Olive Press Spain - Issue 408

Nothing to hide

Dawn raid against Marbella law firm as part of €2 billion European tax fraud investigation leaves lawyer outraged

A MARBELLA lawyer has slammed a ‘heavy-handed’ police dawn raid over a VAT fraud that was splashed over social media.

Antonio Flores is furious that 12 armed cops, wearing balaclavas, blocked the main road to seize pa perwork relating to two clients of Moroccan families.

The boss of Lawbird, a well known Marbella firm, told the Olive Press the action by the Guardia Civil was ‘totally unwarranted’ and they had since apologised.

“It’s a matter we had already been talking to the tax authorities over and we have absolutely nothing to hide,” he revealed last night.

The clients in question are believed to be inadvertently caught up in a €2.2 billion VAT fraud across Eu rope - the largest ever investigated in the EU.

The two Moroccan families, de scribed by Flores as ‘victims’, had hired a Portuguese company to transfer funds to Marbella for a property purchase as Moroccans are forbidden from sending money di rectly to Europe.

Flores explained: “In doing so, they [the Portuguese company] faked in voices to pretend they were buying

electronic items from Lawbird, and claimed the VAT back in Portugal. “The sum in volved here is €500,000, of which they claimed €100,000.”

The Portuguese firm had used the Marbella law firm to do the conveyanc ing for the prop erty in Portugal. “It is always complicated for Morrocans to

buy in Europe, but we had no idea they [the Portuguese company] would later alter the invoice and commit fraud,” continued Flores, who has hundreds of expat clients around Spain.

False

According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Portuguese company would create false invoices for the sale of mobile phones, tab lets, earphones and other electronic devices, with which they could then claim huge tax deductions.

They call it ‘the most profitable crime in the EU’, costing around €50 billion annually in tax losses to member states.

Flores explained he had heard about the 8am raid on Tues day morning, when one of his fellow law yers phoned him about the ‘armed police’ at the door.

“I was just getting dressed and rushed into the office to find three police cars block ing the main Ricar do Soriano highway, while balaclava cops paced around outside. “Anyone passing would think it was a drugs raid or they were looking for terrorists.

“It was very heavy-handed, partic ularly as we quickly gave them all the information and paperwork they wanted. In fact, we gave them more than they asked for.

“They ended up being quite apol ogetic and said it will be smoothed out easily. I hope so.”

Photos of the raid ended up on the local Marbella se queja social me dia site yesterday morning, spark ing claims it was over ‘a corruption case’.

The Olive Press reported how five years ago, the Lawbird boss was ac cused of attacking a local hotel with a hand grenade.

Attack

The boss of now-shut Sisu hotel, in Puerto Banus, claimed he was be hind the midnight attack.

Our front page story in 2017 report ed on the hotel releasing CCTV foot age which showed a man dousing its interior with petrol, before lobbing in a hand grenade.

The hotel then burnt down in myste rious circumstances in the summer of 2021, adding fuel to this claimbut it has never been proven.

Guardia Civil confirmed to the Olive Press that officers raided the prem ises this morning, but could not re veal any further details.

“This is an open and ongoing in vestigation,” a spokesman said on Tuesday afternoon.

Beauty and the beast: Read about Hemingway’s favourite town of Ronda in our special supplement

EXCLUSIVE

By Jon Clarke

RAID: Balaclava-clad cops outside the Lawbird office

UNHAPPY: Flores slammed the raid

Tourist Choked

A HERO Malaga hotel worker ran out to inter rupt a violent robbery as a tourist was being choked unconscious. The attack er escaped but his female lookout was arrested.

Blood suckers

A PRIMARY school in Malaga has come up with a novel way to combat plagues of mosquitos: bats. They have contracted a com pany to install homes for the flying rodents, which then feed on the swarms.

Colonial row

THE demolition of an old 19th century colonial house in the plaza of Mari ano Díaz Alonso in San Pe dro Alcántara has caused an outcry at the town hall’s unwillingness to preserve the history of the colonial outpost.

Water Worries

LA VIÑUELA reservoir has matched its all-time re cord low water level of just 9.2% of capacity, or 15.2 cubic hectometres of water.

BRIT MURDER PROBE

SUSSEX police have launched a dou ble murder investigation after a Brit ish father and son disappeared from Estepona in April 2019.

Their family has always believed that they were shot and killed during a drug deal that went wrong.

Daniel Poole, 46, and his son Liam, 22, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex,

were last seen alive on April 2, 2019. They were staying at the Valle Roma no Golf and Resort.

Their passports and clothes were left in their room and a hire car was not returned. On hearing news of the Sus sex police probe, Daniel’s daughter, Lauryn Poole, 23, said: “There was hope there but now it’s gone.”

Coke lords bust

A BRITISH ‘drug lord kingpin’ who had made his base in the Costa del Sol was arrested in Dubai as part of an enormous operation to smash a conti nent-spanning ‘super cartel’ thought to be responsible for the import of a third of all co caine into Europe.

Ryan James Hale, thought to be in his early 40s and linked to the Irish Kinahan cartel, has been identified by the Guardia Civil as the overall boss over the mega operation. The financial ‘nerve centre’ of

Police raid financial ‘nerve centre’ in Spain as part of operation to smash Europe-wide ‘super cartel’

By Walter Finch

the criminal outfit was cen tred around Marbella, where a police raid bagged the alleged head of the group’s €24 million money laundering operation. Further raids in Barcelo na and Madrid saw another ‘high-value target’ arrested, a Bulgarian, along with another

A BROKER accused of the biggest crypto scam in Spanish history has died after falling from the fifth floor balcony of his Estepona home.

Javier Biosca, who was released on a €1 million bail three weeks ago, stood accused of running a fraud that scammed over 750 investors out of cryptocurrencies worth €500 million.

Bulgarian and three Spanish citizens - including a worker at the Port of Barcelona - who collectively oversaw the un loading of cocaine into Span ish ports.

In total, officers from the Guardia Civil’s anti-narcotics team UCO (Central Operative Unit) kicked down the doors of 21 homes and businesses and made 15 arrests.

Crypto death

His body was found in the common area of a complex of apartments on a golf course by a hotel worker who had heard a heavy thud.

National Police are investigating the death but they do not at this point consider it to be suspicious.

Police netted €500,000 in cash, three loaded guns and a fleet of luxury cars, some worth almost €300,000. The raids were part of a mul tinational po lice operation

across six countries that saw 49 people arrested and a mas sive 30 tonnes of cocaine con fiscated, Europol announced. Among the arrested were sev en ‘drug lord kingpins’ - or ‘drugpins’ - who had joined forces to create a ‘super cartel’, which they orchestrated from Dubai.

Dubbed ‘Operation Faukas’ in Spain, it began in 2019 when a container in the Port of Valen cia was seized carrying nearly 700kg of cocaine.

Cooperation

The bust gave rise to a sprawling investigation involving a number of po lice agencies across Europe spanning three years that ultimately became Europol’s Operation Desert Light.

Dangerous game

A TRIO of armed robbers in balaclavas violently pulled off a stick-up of an amusement ar cade in Alameda after pointing a gun at the manager.

The gang, two men and one woman, burst into the premis es wielding a pistol and a ma chete and ordered everybody present to get on the ground. While the woman kept look out at the entrance, the two men proceeded to threaten the manager with the pistol, de manding the money in the till.

The manager decided not to be a hero, and gave up a sum to the thieves of around €500. The masked gang then made their escape.

Turned off

A CRIMINAL network based out of Malaga that illegally streamed TV channels and films to users around Europe has been dismantled.

Police swooped to arrest four people who were selling illegal subscription packages featur ing over 2,600 television chan nels and 23,000 movies and series to half a million custom ers based in Spain, the United Kingdom, Malta, Portugal, Cy prus and Greece. They made €3 million a year.

Two were arrested in Benaha vis, one in Mijas with anoth er under investigation, and a fourth was arrested in Benal madena.

IT’S OVER TO YOU

Do you think you pay a lot of taxes but don’t get enough services? Complaining with your friends at the bar or on Facebook/Twitter doesn’t change things?

TAKE ACTION!

If you are a citizen of any European Union country (even from UK), and if you own a property or if you are renting a property long term in Mijas, please take these three steps:

● Go to the nearest office of the Town Hall (Mijas Village, La Cala, Las Lagunas) and ask for your inclusion in the padron (registry of local inhabitants)

● At the same time, ask for your inclusion on the electoral census (to be able to vote in the local elections)

● The Vote for the next local elections will take place, Sunday, May 28, 2023

● Become part of the solution, make things happen

Three-star success

TWO restaurants in Spain have been upgraded to a maximum ‘three star’ Michelin status in its 2023 guide for Spain and Portugal.

It means 13 eateries on the Iberian Peninsula now have the top Michelin accolade.

Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona gets the top rating for what Michelin says is ‘firing the imagination with ev ery bite’.

Chefs Sergio and Javier Torres - who were recently named in the top 100

Winding down

WHILE many of his Manches ter City team mates are in Qa tar striving to win the football World Cup, star player Erling Haaland is winding down in Marbella.

The 22-year-old Norwegian in ternational - who was born in Leeds where his dad Alfie was a player - has a house in the Costa del Sol city and is taking advantage of the World Cup mid-season break to recharge his batteries there.

He has been spotted out and about enjoying some quality down time - although he would no doubt be much happier to be in Qatar himself.

His Norwegian team failed to reach the finals, with the Neth erlands and Turkey finishing ahead of the Scandinavians.

Best Chefs in the World - have created a ‘magical space’ in which the gastro nomic experience- using the very best seasonal produce - exceeds foodies’ expectations, turning it into a dining extravaganza.

The other new three-star entrant is Atrio in Caceres. Michelin says the ‘ul timate distinction’ goes to it because of its ‘elegant and delicate’ dishes prepared by chef Toño Perez who has ‘shaken up’ local gastronomic tradi tions.

It comes as a welcome boost to the restaurant after it lost €1.6 million worth of wines when thieves plundered its cellar last year.

Deesa (Madrid); Pepe Viera (Serpe, Pontevedra) and El Rincon de Juan Carlos (Tenerife) have all been upgrad ed to two stars.

On the road

Gordon Ramsay spotted filming latest series in Spain

GORDON Ramsay has been spotted filming in one of Mal aga’s more unusual restau rants.

The celebrity chef - who has had 17 Michelin Stars in his career - visited El Tintero to get a taste of a dif ferent way of doing things in the culinary world.

The chiringuito bar) is famous for not having a menu, but instead op erating on a first come first served basis.

Waiters come from the kitch en bringing plates of food and shout ing out what

A new ‘Blanksy’

ed over in drab grey. The artwork ap peared to be a protest against Russia’s inva sion of Ukraine. It was an ad aptation of Banksy’s famous Girl with Bal

By Dilip Kuner

they have. The first customers to stick their hands up get to inspect the dish and decide if they want to buy it or not.

Ramsay was there to film his latest Road Trip show with pals Italian chef Gino D’Acampo and master maitre d’ Fred Sirieix.

This series is being shot entirely in Spain, and will explore local culture and gastronomy - particularly seafood.

This is not the first time Ramsay has visited the Costa del Sol. In 2014 he roped in Olive Press editor Jon Clarke to help review La Granada Divino in Gaucin, which was featured in the series Costa del Nightmares.

Amazing

Fashionable Sevilla

The

It is a double boost for the Andalucian capital, which was cho sen to launch the collection at a special fashion show in June.

For the campaign, photographer Laura Sciacovelli took inspi ration from classical art to frame models Chai Maximus, Maryel Uchida, Miriam Sanchez, Eden Joi, Raynara Negrine, Greta Bult mann, Freja Rothmann, and Yunseo Cho in a series of portraits.

Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was in spired by costumes associated with flamenco, bullfighting and equestrian arts.

FADE TO GREY: From art to drab

loon series, which first cropped up in Lon don’s Waterloo in 2002 and was recreated in Bethlehem in 2006.

Locals have pointed the finger at the town mayor for ‘senselessly’ destroying the work of art.

“I love it down here. It’s amaz ing. And what a place Gaucin is!” said the Scottish chef.”

Ramsay also paid a visit to Fuengirola in an attempt to revive the Mayfair restaurant, which he changed to Jack’s Kitchen Shack.

Both restaurants have since closed.

CHOSEN DUO

THE European Space Agency has chosen two Spaniards for future space missions, which could include a voyage to Mars.

Pablo Alvarez, 34 and from Leon, has been chosen from the hopefuls by the ESA, as well as Sara Garcia, 33 and also from Leon, as a reserve.

This marks the first time in 30 years that a Spaniard has made the cut for a space mission.

The first and only Spanish astro naut until now was Pedro Duque, who was chosen in 1992.

He later went on to become a Science Minister in the Socialist Party government of Prime Min ister Pedro Sanchez.

A popular ‘Banksy’ artwork stencilled on an underpass near El Ingenio shopping centre in Torre del Mar has been paint

FAMOUS FACE: Ramsay on the Costa del Sol

SEVILLA has been given a world-wide publicity boost in the latest ad campaign by fashion house Dior.

city provided the locations for a photo shoot of the flamen co-inspired Cruise 23 collection.

Quite a racquet

THE Davis Cup in Malaga de scended into chaos as two pro testers stormed the court and attempted to tie themselves to the net.

Borna Coric of Croatia had just beaten Spain’s Roberto Bautis ta Agut in the first match of the evening when the pair of pro testers burst into sight and ran onto the centre of the court.

Five security officers chased them and managed to contain one female protester, but the male had made a darting effort to tie himself to the net leading to a struggle with three guards.

Tournament organisers and shocked spectators watched on as the man was finally hauled off the net and pinned to the ground.

His female companion was dragged away.

The man was handcuffed and led away as the crowd jeered the duo off the court.

The tournament continued shortly after. Canada defeated Australia in the final on Sunday.

Free Ride

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

USERS of a high-profile travel web site have voted Malaga's annual Christmas market as among the top 20 in Europe.

The website, European Best Des tination has highlighted that ‘the spirit of Christmas permeates every corner of the streets of Malaga’.

The prominent platform, which

A LEADING supermarket group is demanding €2.8 mil lion from Ronda town hall. The move comes after Eroski pulled out of a giant commer cial centre project more than a decade in the offing.

The chain first signed a deal with the town hall to build the centre on the town’s old foot ball field in 2012.

But Eroski - which was set to invest €100 million in the proj ect - insists there have been continual problems with the project unable to start.

Some of the issues relate to a long-running corruption case, Casa Acinipo, that shames the town hall.

The trial, which started this

SPAIN has just increased its free travel scheme to include long-distance coaches.

As confirmed by the Minister of Transport, Mo bility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, during an appearance in the Congress of Dep uties, long-distance buses that are part of the State concession network will be free as of 2023.

Earlier this year, free train tickets were intro duced for short and medium-distance journeys.

provides information on the major destinations in Europe, has also detailed the city’s street concerts and decorations and of course spectacular lighting. The streets of Malaga which are awash with life and colour during Christmas is the only Spanish city to appear on the list.

Shelved

Ronda town hall facing €2.8m legal battle with supermarket as corruption case rumbles on

By Anthony Piovesan

summer, involved six former councillors accused of ‘urban corruption’ and money laun dering related to the giant Eroski project.

A THIRD train operator has joined Spain’s big battle for customers with Iryo starting a low-cost service between Madrid and Barcelona.

The firm joins French-owned Oui go and Renfe’s Avlo in offering bud get high-speed train journeys.

The end of the long-standing Renfe monopoly in 2021 has seen fares fall by up to half on some routes.

Iryo - run by Italy’s main train oper ator, Trenitalia, in association with

The case is also investigating other backhandlers linked to former mayor Antonio Marin Lara.

The ex-leader, who died in 2019, was behind a series of shocking projects, including al lowing an illegal development

Train wars

Spain’s Air Nostrum and Globalvia - will have a fleet of 20 trains cost ing €800 million.

The company is now running 16 daily round-trips between Madrid and Barcelona and will roll out a Madrid to Valencia service soon.

A Madrid-Cordoba-Sevilla/Malaga link is slated for 2023.

in the famous Tajo gorge. He also backed a double golf course scheme with 2000 houses and three hotels in a UNESCO-protected area of virgin woodland near the town. The Los Merinos project was mired in corruption and scan dal and triggered an Olive Press campaign to stop it.

Scandal

Both Greenpeace and Ecolo gistas en Acción opposed it, while a judge ruled that de velopers used ‘mafia tactics’ to scare off local protesters, many of them expats.

The deadline to finish the Eros ki project was this December, but the ongoing corruption case means no project has even been able to start.

THE lawyer for a member of the notorious ‘wolfpack’ rap ists is appealing for a reduced sentence under Spain’s new ‘only yes means yes’ law.

Angel Boza is one of five men to be given 15 years in jail by the Supreme Court for his role in the 2016 rape of a woman at Pamplona’s run ning of the bulls festival.

His lawyer now wants the sentence reduced to 13 years and nine months.

The ‘only yes means yes’ law was passed in early October and is focused on consent. It removes the distinction be tween sexual abuse and as sault and classifies as ‘rape’ any offence where explicit consent has not been given.

But changes to minimum and maximum sentences have had an unintended effect, and are allowing sex offenders to ask for lower jail terms.

Yes means confusion Inflation prediction

ECONOMY Minister, Na dia Calviño, says inflation in Spain will stay at around 7% for the rest of 2022 before falling next year.

The rate fell to 7.3% in Oc tober compared to a peak of over 10% in July - figures not seen since the mid-eighties. Economists are projecting a 4% rate by mid-2023.

BACK IN SPAIN?

THE prime suspect in the case of missing Lisa Brown, feared murdered in Spain, has escaped from jail in the UK.

The family of the Scottish mum, who vanished in 2015, fear the nautical man could soon be back in Spain or Gibraltar.

Dean Woods, aka Simon Cor ner, was on day release from HM Prison Sudbury, in Der byshire, when he absconded and did not return.

The 40-year-old luxury yacht dealer was just two years into a 12-year jail sentence for his involvement in an €9 million cocaine ring.

Woods has long been suspect ed of being behind the disap pearance of his ex-partner Lisa Brown, then 32, seven years ago.

He was quizzed by Spanish cops after the mother-of-one, from Scotland, failed to collect her

Suspect behind missing Lisa Brown escapes prison amid fears he could be back in Spain

eight-year-old son from school in Guadiaro, near Sotogrande, where she lived.

She had been living in Spain since she was 18 and had just started working in Gibraltar for an online betting company when she vanished.

“He is dangerous so if you hear he’s back or see him, make that call to authorities,” Brown's sis ter Helen told the Olive Press.

“He’s got friends in the area and it’s a place he knows very well,” she said. “He could return to Gibraltar, La Linea, Sotogrande or Duquesa - he has plenty of friends there who helped him escape Spain in the first place.”

Derbyshire police confirmed

Light at end of the tunnel

THE seven month nightmare be ing suffered by residents of Spain who hold UK driving licences might nearly be over, according to British ambassador Hugh Elliott.

The top diplomat has said that the ‘two outstanding complex issues’ that were still being negotiated be tween the two countries have been resolved.

“We'll now take forward the remain ing steps including legal checks, se

By Anthony Piovesan

Woods’ escape from jail and appealed to the public for any information.

“Woods did not return after a period of day release on No vember 19,” a spokesperson said.

Officers had been probing Woods, from Liverpool, after Brown went missing in 2015, but couldn’t find him.

They eventually issued a Euro pean Arrest Warrant for him, suspecting that Brown may have been abducted and taken out to sea, possibly en route to

U-T URN N O !W

curing ministerial ap proval on both sides – which for Spain, is by the Consejo de Minis tros, the Spanish Cabinet – and the necessary treaty processes and for mal exchanges,” he added. The ambassador was not, however, able to confirm how much longer the remaining steps would take.

See Letters on page 10

Ibiza or Thai land.

The Olive Press re vealed at the time that Woods had been living on a boat called, Rosa of London, in La Linea’s Alcaidesa ma rina. We estab lished that Brown had been a ‘reg

ular visitor’ to the boat, while Woods regularly made ‘plea sure cruises’ into the Med with tourists.

Brown had been dating Woods for a few months, after splitting up with her son’s father Tony Tomillero.

Woods - who also uses the alias Simon Corner - was finally arrested at Heathrow Airport in London in April 2018, but weeks later the case against him was archived in Spain.

San Roque Judge Garcia ruled: “This court has serious doubts that Simon Corner is the person responsible for the crimes of homicide or unlawful detention being investigated”.

Woods denied any involvement in Brown’s disappearance and moved back to the UK.

However, in October 2018, he was extradited back to Spain af

ter the case was reopened.

Three judges at Cadiz Provin cial Court ordered San Roque court to reopen the case and, in particular, analyse his mobile phone records.

But that probe also petered out, and a few weeks later in November 2018, Woods got involved in a £8 million cocaine operation in Liverpool.

Brown’s sister added her family would ‘stop at nothing’ to get justice for her. “She deserves justice,” she added.

Licking wounds

AN expat cyclist has slammed a pet owner, whose dogs mauled him and a friend on a country cycle.

John Munns was cycling with three of his usual biking group, when they were attacked by two snarling dogs, as they passed through the village of Iznate in the Axarquia.

The pair were both savage ly bitten and left licking their wounds on the side of the MA3118.

“Suddenly these two dogs emerged and started snarling quite nastily at us,” the British expat told the Olive Press

“They ended up chasing the leading rider and I saw them go hacking into his leg.

“Then they came for me,” Munns said.

The 81-year-old and his friend went straight to Velez-Malaga hospital where they were treat ed for their wounds. Police have not done anything to deal with the attack, added Munns.

EXCLUSIVE

ON THE RUN: Woods questioned four years ago after Lisa vanished

Justice for Lisa

The pain for the family of missing Scottish mother Lisa Brown, feared murdered in Spain in 2015, must be unimaginable, but it just got worse.

The system designed to get the Brown family justice has failed them.

After five years the prime suspect over her disappearance, Dean Woods, was finally locked up, but not to do with Lisa’s case.

The running theory was that Lisa was killed and taken out to sea, but a judge ruled there was not enough evidence against him.

Woods was instead done for his role in a €9 million cocaine ring.

He was two years into a 12-year sentence at an open prison in the UK when he went out on day release ten days ago, and never returned.

What was someone who was involved in a €9 million cocaine plot doing out on day release, let alone allowed to serve a sentence in an open prison?

He’s back out, while the pain among Lisa’s loved ones quickly turns into a bitter rage, and their anger is justified.

Just pathetic

IT MAY be a lot to demand that the Junta de Andalucia build a superb short-distance train network along the sea front like they have in Catalonia, but you would think they could do a bit better than a pathetic eight buses a day be tween Estepona and La Linea (four on a weekend).

Those between Marbella and Estepona are treated a little better, with an almost manageable 30-45 minute wait be tween each bus - assuming they come on time.

But just as the Junta has focused on the cheapest and fastest development along the Costa, catering only for those with cars, it has totally neglected to even bother pav ing footpaths along main roads, stranding people in their towns and urbanizations.

Think what a boost it would give to the economy and pro ductivity if everyone could live in one town and work in another. Triple the number of buses, install footpaths and bike paths, and open the coast up to everyone. It would pay for itself - but would also require some forward planning and long-term investment.

THE KING AND I

By Simon Hunter

AS anyone watching the most re cent series of The Crown will have been reminded, Queen Elizabeth II famously suffered an annus hor ribilis in 1992 as scandal hit her family and there was a fire at Windsor Castle.

For Spain’s former king Juan Carlos I, 2022 has no doubt been proving to be a terrible year – but for him it’s just the latest in a long line.

Since 2020, Juan Carlos has been living in self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, after mounting allegations of financial irregu larities forced him to flee.

His son, King Felipe VI, wanted to get some distance between the Spanish roy al family’s past and present.

But rather than escaping the focus of the public – both in Spain and abroad – Juan Carlos has been a regular fixture in the headlines this year.

First, thanks to an HBO documentary ti tled Saving the King , which laid bare not just his financial dealings over the years but also his many affairs.

And now one of those ex-lovers, Dan ish-German businesswoman Corinna Larsen (who goes by her married name of Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn) is telling her version of their time together

in a kiss-and-tell podcast titled Corinna and the King . Here’s what you need to know about the latest in this ongoing roy al saga.

The revelations

The podcast, which was produced by bestselling authors Tom Wright and Brad ley Hope, is an eight-part series based on extensive interviews with Larsen, as well as journalists who followed the story over the years and other key figures. Episode one explains how the two met and their relationship began; episode two delves into Juan Carlos’s past; epi sode three examines the role of Queen Sofía, who is to this day still married to the self-styled emeritus king; and epi sode four covers the infamous hunting trip in Botswana that sparked a crisis in the royal family.

How they met

“It's a Shakespearean story about power, money, and sex,” explains Larsen in the first episode of the series, during which she tells the story of how the pair were at a hunting trip together at the Duke of Westminster’s property, La Garganta, in the Sierra More na mountains of Castilla-La Mancha and Cordoba, a favoutite hunting retreat of the princes William and Harry.

Tired after a long day, Larsen broke with pro tocol and asked for the king’s permission to leave.

“You're not supposed to retire to bed until the head of state leaves,” she explains. All eyes ended up on her, including the king’s.

How it started

Larsen explains how the king’s phone calls, first about business, became gradually

Expat Guide to voting in Spain’s 2023 elections

cal deal with Spain, such as the UK.

But in a change from the pre-Brexit era, UK nationals now have to go through a procedure to get onto the electoral roll every four years.

WHO WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE?

Spanish nationals, citizens of the European Union, and citizens of countries with a reciprocal agreement, namely: the United Kingdom, Norway, Bolivia, Cape Verde Islands, Colombia, South Korea, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and New Zealand. IN ORDER TO VOTE YOU

Be of legal age (18 years and over) on the day of vot ing 4 Not be illegally in Spain 4 Not be deprived of the right to vote 4 Be a resident in Spain and registered on the padron at your local town hall

4 Have expressed the intention to vote and be registered on the local Electoral Census at the town hall.

ELECTORAL CENSUS REGISTRATION DEADLINES

The registration deadlines vary depending on whether you are an EU citizen or from a country with a reciprocal agree ment with Spain.

EU citizens can apply between December 1, 2022 and Jan

uary 30 2023. If you have previously voted in the same mu nicipality, your details should be registered already.

For non-EU citizens (such as those from the UK) there is an earlier application deadline of January 15, 2023. Unlike EU residents, you now have to register EVERY four years before voting in the municipal elections. Previous pre-Brexit regis tration does not count.

KEY POINT SUMMARY

4 If you come from a country that has a reciprocal agree ment – for example, the UK – you must register on the electoral roll at the town hall.

4 In order to exercise the right to vote you have to bring along your passport and residency document/TIE card to confirm you are living legally in Spain.

4 You will need to have held valid residency in Spain for three years at the time of application.

4 You must be registered on the padron of the municipal ity in which you reside.

4 Registration dates and times may vary: Check in ad vance at your local town hall.

In an eight-episode kissand-tell podcast series, Corinna Larsen, the exlover of Spain’s former king, reveals intimate details about their private life, his finances and marriage

more personal and more regular. “It was kind of surreal, because [a relation ship] hadn’t really crossed my mind. But he was very funny and sort of very persistent, but in a humorous way. He’s clearly known as one of the greatest seducers amongst royalty.”

When they share a meal together in a hunt ing lodge near the Zarzuela royal palace, he confesses that his marriage to Queen Sofía is just for show.

The anger of the queen

In episode three, Larsen tells the story of being given a private tour of the Zarzuela palace, having been promised that Sofía was not home.

“Suddenly, Queen Sofia burst into the room. And with a face like thunder,” she explains. “She pointed at me and said, ‘I know who you are!’”

The ‘court of miracles’

Larsen tells of the ‘unusual’ things in Juan Carlos’s life, what she calls the ‘court of mir acles’.

“I would see him coming back from trips and be happy as a five year old, and there’d be bags full of cash.”

Asked about them, the then-king would say: ‘Oh, this is from my friend so and so.’ “He’d say you are so dramatic, you don't under stand how Spain works. And no, clearly I didn't.”

The affairs

Larsen makes clear in the podcast that she demanded Juan Carlos be faithful to her, being aware of previous affairs he had such

as with Barbara Rey, an actress who later claimed she was receiving death threats af ter having broken up with the king.

But, Larsen explains, after the death of her father who she cared for in his dying days, the king had an unpleasant surprise for her: “The king somehow in a conversation men tioned something about me not having been available much during those eight months when my father was in his last stage of can cer. And then he’d been seeing someone else.”

The hunting trip

Then comes Larsen’s account of the infa mous 2012 hunting trip, news of which set Juan Carlos on the path to his 2014 abdi cation.

She and the king were both on the safari to gether, despite having broken up. According to Larsen, the king woke up one morning after a night of heavy drinking and realised he must have had a fall and said he would spend the day in bed.

His medical team, however, thought he had internal bleeding, and he was rushed back to Spain on Larsen’s chartered private jet. Despite the severity of the situation and his condition, the king requested a glass of wine.

Larsen tried to reason with him, but, she ex plains, “he was like, ‘I am the king. I can do whatever I want’. And it was like a petulant child.”

Fallout

The hunting trip alerted the press to the exis tence of Larsen in Juan Carlos’s life, and all hell broke loose – especially given the tough economic times Spaniards are suffering.

Larsen recounts the ‘complete fabrications’ about her in the press, and thinks she knows who is to blame.

“This has the fingerprints of Queen Sofia all over it,” she states, although as the podcast points out, there is no evidence to back up that claim.

Princess Di

In episode five of Corinna and the King, Larsen reveals how Juan Carlos instructed his friends to stage a ‘fake Christmas’ given that he could no longer stand his own family. She also details the threats she claims to have been subjected to by the Spanish secret services, including a book about the death of Princess Diana being left in her apartment.

What’s the damage?

While the podcast heaps yet more shame on the already disgraced emeritus king, the fact that it is available in Spanish and En glish, and has been widely covered in for eign publications such as The Times and The Daily Mail, also does Spain’s reputation few favours.

It paints a picture of an out-of-control mon arch, a press that is turning a blind eye to his antics, and state machinery that swings into action to protect him. And there is no doubt worse to come in the remaining episodes.

“It’s like Spain, oh it's such a nice coun try, go on holiday there, we’ll have some tapas, so fun... It's almost more dangerous because people are completely unaware,” says Corinna Whatever the case, its release is yet anoth er in a long line of embarrassments for the exiled emeritus king.

BEING SOCIABLE

AS the world moves on the Olive Press moves with it.

While proud of our quality print editionnow in five regions and having just won a Google award - we have not been one to rest on our laurels and were quick to notice the impor tance of social media.

With approaching 30,000 followers on Facebook and 9,600 more on Twit ter it’s clear more and more peo ple have been turning to these Olive Press platforms to find trusted news.

Businesses and organisations have also cottoned on to its far reach and have been eager to get on board.

This includes Gibraltar University that has been using our Facebook site to attract new stu dents, knowing we have a wide and young audience on the costas.

Linea Directa has also recognised its reach and effectiveness and conduct ed a campaign solely online, while nu merous other big financial companies have booked sponsored posts.

But the power of social media is best underlined when we team up with businesses for local com petitions.

In the past we offered a two-night stay with sup per at the five-star hotel Kempinsky hotel in Es tepona and the post reached a massive 29,000 people on Facebook - and garnered 982 ‘likes’. The bosses of the hotel were even more delight ed with the 9,000 hits it got online, as well as the incredible 4000-plus entrants for the com petition.

A similar prize with a hotel in Casares got ‘more bookings than an article in the Times’... worth ‘over €10,000’ for the price of a few sponsored posts.

Winning combination

We recognize the power of social media - but also know that it works best with print media in all its guises.

For this reason we have a range of different and highly flexible marketing strategies that can be combined on various platforms for businesses to get a higher profile.

With a website that attracts tens of thousands of unique visitors a day, many thousands of social media followers a week and Spain’s best English language printed newspaper every fortnight, we have a winning platform for your business.

Get in touch at sales@theolivepress.es or call 951 273 575 to see what we can do for you.

PLAYERS: Queen Sofia was furious when she encountered Larsen at the Zarzuela palace

SCANDAL: The king’s hunting trip led to the exposure of his affair with Larsen LOVER: Barbara

Flood alert

Valencia and Sevilla in top three danger zones

WHILE Spain is frequent ly wracked with fires and droughts, there is a third horse man of the apocalypse that stalks the country: flooding.

With climate change, the risk of flooding is increasing and the cost of property damage is also soaring.

Two people are already known to have died in 2022, including a policeman trying to rescue a trapped motorist in Alicante.

In Murcia one man drowned when he was swept from his home by water as he slept on a sofa.

The regions of Spain most at risk of flooding and most sus ceptible to flood damage have been documented in a new re port, with Valencia and Sevilla coming in the top three, just behind Barcelona in first place.

Risk

The report, from Gamma Lo cation Intelligence, combines the risk of flooding with the po tential damage to property that would be suffered to determine which provinces have the most properties at risk and an esti mated cost of flooding.

It is the Mediterranean coast that presents the biggest risk of suffering massive damage.

It is estimated that on average some €17,531,757 of damage to property in the province of Bar celona is caused by floods each year.

Valencian home owners have reason to worry with an average €13,878,134 worth of damage

By Walter Finch

caused annually.

This figure is €12,473,571 in Sevilla and €6,686,007 in Ali cante.

Overall, Spain can expect an av erage annual loss from flooding of nearly €200 million, Canary Islands excluded.

QUACKING NEWS

The

To reverse the risk of extinction, the LIFE Cerceta Pardilla project has undertaken a series of ac tions to reinforce its popula tions, including the release of captive-bred specimens.

This year some 146 chicks have hatched and are being released in different wetlands throughout Andalucia.

Look at what is going on in Africa and Germany

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

AFRICA has vast gas reserves. As many countries in the African continent now look to exploit the value of this resource, Euro pean super powers are actually encouraging, supporting, and financing this ‘Dash for Gas’.

As the scramble for gas reaches dizzying heights, due largely to Russia’s atrocious attack on Ukraine, the very important fight to control rising temperatures across the world takes a back seat again.

I fully understand the African countries point of view. Western countries benefitted and pros pered from exploiting dirtier fossil fuels.

Why shouldn’t African countries reap the re wards of exploiting cleaner natural gas?

Everyone knows the answer….to save the envi ronment. Fossil fuels need to be phased out and left in the ground. Africa’s backyard should not become Europe’s forecourt. The ever powerful cabal of fossil fuel companies

along with corrupt elites of Africa have another agenda.

The effects of global warming have been devas tating in parts of Africa, yet still greed triumphs over commonsense.

The developed world has to stand up and fi nance a move to renewables to support emerg ing nations.

There are better ways to reduce poverty and power Africa.

It is hard to argue the case for gas to stay in the ground when many European countries are returning to coal powered electricity production.

GERMANY ENDS RELIANCE ON RUSSIAN GAS

When the lunatic Putin switched off the gas tap to Europe, Germany faced a winter of dis content. Power cuts, industrial decimation and economic disaster loomed.

But now Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) has declared that ‘energy security for this winter is guaranteed’.

Germany’s gas stores are full thanks to frantic and expensive buying in the world markets.

Good news for Germany, bad news for poorer countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, who lack the finances to compete in an overheated market.

Germany’s call to action has been fast and im pressive, even by German standards.

A new floating storage and regasification termi nal has become operational in 200 days.

Bureaucracy - the ‘condom on the prick of prog ress’ - was removed. And five more storage facil

ities will become operational next year. It proves that where there is a will there’s a way.

COP 27

I would dearly like to report bundles of good news about the outcome of this years United Nations Conference of Parties (COP). Sadly, the bad news is there’s little good news.

• No reference at all to phasing out fossil fuels.

• Rich countries once again pledged to pay poorer countries for the damage and eco nomic losses caused by climate change…30 years on from huge climate impacts.

• Lots of powerful political rhetoric.

• Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words.

Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy.

ENVIRONMENTAL officials in Andalucia have released 25 rare marbled ducks into the wild at the Desembocadura del Guadalhorce Natural Park, in Malaga.

bird is considered the most threatened duck species in the whole of Europe.

LEAVE: fossil fuels in the ground

Green Matters By Martin Tye

OLAF SCHOLZ: says energy supplies are secure

AT RISK: map shows the areas most in danger

Mask up!

Dear Olive Press,

OVER the past month, the cases of flu have increased dramatically, having plunged during the pan demic.

And now Covid is on the in crease too. I know the pan demic restrictions were onerous, and in no way do I want to revert to lock down, but surely there is a lesson to be learned here. Perhaps people should take a bit more care when they feel ill, and avoid crowded places to stop the spread of contagious diseases. It would be a good idea to get back into the habit of wearing face masks too.

I understand that this has been common practice in Japan for years when peo ple feel under the weath er – and we should follow their lead.

Recently I was in a restau rant and another client was sneezing, coughing and spluttering. I decid ed to find somewhere else to dine as the thought of catching whatever they had would spoil my evening. Please have a little consid eration for others. Stay at home if you’re not well! Mask up if you have to go out.

Damian Costello (Alicante)

TAX LOSS

Keep it up

U-T URN N O !W

IN welcoming your newspaper’s initiative in taking up the cause of the UK Spain driving licence issue, may I add my own story? The facts are thus:

My Spain residency was finally approved in December 2021, and the six months grace period is now expired with no resolution on the swapping of licences by Spain and the UK

Until my residency was approved, I was not prepared to swap and thus give up my UK driving li cence.

If my residency had not been approved, I would then have held a useless Spanish driving licence. In the absence of a resolution, my best option appears to be to give up residency and thus continue to use my UK licence.

Clearly I would then be subject to the 90/180 day problem and this makes my continuing to keep a second home in Spain unrealistic.

Result: the Spanish Government will lose my contributions to the economy and to the Spanish tax regime.

Graham Richard (by email)

Be legal

I TOTALLY agree with Mary Williamson’s letter (Issue 407) re the exchange of driving licences.

I came to live in Spain in 1987, and had to get my passport stamped on the day of arrival and to get all necessary paperwork done within three months of being here.

This involved going to the British consulate in Malaga to get a form to prove I wasn’t, or ever had been, a criminal! I think that doesn’t have to be done now.

To my view, nothing changed with Brexit. All that needs to be done is the same as all those years ago. Get the paperwork done and be legal. A main factor even back then, was to give up your UK driving licence for a Spanish one, so nothing has changed, except the people moaning about having to do it.

You want to live here, change your licence, or don’t become a resident.

Valerie Imossi (Malaga)

Editor’s note: To be fair, the main complaint of people is that they are unable to simply swap their UK

Two wheels good

WITH regards to your story about a flying drone taxi; to transport children distances be low 15km, I would recommend bicycles.

Do we not suffer a fat crisis with our youth? There will be no noise and no carbon consumption. Bicycles are cheap and do not need any space and manpower. May I assume that this ‘brilliant’ invention is sponsored by EU money?

Name and address supplied (via Olive Press website)

HELP ON THE WAY

APACKAGE of measures to help resident mortgagors struggling with mortgage payments has been announced by the Spanish government.

The measures are expected to come into effect in January as part of an up dated banking industry code of good practice.

The main provision is that homeown ers struggling to pay will have the op portunity to restructure their loans at lower rates over a five-year period during which they can delay existing due pay ments. In practice, accord ing to government figures, a family with a €120,000 mortgage currently paying €524 per month could cut their monthly payments to €240 for the next five years.

Also, a second debt re structure will be made possible where necessary and commissions charged for switching to a fixed-rate mortgage will be eliminated throughout next year. The government claims that 1 mil lion households will benefit from the scheme.

Spanish economy minister Nadia Calviño said the war in Ukraine is largely to blame for higher mortgage rates as infla tion rose sharply.

Around 3.7 million Span ish homeowners have variable-rate mortgages, which until recently were the most popular form of home loan.

But now, due to rising interest rates, around three-quarters of new mortgages are at fixed rates.

Should you need advice about financ ing a home loan, we at The Finance Bureau have many years of experience. Please feel free to get in touch and we can offer the best loans to suit your personal needs.

Government announces mortgage relief measures to help with repayments

Around 3.7 million Spanish homeowners have variablerate mortgages

licence for a Spanish one, but need to take a Spanish test.

As UK Ambassador Hugh Elliott claims a deal on UK driving licences has been agreed and now needs to be rubber stamped, it is still a hot topic for readers

THE Spanish government is considering debt relief measures to help compa nies weather the coronavi rus pandemic storm.

Roman necropolis

A REMARKABLY well-main tained Roman necropolis, dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, has been un earthed in southern Spain.

Last year, aid was focused on furlough schemes and a state-backed loan guaran tee programme. This has helped push state debt up to an estimated 120% of GDP. Now there is a grow ing realisation that the emphasis of government help will need to change as pandemic restrictions drag on and a vaccine roll-out is stalled.

Demise

The discovery, located on the construction site of the fu ture Dry Port of Antequera, has been recently announced by the Mayor of Antequera, Manuel Baron, the munic ipal delegate for Heritage, Ana Cebrián, and the director of the Antequera Museum, Manuel Romero.

The burial mound includes both cremations and inhuma tions, 24 and 30 respectively.

BIG BEAST

With Spanish bankruptcy laws cumbersome and of ten leading to the demise rather than rescue of strug gling businesses, the aim of inter-departmental ne gotiations is to save busi nesses that have a good chance of survival once the crisis is over, according to media reports.

SPAIN’S Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has pledged €11 billion to help the coun try go digital.

Digging for truth

The cash injection is part of the Spain Digital Agen da 2025, which views the digital transformation as one of the ‘essential levers for relaunching economic growth, reducing inequality, increasing productivity and harnessing all the opportu nities offered by new tech nologies’.

Going digital

Malagueñas

Cryptocrooks

€11 billion to help Spain digitize

‘Cousin’ of Columbus exhumed in DNA bid to prove explorer was Spanish

THE bones of a 15th century cleric from Galicia have been exhumed in a bid to prove that Christopher Columbus was not Italian but in fact Span ish.

Grants

As part of the scheme small and medium enterprises will be able to apply for grants to help them instal new technology - although the nuts and bolts of how to get the cash have not been an nounced yet.

“Spain’s immediate future lies in the vaccine and de feating the pandemic, and then in the recovery and the social, economic and admin

It is widely believed that he was the son of a weaver born in the Italian port of Ge noa in 1451, but over the cen turies he has been claimed as a native son of Greece, Catalunya, Por tugal, Corsica, France, Scot land and even

THE six main Spanish banks have shed 2,176 jobs and closed 1,188 offices so far during the coronavirus pan demic - with worse to come in 2021.

SCIENTISTS have identified fossil remains dating back 70 million years as belonging to the largest-ever turtle recorded in Europe. A set of bones were found by a hiker in the Pyrenees.

One proposal would ex cuse a portion of the debt borrowed through Spain’s state-backed loan guaran tee programme that was rolled out last year.

Palaeontologists have confirmed they are from a ‘beast’ of a turtle roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle car.

The experts discovered the giant creature’s pelvis, along with the back section of its shell.

More bones will need to be found before

Another being considered is to use state guarantees to encourage banks to offer companies participatory loans, sources said.

This is a reduction of 1.72% of their workforce and 8.12% of their branches. Not all the blame can be put on the doorstep of COVID, as banks have been making ‘effi ciency’ savings for some time. But branch closures acceler ated in 2020 and will contin ue to do so this year, accord

istrative transformation, and this recovery will neces sarily be a digital one,” said Sanchez.

By Dilip Kuner

Poland. Alternative theories about Columbus’ birth place include Valencia, Espinosa de Henares, Galicia and Mallorca, as well as Portugal’s Alentejo region.

In attendance at the launch of the scheme was Minister for Economic Affairs Nadia Calviño and and Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the EU - as well as Juan Manuel Serrano, Chairman of Correos, Pepi ta Martín, CEO of We Are Knitters, and other leading figures in the digital world.

And to muddy the waters further, an academic study focused on his language and grammar and concluded that Columbus was in fact a Cat

CASH PROMISE:

alan speaking man from the Kingdom of Aragon, an inland region of north-eastern Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees.

By Laurence Crumbie

According to Calviño, pub lic-private collaboration, as represented by the attendees of the event, is paramount to Spain’s digital future.

Banking

further details about the turtle can be con firmed, including a more accurate estimate of its size.

ing to plans already published Banco Santander closed 2020 with 2,923 branches in Spain, 296 fewer than it had a year ear lier, and 26,961 workers, 669 fewer. It has also announced a Redundancy Program (ERE) that will see 3,572 jobs go and the closure of 1,033 branches.

“Public investments are a

The company is chifting its emphasis towards an online presence.

Others claimed the true origins of the man who discovered the Americas were hidden be cause he was Jewish or secretly working as a double agent for the Portuguese royal family. Now the proponents of a Gali cian origin for the explorer have assembled a team of archaeologists and forensic anthropologists to open the tomb of Johan Marinho de Soutomaior, a nobleman and archdeacon who, according to the Galician Columbus camp, may have been the navigator’s cousin.

BBVA Spain cut 953 jobs and 160 branches in 2020, to 29,330 employees and 2,482 branches. It is now planning a cost-cutting exercise in the first half of 2021, for which ‘all options’ are being studied. A merger of CaixaBank and Bankia is expected to go ahead in the first quarter of 2021. The banks are in ne gotiations with trade unions over potential job losses.

It is located in San Martin de Sobran church in the town of Vilagarcia de Arousa. DNA will be extracted and then com

Take this simple two-minute test on mortgages in Spain to see if you are owed thousands

The pandemic crisis may be over, but th ere is something almost as bad for many homeowners in Spain. Still lingering is what might be called the 'F loor Clause illness, or ‘Clausula Suelo’ or ‘Suelo Hipotecario’.

This was simply a clause that was inserted into variable rate mortgage agreements in Spain during the last 20 years that affect s the interest rate payable on the mortgage.

And it means that mortgage holders are being conned and do not fully benefit from the fall in EURIBOR as there will be a minimum rate of interest payable on the

mortgage (this floor, also known as a ‘suelo’ is often 3- 4% depending on the bank). While rates are currently rising, many people never benefitted fully from the historic low interest rates of recent years, because of these unfair and illegal (according to Spanish and European courts) clauses.

It is estimated that there are more than 3.5 million mortgages in Spain affected.

The only way to cure 'clause illness' is to claim and sue the banks and lenders.

I want to challenge all Olive Press readers to undertake this simple test which only takes two minutes.

lever to mobilise significant investments that the private sector will address in the coming years and which will allow us to transform our economy,” she explained.

pared with samples from the remains of Columbus, his son Fernando and his brother Di ego, which were analysed last year by researchers at the Uni versity of Granada.

Plans

Sailor

The multibillion invest ment will go towards three strategic plans, whose aims include reducing the digital gap between men and wom en, providing digital support to small-medium enterpris es (SMEs), and digitalising the public authorities, re spectively.

The university also hosted a meeting of proponents of al ternative theories about Co lumbus’ birthplace.

“I hope we will come to the conclusion that unites us in our common objective, which is to demonstrate that Colum bus was a Spanish nobleman and not a Genoese sailor,” said Alfonso Sanz, an ama teur history researcher and author, who holds the theory that Columbus was born in Espinosa de Henares in cen tral Spain.

According to the govern ment, 43% of Spaniards lack basic digital skills, which have become especially es sential due to the coronavi rus pandemic.

please take a minute to check your mortgage statement and send it to us me by whatsapp 606307885 or by email diego@fairwaylawyers.com

A RECENT huge rise in the val ue of cryptocurrencies has seen a parallel rise in scammers.

A NEW temporary exhi bition has been inaugu rated at the Revello de Toro Museum entitled ‘Malagueñas’. The exhibition is devoted to women born and bred in Malaga.

'Malagueñas', showcases nine female portraits by Revello de Toro.

Spanish police have moved in on a ring of alleged fraudsters who were operating world-wide from Andorra, trying to fleece unsuspecting victims in an in vestment scam.

Europol partnered with Span ish and Catalan police for the operation against an ‘invest ment training firm’ in the Py ennean tax-haven.

The company used a backstory of providing training in forex and cryptocurrency markets as cover for defrauding thousands of clients.

The exhibition features portraits made by Revel lo between 1959 and 2006 and will be open to the public until January 29 2023, from 10am to 8pm from Tuesday to Saturday and on Sundays, with free entrance, between 10am to 2pm.

Six suspects were detained in raids on two houses. Some €70,000 in cash and cryptocur rencies were seized as well as eight vehicles.

The Revello de Toro muse um opened in late 2010 in the restored home of sculp tor Pedro de Mena and houses the collection of 142 works by Malaga-born Rev ello de Toro, born in 1926.

BUDGET

expand in Spain with five new

The company is spending €30 million and creating 85 new jobs. On February 25 it will open the doors of a new store in Palma de Mallorca. On the same day, it will open a new store in Madrid and another in

PM Sanchez made the pleadge

READY TO HELP:

Fairways Lawyers owner Diego Echavarria

Pic Credit: Visitvilagarcia.com

EXHUMATION: San Martin de Sobran church

PIC CREDIT : ©Fundación

Félix Revello de Toro

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CARVING A NAME FOR ITSELF

THE perfect destina tion for meat eaters, hikers, and day trip pers alike, Trevelez is a high point of the Alpujarra and one of Spain’s highest villages at 1,476 metres (be hind Valdelinares, Teurel, at 1,695m).

Located to the west of the

Rio Trevelez, on the southern slopes of the mighty Mulha cen, the village benefits from cool, clean air that’s ideal for drying hams all year round.

According to Pilar Alvarez of Jamon de Trevelez IGP, the organisation that promotes the product’s highest quality seal, the practice of curing ham dates to ancient times, when the Romans used salt to preserve food.

The pig also has a long his tory in the area, dating back centuries. Families would rear and slaughter their own swine, and then use the meat ‘down to the trotters’. They would deploy all bodily parts to make ‘chorizo’, ‘morcil la’ (blood sausage), normal sausage, and cured hams, and have a fiesta called ‘la matanza’(the slaughter) to celebrate their endeavours.

For Trevelez, the key date fell in 1862, when its ham pro ducers were granted permis sion to use Queen Isabel II’s seal of approval. Since then, the town hasn’t looked back and today it is capitalising on its hammy history to become a tourist magnet.

Since 2021, Trevelez has es tablished its annual ‘Fair of Ham and Typical Products’, which this year attracted 6,000 visitors of all national ities, and opened a museum of ham (called ‘Museo Valle jo’).

A town of slopes and bars

Built in the Alpujarra’s Ber ber tradition, with flat-roofed, white houses, appearing almost on top of each oth

er, Trevelez has three ‘barri os’ – Alta, Medio, and Bajo

There’s a 200m difference in altitude between the top and bottom of the town, as people walking up ‘Calle Cuesta’ will notice.

The place name ‘Trevelez’ de rives from Arab and could ei ther mean ‘bellis’, for the Ara bian word valley, or ‘velez’, meaning three districts.

The ancient GR7 hiking trail runs through Trevelez and the village boasts a natural, cool dip pool underneath Bar rio Bajo, that visitors enjoy in summer months – although

the water is reputed to be ‘bracing’.

For a smallish town, Trevelez offers 37 bars and restau rants, some of which have five stars on Tripadvisor. There’s a popular eatery in Barrio Alto, La Fragua, al though Barrio Bajo has al ways been the main tourist zone – something that mayor, Adrian Gallegos Segura, is working to change.

He explained to the Olive Press that the recent instal lation of ‘three little pigs’ –cute models in tiny houses, one each for barrio Alto, Me dio, and Bajo – is intended to encourage visitors to explore the whole town, not just the bottom barrio. Visitors can also discover model cows, a boar, a fox and an eagle.

So, is Trevelez taking the lead from Soportujar, which has installed model serpents, spi ders, giant chicken legs and witches? Soportujar draws visitors from far afield with its spooky theme.

“Not really,” says Adrian, “as we’ve been associated with ham for a long time, and Soportujar invented a new theme, but the two are us ing different versions of the same tactic to encourage tourists.”

Feria of ham

So, does the cured ham live up to its image? The Olive Press visited Trevelez during its second ‘Feria de Jamon’, on November 19-20. This was a celebration of all things meaty. We also found the in evitable congregation of lo cals enjoying ‘copas’ in their

How Trevelez, one of Spain’s highest villages, has built a tourist trade around its famous cured ham, writes Jo Chipchase

BY the time of the collapse of the Arabic empire in 1485, Ronda had been en tertaining foreign visitors for not far off 1500 years.

One of Spain’s oldest towns, in Roman times it had a thriving wine industry and even its own mint, fittingly its coins bearing a tendril of grapes.

Established in 9BC as a military bastion, it was given the name ‘Arunda’ meaning ‘surrounded by

mountains’ and it is easy to see why. Take a pew at any of the mon uments dotted around the town and chances are you will see doz ens of faraway peaks that literally ring the town, from the National Park of Sierra de las Nieves on one side to the Parque Natural of Grazalema on the other.

Ronda is a true front row seat to history with these nearby moun

S errania de Ronda

tains literally swollen with an cient remains.

They include the Roman sister settlement of Acinipo with its wonderful amphitheatre, as well as the ancient salt mines of the Cerro de las Salinas and the historic wine storage village of Setenil de las Bodegas. Then you’ve got the remains of a Roman aqueduct running south of the town, the hidden Arabic baths in the Llano de la Cruz valley, and the recent discovery of a Roman grape-treading floor for winemaking near Arriate.

Uncovered at a vineyard, called Morosanto, archaeolo gists have excavated a sizable 2000-year old wine operation with pipes through which wine was transported to vats.

The remarkable find, alongside a 21-metre Roman swimming pool and sauna, means histori ans are now able to definitively link the production of wine in Ronda to 3AD.

No surprise then, that so many writers and historical figures have waxed lyrical about Ron da… Austrian writer Rilke dubbed it the ‘City of Dreams’, while Orson Welles relocated to Ronda and immersed himself

ROMANTIC ESCAPE

in bullfighting, later having his ashes scattered at a nearby estate.

Ernest Hemingway’s tome, The Dangerous Summer, is largely about Ronda’s bullfighting dy nasty, the Ordonez family, while in Death in the Afternoon he wrote: “It is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or ever bolt with anyone. The en tire town and as far as you can see in any direc tion is a romantic backdrop.”

It is why Carmen the movie was filmed here and why Madonna insisted she had to film a video around its cobbled streets.

It’s also why Adrian Brody, Anne Hathaway, Bill Gates, Ricky Gervais and Jodie Whittaker have all had recent holidays in the town, while celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ram say dedicated episodes of their TV shows to Ronda.

Celebrity chefs have such a

pull to the town that handsome whiz in the kitchen Jean Chris tophe Novelli once told me he was moving to Ronda, but af ter two months was unable to find the right property to buy (he was probably more likely shacking up with a mistress).

And then there is Benito Go mez, a classic blow-in from Catalunya, who has done so well in the town that he now boasts two Mi chelin stars with his amazing restaurant Bar dal.

But, take my word as a lo cal - who chose this mountain hideout over the bright lights of Marbella or Malaga some two decades ago - while it is magical in so many ways, Ronda is also an incredi bly tough place to settle.

The extremes of weather (its spiky dry heat in summer and freezing winters thanks to its altitude of 800m) doesn’t suit everyone.

CHAIRMAN JULIO: Ronda’s olde worlde charm couldn’t be better personified than by chairmaker Julio Sanz. Alongside one of his oldest friends, he sits on a wall in the old town, as he has done for decades, weaving his raffia magic

PHOTOS BY JON CLARKE

GEOGRAPHY: Ronda was founded by the Romans on a steep gorge

WELL PRESERVED: The 11th century Arabic Baths and (right) well fortified eastern gate.

Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay filmed TV shows in Ronda

From front

Equally its inward-looking lo cals, so typical of conservative mountain types the world over, are not openly friendly and take a while to warm to you. But there is no denying its landscape, history and archi tecture.

Few places in Spain have such a wonderful mix of buildings, from the Moorish Palacio Mon dragon to the neoclassical town halls and from the Arabic baths to the splendid Renais sance mansion the Palacio del Marques de Salvatierra. And don’t forget the cathedral (once a mosque) as well as the oldest bullring in the country. Still owned by the Ordonez fam ily, with two fitting statues to toreros Antonio and Cayetano outside, is an excellent intro duction to a pastime that goes back 300 years in Ronda.

Built by the godfather of bull fighting Pedro Romero, who fought well into his 80s and was painted by Francisco Goya, it is worthwhile to visit just for its collection of Goya etchings alone.

A must-visit is the 13th century Casa del Rey Moro, which was a highlight of Michelle Obama’s visit to Ronda a few years back. The former President’s wife even took the 300 slippery spi ralling steps to reach the bot tom of a siege tunnel, used as an escape route during times of siege.

By navigating the ‘la Mina’ staircase down to the bottom of the gorge, she was really getting a true understanding of what makes this mountain town so wonderful.

For down at the bottom by the River Guadalevin - with the steep walls of the famous Tajo towering above, and rooks and swallows swooping around -

you truly step back in time. The tunnel was originally carved out by Christian slaves to get water during the reign of Ron da’s Moorish king, Abomelik. It would have been a wonderful time to be a traveller arriving in Ronda, particularly at the near by Arabic baths.

The 11th century Banos Arabes are among the best preserved in Spain and offer the best ex planation of the sophistication of the former Arabic inhabi tants, who ruled for an incredi ble 700 years until the late 15th century around these parts.

A superb demonstration of ur ban planning, the baths sit in atmospheric gardens and have three rooms - hot, cold and tep id - each fed with water from the river outside.

The domed ceilings with their star-shaped air vents were part of a complex astronomical sym bolism so popular in Moorish times. The baths were the main hammam and lay just outside the defensive walls by the main gate to the town from the direc tion of Granada.

A clever virtual reality video, in both Spanish and English, brings the past back to life and is a must-watch, before con tinuing your tour up the hill into the old town.

DAREDEVIL: Jumping into the Tajo river and (below) the town hall

errania de Ronda

Old town, new life

RONDA is one of those places that stands alone. Completely alone.

One of the oldest cities in Spain, it’s a destination that simply cannot be compared to anywhere else in the country, or indeed the world.

It’s less than an hour from the coast and the beach resorts of the Costa del Sol, but it feels like you’ve traveled to an en tirely new world.

It certainly feels like you’ve traveled back in time as you walk the cobble-stoned streets, lined with whitewashed homes, old mansions and honey-coloured sand stone churches.

This ‘pueblo blanco’ was first settled by the Phoenicians and the Celts in the sixth century B.C, giving the town its original name of Arunda

After the Romans came and went it was inhabited by the Moors when Visigoth struc tures were replaced by Muslim mosques and buildings.

Many still remain, almost in tact, such as the celebrated Arabic baths and the Mon dragon palace, once home to the Moorish king Abomelic Abd al-Malik.

They were behind the splendid city walls that were later devel oped and fortified when the Christians took the city back in the 15th century.

But neither the walls, nor the city’s gates, needed to be the best…Ronda’s unique geog raphy meant it was always pretty secure in the event of an invasion. The old city (the really fortified part) stood on a rocky outcrop, some 2,460 feet above sea level and with a huge vertical drop thanks to the Guadalevin river that runs through the city, dividing it into two and carving out the steep 120-metre-deep El Tajo canyon.

It means that only one side of the ‘casco historico’ could be practically attacked, with three sides far too steep (or vertical).

Ronda’s rich history and impressive natural beauty means it has, rightfully, be come a centerpiece of tourism in Andalucia, and Spain.

Thousands flock to the histori cal city each day and stare in awe at the huge drop below from the Puente Nuevo bridge that now links the old town with the new, commercial centre. Looking out towards the hori zon is a magical scene that has inspired the greatest art ists and writers of all time.

Known as the 19th century viajeros romanticos (romantic travellers) the likes of Orson Welles, Alexander Dumas and Ernest Hemingway searched for inspiration in Europe’s most unspoilt destinations. And they found it in Ronda; the sun breaking through the mist in the mornings, sweeping val leys with citrus and olive trees, and white houses along the ridge above - the city is a place of beauty and intrigue.

Hemingway spent many sum mers in Ronda, and his fa mous novel For Whom the Bell Tolls actually featured

a

scene

One of Hemingway’s char acters recounts how various fascists and a priest from the city were taken into the Pla za de España and beaten by the townspeo ple, then killed before being thrown into the gorge.

More recently, in 2010, Michelle Obama, the wife of former US President Barack Obama, visited Ronda as part of a five-day tour of Spain.

On a visit this month, it was clear winter was closing in and you could feel it in the air. It was frigid, but the spirit of the locals was nothing of the sort.

“You’ll love it here,” exclaimed a waiter at El Retiro. “I see it over and over, everyone who comes here, always comes back.”

I got a table at the crammed cerveceria for lunch on Satur day afternoon, and was rec ommended the carrillada

The braised beef cheeks are a town favourite, and it hit

the spot on a chilly after noon.

The waiter, Ronda-born Faustino Per alta, did not only inspire with such pride for his hometown, but recom mended a meat dish you’ll want to cook at home this winter.

Walking through the city in the cooler sea son is a bit different, the terraces are empty but

that doesn’t mean the fiesta is over.

A couple of streets down from the picturesque main square Plaza de Socorro, singing and chanting could be heard.

I followed the song up a nar row alleyway and into a tiny bar where a group of about 20 people were huddled around singing local flamenco stan dards.

The group of friends from Ca diz started clap ping ferociously, until breaking out into song and belting out lyrics to Lolita’s Sarandonga.

The bartender poured shots of lemon liquor as the singing died down, but when someone at the back started shouting ‘otra, otra, otra!’ It kicked off again.

Ronda is also home to Spain’s oldest bullfighting ring. De clared a Site of Cultural Inter est, construction on the ring began in 1780 and finished five years later.

This deep and controversial tradition has been kept alive over the centuries in places like Ronda. It is not hard to see why, with so many bars and restaurants steeped in its history.

It is here that modern bullfight ing began. And this is how: King Phillip II of Spain found ed the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda in 1572, a government body dedicated to the handling of the Spanish cavalry.

An equestrian facility was built, and one of the main ex ercises the horses were made to do was dodging drills where bulls were used as obstacles. Bullfighting developed this way, originally on horseback, and evolved when local lad, Pedro Romero, jumped off his horse and decided to fight a bull ‘on foot’.

Aside from the fact he ended up building the wonderful bull ring, you can feel his influence everywhere, from photos and

Perched atop steeping mountains and 2,460 feet above sea level, Ronda is tricky to get to but worth the effort , writes Anthony Piovesan

climatic

inspired by real life events that occurred in Ronda during the Spanish Civil War.

SOUL MATES: Hemingway and Ordonez beca me close friends

‘I see it over and over, everyone who comes here, comes back’

statues, and even a restaurant named after him.

He was a successful chap and allegedly ended up owning around ten houses in the town.

In the 20th century celebrated bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez, who was born in Ronda, be came a star of the sport in his own backyard.

Hemingway watched him per

form one day, and actually based one of his novels, Death in the afternoon, on Ordoñez.

When the sun starts to de scend behind the surrounding mountain tops, you’ll want to nurse a nice red wine as the cold settles in for the evening.

Luckily plenty come from the nearby landscape.

The staff at Taberna El Alma

cen are armed with knowledge about local wines and will rec ommend a great drop to go with your selection of tapas.

After your meal, it’s worth braving the cold for night views of this sensational city.

Ronda almost takes on a com pletely different form in the darkness.

The Puente Nuevo is complete

ly illuminat ed from top to bottom, there are parties in Ronda’s lit tle-known back street bars where you could poke in for a night cap, and

you’ll be en chanted by the silence and the tangerine glow of the streetlamps.

Ronda might be an old town, but it’ll breathe new life into you.

Former prime minister of the United Kingdom Benjamin Dis raeli put it so poetically back in 1852 on one of his many visits to the charming city: “The air of the mountains, the rising sun, the rising appetite, the variety of picturesque per sons and things we met, and the impending danger, made a delightful life.”

marybeker@gmail.com www.marybeker.com

DELIGHTFUL LIFE: So said Prime Minister Disraeli after one of his many visits often crossing the Puente Nuevo

S errania de Ronda

SECRET SERRANIA

PREACHING THE BLUES FANNING ITS FORTUNE

WHILE it’s about as stunning as any of the pretty villages around Ronda, there is one big difference with Juzcar… it’s blue. This is thanks to the Smurf movie that in 2011 decided to use the tiny village as the mythical base of the tiny creatures. It has been used a handful of times since and voted to stay blue some years back. But apart from the many attractions for kids, based around the movie, it is also the perfect place for a walk and to see Griffon vultures and crag martins.

WOOLY WONDERS

CAVEMEN COLONY

AN hour walk from Ronda will take you to one of the most stunning nat ural sites, the Cueva de Abanico (the Fan Cave). Near here celebrated flamenco star Estrella Morente, and husband bullfighter Javier Conde were planning to build a hotel and it is no surprise why. This is one of the most beautiful walks imaginable, with bits of Roman road to discover, ruined towers and then the amazing cave and river at the end.

Nestled in the rolling landscape, 20 minutes out of Ron da, it was built around a series of caves, which served to keep the wines of the Romans cool in summer, hence its name. It is best to leave your car out side the town, wander up to the old fortress before head ing down to the famous over hanging

ROMAN RONDA

THE

was once a ma jor

the tiny towns of

Montejaque

many holed up. But there

much more, such as the Cue

Montejaque (left),

From bandit hideouts to Roman wine cellars, there is so much to see and do close to Ronda, writes Jon Clarke

RONDA is surrounded, the Sierra de las Nieves and the Sierra de Grazalema, not to mention its very own breathtaking Serrania These surrounding hills are creaking with wonderful walks and pretty towns and villages to visit, all easy to reach in the car and most with their own excellent places to stay and eat. Here are a few top picks for a trip out of Ronda.

THE historic Roman town of Setenil de las Bode gas is a real eye opener and amazing for photography.

cave for a fine tapas lunch.

A15-minute drive from Ronda takes you to the ancient city of Acinipo, where the Romans built another ancient settlement. The highest hill for miles around, it still

has much evidence of their skills with a large part of its amphitheatre intact and a lot more to look at, not to mention the views. The

visitor centre is only open for the morning, but one can always climb up to the amphitheatre out of hours.

Serrania

stronghold for bandoleros (bandits) and

Benaojan and

were famously where

is

va de la Pileta, near

which has the oldest cave paintings in Spain, while Benaojan is the centre of the ham and sausage industry. There is also a fabulous walk from Benaojan Estacion down the river to Jimera de Libar, from where you can get the train back. At each end is a great lunch spot, with hotel Molino del Santo, when open in season, the obvious pick.

ZAHARA and Grazalema (above) are two of the most evocative towns around Ronda. Both set in spectacular scenery and with some lovely sites, Zahara has a towering castle above it and a great restaurant Al Lago, while Grazalema (a beautifully conserved gem) was once the centre of the wool industry and you can still buy delightful rugs and bedspreads.

Keeping history alive

WANT to get an idea what life was like in Andalucia 5,000 years ago?

Well, at the Algaba education centre just outside Ronda, you have the perfect opportunity. Through its hauntingly realis tic prehistoric village you learn about how our forefathers crea ted fire, ground their bread, as well as decorated their homes. You can even find out what they did with their dead.

“We teach people about an cient Mediterranean ecosys tems because this land has

been occupied from prehistoric times to the present day,” exp lains owner Juan Terroba (pictu red top left).

Algaba’s work also includes research and teachings on the geology and ornithology of the area, as well as acting as a rare breeds centre for endangered

cows.

These include the Spanish Pajuna – of which there are just 500 left (above)– as well as the Andalucian Cardena, which in the early 90s had been redu ced to just seven individuals. Thanks to the work of organisa tions like Algaba, there are now

around 200 Cardenas. Guests and groups can come and stay at the centre’s resto red 250-year-old finca. “It is certainly a place where people can come and get away from it all”.

www.algabaderonda.com

VIVE ANDALUCIA

YOU can’t miss Plaza del Sorroco in Ronda, a large white and green flag of Andalucia stands beside a statue of a semi-naked Hercules with two lions by his side.

The significance is Andalucian independence, pushed by the father of Andalucian nationalism, Blas Infante, who founded the Assembly of Ron da in 1918.

The proud Andalucian politi cian unfurled the flag while standing on the first floor of the balcony of the Circulo de Artistas, the building behind the flag.

The establishment of this national movement eventu ally led to Andalucia officially being recognised as one of Spain’s national communities on February 28 in 1980.

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This former hotel and restaurant, El Gecko, used to be a popular destination for holiday makers and weekend breakers from the Coast. Karen and Victoria Pedrazzini, the owners of ACH decided to step in and invest in this special little property, during the covid year 2020, they set about restoring the place, rebranding it and opening in April 2021 as an upmarket B&B. 2 season’s later, and with very healthy trading accounts, the newly branded Casa del Rio Boho Chic Retreat is for sale.

CREATION: Juan Terroba was inspired to build an ancient village

Exploring the Andalucia of 5000 years ago, writes Dilip Kuner

errania de Ronda

Secret Paradise

UMBERTO was raised in this hid den valley between Montejaque and Villaluenga, two tiny villages in the heart of the mountains near Ronda.

And like so many youngsters born in the area he wanted more from his life than sheep and olive trees, leaving for the greener pastures of London and later Amsterdam.

But after a decade, he started to sour on the stresses of city life and couldn’t imagine growing older and starting a family there.

“I found myself dreaming of the silence and the stars over my old house in the Serrania,” he explains. “I missed the an imals, the smells. But I had to leave to finally appreciate it. Now I love it again.”

Umberto and girlfriend, Laura, from Brazil, decided to try living on the land once again. But this time with a twist: With his new command of English and French and degrees in marketing, they would invite foreigners and tourists to their campo to keep things interesting. They named it ‘Secret Paradise’ and went about marketing it locally and or ganically.

To experience this wonderful place you need to head to Montejaque, where you

will pile into Umberto’s hulking old Toyo ta Land Cruiser.

From there it’s rough dirt tracks over a small mountain and into a verdant val ley dotted with ancient almond, cork and olive trees and peppered with flocks of sheep.

At one dry riverbed you come across an amazing stone bridge built in 1650 when Napoleon’s troops invaded Spain and met 200 locals, who allegedly fought them off.

Some 20 minutes later we are at the gate of Umberto’s house where Lolo, a hunting dog, greets us, along with Kiara, a Spanish Mastiff the size of a lineback er.

Laura greets us at the house guiding

us to a shady terrace while Umberto’s mother Rosa stands in an apron off to the side.

“Welcome to my Secret Paradise,” an nounces Umberto “Relax, enjoy the hot tub, the hammock, hang out. Anybody want a drink?”

Paella

As well as water and beer, there is local wine, both red and white, while Rosa and Laura have been busy cooking a wonderful paella over a wide butane stovetop.

There are bowls of fresh bread, served with olive oil made on the estate and just as we start tucking in suddenly Lolo

comes running past in hot pur suit of a full-grown deer.

It all happens in a rush, but amazingly ends when the fullgrown deer stops abruptly at the table. “This is Celine,” Umberto explains. “She is a very nice deer. We raised her like the dogs since she was small, be cause her mother abandoned her.”

As we pet this wonderful crea ture, out come

half a dozen more dishes.

Sliced tomatoes covered in garlic, parsley and more olive oil. Queso Payoyo, a soft goat cheese. It is all delicious. Next up is the paella, its golden arroz, flecked with the greens of broccoli and peppers and peas and artichokes; the reds of saffron and pepper. As we eat, chickens, goats and dogs pass under the table, while ducks sit on chairs behind us flapping their wings and wagging their tails.

Two hours after the bac chanal had begun, all of us could be found strung out over every available surface; some on bench es, a few on hammocks,

others in reclining deck chairs. All lightly groaning with full bellies as the menag erie rotated among us.

Laura and Umberto come out the back door and take stock, their hands on their hips. “Wow, you’re all useless now. But just one more thing,” he says. Soon the two of them are passing out shot glasses.

Secret Paradise is available to groups of

Starck contrast

HE’S best known for designing the logo for the Olympics and furniture and household objects. Now French legend Philippe Starck is branching out into Ronda, opening a giant olive mill and museum. And before you say what’s the point? It will be dedi cated to ecological agriculture and organic olive oil. Now, finally taking shape, after almost a decade of legal wrangling with the town hall, it is certainly go ing to become a key landmark on one side of Ron da’s Llano de la Cruz valley.

2 to 15 people for lunch or dinner. Pric es vary from about 15-30 euros per per son, which includes transportation from nearby Montejaque. Umberto and Laura also organize walking tours of the area.

For more information, call or WhatsApp +34 628 38 69 03, or email ummberto.rodriguez93@ gmail.com

Head deep into the Andalucian outback for an experience most urban dwellers can only dream of, writes Jason Luban

FEAST: Umberto serves up the paella while (below) Celine the deer says hello

ALL MINE: Umberto surveying his giant estate

Focus on A rriate

LAND THAT TIME FORGOT

A winter’s trip to Arriate guarantees great walks, landscapes and food, writes Jon Clarke

IT feels like the Land that Time Forgot as you drop deeper and deeper into the hidden gorge above the village of Arriate.

Among a rich and diverse canopy of trees and under growth lies a secret world of ruined olive mills, cave hous es and ancient burial sites.

Easily one of Andalucia’s

most interesting walks, Ar royo de la Ventilla (above) is reasonably well signposted with plenty of information panels pointing out the rich flora and fauna, as well as the dozens of rare birds that inhabit its wild expanses. Best of all though, unlike its nearby neighbour, the famous Tajo gorge of Ron da, you are unlikely to meet anyone circumnavigating its leafy circular path. Few peo ple know of the Arriate cous in that may be narrower, but more than makes up for in foliage.

Starting at Arriate cemetery, you have a choice of walking the path either clockwise or anti-clockwise and the entire route takes little more than an hour.

Friendly

This gives you plenty of time to explore the typical white village below, that is the very definition of the Andalucian vernacular, formed at the confluence of two rivers in a wide open plain.

Dubbed some years back as the ‘People’s Republic of Ar riate’ for its left-wing political leanings, which has seen the IU communist party or PSOE socialists in power since Franco’s death in 1975, it is without a doubt one of the friendliest villages in Anda lucia.

It is no surprise to learn then, that in the run up to the civ il war in 1936, the town’s defence committee was run by anarchists, who with the CNT had the strongest trade union in the area.

COLOURFUL: The Romeria, while (top) Fiesta en el Aire and the hidden Arroyo de la Ventilla

Picture by: Javier Anet

Focus on A rriate

From Page 9

Arriate is also something of an island being entirely sur rounded by the district of Ronda, despite being inde pendent for nearly four cen turies.

Just eight-and-a-half square kilometers in size, it declared its independence in 1630 when the locals stumped up a sizable 352,739 Marave dies (coinage) to differenti ate themselves from Ronda.

Roman

Its name came from the Ar abic term Arriadh, which means ‘the gardens’... and from where the former Moor ish rulers of Ronda had mostly got their fruit and vegetables.

This is easy to understand if you follow the Arroyo de la Ventilla river down below the village into the so-called ‘huerta de abajo’ (lower al lotments), where it merges with the Guadalcobacin Riv er.

Here were once dozens of Roman villas and an area of irrigated farms and fincas, many that still function to this day.

This is part of the GR 249.5 footpath - also known as the Gran Senda de Malagawhich takes hikers on a won derful two hour walk up to Ronda, off the beaten track. Some 9kms in length, it winds through the Arriate

valley before criss-crossing the wonderful wide-open Llano de la Cruz valley below Ronda.

But before heading off make sure to stop and visit the lo cal church and, in particular, one of the various ham fac tories that are in some cases centuries old.

One of these in the charming pedestrianised Calle Calle juela has been open as a shop since 1900, a fact prov en by the number carved into its pretty wrought iron doorway. Another must visit is the ancient Ideal Cinema that has been converted into one of the hippest restau rants to open this year.

The brainchild of brothers Roberto and Monolo Rive ra, they have undertaken a wonderful conversion of the 1940s film house.

The colourful open-plan restaurant is a real gem with all its cine memorabilia scat tered around the place and on the walls.

The restaurant is still in its fledgling stages with its chefs comprising owner Manolo, his wife and a team of willing friends.

And there are more good places to eat in Arriate, in cluding the new Malacana, which sits just below the church.

This is an old converted storeroom and has a heavy focus on tapas.

Just on the outside of the village look out for the well established El Muelle, run by Dutchman Frank, who has

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Picture by: Jon Clarke

Jamones y Embutidos Melgar

a great eye for detail and changes his menu regularly.

A great place to stay is the wonderful farm Alcantarilla, just outside the village. Alternatively, stay at the wonderful Hotel Arriadh, which has some of the best views in Christendom. It’s Dutch owners, Wilbert and John have a great idea for detail and know the val ley and village inside out.

Jewels of the Serrania

THEY are two of the most em blematic white villages of the Serrania de Ronda.

Once famous for their bandits, today Benaoján and Montejaque are best known for their spectacular mountain scenery and walks, not to mention excellent, authentic local cui sine.

The small villages tucked into the Si erra de Grazalema park have stunning views, a wonderful river and friendly locals to boot.

Benaoján is something of an industri al centre, both important for its pork products and almonds, but equally for its hiking and local caves.

In particular, a must visit is the Cueva del Gato (the Cat Cave), while the Cue va de la Pileta has some of the most impressive Palaeolithic cave paintings in Spain.

And don’t forget to take a hike down Mr Henderson's railway along the Guadiaro river valley, all the way to Jimera de Libar, where you can even get a train back.

In fact, you can catch a train here to get to Algeciras, while the other way takes you to Ronda, Antequera and Granada beyond.

Montejaque is its prettier neighbour, a charming village that lives off agri culture (cork, olives and almonds, in particular) as well as rural tourism.

In recent years the council has fo cused on promoting rural tourism and its Caminito de Los Caballeros (above) can give the Caminito del Rey a run for its money.

This newly-completed walk offers a safe and tranquil walkway partly cut into rocks and along a high dam with breathtaking views, as long as you don’t mind heights.

In the village look out for the Mirador (belvedere) with spectacular views over the mountains and valleys near by.

Montejaque is host to several import ant fiestas, including the Pueblos

Blancos Music Festival (July), Culture Week, Feria de Agosto and Virgen de la Concepción (all August) and La Batalla de La Puente (October).

Benaojan meanwhile celebrates San Marcos in April, La Verbena del Tren in July, Nuestra Señora del Rosario in October and Feria de la Chacina (Pork products) in December.

Both villages have a wide choice of places to stay, with Montejaque in creasing its beds from 365 to 481 in just seven years.

Highly recommended is the Hotel Pal acete de Mañara, with its award-win ning restaurant Entre Ascuas, while A1 Holidays offers three exclusive rental properties.

www.a1-holidays.net

Once bandit villages, Montejaque and Benaoján are now the loveliest pueblos blancos, writes Paul Whitelock

PERFECT PALACE

IT started life as a ham factory, only becoming a hotel and res taurant once the pork products industry went into decline in the 1980s.

Now the Hotel Palacete de Ma ñara in Montejaque is rolling in clover again, as it roars back to life after a series of expat owners failed to make a success of it.

In part thanks to its excellent res taurant, Entre Ascuas, the char ming mountain village hostelry has had a record year for visitors. Most of this is thanks to a local girl, Ana Tornay and her husband Alvaro Gutierrez, from Ubrique, who have been working round the clock since taking over three years ago.

The Spanish couple immediately started to serve great coffee, inte resting tapas and well-priced ra ciones, as well as a la carte meals. They have put on occasional events to attract the punters, inclu ding live music, an excellent quiz aimed at locals as well as foreig ners, and occasional disco nights. Ana is the head chef and Alvaro is front of house, supported by a team of eight waiters and kitchen staff.

Andalucia Country Houses Estate

Agents, owned by mother and daughter team Karen and Victoria Pedrazzini. Karen has lived and worked in Andalucia in the property and hotel business since 1987, her years as an owner of a boutique hotel gives her a special brand of expertise when it comes to finding rural tourism business for clients. Victoria is a qualified architect with 15 years experience, registered in Spain and the UK. She has worked on high end projects in Spain and the UK. An invaluable person to have on your team if you are thinking of buying a renovation project.

SELLING COUNTRY PROPERTIES SINCE THE LATE 1990’S and traditional village houses in some of the most beautiful areas of inland Andalusia. After more than 25 years of working in Andalusia, we have decided to concentrate our business into our absolute favourite area of the province – Ronda and Serrania’s. We opened an office in Montejaque in 2021, it is a great base for being able to effectively cover the entire Serrania de Ronda. We sell whether it be a luxury country villa, a traditional cortijo or

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MOUNTAINS OF FUN: The new caminto and (right) Guadiano valley

Montejaque, Serrania de Ronda

Montejaque, Serrania de Ronda

WHAT makes a Lon don barrister walk away from a thriv ing practice and move to a run-down council estate in Ronda?

The answer, as you’ve prob ably already guessed, is love.

Perhaps ‘run-down’ is a bit strong. La Dehesa, Ronda’s main housing estate, was thrown up in the 1970s to hide away the people dic tator Franco saw as ‘prob lems’ – basically gypsies and Moroccans.

But as one Ronda council lor once admitted to me, it was ‘a big mistake’ putting up the cheap blocks when they should have built luxury apartments ‘with the amaz ing views they’ve got’.

I arrived in Ronda in 1998 and my partner is Mercedes, a local girl.

Of course I’m here because of her, but when I say ‘love’, I’m also talking about love for a community that has

embraced me so complete ly.

I’m definitely not here for the weather (and if you’ve experienced a Ronda winter, you’ll know what I mean).

I love the whole deal – Mer cedes, the people, and a truly beautiful city (well they call it ‘ ciudad ’).

Cobbled streets, arches, churches built of that gor geous sandstone with its lovely honey colour … and that’s just the heart of town. You can walk five minutes in any direction and you’ll find stunning architectur al gems, authentic, centu ry-old buildings… but you’ll also get glimpses of vine yards, olive trees and pine groves from almost every where.

Yes, we get blasé at times and forget what a paradise we live in. But then I re

de Ronda

History, nature… and peals of laughter

member the London under ground!

I am a poet and have even won competitions (one last

Ronda’s

year in Italy, no less) but I make a living teaching English to Spanish teenag ers. They are polite, they’re punctual and they usually want to learn.

Sometimes I ask them if, af ter a night on the tiles, they walk home. “Of course,”

they exclaim. “Ronda is a very small city, and everywhere is within walking distance.”

Occasionally, some smart Alec will venture: “There’s no Tube in Ronda, Michael”. I ask the girls: “Don’t you feel nervous?”

Sunday Morning, La Dehesa

A jerrybuilt jumble, so shoddy, diminished; just cubes of grey concrete with windows and doors. It started to crumble the day it was finished. Franco’s “solution” for gypsies and moors.

It’s called “La Dehesa”, the pasture, the grange. The old ones say once there were orchards here, too. It’s undergone quite a formidable change: there’s nothing but concrete obscuring the view.

Like rabbits in hutches we live in our flats, with neighbours on both sides, below and above, surrounded by dustbins and children and cats, and noises of squabbling, noises of love.

Each Sunday, some woman (I can’t tell you where) starts singing, as morning creeps in through the shutters. Flamenco, like woodsmoke, just hangs in the air, and laps over drainpipes and outlets and gutters.

She’s clearly a gypsy. I can’t say I’ve seen her, but singing is thoughtless, as easy as breathing, and something about her, her aural demeanour, is caught in her song, which comes seeping and seething through windows and clothes lines, as if by osmosis.

She sings for herself. She’s not grabbing attention. There’s no petty ego, no glaring psychosis. Seduction, without condescension.

She sings of her pain and her ecstasy. Both can be borne on the air, like a children’s balloon. Her art is unconscious, leguminous growth, yet as hauntingly lovely as the light of the moon.

Gitanos, gitanas – delinquents and whores. Well, maybe – but, seeing those ravishing eyes, or hearing The Song as it wavers and soars, I know in my soul where my sympathy lies.

And they don’t. Isn’t that great? They live in an envi ronment without fear of vio lence or being stalked.

Another thing – I often see tourists unfamiliar with euro notes trying to pay their bill with a 50-euro bill.

The waiter says: “Not that one – the blue one will do” and a 20 is select ed. Would the same thing hap pen in Oxford or Brighton? Or would the wait er calculate: “I’ll never see these people again. They can afford to take the hit”?

To most Span iards, the peo ple of the deep south (here, in other words) have a reputa tion for laughing a lot, and gener ally enjoying life. And what’s so terrible about that?

Watch any group of Rondeños so cialising togeth er and you’ll see lots of hugging and you’ll hear peals of laughter. It’s a joy to live in a happy place, sur rounded by de cent sol id moun tain folk. I doubt I’ll move away.

Lawyer and awardwinning poet Michael Coy on why he swapped the UK capital for the mountain town of Ronda a quarter of a century ago

A poem by Michael Coy

NOT HERE FOR THE WEA THER: but Michael (left) loves the landscape and locals

WHERE TO EAT

HOME BREW

IN a tiny back street, a torero’s cape length from the town’s fa mous bullring is a spit-and-saw dust bar that perfectly typifies Ronda. Nothing more than a hole-inthe-wall, Porton is where you can best understand what makes this historic gem tick.

Run by Javier for the last 40 years, this authentic place is usually crammed full of locals at lunchtime, nestling a cana or brandy, as they scour the local paper or browse the midday news. Here, you will find my favourite Ron

From spit-and-sawdust bars to Michelin stars, Ronda offers the very height of peak dining for Andalucia, writes Jon Clarke

da tapa, the wonderful quails egg with a slice of Jamon Iberico on toast (see right).

Washed down with a glass of fino and a snippet of banter from the locals, you are watched from all cor ners by a cornucopia of bullfighting photos and keepsakes, collected over the last century.

A guaranteed feel good factor, it is only matched around the corner at the town’s most historic restaurant, Pedro Romero, where the collec tion of bullfighting memorabilia is perhaps more worthy of museum status.

No surprise really, it being named after the matador that founded

modern bullfighting and went on to build the bullring opposite. A classic family restaurant, nearly half a century old, it is run by broth ers Carlos and Tomas, while their

87-year-old father regularly pops in and their kids put in the odd shift. As you might expect, this is where to Continues on next page

AUTHENTIC: Brothers at Pedro Romero and Javi at Porton, while (right) his classic tapa

PEAK DINING

find the classics, dishes such as carrillada (bulls cheek) or rabo de toro, oxtail, which is the best in town.

Nearby, you will find the excit ing new restaurant, Carrera Oficial, meaning ‘finishing line’ and named after the spot where all the famous Se mana Santa Easter proces sions end.

Opening this year in a won derful old townhouse, it has been beautifully renovated, keeping its ancient beams and doorway, with its original

family crest. Set up by Ronda’s very own Dani Garcia (not to be con fused by the Marbella wun

derkind, who once ran the Miche lin-starred Tra gabuches in the town), it is a real delight, mixing creative dishes with an excellent wine list.

Having worked at a nearby hotel for 17 years, Garcia finally made the move into his own place, wanting to be ‘more adven turous’. And he’s certainly proving to be different, with an excellent

mix of tapas dishes, as well as original mains.

I particularly liked his avoca do salad, which was as fresh as it could be, while a tapa of Arabic-style Moruno lamb was handled well and came served with a baked cher ry tomato and a fried green pepper.

Looking for real creativity you will need to head 100m up the road to Bardal, which was previously the home of Marbella’s Dani Garcia and

his infamous Tragabuches joint.

But forget about Dani, Bardal is a hundred times better and well worthy of its two Michelin stars, with a third surely set for 2023.

All thanks to Benito Gomez, a whirlwind, who arrived from Catalunya a decade ago, having done his time work ing for one of the godfathers of Spanish cuisine, Ferran Adria, both at El Bulli and at its sister restaurant, Hacien

From front

NEW BROOM: Carrera Official and dishes (above), while (right) Kutral and boss Matin

STAR: Benito Gomez with Jon

da Benazuza, in Sanlucar la Mayor, near Sevilla.

Few people are as passion ate about Ronda’s amazing local ingredients that, due to its geography, include amaz ing vegetables, mushrooms, ham, cheeses and meat.

I’ve known Benito since his early days in Ronda (at Tra

gabuches) and even tried his food at Benazuza two de cades ago… a 25-course fourhour masterclass, for just 99 euros, that I still remember and count as one of the best

meals of my life. Now firmly settled in Ronda with a local wife and a second diffusion restaurant, Traga ta, near the Parador, a little bird tells me he will move to a new, greenfield location in the new year, a place that ‘will completely blow your mind’. Watch this space.

Another foreign foodie talent, who is more than settled now in Ronda is Martin Abramzon. Also a former head chef at Tragabuches, this friendly Argentinian is pulling diners from miles around to his styl ish spot, Kutral, a most un usual place in Ronda’ indus trial estate.

Creating the coolest restau rant in town, his parilla-style dining centres on the best cuts of meat the country can offer, while also offering some excellent local vegeta ble dishes. And don’t miss the amazing empanadas and the lemon curd pudding.

Ronaldo

A well travelled chef, who likes to taste new dishes, it is no surprise he trained with Spanish legend Martin Bera sategui and has cooked for many celebrities, including Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Another three-star Berasate gui trainee is Jose Antonio junior at Tropicana, which was recently voted Spain’s top restaurant by Trip Advisor. Yes, ‘Number One for Best Everyday Dining in Spain’ and tops for all round good quali ty, great local restaurants.

It is an amazing accolade and he and his father, Jose Antonio senior, have done an amazing job turning this place into yet another ‘must visit’ joint in Ronda.

The father and son team de liver a great range of careful ly considered dishes - many vegetarian and gluten-freefocusing on local ingredients with lots of small twists.

Meanwhile, the decor is styl ish, while the impeccable ser

TOP TEAM: Award-winning dad and son at Tropicana

PEAK DINING

vice has given it a great repu tation among tourists.

And there are even more tal ents around in Ronda, with seasoned chef Javier Pimen tel (below with dish) at El Almacen, having trained at San Sebastian’s legendary Akelarre, as well as working in Ireland, London and San Sebastian, before opening in Ronda.

It’s a stylish spot, always busy, with a great selection of music, including a huge pile of records, thanks to his girlfriend, who is the Maitre. But you are here for the food and the dishes change regu larly and almost always have twists.

For wine lovers you mustn’t miss En tre Vinos, which has over 100 wines from Ronda, with more than a dozen wines available by the glass. There

are some excellent tapas and it’s a charming place to while away a few hours.

Just up the hill is Siem , which is ex actly that ‘Always the same’, it’s a bloody excellent place to en joy tapas and some excellent wine with friends. Run by a friendly family team, they al

ways have some experimen tal new dishes, worth a try and in a great location, just up from the bullring.

Down in Barrio San Fran cisco, a charming part of the old town, Cerveceria Bandolero , could be the friendliest place to eat in Andalucia.

It’s very much service with a smile from these two cous ins, who run backwards and

forwards charming guests and plying you with excel lent simple and local fare, with a bent towards Carnes a la Brasa.

Over the square seasoned joint Almocabar has been consistently one of the town’s finest places to eat for two decades.

With a superb wine list, great homemade food and atmo sphere personified, it has a winning formula particularly if eating in the square outdoors at summer time.

There are plenty more amaz ing places on the outskirts of Ronda or in its nearby villag es.

One of the best is Escudero,

a stunning place, with one of the best views in Spain.

The classic view of Ronda, is luckily matched by the food, thanks to the hard-working owners Jose Manuel (who also worked at Tragabuches) and girlfriend Rocio, who is often found in the kitchen despite recently having a baby.

Always try and eat on the terrace outside, although it’s lovely inside on a cold, wet day.

Out and about

Arriate is one of the key spots to head to if you’re looking for inspiration dining.

A long-time favourite is run by talented Dutchman Frank Rottgering, next to the charm ing old railway station.

Called El Muelle, regulars drive all the way from the coast and even Sevilla to eat, and it’s not hard to see why, it being both charming and atmospheric in equal mea sures.

SELECTION: One of the best wine lists is at Entre Vinos

FACES: At Siempre Igual and at Bandolero (right) while (below) amazing views at Sarmiento

Local chef Isa is as popular with tourists, as the locals, who love her generous serv ings and ability to change by the month and always offer specials of the day.

Another exciting new addition to the food scene in Arriate is Los Cairele (see page 10) This amazing converted cin ema is one of the most orig inal, must-visit joints this winter.

The creation of brothers Ro

berto and Manolo, who helps out in the kitchen, it is slow ly finding its way to being a leading culinary find. Nothing is left to chance and it’s currently concentrating on great local produce and has a decent wine list. You will love the vibes; the music and the ambience, surrounded by movie reels, projectors, and posters, not to mention some of the seats, tickets and even adverts

shown before the main event. Even better, the original screen and stage for the Cine Ideal, with its faded paint work, is still intact out back in a big space, through a set of double doors.

Outside on a wonderful ru ral backroad from Arriate towards Sevilla you will find Venta Pelistre. Now 70 years old this is the very defi nition of an Andalucian coun tryside venta.

Run by the same family since it opened, it sits by a river in the sleepy Llano de la Cruz valley, but is anything but on Saturday or Sunday lunch time, when the whole world beats their way to its door. And no surprise, the local food here is not just home made and delicious, but if you pay more than 25 euros a head, give me a call at the Olive Press and I’ll eat my hat.

Looking for a great place to eat in Casares make a bee line to Sarmiento, where the food really does somehow match the views. With one of the best vistas in Christendom you might think the food doesn’t matter, but the brothers Miguel and Juan Sarmiento keep working to make sure the kitchen gets better and better.

It is a great return for them with their father first setting

up this restaurant in the clas sic white town three decades ago, before leasing it out to another local family.

The skills they picked up at various five star hotels and restaurants around the world certainly count for something and their restaurant is ‘based on the essential pillars of the Andalucian lifestyle: authen ticity, spontaneity and the en joyment of friends and fami ly’. You can’t argue with that.

– RONDA

CHARMING: The views at Escudero could not be better, while El Muelle in Arriate is always bustling and Pelistre (right is over 70 years old

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municipal tent.

By Sunday lunchtime, all the free ‘jamon’ had been scoffed down. The food stand was inviting guests to try morcilla’ (blood sausage), which some visitors pro nounced ‘delicious’.

We visited a bar in Barrio Bajo. As part of the feria, we were given a generous, free ‘tapa’ plate of local ham. This proved delicious. The bar also served a decent ‘Plato Alpu jarreno’: a traditional dish featuring ‘patatas del pobre’ (poor man’s potato) and the ever-present ‘morcilla’.

Why is the ham so tasty?

The ham from Trevelez does genuinely taste different to –for example – what you might buy in Spanish supermar kets. It is more refined and a world away from salty British gammon.

All products carrying the IGP seal uses white pork leg from

the pig breeds of Landrace, Large White and Duroc Jer sey. It’s naturally dried and cured for a minimum of 17 months.

The pigs eat vegetable feed, there are no preservatives, and no excess salt. Only six companies have the covet ed IGP seal, although other

producers have a differ ent seal to show they are based above 1,200m.

Says Pilar: “Many people come to Trevelez for the ham, but they also come for tourism and discov er the ham and how it’s made. It is a mutually beneficial relationship.”

When to visit

● San Antonio – the fe ria for the town’s pa tron saint takes place on the weekend clos est to June 13.

● San Benito occurs on the Saturday closest to July 11, with a re ligious theme and a potato-fest.

● ‘Virgin de las Nieves’ (Virgin of the Snows) is on August 4, when an effigy of the virgin is carried to the sum mit of Mulhacen for a mass.

● The ‘Feria de Gana do’ (farming fiesta) takes place on the third weekend of October.

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PARTY: Locals are proud of their edible produce

Trevelez is a town with multiple fiestas – so why not join the party?

WHAT a bonus it would have been to stroll into Madrid’s Retiro Park and catch sight of a linen-clad Mick Jagger posing in true guiri style in front of the fallen angel statue.

The 78-year-old has not been shy about espousing his love of everything Castilian on social media, even posing for a snap in front of Picasso’s Guerni ca earlier this year during the Rolling Stones’ recent European tour. They had chosen Madrid as the open er for a tour 10 countries in celebra tion of the band’s 60th anniversary.

Some 53,000 people flocked to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium for the

El rock and roll

IN 1988, Michael Jackson came to Marbella on his Bad World tour and played to 30,000 fans.

The show received many plaudits with the singer making use of a crane to fly over the crowd during his classic Beat It number. However, Jackson’s behind-the-scenes requests created more column inches. Chief among them were his de mand for all the plants in his room to be plastic so as not to ‘deprive him of oxygen’, and the accommodation needs of his 150-strong en tourage.

ARATHER more intimate gig took place in Mallor ca at Sergeant Pepper’s club in Palma featuring a relatively unknown Jimi Hendrix.

As an attendee recounted: “Being gener ous, the capacity was at 50% and there were at most 100 people, 50 or 60 of whom were US Marines. It so happens that in those days the American fleet in the Mediterranean was making landfall in Palma de Mallorca.”

Oddly enough, one of the few attendees at the 1968 gig was footballing legend George Best. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, who played the concert for free, remained for several days in Mallorca and frequented the Plaza Gomila, also finding time for go-kart races, bullfights –and beach visits, naturally.

Bend it like Beckham

The special tax regime for high earning expats

LET’S talk about football and taxes, two of the big certainties in life.

Say you’re a worker with a highly sought-after set of skills and an employ er from Spain offers you a job that would re quire you to relocate here.

But then you think about the tax complica tions and your head spins.

Luckily, you remember that apart from the 20 goals that David Beckham scored for Real Madrid he is also known for his time in Spain for a Spanish tax law directed at foreign workers, especially high-value, skilled work ers, that became known as the Beckham Regime, which came into effect the same year that he was recruited to play for Real Madrid.

The idea was that a more gen erous and simpler tax regime could be used to attract high value workers to Spain.

After a few years, however, foot ballers and sports stars were specifically excluded and there were a few other changes. But the core of it is still the same – and might be worth your time.

The basic motivation is that there are highly skilled workers in specific fields that will tend to be hired on contracts that are not indefi nite, like business executives and certain IT jobs.

These people can attract high bids and be tempted to move if they receive a great offer. Then, in a few years, they might move on (or might have settled in enough that they decide to stay). This is reflected in the fact that the special tax regime only lasts for six years and then the regular IRPF/PIT tax regime kicks in

for the person.

How it works is that if someone is hired in Spain, instead of paying taxes as a Spanish fiscal resident, they pay under the Special Ex pats Tax Regime (SETR, or RETD in Spanish).

With the IRFP/PIT tax regime that all Span ish fiscal residents pay under, there is a pro gressive increase in the amount that you pay based upon your net income.

For instance, if you earned €12,000, you would pay (in Andalucia) 24%, 30% on every thing above €24,000, 37% at €35,000, and then rising to 45% at €60k, and finally 47% at €300k.

But if you apply to pay taxes un der the SETR you instead pay a flat tax rate of 24% on all your income up to €600k and 47% after.

In addition, you only pay on Spanish income, and not on for eign assets.

All foreign income that is not employment income is not taxable in Spain. If you own a rental house you are not taxed on that income. If you have other income gen erating assets, you do not pay any taxes on those either. Worldwide employment income, you still must declare.

And you do not have to fill out the dreaded Modelo 720, declaring all your worldwide as sets.

This tax status is only useful if you earn more than €50k-€60k. Before that, the progressive Spanish tax system will mean you pay less tax under the usual IRPF/PIT regime. The flat tax regime of the SETR also means that you are not allowed to declare deductions, as you could under IRPF/PIT.

For

The other potential drawback is related to the possibility of double taxation. Spain has treaties with many countries against double taxation.

What that means is, if you live in Spain but work for a British company, you only pay tax es in Spain. However, with the SETR regime, some countries have specifically excluded

that from the Double Taxation Agreement. That is the case with the United Kingdom, for instance.

To be eligible for the Beckham Regime, you cannot have been a tax resident in Spain with in the last 10 years. You also need to apply within six months of arriving in Spain and you must be in Spain because of a work contract or become a director of a Spanish company. The rules can be complex, so you should seek the help of an experienced professional to assess your eligibility and submit your appli cation.

The Property Insider by Adam Neale

You only pay on Spanish income, and not on foreign assets

Spain has been jam-packed with international superstars entertaining enthusiastic crowds this year, but the rock and roll legends have been coming for decades. We cast an eye over the lineup

special event, but Spain has quite a history of hosting the biggest names in music.

JIMI HENDRIX

MICK JAGGER

MICHAEL JACKSON

instance, if you purchase a rental property in Spain, you cannot declare expenses on the property against its income. You also are not eligible for deductions for children or other dependents.

DAVID Bowie’s infa mous 1987 Glass

Spider tour was de scribed as having the largest touring stage set in history.

THE BEATLES

It was Bowie’s first time per forming in Spain, and he played at the Vicente Cal deron Stadium, supported by The Stranglers. While the tour was panned

THE Beatles came to Barcelona in July 1965 as part of the band’s first ever visit to Spain, and stayed at El Avenida Palace hotel where they had access to a special fire exit so as to avoid the main entrance, which was swarmed by fans, leaving traffic grid locked.

John Lennon allegedly had to exchange his trousers with hotel proprietor Joan Gaspar before the start of the show because his own had been too crumpled and mauled by overly-zealous fans.

as overblown and preten tious, it has been credited with paving the way for the integration of music and the atrics that has defined pop ular music tours ever since.

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HOTEL MAINTENANCE MANAGER

We are currently recruiting for an experienced hotel maintenance manager to join our lovely team here at The Eliott Hotel.

Are you pragmatic and a natural problem solver?

Are you organised and methodical with experience of facilities management and managing a team?

Would you like to work in a vibrant environment with the support of a strong Senior Management Team?

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RECEPTION MANAGER

We are now actively recruiting for a reception manager to join our amazing front of house team here at The Eliott Hotel. We are currently number 1 on Tripadvisor and this role is key to our continued success!

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COLDPLAY

IN

Their

N July 1988, Pink Floyd embarked on their first full tour since 1977 and played their first ever gigs in Spain.

The first was at Sarria Stadium Barcelona, and the second took place the following day at the Estadio Vicente Calderon in Madrid.

The band was mired in internal disputes at the time.

Roger Waters had left the band in 1985 and threatened

Gilmour and Mason with legal action if they contin ued to promote any shows under the Pink Floyd name. Despite the behind the scenes drama, the gigs were a success. Gilmour later included the Barcelo na gig among the his top five performances with the band.

Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour made $60 million (equal to the combined total made by U2 and Michael Jackson on their tours that year) and became the highest-gross ing tour of the 1980s.

www.glasscurtains.direct

May 2016, over 200,000 people watched Coldplay at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis in Barcelona over two nights on what would become one of the highest grossing tours in history.

A Head Full of Dreams tour was at tended by over five million people in total.

DAVID BOWIE & THE STRANGLERS

XMAS ON THE ROCK

GIBRALTAR mayor Christian Santos opened up in an ex clusive interview about his memories of Christmas, his fondness of festive carols and his plans for this year’s festivities. The charismatic, inclusive mayor said he wanted to make the City Hall a place where “everyone will feel welcome and at home,” when he took on the position on May 30, 2021.

Since then, he has largely accom plished this, bringing a breath of fresh air to a role that is normally given to people at the end of their public careers.

But while he might be on the

By John Culatto

avant-garde of modern culture, he has always managed to be aware of his roots with family and friends. These communal relations became the bedrock of the community when Spanish dictator Franco shut the frontier in 2022.

It is therefore no surprise this was one of the pillars of his youth during these festive times.

“Christmas in my youth was all about family, friends and neigh bours,” Santos tells the Olive Press “I was very fortunate that we lived

surrounded by neighbours which were our extended family and we cele brated holidays together.”

Born in the 1970s and growing up throughout the 80s was a far cry from the Gi braltar we enjoy now.

With the fron tier closed until 1982, the Rock was much more dependent on the UK back then. About 60% of the pop ulation was in Ministry of De fence employ ment and mon ey was tight.

“There wasn’t as much dis posable income as nowadays and Christmas

AS Christmas approaches, Ocean Village Marina in Gibral tar is the perfect place to head for an international fes tive celebration.

Two of its most popular spots give a distinct multicultural flavour to the Xmas season and are the perfect places for group celebrations as well as more intimate meals.

At wagamama’s, it’s officially cling-to-a-bowl-of-ramen sea son - a time for festive giving and friends feasting. The Japa nese-themed eatery is available for group Christmas bookings - and it’s the perfect spot to celebrate. Its benches are made for sharing. Long tables, warming bowls and an optional festive-flavour set menu will make your celebra tion one to remember.

Clients can choose two courses or three from the festive side, main and dessert selection and wagamama will add a com plimentary cocktail/mocktail or glass of house wine for good cheer. Kanpai!

Book now on https://www.wagamama.gi/group-bookings

For a more Latin take on Christmas, celebrate the Las Iguanas way! Choose from a range of cocktails, including Latin favour ites and their twist on the classics. And as always, buy one cock tail and get the same one free – all day, every day!

JOLLY: Christmas on the Rock is a time for communities to come together explains.

was more about the experience than material gifts,” the mayor re calls.

“I consider myself extremely for tunate to have had magical times with special foods which were only available around that time, the cav alcade which was the highlight of my Christmas and just family days playing with new toys with my broth ers.”

Gibraltar’s transformed economy might have brought wealth, but it also raised the bar.

“We now have the self-imposed pressures of having spectacular Christmas celebrations,” Santos

“We want to offer our families the magical experience of our youth and realise it is actually harder than we expected. With family and work commitments, planning and executing a memorable Christmas can take its toll though my focus is still to be spending time with my family and friends.”

Nostalgia

The food and drink offering has also gone through its own particu lar journey, combining Spanish fes tive cuisine with British turkeys and

all the trimmings.

“Here in Gibraltar our food is our culture and nothing marks our hol idays more significantly than our special dishes for the occasion,” Santos says.

Brandy and mince pies are inter changeable with paella and sherry and polvorones much like Midnight Mass is as much a tradition as the Three Kings Cavalcade.

“My festive table traditions are a continuation of what my mother did. The get-togethers, the music and singing, midnight mass, the

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SANTA: The Christmas festivities will start this week

XMAS ON THE ROCK

From

Bringing Xmas cheer

cavalcade, all these things are the customs that I hope continue for generations to come.”

One of Santos’ many strengths as a cultural leader is the way he has managed to bring his dreams into fruition, particularly with the set ting up of the Gibraltar Academy for Music and the Performing Arts (GAMPA). This year they are putting on a performance of the Queen themed musical We Will Rock You from December 5 to 10 in John Mackintosh Hall.

The project has gone from strength to strength, giving young people an opportunity to explore their musical and singing skills within a support ive, progressive community. Therefore it is no surprise that mu

sic plays a large part of his Christ mas activities.

“I have always sung in choirs so this time of the year means busy times of rehearsals and perfor mances,” he says.

“As Principal of GAMPA I get to prepare the Christmas programme for some very talented young per formers.

“At home I always play carols to get me going whilst wrapping presents or preparing food - it just puts me in a great festive mood!”

The increased wealth in these times also adds to the shopping possibilities compared to his child hood. With top stores opening up on the Rock, Gibraltar has a far more services economy tailored to meet every need of a modern population, compared to the bygone days of being a servile colonial backwater.

“Each family will decide for themselves what gifts to buy and of course the high street stores have to advertise and sell - that is their business,” he reasons.

“I am glad that there are so many shopping options in Gi braltar now so everyone can make their own decisions on what to buy according to their budget.”

Christmas changed dramati cally over the last three years with the pandemic, but the

ever-positive Santos believes even that calamity had a silver lining.

“I think people in Gibraltar have al ways enjoyed the Christmas outings and public celebrations and these were missed over the Pandemic,” he says. “However we have also enjoyed staying at home, with just our imme diate family and friends and not par ticularly feeling we have missed out.

“I think people will choose a balance of both this year,” he adds.

In his role as mayor he will put on a special Christmas bonanza for the

local kids, echoing his continual desire to promote their creativity above all else.

“I will be hosting a Santa’s Meet and greet at City Hall on December 17,” he reveals.

Festive

“I did something similar last year and it was a roaring success so I wanted to give children the op portunity to meet Santa again this year.”

Santos’ success in Gibraltar has been his ability to marry the old with the new and that delicate bal ance, accompanied with hard work and ever-present familiarity has led to his rise within the community. But the openly gay man has always kept his feet firmly on the ground, maintaining his friends and family close, something he insists on for the future too.

“I hope we keep our traditional family Christmases alive for many years to come,” he concludes.

FRIENDLY FIRE

A NEW fleet of warships for the British Royal Navy will be partly constructed at the shipyards in Cadiz.

Navantia UK, the British sub sidiary of the Spanish public company Navantia, was part of a consortium of shipbuild ers which won the coveted £1.6billion (€1.8billion) con tract to build three crucial support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).

The Spanish company, along with British partners BMT

By Walter Finch

and Harland&Wolf - known as ‘Team Resolute’ - will manufacture the future Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships, designed to provide muni tions, stores and provisions to the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers, destroyers and frig ates while deployed at sea. Most of the shipbuilding will take place in the same ship yards that produced the Ti

move

BARCELONA-based SA Damm, which produces the Estrel la Damm brand of beers, has bought its first UK brewery. The firm will take over the Eagle Brewery in Bedford after striking a deal with current owners Carlsberg Marston. The transfer is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It will be SA Damm’s second brewery outside of Spain. SA Damm’s executive president Demetrio Carceller Arce said: “This deal will strengthen our position in the UK market and help drive our brand in the UK, a key market for the company’s interna tional growth.”

Estrella Damm beer is currently sold in over 10,000 British bars and restaurants.

tanic in Belfast, where the three 216-metre-long ships will also be assembled. But vital com ponents will be built at the Puerto Real shipyard in Ca diz, which has not heard the hiss of a welder’s blow torch in almost two years.

Designs

Although built to British de signs by BMT, Navantia will bring its program manage ment expertise and transfer some of its skills and tech nology from designing frig ates and submarines for the Spanish navy.

British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said Navantia would ‘bolster technology

transfer and key skills from a world-renowned shipbuild er, crucial in the modernisa tion of British shipyards’.

Despite being slated to cre ate 1,200 new jobs in British shipyards, together with an other 800 indirect jobs, there has been a predictable back lash within the UK at the gov ernment awarding a contract to a foreign shipyard.

Shadow defence minister, Labour’s John Healey called the decision ‘a betrayal of British jobs and British business’.

TURBULENT TIMES

GBP/EUR exchange rate fluctuates as UK unveils Autumn Statement

THE pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate has continued to trade erratically over the past couple of weeks. During this time, we have seen GBP/EUR trade in a range between €1.16 and €1.13.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

Trade in the pound euro exchange rate remained choppy over the past fortnight, with the pairing initially fluctuating in re sponse to some mixed UK data releases and the publication of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s long-awaited Autumn Statement. While Hunt’s tax and spending plans appeared to receive tacit approval from bond markets, his confirmation that the UK is in a recession spooked GBP investors

Sterling then began to grind higher following the release of some upbeat UK retail sales figures, which coincided with posi tive UK economic developments as UK mortgage rates fell and two workers’ unions suspended strike action.

This uptick in GBP exchange rates then accelerated sharply after the Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish government can’t legally hold a second independence referendum without approval from Westminster.

Meanwhile, the euro faced a major setback in mid-November following the news a stray missile had killed two people in in eastern Poland. While cooler heads prevailed and an escala tion between Russia and NATO was avoided, EUR investors raised concerns that the conflict in Ukraine – which has al ready wrought untold damage to the Eurozone economy - is spilling over into the rest of Europe.

Concerns over the war in Ukraine left the euro vulnerable to the pound’s advance over the past week. Although hawkish signals from the European Central Bank (ECB) helped to cush ion the single currency’s losses somewhat.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Looking ahead, with the UK data calendar looking sparse, any movement in the pound is likely to be linked directly to UK economic and po

litical headlines.

This could see Sterling face an uphill battle as we enter De cember as the outlook for the UK economy grows increasingly bleak. Any news about more businesses in distress could pile more pressure on GBP exchange rates.

In terms of data, the primary focus for EUR investors is likely to be on the Eurozone’s latest CPI release.

November’s inflation release will be key in gauging how ag gressively the ECB is likely to raise interest rates in December. An above forecast print could stoke expectations for another 75bps increase and bolster the euro in the process. Otherwise it’s likely the single currency will remain highly sensitive to Ukraine developments, with EUR exchange rates potentially falling if there are signs that the conflict could be escalating further.

PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY

This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that three-cent gap between €1.16 and €1.13 translates to a €6,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy.

Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against vola tility.

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 ex change rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you.

Services like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need them.

At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Di rect branch or give us a call to find out more.

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Struggling Cadiz shipyard wins contract to help build new generation of British warships

CHEAP AS CHIPS

Granada named as cheapest destination in Europe

FOR those who are struggling to figure out how they can still squeeze in that dash to New York or Bali to hard-pressed budgets, it may be time to look at some budget options.

A new survey has revealed the cheapest travel destinations in Europe, and Andalucia comes out of it exceedingly well.

Travel website Omio has branded Granada as the cheapest holiday destination in Europe for its range of free activities, cheap sightseeing tours from €6 The city’s most

Fine Dining

THE Kaleja restaurant in Malaga has received its first Michelin star, bringing the total number of Miche lin stars in the province to nine.

famous landmark, the Alham bra, is free to enter, although you do have to pay to see its

Fairway LAWYERS

What to see in Granada

The Alhambra palace complex is Granada’s crowning attrac tion.

The spectacular Moorish for tress was originally built as a walled citadel and then be came the luxurious residence of the Nasrid emirs.

most famous Nasrid palaces and Generalife.

The Andalucian city has doz ens of free activities – 112 to be exact. That includes 10 free museums.

An evening out in the city is a bargain, with 86 bars and nightclubs where beer costs just over €2.

The study also found that Granada has 1,011 free Wifi spots and 143 public drink ing fountains.

You can spend several hours marvelling at the opulent Is lamic decoration and ornate horseshoe arches of the Nasrid Palaces, as well as the explo sion of colour in the flower-filled garden of Generalife - the sul tans’ summer residence.

Another of Granada’s most important historic attractions is the Cathedral, an imposing structure of Gothic, Renais sance and Baroque architec ture that took over 180 years to construct.

It remains unfinished as two towers were originally planned for the facade, only one of which has been half-built.

A Michelin star gives pres tige to the gastronomy of cities and Malaga has established itself as a reference in the guide with nine stars now distributed among eight top establishments.

Kaleja has been on the fine dining scene in Malaga since 2019, with head Chef Dani Carnero betting on tradition and local produce and fusing them with his own personal flair to place Kaleja on the national culinary scene.

A regular bus ticket is one of the cheapest in Europe at €1.40 and acquiring a trav el card reduces the cost to €0.83.

The rankings threw up a few surprises, with tour ism-heavy Bruges coming in second, but Sevilla and Malaga ranked eighth and ninth respectively and Barcelona in eleventh place.

In the evening, take a stroll around the Albaicín neighbour hood, the oldest in Granada.

A labyrinth of winding streets is lined with white-washed houses and the hilly area af fords magnificent views of the Alhambra.

This area is a great place to stop in at a few inexpensive tapas bars for low-cost drinks and free food.

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By Walter Finch

GOOD DEAL: Granada’s top attraction the Alhambra

WITH such quick and easy access to Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar, it’s something of a wonder that more people in the south of Spain don’t take advantage.

For those with their own transport, it could not be much easier to mosey on down to Tarifa and hop on a ferry to Tangier.

But for those second-class citizens dependent upon public transport in the Costa del Sol, a little weekend getaway across the Strait becomes a whole lot hairier.

But what’s an adventure if things don’t go completely and avoidably wrong?

In order to maximise our time among the souks and minarets of Morocco, we decided to hit the road late on Fri day afternoon from San Luis de Sabi nillas, booking a 16.50 bus to Algeci ras, from where we would get another bus to Tarifa.

Our first introduction to the public transport apartheid that blights life in this part of Spain came as we stared down the A7 waiting for a bus that would not come.

Just as we were starting to look at Uber prices, our bus did decide to arrive, around 50 minutes later than advertised. Lesson number one: bus timetables are imaginary numbers dreamt up by office workers who prob ably own cars.

But as we wound our way south along the rumpled and folded landscape, we had an epiphany. It turned out that fer ries departed from Algeciras to Tang ier, saving us the unmitigated hassle of relying on public transport to get us further on to Tarifa.

So, off we hopped at Algeciras, and over we mosied to the port, where we booked return tickets to Tangier with a smiley woman who warned us that the

MOROCCO OR BUST

Getting to Tangier by the curse of public transport

By Walter Finch

The port was another black box expe rience, with staff arbitrarily moving us around from waiting room to waiting room while departure times were com pletely meaningless.

Eventually we boarded a big ship and the worst was behind us, we were cer tain. The customs process aboard was admirably lackadaisical and haphaz ard - a passing ship worker happened to notice us in the corridor and led us to a desk to fill out some forms.

The number of passengers on the ship was barely in double figures, but there was no organised way to make sure everyone filled out their paperwork.

But finally, after about another hour of waiting, the engines on the ship start ed purring, the water started moving underneath us, and the huge floating agglomeration of steel started to leave the port under a black sky.

Once the orange lights of the Spanish coastland had receded into darkness, the heavens above came alive as we traversed the invisible ocean on the

And I was reminded that there really is something magical about a sea voyage.

All the stars and the planets and the constellations glittered around us as if a cave painting came alive at night.

The wonder was soon replaced by bemusement, however, as we figured out that our ferry was heading in the wrong direction.

At this point our internet failed us also, as we left the protective embrace of the European Union and entered Afri can waters.

Where the hell were we going? And why the hell weren’t we making a bee line for Tangier?

So, perhaps the most important bit of information buried in this screed is that, although ferries to Morocco leave from both Algeciras and Tarifa, they both only go to their correspond ing port across the strait, and they do not criss-cross. We had bought tickets to a port called Tangier-Med, which is not in Tangier.

In fact, it is 80km east of Tangier. The lady from Balearia who sold us the tick ets probably should have told us that. Anyhow, no worries, we will just get a taxi. Only, it was getting late now after all the delays, and the two-star hotel we had booked would close its recep tion at 11.30pm. The race was on as we set foot on a strange new continent to find someone who could drive us there.

Finding a taxi was actually very easy, but avoiding eye contact with the drug dealers who were peering in at us in the backseat not so much.

Then we set off into the Moroccan night, with about forty minutes to get to our hotel before the receptionists went home, leaving us stranded in Tangier.

We were reminded once again how totally dependent we have become on technology to substitute for a human brain once we arrived and could not just follow Google maps.

We were fortunate that Mohammed, the young man manning the hotel, had waited up for us after his shift had ended, and even escorted us to the ATM.

Everything had turned out fine. We ate some chicken and chips after midnight in a slightly grotty restaurant where both the staff and other cus tomers were friendly and interested in us, and then hit the hay in our barely passable hotel rooms.

THIRTY SIX HOURS IN TANGIER

A day in Tangier might start soon er than you would like, as the call to prayer sounds out from the minarets around 6am this time of year.

But that’s fine as you don’t want to lose time if you only have one day to do everything and take it in.

Not even realising my hotel room had a window, when I awoke to look out of it, I was stunned to see the first rays of the morning sun hitting the clutter of rooftops of the Ancien Medina. It had all been worth it.

A dawn stroll through the whitewashed old town of Tangier is a sight to behold. Wandering the narrow, confined streets, that are in turns grimy and gorgeous, we somehow found our selves taken hostage by Sam the un appointed tour guide.

His opening conversational gambit was to say “hello geeza, luvly jubbly” and then suddenly we were being whizzed through the side streets and historical alleyways, with this strange guy saying hi to everyone he passed. He pointed out some beautiful locales, took us for a mint tea in a bar-cafe in the Kasbah, showed us some of the best buildings, ignored us when we asked him to show us specific places and would not go away when we tired of him. In the end we paid a €20 ran som fee and with a hug he was out of our lives.

Once rid of Sam, we paid a visit to the Museum of the Kasbah in the highest part of the old town overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, the Spanish coast line distant in the haze.

The building was a beautiful, ancient construction of pillars and white walls,

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VOYAGE: The ferry trip from Algeciras to Morocco boasts incredible views

where artefacts and mosaics both ancient and modern from the various occupying powers over the centuries - including a brief stint by the English in the seventeenth century - were housed.

One of the most charming features of life in the old town was the prevalence of cats everywhere, blinking contentedly at strang ers, perched on motor bike seats or doorsteps. Living in communal har mony with humans in a relationship of equals, and so happy if you showed them any atten tion.

Lunch was a huge dish of chicken couscous that was easily enough for two people and then we strolled on over to the large sandy beach in the middle of the city.

The beachfront was lined with incred ibly trashy-looking discotheques and nightclubs but the sand was soft and fine and tourists were trotting along on horses. There was even a camel ride which was tempting but ultimately we declined it - perhaps a regret.

TANGIER NIGHT LIFE

After a nap in the hotel room, it was time to find a beer. I had been assidu ously taking note of bars that had beer signs as we had been strolling around - but not one was located in the Ancien Medina. We had to venture into the new town.

The old town, whilst having a fairly au

not many bars serving alcohol.

Eventually we followed Google Maps through a saloon-style door to a genuine hole-in-the-wall bar large enough for maybe fifteen people max.

An awkward hush immediately de scended over the cramped space as these two outsiders entered their fur tive, socially-shunned world.

But the inhabitants of this bar - all Mo roccan men over 50 - soon got used to the strangers in their midst and - per haps - even appreciated the presence of foreigners who wanted to spend time in their bar.

After a few minutes of awkwardly stand ing, one old fella brought stools over for us to sit down on. Then the bartender handed us a little plate of tomato sal ad, and we had been accepted.

There is something about drinking beer in Tangier - so clandestine and under ground - that is quite special and unlike doing it in Spain, where you never have to walk more than 30 metres to find a bar and beer is served in school cafete rias (probably).

We were rubbing shoulders with the

impious of Moroccan society, and they were so welcoming.

Stepping in to another bar crowded with Saturday night revellers, as foreigners we

were immediately invited to sit with two men who turned out to be incredibly drunk. It was another kidnapping-style situation, in which Karim, a man in his 50s who spoke good English but would not say where he learned it, was having a whale of a time and wanted us to en joy ourselves too.

He was also a little bit unhinged and at one point tried to stab me goodna turedly in the neck with a pen.

I quickly noticed he was annoying ev eryone else in the bar with his shouting and screeching and gesticulations and

in the end we had to extract our selves.

Later on we found ourselves in a car with two men who took us to Bling Bling dis cotheque, where I had to pay €30 to enter (girls get in free) and made the mistake of or dering a €20 vod ka Redbull.

Unfortunately our two new friends could not afford the entrance fee and I could not bring myself to stump up €60 for them, and they departed crest fallen.

But me and my friend still man aged to have a great time, boo gying the night away in Tangier until the first call to prayer.

MYSTERY: Self-appointed tour guide, Sam

BLING BLING: was a little seedy, but a good time

An awkward hush descended over the cramped space

Virus spreading

SPANISH hospitals are experiencing an unexpected spike in bronchiolitis cases among children.

The early symptoms of the infection - caused by the respi ratory syncytial virus (hRSV) - are similar to a cold, but can cause difficulty breathing, diffi culty eating, wheezing and irritability.

During the week ending November 13 there were 76 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but the worst affected group by age was children aged four and under, for which the figure was 12 times higher than the rest of the population.

Experts believe that the virus is now spreading widely after it was suppressed by Covid pandemic protection measures such as facemasks and lockdowns.

Patient patients

THE average waiting time for a hospital operation in Spain is 113 days accord ing to the latest Ministry of Health figures. Its twice-yearly report shows an improvement of 10 days compared to June and 57 days less than during the Covid pandemic

By Alex Trelinski

in June 2020.

The average wait to see a specialist stands at 79 days- 10 days less than De cember 2021.

Breaking it down to disci plines, the highest num ber of people(187,404) are waiting to see a trauma surgeon, but the longest delays are 226 days for plastic surgery.

Sergio García Vicente, from the Health Econo mists Association, believes that waiting times are still being impacted by the pan

demic. He told the El Pais news paper: “This created a traf fic jam that still has reper cussions like for ophthal

Nursing shortage

SPAIN is amid a nursing crisis and needs nearly 100,000 more employees in the field to match the European av erage, according to an alarming new report.

According to the General Nursing Council, the Covid-19 pandemic, job abandonment, an ageing population and the search for better opportunities in neighbouring countries were all contributing factors to Spain’s nurs ing shortage.

Fresh figures from the council also showed Spain need ed 95,000 more nursing professionals employed across the country’s hospitals to match the European average.

Spain has 625 nurses per 100,000 inhabitants, while the European average stands at 827, according to the data.

In Murcia there were just 463 nurses per 100,000 in habitants, there were 529 in Andalucia and 551 in the ValenciaN community..

Within Europe, only Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia are worse off.

Sperm crisis

THE sperm concentration of European men has halved in just 50 years, accord ing to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Mur cia (UMU) participated in a global study which analysed the sperm of men from 53 countries around the world during seven years and concluded that there was a decline in sperm count in men on all continents, and the problem had ‘accel erated’ since 2000.

mology where there are almost 160,000 patients waiting to be seen.

“Many people stayed away because of Covid in 2020 and are entering waiting lists now,” he added.

The Federation of Associ ations for the Defense of Public Health described the new figures as ‘'intol erable’. It said delays in di agnostic and pre-surgical tests are making the situa tion worse.

Backlog

Figures vary dramatical ly between the regions as surgical waiting lists reach 151 days in Aragon compared to just 64 in the Basque Country.

People in Andalucia have the longest wait to see a specialist (107 days) as op posed to just 50 days in the Balearic Islands.

Researchers said this was caused by deg radation of the environment and a stress ful pace of living.

N E W N A M E B U T

S T I L L T H E

S A M E

MARK DENTAL CLINIC HAS CHANGED ITS NAME TO AAURA DENTAL. THIS IS TO BE CONSISTENT BETWEEN OUR CLINICS IN THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. WE STILL OPERATE AS USUAL, STILL MARK´S BROTHERS IN CHARGE AND SAME STAFF. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL OF OUR PATIENTS WHO HAVE VISITED MARK DENTAL CLINIC AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY YEARS TO COME WITH AAURA DENTAL.

Sweet surprise

A ROJALES man, 19, has been arrested for selling drugs in sweet wrappers outside a Guardamar school. The teenager tried to run away but was caught by Guardia Civil officers.

Grave affair

THE Department of Health and Ed ucation surveyed 267,000 students in Catalunya between ages 9-18 and found that 8.8% expressed daily desires to die.

Happy meal

TWO men enjoyed a €1,080 slap-up meal at a Maritim district restaurant in Valencia but refused to pay what they owed. They offered just €400 before police came and arrested them for fraud.

Manolo no go

Drum beating face of Spanish football stuck at home

HE’S been Spain’s most fa mous football supporter for more than 40 years, but it looks like Manolo ‘el del bom bo’ won’t be going to the Qa tar World Cup to noisily cheer on his favourite team.

Manuel Caceres Artesero, to give him his real name, is ‘the one with the drum’: the be ret-wearing former bar own

By Simon Hunter

er who has been a pitchside fixture at Spain games for 44 years, and is known for his distinctive beret and large drum (pictured) that he bangs with great enthusiasm to the delight of other fans. Manolo was due to travel to

Catch the pigeon

TWO men have been arrested for stealing 120 racing pigeons worth €100,000 from a Benidorm pigeon club.

The Policia Nacional said the pigeon rustlers - Spaniards aged 20 and 32struck twice in 10 days.

Plain-clothed officers caught the men red-handed walking down an Alicante street with boxes containing some of the pigeons stolen just hours earlier. Some 74 pigeons were recovered within two

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bought him his plane tickets and he’d even purchased a new drum. But then tragedy struck.

‘I’m very sad because I had ev erything sorted out and two days before I left they told me that I have to have a hotel booked,’ he said. At previous tournaments the federation has paid for his accommodation.

Stuck

But for Manolo, all might not be lost.

The Federation has told him that if Spain gets to the semi final of the tournament, they will give him tickets and also pay for his hotel.

HAVING a cuddly guin ea pig, hamster or even rabbit as a pet could land owners with a €10,000 fine if proposals in a new Animal Welfare Law are enacted.

Numerous popular pets face a ban under the reg ulations which aim to protect native flora and fauna.

The new Animal Welfare Law, which is due to come into force by the end of the year, expands the list of prohibited pets to include quite a few furry friends that, for generations, have been common family ad ditions.

Hefty

The proposed list includes rabbits, guinea pigs, ham sters, mice and parakeets, amongst many others, but it needs to be ratified.

It has not been made clear whether people will be al lowed to keep existing pets or face a fine for hanging on to them. Penalties for a ‘minor infraction of the law’ vary between €500 and €10,000.

days as investigations continue to find the remainder of the stolen birds - unless they find their own way home.

Doha to see Spain’s bid to win the World Cup. The Span ish Football Federation had