PRETTY AS A PICTURE A Javea ll about
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ARIA is one of few who can trace her local residents roots directly to the sea. Her father’s Javea was a place where its now celebrated southern Cabo de coves could barely be reached by It’s an incrediblela Nao headland. trails carved out donkey, down precipitous ‘Spain’s best’, and spot, regularly dubbed by centuries of fishermen’s has featured in Hollywood feet. films, like the Cold recently named Light of Day, “My family still owns Bruce Willis and Mediterranean’s Barraca cove as one of the If just two fishing huts Sigourney Weaver. starring ‘most Instagrammed on Cala Barraca,” 50 years ago Javea down A tarmac But despite the big spots’. (spelt road now snakes credible privilege Maria tells me. “It’s an in- cliff down dramatic lenciano) was connected to the Xabia in Va- lucky to have missedseasonal influx, Javea is to have them, only sides to the pebbly rest of Spain by dirt roads, the mass days we tend to share our Sunday paellathese award-winning villas like beach as it passes discovered. it’s a gem the world has quickly of Benidorm some 40km to the development the world.” Casa de la Sardinwith era that was south. Its town hall has been voted to have Javea’s 29,000 relatively strict on Once a remote beach, planConde Nast Traveler tial pool in Europe’ and soldthe ‘best residen- eign-born) swellspopulation (half of them for- ning and restrictions prohibit anything than for €4.9 million back in 2017. higher attracted by its to over 100,000 in summer town a palm tree, while the atmospheric has been almost old Playa Granadella collection of beaches like completely untouched – on the farside of Javea’s
Home to the most expensive streets Spain, Javea’s rugged in eastern beauty holds enough jewels to share all hidden round, writes Joshua Parfitt
Continues on Page
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UKRAINE CRISIS SPECIAL FOCUS
Chateau Putin EXCLUSIVE: Despite Spain declaring there are no oligarchs owning here, the Olive Press can reveal at least one - ‘a genuine fortress with at least 10 security guards’ with intriguingly close links to the Russian dictator
IT is known as the Rock of the King (or Roca del Rey), a giant 2000m square palace with a private vineyard, helicopter pad and a dozen bedrooms in the hills above Marbella. One of southern Spain’s most expensive mansions, it also boasts a vineyard, bowling alley, mini golf course and, perhaps predictably, a ‘shooting range’. But it is what is under the ground that should be of considerably more concern to the authorities. The Olive Press can reveal that the Russian-owned mega-mansion near Marbella has no less than three basements and numerous tunnels dug into the hills overlooking the strategic Straits of Gibraltar. As well as a giant wine cellar with
Open every day Closed Monday
By Jon Clarke & Jorge Hinojosa
its own separate champagne room filled with vintage bottles - a classic hallmark of President Putin - it also counts a ‘high-tech panic room’ and a ‘control room, full of screens and buttons’. There are two guard stations ‘with at least 10 guards’, a satellite facility and ‘an underground monitoring device pointing towards the straits’, one source told the Olive Press. While officially it is impossible to know who really owns the property in Spain’s most expensive private enclave, La Zagaleta, in Benahavis, various Olive Press sources say they are certain that Putin is the main
reservas:
963 51 49 94
PALATIAL: Putin mansion facing Gibraltar with armed guards and underground bunkers, and panic room
investor. “He has definitely visited a number of times, when security is incredibly high,” revealed one.
“Zagaleta already has among the best security in Europe, but when Putin is visiting, there is a whole extra level and you can’t get near the house.” More alarmingly, a high-ranking Ukranian resident in Spain, knows a number of people currently working in the property and claims it has armed guards. “They carry guns and I also know that a number of drones have been shot down from the sky by them,” she explained. AERIAL VIEW: Claims of security and guard details She continued: “When you arrive it is like an airport. You are carefully searched and you have a sticker put on your phone so you can’t take pictures. The guards will also know if it has been removed or altered in any way. Everybody is watched all the time.”
Tel: 952 147 834
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Insisting she must remain anonymous for fear of attack by the Russian secret service, she added: “It’s definitely Putin’s house and I know all about its size and luxuries, the place is literally dripping with gold.” And she added: “It is certainly not the only house that Putin has in Spain and he owns others with partners, with at least one in the Alicante province.” The Ukranian woman, who is now in close touch with the Spanish authorities, added the government should be investigating them and ‘they should be sanctioned at a European level as soon as possible’. The Olive Press has been reporting on the property in question since 2012, when we revealed exContinues on Page 2
2
CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Heavy petting OVER 3,500 kilos of medical aid has been sent by 38 animal charities to needy pets in Ukraine, with a van of three volunteers setting off for Poland from El Campello on Tuesday.
Green lit ALICANTE’S Central Market building will replace its lights with energy-efficient bulbs and upgrade the escalators as part of a four-month revamp costing €500,000.
Fast track THE average waiting times for hospitals in the Valencia region have dropped by 55 days over a year with last month’s waiting list standing at 95 days compared to 150 days in February 2021.
Liquidity L’ALFAS DEL PI council has asked for a €4 million injection to reduce flooding at l’Albir beach by rewilding 103,000 square-metres of forest.
ONE of three Alicante mayors who queuejumped to get an unauthorised Covid-19 vaccine has resigned. Ximo Coll quit as El Verger mayor after losing the support of his fellow PSOE councillors. He had been suspended by his party and resigned to 'guarantee governance' and give 'stability' to the municipality. He and his wife, Els Poblets mayor Carolina
Mayor quits Vives, were among the first people to get vaccinated in January, 2021. At the time the vaccines were being rolled out strictly linked to age bands. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor charged them with misusing their positions as mayors.
SEX CULT CLAMPDOWN
AN evil sex gang that abused children and adults has been rounded up in Castellon. So far nine people - including five women - have been arrested in the clampdown on an isolated farm, near the village of Vistabella del Maestrazgo. At least a dozen victims have been freed, including two children aged eight and 13.
Five women among those arrested in ‘spiritual’ gang that abused kids in Valencia
March 24th - April 6th 2022
Armed guards at hilltop fortress From front
PALS: Putin and Potanin, and (below) our first front page on the villa
clusively that Putin was part of a sixman Russian consortium behind the mansion. The very epitome of extravagance, the villa cost €19 million and sits on an 18,000 m2 plot, with two swimming pools, a cinema and a gym, as well as a 22-car garage. A known Hispanophile, Putin regularly visited Spain 37 times in the 1990s alone, according to a book, using false documents.
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Brit in giant scam gang A BRITISH expat, 26, is among seven men arrested over a massive internet fraud that netted around €2 million through loans and purchases. The Valencian-based conmen have been detained over 353 crimes, while 11 colleagues are still being probed. Victims were lured into giving personal details on a fake real estate site with promises of cut-price rental accommodation. These were then used to apply for loans in the victims’ names and also used to buy high-value items including cars and motorcycles, which they then sold on cheaply. An investigation uncovered victims in a staggering 32 provinces.
ry and spiritual experiences’, he is believed to have run the commune for decades. The ranch had its own company and is believed to have offered accommodation as a bed and breakfast. Followers are believed to have been brainwashed by ‘Tio Toni’ to sell their homes and move onto the farm, handing over their money and valuables. Police started to investigate after they received a complaint that sexual abuse of minors was taking place as well as adults being raped by sect members. Three people, including Antonio and his wife, were denied bail after appearing in court.
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MISSING: Amy and Agnese MISSING Amy Fitzpatrick’s family have joined the paign to find a second cammissing Costa girl, Agnese Klavina. Amy’s aunt Christine ny offered her supportKento Agnese’s family to Amy’s disappearance mark on New Year’s Day 2007. Meanwhile Agnese, 30, has not been seen since leaving a Marbella nightclub last September.Kenny said: “Agnese went missing not too far EXCLUSIVE from where Amy did. By Tom Powell “We are trying to help each HE is one of the GRAPE ESCAPE: Putin other. richest, most is to controversial men grow his own wine “There are said to be in the in this other women who have eight world and – it seems – someincredible Benahavis mansion missing on the Costa gone what the wine buff. del Sol Russian president since 2005 and too little Vladimir is be- Putin is planting ing done to help find them.” his very own vineyard at the multimillion More than 80 expats, ing Amy’s mother includ- euro home he is developing Audrey in the hills above Fitzpatrick and partner Dave can be revealed. Marbella, it Mahon - who is currently on Olive Press sources bail for murdering insist that Amy’s the Russian gourmet, brother Dean - also attended dug 25 plants from 62, has a service in Fuengirola. Spain’s top bodega Pingus into On Monday, the body a seof a ries of terraces young woman was rumoured around mansion, in Benahavis. the to have been found by police In a huge mega-deal in Istan lake. he has also contracted the vineyard’s However, Guardia Civil the Olive Press yesterday told owner Danish oenologist Pethat ter Sisseck to oversee no such find has been producmade. tion of the wine. lars at the 10-bedroom The wine will be produced Turn to Page 2 palace no expense is being spared,” In October two huge underground in in the exclusive enclave of Za- said the 2012, the Olive Spain source. cel- galeta - complete with on many occasions, Press private A spokesman helipad and 22-car garage. for the small KGB was able to link the Ex- with a recent book claiming boss Putin to a consorfive hectare Pingus A series of French oak he came in ‘illegally’ 37 barrels in Burgos - whose holding tium of six wealthy businesstimes will store the wine. wines Spain’s most expensive are men behind the €19 million on false documents in the The climatised cellars 1990s alone. at Zagaleta project. estimated €1 million tocost an €1,000 a bottle - was unable The epitome of extravagance, He has also been linked to a install to confirm the purchase. and also include a separate Spanish construction his 18,000m² plot boasts “I am not able to give comchampagne room with its pany. out any own spa and gym, a cinema, It very own fingerprint code its information about grapevines is also clear that piano en- being sold, only try system. about the pools. bar, and two swimming preciates his wine,Putin apbottles we sell and as his “It is an amazing project distrib- Putin has South of France mansion and ute,” she said. was long been Hispanophile having a big revealed to have expansive visited wine cellars too, back in 2001.
Chateau Putin Three wine cellars and a crop of Spain’s most-exclus ive Pingus vines for Russian president’s luxury Marbella hideaway
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In another 2014 book, called Putin’s Kleptocracy, by Karen Dawisha, revealed the dictator visited Spain ‘on forged documents during the period 19962000 in connection with business meetings between himself, Boris Berezovsky, and Russian crime figures.’ "These kinds of reports led Spanish police to become suspicious of Russian activity in Spain, and in the 1990s they began monitoring the Russian oligarch Berezovsky, as well as several well-known leaders of Russian organised crime, all of whom had houses on the southern coast of Spain. “In 1999, to their immense surprise, their recorders picked up an unexpected visitor: Putin. He had arrived in Spain illegally, by boat from Gibraltar, having eluded Spanish passport control." And he clearly had more interest in Spain than just sunbathing. According to the Times, in 2015, he had been looking to buy property here since 2000. The newspaper revealed that the head of one of Russia’s biggest crime
NEWS
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March 24th - April 6th 2022
QUADRUPLE JOY IT was a big day for the rarest wildcat in the world. No less than four Iberian lynx cubs were born in Doñana National Park on the same day. Juromenha gave birth to two kittens, while Madrona popped out two more just a few hours later. The species was once on the verge of extinction with just 94 of them living in two isolated pockets of Andalucia in 2002. This figure is now up to more than 1,100 following an ongoing captive breeding programme.
3
Las Palmas love in
Costa lifeline BRITISH pop star Tom Parker has sought out ‘revolutionary treatment’ in Spain as he continues to battle an incurable brain tumour. The Wanted singer, 33, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, spent three weeks at a private hospital on the Costa del Sol. The married dad-of-two flew to Spain after slamming the UK for the lack of treatment
UK star zooms into Spain to fight ‘incurable’ tumour battle By Dilip Kuner
and funding for cancer patients. Therapies he’s getting in Malaga include an oxygen machine, massages and a special diet. Costing €9,000 for two
weeks, his wife Kelsey has been giving regular updates on Instagram. The star had first revealed his inoperable brain tumour in October 2020 when he was told he only had 12 to 18 months to live. However after six rounds of chemotherapy and 30 radio-
Virus appeal Gathering moss THE Rolling Stones have confirmed their first stop on their upcoming European tour will be Madrid. The rock legends will play the June 1 concert in Spain’s capital to kick off their summer tour of 14 gigs across 10 countries.
Sixty
The announcement of the ‘Sixty’ tour to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Rolling Stones was made with a post on the band’s official twitter account. The Rolling Stones last played in Madrid in 2014.
THE family of John McAfee have cast doubt on his official cause of death. The body of the disgraced anti-computer virus developer remains in a morgue in Barcelona, seven months after he was found dead in a prison cell. An investigation by Barcelona court confirmed the 75-year-old playboy mogul (above) - who was renowned for his hedonistic lifestyle - killed himself in the city while awaiting extradition to the US on charges of tax fraud. However, he was mired by allegations of criminality, not least regarding speculation he was involved in the murder of his neighbour while living in Belize. McAfee fled the country, moving to Spain and spent most of the lockdown in Catalunya, until the US government asked to arrest him on tax charges. Family lawyers have now appealed a Spanish judge’s decision to close the investigation into his death. McAfee alleged he was being pursued by the US government for exposing corruption.
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BATTLE: Tom and Kelsey therapy sessions, coupled with the treatment in Spain, his outlook is looking considerably more positive. It comes after the pop star surprised fans when he returned to the stage to join his band mates on tour this month.
Throne
After missing shows in Glasgow and Newcastle, fans were delighted to see Tom return from Spain and take to the stage, singing while sitting on a gold throne at a Bournemouth show. Tom also joined the band on the Cardiff leg of the tour and shared a series of snaps on Instagram of him embracing bandmate Max George.
IT is the great comeback relationship. Now Jenifer Lopez has been caught canoodling with her former lover Ben Affleck in Las Palmas. The A-List superstars first dated 20 years ago before going their separate ways and then reuniting last year. Things seem to be going well as they put on an affectionate display in Gran Canaria.
They have been in Spain as Jenifer stars in the Niki Caro directed flick The Mother. This comes just days after JLo released a new music video for the ballad version of her track Marry Me with Maluma, featuring an unexpected cameo from Ben.
PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez will feature in a documentary series looking at the day-to-day runnings of his office. Titled La Moncloa, creators insist the documentary will show two facets, ‘the institutional side and the human side’. Shooting for the fly-on-the-wall show is currently ongoing with the final cut expected to be made into a fourpart series later this year It will focus on the personal and everyday aspects of those working in government, rather than policy making or political ideology.
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UKRAINE CRISIS NEWS IN BRIEF Fisherman’s friend FISHERMEN who netted a 12,000 yearold woolly mammoth tooth from the ocean floor as they dredged for crustaceans are to auction it and donate the proceeds to the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.
Extra help VALENCIA has sent two trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to Slovakia. The trucks transported a total of 66 pallets of food and first aid. The main depot runs out of Feria Valencia.
SLIDING IN
Mercy for children
THEY must be among the luckiest refugees in Europe. Some 45 Ukrainian children have been given temporary homes in the Sierra Nevada ski resort. The kids, plus seven coaches from the Ukrainian Winter Sports Federation, arrived after a long four-day journey, via Hungary. The two buses that brought them were financed by the parents of various local skiing clubs. Among the athletes, aged between 12 and 16, was a group of gifted young footballers who are being looked after by Huesca, Valencia and Levante football clubs.
OVER 30 Ukrainian children with cancer are coming to Spain to continue treatment following shelling of hospitals by invading Russian forces. The children have been arriving with their families at Torrejon air base in Madrid. Exact details of the children and where they are going is being kept secret to protect their safety and privacy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described Russia’s targeting of hospitals in Ukraine as a ‘clear violation of human rights’.
Hair-raising for Hellraizer
Big Roubles RUSSIAN buyers bought around 1,280 properties in Spain last year, according to the College of Registrars. Their purchases accounted for around 2% of the total foreign investment in Spain in 2021.
A GROUP of expats who drove from Benidorm to Romania to deliver aid ended up in Ukraine with an armed escort as air raid sirens went off. The 15-strong band from Projects 4 All had loaded up three vans with desperately needed food which they planned to hand over at the Ukraine border. But they found themselves unexpectedly whisked in a high-speed convoy across the border and into the wartorn country.
The Expat rock band crossed the Ukraine border with armed escort EXCLUSIVE By Jorge Hinojosa
Spokesman Johnny Hellraizer - a well known British rock musician on the Costa Blanca - explained how he and his pals found themselves in a warzone. “We had arranged to meet up with a local contact at one of the crossings into Ukraine to hand over the goods,” the former trade union boss told the Olive Press. “Unfortunately he had gone to a different checkpoint and we were left standing around with three vans of food and without a clue what to do.” The musician, from London, added: “So we spoke to a
Ukrainian soldier who asked if we were prepared to go into Ukraine if we were given an armed escort. “What do you do? We had driven 3,500 kilometres and weren’t about to turn back!” So the volunteers jumped in their vans and drove at high speed and under armed escort 200km inside Ukraine.
Air raid
The father-of-four, who has lived on the Costa Blanca for 15 years, added: “It was nerve racking. The convoy seemed to go at about 200kph. “We did not hear any bombs, but we heard an air raid close to us, so we were taken somewhere safe. “We spent three hours inside a shelter with Ukrainian soldiers” When the air raid was over they handed over all the aid before making the long trip home. ROCKING: But on serious business
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A VALENCIAN ‘freedom fighter’ has been allegedly captured by the Russian army in Ukraine. Mariano Garcia Calataud, 73, is believed to have been detained by the Russian army near Kherson. The former civil servant, from Carlet, would be the first Spaniard detained by Russian troops. ‘Mario’, as he is known among Ukrainians, has been working as an activist helping in the country's defense movement. According to a friend, he was seen for the last time when Russian troops forced him into a vehicle on the street at the weekend. Since then, friends and family have been unable to contact him. Carlet town hall is now urging the government to take action on the search for him as he has been missing for several days. Before moving to the Ukraine, he worked at the town hall. However, he took early retirement and travelled to the war-torn country to provide assistance to the Ukranian army.
Help for refugees
SPAIN is set to host at least 21,000 Ukrainian refugees. And this number is set to more than double as thousands of Spanish families are offering to host Ukrainians. So far, two official reception centers are based in Madrid and Alicante with two more set to open in Malaga and Barcelona. At least 250 are expected to arrive in Malaga over the next few weeks, while 99 kids are already here and enrolled at local schools. Of the nearly 1,000 who had arrived in Madrid by last week, some 55% were minors.
Support
On arrival the refugees are given food and mental health support, and then helped with their documentation and places to stay. If you want to host a refugee, you need to contact your council or local charities. The Spanish government is working to create a national system where families can enter their details. Elsewhere, a new Airbnb-style website called Ukraine Take Shelter was set up last week and can be used to list accommodation available for refugees worldwide. The address is UkraineTakeShelter.com. So far in Spain, listings have been advertised in Murcia, Molina and Cartagena. One user in Murcia has offered a residence to house 120 people in 23 rooms so that ‘groups who want to stay together in Spain can do so.’
Animal magic A MENAGERIE of animals including lions and tigers have arrived at a rescue centre in Spain after a nine-day odyssey from wartorn Kyiv. They were moved as it was feared they would be killed by bombs as Russian forces approached the city. They are now at AAP Primadomus, a specialised rescue centre for big cats in Vellena, in Alicante. Volunteers at the centre offered to drive over and collect as many animals as they could transport in their truck. It turned out to be six young lions, several tigers, two caracals and a wild dog.
Gun point
A blockade by Russian tanks initially forced the truck to turn around and give up the animals. Astonishingly, the driver who was held at gunpoint, refused to hand them over and continued on the journey. After two days of travel through Ukraine, they were finally able to reach the Polish border, making the crossing on Thursday morning, March 3. Once in Poland, the animals received a veterinary checkup at Poznan Zoo. After a five day layover, they headed for Spain where they are now said to be settling into their new home.
SPECIAL FOCUS
Mother of all problems JAVEA expat Mourad Hamoum welcomed his Ukrainian mother-in-law for a month-long holiday in Javea in February. But just as she was preparing to return to Kyiv, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, leaving her stranded. Now, Inna has no choice but to stay in Spain, although it is proving more difficult than it initially seemed from government statements and the media. Mourad and his wife told the
Expats slam Spanish settlement scheme for Ukrainian looking to settle on the Costa Blanca By George Mathias
Olive Press that they are ‘pulling their hair out’ trying to get her settlement rights. “It is an absolute nightmare,” explained Mourad, who moved to Spain from the UK, three
years ago. “We have gone down every avenue to help her stay.” He insisted the process depicted by the government of an efficient and streamlined process is in fact swamped with bureaucracy and poor planning. They couldn’t even get through to the official Policia Nacional number for an entire week.
Hola ensalada Olivier! IT has been a staple on menus across Spain and often appears as a free tapas alongside a caña… so what has happened to the ‘Ensaladilla Rusa’? Since the invasion of the Ukraine, the typical potato salad, a mix of vegetables and chunks of tuna and mayonnaise, has been notably absent from bar tops
from Madrid to Malaga. Instead many establishments have renamed it in solidarity with Ukrainians, dropping the ‘Russian’ from the title or calling it ‘ensaladilla de Kyiv’. A number are also calling it ‘Salad Olivier’, in honour of the legendary chef Lucien Olivier who is credited with its invention.
“We rang the number from Tuesday morning to Thursday evening, but not once were we able to speak to someone to get an appointment,” he said. “There is only one telephone number for registering refugees from Ukraine in the whole of Spain.” The head of a wall covering manufacturer continued: “We ended up going to two police stations in Denia and even travelled to Alicante, but drew blanks as you have to make an official appointment via the number.” Desperate for answers, they all attended a Red Cross meeting in Javea with many other Ukrainians last Friday. He says the charity is helping as best they can, but with such poor organisation from the government, their hands are largely tied. “Despite having a lawyer there to answer questions, most of us were left more concerned than when they came in,” he said. “Everyone I spoke to complained that nobody picks up. They had been calling constantly for days.”
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OPINION DO YOUR HOMEWORK SPAIN has insisted it will embargo on real estate and other assets belonging to a blacklist of 893 Russian oligarchs with links to the Putin regime. But so far only three superyachts have been impounded, and the government insists no homes are owned by the giant group of crooked businessmen. Odd then, that we today publish more details of a palace closely linked to Putin or, at the very least, one owned by one of his close cronies. Described as a fortress with armed guards, we’ve been informing the world about the bloated extravagance of the Russian dictator and his shady development in Zagaleta since 2012. It’s nearly impossible to prove who really owns it, given the web of shell companies and legal tricks the Russian oligarchs use to hide their wealth. But it has all the hallmarks, right down to its name, the Rock of the King. Dripping in as much gold as the besieged city of Mariupol is dripping in blood, this gross symbol of Russia’s ruling elite needs to be tackled urgently by the powers that be. And let’s not forget Sergey Chemezov, a colleague of Putin’s in the KGB and owner of Russia’s largest state-owned defence group. He has at least two properties in Spain, according to El Pais. One is a mansion in Catalunya, while the other is a large rural property in Estepona, the resort, where the town hall fails to comment on anything. The rapidly-growing enclave, which has hundreds, perhaps thousands of wealthy Russians living there, recently-built a gold-plated Russian orthodox church. It’s also the seaside idyll, where the corrupt former head of Spain’s National Police, Jose Manual Villarejo, managed to acquire a suspiciously large number of properties. All in all, it’s time to shine a torch on the shady dealings behind the gates of the upmarket estates in Estepona, Marbella and in Alicante’s Altea Hills, also famous for its super-rich Russians. Chances are, Spain will find many other dictators and tyrants hiding their money here.
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NEWS FEATURE
March 24th - April 6th 2022
GOING POSTAL Jo Chipchase on the quixotic experience of UK to Spain deliveries post-Brexit Before Brexit, parcels used to flow seamlessly between the UK and Spain. However, now that the UK is a ‘third country’, outside the single EU market, our post can be intercepted by Spanish customs to check for re-
WHAT IS S? ADTPOSTALE
ADTPostales, acting for the Spanish Correos, has a dire reputation. The company has a one-star rating on Trustpilot, with 99% of users ranking it as ‘bad’. Says one Trustpilot user: “I would give zero if possible.” There are some reports of shipments being returned even after import duties have been paid. Cath Wall was so disgusted that she booked a flight to collect her goods instead. “My husband ordered some spares for his medical equipment that aren’t available in Spain,” she explained. “ADT wanted nearly as much to release them as they cost, so we refused to pay, and the package was returned to sender. I flew to the UK to collect the parcel myself, and the return flight cost just €15 more than ADT’s fee.” Another reader was stuck awaiting mental health drugs that were sent for pharmaceutical testing. Meanwhile, he had nothing for his symptoms. Andy Linton complains: “ADT Postales can be very sticky about the paperwork
stricted items, or to see if taxes are due. Anything sent via Royal Mail (including Parcelforce) goes into ADTPostales at Madrid’s Barajas Airport. If your shipment is marked ‘held by cus-
and seem to review what you’ve submitted only once a day, so it can take a week to get cleared.” IBWE TRY TO ‘L RERATE’ A PABY CEL HELD CUSTOMS
So, is it really that difficult to deal with ADT? On February 4, the author had an old inkjet printer, packed inside a suitcase, sent from the UK. By February 6, it was reported as ‘held by customs’. The author set up an online account at www.adtpostales.com . She selected ‘transmit your customs procedure with Correos’, rather than the other option of ‘transmit with AEAT’ the Spanish tax office) - and completed the required documents. This process requires printing, scanning, uploading JPEG or PDFs, and your NIE. Sure enough, the process went wrong, largely caused by specifying on a vital form that the printer was ‘mudanza de trabajo’. Apparently, this means ‘moving for work’ and not ‘piece of office equipment’. The correct tick box was ‘regalo’ (gift). Unknown to the author, the ‘mudanza de FRUSTRATION: Both postal services are in denial, while (right) Jo with her printer at last
toms’, it can be difficult to liberate. According to readers, this process can drag on for weeks, with a high failure rate. In some cases, parcels are returned to the UK without warning.
trabajo’ category requires proof of your new Spanish work contract! Equally, selecting ‘luggage’ means uploading your airline ticket, while ‘student goods’ requires proof of your higher education course. This was, apparently, in the small print… somewhere. In the end, our parcel finally left Madrid Barajas Airport on February 25, and arrived at its destination soon after.
UR TRANSMIT YOTHE ITEM WITH SPANISH TAX OFFICE?
The Olive Press spoke to the Oficina de Consumidores (consumer office), whose representative said to choose ‘transmit your customs with AEAT’ instead of Correos. He advised unhappy consumers to denounce ADTPostales via the Guardia Civil if they pay import duty, or their parcel is returned to sender or lost. We tried to transmit our stuck parcel with AEAT. However, this proved impossible because a vital confirmation email repeatedly failed to arrive. Making matters worse, Hacienda has redesigned its website
and we kept getting dead links cheerily saying ‘error – we have a new website!’. Lucy Hayes Logan, an adviser at the Tus Alpujarras agency in Lanjaron, was unimpressed. “Can ADT not create a PDF telling British people how to use the system?” she said. “Customs processes should be carried out by a customs agent, not members of the public.” She added:: “As a lot of the process is fully digital, people suffering from the ‘digital divide’ get left out. Correos can’t help, as it’s usually out of their hands, and the AEAT has ‘help guides’ that currently advertise their website over providing actual information. It leaves people feeling hopeless.
VERROYAL MAIL S – EO R R SUS CO ME? WHO IS TO BLA The Olive Press contacted Correos, whose spokesperson said: “Since the new customs regulations came into force on July 1, all merchandise destined for Spain from third countries must be declared to pay VAT. “This declaration is made automatically if the operator of origin sends the correct information in the ITMATT message – an electronic message with customs processing data. If the information isn’t received correctly, it goes through a manual process at the destination exchange office.” He adds: “Royal Mail is the UK operator with the worst quality of electronic advance data, which causes delays and generates costs for the onward shipment operators. The reason for the delays isn’t because of Correos España – it’s the responsibility of the Royal Mail.” We spoke to the Royal Mail.
Gift
A spokesperson said: “When sending gifts abroad, customers need to complete and attach a customs declaration - CN22 or CN23. Items sent without a customs declaration, or an incorrectly or partially completed declaration, may be delayed or returned to sender.” “The recipient may then have to pay customs or VAT charges and a handling fee before they can claim the parcel. There’s a threshold before gifts become liable for VAT or duties (€150) – it’s important that customers tick the ‘gift’ box on the customs declaration when sending parcels to their friends and relatives.”
A Javea
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GEM OF THE COSTA BLANCA Home to the most expensive streets in eastern Spain, Javea’s rugged beauty holds enough hidden jewels to share all round, writes Joshua Parfitt recently named Barraca cove as one of the Mediterranean’s ‘most Instagrammed spots’. A tarmac road now snakes down dramatic cliff sides to the pebbly beach as it passes award-winning villas like Casa de la Sardinera that was voted to have the ‘best residential pool in Europe’ and sold for €4.9 million back in 2017.
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If just 50 years ago Javea (spelt Xabia in Valenciano) was connected to the rest of Spain by dirt roads, it’s a gem the world has quickly discovered. Javea’s 29,000 population (half of them foreign-born) swells to over 100,000 in summer attracted by its collection of beaches like Playa Granadella – on the farside of Javea’s
southern Cabo de la Nao headland. It’s an incredible spot, regularly dubbed ‘Spain’s best’, and has featured in Hollywood films, like the Cold Light of Day, starring Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver. But despite the big seasonal influx, Javea is lucky to have missed the mass development of Benidorm some 40km to the south. Its town hall has been relatively strict on planning and restrictions prohibit anything higher than a palm tree, while the atmospheric old town has been almost completely untouched Continues on Page 2
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ARIA is one of few local residents who can trace her roots directly to the sea. Her father’s Javea was a place where its now celebrated coves could barely be reached by donkey, down precipitous trails carved out by centuries of fishermen’s feet. “My family still owns two fishing huts down on Cala Barraca,” Maria tells me. “It’s an incredible privilege to have them, only these days we tend to share our Sunday paella with the world.” Once a remote beach, Conde Nast Traveler
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PICTURE BY: Jon Clarke
VIEWPOINT: The Cabo de la Nao headland has legendary vistas
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022 From front
JEWEL IN THE CROWN and looks the same as it did 100 years ago. Wandering Javea’s oldest streets – too tight for cars – you can still feel the protection they provided from unpredictable attacks by Barbary pirates. Javea’s defensive past is encapsulated in its 14th-century Iglesia-Fortaleza de San Bartolome, one of the only siege-ready churches around. And don’t forget to slink into Javea’s cool municipal market built in local honey-coloured tosca stone. Here you’ll find locals sipping a sweet café solo with a coca – a traditional sourdough flatbread topped with either chopped tomatoes and salted tuna or typically, a single anchovy. You can pick up crimson-red prawns, monkfish and inkyblack sepia brought in fresh from Javea’s waters that same morning. And if the sun’s over the yardarm – as it usually is in Javea – you can enjoy a Negroni or the local concoction, Agua de Valencia (vodka, cava and fresh orange juice), from the British-run
tapas-and-cocktail bar Puesto 7. And there’s a host of other tapas joints to try next to it. Most people in Javea think of the town as being divided into three separate parts: the old town, the port below it, and ‘the Arenal’ at the other end of the bay. It’s easy to think of the old town and port as ‘traditional Javea’ and the newer Arenal area as ‘touristy Javea’ – shabbier Javea, if you will. Indeed, the natural sandy Arenal beach, lorded over by its historic Parador hotel, fills to capacity in summer as easy access to warm, shallow waters attracts young and old alike. But you’d be wrong to think the Arenal lacks class. Among the glass-fronted bar-restaurants and palm-lined Paseo de David Ferrer (Spain’s former world no.3 tennis player and a current resident) hides Tula, one of Javea’s two Michelin-starred restaurants (BonAmb inland being the other). The Arenal is also home to the Javea-owned La Fontana restaurant, where expats and locals alike come to share a paella de marisco or fideua – paella’s noodle-based sibling that hails Javea’s port to the Punta del Arenal, Javea has from the city of Gandia some 40km north. 3km of coastline, dotted with pop-up chiringuiThe Arenal’s best known patron is the French- tos that serve a fresh Mojito or the Roman-era owned Javea Company, in charge ‘Queen’s Baths’ that serve a selfie of the popular Chabada cafe-bar, to go viral. the restaurants of La Boheme But there are plenty more secret From the milky and Acqua, and the nightclubs beaches worth seeking out. of Achill and Bambula. But the For the more intrepid, a 20-minute blue Playa de Geographic has become a poptowards the San Antonio headla Grava, Javea hike ular joint for a light lunch or to land will take you to Cala Tango – a watch live sports on its dozYouTube hit with a 17 metre-high has 3km of en-plus screens. jumping platform that was empty in coastline The Arenal is surely Javea’s most July when I last went with a cuttlefish international spot, but Javea sandwich, an Estrella Galicia tinny wouldn’t be the hidden gem of and a GoPro. the Costa Blanca if it didn’t have empty beach- On the southern side of the Arenal there’s the Cala es even in its high season. Blanca, only reachable by walking through a round From the milky-blue Playa de la Grava in hole in the rockface, before you meet the dramatic
MARCH 2022
BUSTLING: Busy Arenal beach in Summer and scenic Javea view
Cabo de la Nao headland with hidden coves you still today can’t reach by foot. If you worry that sheltered coves like Playa Granadella have already been discovered by the world’s luxury magazines then don’t. There are plenty of others. The local buzz currently centres around the ultra-secretive Cala en Calo that’s been grabbing world rankings alongside tropical beaches in Thailand and the Philippines. If there’s anything I’ve learned from three years of living here - relocating thanks to the Olive Press launching an edition here in 2019 - it’s that Javea never fails to give up more hidden treasures. Just last summer two snorkelers found 53 gold coins while fooling around off La Cala Barraca, just beneath Portitxol Island. Local reports said they had a ‘heated discussion’ about whether they should do the right thing and tell the world of their discovery.
Gold
When they did finally notify authorities, local archaeologists reportedly ‘cried’ as one of Europe’s largest finds of Roman-era gold put their little bay in the history books (Portixtol comes from the Latin meaning ‘little port’). A huge picture of the gold coins is currently draped across Javea’s old town Museo Soler Blasco, and the story of snorkelers Luis Lens and Cesar Jimeno is now legendary. I also know that my friend Maria has often weighed up a similar dilemma to this pair, worried that in revealing Javea’s secrets to the world she might lose a piece of that good fortune. I ask her if the tourists bother her. “Look at Javea, it has no factories, it has no industry – we are lucky to be able to make our living from our nature and our views,” she says. Lucky for her, and for us who came later, Javea has enough hidden gems to share all round.
To launch its newest perfume in 20 years, French fashion house Dior recently chose Javea. Called appropriately, Joy, the firm rented award-winning Casa de la Sardinera for a month to hold a series of fashion shoots and soirees by its famous infinity pool. Mercedez Benz have also shot campaigns at the house, which won its architect Ramon Esteve a ‘best residential swimming pool’ award.
THE SMELL OF BEAUTY
Ibiza of Costa Blanca
THE Times newspaper recently likened Javea to Ibiza. On the one hand because it is geographically the closest point on the mainland to Ibiza and you can usually see its hills shimmering over the Med. And on the other due to its beauty and rising popularity – and why wealthy readers might want a slice of it. Its beaches certainly match those with the Balearic gem. Playa Granadella features on many top 10 lists including National Geographic, Forbes and El Pais and it also won the ‘best beach in Spain’ two years in a row from 60,000 voters on the national Antena 3 channel. Ibiza’s land prices are famously high but Javea’s are also very high (at an average of €2,438 per m2) and with two of the Valencia Region’s most expensive streets. Houses on Carrer del Pic Tort have an average property price of €3.1m with prices on Calle Penaguila above the port not far LOCALS: From fishermen to artisans at a roadside stall and the flower shop in the port (above right) off.
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FULL MARKS!
Lady Elizabeth School named one of Spain's top International Schools, 22 years in a row
F
AMILIES relocating to Javea are often surprised to learn they have moved to an ideal location that also includes a worldclass international school. Lady Elizabeth School has been ranked as one of the top 30 private international schools in Spain by the prestigious ‘El Mundo’ each year since the rankings were fpublished. Lady Elizabeth School (LES) is the longest-established international school in the area, founded in 1987. At present, LES is a community of 1150 learners MARZO MARZO supported by almost 200 professional, credentialed and caring staff. The community is diverse and vibrant with over 50 nationalities represented at the THURSTHURS school.
A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
Home from home Mayor Jose Chulvi has Javea in his veins and is proud of its multicultural make-up, writes Jon Clarke
H
E couldn’t be more steeped in the history of Javea’s decision-making process. Mayor Jose Chulvi, 52, was born and grew up just 10 metres from its historic town hall, in the heart of the old town. And he has lived and breathed its myriad of social and culturMARCH al changes first hand since the MARCH 1970s. “There were just 10,000 people LES provides primary and secondary education based on the living in Javea back then and it Meet our school Get to know our British curriculum frameworks and standards, for students aged was a very different life,” he tells from two to 18. Theschool Primaryyour utiliseshome the International Primary Curfrom home the Olive Press. riculum to drive learning, augmented by a wide range of after “There were many fewer tourists Sign up here: les.edu.es school activities. In Secondary, the school offers one of the largand foreigners and we used to est range of GCSE and A-Level options in Spain, in addition to spend our days running around extensive sporting, artistic and service activities. the streets playing football, or Sign up here: les.edu.es The school is situated at the top of the Cumbre del Sol, Beniheading off into the mountains info@bsv.edu.es tachell, just a short drive from Javea and Moraira. It features a or down to the sea. modern, state-of-the-art campus with unparalleled facilities and “It was so easy back then.” School of Vila-real. Ctra. Vila-real a Burriana (junto a Hospital La Plana), 12540 Vila-real stunning views over the Mediterranean. He is lucky that today he still has Tel. 964only 500 155 / info@les.edu.es Lady Elizabeth Schoolarea – Entrada Norte la Cumbre del The school is the one in the Javea with its owndeboardsoSolmany of his old friends still info@bsv.edu.es bsv.edu.es 03726 Benitachell, Alicante, ESPAÑA ing facilities, located in the nearby village of Pedreguer. Students around, plus a few new ones, inTel. 965 790 of 252 / info@les.edu.es from different nationalities and other parts Spain come to LES cluding expats such as his Scotfor a unique educational experience on the Costa Blanca. of Vila-real. Ctra. Vila-real a Burriana (junto a Hospital La Plana), tish12540 friend Vila-real George Thomas, 80, Families interested in enrolling their children at LES can do so all who he’s known for a quarter of Tel. 964 500 155 / info@les.edu.es year round. The school encourages prospective parents to visit a century. bsv.edu.es the school in person or sign up to an online open day. Taster days And while he doesn’t have chilfor students of any age are also available. dren of his own, he has 28,000 full time residents who he feels responsible for ‘on a day to day For more information contact Mrs Isabel Calatayud, basis’. Head of Admissions: i.calatayud@les.edu.es “There is nothing better than being able to help your town and
Online Open DayDay Online Open Activities Meet our school from your home
locals who urgently need it,” he continues. “At the moment we are doing our best to help our Ukraine residents who number about 200. We have 84 different nationalities making up 54% of our residents. This multicultural mix is key for our town and future.” But he continues that protecting the environment is also vital to the town. “It has certainly been very important to protect the town from over-development and to keep its environmental integrity.”
Protected
Now in power for 11 years, he boasts how he has managed to take an impressive 10million square metres of land from being urbanizable to being protected. It has meant seeing the coastal area cleaned up, on top of his drive to protect the valuable underwater posidonia grasses offshore. The former sports teacher has also managed to turn around a town hall debt of 45 million euros to a surplus of 30 million in just 12 years. “It was a desperate situation to be in and I am proud of getting things organised here, bringing
GRILLING: Jose meets Jon on Zoom in more transparency and saving lots of money.” Talking to him on Zoom from his town hall office, he explained that he was able to do it by stopping investing millions in tourism and better running the town hall. “And we have still managed to see the rates (IBI) drop by 17% while I have been in charge,” he insists. Above all, a cultured man, he is proud of the links the town has formed with classical music groups such as the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, which visited recently, as well as the rapidly-growing connections to artistic maestro Joaquin Sorolla. Along with a statue of the artist going up in the town, the paseo is also set to be named after
him, while there are also talks to host a major retrospective of his works at some point next year. “It is 125 years since his first visit to the town and we are very proud that he spent so much time painting his famous works here in Javea,” explains Jose. “We want to recognise exactly what he did for our town so watch this space,” he adds.
MARZO
MARZO
THURSTHURS MARCH
MARCH
Online Open DayDay Online Open Meet school Get toour know our from your school from home Meet ourhome school Sign up here: les.edu.es from your home
Sign up here: les.edu.es info@bsv.edu.es
tish School of Vila-real. Ctra. Vila-real a Burriana (junto a Hospital La Plana), 12540 Vila-real Tel. 964 500 155 / info@les.edu.es Lady Elizabeth School – Entrada Norte de la Cumbre del Sol info@bsv.edu.es bsv.edu.es 03726 Benitachell, Alicante, ESPAÑA Tel. 965 790 252 / info@les.edu.es
ool of Vila-real. Ctra. Vila-real a Burriana (junto a Hospital La Plana), 12540 Vila-real Tel. 964 500 155 / info@les.edu.es bsv.edu.es
MARCH 2022
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PRETTY AS A PICTURE
Artist Joaquin Sorolla hoped that his first UK exhibition featuring Javea would make him rich
T
HE year of 1908 marked the first time Londoners set eyes on Javea. In an age where aeroplanes were still learning how to fly, and photographs
still in development, the meeting inevitably came through the paintbrush. But the exhibition at Grafton Galleries through May, June and July weren’t just any old paintings of Javea. The posters put Javea’s name next to that of Joaquin Sorolla, calling him ‘the world’s greatest living painter’ following international success. Sorolla, born in Valencia in 1863, fell in love with the Costa Blanca fishing town of Javea during a visit in 1896. “Javea is sublime, immense, the best I know to paint. It surpasses everything,” he wrote in one of more than 2,000 letters kept by his wife, Clotilde. Sorolla’s obsession with the play of light and water in Javea saw the town make up a large part of the 278 paintings he took to London in search of fortune. Among these paintings include Cabo de San Antonio, Javea that captured the site of Javea’s iconic headland back in 1896. There was also Cordelores de Javea, Nadadores de Javea, El puerto de Javea, A child in Javea and countless others
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: Sorolla’s Cabo de San Antonio painting and (below) the artist at work
referencing the seafaring, sea-loving and golden-coloured moments Sorolla encountered. One of Sorolla’s most famous paintings known to have sold was Encajonando pasas from 1900, showing hundreds
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of women in Javea packaging raisins for an international trade of which Britain was one of Denia port’s largest customers. Continues on Page 6
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A Javea ll about
From Page 5
I hate cities, viva Javea While London may have fallen in love with Javea and Sorolla at the exhibition, the opposite never happened. Sorolla was disappointed with his reception in London. He complained about the cold air, he complained about being lonely, and he feared the ‘polite’ upper-class English were too cerebral to appreciate his masterpieces of light and fresh air. Worst of all, Sorolla sold few paintings in London in 1908. “I feel old, I can’t live alone, I’m emptier than you, for you at least have the chil-
HARD AT WORK: The raisin packaging girls was sold in London while (right) Sorolla on a Javea cove
dren,” he wrote to Clotilde. “Today is a disgusting day, I’ve only just had my lunch with electric light and it’s already 2pm – I hate big cities, viva Javea.” England later proved to be Sorolla’s lucky ticket, however, as it was there he met American philanthropist Archer Milton Huntington. Sorolla soon received an invite to exhibit at The Hispanic Society of America in New York, where he sold 195 paintings. The society later commissioned Sorolla to paint a huge mural called Vision of Spain, that captured the Spanish nation in a series of works taking six years (1913-1919) to complete. By the time Sorolla was done, he had earned enough money to buy a house in central Madrid that today houses his works as the Museo Sorolla. When he died in 1923 Sorolla was already established as one of Spain’s all time greats. It took another 100 years – until 2019 – for London’s National Gallery to put on a British exhibition of Sorolla (Sorolla: Master of Light). Except that, this time, Sorolla’s painting of Javea had already become priceless.
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MARCH 2022
JOYOUS: Sorolla’s celebrated beach bathing scenes in Javea are globally celebrated today
Luxury 4 bedroom Villa with Sea View for Sale in Javea This newly built modern Villa with Sea and Mountain Views is for sale in one of the most prestigious locations of Javea. The property was built in the summer in 2019 and has been maintained to the highest standards. This house utilizes solar panels for warm water and underfloor heating. The gas central heating is connected to the mains, as well as having water filters installed throughout the house to keep your boiler and showers calc free and the water drinkable from every tap! The house has electric blinds on the majority of the windows and the preinstallation for a lift.
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
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NOWHERE QUITE LIKE HOME Jennifer Cunningham never planned on relocating to Spain…until she fell in love with Javea, writes Fiona Govan
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IKE many of those who end up living in Spain it was after enjoying a holiday with friends that Jennifer Cunningham took the decision to relocate from London to sunnier climes for a quieter life. “My late husband was much older than me and, after suffering a cardiac arrest, he wasn’t expected to live long, so we took a snap decision to move over to the Costa Blanca where the climate suited him and in fact he thrived and lived another 12 years,” she tells the Olive Press from her home in Javea where she has lived for more than three decades. “I was suffering from diabetes so the move gave us both a new lease of life, swimming every day in the sea and the Mediterranean diet really helped me,” she continues. “The Spanish way of living, taking time to enjoy family and friends, also really gave me a new way of looking at life.” But Jennifer wasn’t ready to retire. Instead she started up what has become one of the most successful expat businesses in Spain. It began with one small office in Javea and has now grown to seven branches across the Costa Blanca and one in Lanzarote. “I never tire of Javea. I can sit on a terrace and gaze at the sea day after day. It’s wonderful at sunrise and sunset, spectacular, but it’s when the bay twinkles in the moonlight that Javea
is at its most beautiful,” reveals Jennifer. “Sitting with a coffee or a glass of wine and watching the world go by is one of my pleasures in life. Even in early March you can enjoy the warm sunshine on your face, look out over at Montgo, and see waterskiers in the bay.” Javea occupies a special corner of Spain with its own microclimate that makes it a firm favourite with expats and Spaniards alike. “It’s a wonderful place to live and while it has changed a lot since I arrived, it still has the old town with a marvellous market that still retains the feeling of the fishing village it once was.” The seaside town has become one of the most fashionable destinations during the summer months with crowds of Madrileños descending from the capital to holiday homes during July and August. “Those of us who live here year round breathe a sigh of relief when September 1 comes and the multitudes go home. But in truth, the tourists are needed to keep the local businesses, the shops and restaurants alive,” explains Jennifer. The pandemic was particularly hard on local businesses with many pulling down the shutters forever. “Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants were forced to close with Covid but thankfully not as many as feared. Some of our favourite places managed to survive and things are picking up again.”
In fact, Javea is thriving. “There are new apart- first encountered on a holiday in the 1980s conments going up everywhere,” says Jennifer. “Little tinues. teeny patches of scrubland suddenly get snapped She recalls the snap decision she made to move up and then there’s an apartment block. to Javea all those years ago. “This isn’t a good thing. Parking “Here I was on holiday having a is a huge problem in Javea even lovely time and I did everything you outside the summer months but shouldn’t really do when making I was ruled by in peak tourist season, it’s imposimportant life decisions. Just like sible.” that I saw a property I loved and my heart and She believes the town should introput down a deposit, then went back not by my head duce a ‘park and ride’ type system and sold up in the UK,” she laughs. so visitors can leave their cars out- - not something “I was ruled by my heart and not my side the town and catch a bus in. head and that isn’t something that I normally do “It’s hard seeing the town I know I would normally do. change so much and I wish there “But if you asked me if I would do was more thought going into its deit all again I’d say yes, I absolutely velopment,” she admits. love Javea and feel very safe here. I wouldn’t want But on the whole the love affair with the town she to live anywhere else.”
For more information please visit www.jennifercunningham.net or www.paulcunninghamnurses.com
SOFA SO GOOD Harris Furnishings have all you need for comfort
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good sofa should bring both comfort and style to your home. Whether you’re looking to invest in a timeless piece, a functional lifestyle sofa, or you desire a more aesthetic piece to make a statement in your home, you will find a beautiful and wide-ranging variety at Harris Furnishings in Pedreguer. Owners David and Jayne have a wealth of knowledge within the furniture trade. Their experience, spanning over 30 years, has allowed them to source and bring to Spain quality products which match the tastes of their predominantly-expat client base, at competitive prices. Harris Furnishings, as an independent store - unlike some larger chains - has a more flexible relationship with their manufacturers, unrestricted by minimum orders or limited fabric options. Each piece of furniture is hand-made to order, and the store offers literally hundreds of fabrics from which to choose, as well as a beautiful range of Italian leathers. This allows each piece to be tailored to the customer’s requirements and preferences, even down to the smallest detail. Here we have put together a small selection of three of their favourite luxury sofas. So, if you fancy settling into a nice new sofa, bought at a competitive price, without sacrificing on style or quality, then look no further.
The Altano, a contemporary design sofa, features luxury domed cushions, and available in a choice of fabrics, feet-types and configurations, allowing you to essentially, ‘build your own sofa’.
966 469 371 / 699 836 251
The Aldo, a traditional design sofa, has high back cushions, which offer head support and provide lumbar support. Available in a range of beautiful fabrics or Italian leather, a choice of feet- colours and materials, it can also be ordered as a recliner sofa or chair, and features the bonus of an incorporated USB port.
Stockists of quality British and Spanish furniture and complete in-house upholstery service
The Devonshire is part of the Classic Collection by Parker Knoll. A statement sofa; it is elegant, luxurious, and timeless. A quality piece, with a fabulous choice of tactile fabrics or leather. Available with either a formal cushion back or a pillow back, each sofa includes two ‘feather-filled’ scatter cushions.
www.harrisfurnishings.com 966 469 371 or 699 836 251 sales@harrisfurnishings.com
Monday to Friday 10am to 5.30pm Saturday by prior appointment only www.harrisfurnishings.com sales@harrisfurnishings.com Calle de la Marroquineria No.1, Pedreguer, 03750 (Sunday Market)
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
CROWNING GLORY
J
AVEA Bowling Club boasts the best bowls club facilities in the Costa Blanca, with plush greens welcoming all ages and abilities. You will get a warm welcome from a community-based club which has over 100 members. The club caters for competitive bowlers, social bowlers and all levels in between and even has its own club coach who offers bespoke training to help you progress. Their members range from 25 to 95, so whoever you are, you can be sure you will feel right at home. There are nine rinks in total, seven club rinks and two practice rinks on the upper terrace, making it the largest club in the area. If you are worried that you will struggle to pick up a new skill just look at club captain Keith Hamilton who only started playing in his mid 50s and is now competing in competitive tournaments. The club is not just a sports venue, but also a social hub, many of the members have made friends for life just through a shared love of playing bowls. Get in touch by email at info@javeagreenbowlsclub. com or visit www.javeagreenbowlsclub.com
Strolling through history
Old town walk takes you through Javea’s past
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AVEA’S old town is a perfectly preserved relic of the past, exuding a rustic charm that is all too rare in today’s world. Dating back to medieval times, its buildings are a patchwork of historic architecture spanning seven cen-
turies. Today’s old town is distinguished by its narrow lanes adorned with white façades and gothic windows alongside its distinctive tosca sandstone. The beating heart of the town was once dedicated to the
raisin trade, and its ornate raisin drying facilities still remain in the form of sandstone partitions and galleries with large ulls, which would shelter the grapes on thatched mats to dry. Indeed, to walk through the old town is to dip one’s toe into a rich mercantile history. In the 13th century, Javea was but a small enclosure sealed in by city walls but the 16th and 17th centuries gave rise to the construction of Javea’s most inspired architecture, with gothic buildings such as the Palau dels Sapena and the Casa dels Bolufer. There is a nice range of small shops and restaurants to stop at, including the excellent Irish-Romanian-run place, La Sucreria, right by the main church. Also look out for the recently opened Carniceria tapas bar, on the outskirts of the
PICTURESQUE: An old town street (far right) and ancient market (left) are just some of the spots to see charming architectural details, while (right) townsfolk old and new
centre. Make sure to look out for its ancient market, now converted into a gourmet hall, perfect for lunch or supper. Needless to say Javea’s old town retains an allure that has wowed visitors for centuries and long may it continue.
Your friendly local Bowls Club...Come in and play! OPEN TO NEW MEMBERS Javea Green Bowls Club, Inn on the Green, Travesia Canasalades 155, 03730 Javea, Alicante (+34) 965 771 533 •
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Find out more: javeagreenbowlsclub.com
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Email: info@javeagreenbowlsclub.com
MARCH 2022
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TOP OF THE CLASS Xabia International College, featured in La Razón’s Top Schools in Spain
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ABIA International College is excited to have been featured as one of the top schools in Spain by La Razón, in an education special edition including 18 schools in Spain. "Our efforts to offer our families top quality education combined with small classes and strong family culture are ongoing, and we are extremely proud of the achievements of our students and the College as a whole." Xabia International College is the only international school in Jávea for students from two to 18 years old. The school was founded in 1994 to provide a quality education based on the English National Curriculum combined with the Spanish Educational System, within an international environment. The school comprises Foundation, Primary and Secondary sections, situated across three sites in Javea, offering continuity of education from Nursery to University. With a staff to student ratio of one to six, the number of students per class will never exceed 20 and this is reduced as the student progresses. In Sixth Form, classes can be as small as four students, which is an excellent opportunity for students who are a little older and have more pressure. The philosophy of the school is to build and nurture strong relationships at all stages of education. Trust and understanding are fundamental to our community. It means that the child trusts that the teacher will provide them with the tools, information and support they need to meet their requirements as a student. The teacher must cultivate that trust with the child and those relationships are key. “The future is very exciting at XIC! We are in a situation where we are never standing still, our focus is on innovation and how to be better every day,” said a spokesperson. “Admissions for September are now open. We would love you to come and visit us, see what we do and ask any questions you may have!”
joinus@xabiainternationalcollege.com Max 20 students per class | Individual attention | Family focu www.xic.college +34 966 47 21 21
Admissions for September 2022 are no Book a visit & meet us! www.xic.college
TOP CENTRO E D TUOCPA CTEINVTOR O EDUCATIVO
2022
2022
Max 20 students per class | Individual attention | Family focus | Whole child philosophy
Admissions for September 2022 are now open. Book a visit & meet us! www.xic.college
96 647 17 85
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
DIVINE INSPIRATION The modern church that brings a new grace to the town’s architecture
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T could well be the most quirky-looking church in Spain. Sculptural Nuestra Señora de Loreto rears up over its nearby buildings like an angry spider or a space-age creature from HG Wells’ War of the Worlds. It was built on the site of an old fishermen’s church by the port in 1967, designed by four architects. An important example of avant-garde religious architecture, it stands out for its bold lines and its use of space. On the outside, its 12 slender pillars represent an allegory of the 12 apostles. Inside, its cement and red pine wood interior is said to represent a fishing boat, with the light penetrating through the skylights in the form of jets, sliding down the pillars and giving the building its boat keel shape. It is a must visit from 9am to 8pm all year round.
tel: 965 64 12 01 thebedshopjavea@gmail.com www.thebedshopjavea.com
THIS IS WHERE DREAMS are really MADE We at The Bed Shop are a family run business who pride ourselves in offering a large range of beds, mattresses and accessories at great prices. Our aim is to give our clients a personal service with the best customer care. With over 10 years experience we are able to advise on the best solution to suit your individual needs. We stock a large range of products to suit every budget, from rentals to luxury living and offer fast, free local delivery and free disposal of your old bed.
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As a company, we are committed to off-setting our impact on the environment and reducing our carbon footprint. For every purchase over 500€ we plant a tree.
MARCH 2022
La Falzia
The Mirador challenge may be gruelling at 30kms long, but the views more than make up for it
HASTA LA VISTA
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ISTAS are places for dreamers as well as the adventurous, looking for something different. They are also perfect places to show off on Instagram and Facebook - and to get in your minimum 10,000 steps a day. The Mirador Challenge helps you with those… and a lot, lot more. First created by British expats Mike and Fay Smith over a decade ago, it traces 15 viewpoints (miradores) along the dramatic limestone coastline cradling Javea. The route covers 29km and promises some of the best scenery in Spain. You can of course do parts of it, or the whole lot in one day if you get your skates on early. Here, we pick out our favourite sections.
La Granadella THE challenge starts in the 700ha Granadella Forest Park, a scrubland still recovering from a forest fire in 2016 that decimated the area. The most challenging partthe route, this walk through scrubland can be steep and rocky, though the lack of
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trees offers sublime views all the way down to Javea’s amazing Playa de la Granadella. (above). After a short scramble up the hill from the beach the Mediterranean arrives like a balm for sore bodies out from Castell de la Granadella viewpoint.
CABO de la Nau is the name given to this whole headland south of Javea. The protruding cliffs here mark the closest point on the Costa Blanca to Ibiza, which can be seen on a clear day across the shimmering blue. But Cabo de la Nau (right) also refers to a high, rocky outcrop boasting two restaurants, Cabo de la Nau and Mirador de Javea, with unbeaten views over the Med. The viewpoint itself, the fifth on the challenge, is bejewelled with purple clumps of toothed lavender—a rare, endemic species that is separate to the more common English lavender seen in ornamental gardens.
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+34 695 805 356
THE woods around La Falzia viewpoint are the only forested area on this otherwise highly-developed coastline. But with sunrise views over Porticholl island, who can blame residents for choosing such an inspiring vista early in the day. The water is so crystal clear you can almost see the fish, and you probably would quite rapidly if it wasn’t for wooden barriers keeping you from the sheer cliff-edge. A great place for walking, La Falzia is only a stone’s throw from the Playa de la Barraca, which offers a secluded bay for swimming in the summer months. From this, the seventh viewpoint, you drop down to Javea and along the coast to the port. FROM the port you have the final climb up the winding footpath to the top of Cabo San Antonio which offers perhaps the most stunning, near-360 degree views on the Javea coastline. From Ibiza to the east, the whole of Javea beneath you, and the Montgo mountain to the west, this is a true dreamer's paradise. From here, you can see how the citrus groves just outside the old town of Javea find sanctuary in this valley from the hard limestones cliffs that confront the sea like a rampaging Spanish bull.
And as you gaze longingly over the town, it won’t be long before you’re enticed back into one of its bars to remind your battered body why beer is best served ice-cold.
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Literary paradise
A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
WHERE TO EAT
GOURMET TOUR
Polly’s Bookshops can help with editing and proof-reading too
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O you like nothing better than curling up with a good book? Whether catching up on the latest Jack Reacher adventure from Lee Child or looking for hints and tips on the best way to grow a garden on the Costa Blanca, Polly's Bookshops in Javea have the perfect book
for you. Polly's Bookshops was established in 1985 and has an ambience of olde world charm, being located in one of Javea's oldest buildings. The store has thousands of quality used books in many languages reflecting the local community, with more arriving daily. Most of the books in the 10,000-plus collection are priced at €3. can also get a credit towards your next purchase if you bring in any books in good condition. It’s absolute heaven for any prolific readers and if you want a specific title, then Polly's offers a book finding and ordering service. Polly's is also proud to support local writers and artists - of which there are a good number in the area. Not only do they back writers with special promotions, they can help even novices in their first steps to becoming an author. They have a professional editing and proof-reading service by a copy editor with over 10 years’ experience. It’s ideal for businesses building their website or posting on social media; for writers self-publishing; or for students completing their studies in English as an additional language. And if you are hunting out a rare gift, their second store in Moraira sells hard-to-get antique and collectable books.
Polly’s Bookshop in Javea is on Calle Santismo Cristo del Mar, 15. Call: 665 314 404 The Moraira store is at Ctra Moraira a Calpe, 237. Call: 711 010 439
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ANDWICHED between the mountains and the sea, Javea has the best of both worlds when it comes to ingredients. A small slice of paradise, if you’ll excuse the pun, there are literally dozens of great places to eat around the resort. Split between its three distinct areas, you have everything from fish restaurants to tapas joints and Michelin-starred marvels to simple chiringuitos. You just need to know where to look. Easily my favourite place to eat is at BonAmb (www.bonamb.com), a stunning architectural masterpiece, created around sculpted grounds on the main Carrer Benitachell out of town. Creative, inspiring and never standing still, this is a must-visit for anyone who considers themselves a foodie on the Costa Blanca.
Javea is one of the true culinary capitals of the Costa Blanca, writes Jon Clarke Well deserving of its two Michelin stars, its head chef Alberto does the region proud with as much local KM0 slow food as he can get away with. This means loads of local fish, plenty of local fruit and veg and flavours that, quite frankly, have a stamp of their own. Why it hasn’t got three stars yet is anyone’s guess (see review overleaf). Another joint easily worthy of accolades, but fiercely against receiving them, is El Campo (www.bar-restaurant-elcampo. com), another charming garden restaurant on the way out of town towards Moraira. This Dutch-run place was set up just before the pandemic and has finally come
of age, thanks to its recent acquisition of experienced local chef Amanda Trenco, 39, from nearby Benissa. As well as having trained for five years at Denia’s cooking school, she is steeped in the restaurant trade, with both her mother having worked as a cook in Paris and her father as one in Switzerland. “My mother is a classic-style chef, while dad was more vanguard,” she explains. “I like to think I combine a bit of both of them, with my own touches, particularly from Thai food.” So ultimately, this means a lovely mix of everything here with Asiatic twists and a solid a la carte menu, with such joys as shrimp gyozas with spinach, green
THE COMPLETE PROPERTY SERVICE ... IN JÁVEA VillaMia, established over 15 years ago, offers the complete property service. With an office in Jávea, we cover sales, long term rentals, winter lets, and property management in the coastal towns of Jávea, Moraira, Denia and the surrounding areas.
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JAVEA | Old Town LARGE TOWN HOUSE Unique possibility to buy a huge townhouse in the centre of Javea’s Old town which used to be a bakery. It offers 225m2 over three levels. VM2312 200.000€
Tel: 965 794 139 info@villamia.net www.villamia.net
MARCH 2022
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Family friendly local bar under new owners Stephen and Christina as of 2019 English Fry-Up, Sandwiches, Wraps, Burgers, Salads, Pies, Fish & Chips Weekly Changing Specials Daily Baked Croissants & Sausage Rolls DELIGHTFUL: Thalassa is right on the beach, while (right) El Campo’s ambience matches its stellar food
curry and coconut milk and roast ter and better, particularly as suckling pig with apple and red manager Bram is enthusiastic berries. and attentive, while the owners I was most interested in trying Brenda and Hans used to run no Amanda’s regularly changing less than 15 restaurants back in menu del dia Holland and have which was exa great eye for tremely good detail. A friendly, value at just 19 And to top it euros. all, the place family-run It included a medcouldn’t be more ley of wonderful charming with its place it has vegetarian startrustic backdrop real charm and and feel, all set ers; cauliflower fritters with black excellent wines around half a dozgarlic mayonen ancient milennaise, couscous io olive trees. salad with goats Heading into cheese and mint and a delicious Javea port you have a number beetroot gazpacho with blueber- of great options to choose from. ries and cottage cheese. Skipping the obvious, look out Then you have a choice of mains, for popular tapas bar Andares which included a skillfully han- Ibericos, opposite the cinema dled duck breast with sweet po- that specialises in excellent ham tato mash and cep mushrooms and cheeses and great light in a chive and teriyaki sauce. The bites. strawberry pudding with yoghurt A friendly, family-run place it has and almond crumble was light real charm and an excellent seand fruity. lection of wines by the glass. This place will keep getting bet- Another amazing place to enjoy wine is at the Bonapata, which describes itself as a ‘boutique bar of grapes and acorns’ just up the road, also in the port. This is definitely THE place to drink vino with no less than 70 different wines by the glass, not to mention an amazing selection of pates, cheeses and, best of all, the best Jamon Iberico, from the Val de Pedroches, in Cordoba. The lovely Spanish couple that run it have travelled the world, lived in Newquay in the UK, and owned restaurants in other parts of Spain. They have run this place for a few years now and
regularly hold wine tastings and pairings with food. They are also soon to open a new place up on the busy tourist drag, the Arenal. Arenal is the next part of the Javea dining jigsaw, a seafront paseo full of restaurants near the historic Parador hotel. There is quite a bit of variety, but I particularly like English-owned Salt, which has the best views of the bay, often full of surfers when the tide is right. Another great spot, always busy, and an excellent spot for burgers and light snacks is Geographic, which always has all sporting events on a huge range of televisions. Nearby in the busy Cabo de la Nau Pla area you will find plenty of places to eat, including the recently-opened Sharpey’s Bar, run by former Manchester United striker Lee Sharpe and his wife Lucy. And make sure you drop into the excellent Lancashire Bruja, just opposite the tennis club, where well established local expats Stephen and Christina serve up all your British favourites including sausage rolls, fish and chips and the classic English fry up, of course. Up in the old town of Javea, apart from all its charm, there is a decent range of nice restaurants, including my favourite, La Sucreria, right by the main church. Also look out for the recently opened Carniceria tapas bar, on the outskirts of the centre. And finally down on the beach look out for popular chiringuito La Siesta that really gets going in the late spring and summer when it is THE place to hang out and be seen. And, last but not least, a brand new place just open and well worth seeking out is Thalassa, which sits halfway along the road from Arenal to Caleta de Dins. Named after the Greek word for ‘sea’ it is exactly that, dominated by the ocean, and with a seafood LOCALS: Former footballer Lee Sharpe (top) and Bonapata, which offers 70 different wines style menu to
Fun Quiz Nights Every Tuesday & Thursday evening Sunday Roasts twice a week!
Park your broom and sit for a spell Check our Facebook page for more info
match. Come and have a splendid lunch or just a few beers and tapas at sunset.
tel: +34 965 79 69 10 WhatsApp: +34 686 64 01 23 lancashirebrujajavea@hotmail.com Carretera Cabo La Nao-Pla, 123 Urb Moreras del Saladar, local 24 03730 Jávea
boutique – bar
Tapas gourmet, bodega Quesos y salazones Servicio de corte de Javea’s best jamón para eventos
wine bar
T. 966 27 22 06 70 wines M. 665 949 754 by the glass!
alhambramayordomo@hotmail.com Av. Lepanto, 2 , Jávea 03530 www.bonapata.com
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
Tour of duty
WHERE TO STAY
Former war reporterturned sommelier takes Jon Clarke on an adventure through the Costa Blanca’s best seafood at BonAmb
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HEIR ladders were carefully pinned to the vertical cliff walls of the Marina Alta area or hung down using ropes. An ancient, thousand-year-old fishing method, the locals clambered down risking their lives particularly on days when it was too rough to go out on boats. Then when close to the water they shone an acetylene gas lamp towards the sea, bringing fish up to the surface and easy to catch. Called the ‘encesa’ method, this is the inspiration for this years new menu at Javea’s most famous restaurant, BonAmb. Created by Alberto Ferruz with his sommelier and Maitre Pablo Catala, it proves beyond doubt that the very best fine dining is as much about theatre, concepts and textures as it is the food. “We wanted to pay tribute to the brave men who caught the fish in this way and the menu is today 90% local fish and vegetables from the nearby huertas,” explains 37-year-old Alberto from Zaragoza. “We try to be as seasonal as possible and use mostly local ingredients, but above all it is about the intensity of flavours,” adds
CREATIONS: Dozens of exciting dishes with black truffle being Charlie’s favourite the chef, who started working at the age Our guide for the night was co-owner Pablo, of 16 and picked up lots of experience in who once worked as an army press officer Paris and San Sebastian, as well as nearby and cameraman in war zones, including Denia, with Quique Dacosta. Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Hot on the heels of his mentor Dacosta And this tour of duty - the amazing ‘Cany(who is a close friend), Alberto is very much is’ set menu of around 18 courses by my deserving of his two Michelin stars and count - was not far off being as complicatdefinitely heading towards three. ed. BonAmb is an experience that Take the gazpachuelo soup, with sea baany true gourmet will need con, cured monkfish liver and Mediterrato try out. nean curry, this was not your average seaAside from the stunning food fare. Nor was foie in ‘duke’s gunpowlocation, architecture der’, a Mediaeval sauce, or eel juice and and grounds, the kitch- pickled mushrooms or ‘flickering custard’, en guarantees a journey with dill and salt. through the senses, like He had his work cut out just explaining the nothing else on the Costa dishes (and quite frankly none of his team Blanca. were able to do it properly in English) and This was my third visit, the second how best to enjoy them. with my commercial manager Charles Matching up the menu with wines was a Bamber, to celebrate our three-year an- battle in itself, the countless fish flavours niversary since launching an Olive Press wreaking havoc with most wines. His sugedition here. gestion of a Godello called 12 Casas was We had last dined here on our launch in a masterstroke. 2019 and on this showing it keeps getting There were certainly plenty of highlights, better. in particular the starter of celeriac crepe,
with red mullet sauce and salted Chantilly cream. Its rich aftertaste still lingering now. The cauliflower roasted in a Roman-style with black truffle on top was delightful as was the marine tartlet, with delicate flowers on top. A real feast, out came white prawns from Santa Pola, an oyster in a rich creamy sauce, a sausage made out of tuna, a sea urchin and a smoked clam with caviar. So much was eaten with the hands and everything was part of the overall ‘encesa’ story. By the time we had finished up some threeand-a-half hours later, it felt like a night out at the opera or a front row seat at Hamilton. Entertaining in the extreme. Forget the price of 135 euros a head, it would cost you that in the stalls at Covent Garden and you’d be paying a lot more for a glass of bubbly and a snack at the interval. Oh and there is a 95 euro menu if you’re on a budget. Visit www.bonamb.com
boutique hotel
Open 7 days a week – serving fusion foods
Boutique Hotel La Casita Calle Henry Matisse 4, 03730 Javéa Alicante
Bar Restaurant El Campo Travessera de les Cansalades 134 03730 Javéa Alicante
www.boutique-hotel-lacasita.com
www.bar-restaurant-elcampo.com
Instagram: lacasitajavea Facebook: @boutiquehotel.lacasita
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MARCH 2022
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SLEEP-EASY When you know where to look, Javea has some dream places to lay down your head
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VISTAS: Ritual de Terra is incredibly well appointed
OR a town that has had a Parador for five decades Javea has a surprisingly small amount of good places to stay. It was back in 1969 that Javea built its celebrated state-run parador, something of a badge for any self-respecting special place to take a holiday in Spain. But it was not until much more recently that it really started to create any really stylish or hip places to stay. Easily one of the best is La Casita (www.boutique-hotel-lacasita.com), a boutique hotel that sits in the leafy hills overlooking Arenal beach. One of the most privileged areas of Javea, this wonderful Dutch-run place is the perfect spot to kick back and luxuriate. The 10 suites and apartments are beautifully furnished and each have their own kitchens and comfortable outside spaces. This is all thanks to the creative eye of Brenda and husband Hans, who bought the place from an elderly German couple in 2019 and completely revamped it. Keeping as many of the old building materials as they could, they added vanguard touches with an emphasis on space and style. Best of all is the garden, which is almost tropical and creates a true sense of grandeur, its waving palms
framing the evocative Cap de Sant Antoni headland and rolling sea in the distance. Your hosts couldn’t be more helpful and knowledgeable and they can help sort anything, including a big breakfast, if needed. Nearby, you must check out the hip new Ritual de Terra hotel (www.ritualdeterra.com), a resort and spa that is set to become one of THE places to visit this year. A hotel to cleanse your mind and unwind, this cleverly designed hideout maximises the views of the sea and faraway headland and Montgo hill from every turn. With a distinct swagger about it, the beds are super kingsize and the linen second to none. All the rooms have a separate lounge area, while most have private balconies. As well as a wonderful central pool area, there are a series of tennis and padel courts, plus a main spa area to luxuriate in, with a steam room, sauna and pool. A whole range of face and body treatments are available, which will leave you feeling pampered and relaxed. Meanwhile its new Mediterranean-style restaurant MADRE is to open shortly and will feature a great range of local dishes, seafood, paella and grilled vegetables. Looking for an excellent budget op-
BLISS: Hip hotels, like La Casita, have sprung up in Javea, while (below) the most reliable Hotel Javea
tion but equally right in the heart of it all, Javea Hotel (www.hotel-javea. com) is unbeatable. Right next to the port, beside the stunning Nuestra Señora de Loreto church, this is pole position in more ways than one. Not only is it just 100m from the beach, it is near the cinema and dozens of restaurants and counts free WIFI connection and parking, as well as air-conditioning in every room. Many of the rooms have nice views, while on the top floor, where you take breakfast, you can also have lunch and dinner admiring some of the best views from any restaurant in the entire town.
a paradise on the Costa Blanca of Alicante Calle Pío X, nº 5, XABIA / JAVEA 03730, Alicante Tel. +34 965 795 461 / +34 965 796 457 email: info@hotel-javea.com www.hotel-javea.com
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A Javea ll about
MARCH 2022
FREE REVIEW OF YOUR INVESTMENTS Read on for how Chorus Financial’s award-winning advisers can help you crisis-ready your investments, writes Tracy Storer
I
F you’d invested $100,000 in January 2018 in funds tracking a global equity index, should you have sold up by now? The data shows that if you panic-sold as the COVID-19 pandemic struck (February 2020) you’d have $107,000. But if you held on until today, you’d have $150,000. (This is based on the MSCI ACWI Index, which represents the performance of stock in 23 developed and 24 emerging markets.) The year-to-date gains in 2022 make it seem we’re in a crisis yet again. The S&P 500 is down 9.15%, the Nasdaq100 is down 15.4% and the MSCI World Index is down 17.2% In times like this the words of financial columnist Morgan Housel are interesting. “Every past market crash looks like an opportunity, but every future market crash looks like a risk,” he said. Chorus Financial will give a free review of your arrangements History has proven that markets always rebound. The Dow Jones, for example, has grown an average of 2.6% above pre-crisis levels within 18 weeks, according to the last major 50 events since the turn of the 20th century.
But of course, a rising index doesn’t mean that all stocks within it have grown. For you to take advantage, you’ll need a wise investment plan in well diversified funds. Chorus Financial is a Costa Blanca based firm of award-winning financial advisers. We declare 100% of all fees and commissions and offer solutions without tie-ins. As part of our ethical approach, we can review your existing investment arrangements for free – without pressure or obligation. Our top financial advisers can clearly demonstrate how we might improve the performance of your investments, all fees accounted for. Meet the team Our financial advisers are fully licensed, qualified and regulated to provide financial advice in Spain and across the EU. You can find a Chorus office in Javea, right next to the Arenal. We’ve also just opened an office in Benijofar on the Costa Blanca south. I’m Tracy Storer, with 10 years’ experience specifically dealing with expat clients on the Costa Blanca. Along with Sam Kelly, our managing partner, and Chris Ward, our partner and financial planner, we would love to help you ready your investments for 2022.
www.chorusfinancial.es info@chorusfinancial.es 965 64 11 63
An honour to do business with MBE Mark Petrie has been running his insurance business for nearly five decades
H
E moved to Spain when he was just 11-yearsold and opened his first business here in 1977. Today he counts on hundreds of loyal clients from all over Spain… and has rightfully been recognised in the UK with an MBE for his services to expats. So it’s no surprise to discover that Mark Petrie is also Denia's Honorary British Consul, a safe pair of hands to turn to in a time of crisis. His company, Mark Petrie Insurance Brokers, today brings over 50 years of experience offering clients the best-available policies tailored to their individual needs. With offices in Javea and Denia, his experienced team offers a wide range of insurance services from car, home,
health and pet insurance to legal assistance policies. Because the brokerage is not affiliated to any one company, it can offer the most appropriate policies on the market to suit individual needs at the most competitive prices. His team of five works with all the leading agents such as Liberty Seguros, Allianz, Plus Ultra, DKV, Salus and many more to offer a personalised service from day one. “Each policy is tailored to what the customer needs and wants and we are very expat-orientated,” explains Mark, from his office on the paseo in CORREDURIA DE SEGUROS • INSURANCE BROKERS Javea port.
Mark Petrie
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ACCIDENTS | CAR OR COMMERCIAL VEHICLE / MOTORCYCLES AND MOPEDS CIVIL LIABILITY | COMMUNITIES | DEATHS | DECENNIAL AND CONSTRUCTION / OFFICES
“While we have many clients here, we have others from as far away as Galicia, Madrid, Sevilla, and Malaga,” he adds. “By reducing response times and with an insurance programme run by professionals, our clients get the most out of any policy that they take out.” Visit www.mark-petrie.com, call 965 793 712 or e-mail: brokers@mark-petrie.com
Chorus Financial
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965 64 11 63 www.chorusfinancial.es info@chorusfinancial.es
brokers@mark-petrie.com www.mark-petrie.com
122 Avinguda del Pla, 03730, Jávea, Spain
Javea
Benijófar Office- Local 2-6, Calle Torrevieja 92,03178, Benijófar, Alicante, Spain
Chorus Financial is an award-winning, privately owned company based in Spain. Our advisers have over 50 years combined experience advising British families living overseas on their pensions, savings, investments & tax planning. Tracy Storer provides regulated financial advice as a member of the OpesFidelio network. Aisa International, s.r.o. trading as OpesFidelio is regulated by the Czech National Bank to act as an independent securities trader (MiFID) and also as an intermediary for Insurance within the EEA, and holds licences for Supplementary Pensions Savings and Consumer Credit | The company’s Identification number is 282 24 981 and can be found in the web app at www.cnb.cz Tracy Storer is a member of OpesFidelio network and further information is available upon request | OpesFidelio and its Trademark are certification marks owned by Aisa Ltd who permit the use of this Trademark in the EU.
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LA CULTURA
March 24th - April 6th 2022
CHILD’S The art PLAY of war
New research credits children for prehistoric art
AN exhibition detailing the history of duelling at staterun museums in Moscow has been cancelled after a host of European countries withdrew loaned artworks in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. The exhibition, titled: The Duel: From Trial by Combat to Noble Crime was to show loans from 10 European museums but each one has cancelled. The artworks were due to be showcased this month, but institutions from Madrid, Paris, Leeds, Vienna and London have since cancelled their loans with immediate effect. The original exhibition listing announced that artefacts from the Prado Museum and Royal Armoury museum were due be made available for public viewing, however these have also been withdrawn. Art has become the latest flashpoint for sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg recalled the loan of Raphael’s The Holy Family from the Renaissance art exhibition at London’s National Gallery.
MUCH modern art may look a little sketchy to the untrained eye. But new research has found that some of the world’s earliest known art may also be child’s play. Experts from Cambridge University and Spain’s University of Cantabria found that children, possibly even toddlers may have been behind up to a quarter of prehistoric rock art. Researchers analysed hand stencils painted in Spanish caves some 20,000 years ago.
Lights, camera, action
By Katharina Beiersdoerfer
After studying 180 examples of art made by blowing pigment through a hollow reed or bone, scientists believe that ancient rock painting was actually a family-oriented group activity, not a solitary male pursuit. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, revealed that between 20% and 25% of the hand painting were made by chil-
A NEW exhibition exploring the relationship between art and automobiles will open at the Bilbao Guggenheim. The exhibition, titled: ‘Motion, Autos, Art, Architecture’ will run from April 8 to September 18. A gallery spokesman said: “The exhibition celebrates the artistic dimension of the automobile and links it to the parallel worlds of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and film.” The premise of the exhibition looks at the age-old question: Does
TOUCHING THE PAST: Prehistoric hand paintings dren aged between 2 and 12 years old. Researchers studied art in five caves across Spain - El Castillo, Maltravieso, Fuente de Salin, Fuente del Trucho, and La Gama.
OIL -PAINTING art imitate life? The exhibit is split into seven separate galleries: Beginnings, Sculptures, Popularizing, Sporting, Visionaries, Americana, and Future. Each gallery will showcase cars alongside the objects that influenced their design. The cars on show include a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a Hispano-Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia, a Pegaso Z-102 Cupula, and the Bentley R1Type.
OP QUICK CROSSWORD Across 6 Early bird’s breakfast (4) 8 He slew the Hydra (8) 9 Agreeable (8) 10 A trifling sum (4) 11 Such as the Gestapo, KGB, Stasi etc. (6,6) 14 Electrostatic document producer (5,7) 17 Small drink of liquor (4) 19 European nation since 1993 (8) 20 Occur simultaneously (8) 21 They’re tapped in pubs (4)
27
DO I
Lead author of the study, Veronica Fernndez-Navarro said because the prehistoric images were made by blowing pigments onto hands placed against the cave wall, the process that would have made the outlines slightly larger than the hands themselves.
Survival
She said: “From the real hand to the one on the wall there are always a few centimetres of error, because the silhouette comes out larger. “We calculated that error and many more children’s hands came out than we expected.” She added: “It would appear that artistic activity was not an activity exclusively for male individuals and the survival of the group, as had previously been thought.”
SPAIN'S biggest film studio will reopen this summer, after the European Union forced it to close in 2012 over illegal public funding. Alicante's Ciudad de la Luz (City of Light) opened in 2005 and hosted around 60 film shoots as well as TV productions. Some €274 million of public money to build the complex was invested by the Valencian government at the time. Praise from film-makers over the quality of the facilities did not match income as the site lost €84 million in six years. Pinewood Studios outside London made the first complaint to the EU in 2007 over the subsidy. Valencia president, Ximo Puig, has now announced that the complex can return to its original function from July 1. The EU had previously barred the facility from hosting any productions until 2027.
? T U O D N A T S
OP SUDOKU
Down 1 Overabundance (13) 2 Crosspiece in a boat (6) 3 Small attractive cave (6) 4 Drunken Marquis OKs ten after inquiries (8,5) 5 Mineral deposit (4) 7 Deep hole, or instruction to machinery owner? (3,4) 12 Worthless ideas (3) 13 Cook nine veg. before nightfall (7) 15 Victorian art critic and social thinker (6) 16 Get back in business (6) 18 It might be square or underground (4)
All solutions are on page 29
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LA CULTURA
March 24th - April 6th 2022
IMPORTS: A village of native Filipinos were imported to live in Spain’s most famous park with some dyimg of mistreatment
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NESCO’s newest World HerBy Fiona Govan itage Site in Madrid hides a deplorable secret recognition of a shameful period in tropical plants (see above) was a the history of Madrid’s Retiro park replica village, a model of the sort when people would come to stare of settlement found on the Filipino wide-eyed at live exhibits in a ‘hu- island of Luzon. Housed within it as the centrepiece man zoo’. When news came through last year of the exhibit were 43 Igorot men that Madrid’s Retiro Park had been and women brought from the other awarded with the coveted World side of the world to play out their Heritage Site status, it was greeted lives in front of curious onlookers. In April 1887, the Exhibition of the with celebration across Spain. Philippines, then a At last Madrid’s leafy part of the Spanish oasis in the centre empire, was inauguof the capital with its At least four rated by Queen Maria rose garden, boating Cristina. lake and lofty glass exof the Igorot During the next six hibition hall had been people died months tens of thougiven the recognition it deserved. from poor living sands from across Spain came to gaze But, for some the conditions at the prize exhibits in news came as an optheir folk costumes as portunity to explore they carried out their the history of the park, and with it calls to make amends for ‘typical’ daily activities of hunting a shameful episode that blights the with spears, fishing from wooden dugout canoes or ploughing the Retiro’s past. Towards the end of the 19th Centu- land with oxen. ry, Madrileños flocked to the Retiro Records show that at least four of the Park not just to enjoy a stroll be- Igorot people brought over died as a neath the shady boughs of its many result of poor living conditions during trees but also to gawp at a rare ex- the exhibition, but apart from a few hibit that had been shipped in from photos hidden within city archives, a far-flung corner of the Spanish there is no public acknowledgement of their plight on public display. empire. Alongside the Palacio de Cristal, a All that remains to inform curious colossal greenhouse built to contain visitors today is a small weath-
Shameful past Human zoo secret of Madrid’s new World Heritage site has been carefully airbrushed from history
er-beaten plaque outside the palace that names the architect and the dimensions of the structure and what plants were originally contained within it. No mention is made of the human exhibits. Leah Pattem, an amateur historian wrote about the shameful secret history of the Retiro human zoos in her blog Madrid No Frills that has been shared by thousands. “It took me three visits to the National Museum of Anthropology to find any acknowledgment of the people involved in the 1887 exhibition. On a small display card beneath the
boats, a sentence reads “...city residents could ride in them with the aid of the Filipino crews”. Other than this, you have to dig deep into the museum’s archives which are not accessible to the public,” she told the Olive Press. Campaigners now want the true history to be told as a way of putting the racist world view of the past into context for modern times. “The point of UNESCO is to preserve and protect, through education and culture, a universal respect for human rights,” explained Alexis Lahorra, a Madrid-based Filipino Canadian
activist, who has taken up the cause. “Why is it that we’re not protecting the people who were in the exhibition? Their dignity was taken away. By remembering them, we can at least try to recover some of that.” Fellow activist Angelica Pfleider, also from the Philippines, insists that historical wrongs shouldn’t be buried. “Acknowledging the human zoos in Madrid will show other racially marginalised groups, such as Roma people and indigenous Latin Americans in Spain that it’s also possible to acknowledge what was done to them in the past,” insisted fellow Filipino activist Angelica Pfleider.
Courage
“If we’re successful, it could give others the courage and inspiration they need to seek the truth about their own history too,” she said. Pattern adds: “It seems clear to me that the inclusion of 43 Igorot people has been deliberately omitted because historians are aware that this is a shameful episode in Spanish history. However, we must confront and acknowledge Madrid’s human zoo because, if we don’t, it’s as good as saying what happened was ok – a passive action which has a direct consequence on racist attitudes and behaviours today, in Spain and beyond. “There are many more monuments in Madrid with hidden racist histories and we hope that updating the plaque outside the Palacio de Cristal will pave the way for further changes to be made around the city.”
HEALTH
TikTok twits
SOCIAL media users taking part in viral TikTok challenges are putting themselves at risk of blindness, an expert has warned. Dr Nigel Best is urging people not to take part in dares which sees them exposing their eyes to bright lights and toxic substances. He said: ‘These challenges can be extremely dangerous and can put your eye health at risk. One of the challenges going viral sees people mixing bleach, hand sanitiser, jelly and shaving cream in a bag and holding it up to their eyes. It is thought this will make their eyes appear brighter.
Splits
Dr Best, from Specsavers, said: “Apart from the fact that it won’t make your eyes any brighter, if the bag splits and the contents leak out it could cause corneal scarring, extreme pain and blindness.”Another video doing the rounds sees users trying to change their eye colour from brown to blue by exposing the eye to bright light while using the S5 filter on their phones. Dr Best said: “By intentionally exposing your retinas to bright lights, you risk permanently damaging the light sensitive cells on your retina and causing blind spots.”
Double debut THE Madrid Zoo Aquarium has announced uplifting news in this miserable weather. Giant panda twins 'You You' and 'Jiu Jiu', born last September, made their first public appearance this week. They were the first pandas born at the zoo since 2016. Queen Sofia was accompanied by the Chinese Ambassador for a special event to celebrate the Zoo’s 50th anniversary. Ambassador Wu said the pandas 'represent the friendship and cultural exchanges between China and Spain' with the cubs' names symbolising best wishes and friendship.
March 24th - April 6th 2022
A BRITISH woman has been caught claiming disability benefits in the UK while helping to run a property business on the Costa Blanca. Louise Jones, 53, has received a six month jail sentence and a big fine for her double dealings. The owner of McHardy Spanish Properties spent half her time in Spain working for a property developer, despite claiming she spent her time between Cleethorpes and Hull. Facebook photos however, showed her living a luxurious lifestyle in Alicante, while claim-
Benefits backlash ing disability allowance for almost a decade. She had been living with husband Bruce McHardy, who had his own property business, Chersun, based in Avileses, on the Costa Blanca south. Jones claimed a total of £46,867 in disability and housing benefits between 2007 and 2016 and £33,000 in severe disability allowance.
BAD INFLUENCE
Influencers to be barred from plugging junk food
THE Spanish government has announced plans to ban influencers from advertising junk food to children. The plans outlined would see anyone in a position of influence barred from marketing food and drink high in sugar, salt or fat. The draft legislation states: “The ban would prohibit appearances in commercial communications by parents, educators, teachers, children’s TV professionals, sportspeople, artists, influencers, and people or characters – be they real or fictional – who may, by dint of their
careers, be likely to represent a model or example for these minors.” A 2019 study found over 40% of Spanish children aged six to nine were over their recommended weight. Alberto Garzon, the coordinator for the United Left alliance in the coalition government, said the measures were necessary in order to tackle ‘the serious public
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE A NEW report has given surprising insight into the countries whose populations have the best mental health. The contrast between the UK and Spain could hardly have been more different in the study published by research organization Sapiens Lab. Of all the 34 countries surveyed, Spain was second, surpassed only by Venezuela. The UK meanwhile had the joint lowest mental health score, alongside South Africa. Of the top 10 countries, six were Spanish speaking. The survey looked at a variety of factors in determining its rankings, including mood and outlook, how we relate to ourselves and others, and drive and motivation, quizzing a total of 223,000 people. In addition, the survey found a correlation between living in an English-speaking country and poor mental health. The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland all ranked in the bottom 10.
Inequality
The survey found no link between a country's wealth and the happiness of its citizens but there did appear to be a trend between inequality, which has increased in many western countries over the past decade, and negative mental health. This is perhaps most clearly exemplified by Venezuela which was top despite being the most poverty-stricken nation in Latin America. One of the things all nations appeared to have in common was the decline in mental health of young people, with every single country surveyed showing a decline in the mental well being of 18-24 year-olds.
OP Puzzle solutions Across: 6 Worm, 8 Hercules, 9 Pleasant, 10 Song, 11 Secret police, 14 Laser printer, 17 Dram, 19 Slovakia, 20 Coincide, 21 Kegs. Down: 1 Embarrassment, 2 Thwart, 3 Grotto, 4 Question marks, 5 Vein, 7 Oil well, 12 Pap, 13 Evening, 15 Ruskin, 16 Reopen, 18 Root.
SUDOKU
Quick Crossword
health problem of childhood obesity’. In addition, high-profile figures popular among children, such as Youtubers, will also be asked to participate in public health campaigns to promote physical activity and healthy eating.
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Feeling down SPAIN has experienced the largest drop in happiness in Europe, a new study has revealed. Research published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, used ‘sentiment analysis’ automatically to scan the contents of 600 million social media posts from 10.5 million people, and assess the emotional content. Analysing the language used, in correlation with the locations tagged, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that Spain experienced one of the largest drops in happiness in Europe, closely followed by the UK. Using data from across 100 countries, the study determined that countries with a higher death toll and inefficient governments had the most unhappy residents. Scientists also analysed the effects of lockdown by comparing similar countries that did and did not impose restrictions. Surprisingly, they found that in the short term there was tentative evidence that going into lockdown led to a small net increase in happiness. Professor Siqi Zheng said: “On the one hand, lockdown policies might make people feel secure, and not as scared. On the other hand, in a lockdown when you cannot have social activities, it’s another emotional stress. The impact of lockdown policies perhaps runs in two directions.”
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GREEN
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OIL TO SOL TWO of Spain’s best-known and biggest companies are to set up a solar panel venture for homes and businesses. Oil giant Repsol and telecoms provider Telefonica have agreed to create a 50-50 joint company. The project will become a reality in a few months once regulatory approval has been granted. No pricing structure has been announced. The firms boast that they bring different skills to the table in the joint venture. Telefonica through its Movistar brand name, has over 1,000 shops and a customer base of more than 20 million people, while Repsol has its long-standing energy background. Potential customers will not have to be Movistar subscribers to take advantage of the new supplier. The company will have its own management team, and will have specialists covering all customer needs.
Electric jackpot VOLKSWAGEN’S battery plant will be located in Sagunto. In the best business news ‘for half a century’, the factory, costing €7 billion, will employ around 3,000 staff. The facility will be VW’s first cell plant outside Germany and will make the company’s next-generation ‘unified cells’. Valencian president, Ximo Puig, described the decision as ‘the best business news in half a century’ for the region. The Sagunto site beat off other possible sites in Aragon and Catalunya. It was helped by its proximity to the Ford factory at Almussafes as the German carmaker signed an agreement with Ford in 2020 over the development of zero-emissions vehicles. Almussafes will see two new electric car brands start to be produced in 2025. Construction on the Sagunto plant will begin this year and the factory will start production in 2026.
March 24th - April 6th 2022
Turtle muerte
Repsol and Telefonica join forces for solar power By Alex Trelinski
That includes pointing out the advantages of solar power and coming up with the best designs and the most suitable installations for each location to ‘maximise savings’ on electricity bills. A mobile app will be used to control installations
to optimise energy expenditure and any other service linked to the solar installation. Telefonica Spain president, Emilio Gayo, said: “This is a strategic agreement between two leading companies that are pooling their knowledge to build a solid and innovative value proposition, both for individuals and companies.”
AN army of marine specialists were unable to save a 230-kilo leatherback turtle in Murcia. The reptile was treated with anti-inflammatories and rehydration therapy in round-the-clock care, after being cut from a fishing line it had become caught in last week. The turtle looked to have made a full recovery at the oceanographic marine animal centre and was seen being active and moving freely. However, when it was returned to the sea, things took a sudden turn. It was seen swimming erratically before beaching itself on the shore of Cartagena where it was later pronounced dead.
As energy prices soar, this is what can be done
ARE YOU BURNING MONEY?
T
HIS is a simple question, answered easily. YES you are. The human race is not stupid, yet it continues to do things that we know are not right.
Why? When you’re in a restaurant and the waiter tells you not to touch the plate because it’s hot, why do you feel compelled to touch it? With regards to the environment and climate, why do we ignore doing the things we know we should do? WE HAVE TO REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIAN ENERGY Although Spain takes just 9% of its gas imports from Russia we still feel the pain. Our costs are increasing rapidly. As the global market spikes, so do our bills. Not just here, but throughout Europe. All countries are looking at the ‘security of supply’ problems we all face. As the western world reels in the face of Russian aggression we are having to react. Sadly the reactions jeopardise the commitments made to reduce the impact of climate change. In capital cities across Europe officials are now staring at their climate change rule book, once a defining part of their legacy planning, wondering if it can be torn up. ‘Energy supply strategies’ have changed enormously since February 24. It is not that long ago, but it was a devastating date for mankind. • In the UK Boris Johnson is looking at bigger exploitation of gas and oil deposits in the North Sea. • Fracking is back on the agenda. A court order compelling Cuadrilla to destruct two fracking mines in
Green
Lancashire has been put under review • Nuclear power is on many European countries radars….even Germany which planned to be nuclear free • Countries are crawling back to negotiate alternative supply options with Saudi Arabia (a country that executed 81 people in a single day last week) WHAT CAN WE DO? I’m with the former Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo. CUT OFF RUSSIAN OIL AND GAS No new gas supply contacts with Russia. Forget the political pressure. From the environmental view point, the pain caused will lead to green gain. Governments will have to accelerate plans to increase the renewable mix in energy generation and storage. Let’s focus on European supply and at the same time have a concerted effort to tackle methane gas leaks. EU member states need to look collectively at gas storage levels and cooperate. ACCELERATE THE DEPLOYMENT OF NEW WIND AND SOLAR PROJECTS Fast track these projects and tackle the delays caused by permitting. Streamline the administrative process and digitalise applications. IF YOU HAVE A ROOF - USE IT! Faster deployment of rooftop solar PV systems reduces consumer bills and the demand on the national grid. Even if your commitment to the environmental cause is not strong, it is an incredible return on investment, with a payback period typically less than three years.
RIGHT: Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo INCREASE TAX RATES ON ELECTRICITY COMPANIES WINDFALL PROFITS The current wholesale market prices create additional profits for many electricity generators. It has been estimated that excess profits of UP TO €200 BILLION will be made in Europe in 2022 from energy produced using gas, coal, nuclear, hydropower and renewables. TAX IT and support those struggling to pay for a basic necessity. FOCUS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT HOME AND IN THE WORKPLACE • Switch appliances off • Change to LED lighting • Improve insulation • Turn your thermostat down • Check to see what temperature your hot water is stored at. It doesn’t need to be any more than 55*C Government needs to support small businesses to become more efficient. We need to all do our bit. AND DO IT NOW.
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638145664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
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OLIVE PRESS
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A MAN in Gipuzkoa has been jailed for 15 months and fined €275 after calling on Spanish politicians to suffer ‘a slow death’, and for them to be ‘dissolved in sulphuric acid’ via Facebook.
Paper Picasso A MYSTERY origami artist at Granada’s San Cecilio hospital has been revealed to be an 81-year-old cancer patient who has been making jaw-dropping paper figurines to calm his nerves before chemotherapy.
Guardian angel WORKERS at a Sevilla supermarket have described a local shopper as an ‘angel’ for doing a €261.21 food shop at their store before giving it all to a homeless woman.
VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 34 www.theolivepress.es FREE
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Rucking hell!
March 24th - April 6th 2022
DISGRUNTLED! Tunbridge Wells given good reason to be out of sorts after cricket masterclass from Spain RESIDENTS of the UK’s Royal Tunbridge Wells are infamous for being disgruntled on many things in life. Long fabled for writing angry letters to newspapers, now the Victor Meldews of the Home Counties have a good reason to whine. In a remarkable European cricket final, Tunbridge were humbled in a seven wicket drubbing by Spain’s Pak I Care
By George Mathias
Badalona. Now crowned the European champions the Catalan club won the European Cricket League finals in a remarkable final day. It came after they topped their group before beating an Irish team, a Swedish team and an Italian team to reach the finals.
The six week tournament witnessed over 25,000 runs and 1,450 wickets during the course of the competition at the Cartama Oval, Malaga. Muhammad Babar leased the ‘Monday shopfrom Pak I Care was per bag’, made of white named player of the calfskin. tournament, scoring It is adorned with vertical an unrivalled 433 blue stripes and a red logo, runs, including 53 with eagle-eyed Brits quick sixes and 17 fours. to point out a resemblance He also took 23 between the new release wickets. and Tesco’s old design. The tournament, Europe’s biggest-ev-
Every little helps THEY were once handed out free at the tills, but now a designer label shopping bag reminiscent of the plastic Tesco version has been put up for sale at a whopping €1,200. High end Spanish fashion brand Balenciaga has re-
er tournament, has truly put cricket on the European map after drawing in millions of viewers worldwide every week. “It’s great to see a Spanish club taking the crown in Europe. It is well deserved for the club, Spain and the development of European Cricket,” ECL boss Roger Feiner told the Olive Press. “At first glance, the victory of Pak I Care came as a surprise. But when you see the quality of individual players, you can understand why the sport continues to evolve.”
SPAIN will take its place on Rugby Union’s biggest stage after qualifying for next year’s World Cup. Los Leones completed a remarkable turnaround when they defeated Portugal in Madrid, having lost their first three qualifying matches before embarking on a six-game winning run. The 33-28 victory meant that Spain were guaranteed at least second place in the Rugby Europe Championship ahead of their last day clash with Georgia. It was just as well as they were then crushed 49-15 in Tbilisi.
Water result BARCELONA has more cannabis residue in its waste water than Amsterdam. A study of the sewage from 75 cities by the European Agency for Drugs and Drug Addiction, revealed that the Catalan city showed three times more traces of the narcotic than the Dutch capital. The report placed Barcelona and Amsterdam at one and two on the list.