Olive Press Spain - Issue 406 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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Vol. 17 Issue 406 www.theolivepress.es November 2nd - November 15th 2022

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Marbella’s mayor’s husband and son face drugs trial

Lee Sharpe on the pitfalls of opening bars in Spain

Page 6

Page 12

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HOPE FOR KIM

A BRITISH woman who was told she had six hours to live while on holiday in Spain is finally set to undergo a rare double hand transplant. Kim Smith lost all of her limbs after she contracted sepsis following a common urinary tract infection while on holiday five years ago this month. The 61-year-old is near the top of a waiting list for hand transplant surgery, which will ‘make

EXCLUSIVE By Anthony Piovesan

her life better again’. “I’ve just got on with my life and stayed strong and positive for so long, it’s been the only way,” she told the Olive Press. “After my transplant, I’ll be able to drive again and do more things - life will get better again.” Kim had fallen ill while she and her husband Steve, from Milton Keynes, were on holiday on the Costa Blanca in November 2017. They had plans to spend Christmas there, but one day while visiting the historic town of Sax she felt a pang of pain in her lower back.

NIGHTMARE: Coma and aftermath of sepsis drama

have said I had an infection because they just x-rayed my back and sent me away telling me I had no breaks or fractures,” she explained. Pain The next day she went to see anThinking it was a other doctor, who did a test for urine infection she a urine infection and, after conwent to nearby Elda firming it, prescribed her with a Hospital and pointed course of antibiotics. at her back, telling But that night at 4am she was doctors ‘pain here’. in so much pain she was rushed HAPPY TIMES: In Spain before infection “In hindsight I should to hospital again, where doctors told her husband she ‘only had six hours to live’. THE SKY She really thought Antiques – Jewellers - Pawnbrokers DOCTOR she was ‘going to die’ and was put into ALL AREAS an induced coma for nine weeks, three COVERED weeks of it in her lo4G UNLIMITED cal hospital in Milton Keynes. INTERNET When she finally woke up surIDEAL FOR geons told her that STREAMING TV her hands and legs would need to be ALSO amputated as they IPTV, SATELLITE TV

ANTHONY’S

Page 16

guys,” he said. British ambassador Hugh Elliot revealed this week there were only two outstanding points still being hammered out between the two sides, in advance of an agreement.

Tourist to get new hands after losing all her limbs after Spanish holiday five years ago

crazy CLOSE TO Theautumn inland LUNACY customs

The twins named in world’s top 100 chefs

be thousands of British residents who haven’t been able to legally drive in Spain since May 1. One member told the Olive Press the scammers are asking for €550 for the service. “Please don’t do any business with these

CLOSING TIME

Licenced to scam

NOW

THE British embassy is warning of a scam taking advantage of expats caught in the long driving licence debacle. It claims adverts have appeared on Facebook offering ‘a Spanish licence in exchange for cash’. The alarm was first raised from a social media pressure group which threatened to invade the embassy last month. The group is representing what is believed to

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had ‘gone black and completely died’ from sepsis. After major surgery she then spent half a year in recovery. “For six months I was just in bed, I couldn’t move,” she recalled. “I had to learn how to sit up and use my muscles again. It was awful.” She is now near the top of a waiting list for a double hand transplant at Leeds General Infirmary, the only hospital in the UK that can perform the surgery.

Positive

The former hairdresser says she misses her hands most of all, and looks forward to cooking, sewing and driving again after the operation. Kim hopes by speaking out she will be an inspirational voice for others who have also been impacted by sepsis. “Everyone always tells me I’m so strong and positive and so I encourage those people to be the same - It’s the only way to get through,” she concluded.

Tel: 952 147 834

See pages 11 & 22

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Home invasion FOUR people have been arrested over the kidnap and torture of Zaryn Dentzel. The American, who created Tuenti, was held in his Madrid home by a gang trying to steal his bitcoin assets.

Gunned down A man, 21, was left fighting for life after being shot four times in Mijas on October 22. Police said it happened near Belinda beach about 10.45pm.

Gang bust Police have arrested a drug gang after discovering 66 kilos of cocaine hidden inside heavy machinery. The equipment in Algeciras containing the narcotics was hidden in heavy rollers that had been specially modified.

Most wanted One of the UK’s most wanted criminals was arrested in Marbella. Dean Garforth, 30, is alleged to be involved in drug trafficking. When officers found him he allegedly rammed them with his bike.

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

ANDALUCÍA IS OURS

Marbella mayor threatens legal action as husband and stepson face drugs trial amid boasts of ‘owning’ town halls and links to local police THE mayor of Marbella has threatened legal action over claims she or her town hall are linked to the ongoing investigation into her husband and stepson’s alleged drug gang. Angeles Muñoz insisted the prosecution for numerous crimes including drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption has no connection to her. This is despite at least one of the 27 people facing trial at Madrid’s High Court being

a Policia Local at Marbella town hall. Rafael Gallego Guerrero, from Ronda, was one of the key members of the Swedish mafia group, regularly providing ‘restricted police information’ in return for cash. According to Olive Press sources Gallego was also in charge of distributing many payments around the resort at the behest of stepson Joakim. He had previously been one of the mayor’s key

HEAVEN SENT FOUR defendants are facing life for the broad-daylight execution of a man outside his son’s communion in 2018. David Avila Ramos - known as ‘Maradona’ - was shot five times in front of his family and friends as they came out of the service in Marbella. Avila, 35, who owned Heaven Beach Club, was killed by a black-clad assailant in a motorcycle helmet as he climbed into the driver’s seat of his car. His wife and two children were getting into the back seats and a friend was getting into the passenger seat. His beach chiringuito in Estepona had been burnt to the ground just one month earlier. The four accused are also on trial for a second murder, three months later, of Sofian Ahmed Barrak, known as ‘el Zocato’, in Estepona.

By Simon Hunter

bodyguards. The mayor’s husband Lars Broberg, 80, and his son, Joakim, 49, were among 71 people arrested last year in a massive police operation, which spanned Brazil, Spain and Sweden. Operacion Mueble (Furniture) launched in 2018 when Swedish authorities called in Spanish cops to help probe the gang, which was exporting large quantities of marijuana and other drugs from Andalucía to Sweden and other European countries. Broberg senior, who ran the estate agent Wasa Consulting, in Centro Plaza, in Nueva Andalucia, was arrested in February 2021, while his son was detained in Brazil three months later.

Launder

Judge Castellon claims a sophisticated network of companies and financial advisors helped the Brobergs launder money through property, jewels and gold. In particular, the group is accused of bribing PP officials

TRIAL: Broberg with wife Muñoz and (inset) Joakim in the three town halls of Estepona, Benahavis and Marbella to get what they wanted. They also helped other friends and clients, including rich Russian oligarchs. In one taped conversation, Joakim is heard by Spain’s crack Guardia Civil outfit UDEF bragging that he was with the town hall technician who had ‘got him the three licences in La Quinta’. In a later conversation he is heard telling his business partner Mark Holmen ‘we have won’ with three key technicians in charge of licences. “We now have the Junta de Andalucia. We have Marbella, We have Estepona. We have everything,” he says, adding: “The city is ours. Ba-

sically, we have the whole of f*****g Andalucia.” In conclusion, a police report ruled: “From the conversations intercepted the Swede had a big influence over decisions made by the town halls”.

Jail

Lars Broberg, who may escape trial due to ill health, faces a 14-year jail term for the two offences of which he is accused, one of which involves a €12m villa in the Marbella hills. His son, Joakim, is accused of being ‘the boss in charge of maintaining contact’ between the suppliers (of drugs) in Morocco and the clients in northern Europe.

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LA CALA

THEY had both been interviewed - and even written columns - for the Olive Press when they opened restaurants on the Costa del Sol back in 2015. Now Ready Steady Cook presenter Steven Saunders is joining TOWIE star Elliot Wright at his popular Mijas restaurant Olivia’s La Cala. In an intriguing link up, Saunders has taken over executive duties in the kitchen and the food looks fab. It comes after the celebrity chef had closed his own La Cala joint, Little Ge-

FLOWER POW ER Musical

by Steven Sa chairs of the Little unders Geranium

United again

ranium, and moved back to England during the pandemic. Delighted to be back, he told the Olive Press: “This is home to me – I couldn’t wait to get back.” Wright meanwhile added he was the perfect fit to take his restaurant to the next level after recovering from a fire that gutted the premises. “We have come a long way since we

THE winds of change have truly blown in as dozens of anti-corrup tion parties made substantial gains in town halls across Spain. Voters made clear they are ready to ditch Spain’s traditional two-party system as new parties Podemos and Ciudadanos performed well at regional and local elections on Sunday.

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HOT CELEBRITY EXC www.masmovil.es/en LUSIVES THIS ISSU E NOT OLIVE PRESS – Earpiece NOT BUT 27th May

TOWIE star Elliot Wright launches a no-holds-barred column on Page 3 before we grill him on our food pages. See The Wright Stuff on Pages 54-55

TV presenter Nick Knowles and stunning wife Jessica lift the lid on their escape to Sotogrande on Page 3

2015

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

Arty tapas is the special of the day in a new column from former Michelin-starred TV chef Steven Saunders. See Page 49

River of shame

All over the country the governing PP lost absolute majorities, meaning it will have to pact at least, one other with, Estepon a Town Hall fails to to form legitimate party clean gov- up a deadly ernments. river often played in Some of the big mayors by in children danger include MarbelWhat is E-Coli? la’s Angeles Munoz A DEADLY bacteria Malaga’s Francisco and found in an Esteponahas been E-Coli is a type of fecal EXCLUSIVE de la Torre. A strand of the killerriver. coliform bacteria usually By Rob Horgan E-Coli bacteria has been detected found in the intestines in See A Spring of Change, the Arroyo del Hornacinos, animals and humans. of Residents of the neighbouring on Pages 4 and 5 a stream often played Its presence in water Villas Andaluzas are now in by children. strong indication of is a ing in the Guardia Civil’s callrecent sewage or animal ronmental arm Seprona, enviwaste contamination. written complaints to the after town When the bacteria lives hall came to nothing. in animal or human intestiThey insist that the nal tracts it is harmless. overrun with rats andarea is mos- CONCERNE However when it appears quitos and the town D: Resident Sam Hall hall has at river’s bank in inadequately treated been completely ‘inactive’ de- worse. water it produces a toxin spite receiving the first report “It is which is harmful and in April. an absolute disgrace from Surrey, as well as varipoous neighbours, have and worse, a serious tentially fatal to humans. Independent analysis submithealth of the ted hazard,” said British resident a number of formal water shows that the plaints to the town hall. composes a serious health river Sam Hall, 78. risk He added: ing about and could be fatal. “It’s especially In response, a town hall “On hot it,” Hall added. days spokesman told the A report from Laboratorio worrying because we couple unbearable the smell is so that seen children playing have Mayor Jose Urbano Rafael Perez Rodriguez was able to sit out in we are unour that the quantities of stated the water where it flows near ‘aware of the problem’ and it Ironically, Esteponagarden.” into would be forms’ were so high that ‘coli- the sea. ‘sorted out’. was rewere ‘too many’ to count.there “If anyone were to be struck However, when a clean up cently honoured with a Green E-Coli can cause vomiting, down, it would be a national was finally ‘promised’ for May Flag Award for boosting environmental awareness. 18, nothing happened. scandal.” diarrhoea, liver disease and Estepona Town Hall failed to Hall and his wife Susanna, “They say one thing to keep Which ageing costa respond to Olive Press you happy and then do quesnoth- tions. show was cancelle DJ’s

A REAL DOG DAY FLASHBACK: To Elliot and Steven’s columns in 2015

rose like a Phoenix from the ashes, and now Steven is creating a new menu to keep us on an upward path,” he said. Here (above), theFreepair appear on a varifocal front page from 2015, with fellow TV lenses 59€ as the filling in presenter Nick Knowles a delicious celebrity sarnie. d after he crashed his new €60,000 Range Rover into the studio’s front door?

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OLIVE PRESS – 70mm x 40mm FRONT COVER

27th May

By Jon Clarke

IT sits in an eagle’s nest high above Tarragona’s famous Priorat wine region. An enviable escape from the world for around 30 locals, Siurana was the last Moorish stronghold in the region to fall to the marauding Catholic armies in 1153. And since then it has pretty much been cut off from the world, with poor wifi, no school or shops and hardly anywhere to eat or sleep. And that’s how the majority of the 100 or so locals want it to stay. At least according to the mayor, who decided to reject an offer to join Spain’s most prestigious list of stunning villages. According to Salvador Salvado it is ‘impossible’ to have more tourists visiting. He added there was already

Don’t wannabe… …In the official list of Spain’s Most Beautiful villages

OUT AND IN: Siurana, while (right) Setenil and (left) Guadalest a ‘problem’ with visitors and more would simply dilute the quality. It means only one village has officially joined Spain’s list of Los Pueblos Mas Bonitos de Espana this

SHEEP replaced traffic on Madrid streets with shepherds steering their flocks through the heart of the capital along ancient migration routes. The annual event sees shepherds exercise their right to use ancient drovers paths to migrate their livestock from northern Spain to more southerly winter pastures. Sheep farmers pay a nominal charge based on a 1418 agreement with Madrid city council. This year’s flock included 1,200 Merino sheep and 200 goats.

year. While 22 applied, only Puentedey, in Burgos, met the strict criteria to join the association, which was set up in 2011. There are now 105 villages in the group, all of which must be under 15,000 in population and have a perfectly preserved historic core, as well as an ‘architectural or natural

heritage’. Last year, 11 more villages joined, including Genalguacil, in Malaga, Banos de la Encina, in Jaen, Roncal in Navarra and Valverde de la Vera, in Caceres. The potential rewards for the villages are huge, with the promotion they get globally from being members and the huge growth in tourism it brings.

Rejection

Capital takeover

“We have never had such a rejection,” the president of the association, Francisco Maestre, told El Pais. “Being on the list means a significant increase in tourism and is not about harming the village.”

BRINGING SEXY BACK HIS was one of the scariest characters in Hollywood history. Ben Kingsley’s Oscar-nominated Don Logan is making a return in a mini-series based on cult gangster movie Sexy Beast. Set in London and the Costa del Sol (although originally filmed in Almeria), the Paramount series is a prequel to the 2000 hit. Contrary to fake news published in a well-known downmarket rag, it is, however, not starring Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone or Ian McShane. Their characters, Logan, Gal Dove and Teddy Bass are played by Emun Elliot, James McArdle (both below) and Stephen Moyer. They will play the characters, based in London in the early 1990s, before Gal Dove has retired to live on the Costas and is dragged back ‘for one last job’. Filming began in Liverpool in August, with streets renamed after London boroughs.

Neymar cleared PROSECUTORS have sensationally dropped corruption charges against football star Neymar over the Brazilian’s suspicious move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013. In a surprise move, a Barcelona prosecutor announced the ‘withdrawal of the charges against all the accused’. He faced a two-year jail term and a €10 million fine and, oddly, no reason has been given as to why the case collapsed.

No Sharpe exit FORMER England star Lee Sharpe has promised ‘new exciting ventures’ after shutting his Spanish sports bar. Sharpey’s, in Javea, on the Costa Blanca has closed, less than a year after opening. “It just wasn’t working for us,” the 51-year-old told the Olive Press this week. I wanted to part ways before the standards dropped beyond my control.” See Closing Time, page 6

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NEWS

4 www.theolivepress.es STRIKE WOES

LIT UP

SWITCH ON: Xmas lights will use 20% less energy

NEW strike days have been called by the Ryanair and Vueling unions which will affect numerous Spanish airports. Firstly, Spanish Ryanair ground staff have announced they will hold strikes up until January and secondly, Vueling cabin crew in Spain have announced they will take action every Friday, Sunday, Monday and on public holidays up until January 31 2023. The strike action called by Ryanair’s USO union will affect 22 Spanish airports including Malaga Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Mallorca, Ibiza, Valencia and Almeria.

Malaga goes Green MALAGA city is set to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tons a year due to a network of new photovoltaic installations on municipal buildings. The town hall plans to install 20 more solar power installations on municipal buildings before next summer. Since the first installation on the Noble Hospital in 2003, the city has over 50 municipal buildings equipped with photovoltaic power plants.

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

FESTIVE decorations will illuminate streets, squares, public spaces and municipal buildings in Fuengirola from November 25. Following a similar strategy to Malaga City, there will be a reduced lighting schedule over the festive period to make energy savings of around 25%. From Sunday to Thursday, from November 25 to December 22, the the lights will be on between 6pm -11pm. Weekends and the eve of public holidays will see the Christmas lights turned off at 2am.

GOING UNDER

Popular beaches will be swallowed up and land completely lost in 25 years if sea levels continue to rise THOUSANDS of homes in Andalucia and Valencia could be completely submerged in water by 2050, new research shows. According to Climate Central, coastal areas in Huelva, Cadiz and Alicante are at particular risk of being underwater. The climate change research group has published an interactive map, with areas in red representing land below 1m above sea level. These areas will be in danger due to a predicted rise in sea

By Anthony Piovesan

levels due to global warming. Many towns and huge swathes of land along the Guadalquivir river enroute to Sevilla will be completely submerged. Other towns at risk in Cadiz include Barbate and Los Barrios. Cadiz centre meanwhile, will be completely cut off from mainland Spain as surrounding land goes below sea level. The warning for Spain comes

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as the annual global climate conference (COP27) begins in Egypt this weekend. Average sea levels have swelled more than eight inches (23cm) since 1880, with about three of those inches gained in the past 25 years, according to official data. The Costa del Sol remains largely untouched according to Climate Central’s map.

But the Costa Blanca isn’t so fortunate, with many beaches engulfed.

Impacted

The area around the Pobles del Sud wetlands just outside Valencia could be particularly impacted, with water rising and swallowing up land and nearby homes. Opinion Page 6

Solidarity Malaga SINCE Russia invaded Ukraine 13,000 Ukrainian refugees have been given temporary protection in Malaga - 61% of the total in Andalucia. From March 10, the Ministry of Interior has documented 21,305 refugees with temporary protection for one year in Andalucia. This makes it the fourth region in Spain that has processed and granted more permits, behind Valencia (38,873), Catalunya (34,070) and Madrid (22,002).

Fire hero dies A MAN branded as a hero in July for digging a trench to stop his town being engulfed by a wildfire, has died in a Valladolid hospital. Angel Zamora, 53, lived in Tabara in Castilla y León. He suffered serious burns when he used his digger to build a firebreak on the outskirts of the town. He was surprised by the advance of the fire and ran away through the flames with his clothes alight to escape the blaze. He was taken by helicopter to hospital to be treated but has now succumbed to his injuries. Three other people died in the fire - the most serious of the year in Spain.

Golfers butterfly support GOLFERS from two Irish pubs have swapped the bar for the golf course in a bid to raise money for charity. A group of 30 from Quays in Duquesa and McGuiness’s in Sabinillas competed against each other at both Valle Roman and Dona Julia courses. The trophy went to McGuiness’s, but the real winner was the Butterfly Children’s Charity after the golfers managed to raise €500 over the weekend. The charity supports children with butterfly skin syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes the skin to be so fragile it can tear at just the slightest touch. Local solar panel company, Mariposa Energia sponsored the event with representative Gerry Ferguson insisting it was ‘a great weekend had by all’.

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THE lifeless body of a woman has been discovered floating in the sea near a popular beach in Nerja on Sunday. The Guardia Civil, Nerja Local Police, Malaga provincial brigade firefighters and the health service were alerted, who confirmed the death of a 70-year-old woman. She was found 30 metres from shore between La Torrecilla and El Salon beaches.

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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 Time to act is now IF this year’s searing hot summer wasn’t enough to alarm you about the effects of global warming, then new research surely will. Research group Climate Central has published an interactive map showing the areas of Spain that will be underwater by 2050. Thousands of homes and businesses will be completely submerged. That’s in just two-and-a-half decades. So make no mistake, we are amid a climate crisis. It’s not like we haven’t continually done our bit campaigning for the environment. The Olive Press is constantly highlighting green issues, including the spread of desertification, the proliferation of golf courses, the use of plastic bags and the widespread destruction of our coasts. It’s why we set up 17 years ago. But now it is going to take a combined effort from everyone to keep Mother Nature’s fury at bay if we continue to waste water and pump greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, like there’s no tomorrow. Our kids get it. Greta Thunberg gets it. But more than 200 countries attending the critical COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt this weekend need to act. And act now. The time has come for more action and less talking.

Eyes wide open NEVER take the advice of a bar-stool lawyer. This has long been the advice for people arriving in Spain – particularly if they’re looking to open a restaurant or bar. The pitfalls are numerous and all too many people hand back their keys having to shut the door on their Spanish business dreams. Forget the often well-meaning advice of the local lawyers… talk to those serving you on the other side of the counter. On this page we share a few words of wisdom from successful businessmen – and they are worth repeating. Come in with your eyes wide open to the problems you may face. Get reputable professional advice to guide you through the tangled thickets of red tape you are certain to encounter. Be ready for some serious hard work and, above all, make sure you have the financial backing to give your business a real go should things slow down quicker than you hoped. You may then have a chance to live your Spanish dream, after all.

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CALLING TIME As ex-England star Lee Sharpe puts his bar up for sale just 10 months after opening, the Olive Press looks at why so many expats call time early on their Spanish hospitality dreams

ATCH any UK television series about Brits starting a new life in Spain and you're bound to get a segment on expats battling to open a bar. It’s not a cakewalk at the best of times, with pitfalls galore in trying to get to grips with all the numerous and complicated regulations here. For many, including former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe who has just closed his Costa Blanca sports bar Sharpeys after only ten months, these exciting new ventures quickly go from being a Spanish dream to the bars of a prison from which to escape. While Sharpe’s wife Lucy, diplomatically told the Olive Press last week Lee ‘just didn’t have the time to run the bar’, close friends revealed that the rent of over €3,000 a month, plus other overheads, were much more to blame. The rapid closure of a new local is a sadly familiar story to expats who have lived in Spain for years, many of whom have seen a bewildering turnover in foreign establishments. In the vast majority of cases, the new batch of landlords tend to be folk with little or no experience in the hospitality trade, let alone running a business. On top of that rents are usually disproportionately high, which the green-round-theears new arrivals have no idea about (come on, you know we’ve all been there!). And while the current economic crisis and its associated spiralling costs means there are plenty of opportunities out there, you really need to do your homework. “Buyers have to do some thorough research and get everything legally watertight,” lawyer Manuel Sanchez told the Olive Press. Taking over an existing business is done through a lease known as a ‘traspaso’, which has the advantage of not having to put in for licences as if you are starting from scratch. “Find out why an owner wants to sell on the traspaso and check through all the financial records. If there’s any hesitation on those scores, then simply don't bother,” Sanchez advised. “You might not be told about any debts until you take over and get an unwanted surprise,” he warned.

SHUT: The ‘traspaso’ is up at €3,300 a month at Lee Sharpe’s bar, (below) Ray Curran in expenses,” By Alex Trelinski said president, & Anthony Piovesan Juan Lopez. “Making things He added that potential owners must take pay today is some good local financial advice and create much harder.” a proper long-term business plan backed up A Torrevieja by money in the bank that you’ll almost cerbar owner, tainly need to create a successful business. who wanted to There will always be nasty surprises, issues remain anonwith the council and, of course, a need to do ymous, consome marketing. firmed the drop Owner of Benidorm’s Escape Bar, Andy in demand. Mansell, echoed the need to have plenty of “I’ve been looking to retire, but there has capital in reserve. “You need back up funds been just one inquiry this year over the for when things go wrong, which is bound to traspaso and that’s despite dropping the happen with equipment failing and the cost asking price,” said the female boss. of repairs,” he told the Olive Press. “I think Brits, in particular, are now very “Get a good gestoria to check on the licence reluctant to take on a bar and are more because I had the wrong one and did not aware of the time and effort needed to qualify for what pitiful pandemic aid was ofmake a go of it.” fered,” he added. She added: “Restrictions on how many He also pointed out that the tax authorities days a non-resident can stay due to Brexit in Spain have the right to dip into your bank have also significantly reduced our trade in accounts ‘whenever they feel the need’. the off-season. It is often cheaper to close Most tellingly, he warned how vital it was for the day than open, and that's what we to put away the ‘rose-tinted’ glasses as are doing.” the stresses of running a bar could likely In Andalucia, Irish pub owner Ray Curran change your attitude to staysaid winter trade was ‘nearing in Spain. ly as important’ as summer “Before taking the plunge, You might not trade. step back, look around and He launched The Quays Irish be told about remember what you love Bar in Puerto de la Duquesa about the country and conin 2019 with his partner Lisa any existing sider whether it's worth loshaving to navigate through ing that connection,” he obdebts until you the global pandemic, and served. now the economic fallout of take over “The quality of life soon disthe war in Ukraine. appears running a hospitality “I don’t think there was a business and you end up hatsingle business owner that ing Spain for all of its red tape as well as didn’t think about the possibility of having siestas and bank holidays when nothing is to close during the pandemic,” Curran told open,” concluded Andy. the Olive Press. Either way, Olive Press research suggests “Now with inflation, electricity is up 40%, the number of foreigners looking to take from day to day you never know how much over a bar traspaso in Spain appears to be you’ll be charged for food … these are very falling as costs have soared in the wake of challenging times.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Fortunately for Curran he understood the In Murcia, Cartagena’s Hostecar associahospitality trade having managed a bar tion paints a gloomy picture for any potential in Naas, near Dublin, before he moved to newcomers. “Profits are down by 15% over Spain in 2018 and working in a local bar the summer compared to 2019 and our for a year on his arrival. members have tried to keep price rises low “A mistake many people make is that they or else they would have to close with the rise come in July and August and the bars are packed, so they think to come back next year and buy a bar but then November hits and it's a completely different story,” he said. “You still have the same costs, the same wages to pay, the same rent. You need to research and know your location and clientele.” As Duquesa is a very residential area with lots of expats he has tried to make his business appeal to the locals, instead of just tourists. “If your bar relies solely on tourist trade, then you’ll experience the highs in summer, but you’ll hit real lows in the winter,” he insisted. It is a warning and good advice too. So to conclude, take your time to do your research, find the best location, have the cash to pay your bills for a couple of years and get ready for long hours and hard work if you are to succeed. Oh, and make sure you spend some money on marketing, preferably with your most SURVIVORS: Andy Marshall (above) and two well known Benidorm pubs popular local newspaper!

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

Leg up, NOT legged it!

Hundreds of column inches in Spain have been dedicated to the soap opera of British politics, over the last fortnight, with one recurring theme: Brexit

‘UK is not Little Britain’ El Pais columnist Santiago Carbó Valverde wrote that ‘after Brexit the UK has weakened its commercial ties and not just with the EU… and the entry of foreign human capital has slowed considerably, creating bottlenecks that have got worse in certain sectors’. His UK-based colleague Angel Talavera quoted the famous ‘computer says no’ sketch from TV show Little Britain, adding: “The chaos of these recent weeks is simply the continuation of the political and economic decline the UK has been suffering since the referendum.’

‘The sick man of Europe’ Online daily El Confidencial columnist Celia Maza wrote about how the UK risked becoming ‘the sick man of Europe’ once more, describing how Truss had ‘only been in Downing Street for just over a month, but is in a totally unsustainable situation’.

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What do the Spanish think?

cess’ of both Brexit and his job, lying to Parliament, disobeying his own Covid rules, ignoring disciplinary committees and causing havoc with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Truss had to go after further tanking the economy with her infamous ‘mini-budget’ and causing a fracas about fracking. So, now we have No 5 at the helm - Rishi Sunak, Britain’s much hyped ‘first Hindu prime minister’ and the richest ever occupant of No. 10 – another first. Wealthier than King Charles, Sunak is already in hot water about reinstating Home Secretary Suella Braverman, after she resigned over sending classified documents from her personal email address. However, there are some advantages. Sunak is certainly more eloquent and statesmanlike than Truss and Johnson - hardly difficult - and he seems to have a basic grasp of economics. Locally, expats are constantly asked: ‘What on earth is going on back home?’ Council employee, Lucy Hayes Logan, told the Olive Press that every councillor at Lanjaron Town Hall asked her about the current situation in the UK this week. “Sometimes, one person will ask, but never the whole team!” she revealed. Local Spaniard, Bernard Campo Campos, however, made the most pertinent point: “At least the English accept their mistakes and resign. In Spain, even if they are caught stealing, they don’t resign, deny everything, and the law allows them to keep what they have stolen.” So, to conclude, how long before Sunak falls on this sword, leading to a general election… and, who knows, would a Labour government under Kier Starmer take a different approach to Europe and end this mess? Answers on a postcard to newsdesk@theolivepress.es

LAURA

here - never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Brits visiting the EU from the UK are forced to queue for longer at airports, and non-residents need their passports stamped, and can only visit the bloc for 90 days, while their children can no longer study in Europe via the popular Erasmus scheme. The decision by David Cameron, selfishly trying to protect his party, has led to five Prime Ministers in the last six years. The last one, Liz Truss, lasted just 44 days. This is compared to the previous five leaders holding office from 1976 to 2010. Yes, 34 years! To recap: after Cameron’s quick resignation, Theresa May came and went, after promising to make the UK ‘strong and stable’. Her successor, Boris Johnson made a ‘titanic suc-

IMOGEN

Mismanaging mayhem leads to yet another leader in the UK. Jo Chipchase looks at the the political crisis back home from a (slightly) Spanish perspective

IONA

OREIGN nationals watching the UK’s political news could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Inglaterra’ changes its Prime Minister as frequently as some people change their sheets. The situation has aligned ‘Great’ Britain more with Mr Bean than a ‘serious international player’. It wasn’t always this way. Before Brexit, Britain was seen as an open, multicultural, and forward-looking country - an attractive place for EU citizens to live and work. More ‘Cool Britannia’ than ‘Clown Show’. After Brexit, many Brits in Spain were painfully aware that our home country was being perceived as a closed and isolationist nation. The Brexit vote in June 2016 had many of our Spanish friends asking: ‘why are you committing hara-kiri?’ And they had good reason to ask, as the Pound nosedived against the Euro, the trade deficit went stratospheric, the Garden of Kent turned into a giant lorry park and thousands of postal items disappeared into customs

ANATOLY

SICK MAN OF EUROPE?

CHARLIE

LAURENCE

MERRY-GO-ROUND: Just five PMs in six years from Theresa to Boris and Truss to Cameron with Rishi in the middle

JOE

N case you were wondering, another one of our journalists has made it to the Big Time! Madrileno Jorge Hinojosa (pictured above) has landed a job with the UK’s top-selling newspaper, the Sun. The UK-trained hack scooped the plum role after a six-month stint with the Olive Press in Malaga. Forced to go back to London or lose his working visa due to Brexit, he has joined the online edition as a general reporter. “Thanks for everything. It was all due to my experience at the Olive Press,” he said. He follows in the footsteps of Joe Duggan, who himself became a Sun reporter after a three-year traineeship at the Olive Press in 2018. He’s still there. And for the record, our two previous news editors are both currently working at the British nationals. Charlie Smith is carving out a career at the Express, while Laurence Dollimore is grafting with the Daily Mail in London. Meanwhile, Anatoly Kurmanaev is the New York Times correspondent in Mexico, Amie Keeley is a senior reporter at the Financial Times, Imogen Calderwood is Managing Editor at Global Citizen, and Annabel Grossman is the Associate Editor at the Independent. Finally, two former female stars, Iona Napier and Elisa Menendez, are both cutting the mustard with ITN News in London, while Laura Balfour makes documentaries for National Geographic and Netflix among others.

GREEN

www.theolivepress.es

REACH FOR THE SKY

Spanish company developing ‘green’ rocket fuels SPACE rockets are not viewed as the most ecologically-friendly technology, with them spewing greenhouse gases high into the upper atmosphere. But now Spanish researchers are searching for a green solution. Spain’s first advanced biofuels plant - opening in Cartagena next year - will look to make sustainable fuel for reusable space rockets being made by Elche’s PLD Space. Repsol’s €200 million project at its existing refinery site at the Escombreras Valley will have the capacity to produce 250,000 tons of biofuels annually by recycling waste like cooking oil and non-food crops. The fuel giant has now signed an agreement with PLD Space to promote the use of biofuels in their rockets. The alliance will see feasibility studies conducted to replace current rocket fuels with others produced with sustainable raw materials. New types of fuel will also be made to measure at the Repsol Technology Lab for the propellants of the rockets manufactured by PLD Space. Rockets such as SpaceX use liquid kerosene similar to

GREEN TOUR

By Alex Trelinski

that used in civil aviation, or a specific type for rockets called RP-1. The challenge is to come up with new renewable fuels which would reduce the carbon footprint by at least 90%. PLD Space co-founder Rau

Verdu, said his company wants to ‘continue investigating alternatives that allow us to reduce our carbon footprint’.

The firm is developing two reusable craft, the Miura 1 suborbital and the Miura 5 orbital.

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

Too little AUTHORITIES in Barcelona and Madrid have pledged to plant six million trees in a bid to slash carbon emissions. Barcelona will be among the top three cities in the world to have the most trees per square kilometre. Researchers estimate the Catalan capital has about 1.4 million trees at present, resulting in 13,739 trees per sq km. But the city would need to plant more than 155 million trees to mitigate its current carbon footprint of 26.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to the research. Madrid has a current carbon footprint of 43.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The Spanish capital would need to plant more than 260 million trees to combat its emissions.

Greenwashing is a term you will hear increasingly. But what is it?

PULL THE OTHER ONE

REENWASHING is when the management team within an organisation makes false, unsubstantiated, or completely misleading statements or claims about the sustainability of a product or a service they provide. Put simply…. lies.

There are so many examples: ● The well publicised Volkswagen fiasco where the company deliberately lied about vehicle emissions. ● HSBC bank was forced to remove billboard and poster advertising in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The posters omitted material information. Various images were used by HSBC to convey the belief to consumers that the bank was investing in

GREENPEACE has begun a tour of six Spanish municipalities with the aim of promoting renewable energies as part of a green recovery in the country. Apart from promoting renewable energy and energy saving among citizens, the campaign aims to pressure public administrations into switching to clean, cheap and safe energy sources in order to achieve 100% renewables by 2040.

●

environmentally beneficial work. The ASA stated: “Customers would not expect that HSBC, in making unqualified claims, would be simultaneously involved in the financing of businesses that made significant contributions to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.” QUITE RIGHT. Many manufacturers jump on the ‘we use recycled materials’ bandwagon. What they don’t tell you is that they have a history of coercive labour practices or humanitarian issues. Coca Cola has spent millions declaring that 25% of its bottles are made from marine plastic. The company never references the fact that it is the world’s biggest plastic polluter. Kim Kardashian’s clothing company Skims prints on its compostable underwear packing ‘I am not plastic’. The small print states the product is plastic type 4 or LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene). Here in Spain, Mercadona, after the EU’s ban on plastic cutlery, rebranded the cutlery as ‘reusable’ instead of providing alternatives. ● Tesco claims that its flexible plastic packaging is new, improved and ‘recyclable’. But to be recycled, customers have to take packaging back to larger stores – and even then, it is unlikely to be recycled. Instead, it will almost certainly be exported, incinerated or sent to landfill.

Green

BAN: Rishi Sunak reinstated a ban on fracking

TIME TO STOP HIDING BEHIND LIES It is impossible to deny. Global warming is supercharging extreme weather at an astonishing speed. It’s visible here in Spain and around the world. Humans are causing climate breakdown and accelerating the toll of extreme weather around the planet. There is widespread loss of life and livelihoods due to more frequent heatwaves, floods, wildfires and droughts caused as a direct result of the climate crisis. FRACKING GOOD JOB RISHI SUNAK The new British PM gives a glimmer of hope to us all. Last week he reinstated the ban on fracking (the process of extracting natural gas by drilling/ blasting into the Earth). His short-lived predecessor, Liz Truss , had lifted the ban on the controversial process.

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November 2nd November 15th 2022

Powering up Big rise in profits for Iberdrola energy giant

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ENERGY provider Iberdrola has reported a 29% rise in profits over the first nine months of 2022 compared to the same period last year. This is down to its US and Brazilian operations as well as an increased investment in renewable energy. Profit figures in Spain tumbled by 14%, with Iberdrola putting it down to the summer droughts. Its overall bank balance is extremely healthy with a net €3.1 billion profit this year up to September. The company has projected an annual profit of up to €4.2

By Alex Trelinski

billion. Governments like the one in Spain, as well as a EU-wide initiative, have moved to impose windfall taxes on energy companies they believe are benefiting from higher prices

TARIFF DELAYS SPAIN'S competition regulator, the CNMC, will probe the country’s four leading gas suppliers for not doing enough to help consumers switch to the lowest tariff. Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola and TotalEnergies are obliged to offer the ‘Last Resort Rate’, known as the TUR. The tariff is capped by the government and is considerably lower than prices on the free market. Since the government approved a new TUR rate for communities that share a gas boiler and central heating systems, the requests to switch to the tariff have rocketed. It’s believed that customer service departments from the energy companies have not been able to cope.

POUND ON THE UP T

GBP/EUR exchange rate rocked by UK political chaos but bounces back after Sunak confirmed as PM

RADE in the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate remained highly erratic through the second half of October amid UK political drama. Over the last two weeks, GBP/EUR has traded in a range between €1.16 and €1.13.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING? The GBP/EUR exchange rate fluctuated wildly over the past couple of weeks, amid considerable UK political uncertainty. After initially spiking to a six-week high after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt scrapped almost all of his predecessor’s mini-budget, GBP/EUR almost immediately relinquished these gains amid questions over the future of Liz Truss’s premiership. Truss’ resignation just 45 days into the job, quickly put an end to this speculation. The pound initially firmed on the announcement, before the prospect of another Conservative leadership election erased these gains. Sterling then picked up again in the last week of October after Rishi Sunak was crowned the new Prime Minister. Sunak is seen as being more fiscally prudent than his predecessor, with GBP investors hopeful he will retsore some credibility to the UK government. The euro also traded in a wide range in recent weeks. While the single currency faced some headwinds amid concerns over the apparent escalation of the war in Ukraine, it also benefitted from some notable weakness in the US dollar. The euro then firmed toward the end of October ahead of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) latest interest rate decision. While EUR investors welcomed the bank’s second consecutive 75bps rate hike, the dovish tone of its accompanying statement undermined the single currency.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR? The immediate focus for GBP investors will be the Bank of England’s (BoE) latest interest rate decision on November 3. There is considerable speculation over the size of the BoE’s upcoming rate hike following the recent UK fiscal uncertainty. Could an oversized hike stoke concerns over the impact on the UK economy and weaken the pound? Meanwhile, the euro is likely to remain highly sensitive to developments in Ukraine. Any signs that the conflict is continuing to escalate could drag on the single currency. PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that two-cent gap between €1.16 and €1.13 translates to a €6,000 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 updates 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.

as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Iberdrola has been vocal in objecting to state intervention, claiming it fixes prices far in advance of wholesale market increases and that changing regulations might put off longer-term investment in cleaner energy. The firm’s investments were 14.2% up on the same period last year, with 90% allocated to renewables and smart grids to accelerate electrification and energy independence from fossil fuels.

Jobs

Iberdrola’s Executive Chairman, Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan, said: “Accelerating investments in electrification will allow us to be less dependent on the volatility of oil and gas and generate more growth and more jobs, as this set of results shows.”

Happy airports SPAIN'S airport operator Aena expects October passenger numbers to return to 2019 levels - the first month back to the pre-pandemic level. It says the rise in travellers will continue, with carriers offering 5.3% more seats for the winter season, compared to a year ago. Aena is now hoping the final 2022 total will be higher than earlier predictions and will exceed a forecast of 85% of 2019 passenger numbers. Even though 60% more passengers went through its airports between July and September compared to 2021, Aena’s overall revenues rose by just 33%, with the operator’s third-quarter of 2022 net profit of €335 million 11% lower than had been expected.

Inflation drops SPAIN'S annual inflation rate has fallen to 7.3% in October according to preliminary figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE). That's a 1.6% drop on the September figure and is the lowest rate since January, before the war in Ukraine. It's the third consecutive month where inflation has fallen, something that has not happened since 2020.

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LA CULTURA

November 2nd November 15th 2022

Global stage Expo 2027 bid by Malaga passes first hurdle

MALAGA is about to host the Davis Cup tennis final, has just secured a direct flight to New York and is now a step closer to hosting a huge world-famous international event. The port city is officially in the running to host Expo 2027, a global five-month event that brings together millions of visitors from 192 countries. The Bureau of International Expositions’ (BIE) deemed Malaga a suitable candidate to host the important event. The event attracts tens of millions of visitors.

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HUGE: Malaga could host Expo 2027 By Anthony Piovesan

London hosted the first Expo in 1851 - since then the events have grown and provide five months of activities, exhibitions, and inspiration on ways to make cities more liveable and sus-

High keys INTERNATIONALLY renowned pianist Chucho Valdes will perform at a concert of African and Cuban jazz music in Torremolinos on November 17. The winner of seven Grammys and four Latin Grammys will be joined by Jose Gola on the electric bass, drummer Dafnis Prieto and Roberto Jr. Vizcaino on percussion. The musicians will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cudeca Hospice, based in Benalmadena. The Cuban pianist, composer and arranger has left his mark in every musical style he has ventured into, with his name included in the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

tainable. Malaga hosting the Expo would generate €321m and attract 3.1 million people. Spain hosted the event before, in fact it was in Andalucia also, when Sevilla played host in 1992. Malaga is the fifth final candidate, along with Minnesota in USA, Phuket in Thailand, Belgrade in Serbia and the Argentinian city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Officials from each destination submitted a proposal detailing how they planned to host the event. Malaga’s proposal, deemed ‘feasible, viable and in line with the rules’ by the BIE, was labeled ‘The Urban Era: Towards the Sustainable City’. It includes a projected host date of June 5 - September 5, 2027, outlined €859 million to house the event and earmarked land at Buenavista to build the main site.

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6/6/22 10:43

LA CULTURA

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

CHESTNUTS FOR THE DEAD W

ITH the clocks turned back and the nights drawing in, La Alpujarra has its own autumn traditions. From roasting chestnuts to picking fennel and cutting fresh flowers, the Alpujarreños are always quick to enjoy local produce from their fertile land. Halloween is usually the time for mountain-dwellers to start lighting

Boutique de moda, complementos y regalitos

their lumbre (open fire or woodburning stove) and fetch the warm blankets stashed from last winter, as well as carving out pumpkins, eating castaños (chestnuts), and dressing in spooky costumes with faces painted like Frida Kahlo. This year, however, an unseasonable heat wave had people flocking to the Costa del Sol to sunbathe at the beach, rather than restocking their woodpile. For the first time in years, the Alpujarreños celebrated the Halloween weekend wearing shorts and vest tops, instead of jackets and jeans.

Castañada celebrations

During November, a familiar sight in La Alpujarra as well as the nearby Serrania de Ronda is castaños roasting in a pan. What could be more warming than shiny nuts, grown on local trees, done to perfection, maybe washed down with a shot of anís, a glass of vino costa, or a hot chocolate? Just watch that you don’t bite into a chestnut that contains a worm! Kicking off at All-Saints Day (Dia de Todos Los Santos) the chestnuts appear widely in a festival known as Castañada or La Maruca. With Celtic roots, this has a long history in Spain, hailing from the north of Spain. These days, the Castañada refers to hundreds of chestnuts roasted in a huge, flat pan in the village plaza, so that the residents can come together and enjoy the (possiUp-cycled furniture in the heart bly slightly blackened or unof Capileira, where old is new again! derdone) treat en masse. New colours, new textures, Many towns and villages serve the chestnuts alongnew life, new look!

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side beer, wine, and soft drinks, or barbequed meat. If you’re lucky, there’ll be a free-for-all approach, with unlimited food and beer – although this is less common following the pandemic.

Celebrating the dead

A more modern celebration in Spain than the Castañada, Halloween hails from the US and is a relatively low-key event in rural Andalucia, largely using natural produce instead of plastic ‘tat’ from the local bazaar. This year, Halloween fell on Monday, prompting some towns to start their celebrations on Saturday, giving people ample chance to dress up, make merry and respect the dead with special flower arrangements. October 31 was Dia de las Brujas (Day of the Witches), November 1 Dia de Todos Los Santos (All Saints’ Day), when families visited the graves of the deceased, and the event ended on November 2 (today) with Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), for a rest. The thriving spa town of Lanjaron host-

LA CULTURA

November 2nd November 15th 2022

TRADITION: The roasting of chestnuts is a popular activity in Autumn

Seasonal food and drink ed a four-day feria, featuring stalls, artisan crafts, a ‘bake off’ contest for adults and children, and live bands. On the night of October 31, it organised a costume parade through the main streets, a huge Castañada event with hundreds of guests, and a DJ in the plaza. “It has been a party all the time here”, said reveller, Michi Kvin. Other towns were more subdued and ended earlier, such as Orgiva, which had a ghost tunnel and music from various decades in the plaza. Both Busquistar and Soportujar are celebrating on November 5, to achieve differentiation from other towns. In the village of Canar, the Olive Press saw a rare site: participants in a trampoline ‘jump’ class dressed as ‘los Muertos’, resplendent with face paint and costumes. One custom that Spain has never imported is the UK’s Bonfire Night on 5 November – meaning that we Brits don’t have the chance to wave sparklers in front of a burning pyre. With the tendency of many Spanish fiestas to let off noisy bangers 24/7, and the current fire risk, this might be for the best!

A popular autumn Alpujarran dish is buñuelos: these are airy doughnuts, a bit like Yorkshire Puddings. These can be consumed with a cup of hot chocolate, or the cook might squirt chocolate on top. During autumn, the locally occurring herb, fennel, is ready to pick. This is a key ingredient in a stew called puchero, where it is combined with garbanzo chickpeas and meat, creating a delicious and warming dish. Adults might wash down their autumn fayre with the locally-brewed costa vin – a wine made from grapes grown on the Alpujarran terraces and, traditionally, trampled by bare-footed campesinos (it’s best not to think about that!). The brave at heart may enjoy a chupito (shot) of anis – although consume several at your own peril. Even more dangerous: mix it with brandy to make a lethal drink called sol y sombra.

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SUCCESSFUL estate agency, based in La Alpujarra, is expanding its business to a wider target area, extending from Granada to the Costa Tropical. Now called Hola, the agency hits the ground running with the market-leading infrastructure from its existing Lanjaron and Orgiva Property, to serve clients with the best modern methods. Lanjaron Property was created in 2020 and started growing almost immediately. Its director, Mathew Wood, has worked internationally in property for almost 30 years and handled his first transaction in Spain during 2000. He was the top performing agent at a large corporate in the UK, but went on to open his own agency, to use his personal methods. Rightmove rated his previous business the number one UK estate agency and number two lettings agency during 2017-18. Mathew subsequently sold the business and retired to Spain with his wife. He found the process of buying a property in Spain ‘horrendous. When he settled into La Alpujarra, several people asked him to sell their properties. As the level of property marketing in the area was “generally poor”, Mathew created professional video tools and digital marketing plans for these clients. This approach proved successful, leading to personal recommendations for his services. Lanjaron Property was soon busy, and he ended up working full-time again. Mathew was lucky to meet his first team members, Lucy Hayes Logan and Amy Beth Reynolds, and they combined their skills to provide professional services in international markets. Many properties that had been listed for years with other agents were soon sold by the team, and the business expanded to encompass Orgiva Property, catering for the nearby market town. The team has since helped vendors in Lecrin Valley, Granada, the Costa Tropical – to name a few locations – and has taken on additional agents to use the existing systems and marketing expertise. “The company is now becoming Hola Properties to better represent the area covered and service provided,” explains Mathew. For buyers, unique offerings include a 40-point legal check on all properties, an after-care service, a business directory of trusted tradesmen, help with taxes, bank accounts and NIEs, - demystifying anything “confusing in the mire of Spanish bureaucracy”. For sellers, the agency combines honest pricing with excellent marketing and a proper digital media strategy. Over 90% of buyers start their search online. Mathew explains: “Proper, professionally edited videos are required to attract the best overseas buyers. No dodgy photos with toilet seats left up and cement mixers in the kitchen!”

HELPFUL: Hola properties always aims to help buyers navigate bureaucracy The strategy targets the correct buyers for each seller’s unique property. Says Mathew: “Buyers have a safe and honest environment to let them make an informed decision. There are no conflicts of interest or buyers’ fees, meaning a saving of up to 5% on purchase costs.”

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An additional benefit is the loyalty scheme, Club Hola, for clients, where they receive discounts and extra services from other local businesses. Hola is a member of the Realtor Network and SIRA – Spanish international realty alliance. It subscribes to a code of ethics and can reach international markets that other agents in the area cannot access. These include the UK, Northern Europe, US, Canada, and Australia. Over 6,000 agents globally are working for the sellers. The company has won recent awards – the ‘Most Trusted Agent in Granada’ and ‘Best International Real Estate Agent in Southern Spain and Andalucia’.

For more information, please contact Mathew Wood by telephone on +34 643 821 326, email to hola@ holaproperties.com or visit holaproperties.com

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FOOD & DRINK

November 2nd November 15th 2022

THE iconic Caminito del Rey, an aerial trail built in the walls of the Gaitanes gorge in Malaga, has opened a new visitor centre. It has 240 parking spaces and a viewpoint overlooking the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir, which aims to promote sustainable mobility through a bus that connects it to the entrance and exit of Spain’s most famous hike.

SUMPTUOUS: Ibiza’s Six Senses and (above) Mandarin Oriental Ritz By Jon Clarke

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

CREAM AT THE TOP The 20 chart-topping Spaniards milking it in the world’s Top 100 restaurant list, presented by Dilip Kuner

#96



MARTINA PUIGVERT & FINA PUIGDEVALL Les Cols, Olot, Catalunya

Mother and daughter team Fina Puigdevall and Martina Puigvert share their ranking (and two Michelin stars). Their restaurant, Les Cols, lo- NEW ENTRY cated in the masía farmhouse where Fina was born and brought up her three children, focuses on local produce from the La Garrotxa region. Martina has taken over from her mother as head chef and is keeping the family tradition going. PACO PEREZ - Enoteca, Barcelona Perez’s passion for cooking started at a very early age. At just 12-years-old he started working in the tapas bar owned by his family and was hooked by cooking. He headed to France to train under Michel Guerard, one of the fathers of Nouvelle cuisine and holder of three Michelin stars. He then returned to work at, for a long time, the world’s best restaurant, El Bulli. In 2008, Perez took over the kitchen of Enoteca at the Hotel Arts Barcelona, where he has NEW ENTRY won two Michelin stars.



#87 #87



one of these culinary maestros has their own unique take on gastronomy. Like true artists, their edible masterpieces are never conventional and always have the power to enthrall. And the best thing about it; there are many new entries and they are spread right across the country from Cadiz to Valencia and Marbella to Cordoba.Here’s the full rundown of Spain’s best and how they match up to last year’s charts. DANI GARCIA Tragabuches, Marbella

11 PLACES

#56



RETURN

Garcia began his career with Martin Berasategui, with whom he says he shares ‘his DNA as a chef’. He won his first Michelin star at the age of 25 at Tragabuches in Ronda. He left and eventually earned three stars at his own name restaurant in Marbella, but handed them back just weeks after winning the final star. He has since opened nearly a dozen other restaurants, many of them Bibos, around Spain and abroad and even made money creating his own unique McDonald’s hamburger. However, he has now returned to his roots by opening a Tragabuches in his native Marbella, focused on local Andalucian cuisine.

MARTIN BERASATEGUI Restaurante Martin Berasategui, Loidi Kalea

Morales opened Noor with the aim of putting Andalucian gastronomy on the map. In just over three years he had done just that by gaining two Michelin stars. His capacity for innovation and his personality have allowed him to bring the aromas and flavours of the moorish Al-Andalus cuisine to a modern audience. He has recreated ancient recipes and techniques in a contemporary and avant-garde way.

#42 

One of the grandfather’s of modern 14 PLACES Spanish cooking, Martin Berasategui oversees his Basque Country restaurant and is one of the most decorated chefs in the country, with eight Michelin Stars to his name. His restaurant offers edgy a la carte and tasting menus and has an impressive wine cellar to match. He won’t be happy with his drop in the charts.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD 1

14 15

19 20

OP SUDOKU

PANISH cuisine is up there with the best in the world and is starting to dominate the charts. Madrid has just hosted a global gathering for the 100 Best Chefs Award, and no less than 20 Spaniards across 16 restaurants got a listing, compared to just 10 in France. From Dabiz Muñoz - this year’s winner for the second year running - to two-times chart topper Joan Roca in third, every

#54

PACO MORALES Noor, Cordoba

Across 7 Hardly extreme (7) 8 Aviator (5) 9 Norway, to its inhabitants (5) 10 Put in the ground (7) 11 Rounded projections along an edge (8) 14 Grind down (4) 16 Reverse command (4) 17 Wise Tsar redirects one who takes orders (8) 20 Warm air current (7) 22 Enhance (5) 24 Former Portuguese territory in South China (5) 25 Cart driver (7) Down 1 Film-festival locale (6) 2 Half a shout of approval? (4) 3 Graceful antelope (7) 4 1965 Beatles film (4) 5 Little (4-4) 6 It has a bit (6) 8 Young horse (4) 12 Formal interview (8) 13 Placed under a fairy tale mattress (3) 15 Drunken Gran set about alien (7) 16 Period during which a machine is running (6) 18 One on watch (6) 19 Rounds (4) 21 Salacious (4) 23 Has (4)

All solutions are on page 18

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

EPICENTRE: Heat map chart to the world’s best cuisine

1 4 3

3 14

1 16 16

STYLISH: Cellar de Can Roca at no. 3 and (above) a dish at Azurmendi JAVIER & SERGIO TORRES Cocina Hermanos Torres, Barcelona



#41

NEW ENTRY

#36

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PACO RONCERO Paco Roncero Restaurant, Madrid

Paco Roncero is the head chef of his same name restaurant 9 PLACES in central Madrid (previously Casino), where he has two Michelin stars. He is also credited with d eve l o p i n g ‘molecular cuisine’ and has the most expensive restaurant in the world, Sublimotion in Ibiza. It is known for its unique dining experience and extreme cost with an average price, per head, of slightly over €1,900.

Twin brothers Javier and Sergio Torres started in the world of cuisine when they were 14 years old. After having separate careers and working in renowned restaurants all over the world, they united again in 2002 to start new projects together. Their restaurant, Cocina Hermanos Torres, has two Michelin stars.

DIEGO GUERRERO DSTage, Madrid

#38



This restaurant has an urban and industrial look and a relaxed feel that reflects the personality of the chef. The name is an acronym of his core philosophy: ‘Days to Smell, 51 Taste, Amaze, Grow & Enjoy’. Guerrero brings disparate cultures, ingredients and flavours together from Spain, Mexico and Japan to such effect that he has two Michelin stars.

PLACES

DISCOVER AUTUMN AT

#33



24 PLACES

QUIQUE DACOSTA Quique Dacosta, Denia, Valencia Dacosta is one of the leaders in modern avant-garde cuisine, a keen supporter of the Slow Food Movement, and uses only products sourced locally. While he has his own three Michelin star joint in Denia, he also has two stars in nearby El Poblet and has a star as director and culinary creator of the amazing Deessa restaurant at Madrid’s Mandarin Oriental Ritz. It received its first Michelin star just seven months after its opening.

VICTOR ARGUINZONIZ Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Bizkaia

Arguinzoniz’s groundbreaking Basque Country restaurant uses local firewood to create a unique grill cooking process using local, natural products. Overseen by Victor Arguinzoniz who even char-grills his desserts, his signature chorizo tartare and tomahawk steak don’t come cheap at €242 as part of the set menu. But many a foodie still make a pilgrimage here from NEW ENTRY around the world.

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#19

Calle Eduardo Shelly 8 • Vejer de la Frontera Our countdown continues on page 19

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CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword

Across: 7 Average, 8 Flier, 9 Norge, 10 Planted, 11 Scallops, 14 File, 16 Undo, 17 Waitress, 20 Thermal, 22 Adorn, 24 Macao, 25 Wagoner Down: 1 Cannes, 2 Hear, 3 Gazelle, 4 Help, 5 Pint-size, 6 Bridle, 8 Foal, 12 Audience, 13 Pea, 15 Strange, 16 Uptime, 18 Sentry, 19 Ammo, 21 Lewd, 23 Owns

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL From Page 17

ENEKO ATXA - Azurmendi, Bilbao

#18



Atxa is a leading player in Modern Basque Cuisine. Azurmendi takes you on a culinary journey from the rooftop vegetable garden 13 PLACES to an indoor greenhouse. An eco-friendly establishment, Azurmendi uses environmentally-friendly materials and recycles its own waste. For this, Eneko won The Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2014. Far from a conventional restaurant, his truffled egg is cooked inside out and edible cotton can be tasted in the indoor greenhouse. Azurmendi boasts three Michelin stars. ANGEL LEON - Aponiente, El Puerto de Santa María Known across Spain as ‘el Chef del Mar’, Angel Leon is noted for his experimental seafood. In 2017, Aponiente earned its third Michelin star (the first and second were won in 2010 and 2014), making it Andalucia’s first-ever three-Michelin-starred restaurant. He is currently engaged with a project explore the culinary uses of sea35 PLACES to grass.

#13



November 2nd - November 15th 2022

ORIOL CASTRO, MATEU CASANAS & EDUARD XATRUCH Disfrutar, Barcelona

#7 

Slightly confusingly, the ‘chef’ in seventh spot is actually three people from Disfru1 PLACE tar restaurant. The history and legacy of the Mediterranean is a running theme at this trendy city restaurant, set up by three trainees originally from Ferran Adria’s legendary El Bulli, just up the coast. Influenced by fishing village fare, the menu transports your mind from old to new and metropolis to farm terrace. Their aim? To amaze, stimulate and create through gastronomy.

#5 

ANDONI LUIS ADURIZ - Mugaritz, Renteria Andoni Luis Aduriz has stayed near the top again for his revolutionary restaurant in the Basque region. Always thinking ahead and constantly questioning the logic of global cuisine, this self-confessed kitchen rebel takes an unapologetic approach to cooking. A genuine maverick, the UK’s Restaurant Magazine has had him in its Top 10 for the last decade. Oddly, in the Best Chefs list he has fluctuated up and down from 30th to 70th between 2017 to 2020, before making No3 last year.

2 PLACES

JOAN ROCA - El Celler de Can Roca, Girona Joan has yet again taken the plaudits, but his restaurant is a family affair. There’s Joan, the architect of taste; Jordi, the sweet anarchist; and Josep, the magic ingredient: three brothers, inspired heavily by their mother’s cooking, their repertoire stirred by childhood memories and created with love and generosity for their customers. Opened in 1986, it has three Michelin stars. The food is simple but creative, old yet new - lamb with bread and tomato, St George’s mushrooms with avocado and cava made at the restaurant.



1 PLACE

MY FOOD’S LIKE A GUNSHOT TO THE #1 HEAD! Still #1 for the second year running, the Olive Press interviewed Muñoz in 2013

DABIZ MUÑOZ - Diver XO, Madrid Chef Dabiz Muñoz has built a reputation as a pioneering and creative adventurer. Still only in his 30s, he continually surprises with his unique approach to cooking, describing his food to the Olive Press as being ‘like a gunshot to the head’. DiverXO specialises in fusion cuisine combining different culinary traditions to produce an experimental menu that’s as unconventional as it is sophisticated. Born in Madrid, he is internationally recognised for his cooking and fabulous restaurants. He currently has three Michelin stars. In the week he scooped his third coveted star in 2013, he told the Olive Press: “This is an honour for all Spanish chefs and for Spanish cuisine in general.” Highly complimentary of the British food scene, he credited London for helping to shape his career, having worked at restaurants in the capital including Nobu and Hakkassan for six years. “I am mad about London and have a lot of friends there. The food scene is so vibrant, way above

SAME

Paris. There are so many influences from Asia, the Americas, everywhere.” Posing with his trademark porcelain pig (below), he concluded: “The philosophy for the restaurant is like my philosophy on life. I call it total cooking. You need an open mind. It is almost pornographic, completely natural and laid out bare. It’s like a rollercoaster ride and I want the taste to be like a gunshot to the head.” Editor Jon Clarke reviewed DiverXo the following year, describing it as the ‘best meal’ he had eaten in Spain. That stands today. “The simple explosion of flavours, the pure joy of what has been produced, the enthusiasm of the staff… we laughed through the entire meal,” he recalls this week. “I ended my review saying, his creativity and influence on Spanish cuisine would ‘keep Spain a head and shoulders above the French for the next decade’. And that has certainly come to pass. The way things are going it may be two or three decades.”

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PROPERTY OF THE WEEK

PROPERTY

November 2nd November 15th 2022

Housing groups wage war against investors and speculators who they claim are causing rents and evictions to skyrocket

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A NEW war is being waged in Barcelona against investors and speculators who gathered for a summit in the city as rents and evictions continue to skyrocket. Furious housing groups mobilised to protest The District, a recently held real estate summit that saw titans of the invest-

By Walter Finch

ment fund industry gather to discuss ‘opportunistic investments’, among other topics. The fresh conflict is brewing just as Barcelona has been seeming to gain the upper hand in its de-

Hot property HOME property sales in Andalucia have surged to their highest August figures in 15 years according to official figures by the National Statistics Institute (INE) . These showed a 23.5% year-on-year rise and a 17.06% increase on July's total. A total of 12,797 transactions were made this last August - the highest August home property sales since 2007. The almost 13,000 transactions in Andalucia places the region as leader in home property sales for that month followed by Catalunya (8,717), Valencia (8,553) and Madrid (7,070).

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PROTEST: Police clear demonstrators

cade-long struggle with tourist rental company Airbnb, which has been widely blamed for pushing up rents in the city. Hundreds of activists managed to delay the opening of the summit, held at Fira Barcelona, by staging a sit-in, while riot police forcibly removed them in scenes reminiscent of the unsanctioned 2017 independence referendum. Banners were unfurled that read ‘Let’s defend life, let’s stop The District’ and ‘Speculators get out of our neighbourhoods.’ Average rent prices have surged by 20.3% from last year, ‘far outpacing Spain’s 12-month inflation rate of 8.9%, Reuters report, while activist group Corriente Roja said such

high inflation figures are ‘making it difficult for the most impoverished families to reach the end of the month’. One activist claims there are 35,000 empty apartments owned by large profit-seeking landlords in Spain’s second largest city, while an eviction is taking place every 55 minutes.

Funds More than 1,200 investors from investment funds, sovereign wealth funds and private equity funds - including US asset management goliath Blackstone and private equity colossus TPG - attended the summit, which hopes to become the ‘Davos’ of the real estate industry.

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HEALTH

THE FIRST outbreak of West Nile fever has been detected in Andalucia. The Junta reported that two horses had been infected in Tarifa. According to the administration, the outbreak was declared on October 17. The virus is transmitted by the bite of an insect, usually Culex mosquitoes. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms including headache, neck stiffness, disorientation and muscle weakness.

November 2nd - November 15th 2022

Polio probability

Virus warning

Concerns raised about the return of disease

The last outbreak of the virus was in the same month last year and affected 10 horses. In 2022 there were 32 outbreaks in Andalucia. In September the first positive case of the virus in a person this year was recorded. An 89-year-old woman from Vejer de la Frontera was infected.

By Alex Trelinski

CONCERNS over a possible return of polio has prompted Spain's emergency centre (CCAES) - led by the familiar 'pandemic' figure of epidemiologist Fernando Simon - to call for improved monitoring in the country. The CCAES says there's a 'considerable probability' that polio will circulate again in Spain but stressed that health risks were 'very low' due to high vaccination rates. Polio had been pretty much eradicated over the decades until a case was reported last year in Malawi.

Mandatory Spanish driving license

New regulations for English expat residents in Spain governing the mandatory issue of a Spanish driving license

Consumption of antidepressants is increasing in Spain, according to data from the Ministry of Health. People under the age of 18 who take antidepressants were also twice as likely to experience suicidal behaviour, the research also showed. Spaniards consume more than 92 antidepressants every day for every 1,000 inhabitants. It places this type of medication as the fourth best-selling drug in the country. Use of the drug increased by 7.5% last November, which experts believe was caused by the pandemic.

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As of December 31, 2020, the UK ceased to belong to the European Union, and regulations that allowed driving in Spain, with a British driving license, ceased to be applicable. UK issued driving licenses were only authorized to drive in Spain until April 3O, 2022, and

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International interest also rose when the virus was detected in wastewater in

Feeling down

EW regulations governing the mandatory issue of Spanish drivers license for British citizens is an issue that’s causing concern for some of our English expatriate customers. Our Legal Assistance service will keep you fully updated on all the latest news and provide details on driving schools closest to your home, where you can prepare for the exam in are now not valid. All existing agreements on English, consult the registration fees and raise highway regulations that protect the Member any questions you may have. States of the European Union have ceased to In this article we’ll explain the regulations and be valid and applicable. However, those British procedures that you’ll have to follow, and the drivers who do not have their main residence *Fully comp rehen sive offer valid for new custo mers only. Guara appro vedin garag e, and cour subje c than six possible sanctions for non-compliance. If you Spain and travel periods ntee of less tesy vehic le availafor bilit y. Subje c t to cond itions t to cover , repai r at . O ffer ends 30/11 /18. need more information or you’d like to speak to months (tourist type), may continue to drive in our Legal Assistance team, please call 919 180 Spain, during that period, with their original 022 and we’ll be happy to assist and advise you. permit. AUTOMATIC LICENSE EXPIRY AFTER APRIL 30, 2022

GET JABBED: Polio is on the return

SPAIN’S Asociacion Española contra el Cancer (Aecc) has called for a total ban on smoking in several ‘emblematic sites’ in the province of Malaga as well as terrace restaurants, bar terraces, beaches and parks. The call comes following Sevilla’s approval of a non-smoking initiative in two ‘emblematic’ spaces totaling 34 hectares in the heart of the city; the Maria Luisa Park and the Plaza de España, the most famous square in Sevilla. This is not the first time the Aecc has called for smoke-free zones to be implemented in Malaga. Last May, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day, the Aecc called for a total ban on smoking in Malaga’s iconic Calle Larios, the main setting for the city’s famous Christmas lights display as well as other open spaces such as terraces, beaches, parks and gardens.

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the UK. The CCAES - part of Spain's Health Ministry - believes all necessary precautions should be taken. An evaluation says: “Given the epidemiological situation and fewer vaccinations internationally coupled with less surveillance in Spain in the last decade, we should focus on coordinating all of the aspects that are part of the Spanish Action Plan for the Eradication of Polio.”

Warns

The plan includes keeping the vaccination schedule up to date, especially among children, as well as reinforcing surveillance and carrying out training among medical staff to be aware that polio could still be around. The CCAES warns that in recent years there been circumstances that 'make it difficult to achieve eradication' It suggests that the focus on Covid-19 has resulted in less attention being paid to detecting other diseases early on. It added that some people have also taken a negative stance against all vaccines, even when their children are involved.

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Animal crossing

FINAL WORDS

AT least one accident per day on Alicante Province roads is caused by an animal running onto a highway, with 373 incidents logged last year.

Jewel aid AN emerald that was recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank 400 years ago, will be auctioned in New York for an estimated €70,000, with cash raised going to support the Ukrainian resistance.

Fruit rustler POLICE have arrested a man who took 250 kilos of premium pomegranates from an Elche farm. The 50-year-old man attacked the crop owner before he fled in his van.

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Vol. 17 Issue 406 www.theolivepress.es November 2nd - November 15th 2022

Canoe believe it! British man capsized in English Channel was trying to paddle to Spain, claims rescuer A BRITISH man thought he had arms of steel to navigate the English channel and kayak to Spain. But it turns out he has a gut of steel instead after the Blackpool resident capsized and claimed to have survived for 12 days eating just seaweed and raw mussels, and drinking rainwater. Daniel Lewis was found in the middle of the English Channel clinging to a buoy after his inflatable kayak capsized.

By Anthony Piovesan

Dutch fisherman Tunis Van Luut rescued the 28-year-old, who told him that he had been trying to paddle to Spain and had been out at sea since October 15. Van Lutt revealed that Lewis was unable to stand when they pulled him onboard the French fishing vessel De Madelaine.

A STAG party whose rowdy behaviour caused a high-speed AVE train to be late after they refused to get off when ordered, have been told to pay €7,676 compensation to delayed passengers. A Madrid court has told the 11 people to cough up nearly €700 each after train operator Renfe paid €7,676 in compensation to 216 passengers as its ‘punctuality’ code had been broken.

RESCUE: Daniel Lewis was hauled out of the sea The skipper said: “He needed your clothes, just your swimwater and he was drinking a lot, ming shorts - there was nothing and I asked him who are you else. His condition was so bad and how is it possible that you I could see his eyes were very are here on this buoy without deep in his head and he had a lot of blue veins on his head and arms. “He told me he wanted to go to Spain, but I said that is stupid because of the distance.” The ambitious paddler is now The party was ordered to leave the Madrid to recovering in hospital. Malaga service at Cordoba, but they refused Coastguards in France said it and carried on drinking, singing and shouting. did not appear Lewis was expePolice were called to remove the drunken mob rienced or ready to attempt to from the train, resulting in a 15-minute delay. cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Expensive do

Just resting A PARROT caught up in a shop blaze was saved from becoming an ‘ex-parrot’ after firemen gave him oxygen. Gandia and Oliva firefighters on the Costa Blanca had been called out to extinguish the fire in an electric scooter shop, with smoke and fumes belching from the premises. A check of the empty premises uncovered a parrot suffering from smoke inhalation and high temperatures. Quick as a flash, they revived him with a whiff of oxygen before he - in words Monty Python may have said - ‘went to meet his maker’.

Booze control

A MAN accused of stealing 45 bottles of wine with a value of €1.6 million has also been charged with stealing a bottle of whiskey worth €5,000. Constantin Dumitru, allegedly pulled off the wine theft from the Atrio hotel and restaurant in Caceres, Extremadura. Now Dumitru is accused of stealing a bottle of Balvenie, valued at €5,250 in a separate incident.