Gran Alacant News 003 19th january 2018

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

News GRAN ALACANT

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Gran Alacant News

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WALKING THROUGH ELCHE’S RICH HISTORY Page 13

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Getting around GA on foot can be a matter of taking your life in your hands with many crossings obscured See Page 3

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

USEFUL NUMBERS

Emergencies – 112 Fire Station – 085 Local Police (Gran Alacant) - 96 669 7749 Local Police (Santa Pola) - 96 541 11 03 Guardia Civil - 96 541 12 90 Red Cross – 96 541 69 36 Town Hall 96 669 77 49 Hidraqua - 900 210 100 Hidraqua (Leaks/Problems) 900 101 270 Iberdrola - 901 202 020 Airport - 96 691 9000 Library - 96 669 7110 Sports Centre - 96 667 8152 Health Centre - 96 691 2360 Health Centre Santa Pola - 96 691 5300 Tourist Office - 96 669 6052 SUMA - 96 529 2036 Taxis - 96 541 11 11 - 96 541 2525

Gran Alacant News

LOCAL WEATHER - Your fortnightly forecast

Malcolm Palmer The Sports P20 Review GRAN ALACANT TOURIST TRAIN

Timetable FROM 16/SEPTEMBER TO 15/OCTOBER Monday to Sundays 10:00h to 14:00h and from 16:00h to 22:00h FROM 16/OCTOBER TO 31/MARCH Tuesday to Saturday 11:00h to 14:00h No service on Sundays or Mondays.

Exchange Rate

FROM 01/APRIL TO 31/MAY Monday to Saturday 10:00h to 14:00h and from 16:00h to 20:00h

Pound to Euro forecast for February 2018.

In the beginning rate at 1.141 Euro.

Maximum rate 1.165, minimum 1.131.

Sundays 11:00h to 14:00h

The average rate for the month 1.146.

The GBP to EUR forecast at the end of the month 1.148 - change for February 0.6%.

Averages

Fuel (Unleaded 95) Spain: €1.25 UK: €1.34 European Average: €1.22 Salaries 2017 Average salary EU 1,520€ 2017 Average salary UK 2,102€ 2017 Average salary Spain 1,718€

SUNRISE & SET

Rise Set 19 January 08:14 18:11 20 January 08:13 18:12 21 January 08:13 18:13 22 January 08:12 18:14 23 January 08:11 18:15 24 January 08:11 18:16 25 January 08:10 18:18 26 January 08:09 18:19 27 January 08:09 18:20 28 January 08:08 18:21 29 January 08:07 18:22 30 January 08:06 18:23 31 January 08:05 18:24 01 February 08:04 18:25

Stop for annual maintenance From 07/January to 31/January.

BUS TIMES Gran Alacant: Same as Santa Pola + 5 SANTA POLA - ALICANTE

Monday to Friday Santa Pola: 6.00am. 6.45. 7.10. 8.05.

8.25. 9.00. 9.30. 10.30. 11.00. 12.00.

13.00. 13.30. 14.30. 15.30. 16.00. 17.00.

18.00. 19.00. 20.00. 21.15.

(10.00 - Only Mondays)

minutes

Gran Alacant: 6.05. 6.55. 7.20. 8.35.

9.30. 10.40. 11.30. 12.10. 13.10. 13.40.

14.40. 15.40. 17.00. 18.10. 19.10. 20.10.

21.25.

Monday to Friday Santa Pola: 7.00. 7.30. 8.00. 8.30. 9.00.

10.00 11.00 12.00. 13.00 14.00. 15.00.

16.30. 17.30. 18.30. 19.30. 21.00

Arenales del Sol: Same as Gran Alacant + 5 minutes

Weekends & Fiestas Santa Pola: 7.00. 8.30. 10.00. 11.00 (Only Saturdays) 11.30. 13.00. 14.30.

16.00. 17.30. 19.00 20.30. 22.00. (Only Saturdays)

Weekends & Fiestas Santa Pola: 7.05. 8.05. 9.05. 9.30. 10.05.

11.05. 12.05. 13.05. 14.05. 15.05. 16.05.

17.05. 18.05. 19.05. 20.05. 21.05. 22.05 (Sundays & Fiestas in bold)

CHURCH SERVICES

Los Arenales: Same as Gran Alacant Pola + 5 minutes (Except 9.30. 11.05. 12.05.)

SANTA POLA - ELCHE

Saturdays & Evening prayer: 18.00.

Sundays & Fiestas 12.00.

DUTY PHARMACY Monte De Santa Pola, 32 Urb. Don Pueblo Gran Alacant. Tel. 96 669 74 71 ST. VALENTINE’S DAY IN SPAIN For people from Valencia, the most romantic day of the year is the 9th of October, when they celebrate both the Day of the Valencian Community as well as the Day of Saint Dionysius (Sant Dionís), locally known as the patron saint of lovers.

AIPORT - ALICANTE Every 20 mins (Bus C6)

GRAN ALACANT NEWS Editor: Dave Bull Sales: 606

540 408

or: granalacantnews@gmail.com Deadlines: 7 days before publication date

MOON PHASES FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS - Blue Moon will be on Jan 31st. - SUPERMOONS

Next issue: 19th January 2018 Images/Graphics: 300DPI

Emergency CALL OUTS

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

Page 3

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ONE GIANT STEP For many years residents in Gran Alacant have complained, and often been mystified, by the careless and often dangerous location of pedestrian crossings in the area. Many are in places where anyone standing and waiting to cross is either obscured by waste bins, bottle banks or parked vehicles. That´s not to mention the ones just after a turn into a junction. I´m 6 feet 3 inches tall and I can stand at the crossing just up from Webster´s Bar in Avenida Escandinavia and a car coming down the road cannot see me waiting – what about kids? They, and I, have to take a big step out onto the road, possibly into oncoming traffic that is more often than not going at well over the speed limit, especially in the mornings. And the disabled? Well, where do I start? I spent a morning with Graham Lowden who lives in GA and is disabled. He finds it even more difficult as from his lower perspective

Centro Comercial de Carabassi, Avenida de Noruega, 214, Local Nº7, 03130 Santa Pola, www.granalacantproperties.com

+34 966 699 441

By Dave Bull

its impossible to see over even a car that’s parked next to the crossing.

It seems absolutely illogical that anyone has actually sat down with a plan of the area and chosen where to place the bins and bottle banks, or have they? If they have then I´d like to hear their explanation for what is creating a risk to anyone using the pavements and crossings. Have you been behind one of the lorries when they empty the bins? They are stationary in the middle of the road for a good few minutes, so drivers overtake them. The problem with that is, if you´ve ever tried to cross the road using the crossing while the lorry is stopped, a pedestrian can be halfway across when a car comes towards them, overtaking the lorry, in the wrong lane. I´ve seen several occasions when this has happened and it beggars belief that this is the best ´working´system that the town hall

Next to the town hall

Avda Escandinavia

Calle Monte de Santa Pola

can come up with.

Put a restriction on parking, bins and bottle banks etc, of at least twenty metres before and after to allow people to be seen by drivers, whether they are tall like me or youngsters or the disabled, and I haven’t even mentioned parents with pushchairs. It wouldn´t cost much, OK we´d lose a few parking spaces, but definitely Gran Alacant would be a safer place to move around in, for pedestrians and drivers.

Next time we´ll be having a look at the state of the area pavements and the lack of access for disabled people in GA.

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Page 4

LOCAL NEWS

ONE PRICE FOR ALL?

A storm kicked up last month after it was discovered there were two prices for the same language course at the town hall in GA. One advertised in Santa Pola gave the cost as 150 euros but the same course advertised in Gran Alacant was 315€ - 100% more! After complaints flooded onto Facebook following images being posted of the two different priced adverts the town hall changed the prices and apologised for the 'error'.

FATHER TURNED AWAY FROM HEALTH CENTRES Last month a father went to the Santa Pola Emergency Room with his son. As the Gran Alacant health centre was open, they referred him to there. When he arrived they told him that it was 8:30 p.m., that there were many people waiting and that they close at 9:00 p.m., and they sent him back to Santa Pola.

LOCALS DEMAND BETTER SERVICES IN GRAN ALACANT

Members of local Facebopok pages were put to the vote last month to ask what they think can be improved in Gran Alacant by the town hall. The result were interesting and here we show you the top five voted for services that the locals want to see improved.

Things to improve in Gran Alacant: 1. New Health Centre. 160 Votes 2. Post office with longer hours. 134Votes 3. Second school, improvements in the existing one and a Secondary School. 126 Votes 4. A better urban and interurban transport service. 102 Votes 5. Cleaning public areas better. 93 Votes

Gran Alacant News

Download the Santa Pola free audio guide

Discover the history of Santa Pola with an audio tour of all its points of interest in English.

For this, they have used as a reference the towers that are located in the most outstanding points of the town.

You can listen to the history and some anecdotal details of the castle, the port, the beaches, the Calvario, the central market, the Roman ruins, the natural park and watchtowers, among others.

Just go to the App store on your Smartphone and downlaod: Audioguía de Santa Pola

Overflowing bins

NEW PARK FOR GA

Gran Alacant´s NEW PARK will be on a designated green area next to Calle Chipre and just a few hundred metres from Avda Noruega and is due to be open soon.

Anniversary Declaration of the PNM of the Clot de Galvany 21 January at 10: 00-13: 30 Tickets available - clotdegalvany.es

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

SNOT

By Malcolm Palmer Matter can be neither created nor destroyed in the course of a chemical reaction.’ So quoth my science teacher so long ago I should have forgotten it – I forgot just about everything else he said. Right, so what goes on in my miserable old body isn’t a ‘chemical reaction?’ Because plenty of matter is certainly created. I didn’t choose to introduce all that mucous into my body.

See, I can use the polite term, rather than calling it snot, as I really don’t wish to offend the sensibilities of our delicate readers. Whatever you call the horrid stuff, where does it come from? The buckets and bucketsful of the stuff you get from your nose, throat, seemingly everywhere when the Snot Fairy strikes.

I can only conclude that Grey’s Anatomy have it all wrong, and that, somewhere in the body there is a huge great tank, which expands and fills with the noxious stuff when she waves her magic wand. Or will some learned medic correct me?

Malcolm Palmer Bites Back!

Referring to Mr Ingle´s response to what he calls my ‘moan’ about Brexit in issue 001 (and I think anyone is entitled to a bit of a moan when they find themselves suddenly 300 euros a month worse off!) it is diffcult to take seriously someone who fails to differentiate between ‘benefactors’ and ‘beneficiaries.’ Leaving that aside Mr Ingle is clearly in a time-warp, and harks back to the day when Britain was ‘Great’ and even had a car industry, as still do France, Germany and Italy to name but three.

As to immigration, we are all immigrants of course. Mr Trump, who wants to keep them out of the USA, must be one himself, very few generations ago (his wife’s arrival is much more recent) and the entire strength of the planet’s richest nation is based upon a polyglot menage of every race you can think of.

How many British folk do you think are descended from Ancient British stock? No, the answer is not to stop immigration - if this were even possible - but to help everyone integrate. How well have you gone about that in Spain Mr Ingle?

LOCATION OF BINS IS RUBBISH

Gran Alacant News

bin looking straight forward and expecting you to slam your brakes. Even with the reduced speed of 30KM/h this is still dangerous. I myself went to the police to report this. They advised me to go to the city hall and place my complaint there. As if they don’t want to know or do not care.

It would be so easy just to leave at least some 20 metres free before a pedestrian crossing.

Kind regards, Günther Behage

LOCAL PROMOTER FACES €4 MILLION FINE

The promoter Masa must pay about 4.1 million euros to the town of Santa Pola as capital gains for the partial plan CJ-5 located within the Gran Alacant area. The adDear Gran Alacant News, ministrative court has dismissed the claim I’m happy that you want to address the of the company to annul the urban agreehazardous placements of trash bins ment signed at the time between the Urin Gran Alacant. They place them just ban Garden City Planning Interest Group, before a pedestrian crossing, which in my with a majority of the developer Masa, and view is extremely dangerous for pedesthe town of Santa Pola for which the sestrians. Normally one checks the street sion approved a modification of the Plan before crossing. This is not my experience General in order to increase the density of here. I had twice already escaped an housing; it went from the 950 homes origaccident with a pedestrian which I DID inally planned to 2,450. This agreement NOT SEE. They pop out behind a trash contemplated a payment of a capital gains

Page 5

of six million euros. The promoter, meanwhile, has now accused the town hall, 11 years after signing the agreement, of unjust treatment.

After the change of leadership, in 2015, the new town hall team offered to pay 2.5 million and allow the payment in various instalments. However, the promoter decided to take the case to the courts. At the appeal, they claimed that the agreement signed between the two parties be annulled, claiming that it was illegal, which was the agreement of the Santa Pola meeting in July, 2004, in which the town hall undertook to increase the density of the urban sector and therefore increase the number of projected homes. The promoter maintains that the legislative change on town planning produced later, with the entry into force of the LUV, made it impossible to both fulfil the objective of the agreement and the cause.

But the judge reminded the promoter that it has taken until 2015 to request the resolution of the agreement and that it has not proven that the Plan General had been modified, therefore, the plaintiff has not proved the loss of the focus of the agreement. The judge also argued that the cause of the agreement was justified: , on the one hand, the municipality increased the housing in the area and the relevant taxes of six million, and on the other hand, the promoter achieved an increase in buildability and, therefore, of the benefits with the sale of the houses.

The judge considered that both the agreement and the agreement at the meeting are in accordance with the law. There is also no claim by the promoter to declare the illicit enrichment of the promoter, since the clause of the payment of six million is included in the agreement as consideration for the benefit or increase in value obtained from the increase in housing. Therefore, the judge dismissed the appeal of the promoter Masa.

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Page 6

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

DID YOU KNOW..?

There is one country in the world with no land at all! Gran Alacant Sierra The flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta flying next to the Maltese flag in Fort St. Angelo

While the United Nations has 193 recognised countries, it also has two observer states, namely Palestine and The Vatican City. But there is a little-known third entity which also holds observer status in the UN. Yes, get ready for this – this is an officially recognised country with no land!

Welcome to The Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The Order, complete with its own website has no actual land, yet it is recognised by the UN and maintains diplomatic rela-

tions with 107 countries.

The official name of this order is the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta.

Their official language is Italian, their currency is the (now defunct elsewhere) Maltese Scudo and they are a Roman Catholic religious order founded way back in 1099 in Jerusalem, by the Blessed Gerard.

Officially, it is the world’s oldest surviving chivalric order. In its long history, the Order has owned land and resided in mod-

Gran Alacant News

Page 7

ern day Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Malta. These days, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta lives on, with its own government, laws, passport, and population.

They also have a church in their residence on the island of Malta.

1. Palazzo Malta (Rome, Italy) To all intents and purposes, Palazzo Malta is the “capital” of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. It is a building located in Rome, Italy, and is also known as Palazzo di Malta or Palazzo dell’Ordine di Malta.

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has its own flag and coat of arms. This flag flies from a number of places around the world, mostly on the island of Malta and in Italy at its headquarters. The official flag is a white cross on a red background.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is an elective monarchy and is ruled by a Prince and Grand Master. This means the official population is two citizens, plus 13,000 members and 80,000 volunteers.

One of the Knights of the Order is currently resident of the Upper Section of Fort St. Angelo in the Republic of Malta. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s members also hold parades and events throughout the world including in Omagh in Northern Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day.

2. Villa Malta (Rome, Italy) Also in Rome, Italy, you can visit Villa Malta, which is officially called Villa del Priorato di Malta. This is an elaborate building on top of a hill and is home to the Grand Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has formal diplomatic relations with 107 other states and with the European Union. It also has official (but not diplomatic) relations with another six states, and it has full observer status at the UN, so it’s as much a country as the Vatican City State or Palestine. You can also feel like you are a tourist by picking up some Sovereign Military Order of Malta souvenirs, such as official stamps and coins.

The Order also issues passports for its citizens (fully valid for travel) and car licence plates, despite not having any roads to drive on.

Despite having no official land, there are three venues which are either occupied or part-owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and hereThe theySkywalk are…

3. Fort St. Angelo (Vittoriosa, Malta) On the island of Malta (that’s the Republic of Malta) you can visit Fort St. Angelo, which is currently part-owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta on a 99 year lease. This is the largest of the three territories currently belonging to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Page 8

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

Women’s bodies have changed a fair amount over the past 60 years, and new research has confirmed just how much.

Fashion in the 50´s

•

Two-thirds of chocolate is consumed between meals. 22% of all chocolate consumed between 8pm and midnight.

In 2008, there were so many new chocolate products being launched that there was an average of one new item being brought to the market every hour of every day.

Brits prefer a chocolate bar to an extravagant holiday abroad.

(Really..?)

Chocolate significantly reduces theta activity in the brain, which is associated with relaxation, which is why we want to eat chocolate when we’re feeling stressed out.

February 15, the day after Valentine’s Day, is the second highest day for chocolate sales during the season.

More than 90 millions pounds of chocolate are purchased for the Halloween holiday.

75% of the chocolate purchased this week will come from men buying it for women.

•

• •

•

• •

5 Tips for Women to Stay Fit After 50

HOW WOMEN HAVE CHANGED IN 60 YEARS

When Are We Eating Chocolate?

In 1957, the average British woman was 5ft 2ins tall, weighed 9st 10lbs, had size three feet and was a dress size 12.

Fast forward 60 years however, and we’ve grown.

Today’s British women are 5ft 5ins tall on average, weigh 11st, have size six feet and dress size 16.

Most noticeable, however, is just how much bra sizes has increased - 60 years ago, women were wearing 34B bras on average, whereas today it’s 36DD. The statistics have been compiled by lingerie brand Bluebella, who researched data on changing body shapes using data from the fashion industry, the British Bra Survey, Office of National Statistics and the NHS. Kim Kardashian’s 36DD bust is the same as the 2017 average, But it’s not just women’s bodies that have changed - we’re living longer and earning drastically more too.

2018 style

In 1957, the average woman was expected to live for 73 years and earned just £10 a week.

Now, however, we live on average ten years longer to the age of 83 and earn on average £530 a week.

Not only are we having a great time earning more and living longer, we’re also eating more - whilst our 1957 forebears consumed 1,800 calories a day, today’s women eat on average 2,300.

We also exercise on average twice a week now.

“It is extraordinary how much Miss Average has changed over the last 60 years,” Bluebella chief executive Emily Bendell said.

“She has changed from being quite petite with what would be considered quite small breasts by today’s standards to a much more fuller figured silhouette.

“That has presented real challenges for designers and lingerie brands.”

Cut the salt & eat a Mediterranean diet

Salt shaker As the years pass by, many women find that the lifestyle that worked in their 20s and 30s fails to achieve the same results in their 40s and 50s. As women reach their 50s (the average age of onset for menopause), they’ll have to compensate for hormonal, cardiovascular and muscle changes.

Weight gain in aging women is common because of decreases in muscle mass, the accumulation of excess fat and a lower resting metabolic rate. Hormonal shifts can cause a range of symptoms and increase overall risk for heart disease and stroke. And absorption of certain nutrients may decrease because of a loss of stomach acid. Clearly, your diet at 50 should look a bit different from your earlier diet.

The goal of the “50 and over” diet is to maintain weight, consume hearthealthy foods and, above all, stay strong! Use the following 5 tips to live your 50s in fabulous shape.

1. Add B12 to your daily supplements 2. Really cut back on salt The older we get, the more likely we are to develop hypertension.

3. Check your multivitamin for Iron — and toss it if it has it 4. Pay more attention to calcium and vitamin D 5. Eat like a native!

As we age, our blood vessels become less elastic,a Mediterranean diet helps with the flow of blood through our veins and prevent illness.

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Living

By Mandy Tams

Life

Congratulations to the over 60’s

For the over sixties a well-deserved pat on the back for surviving the hard slog and battling your way through the journey we call life. Your first achievement was to survive being born to mothers who smoked and or drank during the long months of awaiting your arrival.

They took aspirin and ate soft cheese never mind the odd lump of coal and the prescribed bottle of stout.

After the trauma of birth, and without an epidural or cesarean for convenience, your mother was kept in bed for two weeks before going home possibly on the bus.

More likely you were born at home without the fripperies of birthing pools and whale music. Mothers saved newspapers to cover the mattress and neighbours helped with the necessaries. No space-aged car chair to anchor into the car, and be inspected by some eagle-eyed mechanically trained head nurse before you could leave the confines of the hospital. Your bed was a drawer, hopefully, after the underwear was removed, while waiting for your father to paint the cot found on the tip with bright coloured lead-based paint, ready to cut your first tooth on.

Our mothers didn’t need a chemistry course to feed us formulae milk, they breastfed, and for those that couldn’t, they boiled a pan of water spooned in the powder, and if a baby was still hungry, they shovelled another spoon in. There were no sterilised rooms, steam cleaners or bottle sterilises to keep those nasty bugs away. There were no childproof lids on medicine bottles or child locks on cupboard doors to stop toddlers bringing medication to our mothers or from dishing out to our siblings the malt and cod-liver oil taken on a spoon, not in a nancy jelly capsule followed by a sweet treat. You had your nose held, head pushed back, and the spoon forced between your teeth. We walked to school or rode a bike WITHOUT a helmet, elbow and knee pads and we even hitchhiked. A ride in a car was an experience even though seat belts came in the future. A toddler could sit in the footwell of the passenger seat playing with a homemade toy while it’s sibling jumped from back to front seats with fingers pointed as guns shooting at the cowboys and Indians in their exploring imaginations. Airbags were big-breasted women or loud-mouthed neighbours. We shared drinks from the same bottle or cup and didn’t die. We ate cakes, white bread, real butter from a real cow and drank cordial containing sugar. Obese children didn’t exist; we played outside from morning until light up time or the first scream of ‘Dinner’s ready’ through a

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

Page 9

YOUR CUP OF LIFE… ...IS IT FULL OR EMPTY?

back door. We were uncontactable and fine, spending time building go-karts from anything we could find on the tip and stealing pop bottles from building yards to get money back from recycling them at the shop. We raced down the biggest hills, and only half way down remembered we had no brakes. After a few mishaps we learnt how to deal with the problem by jamming a foot against the wheel and learning to counter steer at the same time. There were no Nintendo, Playstations or X boxes, no video games, cable or satellite, DVDs, and tablets were for the sick. Surround sound didn’t exist, nor mobile phones, internet or chat rooms.

Broadband was an extra-wide wedding ring. What we did have was friends, and we went outside and played with them. There was no such thing as a fussy eater IF food was there it was eaten… including vegetables. We made mud pies and played with worms, and no matter what anyone said, they didn’t live inside us if we happened to eat one. We ate and swallowed chewing gum, and our insides didn’t stick together, but eating crusts didn’t curl our hair. No matter how rough we played with sticks we never took anyone’s eye out. We fell over, out of trees, broke bones and teeth, but there were no law suits or compensation. When we tried and failed, we learnt how to deal with the disappointment without counsellors. On the school sports day we ran to win, there was no ‘Everybody’s, a winner there are no losers,’ rubbish if you came second you lost. Our parents wouldn’t dream of bailing us out if we were in trouble with the local bobby, they would side with the law and let bobby clip us round the ear for our misdemeanours.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors over the past 50 years; there has been an explosion of innovations and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it.

We were disciplined by our parents and slapped when we did wrong without them having the threat of the police turning up. The truant officer dealt with skivers and the headmaster with problem children. Taking children out of school during term time for holidays did not exist as no one went on holiday. Rural children could miss school to help bring in the harvest.

Congratulations for making it this far and think yourselves lucky to have been a child before the lawyers and governments regulated our lives for our own good, before taking our rights and freedoms as parents grandparents and guardians away.

By Violet King When we are born, the only gift we are given is the breath of life. From then onwards, and as soon as we are old enough to make choices, it is all up to us how we end up. When we are looked after by others who love us when we are young, it is to teach us how to look after ourselves in time, but some of us never learn!! We stay dependent, we become co-dependent, believing that our happiness depends on others. WRONG! We can be so guilty of not doing things in life that will satisfy us or make us happy, and then we blame it on everyone and anything else. The psychologists in the 1960’s had a field day when they put forward the views that we were all victims of circumstance. If you believe that then you will NEVER be inspired to make any changes in your life. You may even believe that this was the way your life was “meant to be”. What does that mean? Should we believe that someone is giving out good lives to some and bad lives to others? Wow! What freedom that gives us all to moan and groan about the way our lives are turning out!

We are in control of every day of our lives…..even if it is just by controlling our attitude towards things. There is not a circumstance that denies that. Control comes not only from the things we can do, but from the attitude we have to what is going on around us. People in terrible circumstances have looked on the bright side in life and inspired others. Look at the amazing achievements some physically impaired people have made in sports, athletics, marathons etc….they don’t sit around concentrating on what they cannot do…..they make an effort to work at what they find they CAN do.

What about us? What about YOU and me? Please try to wake up every day and realise that cups only get full by putting something in them. Absolute FACT. Your cup of life is only going to get full if YOU put something in it..

Recognise your abilities to make plans, look forward to each day, and make life the way you want it to be. Don’t spend another moment wishing your life was like someone else’s, work things out so that you can have as good a life as you want it to be. Don’t waste a moment!

Fill your cup!

Till next time, take care!

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Page 10

Gran Alacant News

WHEN THE BOATS COME IN

A trawler makes its way back into Santa Pola port

Life blood: Santa Pola’s fishing industry An orange sky, and a flock of seagulls surround the silhouette of the Nueva Natividad as it comes home. Home being the fishing port of Santa Pola – one of the most important fishing ports in the Mediterranean and a town that still retains its very strong links with the sea – and the Nueva Natividad, a state of the art fishing boat owned by Santapolero Rafael Baeza. The Nueva Natividadis not alone however, far from it, as behind follow more silhouettes, many more – and more hungry birds – heading into port with the fruit of a day’s hard labour stowed safely below decks. The birds will get the scraps while the catch will provide food for a

town and a country – hungry for the best fish to be found in the Mediterranean.

Soon the quay is buzzing with activity as some of the one hundred boats that represent Santa Pola’s fishing fleet find their berth and begin unloading their haul. It is the middle of February, and it’s cold.

As I stand shivering these men are pulling cold and wet nets around the decks and heaving trays of fish in ice onto the quay. They don’t wear gloves, though I doubt any would fit as these guys have hands the size of dinner plates and fingers the size of sausages, and they don’t even seem to notice the biting northerly wind that has kicked up and driven us by-

standers to look for cover. I suspect they’d laugh, if they weren’t too busy working, at us land-lubbers as we look on with growing respect at these men. These are men who are nearing the end of yet another 14 hour working day but know that there is still work to be done before they can head home.

Fishing is quite literally the life-blood of Santa Pola and has been for a very long time. Los Marineros, the fishermen, are the sons and grandsons of Santapoleros who took to the sea to earn their living, but it’s not a job – to the people of Santa Pola it is much more than that. Call it tradition, lifestyle, culture or a vocation, the

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red blood that is fishing runs through the veins of every true Santapolero and they are, rightly so, proud of their reputation for catching and selling the best seafood in the Mediterranean.

It is why Carrefour, El Corte Ingles and pretty much every other major food retail company in Spain is waiting dockside at four-thirty sharp for the boats to come in; they want the very best, and the fishermen of Santa Pola have made themselves a reputation for supplying just that for a very long time.

Over four hundred Marineros earn their living directly from the sea while over ninety per cent of the town is connected to the industry in one form or another.

Santa Pola exists and thrives on its fishing industry. In the Lonja, (the auction house where each boats daily catch is sold) alongside the port, some two hundred buyers from all over Spain will be bidding on the impressively prepared and displayed produce before them which will then be making its way to supermarkets and restaurants around the country as soon as it is sold.

As I head home it’s almost eight o’clock and my day is over. The fishermen meanwhile are still tending to their nets and repairing where necessary for the day ahead – which is just six short hours away.

Most of them have seen the sun rise and set during this, just another normal, working day.

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

Fridays QUIZ NIGHT

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

HOROSCOPES Aries March 21-April 20 Friends and lovers may offer unusual explanations of their behavior early this week. Social events or unexpected changes in romantic relationships may be a prime topic of discussion.

Taurus April 21-May 20 Early Tuesday marks the beginning of eight days of quiet reflection and evaluation in close relationships: watch for loved ones to now silently reveal their long-term ideals, social needs and ongoing home plans.

Gemini May 21-June 21 Before Thursday friends and workmates may be mistaken concerning times, dates or schedule changes. Check facts and information thoroughly before committing extra time. Unnecessary workplace delays may be costly.

Cancer June 22-July 22 Financial adjustments or minor changes in business schemes may be necessary over the next eight days.

Successful combinations in business or working relationships will now bring fast results.

Leo July 22-August 22 Over the next two days flashes of wisdom or social intuition will captivate your attention. Key issues may involve arguments between friends or emotional debts from the past.

Virgo August 23-September 22 A friend or close work colleague may soon become distracted by emotion or highly focused on ethics in the workplace this week. Stay well back from all such speculation

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Libra September 23-October 23 Emotional clarity in relationships and social insight are on the agenda over the next few days. Late Monday afternoon a romantic triangle in your social circle may become topic of conversation.

Scorpio October 24-November 22 Social and romantic relationships will now enter a new phase of entertainment, group activities and invitations. This is an excellent time to expand your circle of friends or ask for added support from loved ones.

Sagittarius Nov 23-December 21 The business practices of a colleague or unproductive work methods may require much thought over the next few days. Early this week spend time reviewing past workplace events or business decisions.

Capricorn December 22-January 20 Romance and social relations will bring many rewards over the next few days. Emotional balance and honesty will soon be the prime focus of lovers and friends.

Aquarius January 21-February 19 Intimate relationships may require special attention over the next few days.

Early Monday afternoon watch for a close friend or lover to be moody or anxious about recent changes in family relations.

Pisces February 20-March 20 Plan business strategies early this week: work messages, new contracts or small duties may soon evolve into important opportunities. Pay close attention to financial proposals.

Clubs & Associations Aircrew Association Costa Blanca Former and serving of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are very welcome to join this friendly organisation founded here in 1988.

Details from the secretary on 96 640 4123 Alcoholics Anonymous Costa Blanca South 625 912 078 www. aa-costablanca.org ASPETGA We are the Pet Owners Association of Santa Pola and Gran Alacant.

Together we´ll have more strength to defend our rights, to fulfill our responsibilities, to live in peaceful coexistence with our neighbours and to lobby for new projects. www.aspetga.es Costa Blanca Computer Club We meet regularly every Saturday from 10.00am to 1.00pm at the Sierra Bernia School, Alicante.

Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers The CBMW who get together twice a week to enjoy walking in the mountains of the Costa Blanca. Anyone is welcome to come along. Visit www.cbmwalkers.org for info.

Crime Watch Spain (Vecinos Colaborando) We try to reduce crime and vandalism in our communities. We try to look after the citizens. We also teach Spanish. Email: colaborando.crimewatch@gmail.com K9 Animal Shelter If you have spare time we would love to hear from you. 600 845 420 - 610 852 726

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Gran Alacant News

M.A.B.S. CANCER SUPPORT We are here for you when you need us.

Call Bob Clayrton 96 679 0775 or 699 894 183 Pets in Spain - Animal Rescue www.petsinspain.com - info@petsinspain. com Road Bike Riding Group in GA We are a small group who spend most of the winter here in Gran Alacant. If you are interested in joining one of our rides look us up on Facebook Gran Alacant Road Cyclist (bici Gran Alacant) or email: gerard. elacey@gmail.com Royal British Legion Gran Alacant Meets on the first Monday of the month at 6.00pm at La Taberna, next to Monte y Mar Bowls Club, Plaza Mayor. You do not need to be ex-services to join. Contact Brian 639 917 971 or Robin 96 669 5423. Email, granalacant.secretary@gmail.com Samaritans in Spain If you have something on your mind give us a call. Talk to us any time you like, in complete confidence. You don’t have to be suicidal to get in touch. 24 hour confidential telephone support line on Freephone: 900 525 100 - pat@samaritansinspain.com Walking Football Any creaking oldies out there who would like to move about a bit more?

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Mercedes SLk 200 6 Speed FSH 23,000km, like new, fully loaded 24995€

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

WALKING THROUGH ELCHE’S RICH HISTORY

Elche has four major claims to fame. Firstly it is the Spanish shoe-making capital employing around 9,000 people, so it’s a great place to visit to buy quality shoes at lower prices.

Secondly, it’s home to Europe’s largest palm grove of about 200,000 trees. This supplies many of the Palm Sunday palms around the world.

Then, each August it holds its unique mystery play, which UNESCO has declared to be a world heritage masterpiece.

Last, but certainly not least, the Dama de Elche Iberian

Gran Alacant News

Page 13

prices including Salvador Artesano shoe factory, Geox, Gioseppo, Pikolinos and Mustang.

A good place to start your tour is at the Elche Tourist Information Office on the edge of the municipal park. Then it’s a short walk to the Palacio de Altamira palace where noble Elche families lived from the 15th to the 19th centuries. The palace has also been used as a rather grand textile factory and a prison during the Spanish Civil War. It is now home to the archaeological museum where you’ll find an exact replica of the Dama de Elche bust.

Then it’s a one-minute stroll to the 17th century Baroque Basilica de Santa Maria, built on the site of the former mosque, in Elche’s finest square bearing the same name, Plaza de Santa Maria. This splendid basilica is where the Elche Mystery Play is performed. A chanted drama dating from the Middle Ages, it tells the Biblical story of the Assumption and Crowning of the Virgin Mary. Although tickets for the play sell out quicker than Glastonbury, you can find out all about it in the Museo de la Festa in Carrer Major de la Vila Another must-see in Elche is the 12th century Arab baths under the Convent de la Merced as they’ve been remarkably well preserved. Travellers would bathe here before heading to the mosque for prayers.

stone bust believed to date back to 4BC was found during an archaeological dig here. Unfortunately for the locals the Dama is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid. But you can see - and buy - replicas in Elche.

So it’s a fascinating place for a day out as you can stroll around the historic old town, head off to the palm grove and then pop in to the Ruta Outlet Elche, seven kilometres from the city centre on the way to Alicante-Elche airport. Here you’ll find 29 companies selling top brands of clothes, shoes, textiles and furniture at rock-bottom Make a date After sampling Elche’s history, it’s time to taste the dates in the World Heritage site, the historic palm grove. You can walk around it by yourself but it’s worth booking a guided tour as you also get to see one of the palm workers (palmereros) plaiting palms into the intricate designs seen on Palm Sunday processions.

The Palmeral de Elche green oasis dates from the 8th century.

Although it’s not possible to walk around - or count - all the thousands of trees here, you must seek out the rare and very old Imperial Palm, with eight arms in the shape of a candelabra. www myguidealicante.com

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Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

TEA BREAK FUN Wordsearch

Across 1. Donkey’s uncle 4. Item for Nightingale 8. Newborn 14. Make a selection 15. Blade for fencing 16. Sheepish farewell?

17. Role for Field 18. Electrical sparks 19. Out of the sack 20. It has a central island, usually 23. ‘’--- be a pleasure!’’

24. Layman 25. Brings to a close 28. Where salas are located 30. Herbal beverage 33. Umbrella part 35. Mini nuisance 36. ‘’Nightmare’’ street 37. Use it to find the right path 41. ‘’Rocky ---’’ (1982) 42. Part of Mork’s goodbye 43. Knight’s title 44. Destructive episode 46. Pine for 50. Place for a dummy 51. Wharf pests 55. ‘’Hansel and Gretel’’ prop 56. Place to get slapped around 60. Rating unit for a French restaurant?

62. It may be on a roll 63. ‘’The Piano’’ heroine 64. Unsociable and brooding 65. Barbara of ‘’Harper Valley PTA’’ 66. Provide with clothes 67. Word in a Presley song title 68. Dried-out 69. Poet’s palindrome word

Down 1. Kind of valve 2. City attacked by Cleon 3. Breaks a commandment 4. Two pages 5. It lasts about 30 days 6. Islam holy city 7. Joe of ‘’My Cousin Vinny’’ 8. Construction support 9. Snow seizer 10. Received less than a passing grade 11. Hooky player 12. Highlander’s negative 13. Summer shade 21. Stranded motorist’s signal 22. Cake decoration 26. Compaq competitor 27. Famous Uncle 29. City south of Florence 31. Crow’s cries 32. Moral precept 34. Talk big 35. Brindled beast 37. City of central China 38. Like an old wristwatch, in more ways that one 39. Like neon or xenon 40. Kind of message 41. Drive bananas 45. Sentence ender 47. Handle props?

48. Ball park licensee 49. Put in gear 52. African succulents 53. Spanish diacritical mark 54. Scornful smile 57. Other than what is implied 58. One trading in futures?

59. Not here 60. Typesetting measures 61. Sock section

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Gran Alacant News

Page 15

PUB QUIZ Answers & Solutions Page 18

Test yourself with some testing questions!

Round 1 - Movies 1. Which two English born actors have hosted the Academy Awards ceremony three or more times? One point for each correct answer.

2. In which three years were the Summer Olympic Games cancelled?

3. Which deviant group train at Westchester mansion?

4. Which unspecified ‘teen’ was first coined by the Army Signal Corps during World War I? 5. Code Red, Michelangelo and Conficker were all famous examples of what?

6. Invented by a French chef at the Ritz Hotel in New York City, what name was given to his cold puree of leeks, potatoes and cream?

7. On the 27th of March 2010 Russia had eleven. Today they only have nine. What?

8. The most decorated US soldier in WW II later became a Hollywood actor. What was his name?

9. The following lyrics are from which hot 1950s hit?

“Romeo love Juliet, Juliet she felt the same, When he put his arms around her, He said Julie baby your my flame” 10. As the winter draws ever closer, the skies are often filled with fascinating murmurations.

What are murmurations?

11. Who were the two members of the Jackson Five with the initials ‘J. J.’? One point for each correct answer.

12. Which two Asian men have been Secretary-General of the United Nations? One point for each correct answer.

13. The Russian word for an incident of wanton and unrestrained destruction on a mass scale, such as may occur during wartime. Six letters, second letter ‘O’.

14. Which two sports that start with the letter ‘C’ were once part of the Summer Olympic Games?

One point for each correct answer.

15. Which year is missing from both the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar yet present in the astronomical calendar system?

16. Which other ‘Mick’ was once a member of The Rolling Stones?

17. What was the name of the boat commanded

by Capt. Ramius?

18. The PINNA is the outer part of your what?

19. Who was American author Mona Simpson’s inspirational Brother, whom she did not meet until she was 25 years old?

20. Which car company, initially founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company, was forced to change it’s name after WWII to avoid the unfavourable connotations of the SS initials?21.

What kind of films were banned in Monaco after April 18, 1956?

21. What animal did Bart Simpson take to Australia?

22. Based on total tonnes per year, which three countries produce the most milk? One point for each correct answer.

23. For which two films did David Lean win the Oscar for Best Director? One point for each correct answer.

24. The names of three of the four busiest international airports in the world start with the letter ‘H’. Can you name them? One point for each correct answer.

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Page 16

Gran Alacant News

ENTERTAINMENT in GRAN ALACANT Page 14

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

The Pub Susie’s Free Entry Quiz 4pm

Santa Pola Market

Voices Karaoke 2pm

Santa Pola Market

Shaker Maker 2 Tone Tuesdays 2pm

The Pub Family Fortunes & Blockbusters 5pm

Gran Alacant Market

19th

The Pub 7-80’s Disco 9pm Shooters Bar Karaoke 9.30pm Websters Quiz & Karaoke 9.30pm Molly Malone’s 9.30pm Karaoke with Tony Hall American rock Live Music 10pm

20th

Voices Karaoke 2pm Shooters Bar Karaoke 9.30pm Websters Karaoke 9.30pm Bar Sioux Karaoke 9.30pm

21st

The Pub Mr Bojangles 4pm The Pub Live music 6pm

22nd

Voices Karaoke 2pm Lounge D Quiz 8pm

The Pub Kev’s Karaoke 8pm

Tablao Lunares Dinner & Flamenco Show 10pm

Voices Karaoke 2pm Bar Sioux Eyes Down 9.30pm

24th

Voices Wed-Fri 6pm karaoke Zest Fun Darts 8.30pm

25th

Shaker Maker Thirsty Thursdays 2pm Molly Malone’s Line dancing 4.30pm Brothers Bar Jam session 9.30pm Bar Sioux Quiz 9.30pm

EVERY WEDNESDAY The Pub Family Fortunes & Blockbusters 5pm

American rock Live Music 10pm

23rd

COMING SOON! Gran Alacant Flea Market Sunday 21st Jan Next to Sports Centre

American rock Live Music 10pm Walking Football Contact: laneinspain@ hotmail.com

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

The Pub Susie’s Free Entry Quiz 4pm

Santa Pola Market

Voices Karaoke 2pm

Santa Pola Market

Shaker Maker 2 Tone Tuesdays 2pm

The Pub Family Fortunes & Blockbusters 5pm

Gran Alacant Market

26th

The Pub 7-80’s Disco 9pm

27th

Voices Karaoke 2pm

28th

The Pub Mr Bojangles 4pm

Shooters Bar Karaoke 9.30pm

Shooters Bar Karaoke 9.30pm

The Pub Live music 6pm

Websters Karaoke 9.30pm

The Pub Kev’s Karaoke 8pm

Websters Quiz & Karaoke 9.30pm

Bar Sioux Karaoke 9.30pm

Molly Malone’s 9.30pm Karaoke with Tony Hall

Tablao Lunares Dinner & Flamenco Show 10pm

American rock Live Music 10pm

American rock Live Music 10pm

29th

Voices Karaoke 2pm Lounge D Quiz 8pm

30th

Voices Karaoke 2pm Bar Sioux Eyes Down 9.30pm

Got something on?

Get it in! granalacantnews@gmail.com

31st

Voices Wed-Fri 6pm karaoke Zest Fun Darts 8.30pm

1st

Shaker Maker Thirsty Thursdays 2pm Molly Malone’s Line dancing 4.30pm Brothers Bar Jam session 9.30pm Bar Sioux Quiz 9.30pm American rock Live Music 10pm Walking Football Contact: laneinspain@ hotmail.com

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

AROUND THE REGION

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Page 17

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THE SANTA POLA HALF MARATHON

One of the largest in Europe with some of the world’s top athletes coming to town!

Next market: 21st January

QUALIFIED

Gran Alacant News

LOCAL MARKETS Monday Callosa d’En Sarria, Dénia, Elche (Plaza de la fruta, Plaza de Barcelona and Plaza de Sant Josep), Ibi, Monovar, Petrer, SANTA POLA, La Nucia

On January 21st, 2018 the “XXVIV MITJA MARATÓ INTERNACIONAL VILA DE SANTA POLA “, (the 29th International Half Marathon) will begin once again 1at 10:30am. Open to all, whether in a club or not, and welcoming the foreign athletes who comply with the RFEA and IAAF regulations, the event will this year be involving almost 10,000 runners.

This race is part of the official calendar of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (Real Federación Española de Atletismo) and covers a distance of 21,097 metres, being properly homologated and certified

by Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (Real Federación Española de Atletismo).

The course is included in the NATIONAL CALENDAR and the INTERNATIONAL category, which means all marks will be OFFICIAL.

Tuesday Altea (farm produce), Aspe, Benidorm (farm produce), Elda. Jijona, Orihuela, Pilar de Horardada (Mil Palmeras).

Wednesday Alcoy, Banereres, Benejama, Benidorm, Callosa de Segura, Campello, Guardamar del Segura, Muchamiel, Novelda, Ondara, Petrer, Sax, Teulada, Polop de la Marina (farm produce).

Thursday Alicante, Agost, Albatera, Castilla, Cocentania, GRAN ALACANT, Jávea, Pego, Rojales, Villajoyosa, Villena.

Friday Alfaz del Pi, Azafara, Crevillente, Dénia (Rastro), Delores, Finestrat, Gata de Gorgos, Moraira, Muro de Alcoy, Monforte del Cid, Pilar de Horadada, La Nucia, Onil, Vergel and Torrevieja.

Tel. 686 520 186

Local Mechanic

Saturday Alcoy, Alicante, Almoradí, Benejuzar, Benejama, Benissa, Calpe, Castalla, Cocentaina, Elche (Plaza de la fruta, Plaza de Barcelona and Plaza de Sant Josep, Elda, Novelda, Pinoso, Pedreguer, San Juan, San Vincente, Sax, SANTA POLA and Jálon (Rastro).

ANTIQUE FAIRS ON THE COSTA BLANCA

Sunday Elche (Plaza del Raval handicrafts market), La Alguena, La Matanza, La Murada de los Vicentes, La Nucia (Rastro), Pedreguer (Rastro) and Torremanzanas.

Antique & Period Furniture

Vintage, Collectables & Much More Every Saturday Bigastro road km3.5 Orihuela, Orihuela

HOME BEACH THE CHARMING SHOP

GENERAL BUILDER Clive Coomber Fully legal Basements/Damp Int. Ext. Plastering Extensions

Tel.

Tiling/Painting Double Glazing Electrical Plumbing

669 593 212

clive _ coomber@yahoo.co.uk

LIVE MUSIC

Thursday 25 January 2018

Saturday 20 January 2018

Sidecars Sala Cultural La Llotja, Elche, Spain Yogures de Coco Ocho Y Medio, Alicante, Spain Esther Zecco El Refugio del poeta, Elche, Spain

DECORATIONS CERAMICS FURNITURE FLOWERS GAMES HOUSEHOLD FASHION JEWELERY GIFTS Centro Comercial GA Avda Finlandia Local 10 Tel. GRAN ALACANT

96 669 96 05

Rozalén Teatro Principal, Alicante, Spain

Friday 26 January 2018

Rozalén Teatro Principal, Alicante, Spain

All tickets: www.songkick.com

HemingwayBistro International Cuisine

Passion for exotic food

• • •

Starters Salads Pastas

• • •

Fish Vegetarian Pizzas

Avda. Escandinavia 72 Local 5 Gran alacant

Tel. 865 669 754

632 333 195

hemingwaybistro@gmail.com

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

!

S D I for K

What’s on locally..?

GETTING OUT & ABOUT

10 Great places to entertain the kids!

1. Dinopark

Visit DinoPark, the fun theme park in Alicante If your kids are crazy about dinosaurs then get them down to this impressive theme park where you will find fabulous replicas, both static and robotic, of the most famous dinosaurs. In addition, there is a small lake, an excavation area and a 3D cinema. marketing@dinopark.es Partida Segarra s/n. Callosa d’en Sarrià.

Alicante Tel.: +34 636 277 466

2. Torrellano Railway Museum in Alicante

Don’t Forget!

Santa Pola Mini-Marathon Saturday 20th January 2018 - 4.00pm

6. Cycle the Via Verde

The Route of Maigmó. A total of 22 kms to walk, bike or horse ride with 6 tunnels and 2 viaducts, with lizards, reservoirs, trees and an endless number of surprises ideal for adults and children.

7. Funfair Alicante Port

Without straying too far from the city centre, between the Explanada de España and the Port of Alicante, children have an escape. An amusement park, a permanent fair with everything you need to have a great time. Jumping mats, bumper cars and much more. With enough stuff for children to forget everything and have fun as only they can.

8. Go Karts Orihuela

Go Karts Orihuela offers a circuit adapted for the smallest ones and vehicles with limited power engines so that children enjoy themselves and have fun. A different way of making plans for children.

First Sunday of each month An essential visit for families with children and for everyone who likes trains. The museum has its Vapor Vivo train circuit. You can visit the museographic collection free of charge and, for € 1.50 per person, ride on authentic scale trains with steam, electric and thermal traction.

9. Witness life in a submarine in Torrevieja

3. Visit the Cigarreras culture centre in Alicante

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante is one of the best options for finding activities for children in Alicante. It organises many workshops for children, children’s theatre, concerts and many other things. They´ll love them!

Cigarreras centro cultural en Alicante info@cigarreras.es C/ San Carlos, 78 03013 Alicante Tel.: 965 206 674

4. See the Vikings

Did you know that the Vikings invaded Alicante? Boats full of Vikings landed in the city of Alicante and stayed a long time in the city. Dressed in their finery and singing chants and staging rituals and fights, they landed on Postiguet beach.

MARQ Museum Placa Dr. Gómez Ulla, S/N, 03013 Alicante

5. The Toy Museum

Gran Alacant News

The Valencian Toy Museum was opened in 1990 in Ibi, a town recognised worldwide as the Spanish toy centre. In 2013 it moved to its headquarters to continue with the project to become reference centre for collecting, conserving, researching, educating the Spanish toy heritage.

Glorieta Nicolás Payá Jover, 1 03440 - Ibi (Alicante) 96 655 02 26 info@museojuguete.com

Tea Break Fun

Torrevieja is full of surprises with unusual lakes, salt boats and a rare chance to look inside a submarine.

The Delfin S-61 was the Spanish Armada’s first submarine which is now a floating museum in Torrevieja harbour. It’s quite claustrophobic and is amazing to think that sailors actually worked on board the submarine as it patrolled the oceans.

S-61 Delfin submarine floating museum in Torrevieja You can also visit the Albatross III patrol boat and the Pascual Flores schooner which is a replica of the original boat used by Torrevieja sailors to sell salt.

Entry to Torrevieja floating museums in the harbour is €2. There is a minimum height of 1.15 metres. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 2pm in winter and 6pm to 10.30pm in summer. It’s closed on rainy days for safety reasons.

10. Escape!

XCAPATE brings you the first real-life escape game in ALICANTE, a leisure alternative in Alicante.

How does it work?

You have to assemble a team of from 2 to 5 people.

You come to the session that has been previously booked through our website.

Our staff will give you all the instructions, explain the rules and solve any possible questions or doubts you may have.

You enter the room which is locked from the outside and ... the game beStationery gins. You will have 60 minutes to solve Supplies Gift ideas all the puzzles and find the exit.

Fax & Photocopy service Do not worry, the Administrator of the School & Office materials game will be observing you at all times Laminating & Framing to lend a hand if you ask for help.

C/ Canónigo Manuel Lorenzo Penalva, 5 Local.3 - 03013 Alicante

A: It can have a hole in it.

RIDDLES A: An umbrella!

A: A fire!

Solutions From page 15

ANSWERS 1. Two answers. Bob Hope (19) and David Niven (3) 2. 1916, 1940 and 1944 3. X-men 4. Umpteen (‘Umpty’ was slang for the Morse code dash. Many dashes were then called umpteen) 5. Computer viruses 6. Vichyssoise 7. Time zones (as of the 28th of March 2010 ) 8. Audie Murphy 9. Fever (Peggy Lee’s version) 10. The aerobatic displays of starlings 11. Two answers. Jermaine Jackson and Jackie Jackson 12. Two answers. Ban Ki-Moon and U Thant 13. POGROM 14. Two answers. Cricket and Croquet 15. The year zero. (Under those systems, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1) 16. Mick Taylor 17. Red October 18. Ear (Pinna is Latin for ‘feather’) 19. Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. 20. Jaguar Cars 21. Bullfrog

Page 18

Hard 22. Three answers India, USA and China 23. Two answers The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 24. Three answers Hartsfield (Atlanta), Heathrow (London) and Haneda (Tokyo)

Easy

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

ON TV

Grace and Frankie (Season 4)

Description: “They’re not friends, but when their husbands leave them for each other, proper Grace and eccentric Frankie begin to bond in this Emmy-nominated series.”— January 19

TV One Day at a Time (Season 2) — January 26 Altered Carbon (Season 1) — February 2 Description: “A new series set over 300 years in the future, when human minds are digitized and downloaded from body to body. Based on the classic cyberpunk novel.”

Also available January 19 • Drug Lords: Season 1 • Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 1 Available January 26 • The Adventures of Puss in Boots: Season 6 • Dirty Money • Llama Llama: Season 1

• One Day at a Time: Season 2 Available January 28 • El Ministerio del Tiempo: Seasons 1-3 Available January 30 • Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1-2 • Retribution: Season 1

MOVIES

Available January 19 • The Open House Available January 23 • Todd Glass: Act Happy Available January 24 • Ricardo Quevedo: Hay gente así Available January 25 • Acts of Vengeance Available January 26 • A Futile and Stupid Gesture • Sebastián Marcelo Wainraich • Mau Nieto: Viviendo sobrio… desde el bar Available January 29 • The Force Available January 30 • Death Race: Beyond Anarchy Available January 31 • Cars

Aquarius RESTAURANT & BAR

Gran Alacant News

SPORT

SAT 20TH JANUARY Football Brighton & Hove Albion V Chelsea Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Premier League (11:30) Sheffield Wednesday V Cardiff City Championship, Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Football (17:15) SUN 21ST JANUARY Football Southampton V Tottenham Hotspur Premier League, Sky Sports Premier League Sky Sports Main Event (16:00) MON 22ND JANUARY Football Swansea City V Liverpool Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Premier League (19:00) Cricket New Zealand V Pakistan Twenty20 Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (02:55), Sky Sports Main Event (03:00) TUE 23RD JANUARY Football Bristol City V Manchester City League Cup - Semi-Final, Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Football (19:30) WED 24TH JANUARY Football Arsenal V Chelsea League Cup - Semi-Final, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event (19:30) Cricket South Africa V India Test Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (07:55), Sky Sports Main Event (08:00)

Page 19

24TH JANUARY Arsenal v Chelsea

League Cup - Semi-Final THU 25TH JANUARY Cricket South Africa V India Test Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket - Red Button (07:55), Sky Sports Main Event (09:15), New Zealand V Pakistan New Zealand v Pakistan Twenty20 Series 2018, Sky Sports Mix (05:55), Sky Sports Cricket (05:55) FRI 26TH JANUARY Cricket South Africa V India South Africa v India Test Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (07:55), Sky Sports Main Event (10:00) SAT 27TH JANUARY Cricket South Africa V India South Africa v India Test Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (07:55), Sky Sports Main Event (13:00) SUN 28TH JANUARY Cricket South Africa V India South Africa v India Test Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket - Red Button (07:55), Sky Sports Cricket (09:15) New Zealand V Pakistan Twenty20 Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (05:55) THU 1ST FEBRUARY Darts Premier League Darts Sky Sports Action Sky Sports Mix (19:00) Cricket South Africa V India South Africa v India ODI Series 2018, Sky Sports Cricket (11:25), Sky Sports Main Event (11:30)

Carabasi Centre Gran Alacant

Great quality, price & service - GUARANTEED! Why not try...

The famous Fish & Chips or the old favourites menu including, best seller Liver & Bacon with onions and mash.

Home made Stew or Cottage Pie or the international range such as, Curry, Chilli con Carne, Lasagna, Southern Fried Chicken.

Popular deluxe Burgers and Kebabs are a must!

Great choice of quality wines & beers Tel.

96 699 9601

Enjoy the Costa Blanca with us!

OPEN: 5pm till finish (closed Sunday)

La Cesta

Cafe & Bar Open: 8.30am Every day

Rental & Property Management for the Alicante Region

Panaderia Artesana

• •

Over 200 holiday homes available Car hire from our office or Alicante Airport

Desayunos - Almuerzos - Aperitivos Breakfast - Lunch - Apperitives Kontinental Frukost Och Kakor BREAD

PASTIES

CAKES

ENGLISH PIES

SAUSAGE ROLLS

Avenida Noruega 214 Centro Comercial Carabassi 1ª planta - local Nº 26 - 03130 Gran Alacant

Steve & Jan - Avda. Mediterranea 72 - Tel. 689 293 731

Tel. 966 698 967 www.granalacant.nl

Email: tom@granalacant.nl www.dreams-spain.com

Registered: EEAT-577 - Apartmento Turisticos Generalitat Valenciana

o yer s n

Gran Alacant News Issue no. 3 - Friday January 19th 2018

Gran Alacant News

News GRAN ALACANT

FREE

PUBLICITY

SPORTS REPORT

By Malcolm Palmer

CRAZY TRANSFERS & OTHER STUFF

It doesn’t much matter which club you support, but you have to think that the winners in the Coutinho sale are Liverpool.

170 million euros?

MOST EXPENSIVE TRANSFERS OF ALL TIME

Please! Okay, he’s a good midfielder, but he’s never in that bracket, is he? (Is anyone?) And where exactly will he fit in at Barcelona? They are not short of star players – interesting! Across in Madrid things are still not going Zinedine Zidane’s way.

He gets top marks for loyalty to his lads when he says he doesn’t want new recruits, but it’s not winning matches, and Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering an unprecedented goal-drought. ZZ’s obsession with his countryman Benzema may well prove his eventual undoing.

Meanwhile Valencia, who have made an impressive start to the season under Marcelino are showing signs of faltering, whilst Atletico Madrid are coming on strong, as the headstrong half-Brazilian Diego Costa divides his time between scoring goals and getting sent off.

But nobody looks like challenging unbeaten Barcelona for the title this year – doing much as their ex-boss is doing with Manchester City in England.

If we take a deeper look into the most expensive transfers you can see that of the top 10 most expensive transfers 9 happened since 2013 while 27 of the top 35 transfers are also after 2013. Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale for a record breaking £85 million back in 2013 which overtook Ronaldo’s Real Madrid and was followed by United’s Pogba transfer at £89 million. But PSG paid Neymar Jr’s full release clause (£198 million) in one go to lure the Brazilian to France.

Update: Neymar’s transfer to Paris Saint Germain on technically free transfer became the most expensive player ever signed by a football club. PSG paid £198m to Neymar who handed it to Barcelona to buy-out his contract. Neymar’s transfer is now the most expensive ever ahead of Manchester United’ Paul Pogba.

Neymar Jr’s transfer to Paris Saint Germain has broke all kinds of financial records in football as PSG bought him from

FC Barcelona for more than double that which Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba in 2016. Previous record transfers are a distant memory now as the Neymar world record transfer set the benchmark possibly for years to come. But probably not...

Top 10 Most Expensive Transfers 1 Neymar (2017) FC Barcelona to PSG £198m 2 Paul Pogba (2016) Juventus to Manchester United £89m 3 Ousmane Dembélé (2017) Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona £97m 4 Gareth Bale (2013) Totteham to Real Madrid £85.3m 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (2009) Man Utd to Real Madrid £83.7m 6 Gonzalo Higuain (2016) Napoli to Juventus £75.3m 7 Romelu Lukaku (2017) Everton to Manchester United £75.3m 8 Luis Suarez (2014) Liverpool to Barcelona £75m 9 Neymar (2013) Santos to Barcelona £71.5m 10 Alvaro Morata (2017) Real Madrid vs Chelsea £70.9m