What are the travel trends for 2024 and where should I invest in property? childr en when her only If you’re not a subscriber to the Olive Press, then your daugh ter died in 1980. Despi te her answer to any of the above will likely be: ‘No idea!’ chequered past, she was As the best English newspaper in hande d the honou r of RIP:Spain, Maria lived only at theolivepress.es will Citizenlife to the full ship of Andalucia you find an enjoyable mix of importin 2017 for her lifetim e of work ant news, exclusive investigations and sacrif ice. Right up to A MEGA-RAVE schedu Alcon chel, and articles that help answer all share d led to her death a video last seven days shut down of her singin at a Christ day early, as its partyg 2022, saying : “This g in the WORLD famousurrounding life mas ofis questions she best sorts simply ran out of steam. oers PARTY’S s acrobats cante was able to enjoytribut e we can offer, from Cirque It comes after laid back du Soleil are Alegrithis year. ing what local loved coming to read a is the show’s lonresidents and even region and doingin theshe country. Madrid, Barcel OVER sing and, in Spain most: singin g.” politicians encouraged al na, Sevilla, Malaga and o- gest-running Ali- reimagined for production the words world curren tly has the illegal gathering, called the the modern ’s That includes money-saving tips ‘Big oldest perso n, of a family Maria F**cking Party’. audience. Brany as MoreTaking place in a deserte friend , she ra, An ‘immersive’ twofrom Catalu nya, who you simply cannot hour and tricks afford of semi-desert in inlandd area was ‘alway s reach experience, it es 117 in March cia, some 8,000 people Mur. a fighte r’. leaves punters feeling The oldest perso to to the bash at its peak. headed ever Mayo r ‘joyous’ and ‘magical’. without. of live to be n Comprising thousands Los Barri- Jeannwas Frenc hwom an It kicks off in Barceloof expats and tourists, many e Calme nt, who RAVE: Thousands os, Migue l lived And from France, na on March 20 and turned up for our paying subscribers, Italy and Germany, it took to 122. for the party place finishe on a s in Madrid at former racetrack, near Fuente Alamo. of the year. Kicking off on Decem ately close it down, local tailored newslettersthe endwill ber 30, the illegal rave started when insisted they ‘didn’t mind’.residents a group Warweekly of anonymous organi ga “As long as they don’t m es RA keep you informed of the latest FA through a chain onto the zers broke rubbish it’s fine with leave loads of IT SE was an TBACK opportunity pants engage in handThe same group, who course. Alamo farmer told El me,” a Fuente to let off steam after SPANISH tennis hero Rafa organi a to-hand combat They were supportedPais. Nadal will miss the Aussimilar rave in La Peza, zed a long and stressful 2023 with and travel, health tralianproperty Open so that he can issues. near flour and eggs. spokesman, Victor Egioby Podemos receive more treatment Granada, last year, set - and the townsfolk of to his hip. up stagThe festival has been who attended the event, (pictured), es, speakers and food stalls. Ibi took full advantage. Nadal, insistin 37, Meanwhile all of them get a daily round-up of had g taking the only just place for made his return group come back next Participants dresse Soon dozens of stands to the tennis circuit after missing nearly d centuries, imitati two had It finally came to a stopnew year. a year due up in military outfits also been erected ng to a hip injury. Despite mock coup d’etat. Thea the long ab- 20 stories of the day. a day after the Guardia on January 5, around and staged a mock 'revt-shirts and other items.selling sence, he won his first Civil issued an Els Enfarinats Army two matcheviction notice and started olution' outside the While regional Vox es at the Brisbane Interna blocking poliadvances on the anyone from leaving tional from this weekend a town hall of the tician Jose Angel Antelo tournament in straigh Now, without having town every Decemt had an alcohol and drugs Alicante town. slammed the party, But he lost his quartersets. ber 28, collecting -fiSome 57 people were test. As food fights go, insisting nal match against Jorfined for drug police ‘taxes’ which are personalised missive from driving, 14 for danger Els Enfarinats should dan ous immediThom driving pson, then and 92 for drug posses donated egg-cells itself, which is where sion. to a designated as particihe picked up this our digital editor will keep charity. new injury . you in the loop about the E ME? S CAN YOU SEN ALL OUR READER biggest stories of the week… FREE THEN SO CA HEARING TEST and what to keep an eye on! NESS SI U WE SPEAK ENGLISH B R U YO START YOUR JOUR You’ll even be able to make AS NEY TO BETTER HEAR ING COULD BE IS suggestions of what we S TH VISUAL A LITTLE should be following. FROM AS SUE IS When we first introduced AS €50 AN a paywall three years ago, CONTACT US FOR INFORMATION ON many of our rivals were OUR ADVERTISING sceptical and refused to acON 951 27 35 75 OR EMAIL US ON SALES@ cept the rapidly-changing news landscape. THEOLIVEPRESS.ES But as you may have noticed, almost everyone has now followed suit with their own subscription service. While most merely offer translated stories from their Spanish counterparts, plus a few columnists, the Olive Press offers so much more. But we know purse strings are tighter than ever in January, which is why we are launching an END OF JANUARY WINTER BLUES SALE TODAY with an incredible 50% off the first year of your subscription. Scan the QR code here to be taken directly to the subscription page with the limited offer already applied. And signing up could not be easier, with Apple Pay, GPay and PayPal all now available. The winter sale will end on February 1, so sign up for the bargain price while you can! SHE had been forced to make ends meet smuggling cigare ttes and er contra band durin othg the dark decad es in Andal ucia’s histor y. At just nine years old By Yzabelle Bostyn in 1922, Maria Rodri was sent out ‘doingguez, er- family contin rands ’ aroun d the Cadiz ed, she did ually insist area. it ‘out of cessit y’ after her husbaneKnow n as Maria ‘Mata nd - died young , leavin cabra s’ (Mari a the g her slayer ), she had Goat- with three childr en to gradu ated to smuggsoon bring up. tobac co, coffee and ling Born on Janua ry 24, 1913, rics betwe en Gibra fab- the Los Barrio s reside nt Jerez and even Portu ltar, got marri ed at 18 and ended up havin g to But, as all her friend gal. pros and vide for her nine grand -
Va l e n c i a , areas with high numbers of foreigners and the parties are usually organised at locations which w i l l cause the least disturbance to locals. In fact, residents of Fuente Alamo, the nearest town to this year’s Big F**cking Party, said they ‘didn’t mind’ the festival, as long as they ‘picked up their rubbish’. It was exactly the same at La Peza last year. According to Fluor Nation: “Festivals are always held far away from where anyone lives, we don’t want to bother anyone. We’re also very aware of the environment and take away all our litter. The atmosphere is friendly, everyone helps and has fun.”
Fuengirola – 952 472 783 Av. Conde San Isidro 1
www.futurahearin
Despite this, many claim free festivals are by their very nature dangerous as the ‘unofficial’ events are not bound by normal safety procedures. It’s a fact that a number of serious issues (some reported by the Olive Press) occurred at the annual Dragon Festival that took place primarily near Orgiva for two decades until 2019. And there were 57 people fined for drug driving as they left the recent event in Murcia, 14 of them for ‘dangerous driving’. However, one regular expat raver, who asked not to be named, insisted organisers carefully self-police the events and ‘almost nothing bad ever happens’. She continued: “Fences and security is not for safety. It’s just to get people to pay. People are just there to enjoy themselves.” She insisted the ‘hedonistic free-spirit’ is the driving force behind the parties, adding: “Free festivals are collaborative, there’s no one in control. That’s why they work so well.” Fluor Nation agreed: “It’s an altruistic movement that provides an alternative and affordable way to enjoy music without conditions,” she insisted. The latter part certainly seems to remain true in Spain. For now. PARTY ON: Revellers arrive at the Dragon Festival
g.com
END THE WINTER BLUES OFFER
SCAN HERE TO LAND YOURSELF AN UNLIMITED, AD-FREE HALF PRICE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: WATCH: Jasmine Harman is loving her new 1- life on Spain’s Costa del Sol: A Place In The Sun This charming city in Portugal is a hit with 2-Spanish tourists looking for calmer alternatives to the likes of Porto or Lisbon of boat migrants arrive at 4-star 3- Hundreds hotel on Spain’s Costa del Sol after being transported from the Canary Islands political battle in Spain over 4- Ryanairits wins controversial luggage policy latest: Water will be cut off for 7 5- Drought hours per day in this town on Spain’s Costa del Sol from MONDAY
Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info
LA CULTURA What’s in a name 12
TM
282 902 902 123 282 24/7 EMERGENCY
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
January 26th February 8th 2024
TM
123
282
r* aF n u tl e le y s cu o *Fully b m comprehensive j e pc offer rt valid efor h t newo customers e n c only. s o Guarantee iv v subjec e e tr to cover, , o repair r fe at f e pr a i v ra a l i td f o r n e w c u s t o m e r s o n l y. G u a r a n t e e s u b j e c t t o a cp o n pd r o i t v ie o approved d n s garage, g . and a O courr tesyf a vehicle fg e availabilit e r y. , Subjec ea t to n conditions. n dd s O ffer ends c 3 30/11/18. o 0 u / 1 r1 t e / 1 s y 8 .v e h i c l e a v a i l a b i l i t y. S u b j e c t t o c o n d i t i o n s . O f f e r
If your car breaks down it can be an upsetting experience, especially if you don’t have roadside assistance cover. But they are also the most common type of problem on the road.
to pinpoint your location and 2/8/18 2/8/18 17:01 send help directly to you. This service is available throughout mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The technology is simple to use and really useful when you need it most.
STAY SAFE
BREAKDOWN KIT
If you break down, stay calm and safe until rescue support arrives. Remember that while you wait for help, your priority is to safeguard yourself and any fellow passengers. Línea Directa policyholders simply call 919 171 171 and inform the emergency hotline where you are. Línea Directa provides emergency roadside assistance anywhere in Spain 24/7 and 365 days a year, with a national network of operators and recovery vehicles.
To help you stay safe here is a checklist of some important safety items in the event of a breakdown. This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility jacket, first aid kit, jump start cables, empty fuel can, food and drink, two reflective warning signs, a road atlas, and a mobile phone charger.
GEOLOCATION SERVICE This service is exclusive to Línea Directa and allows breakdown recovery and roadside assistance services
OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERTISE As Spain’s most experienced provider of insurance for British expatriates, Línea Directa has been keeping motorists on the move for over 20 years.
We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com
17:01
El Prado is removing words like ‘dwarf’, ‘disabled’ and ‘deformation’ from descriptions of masterpieces to ‘avoid offence’
THE description of an artwork by a famous Spanish master in Madrid’s El Prado museum has been altered to remove mention of the subject’s ‘dwarfism’. The plaque for Diego de Velazquez's 1636 masterpiece El Niño de Vallecas, which depicts ‘court dwarf’
TOO WOKE?: Lezcano is no longer described as a court dwarf
jesters, which is set to be amended to just: Velazquez: the jesters. Francisco Lezcano, now re- Another passage reads: fers to the condition by its “One of the palace dwarfs medical name, achondro- poses with an open book plasia. whose large dimensions The general poster for the emphasise his smallness.” display is currently titled: This is likely to be replaced Velazquez: dwarfs and with: "One of the palace jesters poses with an open book whose large dimensions serve to A NEW X-rated dating show is coming establish a game to Spain as Naked Attraction makes of scales." its Spanish debut on HBO Max. It comes as part Marta Flich will present the new series, of the museum's an adaptation of the popular show broader initiaoriginally aired by the UK’s Channel 4. tive to underIn the unique dating programme, contake a review testants have to eliminate potential in response to partners one by one as their naked Spain's recent body parts are slowly revealed. constitutional The show has gained popularity in reform. Germany, France and Italy before Article 49 of the making its way to Spain. Spanish Constitution, expected By Walter Finch
NAKED ATTRACTION
to be approved next week, requires that language and presentation of art are sensitive and align with modern day standards. According to the amendment, going forwards, the term ‘disabled’ should be replaced with ‘people with disabilities’. Nearly 27,000 painting files on its website and about 1,800 exhibition posters are being revised to comply with the new amendment. Examples of this update include altering descriptions on artworks such as Prince Don Carlos by Alonso Sanchez Coello and Brigida del Rio, the bearded one from Peñaranda by Juan Sanchez Cotan. In the former, a sign reads: “To cover up the deformation of his back.” Now it simply says: “To cover his back.”
OP QUICK CROSSWORD Across 6 Aeroplane body (8) 7 Simple dwellings (4) 9 Reechoed sound (13) 10 Tears (5) 12 Claim as due (5) 14 Salt (3) 15 Renounce (5) 16 Modify (5) 18 Military decoration (8,5) 21 Small dam (4) 22 Smashed beer mugs go under (8) Down 1 Pleasingly pretty (4) 2 Six-shooter (8) 3 Perhaps (5) 4 Apprentice (7) 5 Produced by 2 Down (4) 8 Ballroom dance (3-4) 11 Small and delicate (3-4) 13 Carved up ensnared writer (8) 14 Traveller (7) 17 Brazilian dance (5) 19 Grow weary (4) 20 Melancholy sound (4)
OP SUDOKU
BREAK DOWN COVER
c o v e r, e n d s 3
All solutions are on page 14
CHOOSE YOUR TRUSTED PROPERTY ADVISOR FROM THE LEADING REAL ESTATE AGENCY ON THE COSTA DEL SOL
JOSE GAITÁN jose@strand.es EN, ES
VERONICA O’SHEA veronica@strand.es EN, ES
SARAH CONROY sarah@strand.es EN, ES
ANNA GVOZDEVA anna@strand.es EN, ES, RU, ET
KATARIINA SALMELIN katariina@strand.es EN, SP, FI, SV
CRISTINA GALÁN cristina@strand.es EN, ES
NATALYA BYKOVA natalya@strand.es EN, RU, UK
CHARLOTTE GRUNDBERG charlotte@strand.es SV, SP, EN
ANA TARAZONA ana@strand.es SP, EN, DE, FR
EMILE ISSA emile@strand.es FR, EN, SP, AR
JORDAN KEAVENEY jordan@strand.es EN, SP
MICHELLE BENDEL michelle@strand.es EN, SP, FR, DE
INMA GUERRERO inma@strand.es EN, SP
MARGIT MEIER margit@strand.es EN, SP, ET, RU
YOICHI KATO kato@strand.es SV, EN, SP
RAY SWEENEY ray@strand.es EN, SP
VICTORIA MORETTI victoria@strand.es SP, EN, PT
JOSÉ LUIS PALMA joseluis@strand.es SP
SUSANA GUZMÁN susana.guzman@strand.es SP, EN
MARIFÉ RAMÍREZ marife@strand.es SP, EN, DE, FR
SOFIA NIKAMO sofia@strand.es FI, SV, EN
ANNE SAARIKANGAS anne@strand.es EN, SV, FI, DE
NIINA KUUSISAARI niina@strand.es FI, EN
MARLÓ CABRERA marlo.cabrera@strand.es SP, EN
SORIN MAILAT sorin@strand.es EN, SP, FR, IT, RO
PALOMA LÓPEZ paloma@strand.es SP, EN
ARTO RYYNÄNEN arto@strand.es FI, SP, EN
OWEN BURKE owen@strand.es EN, SP, FR
CAROLINA FLORES carolina@strand.es IT, FR, EN, SP
MARIE LAMBERT marie@strand.es FR, EN, SP
BEATRIZ VACA beatriz@strand.es SP, EN, FR
MACARENA PATON macarena@strand.es SP, EN, FR, IT
JAVIER ROSADO javier@strand.es SP, EN, DE, DA, IT
ROBERTO CERES roberto@strand.es SP
MARLÓ LÓPEZ marlo@strand.es SP, EN, FR, IT, DE
CAROLINE SYLFVANDER caroline@strand.es SV, EN, SP
MIRELA FUENTES mirela@strand.es EN, SP, DE, HR
JOE BYRNE joe@strand.es EN
PAUL RADCLIFFE paul@strand.es EN, FR, DE, SP
ADELA GIRÁLDEZ adela@strand.es SP, EN, FR, IT
PABLO HERMIDA pablo@strand.es SP
ELENA MÄKINEN elena@strand.es FI, RU, EN
ANGELIQUE VAN LUIJN angelique@strand.es NL, EN, FR, DE
MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ manuel@strand.es SP
ERICA CLEE erica@strand.es EN
ANNE KERO anne.kero@strand.es FI, SV, EN
KAREN OXLADE karen@strand.es EN, SP
ELINA RAJAMÄKI elina@strand.es EN, FI, SV
NATASHA VALTONEN natasha@strand.es FI, EN, FR
JORGE GONZÁLEZ jorge@strand.es SP, EN
NATALIA COLES natalia@strand.es EN, SP, PL, RU, DE
MAARIT HÄKKINEN maarit@strand.es SV, FI, EN
RIKKE BRUUN JENSEN rikke@strand.es DA, EN, SP, NO, SV, DE
CAROLINA ALICIA LEVRERO carolinalevrero@strand.es SP, EN, DE
JOONAS LAITINEN joonas@strand.es FI, EN, SP, FR, SV
HEADQUARTER info@strand.es | strand.es +34 676 90 15 19
14
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
VIEWS WITH A BLOOM
As Spring arrives Spain‘s countryside is transformed by carpets of pink and white flowers. But as Dilip Kuner writes, the almond blossom comes first
O
RGANIC and piecemeal, Blossom only started to flourish three years into its genesis. Starting as a cafe and breakfast joint next to Malaga cathedral, its owner Emiliano Schobert slowly started to serve lunch, initially cold, and finally suppers two years later. The Argentinian chef had landed in Malaga with his wife Lucia and three children in 2019 and had been planning a long holi-
January 26th - February 8th 2024
I
T’S that time of year when the hills around southern Spain come alive with the first signs of Spring. Unusual as it may seem for northern Europeans, the end of January welcomes the wonderful spectacle of almond blossom, creating unmissable sights and smells. The sweet fragrance of almond flowers hangs in the air, while acres of trees assail the eyes with a breathtaking display of pink and white blossoms that will live in your memory forever. You don’t have to go too far to witness this early Springtime extravaganza - with the hills inland from the costas, in particular,
PROFUSION: Pink or white blossom line the hills around Spain
REVIEW: ‘Sweet and sour masterpiece’...It’s the perfect time to visit the expat-run Malaga restaurant, Blossom, writes Jon Clarke
OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 6 Fuselage, 7 Huts, 9 Reverberation, 10 Rents, 12 Exact, 14 Tar, 15 Forgo, 16 Adapt, 18 Victoria Cross, 21 Weir, 22 Submerge. Down: 1 Cute, 2 Repeater, 3 Maybe, 4 Learner, 5 Shot, 8 Two-step, 11 Elf-like, 13 Andersen, 14 Tourist, 17 Samba, 19 Tire, 20 Sigh.
In particular, the crunchy carrot cream and peanut praline tartlet was a great palate opener, while a mini Jerusalem artichoke soup was ever so slightly spicy with a peppery kick. A strip of smoked salmon carefully rolled on top of a slice of ‘Malaga cucumber’ was both subtle and refreshing, while a ceviche of ‘silver snapper’ with pepper sauce, tiger leche milk and more was remarkably flavoursome, a sweet and sour masterpiece, that brought back my faith in a dish that is 75% of the time disappointing in Europe. Then there was a scallop with a sliver of foie, apple and almonds, while the fish of the day was sea bream, served with delicious fresh peas and cauliflower. The pig’s jowl and salmon roe was as pretty as a picture and tasted as good as it looked - properly lip-smacking, while a Morel mushroom stuffed with duck mouse, and a chickpea blini with creamy Parmesan … hallelujah. One bite of heaven. Then it was two - yes TWO - courses of duck, the first; a breast, lightly braised, with celeriac mash. It was the same with the venison with firstly a slice of
ARTIST: Talented teacher Emi Schobert and his young team (below)
True artworks, delicate and thoughtful, they’d be worthy of a place in the Picasso museum up the road
breast with a chocolate mole in a mushroom veloute and pickled beetroot (the sweetness of the beetroot was remarkable) as well as a Portobello mushroom with a venison slice on top. OK, it sounds like too much food, but the dishes aren’t huge. Indeed they are just about right and after all, this is a ‘tasting menu’. It also meant I still had space for a trio of puddings, with caramelised apples in chamomile ‘English custard’ particularly splendid, while the white chocolate bavarois with mascarpone, Tonka beans and crumble was amazing too. Finally, a chocolate stuffed raspberry didn’t ruin the night, even coming with a glass of PX brandy on the house, sending me off to appropriately sweet dreams. Novelle cuisine. Remember that? Well it’s back and alive and well at Blossom, where the flowers are out in full bloom.
ON THE PALATE - RESTAURANT REVIEW
day before working part-time between Spain and Patagonia … but then, of course, came the pandemic. And praise the lord, for suddenly stuck in Andalucia, ‘Emi’ was forced to change his plans and slowly began to set up one of the most exciting new additions to Andalucia’s burgeoning food scene in years. He certainly had pedigree. Cordon Bleu trained; he set up his own cookery school in Patagonia and twice represented his country at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or event, in France, now in its 20th year. After stints at restaurants in Denmark and France, he was ripe to transfer his skills to setting up a kitchen in Spain. And he’s done so well that the celebrated Michelin guide handed him the prestigious Bib Gourmand
‘value-for-money’ award in November. So perhaps the most surprising thing is that Blossom is apparently anything but cheap. With a set menu at €115 per head, not including wine, it was no surprise to find the terrace empty, while all its near neighbours were bustling on a busy Thursday in the run up to Christmas. Couple after couple stopped, looked at the menu, and swiftly moved on. But more’s the pity, for the 13-course set menu had a wealth and depth of ingredients as impressive as it was long. With plenty of fish and meat (including Red Snapper, a beef tartare, duck and even venison), I calculated that the ingredients alone would come to half the cost. Even better, my friendly waiter David, a Spaniard who recently ‘reluctantly’ swapped London for Malaga, insisted the menu was as KM-0 as possible and suggested a delectable white Rioja, Añades, with a touch of mandarin after being aged for six years in cask. The first four dishes come out together as a really beautiful tableaux … true artworks, delicate and thoughtful, they’d be worthy of a place in the Picasso museum up the road.
offering some of the best profusions. In particular, the Valle de Guadalest, in Valencia, the Guadalhorce Valley, in Malaga, and the Tramantana range of Mallorca offer wonderful displays at this time of year. Anywhere with a perfect micro-climate - normally sheltered from the north wind and not too high up - is perfect for these early blooms. Perhaps it is no surprise that Almeria is home to thousands of blossoming trees at this time of year, with the drive between Andalucia and Alicante wonderful in early February. Venture up into the two mountain ranges, the Sierra de los Filabres and the Sierra Alhamilla, for a particularly special display. Meanwhile, the term ‘Mallorca snow’ has become a widespread term, not for the nightclubs, but for the hillsides full of almond blossom in February. The best places to find it are around the Puig de Randa, the Puig de Bonany and the Puig de Santa Magdalena. A little later in March, Gran Canaria is a great place to see the blossom and the island even has its own Fiestas del Almendro en Flor, which started in 1969. Wherever you do see them, remember time is of the essence and there is only a short window of about three weeks before they start sprouting their leaves and ultimately their delicious nuts.
952 147 834 * Vo l u n t a r y i n s u r a n c e c o v e r. S u b j e c t t o c o m p a n y u n d e r w r i t i n g c o n d i t i o n s . *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our Roadside Assistance and breakdown services.
TheOlivePress-256x342-legal0823.indd 1
15/8/23 18:05
The
OLIVE PRESS
REuse REduce REcycle We use recycled paper
Quelle suprise
FINAL WORDS
STORM Isha provoked chaos as holidaymakers returning from the Canary Islands were forced to land in the south of France, more than 1000km away from their intended destination of Dublin.
White sight NATURE lovers were left stunned in Andalucia’s Doñana National Park when they spotted an incredibly rare albino deer, thought to occur only in one in every 30,000 of the species.
Marbs movie A FILM about Marbella’s early 2000s corruption scandal is topping the Spanish box office. El Correo follows a young gangster's rise to the top of a money laundering organisation.
FREE
MALLORCA
Your expat
DOG DAYS
voice in Spain
Vol. 7 Issue 173 www.theolivepress.es January 26th - February 8th 2024
Back to the test centre Spanish drivers are praised for their ‘courteous driving’ and ‘respect for traffic rules’
A NEW report has praised the much-maligned Spanish drivers for their courtesy and identified the behaviour and driving styles for each of Spain’s major cities. It goes so far as to give a clear road map of where the most courteous drivers in the country
By Walter Finch
can be found. Zaragoza leads the way, with drivers ‘known’ for their respect for traffic rules and consideration for pedestrians and cyclists.
HEY, CRINGERENA!
HILLARY Clinton brought the cringe with her during a trip to Sevilla. She was called upon to dance the Macarena with the original sevillano duo Los del Rio during a party in her honour at the Palacio de las Dueñas. She tried it gamely, despite clearly having no idea about the song’s iconic dance. This is perhaps puzzling since it was played constantly at Democratic Party events during the 1996 campaign to re-elect her husband, Bill.
Apparently, the city’s drivers stand out for their patience and politeness on the road, according to the International Drivers Association. Residents in Madrid will apparently recognise their fellow drivers’ strict adherence to speed limits, which contributes to the ‘well-known’ smooth and safe traffic flow in the Spanish capital. Over in Barcelona, the drivers are universally recognised for their excellent signalling as they plough through the city’s grid layout - particularly in using indicators. Meanwhile in Malaga, those out for a stroll will no doubt be fully aware of drivers’ precise stopping - especially at bus stops, where pedestrians get on and off without fear.
ROAD RAGE?: Spaniards praised for their driving But it is the pedestrians of Sevilla who are really spoiled, with drivers who would never think of steaming through a pedestrian crossing, instead habitually stopping completely. The report surely leaves no doubt that, from Zaragoza to Sevilla, considerate and respectful driving is a hallmark of Spanish road culture - unless of course, you know different. Opinion Page 6
THE canine crowned ‘the oldest ever dog’ has been stripped of his title pending an investigation into whether his age was a fraud. Portuguese pooch Bobi, who lived in Alentejo near the Spanish border, passed away in October at 31 years and 163 days old - an unbelievable 217 in human years. However, the fanfare around his coronation also brought increased scrutiny towards the Portuguese mastiff, a breed whose average life expectancy is around 13 years. Readers noticed that photos of Bobi from 1999 show him with white paws - whereas the dog who died in 2023 had brown ones. Guinness World Records has now announced that it has withdrawn Bobi’s title and is even pausing both the record titles for 'oldest dog living' and 'oldest dog ever' until they get to the bottom of the matter. Once matters are cleared up, the title could soon return to Spike, a living chihuahua from Ohio, who briefly held the crown last January at the age of 23 years, before being usurped by Bobi.