Olive Press Valencia - Issue 35 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR FREE Vol. 1 Issue 35 www.theolivepress.es

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OLIVE PRESS

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voice in Spain April 7th - April 20th 2022

Live like an oligarch, see page 9

HYPNOTISED BY JESUS!

HE grew his hair long like Jesus and was looked up to ‘like a god’. A so-called ‘healer’ (or curandero) he had a herbal medicine practice on the costas and a series of intelligent graduate friends. But sex cult leader Tio Toni, 64, was allegedly an evil child abuser, who brainwashed dozens of people into effectively living in slavery. Now, after police arrested Tio Toni - real name Antonio GL along with eight other followers, five of them female, he is set to face 80 years in prison. In a shocking investigation, the Olive Press can reveal how Antonio allegedly hypnotised his followers to believe he was a spiritual healer over a staggering 30year period. Victims and psychologists told us how the alternative medicine practitioner conned his respect-

Victims and therapists tell Olive Press of ordeal at the hands of sex abuse cult leader Tio Toni By Jorge Hinojosa

least initially, that behind the scenes he was allegedly abusing their children and often their wives and partners. When police finally raided his huge finca, Mas de la Chaparra, a bright pink building, near the village of Vistabella del Maestrat, on March 15, they were astonished by what they found. Aside from €15,000 in cash, they discovered over 100 valuable watches, but the most unusual was a collection of keepsakes and mementos.

they seized training manuals for members, including one, ‘A course of Miraable middle class patients into cles’ which gave them a series of giving him money and sometimes exercises and orders to follow. even their homes. This week, a long-time neighbour He even managed to enlist them of his home in Castellon, told the into ritual sex sessions, some of Olive Press Tio Toni would inithem filmed on camera. tially not charge for the ‘health’ In some of his most depraved services he provided. acts, he allegedly took the virginiThe woman, a fortune teller, visty of teenagers, in front of his folited his practice in Castellon on lowers, also on camera. many occasions and ‘nearly got He managed to first snare his sucked in’. victims through an alternative She said: “I spent months going health practice in the coastal city to his consultation because he Orgies of Castellon. said he was a healer. He put his At the clinic, which doubled as a These included drawers full of bi- hands on me, claiming it would health shop, he conned his vic- zarre hair cuttings and dozens of cure me. tims into believing their health religious calling cards. “But it soon became clear he was - and lives - would improve by There were numerous storage trying to manipulate me, espejoining his cult, called Vistabella. devices and computers and ‘a cially when after a few sessions As well as saying that he had been bunker full of security and sur- he asked me to go to a private chosen ‘as an envoy from God’ veillance equipment’ revealed the back room with him. and he was ‘cleaning up society’, local mayor. “That was the moment when I felt he told them he was able to cure There were also allegedly videos something strange was going on.” their ailments, including cancer. of sexual orgies in which ritual Asking to remain anonymous, But once they had moved to live p r a c t i c e s she continon his giant inland estate in the r e g u l a r l y ued: “He was rural Maestrazgo region of Valen- took place. over-friendcia, they effectively became his Meanwhile, ly with me, slaves. and told me Working around the he was sent clock on a schedule from God and their leader dictated, that’s why he PSYCHIATRIST: Miguel Perlado they had no idea, at grew his hair out like Jesus. “He was cerOpen every day tainly very persuasive Closed Monday and I saw a lot of people become totally obsessed with him,” she continued. “He made them feel they were totally loved.” Over the course of ‘a few years’ she lost an alarming four friends to the sect, SITE: The sect’s compound in rural Valencia as well as a female member of her own family. “I was so worrie I ended up organising a meeting with them to try and tell them that this guy was manipulating us, but they just refused to reservas@palaciodelabellota.com believe me,” she continued. www.palaciodelabellota.com

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SECT: Leader Tio Toni

She revealed how Toni continually managed to expand and add to his inland estate in order to house his growing number of ‘believers’. When she tried more recently to get her friends out, she revealed how Toni had sent some of them to her home threatening to expose her as a witch. “They accused me of having done witchcraft on a child in the sect who had got really ill or died,” she explained. “It was very intimidating.” A psychologist, who called in police after he began working with a number of victims last year, said the abuse on the group and, in particular, children was ‘truly shocking’. Miguel Perlado told the Olive Press that the victims had first come to him ‘very confused’ about what was going on inside. “They could barely even describe the place where they had lived for so long,” he revealed, adding that they were threatened about speaking out ‘or they would get bad energy’. He said they ended up becoming very isolated from their family and friends and Tio Toni even made them become isolated from each other and ‘encouraged conflict between them’.

Burdened

They were burdened with many chores and the house was continually upgraded and maintained, so they ‘could not think for themselves’. He added that many of the minors didn’t attend school and also created ‘alternative identities’ because they didn’t have the capacity to explain what was going on. He added that it was possible the place was visited by foreigners and other expats, but the main sect was Spanish. A total of 12 victims were ‘liberated’ when police raided the farm, including two children, aged 13 and eight, who have been taken in by Valencia social services. This week, six of nine adult members were given bail while three, including Toni remain in custody.

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF

A VALENCIAN woman has revealed how she suffered 56 years of abuse from her husband and eventually resorted to barricading herself in a room. Police finally arrested the 83-yearold man because his wife had been ‘too embarrassed’ to report his regular attacks herself.

Boyfriend's revenge A 21-year-old man has been charged with homicide after, angry that his girlfriend was being ‘harassed’ by her ex-partner, he ran him over in Serra, with the victim later dying in Valencia's La Fe Hospital.

Sofa shocker THREE fraudsters who ran a made-to-order online sofa shop con from Gandia that netted €543,095 in orders which were never fulfilled have been arrested, with 175 victims identified.

Axe attack AN axe-wielding man, 29, who tried to rob an Alicante petrol station was arrested after an employee locked himself inside the building and phoned police.

April 7th - April 20th 2022

DECADES OF ABUSE The woman told officers she had been ill-treated throughout her entire marriage with physical attacks and regular verbal threats, insults, and humiliation.

Matters took a recent turn when she piled up furniture against a door every day to stop him gaining access to her room, due to the increased seriousness of threats.

Pushing it First blood for prosecutor as ‘Requena Rambo’ refuses to testify while facing 60 years A MAN dubbed ‘Rambo of Requena’ after he shot someone in a botched robbery then fled to the hills for months, is facing life behind bars. Pedro Lozano, 30, also shot a policeman, before he was finally tracked down by a crack anti-terror unit in the Pyrenees. He is this week facing 60 years in prison during a trial in Teruel in which he is accused of

Shock fall A GIRL aged seven was rescued by firefighters after she fell five-metres into a cave at the Paraje de las Cuevas de Velez Rubio archaeological site in Puerto Lumbreras. She escaped unharmed.

By George Mathias & Jack Gaioni

attempted murder, abduction, coercion and multiple auto thefts. Gimenez, from Sagunto, near Valencia, is alleged to have stolen three cars and held a man hostage in a rampage in February 2020. Prosecutors allege he went on

Refugees robbed

A FAMILY of Ukrainian refugees were robbed of €7,000 and valuables in a distraction theft at a Castellon motorway service area. The Guardia Civil have arrested the thief at a service area in Zaragoza and are still looking for his accomplice. The Guardia Civil said the detained man led a group of service area thieves which they were targeting in Operation Karobur. He has been charged with eight robberies. The Ukrainian family had made the long 3,000 kilometre drive to Spain.

to burgle a villa in Requena before shooting and wounding the homeowner. It was then he went on-the-run, knowing that he was Public Enemy number one and the net was closing. He went to ground in the depopulated mountains between Requena and Teruel, where he would break in and sleep in unoccupied farmhouses. After numerous reports of break ins and sightings he was finally tracked down by Spain’s counter-terrorism Rapid Action Group, to the village of Muniesa, in June 2020. But police were unable to capture him and after a gunfight Gimenez escaped after wounding an officer with a sawn-off shotgun. He somehow managed to carjack a local driver before heading north, towards the Pyrenees. But police were soon on his tail,

using a flotilla of 4x4 vehicles, drones and even a helicopter. They finally cornered him in Albalate del Arzobispo, where they got involved in a second gun battle which ended with Lozano wounded multiple times.

Killing

Prosecutor Jorge Piedrafita has asked for a 60-year prison sentence as well as €180,000 in compensation. While Lozano has so far refused to testify, his defence insisted he had no intention of killing the Guardia agents. They said he deliberately did not aim at ‘any vital organs’ and should face no more than a two year sentence for serious injury, six months for illegal possession of a weapon, and one year for trespassing. The case continues.

Rolling pin row POLICE in Valencia City have arrested a married couple after a violent brawl with both parties suffering injuries. Emergency services got a call saying that a woman was apparently attacking a man at a property in the Patraix area. The husband, 30, told cops his wife, 38, had hit him on the head with a rolling pin. The claim appeared to be true as officers noticed a bulging bruise on his head. He said he was struck several times on his body by the rolling pin and that his partner then got hold of a knife which cut one of his fingers. She also threatened to stab him in the genitals.

Van lifer scammers A PAIR of scuzzy van lifers have been charged with robbing businesses by force while travelling around Spain. The couple were nicked in Villena after police found loads of items in their motorhome stolen from shops and hospitality businesses. The man, 41, and woman, 39, both Spanish, were also wanted by the authorities in Huelva and Malaga. Database checks matched items stolen from a restaurant the previous day in Almansa, in Albacete.

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NEWS

www.theolivepress.es SPANISH megastar Rosalia has revealed secret screenshots from fellow singing sensation Harry Styles - but it appears the pair’s interaction got lost in translation. During an interview on The Tonight Show the Catalan-born songstress explained that she changes her number a lot to help her focus when she’s working in the studio. When host Jimmy Fallon suggested that friends would then be texting someone else, she responded: “That happened to me – I didn’t know that someone else gets your old number. I thought you use that number and then it disappears or something.” The 28-year-old revealed that confusion over her digits recently left her red-faced when boyband star Styles tried to reach her. Instead of speaking to the Spanish warbler, clueless Styles accidentally messaged

April 7th - April 20th 2022

Lost in translation a mystery individual who inherited Rosalia’s old phone number. The Spanish pop star pulled her phone out to show the host screenshots of the bizarre exchange Styles had sent her, saying: “Your texts are so confusing.” In the screenshot, you can see that the British star had sent Rosalia a message about her song ‘Dolerme’, calling it ‘so beautiful’. The person with Rosalia’s old number then replied: “I know my darling.” After exchanging ‘love you’ messages, the stranger then revealed that they didn’t know who they were texting. When Styles told them he was ‘confused’, they replied: “This number belongs to someone before. But now it’s my number. So don’t bother me anymore. Good night.”

SLAP (UN)HAPPY… Pedro Almodovar reveals his thoughts about THAT Oscars slap and ‘cult leader’ Will Smith

Top score BARCELONA’S Camp Nou stadium was packed out as a world record 91,553 fans watched the home team beat Real Madrid 5-2 in a Women’s Champions League semi-final. The previous record for a women’s game was 90,185 at the 1999 World Cup final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

SPANISH director Pedro Almodovar has described how seeing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a misguided joke about his wife’s alopecia provoked ‘a feeling of absolute rejection’ in him. Almodovar wrote about the incident in a diary on his experience at attending the awards ceremony, for which his film Parallel Mothers was nominated for two Oscars. He reveals that he had a ringside seat and was ‘barely four metres from where it happened’. “In the general overhead shots, I am the little white head you see in the photo,” he revealed. “What I saw and heard pro-

…but Oscar happy

Win

THE Oscar headlines may have been taken by Will Smith’s infamous slap on Chris Rock, but a Spanish filmmaker has made a little bit of history. Spain took home its first ‘Best Animated Short Film’ Oscar, with animator Alberto Mielgo victorious thanks to a 15-minute movie called The Windsceen Wiper. The short took seven years to make with Madrid-born Milego having to finance the project himself. The Oscar success came as a surprise as an entry from the award-winning Aardman studio backed by Netflix was the hot favourite to win.

Up until now the record for a club fixture was 60,739 supporters who saw Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano back in March 2019. Club bosses were keen to see a bumper crowd for Wednesday’s match which saw Barca win 8-3 on aggregate. They allowed Barcelona’s 147,000 members four free tickets each, with non-members able to buy entrance for between €9 and €15.

QUEEN Letizia stood alongside Prince Charles to cut the ribbon at the first museum in the UK devoted entirely to Spanish art. The Spanish Gallery, located in a converted high street bank in Bishop Auckland (County Durham), wants to be the Prado of the North. On its walls hang masterpieces from the Spanish Golden Age by painters including El Greco, Murillo and Velazquez. The new museum is part of the Auckland Project, a regeneration scheme backed by art collector and philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer. In 2010, he bought Auckland Castle and its contents which included several paintings by Francisco Zurbaran. Many pieces included in the first show are from Ruffer’s personal collection with additional loans from Museo del Prado, the Hispanic Society of America and other major collections of Spanish art.

BAD DEED: Almodovar unhappy with Smith duced a feeling of absolute rejection in me. Not only during the episode, but af-

Right royal treat

terward, too, in the acceptance speech — a speech that seemed more like that of a cult leader,” he wrote. “You don’t defend or protect the family with your fists, and no, the devil doesn’t take advantage of key moments to do his work,” he said in reference to the advice Smith said he received from Denzel Washington.

Devil

“The devil, in fact, doesn’t exist. This was a fundamentalist speech that we should neither hear nor see.” His diary also featured deliciously indiscrete revelations about Kenneth Brannagh scouting for a part in his next film and gripes about America’s tendency to overuse air conditioning.

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NEWS

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Alarming death THE world's first case of an otter killed by Covid has been discovered in Valencia. A team of researchers at three Valencian universities attributed the infection to contact with contaminated sewage in the river where the animal was living. The Eurasian otter’s remains were found in the Bellus reservoir, near Beniganim. The virus was detected using two different PCR tests, one nasally and the other using lung tissue.

Terrible loss RAFIKI, Bioparc Valencia’s impressive male drill monkey, has passed away. The loss of the 20-year-old primate was expected as he had been suffering from cancer. The drill monkey is one of the most endangered primates in Africa, but Rafiki had done his best to save the species - he had 14 infants w i t h female Kianja.

April 7th - April 20th 2022

RAINBOW’S END

But no gold for British couple as their dream home is bulldozed in another sad chapter in Spain’s planning history FOR two decades it had been the dream retirement home of British couple David and Janet Hartshorn. The four-bedroom villa in the hills above the Costa del Sol had all the hallmarks of the perfect escape from rainy, cold north-west England. The retired publicans from Cheshire, had long dreamed of their place in the sun. So when the opportunity of buying the dreamy Torrox plot came up, they jumped at the opportunity. However, Villa Arco Iris (meaning ‘rainbow’) has proved to be anything but its BEFORE: The couple’s dream home Arcos Iris

EXCLUSIVE by George Mathias

namesake and rather than a pot of gold it has left them hundreds of thousands of euros out of pocket. The couple had fallen for the age-old trick of trusting local tradesmen in southern Spain. They had been assured by building firm Nertor that they would be able to develop a small shack on a plot of land into the sizable retreat they valued at €500,000 last year. But just one year after buying it, they discovered it was illegal. And that is where their nightmare began. Some two decades later at exactly 9.01am on April 5, 2022, a town hall bulldozer started on a 40-minute rampage to bring it down to rubble. Their count-

DEVASTATED: Janet and David, as home is demolished less pleas to Malaga Court to reconsider, even including a request to give up the property to Ukrainian refugees, were all in vain. The authorities were adamant that it should not have been built and never had the correct permission. Despite enlisting lawyers and local pressure group SOHA nothing could be done. To add insult to injury, the cost of the demolition work will be charged to the couple - to the tune of €24,000. Now the plot, formerly an idyllic setting for the Hartshorn’s and their family friends to spend long summers, has been reduced to a derelict building site. “It is very distressing and a big part of our life’s work has been turned to rubble,” David told the Olive Press, last night. “We have put all our life sav-

ings into this work, and now it is all going to be taken away.” He continued: “It beggars belief how this can happen. Consultation with certain Spanish contractors is a downfall from the beginning. They bend the truth.” On Monday morning, David, accompanied by daughter Adelle, 46, who had flown over from England for moral support, finally accepted the fate of their beloved home. The only legal part of the house is an uninhabitable 20-square-metre annexe. This was spared by the demolition team but it will come as little consolation to the Hartshorn’s, who have been forced to move in with friends nearby and who will leave the country for good on May 6. The case echoes that of Len and Helen Prior in Almeria who watched as bulldozers

flattened their villa after it was deemed illegal by the town hall in Vera. For 13 years they lived in the garage on the plot, while they mounted a legal battle that eventually declared the demolition was illegal. They won damages. Another victim, Gurney Davey, saw his home razed to the ground in the Guadalhorce Valley last year.

Painful

The Olive Press has previously reported on 30,000 homes in Andalucia that were retroactively made legal in urban planning law change. But such a law has not been extended to the Cheshire couple. “I was not able to watch the demolition, it was too painful,” David added last night. Opinion Page 6

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OPINION NOT AGAIN! THE horror and heartbreak of seeing one’s home smashed into smithereens isn’t a fate reserved solely for those living under threat of Russian bombs in the Ukraine. And while Andalucia is far from a war zone and noone is in fear for their lives, it must feel pretty close to it for the couple who this week watched their dream home reduced to rubble. It’s a travesty that such a terrible outcome continues to happen to those who fall foul of Spain’s planning laws, either because they were duped by unscrupulous developers, trusted the wrong legal advice or unwittingly failed to follow the proper procedure. Or in some cases, like the infamous Priors, did everything right yet ended up having to live in their garage. For decades Andalucia’s political factions have passed the buck on ending such abuses and streamline the planning process, not just to prevent rampant corruption of town halls but to protect those who bought in good faith and invested their hard-earned life savings to spend their retirement in the sun. Despite amnesties, ombudsmans and appeal processes, we are still writing headlines about bulldozers rolling in. It’s time Spain took responsibility once and for all to protect homeowners instead of penalise them.

FINGERS CROSSED IT’S hard not to feel hopeful with Easter just around the corner that we are finally putting the hardships of the pandemic behind us. After two years of cancelled Semana Santa, tourists are set to return in numbers close to pre-Covid times. Whether flocking to the beaches for some much needed sunshine or crowding the streets to watch the religious spectacle of the processions, let’s keep our fingers crossed that the recent storms clear and it doesn’t rain on the parade! Happy Easter!

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AWARDS

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Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

NEWS FEATURE

A viable alternative Forget mystery skulls and the Maddie McCann suspect, Orgiva’s globally-known alternative community is bustling with cultural links to Robert Graves, Genesis, the Olive Press, and even the Romans, writes Jo Chipchase

PAIN’S most famous alternative community has been in the news this year after a human skull was found in its midst, while it also emerged the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann mystery spent considerable time in Orgiva. Christian Brueckner, 45, was a regular visitor to the Dragon Festival and frequently stayed in the Alpujarra area following the toddler’s abduction from Portugal in 2007, as we revealed. However, these are just a handful of the rich and varied things that happen in and around this thriving Granada market town. With an artistic and colourful community that attracts people from around the world, Orgiva is one of Spain’s only rural places that is a hive of activity for most of the year. The hub of the country’s alternative scene, rather like Glastonbury or Totnes in the UK, hundreds of free-spirited individuals live in Orgiva, where coincidentally the Olive Press launched in 2006. But forget the town itself, nearby is a trio of alternative settlements - Ben-

UCH! Another electric bill arrived today as more evidence of the skyrocketing price of energy. Electricity costs have quadrupled - yes quadrupled! - from February last year to February this year, according to official figures. You might assume then that any additional source supplying power to the grid would be much welcomed. Not so, if you consider the current hot debate in town halls around many parts of Spain. Take inland Valencia. Requena, Utiel and Siete Aguas are all opposing the installation of 10 new wind turbines in the nearby Sierra de Tejo. These turbines are massive significantly larger than those in nearby Buñol and other parts of the province - and would be installed atop towers of up to 110 metres and with blades measuring 150 metres (normally 40 to 90 metres). To proceed, two forest tracks will have to be built and maintained to accommodate the oversized turbines around Siete Aguas. Healthy stands of pine and oak will need to be cut, resulting in potential erosion, while a high voltage line will run to a substation on the opposite side of the A-3 highway. Such are the concerns for bird mortality, the town halls are preparing a motion to expand the special ZEPA bird protection zone, an EU directive that already covers much of the Sierra del Tejo area. On many levels, I hope they are

eficio, Cigarrones and El Morreon that date back to the 1980s, when the UK had a thriving new age traveller scene – one that easily relocated to sunnier climes at the drop of a hat. Completely multinational Beneficio is the only true ‘community’, explains Ela Graves, the grand-daughter of celebrated writer Robert Graves, who has lived around Orgiva for four decades. And, as the Olive Press discovered, not everything is rosy in these ‘social experiments’.

Beautiful Beneficio Some 400 people live in this stunning valley between Orgiva and Canar, with various long-term residents living high up on the land, near an old Roman road. Very international today, the community was originally established by Brits, mostly from Wales, including Sorrell Badger, who came from the Tally Valley, in the 1980s. “We were discussing finding somewhere warmer and drier to live under canvas,” she explains. “So a small group left Tally and came to Spain to look for a suitable place to live, and here they discovered Beneficio.”

They initially bought and settled on a finca and soon many like-minded people joined them investing time and money, including John and Yvonne, who started a communal tipi called ‘Big Lodge’. One British old-timer – who visited on holiday in 1992 and simply never left – invested with some other community members, who bought two adjoining farms. Today, most of the land is privately owned, although some is natural park and people aren’t permitted to camp within 15 metres of the river. While described by some as a ‘peaceful retreat’ and ‘a spiritual

Wind of change Two sides of the ecologist movement clash as Spain debates renewable energy, writes Jack Gaioni

successful, but there is another side to this debate: On windy days in Spain, wind generation supplies up to 71% of the nation’s demand - surpassing all other electricity sources. It is cheaper per kilowatt hour, emits much less greenhouse gas and uses less water consumption than any other energy source. Furthermore, it makes electricity

directly, circumventing the need to burn fossil fuels (coal) or process uranium for nuclear power. Spain has a favourable topography and climate for wind power and is, in fact, the fifth largest wind power creator in the world. As it did with tunnelling (due to its mountains), the country has developed proven technical know-how to improve and ex-

pand in wind generation. Climate impact vs. high c energy debates will not en arguments both for and a wind power are symptom complex, multi-faceted that have no easy solution The energy companies an halls, like those in rural cia, both make convincing ments for their side.

cost of nd. The against matic of issues ns. nd town Valeng argu-

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April 7th - April 20th 2022

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A busy life

A focus on Olive Press journalist Alex Trelinski

H awakening’, others revealed a growing division between some of the old-timers and the more recent (and transient) car park dwellers, over ‘partying’ and keeping the place tranquil. There are also tales of ‘fake gurus’ targeting younger girls, and most residents agree that ‘Bene’, as it is often known, has more than its fair share of problematic people. “A lot of people with mental health problems are attracted to Beneficio,” explains Tony,

who has also lived in El Morreon. But half the time, explained another, the local police and Guardia Civil literally send them up there. “They sometimes literally drop them off at our entrance track,” she adds. Despite this, there are many positive features to Bene, in particularly its woodland setting. Romanian mother-ofthree, Chunga, who has lived there for 12 years, showed us its communal lounging and cooking facilities, a natural pool for a cool dip, a women’s space, clothes sharing spaces, and an adventure play area for children. Despite claims by some local authorities that the locals aren’t correctly registered in Spain, the majority are actually on the official ‘padron’ at nearby Canar town hall.

Counterculture of Cigarrones

There are no easy answers; the exponential rise in electricity costs are draconian and the arguments against turbines are often strong. The best we can do is apply careful scrutiny and scientific rigour to the debates in each specific area… and all the while, turn off the lights, and watch our energy consumption.

Along the riverbed, near Tablones, are hundreds of alternative people who privately own their land. Famed for the annual Dragon festival, which was eventually banned, Cigarrones had an alternative scene in the 1970s, when dozens of English students left the UK to buy and renovate a series of abandoned buildings. Forward-thinking individuals, including Ela Graves, who bought in the 1980s, they believed in the concept of permaculture and utilised the already-existing irrigation system. Graves, the grandchild of celebrated writer Robert (I Claudius and Goodbye to all That) she was joined by her recently-deceased counterculture hero brother, Davey Graves. Across the river, Driving Over Lemons writer, Chris Stewart, carved out his own little corner of sustainable paradise. A creative scene developed, involving the arts and music and, in 1987, a series of new age party crews from the UK started parking up and joining until in 1996 the Dragon Festival was born. During its heyday in the early 2000s, this anarchic festival attracted over 10,000 revellers, which didn’t please everyone, including the then-mayor, Adolfo Martin Padial, who sent in the police. A more receptive socialist mayoress helped a little but the antagonism between the organisers and the town hall eventually became too much and, in 2009, it came to a halt, with large fines issued to the organisers. They had been on the authority’s radar since activist Vittorio Miotto organised a series of protests against a quarry scheme in 2004, which led to arrests, but, in the end, derailed the plans. As Miotto recalls today: “I first turned up in Ciggy to help someone sort out a clutch problem on a bus. It was love at first sight - I’d landed in

paradise with food growing everywhere.” And he’s still there today. “Ciggy is forever changing, it’s an un-intentional community - everyone just does their thing with respect for others. The ‘elders’ who have been there since the early 90s are all still there, so it must be working.” Cigarrones has a collaborative vibe where people can display their arts and crafts, and share home-grown vegetables and snacks.

Autonomy in El Morreon El Morreon runs along the Rio Suico towards the Rio Guadalfeo. Set up by Israelis in the 1980s, they launched a campaign for anyone to turn up and join their free-spirited, open-minded community, where they were told you would ‘never starve’. Nikki B, who came from the UK in 1994, explains: “It’s a village of many nationalities, including Spanish. Although it’s not a community in the sense of everyone working together as a whole, the village comes together in times of need, change, work, necessity, and the occasional celebration. “We are a group of similar-minded individuals connected by common aims and inspirations such as self-government, self-responsibility and sustainable living through exchange. “We also believe in hard work in the gardens, as well as alternative energy sources and low impact dwellings, plus respecting our neighbours and our differences.” The place has certainly changed a lot over the years, she continues. “When I arrived it was dry and barren, while now it’s green and abundant. Every year I make olive oil, dry almonds and fruits and preserve vegetables.” Nikki certainly didn’t starve. “In this environment, I have lived from donations and exchanging skills and food with others. “Consumerism does not rule my life and I have time to explore my art and music. “I was able to follow some of my dreams. I was once told ‘when you live here, you become more yourself than you ever thought. Nobody will take responsibility for you here’. What a beautiful introduction to autonomy and authenticity.”

AVING interviewed a legion of political leaders, from Tony Blair to David Cameron and Paddy Ashdown to Tony Benn, getting a comment from a councillor in Javea or Orihuela must sometimes seem trivial. But there’s never been a dull moment for Alex Trelinski, since he rocked up on the Costa Blanca 13 years ago. Now the rock of the Olive Press reporting team in the East of Spain, it was certainly a change of lifestyle for a man, who worked since 1981 as a presenter, producer, and manager at the BBC. Cutting his death at Radio Humberside, his first major interview was with actress Rula Lenska, which he conducted in Polish for 20 seconds to shock both himself and his listeners. He went on to present hundreds of sports shows for over 25 years following the likes of Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He also worked as a presenter for BBC Sport in London rubbing shoulders with presenters like Chris Evans and Chris Moyles, before becoming boss of Radio Derby. Political programmes were also his passion and election night programmes were frequently anchored in the Midlands and the North. Grilling the likes of ‘Red’ Ed Milliband and Neil Kinnock came easy, while not so easy was handling a drunk councillor suggesting studio guest Margaret Beckett wasn’t wearing underwear, live on air. His most memorable broadcast moment came when he was dragged from the pub on a Sunday night in 1989 to present all-night coverage of the Kegworth air disaster, which killed 47 people as the plane landed on the M1 motorway. His reporting team went on to recieve an international award for its coverage. Come the late noughties, he approached his personal half-century and fancied a life change and a move abroad. Spain and the Costa Blanca came out of the hat, and Alex has worked on local radio and other media over the years before ending up in a key role with the Olive Press. Despite occasionally missing the BBC, it’s a move that he has not regretted.

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: PICS: It looks like armageddon Costa del 1-SolIN turns orange yet again as another calima hits Spain brown Spain’s white villages call for 2- Stained help to clear up after Sahara sandstorms have gone forward but here’s why 3- TheSpainclocks is still stuck in the wrong time zone never buy pre cut fruit and 4- Why youvegshould at supermarkets in Spain Putin: despite Spain declaring there 5- Chateau are no oligarchs based here, the Olive Press can reveal at least one

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GREEN

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOR NEVER

Calls for Spain to stop plans for farms in protected wetlands LEADING supermarkets across Europe including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco and Asda are calling on Andalucia to halt plans to allow more strawberry farms near protected wetlands. A public letter signed by major food companies and sent to regional president Juanma Moreno urged him not to approve a plan that would allow the creation of new farms in an area already threatened by water theft that has drained vulnerable aquifers. Moreno is studying legislation that could approve more agriculture within the Donaña National Park, one of Spain’s most valuable wetlands and a UNESCO protected wildlife site.

Lynxes

The marshes are visited by millions of migrating birds each year and the area is also home to a sizeable population of endangered Iberian lynxes. Some 1,900 acres of the park is occupied by greenhouses cultivating strawberries. “The existing special plan is an important tool to ensure more sustainable cultivation at the origin of the supply chain,” they say. “We are concerned that the proposed changes undermine this goal and endanger the Doñana national park,” says the letter. “Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure the sustainability of water and soil management in Doñana in the long term,” it continues. “Should this

By Katharina Beiersdoerfer

not succeed, we believe that the reputation and the long-term development of the region as a supply area are at risk.”

April 7th - April 20th 2022

Take a bow THE UK’s first liquified natural gas-powered ferry has made its inaugural voyage as it sailed from Portsmouth to Bilbao. Brittany Ferries’ Salamanca departed with more than 600 passengers and freight vehicles on a trip that will now become a regular route. Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu said: “LNG-powered ships like Salamanca are a clear statement of our commitment to the future and to fleet renewal. “They are cleaner vessels, significantly cutting air quality emissions like soot and sulphur.” The Salamanca will now make two trips to Bilbao each week as well as a weekly return-voyage to Cherbourg in France. Both Bilbao and Santander ports will host refuelling terminals to power the ships in partnership with Spanish fuel giant Repsol.

Environmental disasters that need action now

HEED THE NEWS! APART from the devastating and deeply upsetting events unfolding in Ukraine, two very noteworthy pieces of news were in the news last week that should not be allowed to pass by without comment. I will cover them both separately. They equally reinforce my constant message that more needs to be done to protect the environment for future generations. PLASTIC IS TOXIC A new study has revealed that of those people tested, 77% had plastic in their blood. Microplastics (tiny plastic particles) are pollutants found almost everywhere on Earth. Scientists have detected microplastics on Mount Everest, in the Mariana Trench, in baby poo. AND NOW IN HUMAN BLOOD. Polthylene Terephthalate (PET), commonly used in disposable water bottles, was the most widely encountered plastic, closely followed by Polystyrene (PS) which is used for food packaging.

Green

WHERE IS IT GOING IN OUR BODIES?

Some will be excreted, but some will be retained in our organs. Not a pleasant thought. Microplastics, like all plastics, are non-biodegradable. They can take hundreds of years to degrade in the environment. Our bodies do not last that long. It is yet another wake up call for us all. Plastic pollution is a widespread problem. It contributes to climate change, threatens ocean health, damages the health of marine species, food safety and quality and affects coastal tourism. And now it is being proven to affect human health and it is all at a phenomenal cost to the world’s economies. Experts predict that the societal cost of plastic pollution produced will exceed €7 TRILLION by 2040. Last year, the estimated costs of plastic pollution topped €4 trillion. In addition 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels gas, oil and fracked gas. It is truly toxic and harms all aspects of life from the moment production begins. HEATWAVE IN THE ANTARCTIC How does the coldest place on earth have a heatwave? It is yet another wake up call. At the end of March an unprecedented temperature was recorded in the Antarctic. A temperature of 40C ABOVE AVERAGE was recorded at the French/Italian research station Concordia, located over 3000 metres above sea level on the Antarctic plateau. Meanwhile at the other extreme of the planet in the Arctic, in the absence of sunlight, a temperature 30C

higher than the March average was recorded. With both the Antarctic and Arctic breaking records this calls into question even the most pessimistic climate change models. So what does all this mean? Scientists are predicting catastrophic polar ice melt that will cause sea levels to rise and disrupt ocean currents. This reinforces my regular message - climate change is NOT a future problem, it needs tackling now. Every fraction of a degree increase in global warming matters. Francisco Navarro, a glacier expert at the Technical University of Madrid, warns that these polar heatwaves contribute to many recently documented disasters. And what more, if we warm the planet by two degrees more (which we are on track to do) these events will be 14 times more frequent. The damage caused by global warming in these regions is irreversible. A temperature spike on February 8 this year caused the collapse of an ice shelf measuring 3,800 square kilometres. Sea levels in Antarctica are predicted to rise by up to 1.7 metres by 2100. All this sadly has consequences for us all.

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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Property

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APRIL 2022

€12.7m

www.theolivepress.es

Survey Spain's Campbell Ferguson ask if war and inflation will affect sales in the coming year

Life in the shade THE enclave of Zagaleta has often been described as ‘southern Europe’s most exclusive place to live’. And when you count on the celebrities, captains of industry and, now, the global dictators who stalk its privileged spaces, that’s no surprise. The multi-million price tags certainly follow suit, as does its incredible golf course, which has just a few hundred people allowed to play… and then there’s its intriguing recent links to Russian dictator Vladamir Putin, who owns a property there. The giant 2000 sqm palace, known as the Rock of the King (or Roca del Rey) counts on its own private vineyard, helicopter pad and bowling alley. But it’s the three floors underground that has got eyebrows raised among Europe’s security and defence elite. As revealed by the Olive Press last month, it counts on armed guards and has a deep bunker monitoring the

It’s one of Spain’s most expensive places to live. But few know what goes on behind the high tech fences of La Zagaleta, where Putin is said to own a giant palace. Olive Press Property takes a peek Straits of Gibraltar 24/7. And this in a gated community that claims that security is ‘its number one priority’. Indeed, security is of so much importance that after a late-night incident last year, an Israeli company was commissioned to build a new ‘high tech electric’ fence. Expected to become the most expensive in Spain, it will run around the 900-hectare estate that sits in Benahavis, between Marbella and the foothills of the Serrania de Ronda. “The residents are being charged 5,000 euros each in two installments to help pay for it,” reveals a source. “They are not exactly happy about it.” It comes after Head of security Jose Miguel Navarro boasted last year that

his team have a ‘maximum response time of three minutes to any alert’. “Our perimeter shielding, detection systems and security routines will thwart most attempts to attack properties, which explains why the incident rate is 100 times lower than in other residential complexes,” he claimed. The estate was originally called ‘La Baraka’ and owned by disgraced billionaire Saudi arms dealer, Adnan Khashoggi, who was said to have held some of the world’s most debauched parties at the hunting lodge in the 1970s. Today it is the clubhouse of the resort, which was acquired by a group of investors in 1989 led by Andalucian banker, Enrique Perez Flores, who came

from Huelva. The giant estate was then divided into approximately 420 plots, of which around 240 homes have so far been built. “Most homes go for around 7 to 8 million euros,” explains one British agent, who has sold a number of properties there over the last year. “And some have even doubled in price over the last few years.” All surrounded by deep woodland, they have either sea or mountain views (or both), while there is also a private equestrian center and golf course, with a second one on the way. The amazing course, said to be one of the best in Spain, only counts on 250 members, which is because only homeowners can join.

“The price for membership alone is 120,000 euros and then it’s 10,000 a year for the lead member and 7,000 for the second member of the family,” adds the agent. “It’s real royal golf and the attitudes of the locals are to match,” he continued. “It’s ultra exclusive and so snobby, way more than the Chelsea or Cheshire set. “Owners put 10,000 euros behind the club bar so they can always get a drink or cigar when they want and the place is literally crawling with Aston Martins, and DB4s and McClarens.” Thesedays, the company behind Zagaleta is run by Ignacio Perez Diaz, after his father died two years ago. According to its last available accounts in 2019, its immediate holding company Zagaleta International UK Inc is based in Panama, while two other entities, Soto Properties SA and Campo Alto SA, are based in Switzerland.

PROPERTY

April 7th - April 20th 2022

A safe haven

VER 3,000 kilometres separate the ‘tranquillity’ of the costas from the horrors of Ukraine. However, the effects of the war have become the ‘trigger’ for a sharp rise in inflation and shortages that have been building up since the financial crisis in 2007/8. This has been building with 14 years of quantitative easing, which basically means the ‘watering down’ of currencies. Add in a sudden shortage of fuel, wheat and other commodities, alongside disruptions of trade caused by Covid, and consumers are suddenly finding they’re not getting so much for their Euros, Pounds or Kroner, and definitely not their Roubles. Inflation is traditionally slowed by wage and price controls, with the latter now being implemented in Spain for fuel, as well as restrictions on rent increases. It is also controlled by reducing the amount of money available, by increasing interest rates. This leads to cash and savings having less value, meaning people start using it to buy things that will hold their value, such as property.

Is the Ukraine war (and inflation) affecting Spain’s property market, asks Campbell Ferguson of Survey Spain

While rising interest rates make mortgages more expensive, at a time when consumers are spending finding any evidence of chanmore of their income on geneges in the local market. ral living costs, there are some Overall, the answer has been, positives. ‘Not yet’. But there’s greater In particular, property is seen uncertainty about the future, as a safe haven in times of inparticularly from their clients. flation… and Spain has a nice With some, therange of it as re is an urgency far away as one to buy just to get can get from the security of troubles in norThere’s greater the a ‘fixed’ asset thern Europe, uncertainty before anything including the major happens. Ukraine war. about the With others, Then there are there is greater future the obvious caution and a factors like the wish to hold onto weather and what they’ve got. cost of living, but One lawyer even said that two also things like the ‘free’ enerclients had pulled out of deals gy from the sun being readily within the last few days, losing available here. their 10% deposits. Over the last week, I’ve asked Either way, agents have raremany professionals if they are

ly been so busy with deals being concluded and the difficulty of finding properties for their clients to buy. The logic is that demand should go down for those just looking for a holiday home, as there will be less money around. British buyers are likely to be some of the worst affected as they are already suffering from the impact of Brexit. Russians, too, will be absent. However, the reduction in these sectors are being made up for by buyers anxious to place their funds in solid assets, far away from the current conflict. And the costas have already seen significant increase in buyers from Germany, and interestingly Romania, over recent months.

Golden visas Something else worth considering is the EU’s planned changes on the granting of investment-backed visa’s. This is likely to cause a rush of applications with ‘golden Visas’, as they are called, getting granted to families investing more that €500,000 in property here. They can also be acquired by investing the same amount in Spanish companies or even Spanish Government Bonds. Overall, expensive property should not see any significant changes, with an increase of interest rates. However, lower value property purchases are more often linked to mortgages, and that market may stutter as buyers

find it harder to find a mortgage or shy away from them in case interest rates rise substantially. Fixed rate mortgages are becoming hard to find. We tend to forget that higher interest rates were once common around Europe, with them being as high as 17% in the UK in 1979, when inflation averaged 13%. Fortunately, and hopefully, we are a long way away from those levels. To conclude, I believe the demand for property from those with money will continue, therefore encouraging the upper price sector of the market in Spain. However, buyers, agents and other professionals will be ‘looking over their shoulders’ with unease, unsure of what lies ahead.

Campbell D Ferguson, FRICS. Chartered Surveyor in Spain. RICS Registered Valuer. Director – Survey Spain SL. Regulated by RICS. Tel: 00 34 952 923 520 & Mobile: 00 34 650 599 701 - www.surveyspain.com

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25/1/22 16:49

BUSINESS

TAXING POSITION PROPERTY owners in Spain face some of the highest tax rates in the EU when it comes to electricity bills. According to Eurostat, Denmark had the highest, followed by Germany, Portugal and then Spain. On top of an electricity pro-

duction tax there are extra tolls and IVA. Currently, the latter is temporarily reduced to 10% from the usual 21%. The government has extended until June 30 the current tax reductions on electricity.

Spiralling prices INFLATION in Spain has soared to 9.8% in March - the highest rate since May 1985, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). The rate stood at 7.6% in February. The INE said the March increase was due to the surge in electricity and fuel prices, but also by the rise in the cost of food items due to the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “It is a bad figure which affects our economy, especially more vulnerable groups … due to runaway energy prices.”

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Tough luck Russian oligarch behind Dia supermarket chain moans about ‘hardship’ of sanctions

THE oligarch behind Spain’s Dia supermarket chain has moaned about the hardships of not being able to access his fortune since sanctions were imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mikhail Fridman, who has an estimated fortune in excess of $10 billion told the Spanish newspaper El País this week that he was ‘practically under house arrest’. The businessman, who is based in London, said he was unable to access his bank accounts and his credit cards have been blocked.

Permission

The 57-year-old said he had applied for permission to access funds to pay for his living costs but that if it were to be successful he could only withdraw £2,500 a month. He complained that it was barely ‘enough to live a normal life without excesses’.

By Fiona Govan

“I can’t even take anyone out to a restaurant. I have to eat at home and I am practically under house arrest.” Home is the sprawling Victorian mansion Athlone House in Highgate which Fridman purchased in 2016 for an eye-watering £65 million. Fridman co-founded LIHS who hold 78% of shares in the Dia supermarket chain in Spain. The struggling retailer reported a €257 million loss for 2021 across its outlets

How to protect yourself against the volatility in the Pound Euro exchange rate, writes FX specialist Peter Loveday

CENTRAL BANK POLICY Both the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are in the unenviable position of deciding on monetary policy at a time of surging inflation and faltering growth. Monetary policy has a massive impact on exchange rates. Usually central banks signal plans ahead of time so that any changes don’t shock markets. However, the huge amount of uncertainty at the moment makes it hard for policymakers to even decide on the best course of action, let alone communicate it in advance. That’s why the March meetings at the ECB and BoE both surprised markets, causing sharp changes in the GBP/ EUR rate.

TWO Spanish companies have joined forces to cultivate algae that stops nitrate pollution in water, as infamously seen over recent years at Murcia’s Mar Menor lagoon. Mediterranean Algae and G2G Algae Solutions have won an Agritech Startup Europe Award which encourages solutions to environmental and climate change issues. The success of the companies, which were only formed in 2020, means they will get training in applying for European funding to take their joint-project, known as ALGALI-TIC, onto the next stage. If successful, they could win grants totalling up to €7 million. They plan to put the algae into water courses which will filter out harmful nitrates.

GOING GREEN lometres on the country’s main roads. The Cepsa plan backs the concept of green hydrogen, produced by passing renewably-produced electricity through water to split the element from oxygen. By 2030, Cepsa plans to have a green hydrogen refuelling station for heavy goods vehicles on all of the main routes that link Spain with Europe.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Dominating the headlines at the moment, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also behind a lot of the movement in the Pound Euro pair. While both the Eurozone and UK economies are exposed to the economic fallout of the war and the sanctions levelled at Russia, the EU is particularly vulnerable, largely due to its energy links. So when there is positive news – such as progress in peace talks – the Euro tends to get a boost, while negative developments in Ukraine downgrade it. Of course, the situation in Ukraine is rapidly developing and constantly changing and even the savviest analysts are unsure how it will unfold.

in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal, after an intensive period of restructuring and store closures.

SPANISH energy company Cepsa will spend €8 billion in a shift to using more low-carbon energy sources by 2030. The plan is for half the firm’s earnings to come from sustainable energy within eight years, as opposed to a projected 14% this year. Part of the strategy is a major overhaul of its network of 3,000 fuel stations in Spain to promote the use of electric cars. It will create an ultra-fast road charging network that includes at least one 150-kilowatt charger every 200 ki-

CRISIS PLANNING HE Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate has seen some wild swings in recent months. In March alone, it fluctuated between €1.183 and a fiveyear high of €1.217 – a movement of around 2.8%. While we’re seemingly past the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic, other crises have stepped in to fill its place, injecting fresh uncertainty into the currency markets. Here’s what’s driving GBP/EUR at the moment and how you can protect against volatility:

HARDSHIP: Fridman making do with €2,500 a month

Algae success

valencia@currenciesdirect.com +34 960 130 841 ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY Adding to the volatility, both the UK and the Eurozone face increasing economic uncertainty. Britain and the EU initially bounced back from the pandemic but Omicron, soaring inflation and the Ukraine war have cast doubt on growth outlooks. When forecasts are cloudy, volatility can increase. Long-term planning becomes harder, so markets are prone to more shocks, spikes and dips as new economic data emerges. PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £20,000 transfer, that threecent gap between €1.18 and €1.21 translates to a €680 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you. Services like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager here in Spain to provide guidance and support whenever you need them. The people at Currencies Direct are a friendly - and locally based - bunch, so get in touch with them if you want to find out how they can help you.

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LA CULTURA Final drum roll April 7th April 20th 2022

FOO FIGHTERS have cancelled their 2022 tour following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. It means the band will no longer be playing two planned gigs in Madrid and one in Valencia. Emergency services were called to a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia after Hawkins complained of chest pains whilst

Foo Fighters cancel Spain gigs in Madrid and Valencia after death of drummer By George Mathias

on tour with the band last weekend. They found him unresponsive upon arrival and administered CPR, but were unable to revive him. A band spokesman said: “It is with great sadness that the Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all our tour dates due to the shocking

loss of our brother, Taylor Hawkins. We are sorry and share the disappointment of not seeing each other as planned. Instead, let’s take this moment to heal, to draw closer to our

Don’t make him cry CELEBRITY chef Dabiz Muñoz has ignited fresh debate on the eternal question of what should go in an authentic Spanish tortilla. Muñoz claims that onion in the omlette is strictly a no-go, saying that the sweetness of the vegetable tarnishes the overall flavour. The Spanish staple has countless recipes that vary drastically by region. The three Michelin star chef admitted that his remarks were likely to cause considerable controversy: “Whenever

I say that tortilla should be made without onions, people tell me that I am silly, and I have no doubt that I am.” Dabiz Muñoz, who will soon open a new restaurant - RavioXO in Madrid, - claims that the onion gives an ‘excessive and unnecessary sweetness’ to the tortilla. “A good egg, a good oil and a good potato is a good combo that does not need anything more than a little salt,” he added during a presentation at Fusion, held at Madrid’s Ifema.

loved ones, and to cherish all the music and memories we’ve built together.” The band also announced that anyone with tickets will be automatically refunded. The promoters of the gigs in Spain, Live Nation, said: “It is with great sadness that we announce that the Foo Fighters concerts in Valencia and Madrid are cancelled.”

Opioids

Hawkins, 50, joined the band in 1997 and went on to record eight studio albums with the band. A toxicology report found at least 10 substances in his body, including opioids and cannabis, though the cause of death has not yet been established.

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LA CULTURA

April 7th - April 20th 2022

DON QUI-NOT

12 essential Spanish literary works that are not Don Quijote, writes Elena Goçmen Rueda

Nada by Carmen Laforet

Luces de Bohemia by Ramon Maria del Valle Inclan

HE oldest literary prize in Spain, the Nadal Prize, was awarded to this book in 1944 in its first edition. The title Nada (nothing) captures the essence of this novel: an existentialist work that captures the day to day life in post-war Barcelona: Sadness, poverty, desperation... A young Andrea arrives in Barcelona to study literature and sees her initial enthusiasm and innocence clash with the reality of his tragicomethe times. dy novel starring Calisto and Melibea was published in 1499. The mad passion of Calisto for Melibea leads him to break all moral and social barriers and ally himself ew works of theatre define tragedy as aptly as the with a dubious malast play by the great Granada writer Garcia Lorca. dame, Celestina. A After the death of her second husband, Bernarrace then begins da, the mother of five daughters, goes into secluin which the charsion and imposes a rigorous and suffocating eight-year acters selfishly period of mourning on her grown-up girls. But a love seek their own affair that entangles the daughters who all hanker for benefit: Calisto the same man will change the lives of all of them. The to have Melibea play begins and ends with Bernarda saying the same and Celestina to word: Silence. get rich at the expense of his master.

WHENEVER iconic Spanish literature is mentioned, the first and sometimes only work that comes to mind abroad is that of Miguel de Cervantes. And that’s no surprise as his famous tome Don Quijote de la Mancha is not only one of the best-selling books in history, it is after the Bible the second most translated book in the world. But in reality there are other novels and plays that are shorter, easier to read and with more exciting subject matters than the senile old gentleman who famously tilted at windmills.

La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas

lso a tragicomedy, this Valle Inclan play is about literary life in Spanish society in the early part of the 20th century. It focuses on the nocturnal stroll through Madrid of a blind poet, Max Estrella, accompanied by his agent Don Latino. The story recounts the last hours of elderly Max’s life and visits countless spots in the capital and a cast of fictional and real people.

La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca

Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Perez Galdos

San Manuel Bueno, Martir by Miguel de Unamuno

his realist novel reveals a writer committed to his times and a progressive Spain. The stormy love affair between Juanito and Fortunada, unable to overcome the difficulties that their different social status, takes place in the traditional atmosphere of the late 19th century. The book portrays the role of women in society, with the pair as its greatest exponents.

he novel revolves around the author’s great obsessions, immortality and faith, although they are presented with a new approach for him: the alternative between a tragic truth and an illusory happiness. When Angela Carballino writes the story of Don Manuel Bueno, a parish priest of his little village Valverde de Lucerna, multiple events show him to be a saint of flesh and blood. Everything changes when the parish priest confides to Angela’s brother Lazaro - of progressive and anticlerical ideas - his most intimate secret: he does not believe in faith or in God, but pretends to do so in order to maintain peace and belief in the afterlife among his faithful followers.

El Lazarillo de Tormes by an anonymous writer

Fuenteovejuna by Lope de Vega

ope de Vega’s play, written in verse and published in 1619, belongs to the Spanish Golden Age. Fuente Ovejuna is a small village under the rule of Fernan Gomez, a cruel and unscrupulous man who exploits his vassals. The people get fed up with his malice and decide to kill him, agreeing to all insist the killer ‘was Fuente Ovejuna’. It is considered a symbol of the unity of a whole people against feudal tyranny.

ritten in 1554 by an unknown author, this is an adventure of a roguish, but appealing hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. Dickens, Mark Twain and Burroughs were all influenced by the novel that revolves around Lazaro, a naive boy who, struggles to get through all the adversities and complexities of life. In a nutshell, after his father dies, his mother puts him in the service of nine masters, all of whom represent a criticism of society.

LA CULTURA

April 7th April 20th 2022

SUN, NATURE AND HEALING Spain is one of the top 10 places to retire, writes Del Canto Chambers

W Platero y yo by Juan Ramon Jimenez

ublished in 1914, the book represents the transition of the narrative of modernism and all subsequent currents. Platero is a much-loved donkey in the care of a young boy who treats him as his best friend. An incredible bond is created between the human and the donkey due to various reasons, among them the death of his relatives, which makes the boy not trust any human being.

El camino by Miguel Delibes

his is Delibes’s third novel, published in 1950 and set in post-war rural Spain. It tells the story of Daniel el Mochuelo who goes to the city to study travelling through the countryside with his friends Roque and German and reliving the adventures of simple village people.

Don Juan Tenorio by Jose Zorrilla

enorio is one of the most famous characters in Spanish theatre. The story takes place in Sevilla during the Golden Age. A year after making a bet to see who is more wicked and womanising, Don Juan Tenorio and Don Luis Mejia meet to recount their exploits, which end with Tenorio as the winner. But everything changes when, after a bet to seduce a nun, he falls madly in love with Doña Ines.

E are convinced that Spain is the most popular country for Europeans seeking a home overseas. Beaches, mountains, fabulous cities, colourful festivals, culture and sunshine are almost every place all year round. The beneﬁts of sun exposure derived from this connection with nature are varied and include improved circadian rhythm and rest. Better concentration at work, better cognitive performance and less effort in reading processes, since natural light increases visual capacity; Increases productivity, reducing chronic fatigue. It acts as a natural antidepressant, favouring general well-being. In Spain there are many different options to improve your health, cure ongoing ailments and have fun in the process. Some of these options originate from ancient medical practices and others are more modern initiatives. Here are some recommendations:

MUD BATHS The mud that can be found in many coastal areas of Spain is known for its therapeutic, antioxidant and anti-inﬂammatory properties. It is believed to promote collagen production, improve circulation, eliminate toxins, relieve muscle tension and improve skin tone. Cadiz, Bolonia Beach. A virgin beach made up of a spectacular system of dunes, kilometres of ﬁne sand and a section of rocks where mud baths have been formed, a mud rich in mineral salts, magnesium, copper, zinc and silicon that contributes to the elimination of toxins, reduction of excess fat in the skin, improves circulation and increases the production of collagen in a natural way. The mud is only accessible at low tide, when you can walk along the shore to reach the rocks. Las Charcas de Lo Pagan (Murcia) has the most famous mud baths in Spain. The type of mud that can be found here attracts thousands of visitors every year for its healing properties that help to alleviate some skin problems such as psoriasis, joint and muscle pain and has exfoliating effects leaving the skin soft. It is located in the Regional Park of San Pedro del Pinatar and is completely free of charge.

FOREST BATHING The shirin-yoku or ‘forest baths’ is a technique originated in Japan. As we mentioned at the beginning, contact with nature is a very effective therapy to reduce stress levels. In Spain there are numerous places where you can enjoy this experience: the Natural Reserve of Muniellos, in Asturias, the Faedo de Ciñera, in León, or the Herrería forest, in Madrid. Healing power of forests in exceptional ecosystems.

THERMAL BATHS

La vida es sueño by Pedro Calderon de la Barca

ritten in 1635, the play has the main character questioning the meaning of life while in captivity. The drama revolves around the deprivation of Sigismundo’s freedom by his father, King Basilio of Poland, who imprisons him for fear that the predictions of a consulted oracle, according to which he would defeat and humiliate him, will come true.

From deep below the surface, mineral-rich thermal waters travel to the surface in the form of hundreds of natural thermal water pools all over Spain. These natural pools relieve ailments such as rheumatism and gastrointestinal problems, as well as accelerating the body’s metabolism, relieving muscle tension, stress, eliminating toxins and treating skin conditions. Ourense is considered the thermal capital of Spain. It has many thermal pools along the Miño River. Some are private but many are open to the public. Pozas Muiño de Veiga is a

free open-air hot spring with temperatures of 65-70 °C. Set in stunning scenery, the water in these pools is said to help cure some skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema. The springs of Pozas de Outariz and Burgas de Canedo are freely accessible to the public. Both parts have a cold water pool and three 60 °C hot water pools. The healing properties of the waters of Fuente O Tinteiro also located in Ourense have been recognised for many years. The waters flow at a temperature of 43 °C and are said to erase scars, treat oral conditions and acne, atopic eczema and varicose ulcers. In Granada you will find the thermal baths Las Pozas Termales de Santa Fe. With natural temperatures between 38 and 43°C, the pools are in a unique location surrounded by olive and pine groves. These sulphate waters are rich in minerals and have medicinal properties that help with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, rheumatism and dermatological conditions. Also in the province of Granada is the Zújar spa. With free admission, it is located in an impressive setting between the Jabalcón mountain and the Negratín reservoir. The thermal waters that nourish this spa emanate from Jabalcón Mountain and can reach up to 40ºC. The water is bright turquoise in colour and is a mixture of therapeutic sulphates and minerals. Below lie the remains of an ancient Roman spa. The thermal baths of Alhama are some of the oldest in Andalucia, dating back to the Nasrid period in Granada. These thermal pools played an important role in Moorish culture with the remains of the ancient spa still visible with the iconic domes in the spa located near the free pools. The water flows at a temperature of 40°C, and many of Granada’s residents flock here daily to take advantage of its medicinal properties. Those are just some samples of healing options from many other places you may find all over the country. You may consider to experience the Spanish lifestyle for longer periods of time, either spending your holidays in different regions, or considering to retire there by renting or purchasing a property to spend some time, or even becoming a resident in Spain. If you plan so, we at Del Canto Chambers can offer you extensive advice and guidance by analysing better residency options, offering clear knowledge on tax planning, either in Spain and in the UK, and supporting you in all the legalities required when purchasing a property.

To make a no-obligation enquiry, please either call us now on: +44 2070 430 648 or make an online enquiry at www.delcantochambers.es

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Talking turkey

FINAL WORDS

TURKEYS escaping from Torrevieja’s (Alicante) Parque de la Naciones have been terrorising passers-by and flocking on to the N-332 main road, leading the local council to call in a specialist trapping firm to rehome the birds.

Hands off! VETS at Barcelona zoo have been unable to find out the sex of a rare newborn Spider Monkey as its’s mother is so protective they can not examine it.

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR FREE Vol. 1 Issue 35 www.theolivepress.es

Your expat

voice in Spain April 7th - April 20th 2022

Drive for equality

Black Hawk Down

Police catch dive-bombing hawk that attacked humans and caused terror A BIRD of prey that was causing havoc in the town of Tobarra, Albacete, has finally been caught. The Harris hawk had escaped from its owner, a local falconry enthusiast from Murcia. It decided to settle in Albacete, some 150 km away, and was causing panic for the town's 8,000 residents. It was seen swooping down

on children in the streets, striking fear into locals that someone could be seriously injured. Environmental rangers were called in to help a team from Seprona, the nature protection arm of Guardia Civil. Together, they hatched a plan to catch the rogue bird with a trap involving decoy birds, culminating in its capture in the net of a five-metre-long pole.

WINGS CLIPPED: The rogue hawk was finally captured

The operation was not made easy for them due to the bird’s use of the town’s electricity

Ham fisted

HAMBURGLAR STRIKES AGAIN

A 52-year-old man has been arrested for stealing premium legs of ham from a Malaga market, with him accused of nicking €10,000 worth of the delicacies after climbing a street light to get in the premises on six occasions.

A RESTAURANT bill dodger has once again proven there is such a thing as a free lunch. Hamburglar Antonio Miguel Grimal fell back into his old ways and tried to flee without paying for a burger - mere days after being released from prison. The Olive Press previously reported that the 47-year-old

from Zaragoza was cuffed after he refused to pay a €70 bill. The crook was sent to prison but on his release went straight back to skipping payment and refused to pay a €47 bill at a hamburger restaurant. The fraudster has been arrested over 30 times since 2016 for the same crime.

poles as a vantage point. The raptor was captured safely and without being harmed before being sent to the Wildlife Recovery Center of Albacete. The bird, native to America, is known to be very aggressive when stressed. It is a popular bird among falconists and they are often used to disperse pigeons from London’s Trafalgar Square and the tennis courts at Wimbledon. Harris hawks range in length from 46 to 59 cm, with a wingspan of up to 120cm.

MORE than half of women in Spain say they have been the target of sexist statements about being bad drivers. A survey reveals that 50.6% of Spanish women have had the trope about women behind the wheel said about them. Meanwhile 18% of men admitted to believing that women are worse drivers than men. The findings were published as part of a campaign by car maintenance firm Midas to bust the myths that women are worse drivers than men. The company has now teamed up with the charity Ayuda en Accion to empower women on the roads by paying for driving lessons for women who can’t afford them.

Paws for court A MADRID court is to bring in dogs to help support and calm witnesses and victims when they are about to testify. The programme, launched under the name ‘Dogtor Animal’s Courthouse Dogs Research project’, is being trialled. Research in the US has shown that pooches can aid in calming the victim and eases the process.