Valencia Olive Press - issue 11 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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OLIVE PRESS

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voice in Spain April 22nd - May 5th 2021

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VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 11 www.theolivepress.es FREE

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IBIZA Spring travel special

Bare s e i t i s s e c e N

Where is our top rated secret watersports school ? - see page 16

EXCLUSIVE The expat helping to change Spanish law - See page 6

With national travel inching ever closer, the Olive Press offers a special guide to Ibiza, including an insider’s look at the trendy hotel that has welcomed the likes of Pete Doherty and Bryan Adams - see page 14

EXCLUSIVE By Alex Trelinski in Costa Blanca and Fiona Govan in Madrid

A COSTA Blanca expat has been forced to value each item of clothing - including her underwear - that she sent via a removal company from the UK. Patricia McKinley was stunned at having to list everything sent in packing cases as part of a permanent move to her new home in Guardamar. The businesswoman, from Leamington Spa, told the Olive Press how she ended up paying three times the previous quote she had been given for moving the 30kg package of clothes. “I was originally quoted €45 by a luggage-forwarding company, but ended up having to

Knickers in a twist

pay an extra €79, when I went back to wrap up my old house in January,” she said. The price hike from DHL Spain was down to a ‘double-wham-

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Expat shock at ‘exorbitant’ fees even on clothes - being levied on goods sent from UK my’ of two unexpected charges. Firstly a €40 levy for ‘additional paperwork’ and then €39 in IVA (VAT) payments on her clothes. “I had no idea about this charge and of course I had to pay it,” Patricia continued. “Despite insisting they must be kidding, DHL said they had to follow the rules arising from Brexit. “I never thought I would be moving to Spain and having to itemise my T-shirts at 50p each or my underwear,” she added. “At least they arrived quickly and I didn’t have to wait long.” This however, was not the case

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Doorstep demand The beaten up package, smaller than a shoe box, came late despite being sent by her mother from London two weeks before her birthday at the cost of £40 (€45). “My mother sent the packet with various gifts over ten weeks ago in the hope that the

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for Madrid-based Jemima Austerfield who was stunned when the postman demanded pay €40.77 for a present that arrived TWO months after her birthday.

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FURIOUS: Austerfield gifts would arrive in time for my birthday on February 6.” she told the Olive Press. But after several weeks the box arrived back in London with a note in Spanish saying they had been unable to deliver it in Madrid, presumably because the mother-of-two had not been at home to pay the fee on arrival. “My mother had to pay £30 (€33) pounds just to collect the package from the post office and then to pay the £40 again to resend it,” the caterer explained.

It meant that over €160 was spent in order for Austerfield to receive the package, close to double the value of the contents within it. Under new rules that came in with the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1, all parcels, whether commercial or private, are required to have customs declaration forms. It means they may be subject to extra import taxes even if they are gifts. For packages being sent from the UK to countries within the EU, the rules now state that a CN22 or CN23 form is required to be displayed on the outside of the package as well as details of sender and recipient. Michael Smith, owner of Villamartin-based South Coast Removals told the Olive Press: “Things were really bad in January as nobody really had a clue what to do and what the rules meant, but at least it is settling down now.” He continued: “The only way of avoiding tax on transferring Continues on Page 4

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Whodunit? A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested in Burriana for purposely running over a motorbike rider, leaving him critically injured, despite a 48-year-old man initially claiming responsibility.

Ash plan A GERMAN promoter has unveiled plans to build an ‘ash cemetery’ in protected forest near La Safor. It would be the region’s first such ‘memorial facility’.

Suicide watch VALENCIA Local Police are currently receiving an average of five suicide attempt calls every day, a big increase since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bad dad A 45-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested in Valencia city on charges of mistreating his partner and sexually abusing his underage stepdaughter.

GUNNED DOWN POLICE in Valencia have been alerted after a brutal killing in Andalucia. They are looking into a van that was registered in the city after a man was executed in Torremolinos at the weekend. The victim, a Moroccan man aged 35 who has not been named by police, was shot three times by a man in the Valencia vehicle at around 6am on Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Reports suggest that the shooting was captured on CCTV with footage of the victim parking his van before getting out to go to the rear of the vehicle. A hooded gunman then approached the victim, shooting him three times before fleeing the scene.

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Serial killer fears

Police search for missing sex worker after three women murdered in Valencia region

POLICE are urgently trying to trace a prostitute who disappeared near Elche, where three other women have been murdered in recent months. The Argentinian who could be pregnant was reported missing by a friend last week. The missing woman reportedly worked the same strip of road - the ‘Silla slip’ – just outside the town

Vicious police assault DOCTORS rushed to a police station in Valencia city after an officer was attacked by a man, who had just been arrested. The assault happened as the policeman was escorting the detainee to a cell at the city’s Zapadores station. The 32-year-old suffered injuries to the head, in what police described as a ‘brutal assault’. The officer was transferred to La Fe Hospital, where he is still under observation and awaiting evaluation to determine if he has to undergo surgery in his jaw. The attacker, 35, a native of Guinea Bissau, was under arrest for attacking a man and fracturing his jaw.

of Catarroja, where a teenage hooker was found dead three months ago. Florina Gogos, 19, was discovered on January 30 between Silla and Albufera. She had been strangled and her body dumped in an irrigation channel. Police are investigating whether her murder is linked to that of Olga Pardo, 43, who had been strangled and dumped in a canal outside nearby Massarrojos two weeks ago. The hotel cleaner was discovered on April 6 with cops trying to determine her movements in the hours up

to her disappearance. There is no suggestion that she was involved in the sex industry. The two recent killings bear striking similarities to that of a third woman who was killed last November. Identified only as ‘Alicia’, the 45 year-old civil servant was found strangled in a ditch 200 metres from her home in La Hoya. Given the similarity and location of the three murders, all within Elche, police are investigating whether they could be linked and fear the Argentinian could be a potential fourth victim.

TRAGIC: Olga Pardo (left) and Florina Gogo

Rigor, Confidentiality and Independence

A SPANISH man has been arrested for selling fake lip cream that has caused serious injuries on a number of women. The Madrid man, 60, was snared after women around the country reported serious side effects after using the cream. The product, designed to increase the volume of the lips, was reportedly responsible for

Facing the facts causing allergic reactions, necrosis which kills cells and even facial paralysis. The investigation began last year and tracked the website selling it to the Alcorcon suburb of Madrid. Police found that the

31 years for gang rapist A MAN who took part in a group rape of an 18-year-old woman has been jailed for 31 years. Another two men who also raped the woman in the Catalunya attack in 2019 never stood trial, with one fleeing Spain and police being unable to identify the other. Both defendants were each handed out jail terms of 13 years for being complicit in the rape by virtue of doing nothing to stop it happening. A fourth man who was on trial was acquitted of the rape. The assault happened at around 6.00am when the woman left a nightclub in Sabadell. An unidentified man grabbed her by her neck and assaulted her. He then took her to an abandoned warehouse where he and another unidentified man both raped her, as did the convicted man

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Clean sweep

A COUPLE have cleaned up a staggering €9,000 from change machines at launderettes. The Alicante duo struck six times at three businesses according to police. They saw the boxes as easy targets, filled with banknotes put in by customers wanting coins to use in the washing machines. The 38-year-old man would go into the launderette with a large bag or shopping trolley, while his 41-year-old girlfriend remained outside. She unfurled a large towel to reduce the chances of people spotting what was going on inside. The man would rip the money box from the wall and then put it into his bag or trolley, cover it with clothes and stroll away.

Expat paedo caught AN Icelandic paedophile has been arrested in connection with eight sexual assaults on children. The pervert approached his victims in a friendly manner to build up some trust before offering them €5 so that he could sexually abuse them. The 59-year-old man was convicted of paedophilia in Iceland in 1988 after assaulting four youngsters. He subsequently moved around several South American countries and Interpol are investigating whether the man has any pending charges against him.

Porn

The Guardia Civil moved against him after getting complaints from several parents in Torre Pacheco (Murcia) with reports of abuse that had been happening since last summer. Despite his Icelandic nationality, local people nicknamed him ‘The Englishman’. Officers seized his laptop and mobile phone that were full of pornographic images, including pictures and videos of children. The paedophile appeared before a San Javier judge who ordered him to be detained in prison.

medicine did not have an expiration date or a recorded batch number. The seller was also not registered to sell pharmaceutical products and the company that he operated under was not a legal entity. Most of the women affected had been told to simply apply chamomile to their faces. Toxicology reports are currently underway.

People smugglers A CRIMINAL gang has been dismantled by police and linked to the death of four migrants off the Canary Islands. The people smugglers had safehouses in La Linea, Ceuta, Algeciras and Madrid. Over 150 police raided six properties leading to the arrest of 20 suspects for links to human trafficking of migrants through the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco. The network was made up of Spanish and Moroccan criminals, who charged around €2,500 per immigrant for a place on one of their many vessels. The immigrants, many of them children, were given no safety gear in boats that were poorly maintained and in many cases, stolen.

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NEWS

Howzatt!

On show FASHIONISTAS flocked to Madrid Fashion Week, after the 73rd edition of the show kicked off in style. Catwalk star Nieves Alvarez, 47, (pictured) walked down the runway at the Maite by Lola Casademunt fashion show showcasing an array of stunning outfits. The Madrid-born beauty, who has modelled for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood and Prada during her career, was right at home walking the catwalk.

WHILE many sports in Spain have been playing on a sticky wicket during the pandemic, one is booming – cricket. It may come as a bit of a surprise to many, but the quintessential English game is rapidly taking a hold in the land of sun and sangria. Traditionally, its strongholds are Catalunya and the Costa Blanca (with a special mention to Madrid and Murcia) but the game is now spreading. There are even set to be full blown international games soon with Almeria’s Desert Springs ground just being granted accreditation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host one day internationals and ‘T20 matches’.

EXCLUSIVE: Get your pads on for Europe’s fastest growing sport, writes Dilip Kuner

Now the Costa del Sol is following suit with an international tournament designed

to boost t h e profile of the game in Spain. Hosted at the picturesque Cartama Oval, near Malaga - where British ambassador Hugh Elliott once strapped A SELF-taught chef with a Masters degree in law is bastian to pick up the gong. on his pads – the lighting the way for a new culinary revolution on the “I decided the legal profession was not for me, while European Crickworking as a lawyer in Zurich and I always wanted to costas. et Championship Lawyer Fernando Alcala, 30, has snared a ‘sun’ come home and open a restaurant in my home town (ECC) will run award in the annual Repsol Soles awards for his of Marbella.” from September 13 creativity and hard work at his Marbella restaurant He picked up the award in San Sebastian alongside to October 8. Valencian and Murcian chefs, who were also honKava. In total, 15 nations oured this year. It comes after the young chef also won a Red Meals will take part, (Bib Gourmand) award from the Michelin guide last They included the chefs from Cal Paradis in Castellon, including an Enyear and became the stand-out ‘sensation’ at the Saiti, Arrels, Entrevins and Toshi in Valencia, plus El gland Amateurs Xato and Casa Pepa in Alicante. Madrid Fusion event in 2019. squad and Scot“It’s a massive honour to win the Repsol award,” he In Murcia, AlmaMater, Local de Ensayo, Odiseo and land A. told the Olive Press after taking a trip up to San Se- Pepe Toma were honoured. Speaking at the “It’s the first time I have left Malaga since the locklaunch of the event down last year and it was amazing to travel again,” at Benalmadesaid Alcala. na’s Sunset Beach He naturally made the most of his trip by pulling in Club, The Euroa favour to get a table at legendary Asador Etxebarri, pean Cricket Netin the Basque country, which was voted as the ‘third work (ECN) CEO best restaurant in the world’ in the latest Pellegrino Roger Fiener told awards. the Olive Press: There are 618 restaurants listed in the Repsol guide “People don’t realthis year, with 304 restaurants around Spain having ise it, but cricket is one Sol, 126 with two Sols and 37 with three the fastest growing Sols. sport in Europe, There are 53 restauand second fastest rants with sols in the in the world. Valencian region, with Catalunya, the Handful Basque Region and Madrid taking top “In Germany there spots. are now 350 clubs - there were only a handful a few years ago.” Jay Wild (picTHERE is almost nothing routine Jon Clarke judges the tured), of the Cosabout Kava. ta del Sol Cricket The cooks also serve as waiters, the legal eagle behind Club, based at Fuente Obejuna in head chef taught himself at home Marbella’s hottest new Cartama added: the Sierra Morena, that delivers and everything on the wine list can “We see this as an each day, including the best butter restaurant Kava be served by the glass. opportunity to deI have tried for years. And one thing it is very big on is pre- chefs beavering away in the kitch- It is no surprise that Fernando is a velop the game not cision. Precision in its presentation, en before they bring their dishes to born adventurer, who loves to eat just in Andalucia, precision in its ingredients and preci- your table. but across Spain. good food, including various trips sion in its service. “We need more juAnd what works of art they are: to the best restaurants in Spain, a But when the man in charge is a legal Carefully skinned cherry tomatoes, number of journeys to Japan and niors and want to eagle with a Masters degree in law next to some tiny shrimps laid on most other parts of Europe. diversify the playand a half German upbringing you carrots, pickled with cumin, then The international menu is a genuer base – and this perhaps shouldn’t be that surprised. bathed in a carrot soup. Cour- ine mix of many cultures and imtournament will Fernando Alcala is a young chef of gette-stuffed wontons in a creamy pressed me in the extreme. have a direct imjust 30 years with a big future in front lobster broth, a Japanese ‘chawan- Best of all was the price at €65 a pact on that. of him. “Many people mushi’ of red shrimps from Santa head, which included bread and The man from Marbella spent years Pola, with claims and a ‘vegetable butter, two amuse bouche startdon’t realise that in Switzerland working as a lawyer, bolognese’. cricket is even ers, four wonderful petit-fours, a before packing it in to set up his own It not only looked good, but was six course meal, a glass of wine, played in Spain restaurant. – I am sure once awash with spicy flavours and best a glass of champagne AND the He is very well suited to it. they find out many of all was largely healthy, macrobi- service. His attention to detail is big in both otic food, with almost all the dairy people will come the decor (Scandinavian, almost ski coming from sheep and goats. along, and hopelodge in feel) and layout of his cen- He also has an exclusive deal for Visit www.kavamarbella.com or fully bring their tral Marbella joint, where you see the various products from a farm in call 952 82 41 08 kids as well.”

I’m the law (in the kitchen)

Unanimous verdict!

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

STEPPING INTO OBLIVION A THIRD of Spain’s flamenco venues have shut down due to the COVID crisis. An alarming 34 of the country’s 93 tablaos have been sythed by the pandemic. Their intimate set-ups, with a stage nestled between the tables and chairs, has meant that most have been unable to reopen since March last year. President of the tablao association Juan Manuel del Rey has warned that ‘tablaos are on the path to extinction.’ The knock on effect for flamenco artists will be huge as 95% of their work comes in tablaos. While the Spanish government donated more than €2 million in support of the sector during the pandemic it is too little, too late. “Tablaos have acted like a springboard for generations of flamenco artists to launch their professional career and without them Spain is in danger of losing ‘the universities of our flamenco,’ said Rosana de Aza, a producer from Sevilla.

READY, steady, bake!

AMAZON is investing its dough into a Spanish version of Celebrity Bake Off. With the pandemic leaving viewers stuck at home eager for new shows to devour, the global streaming giant is making a 10-part Celebrity Bake Off España. The show will see a

dozen famous faces compete each week to prove their are cream of the crop and come away with the coveted title of best celebrity amateur baker. The BBC has now licensed the show to 35 territories across the globe including Brazil, Kenya, Thailand, and France.

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Cash shock From front page

goods like clothes from the UK is in the case of people moving permanently over to Spain.” To do this people emigrating would have to produce a recently-obtained NIE number; documented proof that they had sold their house; and a supporting letter from the Spanish consulate in the UK. For everybody else, costs have rocketed, admitted Smith. “You need inventories for everything and customs officers will charge tax. Additionally, the paperwork for removal companies and agents has doubled and that means a hike in costs plus time delays in making deliveries. “Customers are seeing these costs passed on plus plus tax on top of that. It’s been very hard for everybody.”

JAIL THREAT TOUGH new measures to punish sick animal abusers in Valencia could come into force following a landmark trial. Animal welfare chiefs were left furious after a barbaric thug left a dog for dead on a farm in Catarroja in 2017. The dog made a full recovery but the owner was not prosecuted. But now the thug faces a year in prison after an animal charity appealed the decision, and the owner is being prosecuted.

Camel horror A CAMEL ride through Valencia’s Turia Natural River park ended with the death of a 20-yearold tourist. It came after the man - and his sister - were thrown off the camel as it bolted after being shocked by a horse. The man, whose name was given as Christian BD, suffered irreversible brain damage and died in hospital three days later, while his sister, 22, suffered two broken legs. The pair had been thrown off, but their legs got caught up in the saddle and they were dragged for 200 metres. The drama unfolded in front of the victims’ shocked parents who were seated on a camel behind them. The loose animal was eventually stopped by a car that blocked its path. Neither sibling was wearing a helmet, which is not compulsory at the park.

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

All bark, little bite IT might be to blame for a staggering 86% of new cases… but the so-called British variant of COVID is having very little impact in Spain. The B.1.1.7 strain has actually been described as a good thing by the nation’s chief epidemiologist. It is now responsible for the vast majority of the cases behind the current fourth wave spreading around the country, a huge increase on the 2% detected in January when the third wave reached its peak. Early fears over the new variant - that got its name as it was first detected in Britain - led to Spain closing its borders to travellers from the UK unless they were resident here. It was feared that not only was it more contagious, but it could prove more lethal, pushing Spain’s hospitals into a critical condition again. However, despite being responsible for almost all cases now detected, the nation’s hospitals are not being overwhelmed in the same way they

While it’s nearly 90% to blame for the fourth wave, the British COVID variant has no teeth in Spain By Fiona Goven

were during earlier waves. What’s more, the effect on the Spanish health service is far smaller than in other countries, like France or Germany. Fernando Simon (pictured), Spain’s Director of the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies, predicted that the British variant could in fact be advantageous for Spain. “It’s now our variant,” Simon said, adding that it ‘could actually be benefiting us’ as ‘it’s leaving no room’ for the potentially more dangerous South African and Brazilian variants to take hold. Now it is hoped that the prevalence of the British strain could work in favour of loosening restrictions on travel between Spain and the UK sooner than later.

A piece of history

Turtle watch

RESTORATION work being carried out in Maria Cristina street in Valencia city has unearthed a 120-year-old glass bottle, still intact, bearing the inscription of a nearby pharmacy that still exists.

BENICASSIM Town Hall has advised people who find turtles on the beach to call 112 and steer well clear of the creatures following an increase in nesting on the Mediterranean coast due to global warming.

In what would be excellent news for the tourist industry, it is now likely that British holidaymakers will be allowed to visit en masse over the summer. Currently Britain is considering the categorisation of countries under a traffic light system based on the level of risk, with Portugal and Malta currently most likely to open first. Those returning to the UK from ‘green light’ destinations won't have to undergo the compulsory quarantine that is currently required. The latest data from April 19 shows that the British variant is responsible for an average of 86% of cases across Spain while just three cases of the South African variant, and 32 cases of the Brazilian have

been detected. Asturias has the highest prevalence of the British variant with 98.8% of cases detected, while Aragon has the lowest with 74%.

Good news

Meanwhile Andalucia records 96% of cases as British strain, the Valencia region counts 89%, Madrid 80%, Catalunya 79% and the Balearic Islands 78%. Further good news arrived this week showing that current vaccines in use in Spain are effective in preventing the British variant, something that may not be the case with the Brazilian and South African strains. Opinion Page 6

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WELCOME BACK HOTELS have finally begun reopening again after their enforced sixmonth ‘hibernation’. It comes after the perimeter lockdown surrounding the Valencian Community made the tourist trade largely unsustainable. The 262-room Primus hotel in Valencia city is set to open on May 7- two days before the national state of alarm is dropped. Meanwhile, the Myr chain plans to reopen at the end of May, while Senator Parc Central, Melia Plaza, the five-star Caro and Expo Hotel are now taking bookings for June and July. News that the state of alarm will not be extended beyond the May 9 deadline has caused reservations to shoot up by 122%, according to travel agencies, Some establishments offer discounts of up to 30% to attract customers.

NEWS

April 22nd May 5th 2021

Valencia a students’ favourite VALENCIA has been ranked the most popular city in Europe for Erasmus students. The European Commission found that the city was the top destination for students participating in the exchange programme. The university hosted 2,401 foreign students last year, ranking it number one on

Mediterranean Cuisine

the continent. Meanwhile the Polytechnic of Valencia was the fourth most visited university in the whole of Europe. With a relatively low cost of living, a good quality of life and lots going on in sports and culture, it’s no wonder Valencia has scooped the top spot.

Jogger Bison are back attacked by dogs

IT would have been a dream for cavemen holed up around prehistoric Spain. To have a farm specially breeding their favourite evening dish: that of grilled bison. Now a special conservation project is set to reintroduce the European bison back into Andalucia after an absence of thousands of years. The farmstead in Encinarejo, in the Sierra de Andujar natural park, a stunning area in inland Cordoba is already home to successful wolf and lynx colonies.

A JOGGER has been left severely injured following a brutal attack by dogs. Nestor Campos, 50, was savaged as he went for his usual run through the Vora Riu area of Villareal (Castellon). The animals, which didn’t have muzzles, reportedly raced towards Nestor and pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. They then began biting his legs, inflicting serious injuries to his calf muscles and leaving one totally destroyed, according to reports. Nestor was also bitten on his left arm, thighs, and head and rushed to hospital.

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

Open up! THE big question on all our minds, from hotel and restaurant staff who fear the tourist industry can’t survive another COVID summer, to those desperate to see and hug relatives that they have been separated from since the pandemic struck, to holiday home owners keen to revisit their property in the Spanish sun, is when will we be able to travel freely to and from Spain? News that Spain is now in the grip of a dreaded fourth wave may have put a dampener on hopes that the country could open again in time for the summer season, but there is still reason to be optimistic. For Spain is coping rather better than it has when other waves hit thanks, in part, to the fact that the strain of the coronavirus that was first detected in the UK and is therefore known as the British variant is to blame for more than 80% of recent infections. Although that strain has lived up to its reputation and proved to be far more contagious than the original, it hasn’t proved more lethal and Spain’s hospital beds aren’t filling up to crisis occupancy with new cases. In fact, its prevalence is thought to be keeping out other potentially more dangerous strains. One of the criteria that could see destinations put on the ‘red’ list of a new traffic light scheme proposed by the British government that will determine whether travellers have to quarantine or not is likely to be based on the strains prevalent in that country. So countries with high incidence rates of dangerous new strains such as Brazil and South Africa are likely to automatically require enforced quarantine, most probably in designated hotels at huge cost to the traveller, those where the British variant is dominant may yet escape such a measure. So if the British strain is already rampant in Spain and with half of Britons already vaccinated with their first dose, it makes no sense to stop tourists from the UK from enjoying a trip to Spain this summer. Come on Spain ... do the right thing! Let them in ! Publisher / Editor

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The British Harrowing sexual abuse, addiction and self harm were all flagged up due to his campaigning for a new child protection bill, but British expat James Rhodes says the experience has only ‘deepened’ his love for Spain, writes Heather Golloway

OPINION

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NEWS FEATURE

ONCERT pianist, writer and sex abuse victim, James Rhodes is feeling both relieved and disconcerted: relieved that Spain’s new ground-breaking child protection law has finally been passed at last... and disconcerted that it has been labelled ‘the Rhodes Law’ – the first Spanish law to be

PUSH: Pablo Iglesias

named after a Brit. the bill agreed upon by the warring polit“I got such a shock when I heard,” he ical factions. tells the Olive Press. “I was like, ‘You “It should never have been a struggle,” should have told me first, Pablo!’”. he says. “This law started with the PP He’s referring to Spain’s deputy prime (conservative Popular Party). It’s the only minister, Unidos Podemos leader Pablo thing all the parties agree on.” Iglesias, who helped push through the But what is basically a humanitarian agenda. issue got turned into a A kindred spirit, who he met political football with the through his connections in right-wing press weighing Moved to act Madrid, where he has lived in and attacking Rhodes, for four years, he is decid- after becoming mercilessly picking over his edly modest about his role past and even ridiculing his aware of the in the law’s passing. Spanish. “It’s not about me. It’s a scale of sexual “I don’t hate journalists,” misconception that I got he laughs. “What I objectabuse in Spain ed to were the absolute the law done,” he continues before a busy book signing lies I had to read about session at a well known Mamyself, particularly when I drid bookshop. was sitting in the hospital with my dying “The NGOs have been working on it for mother.” years. But what the law is called is irrel- Now a household name in Spain, Rhodes evant anyway. The main thing is that we - already a celebrated pianist and TV prehave come out of it.” senter in the UK - was moved to act after After signing up to the child protection becoming aware of the scale of sexual crusade, Rhodes, 46, from London, abuse after moving to the country in spent three fraught years helping to get 2017.

You’ve been Jamie-d! Barnaby Bouchard serves up some food for thought: Chorizo in Paella?

HE other day, while treating dren playing with a paint box, mixing myself to a paella in Valencia’s and matching, creating and discovePlaça del Mercat, I asked a pas- ring. Food is not an object of pride for sing waiter for alioli. us, although never let it be said that it The horror on the faces of my fellow is not an object of love. diners was only comparable to that This could explain the British percepjaw-dropping scene in Back to the tion that the continental approach to food is picky, if not preFuture after Marty unwittingly insults ‘Mad Dog’ tentious. And why none Tannen. of us understood the They are not “You can’t do that!”, a fuss that had all Spain boy of about eight said baying for Jamie Olisaying you ver’s blood when he dato me, laughing increducan’t add lously. red to add chorizo to his “Why not?” I smiled, paella. If it tastes good, chorizo to “does it taste yucky?” what’s the problem? paella “Oh no”, the boy reBut I think that I’ve finaplied, looking left and lly got to the bottom of right before telling me the Spanish attitude to conspiratorially, “It tastes amazing. food. And it’s not unreasonable at all. But you can’t do it. It’s a crime!”. They're not saying you can’t add choriThis experience stayed with me be- zo to paella, any more than the French cause I had never felt more distanced are saying you can’t make a croissant from my adopted countrymen. At the that isn’t curved, or the Italians are saage of eight I’d quite happily have ying you can’t add pepperoni to pizza. poured ketchup on paella, given half Just don’t call it paella, or a croissant, or a pizza, because it isn’t; it’s sothe chance. In northern Europe, food is essentia- mething else. Here in Spain, adding lly something we enjoy putting in our alioli to paella mouths. We like it but we don’t identify is rather like with it. Of course we have traditional adding a sax dishes, like Yorkshire pudding and solo to Elgar’s Victoria sponge (emotional repression Nimrod; no with a side of empire guilt). But it’s one’s saying not like anyone kicks up a fuss if you you can’t do choose to diverge from the accepted it, just don’t recipe. dare call it We add fruit to traditional meat pies, Elgar anymake fish and chips from whatever more. could be trawled up that morning and The pillars slather roast potatoes in ever-crazier of any naconcoctions of herbs and goose grea- tional cultuse, all in the very reasonable pursuit of re - music, literature, art and so new things that taste nice. Our lack of cultural identification with on - are considered what we eat allows us to be like chil- such because they reflect

the essence of its people and their lives, and evoke feelings; specifically, the feeling of being Spanish, French, Italian, British or whatever. Few could deny that, just as music or poetry can move us, so can flavour and smell. Here, then, food is the same as any other expression of group identity. This is the real reason Valencians defend paella with the same watchful diligence as the British defend Shakespeare, the Russians Tchaikovsky or the Colombians Garcia Marquez. What they’re saying is, 'Here is a window into who we are. If you fog up this window, even a little bit, you won’t see us anymore'. Britain’s relaxed approach to food is, in its own way, admirable. But the next time you’re dining in Valencia, I invite you to forego the sax solo and enjoy your paella the way it was intended: as a beloved and proudly guarded expression of regional culture.

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Sign of The TIMES THE Olive Press is dedicated to providing quality journalism and providing a news source that readers can rely on to tell them what is going on in their local communities and what they need to know about the goings on in the country that they have adopted as or love to visit home. So we are delighted to announce a new addition to our growing team of journalists across Spain with the arrival of Graham Keeley, a seasoned reporter from London who has been covering the Iberian Peninsula for more than 15 years.

Correspondent

ABUSE: Child sex victim Rhodes (with close pal actor Benedict Cumberbatch) has helped change Spanish law

He should know. He himself suffered sex abuse between the ages of six and 10 at the hands of his PE teacher at his expensive prep school Arnold House, in St John’s Wood, insisting the only way of describing it is as ‘rape’. It is a subject that has consumed him for most of his life and the workings of the Spanish justice system angered him to such a degree that he told the media in 2018: “It makes me sick.” And he certainly had a point: Prior to Rhodes law, victims in Spain who felt unable to speak out within the specified time frame of between five and 15 years beyond the age of 18, would miss their window and the aggressor could not be prosecuted. Given that only a fraction of child abuse victims even tell anyone at the time, it meant that the vast majority of child abusers were getting away with their crimes scot free. In addition, the Spanish courts made it far from easy for a former victim to see his abuser prosecuted. Head of Child Policy and Sensibilisation at charity, Save the Children, Catalina Perazzo explains: “The justice system has not been child-friendly because it made children relive the whole thing, sometimes up to six times.” So bad was the system, she believes that victims who went to the police would often end up with considerably worse mental health problems than the child who didn’t. Rhodes himself can identify entirely with the silence to which many Spanish victims of sexual abuse have been condemned until now. “If you spend long enough thinking you

ANGRY: Catalina Perazzo says system is ‘not child friendly’

will die if you tell your secrets, then you end up believing it,” he wrote in Instrumental, a blisteringly raw book published in 2015 which flew off the shelves in Spain. “If a rapist tells a five-year-old child again and again what monstrous things will happen to him if he ever tells anyone, it is assimilated, unquestioned and accepted as absolute truth.” Once finalised, the Rhodes Law will revolutionise the way child abuse is dealt with in Spain while affording the pianist a modicum As Rhodes writes about the need to ‘proof peace, along with Bach, his son, as well as his fiancee, Ar- tect’ his new home, clearly this need has been fulfilled. gentinian actress, Micaela Breque. “To get the law passed was my way of rec- Due to the abuse he suffered as a child onciling with myself, forgiving myself and and its corrosive impact on his mental of having the fucking certainty that less health, Rhodes felt like an outsider in children would have to live through what London, taking refuge in composers I lived through,” he writes in his new book Bach and Beethoven and resorting to self-harm and addiction problems to bury Made in Spain, published this month. A love letter to his adopted land, the book his demons. is peppered with expletives and strong While Britain became synonymous with opinions, yet, in the flesh, Rhodes comes hell; Spain offered him the chance of renaissance. across as a gentle, almost It is the Spanish and their fragile soul with a disarming way of life that has made smile. ‘When I get him feel he belongs at “I chose the words I use in the last. book carefully,” he explains close to the Referring to the response at the book signing at Tipos city, I notice to Covid-19 last year, Infames this month; words Rhodes tweeted; “Britain that, impressively, were a wave of is united in its arrogance, mostly written in Spanish – “I emotion’ while Spain is united by think it’s so disrespectful not compassion. There’s a to learn the language,” he reason for the different insists. They are also words that express nothing uses of our balconies.” short of passion for everything from the Now, it’s back to his piano and fiancee public transport system to the arts in a Mica, an Eminem fan who sent him a country that honoured him with express message from Buenos Aires on Instagram in 2016 and who now shares his citizenship at the end of last year. At least, that’s how it begins. The second apartment in the upmarket district of half, which gives a blow-by-blow account Salamanca. of his participation in getting the Rhodes Back too to immersing himself in his muLaw to Congress and the abuse he suf- sic and in Madrid, a city he describes as fered at the hands of the press, reads ‘something else,’ in his book. like an ‘aha’ moment, as if he’s finally “When I get close to the city, I notice a morphed from being a tourist to being a wave of emotion that’s so intense, I feel like crying,” he writes. fully-fledged Spanish national. Author of two books, the second is out in “A soft voice inside of me tells me that, after everything, after running for so Spain this week. Asked by the Olive Press if the struggle to long, trying to escape, of feeling an unpass the Rhodes law detracted from his imaginable weariness, I’m home. I feel love of Spain, he says, “No, it only deep- as though I form part of a huge united family.” ened it.”

Based in Barcelona, Keeley served as correspondent for The Times between 2008 and 2019 during which time he covered the financial crash and deep recession that hit Spain. He has reported on the rise of Podemos and Ciudadanos which revolutionised Spanish politics and was on the ground for the Catalan independence drive of 2017 which sparked the worst political crisis Spain had experienced in decades. Since leaving the Times to freelance, he has been a regular contributor for The Independent, The Sunday Times, Reuters and Al Jazeera and will now be writing regularly for the Olive Press, keeping readers abreast of developments in northeastern Spain as well as providing news and analysis on national issues and dispatches with interesting tales from his corner of Spain.

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Dear Olive Press, for I MUST thank you and your team and tive rma info ual, delivering a fact to be honest newspaper, which seems rare. ! Last I read your opinion (Get a gripr overyou with e agre issue) and whilst . view I have a slightly different taketo go xit Bre ect exp ly Did anyone real s not smoothly? Seriously? The EU doe the lly ecia esp , ceed suc want the UK to nce fina of se hou er pow a as but , nch Fre the and with the pound trusted around ss. rdle rega will UK the ld, wor e here Rules seem to change all the tim point the to or ct dire ’t aren in, in Spa on and are often open to interpretati g is hin not as d fine g bein are ple so peo clear. ther This mess will go on for at least ano get just to e hav we k 12 months, so I thin on with it.

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had arrived from Manchester Airport were left upset, angry and confused - considering UK border officials AND airline staff had approved exit from the country. Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old offshore-worker from Manchester, described the situation as ‘absolutely diabolical”. “Even travellers who had letters from Alicante Foreigners’ Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away,” away by Spanish authorities Miller told the Olive Press. DIABOLICAL: Brits were turned “I mean what more proof do you need of residency?” that buying a Some of the others sent back in- Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned website to check of the ‘reason-f o r v a l i d f e r * O f one cluded a woman wanting to see other travellers: “Whatever pa- property was to Spain. her sick father, stranded and perwork you have with you, and able excuses’ for travel He described how he and six othalone in hospital. whoever tells you that you’re okay away at the gate So heavy handed was the arriv- to travel, be prepared to be cart- ers were turned 1 TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd they weren’t in possesals desk that border agents were ed back on to the plane and sent because of sion of a TIE card, regardless flanked by armed police, putting back. DISAPPOINTED: Stuart Miller ‘the terror of God’ into those “I think the airport policy depends their reason for travel. the arof “Ryanair staff had made waiting to be questioned. on nothing more than the mood bitrary decision to deny their “It appeared that only those the officials at the border.” DOZENS of Brits arriving at Alion behalf of who were actually on a list of le- Since the incident, other Brits passengers travel said cante airport have been refused to gal residents, possibly checked travelling from UK airports to the Spanish authorities,” entry to Spain and sent back only wanted who plane’s the 63-year-old the against in advance Manchester on the same plane Spain have been subjected to ‘arhis first name manifest, were allowed in,” said bitrary rules made up on behalf of to be identified by despite having evidence that they Alec. Miller. had residence status. another country’, according to one He claimed that staff had ‘no inany conOlive Press reader. in engaging B o r d e r of tention’ la Tension One expat based in Rincon deOl- versation and couldn’t back up or guards had Victoria, near Malaga, told the a erected their own ruling with any “The rest of us were sent back ive Press that a ‘staggering dozen justify in print or online. sign in the bike rentAL • e-scooters without even being able to ex- or so passengers’ were refused to evidence refused on board the terminal Others to plain our legitimate reasons.” board his flight from Gatwick stating, ‘NO FR4007 included a woman with BIKE TOURS • repairS As the 40 plus travellers Malaga yesterday (Monday). TIE CARD, citizenship who was travre-boarded, the flight was subse- The retired businessman, 60, who Italianback to her family home in ENNO quently delayed, adding further asked not to be named, described elling TRY’ to the Spain. to tension in the cabin. it as ‘running the gauntlet’. amazement Miller added: “There was no ad- “It was so traumatic. You just had travelof Embassy vice, no help and no good reason no idea who was going to be allers, some for us being turned back at Al- lowed on. whom of couple, where the icante.” “Everyone turned away had valid And a married TIE card, but not were flying Ryanair staff had assured every PCR tests or they had valid rea- husband had the to Spain to traveller that their documen- sons to travel, whether to see ail- his wife. collect their when making tation - including COVID tests, ing relatives or to secure or visit “It is crucial that to TIE cards. plans to travel from the UK letters and passports - was suf- their properties,” he said. 40 Some Spain, a UK National must make ficient to gain entry into Spain. people who Meanwhile, a retired IT sure that they meet both the reprofessional described quirements to leave the UK and how he was turned those to enter Spain, bearing in away from boarding a mind that they are not the same,” Ryanair flight to Ali- said a statement from the EmbasSee page 15 cante at Manchester on sy in Madrid. Monday. delivery service available He had specifically Opinion Page 6 932 433 007 960 227 +(34)693 (+34) checked the gov.uk www.bikEalao.com CALLE ABASTOS 5 info@bikEalao.com bikEalaovalencia 46011 VALENCIA

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NEARLY all of the COVID-19 restrictions in the Valencian Community are expected to be renewed today (April 8) but there’s a chance that bars and restaurants could be allowed to stay open for longer. The current package of measures is due to expire this Monday. The region is the only one in Spain that is classified as ‘low risk’ for the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister, Ana Barcelo (pictured), said: “We will analyse infection figures to see if there is any scope for making changes and that will include bars and restaurants.” DISAPPOINTED: Stuart Miller The regional hospitality DOZENS of Brits arriving at Alicansector has a current closing te airport have been refused entry time of 6 pm. Valencian ofto Spain and sent back to Manchester ficials will almost certainly on the same plane despite having evextend the 10pm curfew and idence that they had residence status. regional border closure unBorder guards had erected a sign in til next month. the terminal stating, ‘NO TIE CARD, They are both expected NO ENTRY’ to the amazement of travto run through till May 9, ellers, some of whom were flying to which is the end of the secSpain to collect their TIE cards. ond national State of Alarm Some 40 people who had arrived from Manchester Airport were left upset, order.

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Brits ‘Fury’ at Spanish airport as 40 are deported back to UK, while dozens kicked off flight from Gatwick NEARLY all of the COVID-19 restrictions in the Valencian Community are expected to be renewed today (April 8) but there’s a chance that bars and restaurants could be allowed to stay open for longer. The current package of measures is due to expire this Monday. The region is the only one in Spain that is classified as ‘low risk’ for the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister, Ana Barcelo (pictured), said: “We will analyse infection figures to see if there is any scope for making changes and that will include bars and restaurants.” The regional hospitality sector has a current closing time of 6 pm. Valencian officials will almost certainly extend the 10pm curfew and regional border closure until next month. They are both expected to run through till May 9, which is the end of the second national State of Alarm order.

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Vol. 2 Issue 53 www.theolivepress.es April 8th - April 21th 2021

from Manchester, described the situation as ‘absolutely diabolical”. “Even travellers who had letters from Alicante Foreigners’ Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away,” Miller told the Olive Press. “I mean what more proof do you need of residency?” Some of the others sent back included a woman wanting to see her sick father, stranded and alone in hospital. So heavy handed was the arrivals desk that border agents were flanked by armed police, putting ‘the terror of God’ into those waiting to be ques- DIABOLICAL: Brits were turned away by Spanish authorities tioned. “It appeared that only those who pared to be carted back on to the plane Meanwhile, a retired IT professional were actually on a list of legal resi- and sent back. described how he was turned away dents, possibly checked in advance “I think the airport policy depends on from boarding a Ryanair flight to Aliagainst the plane’s manifest, were nothing more than the mood of the of- cante at Manchester on Monday. ficials at the border.” allowed in,” said Miller. He had specifically checked the gov.uk “The rest of us were sent back with- Since the incident, other Brits travel- website to out even being able to explain our ling from UK airports to Spain have ty was onecheck that buying a properof the ‘reasonable excuses’ been subjected to ‘arbitrary rules FREE Vol. 4 Issue 103 www.theolivepres legitimate reasons.” for travel to Spain. s.es April 9th - April As the 40 plus travellers re-boarded, made up on behalf of another country’, He described 22nd 2021 how he and six others the flight was subsequently delayed, according to one Olive Press reader. were turned adding further to tension in the cab- One expat based in Rincon de la Victo- they weren’t away at the gate because in possession of a TIE ria, near Malaga, told the Olive Press in. card, regardless of their reason for Miller added: “There was no advice, that a ‘staggering dozen or so passen- travel. angry and confused - considering no help and no good reason for us gers’ were refused to board his flight “RyanairAstaff BACKLASH UK had made against new rules the arbitrary from Gatwick to Malaga yesterday being turned back at Alicante.” border ofpeople decisionforcing to deny their to weartravpassengers masks on Ryanair staff had assured every (Monday). ficials AND the beach el on behalf and by swimming of the Spanish The authori- pools retired businessman, 60, who ties,” said traveller that their documentation airline staff hasthe prompted the who 63-year-old Balearics only gov- including COVID tests, letters and asked not to be named, described it as wanted ernment had approved to contradict to be identified by histhe first national passports - was sufficient to gain en- ‘running the gauntlet’. exit from the administration. name Alec. “It was so traumatic. You just had try into Spain. country. no He claimed It hasthat said that staff masks had idea ‘no who intendo was not have going to be allowed on. Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned other Stuart Miller, tion’ of to be worn engaging inprovided any conversation that two contravellers: “Whatever paperwork “Everyone turned away had valid PCR and couldn’t a 47-yearditions back are up met. or justify their you have with you, and whoever tells tests or they had valid reasons to trav- own ruling old offThewith firstany is that evidence in print you must you that you’re okay to travel, be pre- el, whether to see ailing relatives or or online. shore-worker or with people from be alone to secure or visit their properties,” the same he Others household refused on board the FR4007 said. and second, that a 1.5 included a woman metre with Italian distance citizencan be kept from ship who was travelling another person orback to her group. family home in Spain.government The Spanish lished in the Official Statehad pub- DOZENS of Brits arriving at AlGazette icante airport have Jávea / Altea (BOE)Embassy EXCLUSIVE been that masks would be man- entry to Spain and sent refused By Simon Wade And a married datory couple, in all public back to where the hus- even Manchester spaces yorkshirelinencostablanca.com band had on the same plane where thesafety TIE card, distances but not hismet. were despite having evidence ed was the wife. they had residence status. that border agentsarrivals desk that “It is crucial that when making plans were flanked by Border guards had to travel from theSlammed UK to Spain, a UK erected a armed police, putting ‘the terror It would sign in the terminal stating, National have sure meant must make someone that they ly- TIE ‘NO of God’ into those waiting to be ing on meet both CARD, NO ENTRY’ deserted beach thearequirements stark na- amazement to leave to the questioned. ked could the UK be fined and those of travellers, some “It appeared that only those to enter for not See page 17 Spain, wearing of who mask. bearinga in whom were flying to SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS mind that they are not the Spain to were actually on a list of legal This collect their TIE cards. same,” said decision a statement Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea residents, possibly checked fromwas the Emquickly in adslammed Madrid. by the Balearic govern- Some 40 people who had arrived vance against the plane’s mani96 649 1883 bassy inment with health minister Patricia from Manchester Airport www.moraira-hamiltons.net were fest, were allowed in,” said Miller. Gomez immediately Opinionappealing Page 6 for left upset, angry and confused flexibility on the measure. considering UK border Tension “We believe that masks AND airline staff had officials approved “The rest i d f o r n e w be worn on beaches if should not exit from the country. c u s t o m e r s of us were o n l y . S u b j e c t t o c o n d i t i o n s . without even being sent back people from the sameyou are with Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old E n d s 3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 . able to exhousehold offplain or if the safety distance our legitimate reasons.” shore-worker from Manchester, DIABOLICAL: Brits As the spected,” said Gomez. can be re- described the situation 1 were turned away as ‘abso- re-boarded,40 plus travellers by Spanish authorities A day later and after lutely diabolical”. the flight was subokay to travel, be prepared sequently delayed, adding with their legal team, discussions “Even travellers who 21/6/19 13:30 to be Spain. Gomez furhad letters excarted back on to the ther to plained that the new plane and He described national law from Alicante Foreigners’ Office Miller tension in the cabin. sent back. how he and six othdoes not override its own added: “There was no asking adregional idency them to collect their res- vice, no legislation. help and no good rea- “I think the airport policy depends ers were turned away at the gate cards were turned away,” because they weren’t on nothing son for us being turned “There is a sentence in Miller told the Olive in possesback at the officials more than the mood of sion of a TIE card, Alicante.” al law that mentions ‘inthe nation- “I mean what more Press. at the border.” regardless of proof do you Ryanair conformi- need ty with the health authorities.’ staff had assured every Since the incident, other Brits their reason for travel. of residency?” “Ryanair staff had made travelling from UK traveller that their Some of the others sent the arairports documen- Spain back in- tation - including have been subjected to bitrary decision to deny their Continues on Page cluded a woman wanting COVID tests, ‘arbitrary 4 to passengers travel rules her sick father, strandedto see letters and passports - was on behalf of suf- half of another made up on be- the Spanish authorities,” and ficient to gain country’, accord- the said alone in Mr Miller’s entry into Spain. 63-year-old who wife, Caz, warned ing to one Olive Press reader. ed to be identified only wanthospital. other travellers: One expat based in Rincon by his first “Whatever de la name Alec. pa- Victoria, near So heavy perwork you Malaga, told the He h a n d - whoever tellshave with you, and Olive Press that claimed that staff had a ‘staggering tention’ ‘no inyou that you’re dozen or so passengers’ of engaging in any conwere versation and refused to board his couldn’t back Gatwick to Malaga flight from or justify their own ruling up with yesterday any evidence (Monday). in print or online. Others refused The retired businessman, 60, FR4007 included on board the who asked not to be a ON THE WAY: An influx of tourists is hoped for as Gibraltar is expected to be put on the UK’s ‘green list’ woman scribed it as ‘runningnamed, de- Italian citizenship who with was the gaunt- travelling let’. back to her family GIBRALTAR is getting ready with the virus in hospital or home in Spain. “It was so traumatic. for a flood of tourists when the elderly nursing homes for the You just had no idea who was going to ban on UK residents travel- past two weeks, COVID-19 is be allowed on. ling abroad is lifted on May 17. no longer the threat it once Embassy “Everyone turned away UK authorities could green- was. And a married couple, where the id PCR tests or they had val- husband list The Rock in its proposed Almost the whole population had valid had the TIE card, but reasons to travel, whether traffic light system to rate have taken their vaccinations to see not his wife. ailing relatives or to countries that have the lowest too, so it is less likely that “It is crucial that when infections and highest vacci- there will be another outvisit their properties,” secure or plans making to travel from the UK nations. break. Meanwhile, a retired he said. to Spain, With active cases now at sev- All these factors point to Gifessional described howIT pro- sure a UK National must make Portals Nous, that they meet both he was en in Gibraltar and no-one braltar being placed on the turned away from boarding a quirements to leave the the regreen list, although its close Ryanair flight to Alicante UK and 07181, at those to enter Spain, bearing proximity to Spain could be a Manchester on Monday. in mind that they are Mallorca. problem. He had specifically checked not the the same,” said a statement from The Rock’s Minister for Tour- listeners about our intentions we are a safe destination for gov.uk website to the Embassy in Madrid. ism talked about handling of welcoming British tourists travel. buying a property wascheck that DISAPPOINTED: Stuart See page 16 COVID-19 on the BBC Five to Gibraltar as soon as the “As we continue to raise Miller ‘reasonable excuses’ one of the for travel Live radio programme recent- UK Government allows its awareness of Gibraltar, we to SP18206EN - Front page Opinion Page 6 Ewn adverts v2.indd ly. citizens to travel,” said Dary- will advertise our product in 4 14/02/2020 23:25 “This was an excellent op- anani. the UK news media as much portunity to inform UK radio “They were keen to know that as possible.”

Hottest new restaurants, secret escapes and hidden gems... Sevilla is the first in our new series of incisive Insider’s guides to the very best of Spain

The

Your voice in Spain April 8th - April 21th 2021

EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade

had arrived from Manchester Airport were left upset, angry and confused - considering UK border officials AND airline staff had approved exit from the country. Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old offshore-worker from Manchester, described the situation as ‘absolutely diabolical”. “Even travellers who had letters from Alicante Foreigners’ Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away,” away by Spanish authorities Miller told the Olive Press. DIABOLICAL: Brits were turned “I mean what more proof do you need of residency?” that buying a Some of the others sent back in- Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned website to check of the ‘reasoncluded a woman wanting to see other travellers: “Whatever pa- property was onetravel to Spain. her sick father, stranded and perwork you have with you, and able excuses’ for he and six othHe described how alone in hospital. whoever tells you that you’re okay away at the gate So heavy handed was the arriv- to travel, be prepared to be cart- ers were turned in possesals desk that border agents were ed back on to the plane and sent because they weren’t of sion of a TIE card, regardless flanked by armed police, putting back. DISAPPOINTED: Stuart Miller ‘the terror of God’ into those “I think the airport policy depends their reason for travel. the arof “Ryanair staff had made waiting to be questioned. on nothing more than the mood bitrary decision to deny their “It appeared that only those the officials at the border.” DOZENS of Brits arriving at Alion behalf of Vol. 5 Issue 145 www.theolivepress.es April 7th - April 20th 2021 who were actually on a list of le- Since the incident, other Brits passengers travel FREE said cante airport have been refused to gal residents, possibly checked travelling from UK airports to the Spanish authorities,” entry to Spain and sent back only wanted in advance against the plane’s Spain have been subjected to ‘ar- the 63-year-old whohis first name Manchester on the same plane manifest, were allowed in,” said bitrary rules made up on behalf of to be identified by despite having evidence that they Alec. Miller. had residence status. another country’, according to one He claimed that staff had ‘no inany conOlive Press reader. B o r d e r de la tention’ of engaging inback up or Rincon in based Tension expat One guards had Ol- versation and couldn’t with any Victoria, near Malaga, told the a erected justify their own ruling “The rest of us were sent back ive Press that a ‘staggering dozen evidence in print or online. sign in the without even being able to ex- or so passengers’ were refused to Others refused on board the terminal to reasons.” Gatwick from legitimate our flight his plain with board stating, ‘NO FR4007 included a woman As the 40 plus travellers Malaga yesterday (Monday). TIE CARD, Italian citizenship who was travre-boarded, the flight was subse- The retired businessman, 60, who elling back to her family home in ENNO quently delayed, adding further asked not to be named, described Spain. TRY’ to the to tension in the cabin. it as ‘running the gauntlet’. amazement Miller added: “There was no ad- “It was so traumatic. You just had travelof Embassy vice, no help and no good reason no idea who was going to be allers, some for us being turned back at Al- lowed on. whom of couple, where the icante.” “Everyone turned away had valid And a married TIE card, but not were flying Ryanair staff had assured every PCR tests or they had valid rea- husband had the to Spain to traveller that their documen- sons to travel, whether to see ail- his wife. collect their when making tation - including COVID tests, ing relatives or to secure or visit “It is crucial that to TIE cards. plans to travel from the UK letters and passports - was suf- their properties,” he said. 40 Some Spain, a UK National must make ficient to gain entry into Spain. people who Meanwhile, a retired IT sure that they meet both the reprofessional described quirements to leave the UK and how he was turned those to enter Spain, bearing in a away from boarding mind that they are not the same,” Ryanair flight to Ali- said a statement from the EmbasUK Foreign onSecretary Dominic Raab (pictured with Chief See page 15 cante at Manchester sy in Madrid. Monday. Minister Fabian Picardo) visited Gibraltar as a show of support for the Schengen treaty to be worked out with the EU He had specifically Opinion Page 6 year. gov.uk the this checked later At a historic Joint Ministerial Council held at No.6 Convent Place, ministers and officials settled the terms by which Gibraltar would remove its land frontier with Spain. Fabian Picardo, welcomed Raab and gave him a personal tour * O f f e r v a l of Gibraltar’s streets and nature park on March 29. 3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 . Both of them welcomed the Spanish approach which had E n d s c o n d i t i o n s . t o S u b j e c t o n l y . made this treaty possible. TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd The visit by Raab is being seen as one of the biggest indications since Brexit of the UK’s commitment to Gibraltar’s 21/6/19 13:30 self-determination. “The UK will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes,” assured a government spokesperson. “Nor will it enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.” The Foreign Secretary was looking to reassure Gibraltarians that the UK’will play its part in giving the Rock the best future, despite how difficult the Brexit pill has been to swallow. “Our position reflects the unique situation of Gibraltar and the opportunity that this negotiation brings,” said Raab.

The

OLIVE PRESS

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 10 www.theolivepress.es FREE

What about us!

I AM surprised at the very negative slant you put on the British government’s actions (Get a grip, last issue). Everyone I talk to agrees that, regardless of anything else, thousands more Brits would have died if we had to follow the farcical display of the Eurocrats in the vaccination stakes. Their indecision and petty politics have led to their being responsible for horribly low vaccination numbers and thus led to the unnecessary deaths of thousands of European citizens. Thank heavens for Brexit say the Brits

GREAT article about the Green COVID Passports. I fully understand the UK/Spain (Brexit) problem and hopefully it will be resolved but what about tourists from other countries? I live in the US and I have my CDC Pfizer x 2 vaccine card which is like a passport. I have had negative COVID tests So is Spain going to allow me and my wife (also jabbed twice) into Spain? Hope so Saludos!

John Price, via email

Dermot McQuarrie, Florida

Tell the truth

Your

expat

‘Fury’ at Spanish airport as 40 Brits deported back to UK, while dozens are kicked off flight from Gatwick

Brits ‘Fury’ at Spanish airport as 40 are deported back to UK, while dozens kicked off flight from Gatwick Hottest new restaurants, secret escapes and hidden gems... Sevilla is the first in our new series of incisive Insider’s guides to the very best of Spain

Brexit cheer

Beggars belief

COSTA BLANCA

The

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

FREE

OLIVE PRESS

The

The Costa SAN JAVIER Mijas

Decision time

Our readers say that COVID uncertainty needs clearing up one way or the other

Brexit is not as bad as people make out - or is it?

ta Amanda Cooke, Orihuela Cos

OLIVE PRESS

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Down 1 Faithful supporter (8) 2 Feat (4) 3 Largo and lento, for example (6) 4 South Vietnamese delta (6) 5 Entire quantity (3,5) 6 “It’s a warm wind, the --- wind ...” (Masefield) (4) 12 Dilapidated fence fit for practical purposes (2,6) 14 Excited (8) 16 Southampton team (6) 17 Stand-in ruler (6) 19 Boring routines (4) 20 Loudness units (4)

All solutions are on page 22

I WOULD like to know why is it that although the UK is ahead with the COVID jabs, and people have all the correct papers, they are refused entry into Spain. People who are trying to collect their TIE cards are also being turned away. We know only too well we don’t want the virus to spread further and as a resident I certainly don’t want that to happen. What amazes me is Spain has had a huge influx of German and French registered cars arriving. We know the road borders are open but why haven’t they reinstated a police presence to check, track and stop them. You can’t have rules for one country and not others . It beggars belief. Maybe Brexit has something to do with it. Mind you it wasn’t thought through properly was it!

I HAVE two sisters-in-law that work for the health department in Andalucia The both constantly tell me that Spain has not got enough jabs to vaccinate 2% of its entire population, so where do you get your information from when it comes to telling expats that they can have their vaccine? I would like to hear your answer but I don’t live there anymore because it is a country full of self centered story tellers. You say that you want the Brits there so Spain can get it’s tourism going again but they won’t come because you’re not vaccinated and won’t be for at least another 12 months.

Bryan Loughlin, via email

David Middleton, via email

Humanity needed

BEFORE we left the EU my husband passed away and, after five months Spain finally accepted responsibility for paying bereavement support. However, they haven't accrued his UK contributions. The EU law says they should. It says invalid support but also mentions bereavement support. This also happened with his disability when he was terminally ill. Four years on they said he'd been overpaid and wanted the money back, because his disability benefit wasn't classed as contribution based, which it should have been. So, a dying man who saved up for his final years ended up on a very small income struggling to pay a debt off that I realise now was because social security didn't accrue his years of contributions in the UK, which was in the EU at the time. I am in the process of sorting out the widow’s allowance - but we all know they don't reply to letters unless it's to their advantage. The Spanish authorities need to apply a little humanity to their decisions.

Janet Brickhill, via email

A pleasure! I AM reading with great pleasure through your latest issue of the Olive Press. You always present the readers with interesting historic features and other diverse articles as well. It is a publication that is not 'soap opera' as the Euro Weekly News seems to be. As a Dutch/Canadian living in Spain, I am not interested in all the so-called stars and reams of sports etc. What you give us to read is more based on the Spanish way of life, thank you.

Yvonne Jurgens, Lliber (Valencia)

Excellent piece I HAVE just read your excellent piece in the paper on Sevilla (Travel special last issue, all editions) and look forward to reading about other places to visit in the coming weeks. What would be helpful is if you added a section about how to get there from the Costa Blanca. Whether rail, road or air etc, and approx cost of tickets. We are new to Spain and plan to visit other cities as soon as able. Thanks for the info.

Andre Seager, Alicante

Editor’s note: Thanks for the comments. It is an excellent idea, and something we will consider carefully, space permitting.

Jean genius I ENJOYED reading your article Surrealist love in the Olive Press, Issue April 7 and thought you might like to see what I made ... I bought a scarf some 20 years ago with a Picasso design. In 2006 I copied the design in fabric paint onto my jeans and then in 2016 converted the jeans into a bag!

Tricia Gabbitas, Torre del Mar

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LA CULTURA Loss, Life, Love

by Nalanie Harilela Chellaram On April 30 from noon until 4pm Nalanie will be launching her new book in The Bookshop San Pedro. Based on Nalanie’s spiritual knowledge and personal experiences, Loss, Life, Love offers hope and advice on how to move on with life following the loss of a loved one. The underlying messages are that, even though the pain may never fully leave you, finding a purpose in life can help the healing process. “Throughout the last weeks of our life together, every time our emotions got too hard for us to understand and digest, we would just look at each other and say, ‘it is as it is’, and that helped us through,” said Nalanie of the time leading to her husband’s death. Loss, Life, Love explains the process of bereavement and describes the many tools that help during the most difficult and painful of life’s experiences. €12.99 The Bookshop San Pedro, www.thebookshop.es

Posters from

Sotogrande artist Scarlet Alexandra is the poster child for post-pandemic reinvention - and she prints them herself! Alex Trelinski checks out her sexy start-up

ing limited editions of her enchanting, Belle Epoque-inspired travel posters – quite some achievement for the times we live in. With a vintage vibe that evokes the glamour of a bygone era, Scarlet’s ‘Saxdoodles’ are a fusion of Scarlet and Alexandra tacked on to ‘doodle’, although these intimate portraits of her own home turf and beyond are far from casual scribbles: café society at Ke Sotogrande, chiringuito life at El Chambao beach bar, Guadiaro FeINSPIRATION: Classic Spanish posters dating to the early 1900s ria, Tarifa’s giant Valdevaqueros sand dune, the Costa del Sol of mine, from spending a ence,” enthuses Scarlet who coastline …every poster tells few years in Buenos Aires looks far more artist than IT a story. through to studying art de- whizz with her multi-coloured “Travel is a real passion sign at the University of Flor- bandana and purple-washed

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N Art Deco-style poster of a palm-tree-lined promenade whimsically welcomes visitors to ‘Sotogrande Cadizfornia’. Scarlet Alexandra’s art is a reflection of her wit as well as her grit. One day the 27-year-old was living the dream in Dubai working for a digital start-up company. The next day she was on the plane home to Sotogrande with her career in the shredder, collateral damage of the pandemic. She did, however, have a plan ... “I saw a gap in the market for bespoke posters of Spain that went beyond the traditional” she tells the Olive Press when we catch up with her at her Sotogrande studio. “Most images seem to show bullfighting or flamenco dancing, but nothing about the towns and villages, which is why I went for something different.” In under a year this can-do e-entrepreneur has built up a thriving online start-up sell-

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

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Do you have a what’s on? Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

BEAUTIFUL: Scarlet has used places she knows to turn into these fabulous posters

hair. “I looked to combine that with my design experience to create posters that typify an area.” Scarlet started up saxdoodle.com last April with six initial offerings, one of which was a map of the Sotogrande area in San Roque. “Nobody had done anything like this before and I started to get inquiries and orders from people with holiday

homes wanting something to remind them of where they stay in Spain,” she says. Ten months down the line, 350 posters have been sold, much to this modest artist’s surprise. “We had no advertising or publicity with ‘word of mouth’ and our website the only way we got customers. I’m quite surprised at the level of interest.”

Indeed, wall posters are a venture, they also became highly collectible art form. a cheap and powerful adverVintage versions range in tising tool that had their heystyles from Art day during the Nouveau and Golden Age of Cubism to Art Travel, enticing Every poster Deco and Bapassers-by to huaus. book holidays tells a story Dating from by train, boat of Spain’s the invention of and new-fanmass produc- beautiful towns gled jet plane. tion lithographMost OP readand villages i c ers will be too printyoung to reing in member the the mid-19th centu- old Fly TWA (Trans World Airry, they gave aspir- line) buillboards; or the Jolly ing painters in gar- Fisherman, a 1908 poster rets a new source for Great Northern Railways of income (at one depicting a chubby mariner time, the streets of dancing a hornpipe on the Paris were known sand captioned ‘Skegness as the ‘poor man’s is so bracing. It’s quicker by picture gallery’) rail’. and allowed or- Luckily for Andalucia tourdinary people to ism, which badly needs the own artwork by publicity to attract visitors famous artists back post Covid, Scarlet’s at lower prices. collection has a strong local Although maybe bias. More lately, she has not today. Chris- expanded beyond her own tie’s sold Henri regional borders to encomde Toulouse-Lau- pass Gibraltar and other trec’s 1891 Mou- places outside Spain. “Some lin Rouge - La friends of mine live in MarGoulue lithograph rakech in Morocco, so I crefor £314,500 in ated some posters for them, 2014, making it as well as for places that I the highest-gross- know like Buenos Aires and ing travel poster Dubai,” she says. in history. A key aspect of Saxdoodle is Posters were the way her limited edition used to celebrate posters are made. unique cultural “Every A3 size poster is institutions - in produced on sustainFrance, the cafe ably-sourced hand-lined and cabaret: in bamboo paper in our 100% Italy the opera; carbon neutral printing stuin Spain the feria dio,” she explains. Each print and the bullfight; comes with a certificate of in Britain, the cir- authenticity and is personalcus and the sea- ly signed, adds Scarlet, who side holiday. also takes on individual priWith their vate commissions. h e a d - t u r n i n g As for the future, Scarlet’s colours, large career journey is clearly scale and abili- mapped out. “I want to exty to inspire ad- pand my poster range up

the coast through the Costa Blanca and all the way through to Barcelona,” she

declares. Today she’s conquering Spain; tomorrow, maybe, the world.

Local heroes A GANDIA band has entered Spain’s top 10. Zoo - also known as Zoo Posse - were formed in 2014, adding rap, breakbeat and electronic elements, plus a trombone and saxophone, to a rock and ska base while maintaining the protest and socially aware lyrics of punk. The band’s third album, Llepolies (‘Sweets’ in valenciano) is currently the tenth most sold record in Spain, ahead of international reggaeton superstars such as Bad Bunny and Ozuna. The six young musicians have managed it independently, through their own record label Zoo Records and without having their album on sale at high-street shopping centres. This is a band that also sells out all their concert tickets as soon as they announce new tour dates, including two shows at Valencia’s open-air Marina scheduled for June 5 and 6. Furthermore, the second best-selling album this week is La pequeña semilla (‘The small seed’) by Alba Reche, from Elche, beaten only by the omnipresent Madrid rapper C Tangana but above releases by Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and many others.

LA CULTURA

Hot ticket

TEXAS, arguably Scotland’s biggest and most enduring rock band, has added an extra concert date in Spain for their rearranged 2021 tour. Albacete, in Castilla La Mancha, will have the band perform on Friday, March 25, 2022. Four other Spanish venues originally formed part of the 2021 tour, but growing popularity in light of their new album means demand for tickets is higher. The band spokesman said: “As many of you will have expected, we are having to move our remaining 2021 tour dates to early 2022. “We are as disappointed as anyone about this as we are desperate to get back playing live, especially as we now have some new songs to play!”

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Out of the depths Droughts revealed the dolmen that had been completely submerged for over 50 years

AN ANCIENT structure known as ‘Spanish Stonehenge’ was recently revealed in its entirety for the first time since being ‘lost’ when a reservoir was created in 1963. But calls for it to be moved to higher ground to save it from water damage have been rejected on the basis that their ‘historical-archaeological context’ would be destroyed. Put simply, experts from the Ministry of Culture have decided that moving the ancient stones - thought to date back 5,000 years - will cause irreparable damage to the archaeology. It would also mean that they could not be viewed in POLICE have seized three forged Goya, El Greco and Modigliani paintings which were being sold for €12.5 million to unsuspecting collectors. The owner of the pieces was a builder who apparently accepted the pictures as payment for jobs done - despite him knowing nothing about art. He had amassed a collection of

Is it or isn’t it?

STONE CIRCLE: The Dolmen of Guadalperal will not be moved edge of the water at Embalse Valdecañas Reservoir and By Simon Wade de Valdecañas, in Extremad- hydro-electric dam to supply underdeveloped parts of ura. their original setting - despite After more than 50 years, the western Spain. the fact the blocks spend most stones became visible after Some local residents and of their time underwater. successive droughts in the cultural groups had mootThe Dolmen of Guadalperal region. ed relocating the stones and is a stone circle consisting of In 1963, Franco’s government move the monument to safer 150 large granite slabs by the flooded the area to create the territory. In turn, this would preserve the monument, promote profits. tourism, and proudly display The sale of the fake Spain’s prehistoric history, Modigliani was reportedthey said. But the Ministry 1,000 pieces. ly backed up with several of Culture has turned down He decided to cash in by put- forged documents certifythe plan, saying in an official ting the artworks up for sale, ing the ‘authenticity’ of the bulletin that while it was declaiming they were authentic, painting, with the aim of claring it an Asset of Cultural with the help of a network of selling it to buyers in SwitInterest any scheme to move dodgy art dealers. zerland, Mexico or Gerthe dolmen would ‘risk a loss They enticed international cli- many at an asking price of of authenticity if its relocaents in exchange for 10% of the €8.5 million. tion were to be considered’.

Bricking it

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A PAINTING that could be worth up to €150 million if it turns out to be a long-lost masterpiece by Caravaggio was about to go under the hammer with a bargain reserve of €1,500. Spain’s Ministry of Culture imposed a last minute export ban on the oil painting while experts examine it to see if it is a work by a lesser artist or an original by the Italian master. Madrid auction house Ansorena said it had withdrawn the painting identified as The Crown of Thorns after being told that the work could not be exported until experts determined its provenance. It is currently attributed to an unnamed artist within the studio of 17th century Spanish painter Jose de Ribera. The sale was pulled after experts from the Prado lobbied the government to place an emergency export ban while they studied it.

Traveling by motorhome in the COVID era: an opportunity to travel in safety and freedom

OTORHOMES are currently the safest and ‘freest’ option to enjoy your free time and feel at home while traveling. During the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling by motorhome is one of the best alternatives, being the perfect choice to move around safely and with total freedom, all while feeling at home. It is the ideal option to travel comfortably at a leisurely pace, especially if you have children. It allows you to adapt the trip with total freedom as your mood suits and to forget about schedules. Being in total control, it permits people to visit both the most popular destinations and the most hidden secret corners. And it is a great way to get to know local customs and make new friends. One of the main advantages of travelling by motorhome is comfort. You only have to choose a good place to spend the night and enjoy all the built-in facilities that rival any hotel. These include fully rotating driver and co-driver seats, 150-litre refrigerators, independent showers, state-of-the-art toilet, washbasin, kitchen with oven, TV aerial even satellite - drinking water and waste water tanks, GPS, several beds -island, double or bunk beds- heating, air conditioning and hot water, motorcycle racks and bicycle racks, among other details.

Safety at the wheel Safety at the wheel is fundamental to any trip, but even more so when travelling in this type of transport. It is essential to choose a vehicle that meets a series of conditions, among which safety stands out. This is why it is so important to be advised by qualified professionals such as Caravanas Cruz, who offer the best alternatives according to the needs of each person. Caravanas Cruz has been offering its services as a distributor of caravans and motorhomes for more than 40 years and is one of the leading companies in Spain for services and facilities in the world of caravanning. As it has one of the largest accessory stores in the country, an online sales service and a large specialised workshop with the capacity to work on more than 10 vehicles, caravanners are in safe hands. Its sales department has professionals who guide the purchase process according to the needs and tastes of each family. And if you want to try before you buy, the company offers a motorhome rental service so you can dip your toes into the water of caravanning. Its facilities are expansive, with 14,000 sqm of exhibition space and more than 100 vehicles, both new and second-hand, from top brands such as Benimar, Adria, Autostar, Hymer or Hobby, among others. Caravanas Cruz follows the anticovid protocol of the Spanish Association of Industry and Commerce of Caravaning. Among its measures, it has implemented a new appointment service, which can by calling 965 457 819. Cruz Caravans Address: Carretera de Dolores, km 1. 03290 Elche (Alicante) Telephone: 965 457 819

FOOD & DRINK EASYJET has unviled three new routes between Spain and the UK this summer. Mallorca, Malaga and Alicante will be served by the budget carrier from Birmingham during the summer season. The route between Malaga and Birmingham will be operational from June 29 to October 30, with two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays. This new route reinforces the airline’s commitment to Malaga, a city in which it will inaugurate its new seasonal base in June with three aircraft.

April 22nd May 5th 2021

Flight-tastic The Alicante flights will operate from June 30, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with one-way fares from £23.99 and the Mallorca services will begin on July 3, departing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with one-way fares from £22.99. The three new routes are already available on the airline’s website with sister brand easyJet holidays offering packages to all Spanish destinations.

Shuttered SOME of Barcelona’s most famous and longest established restaurants have been forced to shut for good. They may have survived in some cases - a Civil War and decades of fascist dictatorship, and financial crisis galore but they have finally been done in by COVID. They include Cal Pinxo was a hugely popular seafood eatery in the Barceloneta beach area that had been serving customers for over 60 years, while Senyor Parellada had been open in the Born neighbourhood of the capital city for 38 years. Other historic names to go under include Agut in the famous Gothic quarter, shut after 97 years, and Diaganol Can Soteras in the Eixample, which has pulled down the blinds for the last time after a whopping 105 years of business. All hopes were on Easter, after a disastrous year with practically zero international

Different Strokes TUI and WizzAir have offered different takes on summer prospects for UK holiday-makers seeking a Spanish or European sunshine break. Budget airline WizzAir says its plans to increase services over the next few months to pre-pandemic levels ‘cannot be guaranteed’ due to fears of governments continuing to impose travel restrictions. On the other hand, travel operator TUI says it ‘feels optimistic’ about the summer because of the vaccination programme.

Routes

WizzAir has been increasing its portfolio of routes with the airline planning a 10% hike on its services prior to March 2020 numbers. It’s chief executive officer, Jozsef Varadi, said: “We need to reconcile these increased numbers with reality. We cannot guarantee an increase in services due to uncertainty over governments imposing restrictions.” His caution contrasted with that of TUI boss, Friedrich Joussen, who said: “Bookings in March alone hit 2.8 million and we expect to run up to 75% of our normal schedule over the summer season. “We are confident that we will have a decent summer thanks to COVID vaccinations.”

Restaurants up to 100 years old forced to close due to travel restrictions By Glenn Wickman

tourism and no visitors from outside Catalunya since last summer. However, the holidays did not pan out as expected, and ongoing restrictions – including the perimeter closure around the region

and the reinstatement of the district closures this week – have sealed the fate of these legendary establishments. But they are far from the only ones. The local hospitality union estimates that around 30% of bars and restaurants in Barcelona city centre have been forced to close down.

Air Nostrum Bailout THE Valencian airline Air Nostrum has asked for a €103 million bailout loan from the Spanish government’s rescue fund. The company says that it lost €129 million last year because of travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Air Nostrum started up in 1994 with its main base at Valencia airport with hubs in Barcelona and Madrid. It operates as a franchise of Iberia under the Iberia Regional label with 91 domestic and international routes. In 2019, Air Nostrum won the Airline of the Year Gold Award presented by the European Regions Airline Association. Air Nostrum’s application to the government states that it would repay the proposed €103 million loan over seven years. It’s entire workforce of 1,439 people has been on the ERTE furlough scheme for over a year. Last November it announced a package of measures including a 25% drop in salaries to avoid redundancies ‘as much as possible’. Other savings include reducing its fleet of aircraft by 14 to 39 and renegotiating deals with their external suppliers. Air Nostrum has published a full summer schedule with additional routes above those advertised prior to the start of the pandemic.

To read or not to read? WILLIAM Shakesbeer is Valencia’s newest English bookshop online, with plans to stock craft beers in the near future. Run by Nic and Nick, the shop combines the couple’s passion for English Literature and craft beers. On the website, customers will find a wide variety of quality, secondhand English books for adults and children, at competitive prices. “We have something for everyone, from crime, romance and saga, to fantasy, fairy tales and books to help with your little ones’ first words,” says Nick. A few brand new books are stocked and there is also a selection of non-fiction, including cookery books. The original idea for Shakes-

There is an exciting new option for bookworms and craft beer lovers in Spain: William Shakesbeer beer was to have a shop front in Valencia city, but as with so many other things, this plan has been paused due to the pandemic. So for now, the independent bookshop is online. Delivery is by Correos throughout mainland Spain, or clients in Valencia can arrange a free pick-up and save some cents on postage. Reading is such a great way to escape into another world, especially in the current global climate. It is a relaxing way to enjoy a sense of continuity and definitely something calming to indulge in. Add to that the benefits of being a regular reader: having a wider vocabulary and more fact-based knowledge; feeling less stressed and being more creative, are just a few advantages. There is a weekly blog post on the website to inspire you, and the collection of children’s books is currently being expanded, so there will soon be even more to choose from. William Shakesbeer is aiming to do a few pop up stalls around Valencia in the coming months, where you will be able to peruse English books and craft beers to take home. Follow the new business on Instagram, Facebook or the shop website www.shakesbeer.es to find the latest news on this unique project.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

There has never been a better time to visit the normally packed island of Ibiza, writes Jon Clarke

T’S approaching high Spring and the beaches of Ibiza would normally be filling up and the hip boutiques of Ibiza town inundated with English, American and German accents. Instead there is merely a gentle trickle of European tourists circling the White Isle and you’re more likely to hear the cries of a curlew or the flapping wings of a flamingo, than a persistent house beat. Best of all, you hardly need a reservation for a single restaurant, and you’ll be surprised to find more than a dozen people on any of its wonderfully varied beaches and coves. The island has never looked more beautiful and the interior is awash with wild flowers and blossom, and the comprehensive series of countryside walks and bike trails are better marked than ever before. This is the Ibiza that often gets forgotten, with so many associating the island with pumping house music and partying to excess. Forget the beach parties and concrete blocks of San Antonio, head inland, or to its lesser known corners, to find its best green spaces, many designated as Natural Parks. Visiting Ibiza this Spring, is like returning to the Ibi-

Island e p esca

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

BACK TO BASICS Liberal Ibiza is laid back in vibe and historic in heart za of the Sixties, when a the ancient citadel above your heels for trainers. fore taking a look around handful of bespoke trav- Ibiza Town, with nobody With nobody about, it the Archaeological Museellers upped sticks from in front of you. feels somewhat eerie, um (www.maef.eu), with northern Europe to set up This Unesco protected actually edgy, strolling its impressive collection of homes on the island. World Heritage Site is a around. At least one part Phoenician relics, said to The roads are nearly emp- true gem, which will take of it, just outside the main be among the best in the ty and you can sightsee at at least an hour to wan- wall at the world. forts or beauty spots with- der about, its warren of extreme east, Look out for out a crowd of tourists narrow cobbled streets is almost a the tunnels With nobody with selfie sticks driving and tunnels (yes, tunnels!) slum, with that take you you up the wall. about, it feels up and down amazing in the extreme. squatters and Take advantage of a once- Chances are, towards drug dealers the heart eerie, actually into in-a-lifetime chance to sunset, you will almost around, so be of the alcaclamber up into Dalt Vila, see nobody, yet many of careful. edgy, strolling zar and idethe galleries and muse- But once inally try and about ums will still be open and side the end up headrestaurants are soon set to walls proper, ing out of the stay open until 10.30pm you will be back and then (early by Spanish stan- amazed at how well it has down the ring road back dards, but positively late been maintained and how to the centre. for the Brits and certainly much there is to see. When you get back down Scandinavians). Head in via the Portal de you will be in the ritzy A fortress within a for- Ses Taules, an impressive part of town with all the tress, this is a solid stone ramp and drawbridge, hip boutiques, including redoubt that was once that you can imagine the likes of Paul Smith, the centre of Ibosim, one would have been any- Tous and Mayurka (www. of the key Mediterranean thing but easy to scale mayurkaibiza.com), which ports, first built by the during a time of battle. has been around for 30 Phoenicians. Once inside, make sure to years and stocks the likes Meaning ‘Upper Town’ walk right to the top to see of Balenciaga, Kenzo and Dalt Vila is certainly not the Cathedral de Nuestra Marc Jacobs. for the faint hearted and it Senora de las Nieves and For a totally different exis decidedly hilly, so swap some incredible views, be- perience, head up the

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coast a little to the salt pans, where you can find not just an impressive area of natural beauty, but some incredible wildlife and a splendid walk with lunch bundled in. This is part of the Ses Salines Natural park and where the famous Sal de Ibiza comes from. Salt has been continually exploited here since 600 BC by the Phoenicians - the commodity has brought great wealth to the island over the centuries - and there is some historical evidence today including an old milling wheel. What is also very much in evidence is the impressive range of birds including sandpipers, curlews and stalks, that share the wetlands.The most exciting by far though are the flamingoes, when in season, that can be watched from a number of hides alongside the colourful pans. There is even a special

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Ibiza Three great places to stay in PINK SURPRISE: The salt pans are home to hundreds of flamingoes visitor centre dedicated to them. The place to start your saline adventure is near Restaurante La Escollera, where you will eventually have your lunch or supper. From here you walk down the stunning Platja des Cavallet beach to the ancient Torre de ses Portes watchtower, from where you can clearly see the island of Formentera. Be warned, the beach was the first in Ibiza to be declared a nudist beach so

by UNESCO

you may have to avert Eventually you will reach your eyes. It is also a keen the interpretation centre area for the at the Church gay scene and of Sant Frana bar called cesc, worth You can eat Chringay, that stopping for can only be a drink at and at tables accessed by to take in the foot has long flamingoes. overlooking catered to this Your final the beach or on stretch market. is From the 16th along the round day beds century towsometimes er you head busy Cami des south about Cavallet, but two kilometres through it is not far so bear with a fascinating stretch of it, as you are nearly at one of the island’s coolest coastline full restaurants. of hidden Restaurant La Escollera coves and ( w w w. l a e s c o l l e r a i b i z a . inlets and com) really is something fronded by a special, a true locals’ fapine forest. vourite and I heard that Ibiza at its time after time. very best It sits in an incredible powith no con- sition at one end of Cavelstruction, just let beach, with amazing nature, with views towards FormenCala Pluma tera. cove the real Now two decades old you standout. can eat at tables overWhen you fi- looking the beach or on nally hit the round day beds in any El-900 road, way you so choose, with head east, un- sea bass in a salt crust my til you reach top pick. the salt pans The tradition is to drink that can be a cold flute of Cava on partly walked arrival, although I was through, past happy with a iced Mahou. two huge It’s not cheap but the peopiles of salt, ple-watching is free and en route to there is plenty of that to being com- enjoy. mercialised.

m) Finca Legado (www.legado-ibiza.co tes minu 10 just y is set in a secret valle of outside Ibiza Town. Set up by a pair laidvery a has it ria Aust from creatives of back feel and counts on 3.5 hectares i, extremely verdent grounds full of cact palms, fruit trees, wild asparagus and an flowers. The rooms are ‘eclectic, artis ble, forta com mely extre all and ge’ vinta focusing on top quality sheets and mattresses and the vibe is very hip. The saltwater pool is awesome.

m) is a Hotel Mikasa (www.mikasabiza.co ing look over Town Ibiza from w thro e’s ston the main Botofoc Marina. The views of the Dalt Vila old town are wonderful and you could spend all day watching the ferries coming in and out, plus graze on the excellent food in its terrace restaurant Kasamore. There are only 16 rooms of varied sizes and s, onie standards and some don’t have balc . king boo re befo so do ask ry Cas Gasi (www.casgasi.com) is a luxua d, islan the of t hear the in agriturismo the genuine address book secret, that is els mod ous fam of ns doze for pe esca and actors. It’s not cheap, but the h of organically-certified farm grows muc and oil olive its all uces prod s, table its vege ilyhas a superb restaurant on hand. Fam See run, its staff are charming and friendly. review over the page.

Three great beach restaurants all year in Ibiza Restaurant La Escollera (www. d laescolleraibiza.com) sits in a privilege h. beac allet Cav Es of end the at tion loca the Focusing heavily on seafood, this is day of place to really kick back and plan a ing. chill and ing read g, athin sunb Hip and near the action, Nassau Beach Club (www. nassaubeachclub.com) sits on Playa d’en Bossa, close to Ushuaia nightclub and the Hard Rock hotel. It’s a very cool vibe with loads of day beds right on the beach. There’s some great sushi. Es Boldado (www. restauranteesboldadoibiza.com) is one of those secret spots that

open

e two you could not find by accident. Som prize the , track dirt a n dow etres kilom is easily one of the most breathtaking, le romantic places to eat in Spain. Simp Es zing ama the rds towa s view t gian , food Vedra islands.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Could a tiny organic hotel hidden in the White Isle’s rural heartland really be Ibiza’s hippest place to stay? Jon Clarke finds out

THE first decision to make as you stroll stretches to the 475-metre tip of Sa Tadown the drive from the car park at Agro- laia, Ibiza’s highest mountain, this pasturismo Cas Gasi is which path to take toral vernacular is as far removed from to reception: the first follows a perfumed the fleshpots of ‘San An’ as you could bank of roses, planted four rows deep; possibly imagine. the other meanders beneath a floral ar- So when you hear that Pete Doherty bour of wisteria and jasmine. mixed the ‘perfect’ Sex on the Beach It’s springtime in the rucocktails in the bar, ral heart of Ibiza, a part while fellow rocker Bryof the island few tourists an Adams was also in The grounds ever reach, and the air is house, you’re not sure if produce much heavy with the scent of you heard right. orange blossom. But just Google the of the fruit and There’s nothing but wild place online and you’ll countryside for miles find a trawl of A-listers, all the virgin around. Just an artfulwho have allegedly olive oil ly-updated 19th century stayed at the low key farmhouse set in its own property, including Richlittle Garden of Eden, with ard Gere and European orchards, grape vines and an organic royals, such as the King and Queen of kitchen garden thriving with cabbages, Norway. lettuces and leeks. The key to this is privacy, being off limits The grounds produce much of the fruit to external visitors without a reservation and veg for the hotel menus and 450 and, of course, the peace and quiet. The carefully clipped trees provide all the ex- price at 425 euros a night for a Deluxe tra virgin olive oil the hotel needs - sus- Queen room also helps. tainable agritourism at its best. But what you get is a lot more than just With a view of rolling green hills that amazing ambience.

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April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Rock ‘n’ Roses

RURAL IDYLL: And even rockers Pete Doherty and Bryan Adams couldn’t ruin the peace at Cas Gasi The suites are particularly opulent, while the Ibizan Palaces, a pair of 165m2 villas secluded from the main hotel, list luxuries like ‘XXL beds’ with feather mattress toppers and imported damask sheets. They were also very chic inside. My upgraded double room had similar bedding and was equally well-appointed with a giant bath, sitting area and stylish antique wooden furniture, as well as a superb balcony with views to relocate for. There are four hectares of grounds to wander around, with floral walks starting right from your door. There’s also a fully-equipped gym and a yoga space. Oh, and a free Vinyasa flow class every morning at 8.30am, Namasté … if you get up in time! But the real masterstroke for me is the impressive open-plan industrial kitchen,

added last year with the intention of hand to tinkle the ivories on the showbiconverting one of the suites into a ful- zzy white grand piano. ly-fledged restaurant. I chatted to the Ibizencan sous chef, who Led by chef David Reartes, it focuses is very aware of the island’s new foodie on home grown produce focus and believes ‘up to with some classy culithree or four’ restaurants nary twists, such as the The chatelaine could be vying for a star farm chicken cannelloni, over the next year or two. floats around served in a rich truffle “There is a real buzz and sauce, or the leek tatin, with a cookery school set glamorously with almond praline, a to open over the next few with Viz the dog years the island could visual masterpiece. The timing for the restaufinally start competing by her side rant’s opening is imwith Mallorca,” he insistpeccable. Ibiza is finally ed. seeing a real resurgence When I suggest Cas Gasi in the culinary stakes, gaining its first could be one of them, owner Margaret Michelin star this year. shrugs, contending that she would be Mirroring the natural style of the hotel, more than happy with one of the new expect candles on every table, flowers ‘Estrella Verdes’ (Green Stars) for susand cool jazz – that’s if no pianist is on tainable restaurants, introduced for this year’s guide. (see https://www.theolivepress.es/ spain-news/2020/12/24/new-starsare-born-and-only-one-lost-as-the-celebrated-michelin-foody-bible-reveals-itspick-in-spain-for-2021/) Very much the life and soul of Cas Gasi, this inspirational chatelaine floats glamorously around the place with her water dog, Viz, padding faithfully by her side. She spends almost as much time nurturing the staff and gardeners as she does helping the guests. Coming from noble European lineage, we drive up a winding dirt track to the lakeside office, her family earned the Fleur-de-lys hon“We came here for a nice life.” our back in the 13th century for repelThe 54-year-old from Egham left behind a marketing ling the Moors in the Pyrenees (and job at Bacardi to set up Spain’s top ski and wake centre there is also an intriguing connection with Matt, 48, a former world number five water skier. to Marie Antoinette and a passport…) The ex-champ from Macclesfield is at the helm as XtreThe heraldic emblem is the motif of the me Gene’s wakeski head coach, his world-beating exhotel. pertise played down by a laid-back attitude and hillbilly straw hat. His professional but easy-going manner filters down But Margaret is anything but snobbish through the entire Xtreme Gene family, including the and her family are equally down to wakeboard and wakesurf head coach Jordan Elizondo. earth, with her husband lighting the The 24-year-old is another champion, who first came fires and chauffeuring guests to and to Xtreme Gene on his 12th birthday and from the airport. basically never left. Their children regularly return for holiHe trains with the Spanish team, having days to help out and enjoy their former won the nationals several times and even home. the European Wakesurf Championship in “There is almost nowhere else like 2019. this left on the island,” she tells me. Amid the pandemic, business slowed to a “We are a genuine local family busitrickle but since Spain opened back up, ness that started 30 years ago and there has been a new surge of interest we’ve just kept growing organically ever from those gagging for a better adrenasince. I don’t like crowds and don’t go lin rush than supermarket shopping. out much. This is my life until it’s no fun Debbie said: “We are flexible and peoanymore. ple can stay in one of our air conditio“I guess I am a housewife who became a hotelier,” she adds jokingly. ned cabins for a day or a week, we can Just as I am leaving (typically), Margaaccommodate all group sizes.” ret tells me they are preparing for the arrival of a group of models and photographers for a shoot. “From all over Europe,” she explains. “The first time they For more information ring have left their countries for a year.” the lakeside office on They will be in for a rare treat. It’s spring+34 957057010 or email Detime in Ibiza, quite the best time to visit bbie at debbie@xtreme-gethe island, and Cas Gasi really rocks it ne.com with those roses.

Waking on water

Amazing resort near Cordoba has the world’s best watersports

Really there’s no need to fly when the perfect family escape is so much closer WHEN it comes than you think.

to having a go in the world of extreme watersports Extreme Gene is an experience not to

Did you know Europes most be missed. popular watersports complex After where was just all, a drive away? can

you not only get a lesson from a European champion but also have the chance to shoot the over an apres ski lunch. rd This is exactly the kind of A-list experience you can expect Lakeside log cabins, Bar, at Xtreme Gene Restauarnt, Terrace & in Cordoba. surf pool ThePlunge wakeboard, waterski and wakesurf centre has been a Mecca for watersports fiends since its inception in 2002. Covid safe It is no surprise that the globe’s top pros flock to the environment! area every year, especially when you first set eyes on the xtreme stunning Embalse de la Breña, on the fringes of -gene.com Almodovar del Rio. Watersp orts Complex, Cordoba Southern Spain The lake is a natural paradise far from the e.com Tel: 0034 957057010 WhatsApp: 667739392 hustle and bustle of the Costa del Sol. and information, find us on Facebook & Instagram As you enter the town you are greeted by the imposing sight of Castillo de Almodovar, a hilltop castle which doubled as Highgarden in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. Upping sticks from Britain to this charming outpost of rural Andalucia was a no-brainer for Xtreme Gene’s husband and wife team, Matt and Debbie, whose extended family includes eight dogs, two cats and a horse. “We didn’t come here to be millionaires,” Debbie explains as Come and enjoy a great withholiday. them daybreeze out or a weeks

Housewife

PROPERTY OWNERS of homes on the costas - particularly holiday properties have been warned of a spate of burglaries. Coronavirus lockdown and travel restrictions have meant that people in towns and cities have not been going out much, meaning burglars have turned their attention elsewhere. A report called ‘Burglaries in insured homes. Data 20192020’ examined figures from 27 insurance companies that cover 11.8 million dwellings in Spain. The report analysed 78,000 burglaries that occurred

Watch out!

in properties during the 12 months between the summers of 2019 and 2020. While initially burglaries followed the usual pattern of being more prevalent in the big cities, the lockdown from March 14 2020 changed all that. Practically all the provinces with the worst rate are on the coasts - particularly Gerona, Tarragona, Barcelona and Murcia. On the other hand, Madrid residents saw their chances of being burgled plumet.

Feeling Lucky?

April 22nd - May 5th 2021 MORE than 600,000 Brits have been left in expensive tax limbo by the latest government update on overseas travel, according to experts. Non-resident holiday homeowners have to pay Spain’s 24% Modelo 210 tax on the estimated letting value of their property, whether rented out or used exclusively by the owner, said accountancy firm Spanish Taxes Online. “Holiday home-owners have

Expat tax hit Foreign travel uncertainty is costing holiday home owners thousands been hit hard financially by a mixture of COVID-19 and the UK leaving the EU, which

saw their Modelo 210 bills increase by 25%,” said marketing director, Nick Ball. “More

Towering sale A SLICE of history is on the market for over €1.3 million. The ancient Torre de las Aguilas in La Albufereta has been listed with two real estate agencies. Included in the deal is its connecting house, and a substantial area of land. Torre de las Aguilas is classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest. It’s part of a set of the defensive Torres de la Huerta

BRITISH couple Martin and Debra Else are raffling-off their self-built Costa Blanca holiday villa with all of the money going to the Big Issue charity. They’ve taken the dramatic step because they have retired to Malta as opposed to Spain. The four-bedroomed property is in Aguas de Busot, a short drive away from the coast. The villa is valued at £795,000 but a winning £5 raffle ticket can secure it with the bonus of no taxes or transfer fees. All of the raffle money will be donated to the Big Issue Foundation that helps vulnerable and homeless people in the UK. Ex-builder Stephen, from Derbyshire, designed and constructed the luxury villa along with his son Martin over a two year period starting in 1999. Tickets can be obtained via the website winmyspanishvilla.co.uk

fortifications built between the 16th and 17th centuries to look out for Berber intrusions from the sea. All 20 fortifications were given BIC status in 1997 and are part of a special protection plan which regulates distances that new buildings can be constructed close to them. Torre de las Aguilas is on a large 2,800 square metre plot between Calles Virgilio and Horacio. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the Playa de San Juan golf course and plenty of supermarkets. Besides the history and location, the marketed property also includes a pine forest with a swimming pool. The linked house consists of 400 square metres with five bedrooms and bathrooms. For many years it was used for farming purposes but then was transformed into a residential building. But whoever shells out the asking price may have to spend some extra money as there have been no modifications in 50 years.

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delays and uncertainty are worrying, costly and unfair.” Under new plans, would-be holidaymakers will have to follow a traffic light system for trips away later this year. It will see countries ranked either green, amber or red, to determine whether travellers need to quarantine and if COVID -19 tests are needed.

Report

The traffic light system was detailed in a new report by the Global Travel Taskforce but will only apply to English travellers. Governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can set their own rules. Under the current plan for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could go abroad for a holiday would be 17 May. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was ‘too early’ to set out new foreign travel rules for the summer. It is currently illegal for anyone to leave England for a destination outside the UK without a reasonable excuse, such as for work, education or medical treatment. Those who do could face a £5,000 fine.

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OPENING COURSE 2021-2022 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FROM 3 TO 18 YEARS OLD

The pillars of our education

BUSINESS

PM outlines plans to spend €140 billion on investment and reforms

SPAIN’S Prime Minister has outlined his Recovery and Resilience plan for the nation aiming to revive and modernise its economy using €72 billion in grants from the European Union. Spain has earmarked a total of €140 billion to spend by 2027 for an investment and reform programme closely monitored by the European Commission. Roughly half of it will take the form of grants from the EU while the rest will be paid out in loans. The proposal will be fine-tuned before it is sent to Brussels by the April 30 deadline. “We only come by opportunities like this a few times every century and we cannot let it pass us by,” Sánchez said in a televised address following the weekly cabinet meeting in Madrid on Tuesday. He described the funds as Spain’s ‘greatest opportuni-

Hey big spender By Fiona Govan

ty’ since joining the European Union and heralded his government’s recovery plan as ‘the most ambitious and transcendental in the economic history of Spain’. Sanchez said the plan includes 212 measures,

Zombie cars Instilling Values

Disruptive Educational Approaches

Health

Language and Culture

Educational Spaces Art and Science

Family Harmony

www.shackletonschool.com 96 105 19 13 info@shackletonschool.com Calle Benieu 9, 46100, Burjasot Valencia

SPAIN’s ever growing problem with so-called ‘zombie cars’ has reached a 10 year high as COVID-19 adds to motoring’s greatest pandemic. Zombie cars is a term coined by insurance companies to describe any vehicle that is travelling without insurance or any other legally required paperwork. According to a recent study by Linea Directa, a total of 2.65 million cars are on the roads without all the correct paperwork, representing over 8% of the total cars registered across the country. This has been added to the 400,000 vehicles in the past 10 years that have already been written off the books by the DGT for spending five years or more unaccounted for. Linea Directa has revealed that the main discrepancy on Spain’s roads is the lack of insurance, a crime that can lead to fines of up to €3,000. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this issue over the past 12 months l e a d i n g to figures reaching a 10 year high.

ENERGY company Endesa is in trouble over hundreds of birds dying after making contact with the firm's high voltage power lines and pylons in Catalunya. Barcelona's environment prosecutor, Antoni Pelegrin, has filed charges after two years of investigations. Endesa and six of its managers are being prosecuted for environmental crimes and failing to protect wildlife. The action says that a 2008 national law has been broken which requires 'appropriate' protective measures in areas which have overhead high voltage cables. Prosecutors claim that Endesa failed to adequately insulate its cables and pylons, leading to 255 bird fatalities in the Osona area of Barcelona which is home to a number of protective species including buzzards, eagles, and vultures. The legal action states: "The elec-

April 22nd May 5th 2021

Deadly Pylons trocution and death of birds due to direct contact with the exposed conductors on pylons owned by the defendant has affected the whole province of Barcelona, constituting a veritable plague." A Endesa spokesman said that it acted 'in full compliance with the law in environmental issues and especially birds'. Between 2018 and 2020, Endesa said that it made changes to over 2,000 pylons and this year alone would be investing €4.6 million in the Catalunya region in making changes to power cables purely to protect birdlife. According to the lawsuit, Endesa had ‘not taken measures to repair pylons that fail to comply with safety rules’.

of which 110 involve the allocation of funds into 10 broad policy areas while the remaining 102 measures are reforms, including of the public health system, energy and renewables, or the modernization of the justice system. He envisioned that the programme should bring growth of two percentage points to gross domestic product growth annually in the coming years. Central, regional and local governments will be largely in charge of spending the money, with 18% of it going to education, a whopping 39% to environmental projects and digitalisation, and large sums earmarked for housing renovation and rural repopulation.

Crypto con SPAIN’S first-ever class action involving crypto-currency fraud has been presented to the National Court in Madrid. The lawsuit claims that over 300 small crypto investors in Spain were ripped off to the tune of over €250 million by Javier Biosca Rodriquez. Papers filed to the court say that Biosca created a scheme in 2019 which offered clients weekly returns of up to 25% on their crypto investments. He concentrated on getting bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin with the money provided from his clients.

Dividends

The first group consisted of 19 people, who were acquaintances of Biosca. The promised dividends were paid out and Biosca’s client base then expanded to over 500 through word of mouth. His investors included notaries, judges, tax inspectors, and small business owners. But in January 2020, the weekly payout dropped to between 8 and 10%, and the dividends totally dried up by last November. Biosca told investors that he was in charge of a brokerage company called Algorithms Group, but it was not registered with the Spanish National Securities Markets Commission.

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BUSINESS

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Swan’s Corner

Time for tax

ow is the time to fill out Spain’s annual Personal Income tax return (declaración de la renta or PIT). Here is what you need to know about it, who needs to complete it and the key dates to watch out for.

‘A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right’ This exemption is meant to apply to income that has already been taxed. So, if someone has an untaxed foreign employment (e.g., occupational pension) income of less than €22,000, it is still advisable that you file a Spanish PIT return.

When do you need to fill out the PIT return?

What are the key filing dates you need to know?

The general rule is that anyone who lives in or stays in Spain for more than 183 days in a calendar year is considered to be a tax resident and must fill out the PIT form. The Spanish tax year is the same as the calendar year. In more complex situations, where you split your time between several countries, or if you have property and/or business interests in other countries, there are international tax treaties, which state where you should be considered a resident and where you need to declare your income for tax purposes. Anyone resident in Spain who earned €22,000 and over in 2020 must present a PIT return. All taxpayers whose annual income is less than €22,000 will be exempt from filing a PIT return, but only if your income comes from a single source. If you get your income from more than one client or job however, such as teachers working for different language schools or businesses or autonomos (self-employed), then you will still need to complete it, even if you have earned under €22,000. There is also an exemption from filing if you only had a very small amount of income, of less than €1,500, and this must have already been taxed at source.

Generally, you will need to submit your tax return by June 30, however, there are several other key dates that you should know, depending on if you want to present your declaration on the phone or in person. April 7: The start of the 2020-2021 PIT campaign, when online presentations open. May 4: The date by which you can request an appointment to be attended by telephone. May 6: From this date, you can submit your tax return by phone. May 27: The deadline by which you can request to submit your tax return in person. June 2: From this date, you can submit your tax return in person. June 25: The deadline by which you must submit your tax return if you want to pay by direct debit. June 30: The end of the 2020-2021 PIT campaign. If you need legal assistance in English please contact Pepe Oltra or Martin Hayes directly.

For information on Swan Partners visit www.swanpartners.es. For information specifically relating to expat services please see www.martinhayes.es SWAN Partners C/ Pizarro, nº 1, 4º-15ª. 46004 Valencia (Spain) + 34 96 334 89 83

A NEW Amazon logistics centre will open in Murcia City this autumn with 1,200 jobs set to be created over three years. The 160,000 square metre facility will use stateof-the-art technology to speed up the distribution of orders across the whole of south-east Spain. On a site visit, Amazon’s Spanish director, Fred Pattje, said: “We should be operational by October and we will have the capacity to send out 550.000 parcels per day.” The new centre has been built just off the A-30 highway in the Southeast business park at Valladolises in Murcia City. It’s also just six kilometres drive from the regional international airport at Corvera. The facility will be operational 24 hours a day with three work shifts using up 900 workers at a time. Up to 1,000 robots will also be used to process orders with 13 kilometres of conveyor belts. 250 lorries per day will

In Prime Position

bring in goods each day for onward distribution. The Murcia facility will be on a par to Amazon’s other two big centres in the Barcelona and Sevilla areas. “We will continue to create good jobs and business opportunities and investing in the communities where we operate,” Fred Pattje added. In Spain, Amazon have 12,000 permanent employees and created 5,000 new positions last year, Internationally, the company has been criticised over its employment practices and treatment of warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Late last year, unions at the Barcelona distribution centre launched a legal action against Amazon for allegedly spying on its workers.

GREEN

www.theolivepress.es

Plants will improve air quality and save energy A SPANISH airport is using 10,000 live plants to build living walls. In sharp contrast to the low air quality onboard planes, disembarking at Malaga airport will offer a breath of fresh air. Airport operator AENA has put in motion the installation of four automated vertical gardens at various points inside the airport to improve acoustics and clean up the air. The green façades, currently being finalised, will also help reduce sound reflection and filter harmful

VERTICAL GARDEN By Cristina Hodgson

airborne pollutants like carbon dioxide from the air. The living wall arrangement works with a ventilation system that helps to reduce energy consumption by lowering temperatures in the summer. These plants will also generate tons of oxygen that will circulate in the airport each year. Malaga airport isn’t the only space in the Andalucian city to boast a strik-

SPAIN is one of the most expensive countries in Europe to charge and run an electric car. Using data from Eurostat, Switcher.ie has published results that could be cause-forconcern among the environmentally-conscious in the country. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been growing in popularity and now make up over 10% of new car sales across the continent. Spain is the fifth most expensive place to charge an EV in Europe, with only Germany, Den-

ing vertical garden. Restaurant Jose Carlos Garcia, one of the Miche-

Electric shock

mark, Belgium and Ireland more costly. The UK is only slightly cheaper, being seventh most expensive. It costs on average €13.99 to fully charge an EV in Spain, while in the priciest country - Germany - the cost is €19.02 with an average of €10.13 . For the cheapest charge head to Ukraine, where a full charge will set you back a mere €2.91 on average.

lin star restaurants on the Costa del Sol, isn’t just famed for its outstanding gastronomy, but also for its vertical garden made up of native plants from the Montes de Malaga— thyme, lavender and rosemary. These are herbs which are used in the restaurant’s kitchen. As they grow without any type of pesticides and inside the restaurant, the ferns and other species aim to recreate the Mediterranean Sea.

SPAIN has approved a bill to combat climate change and its effects, although the document still needs to be ratified by the Senate. Parliament approved the first Climate Change Law in Spain, which aims to bring the country into line with the Paris Climate Change Agreement, five years after it was signed. It establishes measures for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The law sets a target by 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions a minimum of 23% compared to 1990 emissions.

By 2050 the country should be ‘carbon neutral’. The aim is also that renewable energy should make up a 42% share of final energy consumption compared to around 20% at present. All cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants will have to adopt sustainable mobility plans that include low-emission zones similar to those in Madrid and Barcelona.

Silver lining SPAIN plans to use €13.2 billion of EU pandemic recovery funds to boost electric vehicle use. It is one of 20 ‘flagship’ measures being taken to modernise the Spanish economy over the next three years, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Other initiatives include spending €6.8 billion on improving the energy efficiency of buildings and €4.3 billion to updating the public administration, he said. He added that the investments will boost economic growth by around 2% annually, starting in 2022 and create more than 800,000 jobs. Spain and Italy are set to receive the greatest portions of the EU fund because their economies faced the deepest contractions last year. Spain will be handed a total of €140 billion.

One reason why a third of Spain’s population is breathing in polluted air

COMPOST KING: Gardener Paco

21 Time for change

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

o smoke without fire - this is a well known idiom that is true. But replace the ‘m’ in idiom with a ‘t’ and you now have IDIOT. Idiot and Bad Company (who had a song with the same name above) bring me to the theme of burning cuttings in the campo. I receive many emails from readers of this column (please keep them coming), but one really sparked my interest (if you’ll excuse the pun). It came from Clive, who lives in a lovely rural area near Polop in a house with fabulous views to Altea, on the Costa Blanca. He wrote to tell me that his views are consistently blighted by locals burning garden waste, rather than simply composting, which is so easy to do. And it’s almost a daily basis, he added. So, I return to a previous theme - air pollution. While the UN passed a groundbreaking resolution recognising that access to clean water is a basic human right in 2010, no similar resolution exists on the right to breathe clean air.

Green Matters

By Martin Tye

NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE

Incredibly, 17.5 million Spaniards (over a third) are breathing air that the European Union considers polluted. This is air that contains excessive levels of three main pollutants: ●● Nitrogen Dioxide - caused by traffic and predominantly a problem in the cities (Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia mainly) ●● PM10 particulate matter, consisting of dust, ash, soot and similar substances produced by traffic as well as central heating systems, industry and construction. ●● And finally ozone, a pollutant linked to the others, which is prevalent during hot weather and can spread long distances. I have discovered that 36 out of 126 regions of Spain have illegal levels of ozone gas. Furthermore ‘OVER HALF OF SPAIN DOES NOT MEET EU AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS AND

GUIDELINES’ according to green group Ecologists in Action. I find this quite staggering. More people die from pollution than road accidents. And Government action is predictably far too lethargic. I believe air pollution is also a human rights issue. Pollution on today’s scale clearly violates the rights to life, and the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. We tend to be more aware nowadays of the vulnerability of future generations to the perils resulting from current environmental decision making. A very correct standpoint, BUT, more needs to be done. Not just on a global scale, but on a local level to help protect the Clive’s of this world who deserve a life not contaminated by idiots in the campo.

Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es

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COLUMNISTS

Livin’ La Vida Liga!

N case you have been living under a rugby ball sized rock recently, the media has gone into meltdown over plans for a European Super League. Flicking through radio stations as I trundled inland to my Casita on Sunday night, it seemed that every radio show had a panel of serious, angry men discussing the world-shattering implications. It made the funeral of HRH Prince Philip sound like a Cbeebies special. Nevertheless, it did make me ponder on all things to do with La Liga that’s been dominated by Real Madrid - Franco’s team - and Barcelona, for decades. Every Spanish town and village (and, I mean, EVERY one) has its Real and Barcelona supporters club, as I discovered when living in one such pueblo near Antequera. On the night of the ‘El Classico’ (or derby) I had wandered into the Real pub to watch the match with a pal. Greeted with stares akin to ‘An American Werewolf in London’, we were only finally accepted when 20 minutes in Madrid’s de-

fender Sergio Ramos received a kick to the family jewels. The whole bar winced in sympathetic pain and, seeing us wince too, the patrons deduced that we must be Real fans, after all. Drinks were ordered all round Real won the match and most of the bar went outside to let off fireworks, including the chap who had brought a fully-functioning air raid siren. Village life is different, especially when you consider most locals had never even been to Malaga – a mere 40 minutes’ drive away. What would they make of a night in the capital itself? I suppose the one good thing that might come out of the Big Three leaving La Liga, is that other, worse-funded clubs might have a chance at the title. However, if Real Betis were to win La Liga, the celebrations in half of Sevilla would probably last until Semana Santa!

Maybe it’s time to simply relax and go Spanish TO all fellow retired expats. Eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy life in this beautiful country we now call home, the last leg of many of our lifetime journeys. Your future is bright, your future is secure - that is as long as you have kept your head above the tidal wave of bureaucracy that has always engulfed life in Spain. I well remember the obstacle course of having to apply for NIE registration, and subsequently SIP health cards many years ago. Forms after forms after forms. My first encounter with officialdom was after travelling for about an hour to apply for an NIE card, I was turfed out of

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

To TIE or not to TIE the office because I had not made a prior appointment by telephone. Although the office was empty, the official blankly refused to serve me. Then, in a light-bulb moment, I stepped just outside the entrance, phoned the given number, watched the same person answer and requested an immediate appointment, which I received. Although it wasn’t the most pleasant of cross-the-desk encounters, I won the day. Since then, the world has moved on from pure, unadulterated mountains of paperwork to online impersonal befuddlement, with not even an over-zealous official to glare at.

Forget the, NIEs, NIFs, CIFs, and ‘Uncle Tom Cobleys and all,’ this is the biggie that evidently secures our place in the sun. Entitled, Permiso de Residencia you would presume it would be known as a PDR, not on your Nelly, just to confuse us, our new bureaucratic bigwigs scored a major victory over their venerable predecessors by naming it, NIE. Since this Brexit-orientated identity card was launched in July 2020, Social media sites have been inundated with questions from confused.com expats, inquiring whether their existing residencias are still valid, or change is necessary.

OLD HAC K IN THE SUN

Benny Davis

Ramblings of an 80-somethin g expat

This created a rapacious response from all ranks of the legal brigade offering friendly help in exchange for fees ranging from €50 to over €1000 a time. Some expats have taken free advice from CABS (Citizens Advice Bureau) and dealt directly with either the online services or applied in person. On the other hand, if you prefer to wait until the dust has settled before entering the fray - go Spanish. Pour yourself a glass of plonk, relax in your favourite lounger and slowly repeat after me, m-a-ñ-a-n-a. Cheers!

OP Puzzle solutions Across: 7 Core, 8 Executes, 9 Card, 10 Prostate, 11 Civics, 13 Got off, 15 Others, 17 Relive, 18 Grafting, 20 Bert, 21 Stockton, 22 Lose. Down: 1 Loyalist, 2 Deed, 3 Tempos, 4 Mekong, 5 Sum total, 6 West, 12 In effect, 14 Feverish, 16 Saints, 17 Regent, 19 Ruts, 20 Bels.

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NEVER thought I’d hear myself say ‘I wish I was busier’. When I set up my PR company I worked round the clock; weekends, and holidays were always interrupted with me having to respond to emails or calls. But since the pandemic has slowed my business right down I’m at a bit of a loss. It’s been a year now since we moved to Mallorca and we were just three weeks in when COVID hit. As the death figures soared and businesses plummeted I didn’t have much else to do but enjoy being a newbie on the island. And enjoy it we have. We’ve been to many different places on the island, spent many a day on the beach and savoured long leisurely lunches in the sun, just because we could. So why is it that I miss being busy? What is so good about being busy? We are so fickle, us humans. When we have this, we want that, and when we have that we want this! Why can’t we just be happy in the moment? I do feel so much luckier than family and friends of mine back in the UK. The weather makes such a difference when we can go out for a bike ride, or a hike in the beautiful countryside when everything has been shut. My son and I often swap views from our windows and man, is his view bleak compared to mine. I wouldn’t want to be in the UK during the pandemic that’s for sure. So why am I feeling flat? Why does working and being busy seem important compared with just being able to enjoy our lives?

Make a wish

Do we really enjoy being busy fools?

Terenia Taras

Telling it like it is

DREAMS: Terenia says goals keep us motivated I guess it’s because we’ve become hard-wired to working and being constantly busy that without a full weekly list of things to do, at work and home, we feel a bit adrift! My other concern is when things do come back, how will we feel about resuming the old normal way of life? We’ve all had more time with family, time to just enjoy the basic things like cooking a nice meal and plenty of time to reflect. So do we really want to work as hard as we were used to? My dream is still to sit in the sun and write my book, a project which has been on the go now for years!

But I’m afraid to, because no-one will want to publish it, or read it, and then what do I have left to pull out of the bag? You’ve got to keep some dreams going because it gives you hope that you might just write that bestseller, climb Everest or take that trip to Antarctica you’d always planned to do when you had A, the time, and B, the money. And hope right now is something we’re all clinging on to. But when we’ve got through this pandemic and can look back and think ‘what the hell, we’ve survived that so I’m not going to be afraid to do the one thing I’ve always wanted’. I really hope so because we don’t really need to be busy fools working flat out just to give ourselves a false sense of purpose. I know having a year out from that has been a gift and a curse at the same time, but ultimately when my time is up, I think I’ll be somehow grateful for the past year.

HEALTH

Special REPORT

April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Jab confusion Worry and frustration for expats waiting for vaccination

OREIGNERS living in Spain have expressed worry and frustration at not knowing when and if they will be called up for a COVID-19 vaccination jab. The biggest concern is from those who are not registered in Spain’s public health system, either because they have private health insurance or because they are still going through the residency process. Some readers have described how they have been passed from one health authority to another, without getting any answers. “My husband and I are both retired expat residents who have lived in Sevilla since 2017 where we registered with the town hall (empadronado) and are paying our income taxes,” explained Cristina Covalschi who got in touch with the Olive Press. The couple said they have never used the public health system and therefore are not registered at their local Centro de Salud but they both have private health insurance. “We only want to learn how we can be included in the proper database so that we will be contacted when the vaccine becomes available for our age group,” she said. So far efforts to find out how to do that have proved fruitless. “I have made appoint-

by Fiona Govan ments with various agencies during the last weeks and have been asking this question repeatedly,” she explained. “But instead of getting a clear answer, we have been sent from one to another without any result.” Andalucia’s Consejeria de Salud (regional health department) told her they had no knowledge of the situation and to contact their consulates in case there might be an agreement for vaccination in place. “We did that but our consulates said they have no knowledge of any agreement and advised us to contact our health insurance company.” Next stop Sanitas. “Our health insurance company Sanitas had no knowledge of the situation and told us to contact the local centro de salud in our neighborhood,” she said. “Then the centro de salud in our neighborhood had no knowledge and told us to contact our health insurance company (Sanitas).” The Olive Press put in a call to Spain’s Ministry of Health to ask for clarification and was assured that ‘everyone living in Spain will be offered the vaccine’. “The Spanish government has said that everyone living

in Spain will have access to the becomes available for the group vaccine, whether they are regis- they fall into based on age and vultered in the public health system nerability, they should be able to or have private health insurance,” access it.” the spokeswoman said. The British Embassy in Madrid also But she admitted that offers reassurance she could not give on the matter, if not a clear guidelines on clear answer. Those without “The Spanish Governhow that would happen. ment’s Vaccination proper “It is up to the indiStrategy is clear that, paperwork are as a matter of public vidual regional health authorities to put a all people livstill entitled to health, system in place to noing in Spain are eligitify them. If in doubt ble for the vaccine, rea vaccination people should congardless of nationality tact their local health or residency status,” authorities to ask how this is being a spokesman from the British Emdone.” bassy told the Olive Press. She emphasized that even those “At the current time, those in the who were in an “irregular” situ- priority groups are being vaccinatation – that is those who did not ed – irrespective of nationality or have proper paperwork to prove they were in Spain legally - were still entitled to the vaccine. “Yes, here it gets more complicated,” she admitted. “But people will be entitled to it as they are to emergency health care, so when it

type of sickness insurance. The Vaccination Strategy is updated regularly to include new priority groups as the number of doses available gradually increases. “Those UK nationals who are already registered in the public health system should be contacted by their regional health service to arrange an appointment. “The Spanish authorities are asking insurance companies to coordinate with regional health services in order to provide vaccines to their customers. “We are in touch with the Spanish authorities regarding progress of the rollout and what that means for UK nationals. Meanwhile UK Nationals living in Spain can contact their local health centre or insurer for more information.”

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Loss of life

Life expectancy drops most in Spain during pandemic LIFE expectancy in Spain fell by a year and a half in the last 12 months, according to new data. EU statistical agency Eurostat found that the average lifespan across Europe has plummeted since the start of the pandemic.

Die

And Spain has seen the biggest drop in Europe, with a loss of 1.6 years compared to 2019. Bulgaria was next with a loss of 1.5 years, followed by Lithuania, Poland and

By Kirsty McKenzie

Romania, which all saw a drop of 1.4 years. In England, life expectancy dipped by 1.1 years compared to 2019. While the Netherlands, France, and Austria all saw a loss of 0.7 years. Denmark and Finland were the only nations to see a rise, increasing by 0.1 years. According to Eurostat, life expectancy had been steadily increasing in the EU until the past few

WOMEN are twice as likely to give birth to a girl if they experienced more stress around the time of conception, a Spanish study has found. Researchers at the University of Granada analysed levels of stress in 108 women from the first weeks of pregnancy to delivery. Stress levels were recorded by analysing the levels of cortisol (a steroid hormone that is released in response to stress) in the hair

Learn at home or at the school Classes led by native teachers Try a FREE lesson today (+34) 96 34 46139 info@2daylanguages.com www.2daylanguages.com OLD AGE: The life expectancy in Spain has fallen

years. Official data reveals ‘that life expectancy has risen, on average, by more than

Boy, it’s a girl

of pregnant women in the period spanning from before conception to week nine of pregnancy, to determine whether there was any link with the sex of the baby. The findings confirm that foetuses are vulnerable to the effects of maternal stress and that strain can play a key role in their development.

two years per decade since the 1960s’, the agency said. "However, the latest available data suggest that life expectancy stagnated or even declined in recent years in several EU member states." Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time a baby born today is expected to live.

Data

The data is calculated based on the number of deaths at a specific age and therefore at what age the person is most likely to die.

Av. Regne de València 15-3, 46005 València (España)

The

OLIVE PRESS

What a haul!

Reuse Reduce Recycle We use recycled paper

Irate ladies TWO elderly women came to blows over who was first in a Javea supermarket checkout queue. A 66-year-old customer was arrested by the Guardia Civil after breaking the nose of a 77-year-old.

FINAL WORDS

Daredevil Barcelona paraglider Nil Farre Berge went viral after he was caught on camera speeding 12,000ft up at 60mph before picking up a can of Red Bull in one fell swoop.

Red carded SPAIN’S super rich football clubs faced backlash after they decided to join up with England’s ‘Big Six’ and three top Italian teams to form a Super League. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been accused of hypocrisy and betrayal, and could be expelled from the Spanish league.

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 11 www.theolivepress.es FREE

Quacking the case POLICE have rescued 20 wild ducks from a dreadful dinner-plate fate. The cops in Sevilla saved the birds after carrying out a routine inspection on the premises of an oriental food warehouse. The Mallard ducks were crammed in one small cage without any accredited veterinary documents, while there were several other health irregularities found on the site. The birds were removed by vets to a wildlife centre outside the city.

Your expat

voice in Spain April 22nd - May 5th 2021

Heart warming Decade-long wait for transplant arrives on the day his first child was born By Cristina Hodgson

HE had been waiting years to be told by doctors that a match had been found and he could undergo a desperately needed heart transplant. But when the call finally came, it couldn’t have been at a more

Pink paradise SPAIN has been named as one of the top gay counties in the global rankings. Research carried out by makeup brand Jecca Blac found Spain to be the seventh most friendly city in the world for the LGBTQ+ com-

munity. Spain was ranked ahead of the UK, which came in at number eight on the list. Canada ranked number one in the world, with Malta coming in second and Sweden rounding out the top three

A GIANT catfish almost two metres long and weighing 100 kilos has been caught in the Guadalquivir River. Until now, the catfish species had only been fished in Andalucia in the gigantic Iznajar reservoir, where it was introduced around 2011 in an illegal bid to encourage angling tourism.

Birds

DOUBLE DELIVERY: Patient’s transplant arrived same day as first child, Samuel inconvenient moment for Antonio Salvador. For the 39-year-old Madrileno was at his wife’s bedside in the delivery ward at Madrid’s Gregorio Marañon hospital and their first child was on its way. After pausing for a moment to think, he took the decision to have the transplant and underwent surgery at the same time and in the same hospital as his wife gave birth. “When I woke up, there was twice the sense of delight,” said Salvador, who suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a

hereditary heart disease which can cause sudden death. “Two very special moments for which we’d been waiting for a long time occurred at exactly the same time,” he added. For his wife Ana Maria Gonzalez, 44, the timing couldn’t have been better. “I couldn’t believe that after 10 years we were going to receive the most wonderful thing in our lives at the same time that Antonio was receiving the life that he himself needed,” she said. “Our new son, Samuel, brought a heart for his dad.”

The continent’s largest freshwater fish, native to Eastern Europe, will devour anything below it in the food chain. It can even lunge onto the water’s edge, beaching itself to feed on birds and small mammals. Green group Ecologistas en Accion has called on the Junta to help fight against these invasive predators, requesting urgent control measures. The pigeon-eating fish has a life expectancy of up to 30 years, and is easily recognisable by its two to four pairs of cat-like whiskers or barbels around its mouth, a broad flat head.