Olive Press Spain Issue 404

KINGS OF THE NORTH

how she became an

How this ‘Famous Five’ of Northern Spanish chefs have helped to topple the French from their culinary throne - See page 22

Angry expat

INVADE

By Simon Hunter

HUNDREDS of angry expats are threatening to ‘invade’ the British embassy next week.

They are converging from all over Spain in a protest to demand action over their inability to drive here due to Brexit changes.

The group - including mostly long term residents - are furious the Brit ish and Spanish governments seem unable to strike the most basic deal.

Meanwhile, expats in almost every other European country have been given the right to swap their licences for local ones.

“It is totally unfair and really disgust ing that Spanish residents are being trapped in a game that has nothing to do with our ability to drive,” said Scott Rattray, who lives in Lloret de Mar. “All the other countries managed to not treat their foreign residents like this.”

Another victim, Tom Kington, based in

political

Spain-Gibraltar border are now in their second year and are bogged down in legal issues.

Facebook group titled ‘Invasion of

U-T URN

ANTHONY’S

the British embassy in Madrid’ has pencilled in October 13 for a pro test outside the embas sy in northern Madrid. The victims, who will mostly come by bus or train, are urging expats from all over Spain to turn out to support them.

They have been writ ing dozens of letters to their MPs back in the UK and politicians in Spain, as well as back ing the Olive Press U-Turn campaign we launched in June.

Spain’s DGT traffic authority have gone unanswered, while the British embassy itself has limited its re sponses to the video updates by am bassador Hugh Elliott.

Despite announcing in July that the ‘main text’ of the deal had been agreed, Elliot’s latest message has dashed any hopes that a solution is near.

Indefensible

The latest missive, in which he ad mits there are a couple of ‘complex’ issues left, has angered the group, which now has over 500 members. “Politics first, people last. It really is indefensible,” Malcolm Weston told the Olive Press this week.

So far demands to See Driven to Distraction, page 6

The true story behind the Reina de Ronda

Fake arrests

POLICE have seized €300 million worth of coun terfeit goods in a massive five-tonne haul making 17 arrests during raids on 14 bazaars, four stores and three homes in the Canary Islands and Madrid.

Hash seized

SOME 700 kilos of hashish have been seized from two French men at a Mal aga motorway toll booth. Police say the duo were transporting the drugs from Sanlu car de Barrameda to France.

Chop shop

COPS have arrested 16 people in Madrid suspect ed of running a chop shop that was stealing high-end motorcycles and cars and then selling their parts on line, with parts valued at €300,000 advertised.

Badly hurt

TWO cops were seriously injured while chasing a van loaded with 1,400 ki los of hashish in Algeciras. Five people were arrested.

Gaelic gang war

DETECTIVES are probing if two shootings in just over six hours could be linked to the arrest of Irish mafia suspect Johnny Morrissey.

The incidents in Marbella came just a week after the se nior member of Ireland’s most feared mafia gang, the Kinah ans, was arrested nearby.

Johnny ‘Cash’ Morrissey, 62, was picked up along with his wife Nicola at a rented apart ment in Mijas over the laun dering of €200 million in just 18 months through their Nero vodka firm.

The shootings in Nueva Anda lucia and next door San Pedro are believed to be warnings and ‘likely settling of scores’ for associates who might be pre paring to give evidence to save themselves.

By Anthony Piovesan & Jorge Hinojosa

One man was shot at 5.45pm on September 20 as he met an associate by a lake in the exclu sive Aloha area, while the other shooting took place just after midnight outside the coast’s famous Ferrari dealership, C de Salamanca.

“Police have confirmed that the two shootings are linked,” spokesman for the garage, Ale jandro Terroba, told the Olive Press.

He revealed that one bullet had landed in the parking lot by San Pedro boulevard early on Wednesday morning. “Luckily it didn’t hit any of our cars.” He said police were still prob

Monk goes on trial

A COSTA-based Irish gang lord is set to go on trial in Dublin next week.

Gerry Hutch, aka ‘the Monk’, was extradited from Spain after his arrest in Fuengirola last year.

His two decade drug war with the Estepona-based Kinahan gang led to the deaths of around 20 people, many on the Costa del Sol. He is going on trial over the murder of David Byrne at a boxing weigh in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016.

ing who had been aimed at and how many bullets were fired. Meanwhile, an Irish victim of the shooting, six hours earlier at the Lago de las Tortugas, is refusing to reveal to police who he met.

The 24-year-old somehow made it to the Costa del Sol hospital bleeding heavily after being shot in the stomach.

A spokesman for the National Police told the Olive Press: “He is currently stable but refus ing to tell us who he met at the lake.”

The UDYCO organised crime unit is continuing to probe the shootings, along with another incident involving a shooting by an Irish man at Marbella’s Opi um nightclub in July.

A report in the Irish Mirror claims the recent shootings are

connected to an Irish drug lord, called Mr Flashy, who has tak en over the Dublin crime baton from the Kinahan gang.

Tensions

The Kinahans, who are all wanted by the US authorities for a range of crimes, moved from Estepona to Dubai a few years ago. According to the US Treasury their chief enforcer and money launderer, Johnny Morrissey, remained on the Costa del Sol, where he owned at least 11 properties.

The Olive Press revealed how police have seized a series of black notepads that document hundreds of cash payments to and from businesses around Spain.

Following 20 years of successfully selling properties in the Axarquia and Costa Tropical regions, Sharon Underwood at Essential Properties, is delighted to announce that her real estate is joining forces with Fine & Country to incorporate an independent property division specialising in luxurious properties.

With a head office based in Park Lane, London, and over 340 offices in 21 countries worldwide, Fine & Country not only offers an established luxury brand but also exceptional marketing capabilities. The Park Lane head office employs an extensive team of journalists to run the PR and boasts a social media department dedicated to increasing their impressive following.

Fine & Country’s name and reputation continue to grow as does its number of international awards. Many clients, due to prior experience and superb service, are now choosing Fine & Country as their exclusive agent for selling and buying properties.

Fine & Country has already opened offices throughout Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Ibiza and Mallorca.

“When clients are searching for their dream home, they are often non-specific in their target area.

Axarquia and the Costa Tropical, located on the East side of Malaga, are relatively undiscovered in comparison to the West side of the Costa del Sol. Being part of such a large and established company is a huge benefit to us, ensuring that our beautiful and unspoiled area is offered worldwide to all potential clients. Both the market and clients’ expectations have changed and prestigious properties require a completely different marketing approach from the mainstream. Fine & Country allow us to provide an unprecedented standard of marketing that we feel is unrivalled in our area.” said Sharon

“Our area boasts fantastic villas, authentic country cortijos, elegant coastal apartments, and breathtaking scenery.”

“This is an excellent opportunity for us and I am confident that with the marketing power of Fine & Country we can meet the ever-changing demands of the market and take us, as a team into the future.”

A BRITISH far right extremist has lost his extradition battle to face crimes in the UK.

The Alicante expat faced terror ism charges at court last Friday.

Kristofer Thomas Kearney, who had been based on the Costa Blanca, was arrested as part of an investigation into far-right terrorism.

The 37-year-old is charged with two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Spanish police arrested Kear ney at an address in Alicante on March 2.

He lost an extradition battle and was sent back to the UK on September 8.

He appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Chelmsford prison to confirm his name and date of birth. A trial will begin in June next year.

‘Nazi’ expat extradited Luggage haul

POLICE have arrested three people suspected of stealing up to €46,000 worth of lug gage from passengers outside Malaga’s train station.

The suspects, aged from 22 to 34, took advantage of dis tracted victims after creating diversions.

The investigation was launched in August after police spotted the gang operating at María Zambrano station, using mobile phones and wireless headsets to communicate.

Police believe two Marbella incidents just SIX hours apart could be connected to Johnny Morrissey

TIGHT-LIPPED: A man shot at Lago de las Tortugas is not cooperating with police

Taxing time for Shakira

POP star Shakira will have to face trial accused of avoiding taxes in Spain in 2012, 2013 and 2014. This comes after the pros ecutor and Shakira failed to reach an out of court agreement. The next step will be to set a date.

Shakira remains on un conditional bail.

Prosecutors want her to be fined €24million for ‘de frauding’ Hacienda (The Tax Agency) out of €14.5 million on income earned. The prosecutor has also asked for an eight-year jail sentence.

Shakira argues that she was living in the Bahamas at the time so no taxes were due. However, the prosecutor claims that she moved to Spain in 2011 due to her relationship with Barcelona footballer, Gerard Pique, but kept her tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015 yo avoid her obligations.

San Sebastian film festival’s 70th edition included scores of films and attracted stars of the calibre of Liam Neeson and Ana de Armas

By Simon Hunter

THE San Sebastián Film Festi val has come a long way since its first edition, 70 years ago.

Back then, in 1953, it hosted just 19 movies and was viewed as an event for the elite. Fast forward to 2022, and the event not only included hundreds of films in and out of compe tition, but also attracted stars of the calibre of Liam Neeson and Ana de Armas (pictured below).

The event is held every year in the stunning Basque seaside city, and even managed to con tinue during the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s edition, however, was the first that marked a proper return to postCovid normality.

The winner of the Golden Shell award for Best Film went to The Kings

Here’s looking at you

HONORED: David Cronenberg

of the World, a Colombian dra ma from director Laura Mora, while Argentina, 1985 from di rector Santiago Mitre took the audience award. The Best Di rector gong was taken by Genki Kawarmura from Japan, for his debut feature Hyakka In attendance for the premiere of her Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, Ana de Armas caught the attention of the public and press alike on the red carpet.

At a press conference, she ex plained how she ‘did things in this movie I would have never done for anyone else, ever. I did it for her’, she said, in ref erence to Monroe.

The festival closed with the

premiere of Marlowe, both of whose stars, Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson, were in atten dance in the Basque city. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, the film is directed by Neil Jordan. “To make a film like this, you have to reinvent the image,” Jordan told a press conference at the festival. “The reference I chose was Blade Runner, which is set in LA in the future. I’m making a film set in LA in the past, but somehow it’s a sci-fi film.”

The lifetime achievement award went this year to Cana dian filmmaker David Cronen berg, with a screening of his latest film Crimes of the Future after the ceremony.

Legend

Queen of Hugs

PRINCESS Di may have been known as the Queen of Hearts, but it turns out Letizia is the Queen of Hugs. Spain’s queen was the star attraction at a charity award ceremony at Madrid's Circulo de Bellas Artes when 91-year-old Maruja piped up: “Letizia would you mind giving me a hug?”

Quick as a flash Letizia gave a heart-warming smile and reached out with her arms to comply. An awards presenter had gone to chat to Maruja as she had won an award last year, and Maruja took her chance on the microphone to make her cheeky request.

“I used to think that a lifetime achievement award was a mes sage to me saying ‘It’s time to stop, you’ve made enough films’…” said Cronenberg. “But I have since come to realize and especially with an award like this, at a festival with so much history, given in such a beautiful city, that it really is an encouragement to me to make more films."

Thanks to sentiments such as this one, the legend of the San Sebastián Film Festival contin ues to grow.

The 42 year-old who is the owner of Madrid’s three Michelin starred DiverXo, collected his award in front of several hundred top chefs who had gathered for the event in Spain’s capital.

Lady and the scamp

SHE is an aristocrat, half sister to Enrique Iglesias and a TV personality boasting her own Netflix reality series called Lady Tamara

Now a very public split with her businessman fiance has thrust Tamara Falco into the gossip columns.

Falco - the sixth Marchioness of Griñón announced that she was engaged to Iñigo Onieva. But within days a video emerged of him canoodling with a New York model at a music festival in the US. De spite his initial claims the image was from 2019, before he knew 40-year-old Falco, TV sleuths had identified the festival as being held just a few weeks ago.

The TV gossip shows went into meltdown and the saga has barely been off the screens since, with Falco bringing her rela tionship with Onieva to a very public end.

MADRID chef Dabiz Muñoz has scooped the top prize in The Best Chef Awards for the second year running.

Accepting the prize he said: “I do not feel like the best chef in the world, far from it. But I believe I have the best team in the world.”

Passed on to baby brother age 100

SPAIN’S oldest man has died at the age of 110.

Antonio Alvarado passed away in the province of León where he lived with his three brothers- Isaac, aged 100, Emilio (95) and Luis (90). He has been the oldest man in Spain since the death in Jan uary of Saturnino de la Fuen te, who was 112.

Alvarado was the former mayor of the Leon town of Cremenes between 1987 and 1995. He was the third child in a family of 15 siblings, and worked as a shepherd, a min er and as a police officer. He had six children.

Spain’s oldest person is Ma ria Branyas, from Catalun ya, who was 115 years old in March.

TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT

MORE than 10,000 people turned out to watch the Tarragona Human Towers Competition, which is the largest of its kind in Spain.

The ‘ castells ’, as the towers are known in Catalan, returned this year after a two-year pause due to the pandemic.

Men, women and children partici pate in the competition, which can prove nail-biting for spectators as the last participants scale the hu

man towers to the top.

The castells were added to the UN ESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

The tradition began in the 18th cen tury in the town of Valls, which is in Tarragona province.

This year a team from Vilafran ca won the competition, taking a €16,000 prize.

The team’s human tower reached 13 metres high.

Search goes on

THE family of a Canadian tourist who went missing three months ago have flown to Spain in a quest to find him.

They have been retracing his steps from the Costa del Sol to the Spanish capital.

The Olive Press previously reported that Scott Graham (pictured) was last seen on the

Brewing up a storm

BEER lovers should head for Alhaurin de la Torre, which will be holding its first ever Craft Beer Festival. Dubbed Festibeer, it will take place on October 14, 15 and 16 in the Plaza de Espana, from 7pm. It will offer visitors a lineup of various brews from Malaga and Andalucia, as well as national and international craft beer. People will also have the chance to tuck in to food from vari ous stalls and food trucks, including BBQs, German sausag es, Venezuelan, Argentine, Italian and American specialties, while listening to live music.

Missing man’s family refuse to leave until pensioner is found

EXCLUSIVE

By Anthony Piovesan

morning of July 15 outside the Canadian embassy in Madrid.

He had lost most of his posses sions, including his passport, wallet and medication, when his bus traveling from Galicia to San Sebastian departed on July 12 from a rest stop while the 68-year-old was still in the bathroom.

His daughter Georgia Graham - who has been in Spain since August 11 - said she and her partner James Player were re tracing the senior’s every step. They have documented a bi zarre trio of visits to the embas sy, as well as spoken to police,

hospitals and homeless shel ters.

They are now visiting clinics and hospitals, and talking to people on the streets of Malaga where Scott first flew into Spain in early July.

“The emotional toll this has taken on my family is inde scribable,” Graham told the Olive Press.

“He had been messaging us ev ery day and sharing photos of the fun he was having - then we just suddenly lost contact with him.”

After a couple of days in Mala ga, Scott traveled to Torremo linos, before heading north to Vigo.

“The police have told us no

bodies have turned up so we still have hope, we’re not leav ing Spain until we find him,” Georgia added.

Scott was taking medication every day after having a kidney transplant in 2014.

Without the medication her father’s body could reject the transplant and cause cognitive impairment.

Scooter madness

ANDALUCIA has among the highest number of accidents caused by electric scooters in Spain.

It comes as it emerged 18 people died around the coun try last year, in 385 recorded accidents.

Insurance company Mapfre discovered that of those inci dents, some 83 of them were ‘serious’.

The data comes as videos continue to emerge showing riders dicing with death, such as a trio caught riding beside 70km/h traffic inside Ma drid’s M30 tunnel and others riding in the hard shoulder on the A92 in Sevilla.

Now, Marbella Council will crack down on the scooters from this month, approving a host of new regulations to prevent further injuries and deaths.

Under new rules, riders will need helmets and third party insurance.

Rock ban

TOURISTS will soon be fined if they jump into the sea off rocks along a popular stretch of coast.

Malaga council will introduce the new ban when it conducts its annual review of bylaws. It comes after a man suffered life threatening injuries when he smashed his head after leaping into the water from a rock on the Peñon del Cuervo.

SQUATTER ROTTER

Man accused of stealing €70,000 from bride and hens is a squatter illegally living in Spain and linked to Florida thefts

A WELL known Cuban squat ter is believed to be behind the burglary of a holiday Airbnb that left a British bride and her 12 hens €70,000 out of pocket.

Alex H, who we are not nam ing for legal reasons, allegedly broke into the rented Marbella villa, while the group was out partying.

He has been accused of steal ing a series of rings, two Rolex watches, passports and nu merous designer items, after being traced by a set of Airpods to his squatted home in Mijas. Incredibly, one of the hens had managed to track a signal for her earphones to the Urbanisa tion Señorio de Calahonda.

After they sped round to con front the burglar - calling cops

By Jorge Hinojosa

en route - they claimed to have spotted one of the cleaners of their villa coming out of the block.

Police turned up soon after their arrival and arrested both the woman and the man, who allegedly has long been on the police radar for local crimes.

Another woman was also ar rested.

While police have yet to charge the group, the Olive Press can reveal that Alex was arrest ed in Florida in 2017 for links to a burglary ring targeting multi-million dollar homes.

He has been squatting in the Marbella area for a couple of

WORK has started on plans to create the largest river park in Spain.

The opening of a new wooden footbridge in Alora (right) marks the first stage of Malaga’s ambitious €156 million Green Corridor plan. The 4.5m square metre scheme crosses eight municipalities, stretching 54kms of the Rio Guadalhorce between Malaga city and the Caminito del Rey in the Los Gaitanes gorge.

Authorities officially unveiled the new 90m footbridge, which replaces an old bridge, which was destroyed in floods in 2012.

The bridge comprises €800,000 of the total project cost.

years with his girlfriend, Su san, who is also from the Ca ribbean.

The boss of a squatter eviction firm, Servi-Okupa, told the Ol ive Press he had been squat ting in local luxury villas for ‘at least a year’.

Rolex

“I know this guy very well,” said Alberto Cuesta. “I have kicked him out of at least five houses in Marbella, one was a €4 million villa. He keeps pop ping up every other month. He and his girlfriend know what they are doing. They are bad news.”

He claimed the Cuban is living illegally in Spain, while flaunt

Corridor begins

ing his luxury lifestyle on social media.

In many posts they are seen carrying Louis Vuitton bags and wearing Rolex watches while eating in the most ex pensive restaurants.

One British neighbour told the Olive Press he is a ‘very dangerous man’. “All of the neighbours are scared of him. We don’t know what to do and we all have kids and wives so we have to be careful. Police are here every day,” he re vealed.

“We tried to help these ladies because they were robbed of all their things and we knew it was him,” claimed the neigh bour. The National Police confirmed they were inves tigating Alex, but would not give any further details. He is currently not facing any charges.

Servi-Okupa revealed that it had ‘an agreement in place’ with Alex and that ‘he would be leaving’.

Italy PM dad is con

THE father of Italy’s likely next leader was a drug dealer in Spain.

Francesco Meloni - whose daughter Giorgia (pictured) won the recent gen eral elections - was jailed for nine years in Mallorca for trafficking 1,500 kilos of hashish.

The Balearic Islands’ then-biggest drug seizure, he was arrested after po lice discovered the drugs on a yacht in 1995.

A Palma court sentenced him to nine years in prison after he confessed to the crime at a 1996 hearing.

Meloni had settled in Spain 40 years ago, first in the Canary Islands and then in Mallorca, where he stood for election with the political party Escaños en Blanco.

Giorgia is a far right nationalist politician, who wants to ban abortion, among other controversial policies.

Get out the slow lane

THE cruel drip-feeding of hope to thousands of strand ed British license holders in Spain needs to stop. The group of long-term legal residents have been left unable to take to the roads since May 1 because of Brexit bureaucracy, and they deserve an answer now! Ambassador Hugh Elliot reassured Brits back in July that a deal with Spain was ‘very close to being final ised’.

Now, it emerges there are various complex issues STILL at stake.

It’s time Spanish and UK officials take responsibility for the mess which will see hundreds of angry drivers protest outside the British embassy on October 13 de manding answers.

The true sad irony is that many people who desperately want to attend may not be able to… because they can not get there by car!

Buen provecho

SPAIN has tipped Italy and France into a grinder in the latest global chef poll.

With 19 Spanish chefs coming in the top 100, it left room for just 15 Italians and a paltry 10 Gallic cooks. With 150 professionals and 200 international chefs making the picks, this is a true industry award and a hard one for the vaunted French chefs to brush off. While the Italians will sit back and remain pleased with their Number One position for food tourism, the French will be understandably scratching their heads. Spain’s sheer diversity in the food stakes, the creativity of its chefs and the way its godfathers have meted out their skills, is something to be celebrated.

As the Spanish did with their national football team, their current tennis crop and their road and railway building (see feature right), they have darn well made their restaurant industry the envy of the world.

TOP OF THE PILE

As Spain comes No.1 in the food stakes, Josh Parfitt examines the nation’s greatest achievements and whittles them down to ten

IFyou’re thinking Spain must, at least,

the world in speaking Spanish, you’re wrong: that’s Mexico. If you’re thinking Spain had the largest empire, you’re wrong again: that was Britain.

With 83.7 million visitors in pre-pandemic 2019, Spain almost topped the world tour ism charts, but was knocked into the sec ond slot by France with 90 million. And no, Spain does not hold a record for the annual consumption of sangria. Sangria is just the generic Spanish word for ‘punch’ which people drink just about everywhere. But Spain has a stellar cast of inventors, business leaders and do-gooders to make the nation proud.

 2

SPAIN has consistently been the country with most Blue Flag beaches since the day the awards were launched in 1987.

The iconic Blue Flag is the most rec ognised stamp of excellence for the world’s best beaches, marinas and sus

INVENTIVE INVENTIONS

WE can’t say Spain invented the mop –that was the American Jacob Howe in 1837 (and his compatriot, Thomas W. Stewart, figured out how to attach the mophead to the stick properly 56 years later). But the mop-and-bucket combo is a Spanish invention. In 1964, Manuel Jalon Corominas was the first to patent the now classic design incorporating the plastic colander thing that fixes onto the bucket, thus allowing mops to be squeezed out. That makes him a kind of leader in house hold cleanliness.

Other Spanish inventions include table football, writing quills, epidurals, Chupa Chups lollipops and the digital

MOST ORGAN DONATIONS

FOR 29 years, Spain has consistently led the world in organ donations.

 3

Figures from 2021 show that Spain had 40.2 donors per 1 million people, more than dou ble the EU average of 18 per million. The most commonly donated or gans are kidneys, allowing patients with kidney failure to live without the need for daily dialysis.

tainable boat tour operators. Continuing its 34-year reign, Spain was awarded a stunning 615 of them in 2021. Most Blue Flag beaches are in the Valencian Community, followed by Andalucia.

calculator.

Oh, and by the way, Spain also invented may onnaise. Quoi? I hear you shout. Ce n’est pas Français?

Non: According to the most popular origin story, it was concocted in 1756 when French forces laid siege to Port Mahon on the Balearic island of Menorca. After discovering the Spanish island lacked cream for a righteous victory sauce, the Duke de Richelieu’s chef stole an egg and oil dressing from the locals, and his name for it was mahonnaise.

The term has been a bone of contention ever since, with many proud Spanish chefs refusing to call it anything but mahonesa after the Menorcan capital of Mahon.

 4

WILD Spain leads the world as the country with the most UNE SCO biosphere re serves. Together they cover more than six million hectares.

Driven to distraction

FEDup with being unable to drive in Spain since May 1, British driving li cence holders are plotting a demo outside the British Embassy.

By Simon Hunter

thing,” complained Edward Lambert in re sponse to a post from the Olive Press inviting feedback.

In fact, six emails were sent to our newspaper within just two hours on Sunday morning, with many more arriving since.

U-T

Many of those affected have joined a Facebook page called ‘Invasion of the British embassy in Madrid’ - but accord ing to one of the admins of the Facebook group, Pascal Siegmund, the fact that many of the people affected cannot currently drive in Spain is making it difficult for many people to get to the capital to protest.

A message posted by Sieg mund said a possible date for a protest is Octo ber 13.

An idea has also been mooted for a protest out side the DGT traffic author ity offices in the country’s provincial capitals.

According to the page, the aim of the group is to organise a peaceful demon stration ‘at the British Embassy in Madrid regarding the problem of the exchange of British licences in Spain’.

The exasperation of those affected by the issue, however, is clear for all to see in the comments. “It’s so frustrating when you try to do things by the book and then get punished as if we had ignored every

Christine Asparassa wrote to tell a familiar story, one of administrative problems in exchanging the licences before the deadline, despite having tak en on the services of a lawyer.

O

“We travelled to [our lawyer] in December [2020] and gave her all the copies of the required documents and thought nothing more of it,” Christine explained.

“Now we have not been able to drive for six months. She re ally did not help us and we im mediately sacked her, as we felt she let us down drastically.

“My husband has terminal cancer and is fre quently staying in hospital for sometimes two weeks,” complained Elizabeth.

An email from Isra Rojas González also showed, once again, that the issue is not just limited to UK residents. “I am a Spanish na tional and I hold a British driving licence, be cause I passed my tests in Britain,” he wrote.

UK licence holders join Facebook group called ‘Invasion of the British Embassy’ as they plot demo

MOST HECTARES OF VINEYARDS

THOUGH wine-slugging France tips Spain to the top as the world’s most popular tourist destination, Spain beats France when it comes to the size of its vineyards.Touché!

 5

A whopping 961,000 hectares of land in Spain is dedicated to grow ing vines. That’s an area larger than Cyprus.

Despite this, Spain is not the world’s biggest producer of wine –that’s Italy. The vineyard size could be explained by the need to plant vines further apart in Spain because of the dry climate and arid soil.

MOST BARS PER PERSON

BEFORE we start thinking Spain is health-crazy, it’s worth admitting it has the most bars per person of any nation.

According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics, in 2020 there were 277539 bars in Spain. That’s one bar for every 175 people.

Apparently, Spain has more bars than the United States of America despite Spain having a population of 47 million and the USA, 332 million.

Needless to say, the culture of eating and drinking out runs deep here.

In fact, the average household spends 16.8% of their monthly earnings on it,

which is over double the European average and triple the German average.

Another fun claim is that Madrid’s Restau rante Botin is the oldest restaurant in the world, having opened its doors in 1725.

TOP FOR EXPORTS

SPAIN’S newfound status as the world’s largest exporter of pork products coincided with recent headlines about the state of its pig farms, which rather took the shine off the commercial triumph. Anyway, it ranks third now, after the USA and Germany.

But there are other record-breaking exports that aren’t so controversial:

Spain is the world’s leading exporter of citrus fruits, for example, enjoying a 24.2% market share that’s well ahead of South Africa’s 10.9%.

Unsurprisingly, Spain also leads the world in olive oil exports, commanding a whopping 46.9% of the international market.

The country has over 300 million olive trees with 80% of the annual crop harvested from southern Andalucia.

Italy comes in a poor second with just 16.7% of market share.

MOST INDUSTRIAL

“I came from Britain a year ago and this situation is affecting [my ability] to find work in my country.”

The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, has released another update on the issue.

In his message the ambassador said that he too was ‘frustrated by the pace’ of talks but stated that there have been ‘unfore seen issues that we have been working very hard to resolve’.

“As the government’s representative in Spain, I hear and understand your frus trations. We previously thought, we gen uinely thought, that we’d have concluded negotiations by the summer.”

Complex

He added: “I’m as disappointed as you are by the length of time that this is ac tually taking,” before explaining that there ‘are only a couple of issues left’, but that they ‘are complex’.

There is, he continued, ‘a lot going on be hind the scenes, even if it doesn’t feel like it to you’.

MOST SOLAR ENERGY STORAGE

FOR several years Spain has led the world in having the most storage capacity for solar energy. That’s 6,850MWh of stor age capacity, compared to 5,200MWh in the US, 2,699MWH in sunny South Africa, and 1,000MWh in China. That doesn’t mean Spain produces the most solar energy – not even close. We’re just good at storing it. However, Spain has beefed up to enjoy the second-most installed wind power capacity in the EU (after Germany). And, commendably, almost half the nation’s electricity came from renewable energy last year.

THE world’s most successful male tennis champion and Mallor ca’s most famous son, Ra phael Nadal holds the record for Grand Slam titles with 22. He may have slipped to sec ond in the world rankings, but the good news is that the new number one is also Spanish -

YES, Spain is a clear world leader in construction and transport infrastructure. Eight of the world’s top 32 infrastructure con tractors were Spanish in a ranking by Public Works, more than from any other nation. Spain’s Grupo ACS enjoyed the top spot with the largest number of projects in motion (59 at the time) and with the most amount of in vestment with US$95 million. Other top Spanish contractors included Fer rovial, Abertis, Sacyr, Globalvia, OHL, Acciona and Itinere.

While not a world leader, Spain boasts the third-most extensive highspeed rail network in the world after China and Turkey, and the most extensive network of highways and motorways in Europe.

WE HAVE NADAL

teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia became the youngest men’s player in the Open Era to hold the number one ranking, after sealing a four-set victory over Casper Ruud in the US Open.

YOU’VE

got Spotify, you pay for Netflix and now you’re going to have to pay for your journalism. While traditionally anyone who wanted to be in formed bought a newspaper or magazine, this changed over the last decade with the advent of digital media.

As the world changed, the leading media groups, in cluding the Daily Mail, the Guardian and the BBC guaranteed top quality, well researched content on the hour every hour.

But when Google and Facebook started to unfairly dominate global advertising revenue (by as much as 85%) media groups could no longer fund their jour nalism through adverts.

It has caused a crisis for the worldwide news media industry (whether TV, radio or print) of enormous pro portions.

A giant trust lawsuit filed by the European Union this year, alongside the UK, for 26 bil lion euros in damages against Goo gle for unfair practices, could not come to court soon enough. Most people realise that you only get what you pay for!

And currently, the ONLY way out for the media groups is to charge for their content and thankfully the vast majority of respectable groups now have paywalls. In Spain, that means El País, El Mundo and el Público, while locally Diario Sur, Provincias and Última Hora also do.

All of them offer a cheap, good value subscription ser vice for their readers to enjoy largely ad-free, reliable, well researched news content.

The Olive Press is no different and for over a year now has provided 20plus stories a day with unfettered access and almost no ads for under €1.50 a week!

Over 30,000 of you have now registered and have taken the opportunity to have decent, well re searched content delivered to you daily.

While the newspaper remains free, and always will be, to be really well informed and up to date on ev erything from fires to the environ ment and from changes in the law to health warnings, it’s time to get on board.

The Olive Press is the trusted En glish speaking news provider, qualifying and checking all its facts before publication and calling out the many fake news sources. This is, above all, our role. Advertising no longer funds this profession, the fourth estate, which is vital in a healthy democracy to keep checks and balances on the powers that be.

Just like the musicians who create the songs on Spo tify or Apple Music and the actors and directors who create the movies and TV shows you now subscribe to on Amazon Prime or Disney, we hope you believe that journalists need to be paid for their work too.

If so, please join us at www.theolivepress.es to find the best package to suit you.

The top five most read stories

The real Queen of the South

The arrest of Ronda’s homegrown blonde-haired drug boss made primetime TV. No suprises as Maria del Mar settles back into life behind bars, Sorrel Downer takes a look at previous episodes in this true-life telenovela

THE Queen of the South is glamor ous Teresa Mendoza, who rises from poverty to run a multimil lion-euro drug empire from Mar bella.

The Queen of Ronda is 39-year-old Maria del Mar Mellado, who rises from boredom to run an international drug ring in the sleepy Cadiz and Malaga si erras.

Both stories involve cartels, cocaine, passion, jail time, plastic surgery and women breaking through the glass ceil ing in the male dominated world of inter national crime.

But whereas the Queen of the South is the fictional protagonist of Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s 2002 novel (La Reina

del Sur) – inspiration for a Telemundo series in 2011, and later the epony mous Netflix hit – the self-styled Queen of Ronda is real.

That Cuevas del Becerro (pop. 1600) is a slow kind of place will be obvious to anyone who has ever driven through it: speed cameras are there to catch crim inals who creep above 50 km/hr. Too slow for Mellado, who was born there to a construction worker and housewife in 1983.

She livened things up by dealing drugs but made rookie errors. At the age of 25, she was serving her first jail sentence after being arrested in Puerto Serrano, Cadiz with 400 grams of cocaine. Her time in jail proved educational. She

picked up tips and contacts and on her release tried again, this time rocketing up through the ranks, to become head of her own network, trafficking drugs from the Domini can Republic to southern Spain for large amounts of money.

It’s unlikely she read Perez-Reverte’s novel on her prison bunk, but she was a fan of the series and tribute song, the Narcocorrido by Los Tigres del Norte, and she sought to emulate the glam orous Teresa in looks and deeds – and name: Queen of Ronda.

Friends and neighbours must have mar velled at how well the ex-con (now a sin gle mother) was doing. Theoretically, an unemployed beautician, with an inoper ative clothing company registered to her name in nearby Pruna, Mellado had a luxurious house in the El Olivar urbanisation of Ar riate (outside Ronda), and frequently rented addition al properties – in Ronda itself, as well as Estepona and even the exclusive La Zagaleta urbanization in Marbella.

She had a thing for buy ing cars. Before prison she’d splashed out on an Audi A6, a Hyundai Coupe, and a moped. Be tween 2011 and 2012, she added to her fleet,

The snaggle-toothed, excited woman shown playing in the sea in the photos she posted on Instagram during her first shopping trips in the Dominican Repub lic was soon replaced by something a little more dead-eyed.

We transport: Yachts, Cars, Motobikes, Power Boats, Work boats, Barges, Motorhomes Car transport and Removals, Tourers and all types of general haulage

buying a Peu geot 607 and a Ford Focus for her mother (who couldn’t drive), and a Nissan Pathfinder, which she registered to her daughter’s father Juan Ga briel Gomez Diaz (licensed only to drive bikes). She bought guns, but just replica ones, and kept one in a drawer beside the bed. She invested in plenty of plastic surgery for cos metic as well as practical reasons.

Playing by the drug boss rulebook, she indulged in shows of public generosity, the most brazen of which took place in her home village on January 5, 2012. Mellado not only organized and fund ed the Three Kings Parade, she paid for toys for every child out of her hardearned drug money, and even took part, dressed as a page and flanked by her drug-traf ficking brother and part ner playing two of the kings.

The 28-year-old Mellado must have been feeling very good about herself. Little did she know she had just 19 days of free dom left.

tacts and source 95% pure cocaine. The risky, dirty business of trafficking the drugs into Spain she left to others. She plucked the badly paid and unem ployed out of a pool of willing volunteers and, in return for €500 and a week in Punta Cana, they swallowed the drugs and brought them back.

Her contacts taught the mules how to wrap the balls of cocaine so they were less likely to die, and coached them in how to act to avoid detection.

The drugs were adulterated and distrib uted to sellers in the network who ran the retail drug side of the business in the Sierra de Cadiz and the Serrania de Ronda, but also in Se villa and Malaga.

She funded a Three Kings Parade with toys brought with drug money

The Cadiz Guardia Civil had noted the increase in coke dealing activity in the sierras. They’d intercepted the delivery drivers, worked upwards, and were now following Mellado.

Operation Vuelo had been launched in mid-2011, the name a reference to her frequent trips to the Caribbean out of Madrid-Barajas Airport.

In fact Mellado had made at least 11 trips to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic since leaving prison and had spent a further €48,000 in cash on tick ets for drug mules.

Her visits had been to establish con

The Guardia Civil watched Mellado –sometimes accompa nied by her daughter – handing out packets of cocaine to sellers at various ventas.

Shortly after the 2012 cabalgata, Mella do went to Punta Cana herself, accom panied by her partner Adan Lara Quesa da, and two mules - Manuel Garrido Ve lasco and Daniel Perez Badia. The drugs squad was there to meet her when she returned on January 24. One mule had been stuffed with 75 balls of cocaine valued at €44,000 and the other 50, valued at €32, 700. Mellado was fined €280,000 and sen tenced to 11 years, three months in prison, which she served in Cadiz. Her travelling companions were each

Insidetheheadofadrugsqueen

RENOWNED criminologist Ricardo Magaz who has followed Mellado’s career over the years says she is egocentric, and driven by the need ‘to show off her achievements so that people, especially her neighbours, recognise her so cial rise’, regardless of the fact it’s the result of drug trafficking.

He explained: “She is an uncultured person from a humble background, but, perhaps because of this, she showed from a very young age a lot of courage and desire to excel at all costs, to stand out, without moral restraint.

“Drug trafficking – smallscale at first – served her purposes. She liked that among her group they called her ‘la narco del pueblo’.

“Maria del Mar has a desperate need for public approval. With the vast profits from drug trafficking, she lived surrounded

by tinsel, wanting to be admired. She emulat ed drug lords in the style of Pablo Escobar, El Chapo Guzman or, in Spain, the Galician Sito Miñanco.”

As for her ‘charity’ works, such as the Three Kings Parade, Magaz says she ‘longed in her heart to achieve two goals: to be a kind of ‘NGO’ for drug trafficking, although this seems crazy, and to shine as the new Queen of the South, in the manner of Teresa Mendoza’.

Prison is not the end, says the crim inologist: “A real narco never retires, whether man or a woman, Spanish or foreign. From jail they can keep in touch with their gang on the street. A ‘narco queen’ like her dies with her heels on.

“It’s the old story, once again, of the recidivism of drug traffickers who poi son a society, that live oblivious to the tragedy of thousands and thou sands of lives destroyed by drug addiction.”

HIDEOUT: The real Queen of the South lived in villages like Arriate

INNOCENT: Like butter wouldn’t melt but snaggle-toothed Mellado was pure evil

fined €150,000 and sentenced to six years. In total, 21 members of her ring were arrested, including her brother, Francisco, his wife Inmaculada, and her trusted lieutenant Juan Antonio Diaz Jimenez aka Popi, who were fined and sentenced to seven years.

As well as cocaine, the raids resulted in the seizure of cash, replica guns and nine vehicles.

Once again, jail was not the end of it, merely a learning curve which she took advantage of on her release.

Mellado hadn’t been home long when investigators began intercepting suit

cases containing cocaine arriving from Colombia on flights into Madrid. When the couriers they arrested turned out to be residents of the Cadiz and Ronda mountains, with limited economic re sources, they knew the so-called Queen of Ronda was at it again.

Last August, a joint operation was launched between Spain’s National Po lice and Colombia’s police narcotics di vision, DIRAN with the aim of identifying a courier and seeing where that person led them.

On August 17, agents from UDYCO (the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit)

were watching arrivals from Colombia at Madrid airport for suspicious be haviour when they spotted a female passenger acting nervously at the se curity controls.

Access to shared intelligence immedi ately revealed she had a history of traf ficking.

They followed her to a city centre hotel and watched as she was met by a man who quickly drove off.

An hour later, the woman emerged car rying the suitcase and took a taxi to a residential area where the agents saw the same man – this time waiting with

a woman they instantly recognised as Mellado.

The three disappeared into an under ground car park and were arrested as the suitcase was exchanged

It contained 11 kilos of cocaine; the money to pay for it – €23,500 – had been wrapped in plastic and hidden in side the dashboard.

So now Maria del Mar Mellado Blan co is back in jail. In the original novel, Teresa Mendoza, Queen of the South, ended up with a new face and a new life under the witness protection pro gram, but the Queen of Ronda can expect to serve seven to nine years. A happy outcome for drug traffickers is just fiction after all.

CRAFTY: Maria del Mar employed an army of Ronda mountain mules

Too hot to bear

UK HOLIDAY makers be lieve Spain will be off-limits as a summer travel destina tion by 2027, according to new research.

Following this summer’s wildfires and record-break ing temperatures across the UK and Europe, specialist travel insurance providers

InsureandGo asked 2,089 people to estimate which European countries could be too hot to travel to by 2027.

Spain was the destination holiday makers were most worried about, with 65% of respondents believing the climate in the popular desti nation for Brits would be un bearable in five years.

About 53% of people aged between 18-34 said Spain would be too hot to travel to, while 83% of over 65s said the same.

It comes after Spain this year sweltered through the most torrid summer since 1961.

The country’s average tem perature for June, July and August was 24 degrees cel sius, 2.2 degrees more than

EELS SAVED

SOME 180 kilos of critically endangered glass eels have been released into the wild after they were seized from poachers and smugglers.

The elvers, worth €270,000 on the black market, were rescued and 29 people ar rested by Spanish police, who carried out nearly 3,000 checks at ports, airports and other transport hubs.

The glass eels are regarded as a delicacy in Spain and parts of South East asia. They are often smuggled on to planes in suitcases bound for Asia.

“Most of the offences relate to illegal fishing, unlawful possession, illegal trafficking of endangered species and violations of laws governing natural spaces,” the Guardia Civil said.

Why UK tourists will stop traveling to Spain in five years

By Anthony Piovesan

the usual average. InsureandGo chief execu tive Chris Rolland said the results from the study were ‘staggering’.

But he added: “The family summer holiday will certain ly not go away. Our research

does suggest however, that it may well change in terms of holiday makers moving to ward cooler climates - or per haps that Easter and Christ mas will become the school holidays when more families head abroad for their break.

“I think this research is a real eye opener that things need to change - and fast.”

Personal action

THE Mar Menor lagoon has been given ‘per sonhood’ status in an effort to provide better protection for the threatened ecosystem.

A total of 1,600 square kilometres of the la goon and nearby Murcia coastline will now be legally represented by a group of local of ficials, residents of the area and scientists.

The lagoon has suffered massive die-offs of marine life as it degrades due to coastal de velopment and farming.

The initiative backed by more than 600,000 citizens will become law after the Senate in Madrid voted in favor of the proposal.

WINTER OF DISCONTENT

I’M not referring to a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard III, but to the here and now.

The stars are aligning to create the perfect storm:

• The consequences of the murdering psycho path Putin’s actions in Ukraine

• Food shortages

• Cost of living escalating prices

• Energy shortages

• Climate change inaction

Let me focus on the last two points.

ENERGY SHORTAGE

Continuous lack of investment in renewable en ergy resources by Europe and the wider world have exposed us to the problems we now face. Putin is using Russia’s plentiful stock of oil and gas as a weapon in his war against the west. Europe is scrambling to find available supply elsewhere. This is easier said than done.

And we all know what happens when demand outstrips supply. Prices go up. Europe is still dragging its heels rolling out addi tional renewable energy installations. Have you seen more solar farms or wind turbines being installed near you?

I haven’t.

The European Commission’s vice-president, Frans Timmermans, summed it up perfectly last week….

“The era of cheap fossil fuels is over. The faster we move to cheap, clean and homegrown renew ables, the sooner we will be immune to Russia’s blackmail.”

CLIMATE CHANGE INACTION

It’s a very simple formula - insufficient action = inadequate results.

Take Spain as an example.

Last year, Spain was Europe’s 4th biggest pol luter. Carbon emissions increased by more than 3%, while other EU countries reduced them by 5%.

Looking back over a longer period, between 1990 – 2020, Spain reduced carbon emissions by 8%. In the UK emissions were reduced by 45% in the same period. Germany managed to reduce them by 42%. The top 10 polluting companies in Spain are –Endesa, Iberdrola, Repsol, Cepsa, EDP, Arcelor mittal, Naturgy, FCC, CEMEX and LafargeHolcim. According to EU targets, Spain will have to re duce emissions by 55% by 2030 if it is to be on track for carbon neutrality by 2050. Fat chance of that given the lack of progress to date.

There is not long to go before the next United Nations next meeting in Egypt in November. Once again we can look forward to ministers de livering promises on action they won’t deliver. New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss promised during the leadership campaign to ‘double down’ on the UK’s commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In its latest report on net zero, UK government adviser the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that ‘tangible progress is lagging behind policy ambition’.

Expect to witness more of the same shallow rhet oric coming from Sharm El Sheik next month. I’m still amazed that the UN selected a host country for this event with an appalling record on human rights.

Martin

owner

Mariposa Energy.

in Spain despite

TOO HOT: for chimps too

COP 27

IT’S OVER: Message from Frans Timmermans

Recent years have presented a number of challenges and navigating today’s tax and financial landscape can prove rather stressful. Our seminar will clarify what’s been going on, to put the various changes into perspective for you and present solutions for protecting your long-term wealth.

Tax planning | Dispelling the myth that Spain is a high tax country and ensuring your affairs are structured to minimise your tax liabilities.

Investing today | Guest speakers from Russell Investments will share their views on the global economy, markets and asset classes in today’s volatile world and going forward.

Brexit consequences | The risks of using UK-based advisers; regulated advice for Spanish residents and implementing effective planning.

Get on the right track!

Dear Olive Press,

I’LL never get the seven hours and a half that it took to travel from Madrid to the Costa del Sol back.

But my time isn’t that pre cious, however my money is. And during these days of bru tal inflation, the €26 I spent on two buses and a taxi to get me from Fuengirola to San Luis de Sabinillas is a hit to the pocket.

But, I wouldn’t have to com plain about time, or money, if there was a rail extension along the Costa del Sol. I don’t understand why such a link on one of the most pop ular stretches of coast in Eu rope doesn’t exist.

The Costa del Sol feels more disconnected to Madrid than Calabria to its respective cap ital, Rome. And that’s saying something.

There’s also a green benefit. Imagine all the cars that would no longer need to be on the road if there was a train linking Malaga to the rest of the Costa del Sol. I would save €26, and more importantly the world might be spared a few extra green house gasses.

Tony Peterson, Manilva

Fair’s fair

Great service at much maligned Torrevieja hospital should be reported

First-class treatment

REGARDING your ‘horror’ stories about Torre vieja Hospital, I would like to say that they gave me first-class treatment.

After falling seriously ill, I went to the A&E de partment, where, even though it was extremely busy, I was seen by a nurse within 20 minutes and a doctor within 90.

He conducted a very thorough and professional examination, and during the next three hours I had a series of blood tests, X-rays, an electrocar diogram (ECG) and an MRI scan.

They identified two separate blood clots on my Pulmonary arteries and moved me instantly to

Me too!

intensive care where I found myself surrounded by half a dozen doctors and nurses who conducted a further ultrasound examination. During the following six days I was given constant heart monitoring, blood tests and two further ul trasounds.

I have since been discharged with a course of blood thinning medication and two follow-up appoint ments. Not being able to breathe was a horrible ex perience, but if it had to happen there was nowhere in the world that I would have got better or faster treatment. Thank you Torrevieja Hospital.

Michael Burke, La Zenia

AFTER I collapsed, unable to breathe, my wife called an ambulance.

I arrived at Torrevieja Hospital A&E at 9.45am, and then underwent multiple tests including two ECGs, was given oxygen, and then at 12pm taken for an MRI scan.

At 1.30pm, the doctor came and advised me that I had two large blood clots in my lungs, and they had also damaged heart tissue, but I did not need surgery.

Later that day I was moved into ICU, and spent a couple of days under observation, and then onto a day ward with a private room, shower and toilet.

Throughout my four-day stay, all the staff were motivated, professional, could not do enough for me, and were absolutely superb. I was really dreading going in, after reading all the bad press about the hospital, but I had a really good experience.

David Mellor, Benijofar

Editor’s note: I am pleased that both of you got excellent treatment and are now on the mend. This is the care that all patients deserve, but sadly at times has been lacking at Torrevieja Hospital. It is our job as a newspaper to hold authorities to account where improvements are needed. Maybe the hospital authorities are taking notice and making changes. I hope so.

The saga goes on

I TRIED to do everything right when attempting to swap my UK driving licence for a Spanish one. I registered my intention to do so before the deadline but had to wait six months for a TIE appointment. When the document finally came through, I was told by Traffico it had no record of my registration having been made.

As a result, myself and my wife are stuck at home most of the day and have to use taxis to go shopping or to the doctor as buses are non-existent in the part of Andalucia that we live in.

PLEASE can the UK and Spanish gov ernments hurry up and get an agreement made.

John Perryman, Malaga

Can I help?

I AM following with interest the issues with UK driving licenses. Recently I have had some experience applying for a park ing card here in Spain and would like to discuss this experience with Ambassador Hugh Elliott, and provide possible point ers to help him and his team in their dis cussions. It is difficult to know the best way to contact him. Can you help me?

Professor Raymond P. Clark, O.B.E, Moraira

Editor’s note: The best way of con tacting Hugh Elliott is via the Brit ish consulate at spain.consulate@ fco.gov.uk. Keep us posted on your progress and we hope you have more luck than many of our readers!

Prehistoric Malaga

AN excavation has uncov ered what could be the oldest open-air site of the late Neo lithic in the Bay of Malaga region.

An archaeological survey in Alhaurin de la Torre has found numerous artifacts dating back 5,000 years to the late Neolithic period. These include 1,000 frag ments of pottery, flint, bones, seashells and a sacred stone (Baetylus) in the Los Caraco lillos area, all found in a pit. It is thought nomads buried belongings that they could not carry with them when they moved on.

ABOUT TIME

Paintings stolen during Spanish civil war by Franco forces returned to family

TWO paintings stolen from an aristocrat by forces of the Spanish dictator Franco have been returned to the family 85 years later. Their return could see the recovery of other assets and pieces of art seized during the Spanish civil war following the release of a list of 62 artworks taken during the 1936-39 con flict.

Madrid’s Prado museum re leased the list which featured paintings by 17th century Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Younger and Spanish im pressionist Joaquin Sorolla.

A ‘COMEDY’ show featuring dwarf bullfighters has been cancelled after just 37 tickets were sold. It was due to take place on October 8 in Madrid. The proposed event had prompted ire from disabled associa tions. The Spanish Committee of Rep resentatives of People with Disability (CERMI) and the ALPE foundation for people with achondroplasia had both raised objections to the show. The general director of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities department

By Anthony Piovesan

The two centuries-old muse um said in a statement it had set up a research team to re turn the artworks to their orig inal owners and determine if there were other works that were also confiscated.

NO BULL

of the Social Rights Ministry, Jesus Martín Blanco, had also objected.

Blanco – who suffers a kind of dwarf ism – explained how these kinds of shows would negatively affect him when they came to his town when he was a child, prompting bullying from other children.

It seems the public agreed and voted against the show with their wallets.

The two recovered paintings - portraits by Vicente Lopez Por taña and the Flemish painter Frans Pourbuswere tracked down by Ramon de la Sota Chal baud, the great grand

TIME TO GET SMART

Gas and climate crisis trigger photovoltaic-system boom

EVERYONE seems to be talking about the climate crisis at the moment. There were devastating forest fires during the summer, practically all over Europe, due to a rise in temperatures this summer.

In addition, there is the gas crisis, trig gered by the Ukraine war. Russian pres ident Vladimir Putin has already turned off Europe’s gas. This winter, the issue could affect households and businesses, and not just because of the high costs (the price of electricity in Spain has risen enormously over the past 15 months). Government-ordered rationing of max imum consumption, for private house holds and companies, is by no means out of the question.

Help for the climate and a protective shield against the gas and energy crisis is possible, at least for those homeown ers and commercial/ industrial premises that install a photovoltaic system.

SOLAR POWER AROUND THE CLOCK

With a solar system, one can become largely independent of the electric net work. Here on the Costa del Sol, with more than 320 days of sunshine a year, technology allows for a completely self-sufficient power supply through PV systems. By installing hybrid inverters, in combination with a battery bank that stores the solar power and releases it again at night, solar power can be used around the clock. And due to the sharp rise in energy pric es, the installation of a photovoltaic sys tem in southern Spain, with an average of five hours of sunshine per day, is paying for itself more quickly than ever before.

son of Ramon de la Sota y Lla no, the Marquis of Llano. The portraits had been lent to the exhibition by the Parador de Almagro, part of a chain of state-owned hotels.

De la Sota y Llano, a Basque industrialist, was awarded a KBE by George V for lending his fleet to help the British in the First World War.

Fines

He became a target for Franco because of his Basque nation alist sympathies, with dictator forces going after De la Sota y Llano’s properties in Bilbao in 1937.

His death in 1936 did not stop Francoists trying De la Sota y Llano 13 months later. They imposed fines equivalent to €4 million on his family and confiscated his art collection.

Fairway

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SMART PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS

The company Smart Photovoltaic Systems from Alhaurín de la Torre is one of the lead ing providers of high-quality PV systems on the Costa del Sol and beyond.

The owner and founder of the company is Frank Weiss. The 53-year-old has been in the solar business for 15 years. After about 1,300 installations in residential properties, industrial premises and solar parks, Weiss is your trusted contact for photovoltaics.

His company offers systems with and with out storage solutions, depending on the customer’s requirements. All work is car ried out by his professional team; the solar modules come with a 25-year guarantee. We will be happy to provide you with a non-binding cost estimate for a suitable photovoltaic system for your home or your business. All we need is a brief description of the property in question and a current elec tricity bill or, in the case of a new building, an estimated electricity consumption. We will be happy to advise you free of charge and without obligation. Frank Weiss and his team look forward to hearing from you.

RETURNED: Portraits by Portaña and Pourbus

From Migas to Michaelmas

Orgiva’s feria is now about dressing up and showing off, but it started with horses, mules, sheep and goats writes Jo Chipchase

ONEof the biggest autumn cele brations in La Alpujarra region of Granada, the Orgiva feria takes place annually around the day of Saint Mi chael - or Michelmas - which falls on 29 September.

It was a colourful spectacle, involving everyone from the town elders, with their ‘charanga’ music and sedate ‘cervezas’ in the municipal tent, to the older teens enjoying the fairground rides and reggaeton DJs until the early hours.

Rebecca Vilchez, from Orgiva town hall, told the Olive Press that the feria started about 60 years ago as a farm ing event, with the sale of livestock,

including horses and mules, as well as sheep and goats. She says: “The young people today aren’t

aware of all the traditions, but my mother is 82 and knows the history, so I was brought up with it.”

Now, the feria is based more on dress ing up and showing off.

The “hueveros” (locals) come out in force during the daytime to celebrate in the town’s many bars and terraces.

The firework display on the first night lit up the night sky and went off with a real bang.

Nearby, popular band, Wazifa, was packing out a pizza restaurant.

Other highlights included a flamen co dress contest and a procession of floats through the main streets, as well as a less glamorous 4x4 contest in the local ‘campo’.

This year’s feria also featured an awards ceremony, to recognise resi dents who have made a remarkable contribution to the area.

The town hall fed 530 older people

Boutique de moda, complementos y regalitos

(and some younger ones masquerad ing as old!) on the first day – and, in true Alpujarran style, plied them with beers.

Andy Bailey, author of the book, ‘A Chancer’s Guide to Orgiva’, received an award for his efforts to promote the

town.

Since coming here, he has studied the local traditions in detail. He said “The whole fiesta is based around Michaelmas - a Christian festival that is observed in Western liturgical calen dars. It’s one of the four quarter days

Camping Órgiva istheperfectbaseforyourvisittoLaAlpujarra

NESTLED

in the heart of La Alpujarra, with easy access to amenities and beautiful scenery, Camping Órgiva is the ideal destination for those want ing to visit the area.

A family-run business, the campsite started over 25 years ago and is open all year round. The swimming pool is available from San Juan (the third week of June) until the end of September, weather permitting. When this is closed, there’s a natural dip pool under the Seven Eye Bridge, opposite the campsite.

Estafania, one of the friendly campsite re ceptionists, explains that clients hail from all over Europe, including Holland, Switzerland, and the UK, as well as Spain.

In the low season, which runs from Sep tember to June, the campsite offers an af fordable stay for those who enjoy being in well-maintained setting with views of the mountains.

The site is especially pretty, with a lot of grass, flowering plants, and trees. The pitches for tents have grass underfoot and campers can usually pick their own spot –except in high season, when demand leads to pre-allocation. For tents, the prices start at €22 with a car, and €18 without.

If you want the most comfortable accom modation for a night or more, the campsite

Enjoy beautiful outdoor space and a warm welcome and just a 5 minute drive to the thriving market town

offers several wooden chalets that sleep two, four or six people, bungalows that sleep four, and a quirky, wooden treehouse. This doesn’t have a kitchen but affords gorgeous views from its high vantage point.

The Olive Press tried one of the bungalows –Los Olivos – and had a perfect night’s sleep on a comfy bed. The bungalow features two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a small lounge with television. Outside, there’s a table surrounded by foliage: this is the ideal place for a coffee or snack. There’s also a barbeque and a parking space. The swimming pool is just a few strides away. The cost of bungalows in low season starts at an extremely competitive €60 per night for two people, €80 for four, and the treehouse €37. If you’re in a motorhome, the campsite offers generous pitches, as well as a zone for dis charging grey water, a laundry room, fridge, microwave, and tables to prepare food.

There is free WIFI throughout the site. The cost of a motorhome pitch is around €25

night with discounts for lon ger stays, with a month pro viding a 50% discount.

If you want to bring your dog, they’re allowed throughout the site, with a small charge of €2 a day per pitch and 5e per bungalow. There are no rules about tethering your dog, but he must be kept under control.

The campsite has a large restaurant, run by a partner family. This opens from 9am until late, all year round.

Here, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and an evening meal, as well as the region’s ‘tapa’.

From Monday until Thursday, a ‘menu del día’ is available. At the weekend, a different menu is served.

When you want to visit Órgiva, the town is a 3min drive or 20min walk. The friendly campsite staff can advise about attractions, local fiestas, and tourist offices. They can also look up public transport for clients. Ac cording to Estafania, many people come on the bus, motorcycles, and mountain bikes. For those who like walking, the local area of fers the popular Centenary Olive route, which takes 3.5hrs, although there’s also a short cut. Horse riding and adventure sports are available nearby.

The campsite offers all-day check-in and has no restrictions on entry times.

Simply phone the friendly reception ists, Estefania or Ana, to check avail ability on +34 958 784 307 or visit www.campingorgiva.com.

SIZING THINGS UP: Freya Rogers outside her Armario de Freya clothes shop

HARD TO BEAT: Sounds of the Orgiva feria

Colonial times

was during heavy storms in November 2021 when a ravaging high tide uncovered what could prove to be one of the most exciting discoveries on the Costa del Sol this century.

After a long night of howling winds and waves crashing down on the wilder, western extremes of San Pedro Alcantara beach, locals woke up to find a collec tion of large brick ovens, ex

posed by a landslide.

When it emerged they were ap parently Roman and probably led to a much larger complex, the authorities quickly stepped in and did what any responsible archaeologist would do; took some photos and measure ments and quickly covered them up again in sand.

I had been one of the fortunate locals to stroll past that morn

ing and got a good look at the treasure that had emerged over night. Alongside a friendly local historian, who curates visits to the nearby Roman baths (above) and neighbouring sixth century Paleochristian church, we mar velled at the extent of the com

plex.

Right next to the ancient Roman road from Cadiz to Cartagena, in Murcia, (the one that also goes past the Roman bridge at the

It is 200 years since San Pedro Alcantara became one of Spain’s key agricultural colonies… and 2000 since the Romans enjoyed their time here, writes Jon Clarke

EPOCHS:

bathhouse,

Focus on San Pedro Alcantara

HISTORY LESSON

From front

Puente Roma no hotel and the Villa Ro mano at Rio Verde in Ba nus) it seemed obvious to him that this was a key industrial complex and all three sites were once linked.

We speculated a garum fish paste, or even a brick fac tory and he said he hoped an archae ological dig would launch some time next

year to investigate further. But in Anda lucia, that might be in 2030.

It is sometimes easy to forget about the incredible rich history that surrounds those of us fortunate to live around Marbella and its sister resort San Pedro Alcantara. Particularly after a busy sum mer season.

Fortunately in San Pedro you’ve got reminders all around you, if you know where to look.

To get a really good idea of what makes San Pedro tick, start by walking the en tire length of the town’s new, hypermod ern boulevard, with its spaceage flyerov ers, skate parks and fountains.

At both ends remnants of this once im portant agricultural centre are still firmly anchored.

At the Trapiche de Guadaiza sugar mill and around the atmospheric hamlet of El Ingenio, with its now-protected working men’s cottages and adjoining mill/distillery, you find yourself trans ported back to the early 19th centu ry, when the area comprised Spain’s most modern, profitable agricultural community.

A conglomeration of estates pulled to gether by the grand Marques del Du ero and his, even grander, wife Fran cisca de Paula Tovar y Puguera Amat de La Gasca, aka the Marquess of Re villa, its 5000 hectares were almost all planted with sugar cane. A highly profitable crop at the beginning of the 19th century, there were nearly two dozen sugar mills (‘trapiches’) on the coast and no less than two either end of San Pedro.

While large swathes of the coast were covered in cane (and the famous Larios gin family owned much of it), it was San Pedro that got the headlines nationally.

Importing the most modern ma

chinery from France and Britain, the landowners also broke from the mould by building colonies for their workers, hamlets made up of small, but well built cottages, that would guarantee a modicum of comfort.

Workers soon arrived from as far and wide as Valencia, Murcia and Almeria, as they heard of the success of the groundbreaking new crop and irrigation sys tems.

The Agricultural Colony of San Pedro Alcantara was officially opened in 1860 and became the ‘most important in Spain’, creating thousands of jobs and leading to a key nucleus on the Costa del Sol. When sugar cane

stopped being profitable by the late 1880s, the colony diversified into other produce, including beetroot, cereals, citrus fruit and even cotton. And after things were brought to a grinding halt by the civ il war, they soon found themselves a new indus try: tourism!

Today, the only cotton you will find is in the var ious fashion shops scat tered around the bustling town centre, with one, a Norwegian owned bou tique in the Ingenio area.

While not quite up to the high fashion levels of nearby Marbella, there are loads of interesting boutiques dotted around, as well as a mixture of book shops (two English ones alone), half

a dozen bike shops, and hundreds of others selling fruit, ice cream or restau rants and tapas bars.

“Everything is so close and it has still got its village feel,” explains local estate agent Ana Troyano, whose family have run a bakery and other businesses lo cally since the 1940s.

“You can find anything you need and both the beach and hills are within walk ing distance,” adds the owner of iHome, which has a bijoux office in the heart of the town.

“My mother was actually born in it and I hope the authorities can somehow maintain the close-knit old village feel you still get here.”

There is certainly a very local feel to the centre, which is crammed with narrow streets of whitewashed houses inter spersed with dozens of shady plazas.

Fantastic, spacious, three bedroom apartment in the prestigious Acqua building. Located in the heart of San Pedro Alcantara, Beachside. The master bedroom is en suite, while the other two bedrooms share a bathroom, there is a modern, fully fitted, open plan kitchen, a lounge with direct access to the south facing terrace, boasting wonderful views of the surrounding area and sea. There is an underground parking space and a storage room. Easy access to the apartment via lift. There is also a communal pool for the residents. Close to all amenities and the beach. Call us to book a viewing, we have keys.

Located in the beautiful hills of El Madroñal, a gated community with 24 hour security. The location is unbeatable, near the famous urbanisation La Zagaleta. This villa is a paradise for lovers of architecture and nature, with fantastic views of the sea

the

is in

consists

fully equipped

condition. The house is beautifully decorated,

en-suite

one guest toilet. The

with direct access to the private

also has a sauna and a garage

home with character, personality, nature and

Alcántara

Banús.

to

REFORMED: The Ingenio millmade rum from sugar cane, while (right) an English bookshop

‘Most important in Spain’, creating thousands of jobs

FOUNDER: The Marques del Duero

It’s not grand and ornate like other more celebrated Andalucian towns, but the at tractive Plaza de la Iglesia is well worth a visit and home to the impressive 19th century Iglesia de San Pedro.

Surrounded with statues, benches and water features; and a myriad of bars and restaurants with outdoor terraces, it is usually a lively place.

Behind the church on a roundabout look out for the statue of the Marques del Duero, Don Manuel Gutierrez de la Concha, the former army general standing guard over his 5000 hectares, which extended as far as Benahavis, Cancelada and Estepona.

From here walk downhill towards the continually evolving Bulevar de San Pedro, best known for its undulating pe destrian bridge that snakes high above it like a fairground ride.

Something of a tourist attraction, this

head-turning ironwork addition to the main drag sits beside a giant play park, an ice rink (for winter) and a superb skate park, down by the Trapiche.

Whether you love this impressive feat of engineering or regard its design as a bridge too far, it is hugely symbolic. For this gyrating overpass and shiny boule vard is a bold statement of how the town has progressed since a decade ago, when it was split in two by the main coastal mo torway and awash with traffic and all the fumes and noise this inevitably brought.

Today, this unpretentious coastal resort, wedged between Estepona and Marbella and hugged by two mountain ranges, has come of age with a long tunnel under its feet.

Just ask any of the Spanish families or couples taking an evening stroll down the boulevard, perhaps after they have

stopped to watch a show in sum mer at the am phitheatre, or sat down at one of the handful of ca fes for an evening cana and tapas. They’ll tell you how the €85 million tunnel has total ly revolutionised their town, how the new green spaces are a joy to run around, and how there’s a new school, new sports cen tres and a new underground car

park. Next they’re expecting a big com mercial centre on the outskirts of town, plus another new school, possibly a new theatre and even a university.

Head another half mile south and you’ll find the San Pedro promenade. A once scruffy zone that has been much spruced up over recent years, with hundreds of palm trees and a dozen chiringuitos.

While the beach always needs a fair bit of TLC after the winter storms it is start ing to get noticed. There are football and volleyball clubs setting up, a beach gym and at least half a dozen yoga, crossfit and zumba classes on the grass every day through most of the year.

most mornings, you can also book a visit through the tourist office.

watchtowers built in the 17th or 18th centuries to warn of approaching pi rates.

Nowadays you can walk - or cycle - all the way to Puerto Banus (even Mar

A bit further west, crossing the stream beside Macaao Beach Club, you’ll come to the most remarkable Roman bathhouse, known as Las Bovedas, standing next to one of the ancient

SAN Pedro Alcantara takes its name fromits founder, general Marques del Duero’sdevotion to the patron saint of Extremadura, as well as honouring his mother, LadyPetra de Alcantara Irigoyen.

There has also been much debate aboutwhether the correct name is San Pedro Alcantara or San Pedro de Alcantara… andincredibly Google Maps and the majority ofroad signs for the town - even on the A7 motorway through it - still use the latter.

The facts are it has been known as San Pedro Alcantara since its first census in 1860and Malaga’s official property register reflected the name as such in 1870.

The confusion comes because the town’spatron saint is ‘San Pedro de Alcantara’ or‘Saint Peter of Alcantara’, a town in the re-gion of Extremadura.

The local mayor in 2009, Miguel Troyano,brought the issue up at a Marbella town

ALL IN A NAME

hall meeting in October that year, insistingthat from then on ALL official documentsmust reflect the correct name.

The motion was passed unanimously, withthe records also stating that the town hadits own distinct crest (that of its founder,the Marques del Duero).

While now technically in Guadalmina, if it happens to be open to the public, this is one wonderful construction to take a poke around and was once clearly linked to the basilica.bella) and this is one busy passtime from 9am when the whole world seems to be out taking their morning constitutional. Heading west, you must look out for the fragments of the town’s history. Hid den a few hundred metres behind a row of fishing boats and shacks, and towered over by a giant euca lyptus plantation are the ruins of the sixth century ‘early-Chris tian’ basilica Vega del Mar. First excavated a century ago, the ru ins were discovered by a farmer planting trees, and they offer up an atmospher ic alternative view of the town. Open

DID YOU KNOW?

ANCHORED: Unusual maritime fountains near centre

Half a dozen yoga, crossfit and zumba classes every day of the year

MODERN AGE: Spaceage flyover (top) lords over the new boulevard, while (right) the popular beach

LUXURIOUS LIVING

SHE

does not fall short when it comes to experience, as she has over 30 years as an interior designer, creating luxurious living spaces in places such as London, Miami, Gibraltar and Spain.

After studying Art & Design in Florence, Italy, Alison lived in Bali for a year before moving to Marbella in 1979. This creative talent doesn’t focus on just one theme but is very versatile in her de sign approach and able to complete glamorous homes in many styles.

Along with her experienced team, she tends to focus on private residential homes as well as projects. Her team consists of spe cialised artisans, upholsterers, cabinet-makers, curtain makers, and an in-house architect.

When choosing Alison to make your ideas become a reality, you will have a dedicated group of professionals working for you from the concept right through to the completion of a home you will be proud to live in!

Whatever your style, needs or requests - don’t hesitate to make your first call to Alison!

ROMANS & MORE

Please

design@alisonbethellcollins.com

the showroom

A Roman bathhouse and one of Spain’s oldest churches lie next to San Pedro’s beach, writes Jon Clarke

ASthe lineup of SUVs edges slowly closer to the entrance of popular Calpe primary school each morning, one hopes the parents get a lift from the view off to the south.

For right there in plain sight is one of the true hidden gems of the Costa del Sol - the sixth cen tury Basilica de Vega del Mar.

The remains of this Visigoth ic church - one of the oldest churches in Andalucia - is just

STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Mariposa Energia is helping homeowners and businesses save money and save the future of the planet with renewable and sustainable energies

PEDRO-based green energy company, Mariposa Energía has gone from strength to strength since it first launched three years ago and, due to its continuing suc cess, it has opened three new offices across Spain in this last year alone. Its mission is two-fold: to save home owners and businesses money and to help save the future of the planet with renewable and sustainable energies that reduce the levels of carbon emis sions released into the atmosphere and help to combat climate change. Mariposa Energía offers two different green energy options: the ability to switch to their cheaper, 100% green en ergy tariffs and solar panel installations, which have become increasingly popu lar throughout Spain in recent years, thanks to the abolition of the infamous ‘sun tax’ and the very quick return on investment consumers are seeing when they choose to go solar.

According to Mariposa Energía CEO, Martin Tye, due to the savings on the cost of electricity which solar panels provide, many people are finding their installation has paid for it

self within just two to three years.

“The savings are really quite stag gering,” he ex plains.

“With the volatility in the wholesale energy market, both currently and predicted for the future, a solar panel installation pro vides the perfect solution, which allows consumers to save money both in the short and long term.”

Not only do solar panels save people money, they also prevent thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from being pumped into our atmosphere, a figure which Mariposa Energía calculates in the comprehensive, no obligation pro posals they provide to consumers.

“Climate change is a very real and a very urgent problem we simply cannot ignore,” says Tye.

“Our planet’s temperature is rising at an alarming rate, the effects of which can already be seen with a rise in flooding, droughts, forest fires and weather-re lated disasters. Moving to green energy is a small step which can make a huge difference in the fight against climate change and can help to protect our plan

et for future generations to come.” What’s more, a solar panel installation can also add value to a property. While the amount can vary, research suggests that solar panels increase the resale value by 4.1%.

Easy

With all the advantages that solar ener gy offers, it’s easy to understand why so many people are choosing to install so lar panels on their homes or businesses. “We’ve seen demand for solar panels soar this last year and our team is grow ing rapidly to cater for this increased demand.

We now have four offices, our head of fice here in San Pedro and our Alicante, Valencia and Almería offices, allowing us to install solar panels anywhere in Spain,” adds Tye.

a stone’s throw from the end of the popular promenade.

For lovers of ancient history, this is an intriguing doorway into pre-Islamic Spain.

The remains in Lindavistaalong with the nearby Roman baths of Las Bovedas - are on the site of the Roman settle ment of Cilniana

While its exact location and size is lost in the mists of time, ev ery year the coastal area gives up more clues, such as the beachside ovens appearing af ter a storm in November 2021.

The basilica was first discov ered in 1915 by a farmer plant ing trees, but extensive excava tions only began in 1929, led by archaeologist Jose Perez de Barradas.

He and his team mapped out the basilica and initially un earthed 148 tombs, though later excavations have found a total of over 200.

The most significant is that of ‘Constantine Crimson’, named after the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, which may be the oldest Christian tombstone yet to be discovered in Spain.

While the adjacent necropolis dates back to Roman rule in the fourth century, archaeologists

disagree over the construction of the basilica.

Perez de Barradas initially be lieved it was built around then, although today historians insist it was built by the Visigoths from the north in the sixth century.

The significant features are its rectangular plan and the pres ence of three naves, along with its apses. Unlike most churches of the time, it has two apses, which are the semicircular ter minations or recesses of an ec clesiastical building. And most unusually, its western apse is its main one.

Protection

The basilica is usually open from 11.15 am to 2pm but it’s best to call Marbella’s Delega cion Municipal de Cultura on 952 825 035 to check.

Nearby, just across the stream by Macaao restaurant you will find the remarkable Las Bove das Roman bathhouse.

Sitting on private land in some one’s garden, it is not often open to the public and you will need to ask when to visit. But it is a remarkable construction, in urgent need of protection and repair.

Alison

FROM SAN PEDRO TO SPAIN: The team today

VISIGOTH TO ROMAN: Basilica and (top) Las Bovedas

PRESIDENTIAL

With its ex prime ministers, A-list footballers and captains of industry, Guadalmina is one of the most exclusive places to live in Spain

THE first person you spot is a bodyguard. Usually jogging, with an earpiece and bulked up like a box er. Next, comes Spain’s former Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, himself, often jogging alone or walking with a pal. A few paces behind is a second minder.

This is the regular scene that

visitors to the leafy enclave of Guadalmina are confronted with at various times of year. And the locals know when the former PP leader is in resi dence as a Spanish flag will be at full mast, while a National police car is always parked dis creetly up the road. But he’s anyone but the only famous face to spot around the

pricey enclave, with former Brit ish prime ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson visiting over recent years.

And then you’ve got the Saudi and Monaco royals and the mo tor racing boss, not to mention former Spanish football man ager Vicente del Bosque, who has owned here for years. Add in Real Madrid star Eden

Hazard, the owners of Corte Ingles and the Fiat family and you’re starting to get an idea. Yes, this is mostly old money.

Proper established families, with the odd smattering of glamour. But not too much.

This is anything but the Gold en Mile or Banus, those with homes in Guadalmina speak in sotto voices and dress down

and are more likely to go sailing than take a spin in a Ferrari or go on a gin palace.

“It’s an almost unique part of the coast full of tropical gardens and mostly tasteful homes,” a local estate agent told the Olive Press.

“Oddly it’s less desirable than you would think and the prices haven’t zoomed up as much as

GOLDEN

de la

PRIVILEGE: Centuries-old affluence welcomes the likes of Tony Blair and (right) Jose Maria Aznar to Guadalmina

KICKING IN: Del Bosque and Hazard

other parts of Marbella. But I guess it’s not trendy and is full of old money.”

It helps that there is one of the oldest, best established golf courses on the coast and the beach is almost always empty.

Location-wise it’s also just five minutes from Puerto Banus, ten minutes from Marbella and an easy seafront stroll from San Pedro.

If you are looking for excite

ment head inland to the ca ble ski lake offering adren alin-charged thrills for the wa tersports set. It’s a little known secret that Lady Diana and her sons Prince William and Harry spun their way around it a cou ple of times in the early 1990s and it’s a lot of fun.

The local dining scene also keeps getting better and bet ter, predominantly based on the strip by the main road in Guadalmina Alta (see above). This nerve centre has every thing you need from banks to butchers and greengrocers to supermarkets, with Overseas/

Iceland also opening here a couple of years ago.

Make sure to pop into the best wine shop on the coast, Nich olas, first set up in Paris over a century ago, as well as the excellent new Butcher, run by Ruben, who is a huge fan of grass fed organic meat and is very knowledgeable on the best cuts.

HAVING

opened its doors in 1959, the Real Club de Guadalmina has long been a trailblazer for golf on the Costa del Sol. It has hosted major golf tournaments including the Spanish Champion ship and PGA Profession als and is renowned just for the quality of its fair ways, some of which offer an authentic beachside links experience, but also the fine dining in its im pressive clubhouse.

The club offers the use of two 18-hole courses; the eldest, ‘Guadalmina South’, was designed by Javier Arana and is fa mous for its difficulty while ‘Guadalmina North’, with its abundance of water hazards, was completed in 1973 and designed by Folco Nardi.

Its wide fairways wind be tween pine and jacaranda trees, providing a tranquil and picturesque environ ment in which to play the game.

Back in 1933 Norberto Goizueta discovered Gua dalmina, from his boat Serva La bari when the area was all agricultural land.

In 1959, after the comple tion of Guadalmina Sur, local farmers would ask him whether he was crazy. They could not under stand why he would seed, fertilise and irrigate the land, then mow it before his ‘crop’ had grown.

To which Goizueta replied: “It takes a lot of time to harvest a golf course.”

Next door the Argentinian-run cafe, Valeria Gourmet, has ev erything from light bites to de licious olive oils, superb wines and chocolates.

And, if you need to buy a home in the area, the team from Winkworth, one of the UK’s oldest established agencies, has chosen to set up here.

There is even a mortgage bro ker, Tancrede de Pola, to help you finance it, upstairs at the Finance Bureau.

DREAM BIG, PAY SMALL

THEY

say location is everything in property, so sitting be tween two of Marbella’s best golf clubs definitely takes some beating. Set in leafy hills, just five minutes from the coast, with both sea and mountain views, Villa Aire is most certainly a breath of fresh air. Even its street nameCalle Valle del Golf - says it all, with the well-appointed villa located slap bang between Aloha and Las Brisas courses. Equidistant from Marbella and San Pedro de Alcantara, you are just over a mile to the luxury harbour and fleshpots of Puerto Banus or the Golden Mile when you are ready to dip in. And best of all, this amazing five-bedroom, seven-bathroom villa will cost you just €788,688 in an inge nious fractional owner deal that guarantees you 44 nights a year in paradise.

The second amazing home in Spain from Amer ican tech company Pacaso, it counts on a pool, gymnasium, sauna, and games room. Care fully divided so each owner has their own pri vate space in the basement, Villa Aire owners have their own scheduling system that adapts to each owner’s preferences over time. Every owner is guaranteed access during high-sea son, at least twice, and can book multiple spe cial dates per year. They can book from just two days before or up to two years in advance, via the Pacaso app.

“Unlike a timeshare where you are paying for time, Pacaso is true property ownership”, explains European Communica tions Director Amy Musser. “In addition, you will only get a maximum of seven other owners, and many buy two shares each, meaning even less.”

And the Barcelona-based executive adds: “And if you want to sell, you can do after you've owned your Pacaso for one year

and even choose your price. And we use local agents to do the marketing and what we have seen over the last two years is a growth of between 10% to 15% in value.

“The average sale time is 10 days, and they often sell to other owners. In fact, the other owners have first refusal to buy.”

But the truth is, why would buyers want to sell? Villa Aire is a genuine oasis of calm, perfect for kicking back and relaxing in the Nueva Andalucia hills, with the soaring Sierra de las Nieves National Park as a backdrop.

Carefully landscaped, it counts on deep, subtropical foliage, creating a shady garden that immediately puts you at ease. As well as its own cascade, the swimming pool has stepping stones and a kid’s shallow area. A full BBQ set lies next to it, in an area of deep shade, perfect for midsummer. Up on the roof is the perfect place for catching the rays all day round with views that go on for miles.

Inside, little is left to the imagination, and it counts on its own underground cinema and games room, with a pool table, while guests have their own wine cellar area that can be compartmentalised. Upstairs it is all about light. Acres of glass that allows the wonderful local sunshine to flood in where wanted, while double height ceilings create a true sense of space.

Designed by local interior designer JA Flores, the team’s cre ative eye has put in neutral colour palettes throughout and numerous interesting flourishes, such as the outdoor roll top bath and shower off the main bedroom. The ground floor is largely open plan, with a stylish ethanol fireplace and big in door table for entertaining in winter.

Meanwhile, the kitchen is perfectly stocked, with every type of machine and implement you can imagine. “Everything you would expect from the very best AirBnB and more we have put in situ,” insists Amy.

Even better, the company has a team on the ground to ensure

arrival is like checking into a five-star hotel, with everything feeling ‘almost brand new’. The team sets out each stay de pending on who’s coming, so, as in the case of a recent trip, a family of Americans with no less than 11 kids was easily provided for.

“Some people will want a desk put in a bedroom to make an office, while others will want to make every space available to sleep in, including the basement,” adds Amy. “We know every owner and possibly every trip will be different. Our team are ready and set up for that.”

She is also quick to point out that with everyone very different, the probability is that they will all want to come at different times. “Take me, for example, I am much happier coming on holiday in Marbella in October than August.”

But nothing with Pacaso - pronounced ‘Pa-cah-soh’ - has been left to chance. Set up by a pair of American property tech en trepreneurs, they spent two years researching the Spanish market before buying their first properties in Marbella (a sec ond one is nearby) and in October of this year the company will celebrate its second anniversary.

“We are modernising the decades-old practice of co-owner ship by creating a marketplace that makes buying, owning, and selling a luxury second home easy,” continues Amy. The company started by covering the key holiday areas of the US, including Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, South Florida and the Rocky Mountains. It has since spread into London, where it has just bought its second home in Chelsea.

Pacaso is currently looking to expand into other markets in the countries where they currently operate and are consid ering destinations in France and Italy, where the company is currently detecting an increase in demand.

For more information contact europe@pacaso.com or call 936 073 712 and remember to mention the Olive Press

With properties in London’s Mayfair and America’s key luxury holiday destinations it was only a matter of time before Pacaso opened in Marbella, writes Jon Clarke

It counts on its own cinema and games room, with pool table

WW1732

BUENAS NOCHES, ESTEPONA €349,500 REF: WW688

three bedroom, two bathroom detached villa sits beautifully within its immaculate plot and is right next to the beach! The interior is light and spacious and the kitchen has been completely renovated.

exterior includes a pretty shaded patio and the roof top terrace

wonderful views of the

from where

ESTEPONA WEST €510,000

Renovated in 2021, this detached villa has all of the accommodation on one floor. The living/dining area has access to the covered terrace. The kitchen is fully fitted with modern units and there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The easily maintained garden features a private swimming pool and lovely BBQ area.

GUADALMINA ALTA €595,000 REF: WW1708

This light and bright townhouse is located in Guadalmina Alta and has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. The interior is extremely spacious, the living area leads to the terrace and private garden, the brand new kitchen is fully fitted and there is a guest WC. In addition, there is street parking with a carport and a lovely free form pool in the centre of the complex.

This traditional style villa has lots of character. The accommodation provides three bedrooms and three bathrooms, the living room is extremely cozy with its open fire and the kitchen has plenty of space for dining. The wonderful covered terrace provides plenty of space for entertaining and relaxing while enjoying the beautiful views of the 2,000m2 garden .

Occupying a double plot in desirable Guadalmina Alta, it is rare for a property of such quality to come to the market. This special family home has been fully renovated by the present owners and provides a stylish, comfortable home that lends itself beautifully to both inside and outside entertaining. With four double bedrooms and four bathrooms

simply must be seen.

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PAIRING FROM HEAVEN

When it comes to wining and dining there is plenty of pedigree in San Pedro Alcantara, writes Jon Clarke

AT over three decades old, the glass of Oloroso sherry is rich, smokey and immer sive. For 14 euros this gem from Jerez’s award-winning Bode gas Tradicion is possibly the best value escape from a bad day at work that you could possibly wish for.

And when served alongside a de licious dish of rabo de toro oxtail, as tender as any served up in Cor doba, this is a true pairing from heaven.

Garnering 98 points from Ameri can wine guru Robert Parker, it is

fittingly among the 50 top white wines in Spain. But this is some way down the list of the best wines on offer at Al berto’s remark able restaurant La Bodega del Cantinero , in San Pedro. “I’ve got every 100 point white wine from Park er,” insists the friendly restau rateur, who has been improving his offering at his locale for over two de cades now.

This is THE spot for sherry lovers and he has hundreds of them, many

going into the hundreds of euros, including a 1946 Pedro Ximenez and a 40-year-old Amontillado from Azuleta.

Increasingly though he is investing in other white wines from around Spain, including some from the north, as well as nearer to home from Montilla Moriles, in Cordoba. And besides the wine, the food keeps getting better with plenty of specials, including a delicious tartaki blue fin salad, ajo blanco and ultra fresh clams. This year he has added the most amazing thick creamy chocolate mousse, perfect for one of his range of pudding wines.

And you don’t have to go far if you fancy trying out someone else cre ative around these parts.

Right next door, across the road you must check out Savor , run by talented local chef Pablo Castillo.

Already recommended in the Rep sol guide, his food is creative and rich in the same mouthful.

A glorious mix of northern Span ish, Cuban and south American flavours make it one of the more original meals in the Marbella area.

A real livewire, Pablo, 46, has a notepad he jots down recipes ev ery day to try out, de pending on the ingre dients he can get.

He is also a genius when it comes to in ventive tapas, winning Marbella’s Best Tapas competition on more than one occasion.

His amazing Niguiri croquettes with wasabi and kimchi guacamo

le sauce are legendary, while his deli cious langoustines in orange juice, basil and yuzu sauce are well worthy of note.

“The pandemic was really tough but we continued to soldier away and try out new things,” ex plained Pablo, who trained with two-Michelin starred Ramon Freixa, before travel ling the world with the Melia group.

There are so many other great places to eat around San Pedro, from the new wine bar El Cid on the main drag up from the boulevard to the es tablished garden restaurant Casa Fernando and from the historic Albert & Simon , which once had a Michelin star, to stylish El Ancla , with its natural salt pool swimming pool on a headland by

There are so many great places to eat around San Pedro

IN HARMONY: 30 year-old Oloroso with oxtail at Cantinero

OLD SCHOOL: From Simon at Albert and Simon and sca llops at Casa Fernando to inventive tapas at G-Wine

the beach.

I also like G-Wine , recently set up on one of the main drags down to the beachfront, set up by Armenian busi nessman David and his partner, a Rus sian journalist/therapist.

It has an extraordinary list of tapas, 20plus, as well as almost as many starters and mains, with a real highlight being Boletus mushrooms on toast in sherry wine.

Heading down to the beach you will be spoilt for choice, but there is only one genuinely amazing place to eat… that of Macaao

This Belgian-run place, soon to un dertake a big renovation through the winter, is a surefire winner for comfort and quality. Owned by Michael Dhondt, who trained under French legend Alain Ducasse on the Cote d’Azur, it is under standably one of the best beach restau rants in Marbella.

OCTOBER’S San Pedro feria brings down the curtain on the Costa del Sol’s party season. It’s the last town on the coast to pay homage to its patron saint in a seven-month season of ferias.

With bumper cars, pop-up bars and a ferris wheel, it is a feast of family fun.

Throughout Saturday and Sunday afternoon, expect to see women of all ages and shapes parade around the streets in slinky Sevillana dresses, while the menfolk also dress to the nines.

There’ll be plenty of traditional horse drawn carriages and flamenco dancing.

After a week of revelry, a mass exodus of Sanpedreños make their way down to the town’s outskirts for one last hurrah on Sunday night.

From his humble kitchen in a San Pedro back street, it’s hard to imagine how Pablo Castillo (above) at Sabor can make such pretty and delicate dishes.

WINNERS: Alberto at Cantinero (below left) and Pablo at Sabor, while (main picture) Macaao.

of the judicial and academic year. It’s also when rent is normally paid, and new tenancies start for farms.”

He adds: “I love the fireworks and that everyone is out on the street in the bars.”

Harking back to the agricultural times, a popular event is the mass ‘migas’ cooking session on the Sunday daytime in the Rio Chico (dry riverbed).

The Alpujarras’ answer to a “great bake-off”, this event reflects how the traditional dish - based on fried bread, oil, water, and flourwas a staple food for shepherds. It was called “migas del pastor” because it can be prepared any where on the mountain, in a pan, and the high carbohydrate con tent provided energy for wander ing with goats on the steep terrain.

Although Orgiva feria is no longer a farming event, the Saturday morning features a ‘cintas’ race, where local equestrians at tempt to grab rib bons hanging from a rope as they gal lop underneath.

This year, the prizes for the skilled riders who grabbed the most ribbons were awarded by mayor,

Raul Orellana, who attended with his wife.

Nicholas Calland, who hails from New Zealand, and has recently re turned to Orgiva, said of the feria:

“I love the bumper cars, the spiny

rides, the work opportunities, the people with the party float vehi cles, the big stage stuff at night and when friends mount their own bars. I also love the fireworks and the rest of the noise. It’s great.”

ORGIVA SOUND

Orgiva has its own music album, ‘NOW That’s What I Call Orgiva’, available on Bandcamp, and showcasing the “creative under belly” of the multicultural town. Entirely the work of local artists, the 15 tracks are from diverse genres - encompassing folk, punk, drum and bass and reg gae. The album was released in Au gust and volume two is coming

soon. All pro ceeds from the album go to to the Refugee Com munity Kitchen (RCK), a charita ble organisation that provides meals to displaced people in northern Europe. www.sleepdogsound.band camp.com

FERIA FOOD: Plate of local delicacies

REGGAE RHYTHEMS: Wazifa playing in Pizza N Love restaurant

Fiery resistance

IT may seem curious, but a trib ute to legendary Irish Chieftain Red Hugh O'Donnell has been paid in the Spanish city of Vall adolid to mark the 420th anniver sary of his death.

Guests from Ireland and the US arrived for a weekend of events last month, commemorating O'Donnell's death, and unveiled a plaque to the Gaelic hero. These included a recreation of his funer al ‘with full honours’.

The Spanish city is known to be the final resting place of Red Hugh, who fled Ireland with oth er Irish lords in the famous Flight of the Earls after they and their Spanish allies were beaten by the English at the Battle of Kinsale.

On arriving in La Coruña, they were received with full honours by the Governor of Galicia and the Archbishop of Santiago, where an

By Dilip Kuner

Irish College was founded. There they plotted their return to Ireland to continue the Nine Years War against the English, who were tak ing over the country.

For this they needed the help of Spain, so Red Hugh travelled to Val ladolid to meet Philip III, who prom ised to organise a new invasion. After waiting for a year without hearing more, he decided to return to the city, but died on the journey, and, in 1602, was buried – tempo rarily – in Simancas Castle. Although for many years it was be lieved that he had been poisoned

RESPECTS: A plaque was unveiled to commemorate O’Donnell’s (pictured above) deathby Irishman James Blake on the orders of the English, it is now widely accepted that his death was due to a para site infection.

DIG: The search for Red Hugh’s remains continues

The story of 'Red Hugh' has huge impor tance for Spain and, specifi cally for Vall adolid. It is be

lieved he was reburied in the chapel grounds of the city’s vast Franciscan monastery. But when the monastery was levelled in 1836, the bones of Red Hugh were not found. However, the monastery covered a vast area and only part has been excavated. Now archeologists are searching for the skeleton of the eight-toed Irish rebel beneath a branch of Banco Santander in the city centre – and have been for the past two years. Several skeletons have been unearthed, but so far tests using DNA from his descen

dants haven’t produced a match for Red Hugh. The redhead rebel was born into the powerful O’Donnell dynasty in County Donegal and fought valiantly against the forces of Queen Eliz abeth I for control of his nation.

Aged just 15, Red Hugh was kidnapped by the English army and impris oned in Dublin Castle. His abduction

FAKE DOG SHELTERS

served as a warning to the O’Donnell clan: if you rebel against the English monarchy you will face the consequences.

But after five years of captivity, he escaped with help from a loyal friend of his father.

The journey home during a bleak Irish winter nearly cost the renegade his life. Red Hugh recovered from severe fatigue, but lost his two big toes to frostbite.

REMEMBERED: Red Hugh, the flame-haired Irish Chieftain, who fought the English before finding a final resting place in Spain

The chieftain was quick to begin invasions to reclaim Irish land

The chieftain was quick to begin invasions to reclaim the Irish land that had been comman deered by the English in his absence. Spain’s King Phillip III was keen to support the efforts of this catholic country in ridding itself of prot estants, and sent an armada to Kinsale. When the Spanish ships docked at County Cork, English troops attacked, killing hun dreds of men in a bloody battle, with Red Hugh and the other surviving Irish chief tains fleeing to Spain.

Legacy

After the 29-year-old warrior’s death and temporary burial, his body was exhumed and taken to the royal palace in Valladolid amidst pomp and ceremony. A four-wheeled hearse carried the corpse to its resting place,

and flaming torches in a show of admiration and respect.

King Philip honoured Red Hugh with a spe cial burial in the Chapel of Wonders at the Monastery of St Francis where explorer Christopher Columbus would be buried (for a while) a century later. His death marked the end of the Spanish plan to invade Ireland. Al though the plan may have been for gotten, Red Hugh never was, neither in Ireland nor in Spain.

Sadness and reflection

IFEEL

that it is appropriate to speak about Queen Elizabeth instead of insurance this month.

I have been overwhelmed by the reaction of people in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England.

As we know the Queen loved Balmoral, where she has spent many happy days growing up and having her family there, with no press around to disturb the joy. It was so appropriate that her last request was to go to Balmoral.

I believe the Queen knew she didn’t have much time left and she wanted to die in one of her favourite places. How proud and sad the Scots were and they gave her a very dignified and loving goodbye.

Then she was returned to London and I think the Royal Air Force handled her return with great respect and dignity. It was the start of the enormous part the Services played in her funeral.

On the day of the funeral, everything was extraordinary and beautiful. The organisation and planning behind it all was very professional and sensitive. From family and friends, dig nitaries and politicians and both the British and worldwide public, everyone was able to say goodbye to such a wonder ful Queen, who had been part of our lives for so long.

I have nothing but admiration for King Charles. He managed to do his duty and what was expected of him, although his grief was etched on his face and with Camilla by his side he was able to carry out all the duties expected of him.

His sister, Princess Anne was just amazing - she never left her mothers’ side, wherever the Queen went, she was there.

I wonder if the Queen realised how much she was loved by both her family and by so many millions of people through out the world. The British people pulled together in their grief to give the Queen the send-off she deserved and also to wel come the new King and the beginning of another era.

I personally feel that King Charles, who has been preparing for years, will make an excellent King and gives us hope for the future.

The wave of emotion from the people of Scotland, England, Wales and Northen Ireland has been overwhelming

Jennifer:

Valladolid hosted a reconstruction of the hero’s funeral procession

FIRST RESTING PLACE: Red Hugh’s body was initially taken to Simancas castle, while (below) a statue to the Gaelic hero in his homeland

Fruitful figures

MALAGA exports reached €1.636 bil lion in the first seven months of 2022 - a new record.

Between the start of January and end of July, exports in the province have in creased by 17.6% over the same period of 2021.

July saw a 30% in crease in the value of exports to €247 mil lion. Malaga is the province with the most export ing companies in An dalucia based mainly on the food and ag riculture, industrial, and consumer prod ucts sectors.

REMOTE HOPE

Spain plans digital nomad visa to attract remote workers

SPAIN is planning to is sue ‘digital nomad’ visas to British citizens and foreigners outside the EU who wish to work remotely while enjoying the coun try’s summery weather.

However, it will not be as straightforward as simply turning up and starting to work.

The visa will only be giv en to people who work remotely for companies outside Spain and who de rive a maximum of 20% of their income from Spanish firms.

If, as is expected, the law is passed, it will allow digital

By Jorge Hinojosa

nomads to stay in Spain for up to a year. This would be extendable to five years. Applicants to the scheme must be able to show ev idence that they have al ready been working re motely for at least a year before they move to Spain. They must also be able to show a contract of employ ment from a company out side Spain, or, if freelanc ing, have been regularly employed by a company outside the country.

Evidence of sufficient

THE average cost of a basket of gro ceries has risen 15% in Spain, the highest increase seen in 34 years.

The hikes are most notable among the cheapest lines of products and own brands, which have gone up 16%.

A study from the OCU points out, this will have a major impact on lower-in come households.

The chains Dia and Mercadona are at the top of the list when it comes to price rises, with an increase of 16% in the last year.

The cheapest chains are, according to

funds to live (probably around €2,000 a month) and proof of an address in Spain will also be needed. It is unclear whether they

Food costs soar

the study, Tifer, Dani, Family Cash, Alcampo and Supeco, while Sánchez Romero, Ulabox, Novavenda and Am azon are the priciest. Vigo is the cheapest city for food shop ping, along with Ciudad Real in Castil la la Mancha. The most expensive cit ies are Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, the Madrid satellite city of Alcoben das, Girona and the Spanish capital itself.

will need to have private medical cover. On the oth er hand, they will be taxed at just 15% of income.

Successful applicants will be able to bring their close family such as spouses and children.

Nomads

Spain will join 15 other Eu ropean countries that al ready offer digital nomad visas - but each country has its own set of condi tions.

For example, Greece offers residency of one to three years for digital nomads with a monthly income of at least €3,500.

Ramping up

RYANAIR has announced that it will boost by 17% the number of flights scheduled from Malaga this winter.

It is expected that more than Two million passengers will be boarding a Ryanair flight from the city. The low-cost airline has also invested in eight new planes based at Malaga’s airport, three of which are the new Boeing 737 'Gamechanger' version.

Boost

Ryanair's manager for Spain and Portugal, Elena Cabrera, said that these three planes will be able to transport 4% more passengers, reduce fuel consumption by 16% per seat and reduce the noise level by 40%.

Cabrera explained that having more flights in Malaga would contribute positively to Mal aga's economy and this sum mer has been ‘amazing’ for the Spanish tourist industry.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Economic data is fairly thin through the first week of October, so headlines around the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the volatility in UK markets could drive most movement in the pound euro pair.

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AFTER

stumbling through the second half of September, the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate then collapsed at the end of the month following the UK government’s mini-budget. Over the last two weeks, GBP/EUR slumped from €1.156 to a two-year low of €1.087, before recovering some losses and wavering at around €1.118.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

After slipping to a 17-month low in mid-September following a larg er-than-forecast slump in UK retail sales, the pound euro exchange rate started to inch higher once again.

Expectations of a 75-bp interest rate rise from the Bank of England (BoE) gave Sterling some support, although thin trading conditions due to a lack of data and the Queen’s funeral meant GBP movement was limited.

Meanwhile, the single currency came under pressure as Russia es calated its invasion of Ukraine. Four Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine announced plans to hold referenda on joining the Russian Federation, then Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation and threatened the use of nuclear weapons.

The pound’s upside was stopped short as the BoE opted for a halfpoint hike, rather than the three-quarter-point move markets had been expecting.

The following day, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled his ‘mini-bud get’, announcing £45bn in unfunded tax cuts – the biggest tax-cutting event in 50 years. The prospect of unmanageable levels of govern ment debt, rampant inflation and soaring interest rates sent UK mar kets into meltdown, with GBP/EUR plummeting to a 19-month low. Sterling briefly hit a two-year low against the single currency – and an all-time low against the US dollar – on the last Monday of September before recovering some ground amid speculation of an emergency rate rise from the BoE.

The pair then wavered in this region through much of the last week of September, with Sterling exhibiting bouts of volatility. While the BoE did not enact an unscheduled rate rise, it did step in with an emer gency bond-buying programme to staunch the sell-off in government bonds, helping the Pound recoup some losses.

In addition, growing tensions between Russia and the West main tained pressure on the euro, thereby supporting GBP/EUR. However, Sterling remained weak.

Whether the Bank of England’s intervention in financial markets is enough to bring about stability remains to be seen. If the bank’s plans fail to alleviate concerns, it may be forced to act again, perhaps with an emergency rate hike, although there is very little appetite for this at Threadneedle Street.

Investors will be keeping a close eye on any rumours or announce ments from both the Treasury and the BoE. The outlook remains in credibly uncertain, meaning there’s a high risk of volatility in the pound.

At the same time, if the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate then the euro may face more headwinds. A renewed Russian offen sive, further sanctions, or signs that the conflict is spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders could all spell trouble for the single currency.

As we approach the middle of October, some high-impact UK data could prompt GBP/EUR movement. Traders will be watching the lat est labour market and GDP reports closely. Any more signs that the UK economy is faltering will likely add to the intense pressure on the pound.

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 four-cent gap between €1.15 and €1.11 translates to an €8,000 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 ac count 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.

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BUYING VOT

AS elections approach some of Spain’s re gions are committing to slashing taxes, a move that has the central government on high alert.

The year 2023 will see elec tions in regions including Murcia, Madrid and Valen cia. As the polls near, some of Spain’s politicians are re sorting to a tried and tested

As elections loom, regional governments are cutting taxes

EXPLAINED by Simon Hunter

policy aimed at improving their popularity: announcing tax cuts.

Under the Spanish system, the central government sets some taxes, while others, such as wealth tax or inher itance tax, are set by the regions.

Last month, the regional premier in Andalucia, Juan Manuel Moreno of the con servative Popular Party (PP), announced the scrapping of wealth tax, or impuesto de patrimonio

The aim, he explained, was to encourage high earners to fix their place of resi dence in the region in order to boost tax revenues.

Since then, a number of other politicians have made similar moves.

Wealth tax is paid by any one with assets in excess of €700,000, and that in cludes anything from prop erty and artworks, to jewels and stocks.

According to Spanish daily El País , some 16,785 people were liable for the wealth tax in 2020, the last year for which there are figures from the Tax Agency.

In 2020, the tax brought in more than €93 million for the region’s coffers.

According to government sources, just 0.2% of Anda lus cians will benefit from this move.

They will be on average €5,800 better off each year.

The average wealth of peo ple in this bracket in Andalu cía is €2.74 million, accord ing to Tax Agency figures.

The Murcia regional govern ment has approved a reduc tion of 4.1% on the first four income tax (IRPF) rates, affecting those who earn up to €60,000.

The measure had been an nounced by the PP region al premier, Fernando López Miras, and will be applied to 2022 tax returns.

The move is expected to benefit 330,000 taxpayers, saving them a total of €8

million.

The regional government is also considering getting rid of the wealth tax.

Only Madrid, which has been governed by the PP for more than 25 years, had got rid of wealth tax, cost ing the region some €53 bil lion in the last 20 years.

But PP poli ticians claim that tax ad vantages have seen the region become a mag net for wealthy residents and large firms.

Madrid is also going to re duce IRPF in line with infla tion, as will Andalucía.

Until now, the politicians an nouncing tax cuts had been from the conservative Popu lar Party.

However, the leader of the Valencian Socialist Party, Ximo Puig, has also just an nounced a reduction in IRPF (income tax) for those who earn up to €60,000.

Puig is the regional premier of Valencia, and governs in coalition with the leftist parties Compromís and Un ides Podem (the Valencian branch of Unidas Podemos).

The plan is for the tax cut to be retroactive, and thus applied to 2022 tax returns.

It will save taxpayers an av erage of €111 a year.

Puig made clear today that the measure would combat inflation and benefit “work ers and the middle class”.

He also pointed out that the region would not make any changes to wealth tax.

The Socialist Party-led cen tral administration has crit icised the tax-cutting moves by the PP, calling them ‘fis cal populism’.

Race

“There are those who are embarking on a complete ly destructive race to the bottom, which starts with the elimination of taxes on large fortunes,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Econom ic Affairs Minister Nadia Calviño.

The plans in Valencia have also pitted the government against a member of its own party. In response, Ximo Puig has called for unity. For now, the central govern ment is refusing to lower taxes in its upcoming bud get for 2023.

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ANDALUCIA PRESIDENT: Juan Manuel Moreno

MERCIA PRESIDENT: Fernando López Miras

VALENCIA PRESIDENT: Ximo Puig

DEPUTY PM: Nadia Calviño

Tax advantages have become a magnet for wealthy residents

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Busier than ever

NEARLY 125,000 trav ellers and more than 315,000 overnight stays were recorded in August in Malaga City.

In 2019, before the pandemic, data for the month showed 139,888 visitors who generat ed 302,553 overnight stays, meaning, for ho tels at least, the market has now fully recovered from Covid-19.

Additionally, the aver age stay has increased from 2.16 days in 2019 to 2.53 days in August this year.

Councillor for Tourism, Jacobo Florido, called the figures ‘very good news for the destina tion’.

Families hit in pocket by soaring air fares

FLIGHT prices for the UK’s upcoming autumn half-term school holiday are 42% more expensive than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.

Consumers’ organisation Which? reports that the average cost of a one-way ticket at half term for six popular destinations was £212 this year compared to £150 in 2019.

Rising fuel costs, pentup demand and passen ger caps at airports are all contributing factors to this rise.

Of the six destinations an alysed, three are in Spain:

Smooth sailing

THE Port of Malaga is looking forward to a busy autumn, with 113 passenger ships expected to dock in the city.

According to data from the port’s official website, October will see 55 cruise calls to the capital of the Costa del Sol and an other 49 in November. The port authority expects to close the year with a total of 267 cruise calls, just 21 calls shy of pre-pan demic figures when 288 cruise ships ar rived in 2019.

But the number of tourists on passenger ships since January have been fewer than those of 2019 due to capacity restrictions.

SKY HIGH

By Simon Hunter

Alicante, Malaga and Tenerife. The remainder were Antalya, Dubai and Dublin. The departure air ports were England’s bus iest: Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Lu ton and Birmingham. The study found that the Heathrow to Tenerife route had experienced the big gest ticket hike, with an average extra cost of £262 per passenger per flight compared to pre-pandem ic days, meaning an extra £2,096 spent for a family of four.

Meanwhile, Heathrow to Malaga flights had risen from £193 to £282, which

Calling Malaga

THE cruise sector is going from strength to strength post pandem ic with an ever growing number of stopovers to the Port of Malaga. The increase in calls is headed by the shipping company MSC Cruises - the third largest in the world among cruise companieswhich has just announced it will increase its sailings to Malaga by 31% next year, meaning that its fleet will visit the city 38 times in 2023, 50% more than in 2019.

is a hike of 216% in just three years. Which? also found that those who booked their half-term flights six months in advance paid an average of £60 less each way com pared to those who booked three months before, which translates into savings of £480 for a family of four.

Rights

The consumer champion is calling for passenger rights to be upheld and enforced in this context of higher prices, and wants to see the Civil Aviation Authority to be given powers to impose heavy fines on operators when they break the rules.

Frosty report

THE Sierra Nevada ski sta tion in Granada has reported its first snowfall of the sea son.

With two months to go be fore the official ski season kicks-off, the Sierra Neva da summit has been dusted with a fine layer of white snow.

Sierra Nevada is expected to be the first ski resort in the Iberian Peninsula to open this season, followed by Baqueira Beret in the Pyre nees and from December on wards the Andorran resorts.

Slopes

The Granada resort has set Friday, November 25, as the date to open its slopes and lifts. The ski season will run until April 23, 2023 and will see the inauguration of 105 brand-new snow cannons, meaning snow conditions will be optimal all winter. One day later, Baqueira Be ret, one of the most popular and ski resorts in Spain, is set to open in the Val de Aran area of Catalunya.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

THE BEST CHEFS IN THE

WHEN the annual list for the top 100 chefs in the world came out last month, it made for proud reading for Spain.

There were an incredible four Span ish cooks in the global Top 10, while seven made it into the Top 20.

That Madrid’s culinary genius Dabiz Munoz had won for his second year was less surprising for me than the sheer number of lesser known chefs who made the Top100 of the Best Chef poll.

For this year, there are actually 19 chefs spread over 16 amazing Span ish restaurants, easily battering Italy and France into second and third po sition with 15 and 10 chefs apiece.

Chosen by 150 professionals around the world, including food critics, the Best Chef positioning is later voted by 200 global chefs, making it a genu ine industry award.

It is serious stuff and it is not hard to see how well Spain has progressed since the list first came out in 2017.

Back then, while Catalan Joan Roca was top, Spain had just seven chefs in the list, while France had 23 and Italy 17 entries.

Talk about tables turning in just six years, it will have Les Frogsaleisse choking in their boeuf bourguignon.

And it’s not just this global list to note the remarkable changes, with other prestigious titles, such as Restaurant maga zine’s World’s 50 Best list, which has three Spanish joints in the Top 10 as it has for the last decade.

But take the famous French food bible, the Mi chelin guide. itself. Today there are 228 restau rants with a Michelin star in Spain (11 with the maximum of three stars), while in 2013 there were just 148 (seven get ting the maximum rating).

While this is less stars than in Italy, Japan - and of course France itself - the growth has been extraordinary and shows considerable progress for a country that the French traditional ly look down their noses at.

Indeed, when I published my own restaurant book, Dining Secrets of Andalucia, a decade ago, the Miche lin guide was taking so little interest in Spain’s largest region that it al legedly only had one inspector here… the same person also in charge of running a rule over next door Ex tremadura.

I was so amazed at all the ex cellent places the famous red guide missed on my work trips around the region with the Olive Press British nationals, I felt they warranted their own book to promote them. In total, I had 100 references in that book, spread across the eight prov inces, of which perhaps only a quarter even got a cursory men tion in the Michelin guide.

What I was clearly notic ing back then was how much an Iberi an gourmet revo lution was rapidly spreading around the south.

Nobody had ever ques tioned that the Basque region or Catalunya

had excellent chefs and creativity, much of it assumed to be due to their closeness to France. The resort of San Sebastian had long been a fa mous place for a food pilgrimage and its record-breaking concentration of Michelin stars is globally recognised. But what was much less known was how well you could also eat in places like Ronda, Sevilla and Marbella, or Valencia, Toledo and Cadiz. There were literally dozens of cre ative places popping up each year in the big southern cities, most of them well under the radar.

I felt it was the job of local papers like the Olive Press to champion these new places and to be at the vanguard of the bustling new foodie scenes that were sparking up in little known gems like Vejer de la Frontera, the Aracena region, in Huelva, or the Cabo de Gata park, in Almeria. What I kept continually noticing was how many local chefs had returned to their hometowns after going off to learn their trade up north and often around the world. They kept mentioning chefs like Mar tin Berasategui and Ferran Adria… and not only were they coming back with numerous culinary skills, but they were arriving to find the produce in southern Spain was among the best in Europe. Aside from the legendary vegetables and

fruits, including mangoes and avo cados, the pork from around Jabugo, the Retinto beef on the Costa de la Luz and the fish from around Bar bate, Denia, Murcia, Sanlucar and Motril was staggeringly good. And then there was the rice from around Valencia, the saffron from inland and the wild mushrooms from the many varied sierras. They only had to head to their local markets at the crack of dawn to get their share.

But the real key to all this, I believe, were the foundations put in place throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. This was when Spain’s culinary standing started to come of age, get ting past the hedonistic Movida stage of partying and excess that came af ter the death of Franco.

FAMOUS FIVE

It was, naturally, up in the north, mostly centred around San Sebastian and Catalunya that the ripples began, founded on the shoulders of five key chefs, the aforementioned Berasate gui and Adria, as well as Joan Roca, Pedro Subijana and Juan Mari Arzak. This famous five of Spanish chefs has had so much influence on the coun try’s cuisine - and trained hundreds of brilliant chefs - that they deserve to be knighted today.

Each of them bold, creative men, what also marks them out is how much effort they put into training their staff.

One classic example is the success Malaga chef Jose Carlos Garcia has had since serving an internship at Joan Roca’s three Michelin star Celler de Can Roca two decades ago.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary at his eponymous, starred restaurant last week, Roca cooked with his former pupil, before expressing his ‘pride’ at how well he has done.

Another talented protege is Beni to Gomez at Ronda’s extraordinary two Michelin star Bardal restaurant. When I first met him he was cooking at Ferran Adria’s El Bulli sister restau rant at Finca Benazuza near Sevilla, pulling out a remarkable 25-course tasting menu twice a day. It was the best meal I have ever eaten (aside from the mastery of Dabiz Munoz at Ma drid’s Diverxo a few years back) and Benito gives so much respect to the inspiration he got from his teacher Adria who ‘blew away the es tablishment’.

Adria himself gave a glowing tribute to the new phalanx of chefs ‘doing amazing things’ in Andalucia, six years ago. Speaking to me at an event at Marbella’s Puente Roma no hotel, the Catalan revealed how much he loved travelling south since things had improved.

“The region really is

extraordinary now and just keeps get ting better,” he told the Olive Press.

“There are at least five or six really amazing restaurants that did not ex ist here a decade ago and creativity is very much at the fore.”

Subijana (of Akelarre restaurant) is another chef who raved about the rapid improvements around the south of the country when I interviewed him in 2014. An incredibly generous and nurturing man, he didn’t stop stress ing the importance of teaching and is known to give an enormous amount of time to young chefs.

Meanwhile, San Sebastian’s Ber asategui, who has a record 12 Mi chelin stars globally, has sent out dozens of top chefs to cook around Spain. These include Eneko Atxa, whose own restaurant Azurmendi sits in the Top 20 of both the world’s top restaurant lists.

Last, but not least, Juan Mari Arzak, of ten described as the ‘godfather of Spanish cuisine’ is credited with creating a creative trend in Spanish cuisine which took on a head of steam when he set up the Basque-based Euro-toques net work alongside Subijana in 1986.

FOOD TOURISM

One final point worthy of note is the importance in the growth of gourmet tourism over the last few decades with the industry predicted to grow by 16% to €1.8 trillion globally by 2027.

The World Food Travel As sociation estimates that visitors spend approx imately 25% of their travel budget on food and drinks and the figure can get as high as 35% in upmarket des tinations. With Spain coming second only to Italy with the largest number of culi

Explained: Why is Spain consistently battering Italy, Japan and even France into a pulp in the restaurant stakes? Great ingredients and the ‘famous five’, writes Olive Press editor Jon Clarke (below)

€1.8 trillion... the value of the global gourmet tourist market

Dozens of creative places pop up each year in the big southern cities

LISTEN UP: Ferran Adria tells Jon why Spain’s chefs have reached the top

FAMOUS FIVE: From left, Ferran Adria, Joan Roca, Mar tin Berasategui, Pedro Subijana and Juan Mari Arzak

GENIUS: Madrid’s Diverxo chef Dabiz Munoz has snared the number one slot for the second year in a row

Time to

The school with an open, welcoming and child-centred approach

SHINE is a British primary school based in Mijas that offers unique and forward-thinking learning expe riences.

This is a safe space where your child’s cu riosity and excitement will be encouraged with carefully designed projects which are themed around global and interesting top ics within The International Primary Curric ulum.

What makes SHINE stand out is its open, welcoming, and personal approach toward each individual student’s learning, helping them to grow up to be this generation’s bright future.

The school approaches the English Nation al Curriculum with creativity, focusing on project-based learning, crafted

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SHINE is not a tra ditional primary school in either its approach or its envi ronment. Current education al thinking is at the heart of the SHINE team’s work, and they acknowledge the importance of thinking outside the box and remaining mindful of the im pact the education al experiences they provide will have on

your children.

As well as stretching children academi cally, they pave the way towards personal growth, self-esteem and confidence as well as towards becoming contributing mem bers of our international community. Family, whatever its size or shape, is of huge importance at SHINE

Guidance

The staff work alongside parents, always listening and providing guidance where appropriate, to ensure the highest quality experiences for all the children and their families.

The SHINE team is extremely proud of the work they do and the happiest of their children and would be delighted to invite you to visit and experience a true SHINE welcome.

Reach Higher, See Further, Shine Brighter

Shine International Academy is a new and inclusive British primary school offering

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SMALL CLASS SIZES EXCEPTIONAL TEACHING CHILD CENTERED APPROACH

ACCEPTING ENROLLMENT

TRAGIC TOLL

Heart attacks increase 15% in Spain since Covid-19 pandemic

CARDIOVASCULAR deaths have increased by 15% in Spain since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Comprehensive Heart Dis ease Plan for Andalucia di rector Rafael Hidalgo said

Mandatory Spanish driving license

By Anthony Piovesan

the rise came down to a re laxation of healthy habits, difficulties with mobility and patients’ fear of doctors.

“The abandonment of healthy habits, a sedentary lifestyle, the fear of going to the doctor due to infections may have something to do with it and now is when it must be tackled,” he told De spierta Andalucia.

There are 15,000 heart at tacks a year in Andalucia and 100,000 throughout Spain.

Heat-Care

September 29 marked World Health Day and Dr Hidalgo urged people to get

THE Junta’s health service, Salud Responde, has made more than 38,000 calls to vulnerable individuals at high risk of suffering heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

regular checkups and look out for symptoms.

“Our goal is to address risk factors, to early detection, diagnosis and treatment to improve cardiovascular health and therefore the mortality of the entire popu lation,” he said.

Identify

NEW

regulations governing the manda tory issue of Spanish drivers license for British citizens is an issue that’s caus ing concern for some of our English expatriate customers.

Our Legal Assistance service will keep you fully updated on all the latest news and pro vide details on driving schools closest to your home, where you can prepare for the exam in English, consult the registration fees and raise any questions you may have.

In this article we’ll explain the regulations and procedures that you’ll have to follow, and the possible sanctions for non-compliance. If you need more information or you’d like to speak to our Legal Assistance team, please call 919 180 022 and we’ll be happy to assist and advise you.

AUTOMATIC LICENSE EXPIRY AFTER APRIL 30, 2022

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 autho rized to drive in Spain until April 3O, 2022, and

are now not valid. All existing agreements on highway regulations that protect the Member States of the European Union have ceased to be valid and applicable. However, those British drivers who do not have their main residence in Spain and travel for periods of less than six months (tourist type), may continue to drive in Spain, during that period, with their original permit.

ENGLISH FOR SPANISH LICENCE SWAP

Residents with a British driving licence, had until December 31, 2020 to swap and redeem theirs for a Spanish licence. Consequently, they must now obtain a new Spanish driving licence from scratch, submitting to the require ments and tests established in Spain for ob taining said.

Rapid recognition and preventative care are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. For this reason Salud Responde put in motion a service, run between May 23 and September 15, with the aim of aiding the population at risk due to extreme heat in order to exercise individualised control over their health status.

KIM CLARK

“When in doubt as to wheth er or not it is a heart attack, I recommend that families go to hospital or call 061 with a series of questions to identi fy the problem.”

The Virgen Macarena Hos pital in Sevilla this year pi loted a cardiovascular pre vention consultation pro gram, designed to carry out early detection of severe dys lipidemia, a condition that involves unhealthy levels of fat in the blood.

Dr Hidalgo is part of the program’s specialist team who monitor the hearts of high-risk patients, a com puter algorithm then sends an email to the email ad dress of the laboratory with an assessment.

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

BE

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DENTAL CLINIC HAS CHANGED

NAME

STILL OPERATE AS USUAL,

MARK´S

ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL OF OUR PATIENTS WHO HAVE VISITED MARK DENTAL CLINIC

LOOK FORWARD TO MANY YEARS TO COME WITH AAURA DENTAL.

Bedrock ambassador

THE caves of Nerja are so popular that the local tourism board have given them the title of ‘Tourism Ambassador 2022’.

Refuse corrector

A MADRID resi dent has been fined €2,001 for leaving a cardboard box next to the bins in a City Hall crackdown on ‘littering’.

Plane daft

CLUELESS Saz Ismail has launched a Go Fund Me appeal after getting stranded on Ibiza when he first missed his flight, then booked a second from the wrong island and finally bought a ticket to the wrong UK airport.

Storm in a paella pan

Spanish police dub Tesco sandwich a ‘health hazard’

SPAIN’S Guardia Civil have waded into a row over UK retailer Tesco’s paella sand wich.

Perhaps still smarting from celebrity chef Jamie Oli ver’s definitely not pucker recipe for the rice dish that included chorizo sausage, to the outrage of many ‘afi cionados’, the police are not impressed with the culinary innovation.

By Jorge Hinojosa

“Today is world paella day, so we need to celebrate with real paella, not with those paellas that are sold abroad,” wrote the Guardia Civil on its Twit ter account.

“The paella sandwich for some people is something amazing, but for others it is disgusting and could be a

Splashdown

health hazard,” it insisted. Some Spaniards living in the UK are also ‘surprised’ and

A SPANISH Boeing cargo plane, has crash-landed into a lake near Mont pellier airport in southern France

The plane overshot the runway and nosedived into a lake, leading to three people being rescued from the aircraft.

According to Flightradar24 data, the plane was travelling a very fast 160 knots when it landed and was unable to stop in time to avoid the end of the runway.

can't believe that there is a paella sandwich.

Carla Cano, 23, current ly working as an events assistant in London, told the Ol ive Press: “I imagine my self having a paella in

front of the beach in Spain, not on my way to work in Ox ford street.”

Judge Rude-y Stingy

A MAN due to stand trial for ‘exhibitionism’ was turned away from court when he arrived totally naked.

Alejandro Colomar, 29, was due to appeal a fine handed to him for walking around Valencia without a stitch on except for a pair of boots.

But when he tried to enter the court, cops refused him entry and told him that if he did not put on his clothes, he would get another fine. “I have been to nudist beaches since I was little and I have never had any problem with nudity. One day I discovered that it was legal to be naked and I started to do it,” said Colo mar.

And plenty of Spaniards have taken the news extremely seriously. One Spaniard on Twitter thundered: “This is an insult and a lack of respect for a Spanish dish, for the community in Spain, for all Valencians.”

To make matters worse, the sandwich follows Jamie’s ad vice and includes the dreaded chorizo.

A WOMAN who drove the wrong way down a motorway for seven kilometres because she was too mean to pay a toll now faces a hefty fine instead. Police were called by staff on the R3 in Madrid to tell them a car had turned around when it arrived at the tollbooth and was driving against oncoming traffic.

The woman told officers that she was trying to avoid the toll.