Olive Press Newspaper – Issue 217

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Licensed at last

All go f0r TOWIE’s Elliott

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I’m real Banksy

Expat artist in bold claim

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Ready to rock

Marbella mayor loves AC/DC

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Vol. 9 Issue 217 www.theolivepress.es

July 10th - July 24th 2015

Back in my arms EXCLUSIVE

By Tom Powell & Iona Napier

A BRITISH mother separated from her newborn baby by a Spanish hospital has been reunited with her daughter after DNA results finally proved she is hers.

Stacie Cottle, 27, has been forced to endure three torturous weeks at the hospital in Torre del Mar, near Malaga, after a paediatrician claimed the baby she brought in for a check-up could not be hers.

But now, after the Olive Press visited the court dealing with her case to demand answers, she has been allowed to finally leave the Comarcal de la Axarquia hospital with baby Anzelika for the very first time.

“I am so grateful for all your help,” she said last night.

“This has been the most horrendous month of my life and I have been treated like a common criminal.

“It makes me think twice about ever coming back to Spain.”

The shocking chain of events unfolded after Cottle, a dental nurse from London, arrived in Malaga with her mother and three-year-old daughter

Heartbroken Brit finally reunited with baby after doctors insist on a DNA test to prove it is hers

edly broke two weeks early at 1:30am.

Half an hour later in the twobedroom house, a healthy girl was born, triggering a series of events which turned the family’s Spanish dream into a nightmare.

They took her to hospital for a routine check-up the next day, where the paediatrician immediately claimed the baby did not in fact belong to her.

She insisted it had actually been born three to five days previously.

Criminal

HAPPY FAMILY: Veronica, Stacie and baby Anzelika

Anabella on June 1.

The family stayed in several hotels while looking for accommodation for her mother Veronica to rent longer term, as she hoped to find work teaching English.

But the night after signing a contract on a house in Arenas, in the Axarquia region, Cottle’s waters unexpect-

“She said ‘it was impossible’,” Cottle told the Olive Press. “I felt so helpless, I couldn’t believe what they were saying.”

She and her mother promptly left, upset and confused, to return to the new house.

But within an hour police officers were knocking on the door, asking them to return to the hospital for tests.

Upon arrival, baby Anzelika was separated from her mother and placed in the neonatal

Pictures by Iona Napier

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POSITIVE RESULT: DNA tests proved Stacie was the mother of the baby that doctors claimed wasn’t hers

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CRIME NEWS

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Fewer fellows THE population of Spain has fallen for the third successive year, with the biggest fall in people aged 25 to 39.

Fire warning SPAIN is on ‘high alert’ for wildfires as the country continues to bake in extreme temperatures, up to 40 degrees.

Cashing in THE opening of the Caminito del Rey has tripled the revenue for nearby businesses in El Chorro, Ardales, Alora and El Valle de Abdalajis.

Barking back FUENGIROLA mayor Ana Mula is determined to keep the town’s dog beach open despite the Junta banning all dedicated dog beaches.

Drug epidemic ‘out of control’

July 10th - 24th July 2015

‘Goldfinger’ murder link to Spain

Britain’s biggest crook John Palmer could have been killed by a Spanish hitman

LA LINEA’S drug problem is ‘out of control’, according to police.

The local Guardia Civil Association claims there is a huge shortage of staff to tackle the growing number of users, that has tripled over the past year.

The group expressed its dissatisfaction with the ‘lack of personnel’ to tackle the problem.

A spokesman added: “A worrying lack of staff and resources has led to an uncontrollable number of drug traffickers in the area.

“The Guardia Civil feel powerless in the battle against the drug dealers.”

By Tom Powell

GANGSTER’S PARADISE: Palmer with wife Marie

Manhunt in Marbella

SCOTLAND’s most wanted man Derek ‘Deco’ Ferguson (left) is believed to be hiding out around Marbella.

The 50-year-old murder suspect fled Scotland eight years ago and is now believed to be working as an enforcer for international drug gangs in Marbella and Calahonda.

Ferguson is wanted in connection with the murder of Thomas Cameron, 49, who was killed at a pub in Glasgow in 2007.

Crimestoppers has appealed for information on his Spanish whereabouts for years, but despite high-profile Operation Captura, Ferguson remains on the loose.

A new black and white photo of the diminutive Ferguson, who stands just five feet three inches tall, has been released in the hope that he will be recognised.

THE murder of Britain’s most notorious gangster, John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer, has been linked to a Spanish hitman.

The timeshare crook, who operated out of Tenerife for decades, was shot dead in his Essex garden, although his death was initially attributed to natural courses.

Police have now launched a murder investigation into the man once dubbed Britain’s richest crook thanks to a €350 million fortune, much of it made in Spain.

Palmer, 65, was reportedly due to stand trial in Spain for fraud, firearm possession and money laundering this year.

Marbella

He had only just learnt that he faced a possible 15 years in jail in the Canaries, where he had multiple homes and luxury yachts.

Palmer made millions from his timeshare operations in Tenerife, many of them fraudulent and involving high pressure selling tactics.

He also had links to timeshare companies in mainland Spain and was a regular visitor to the Costa del Sol. “I met him a couple of times down

here,” said one leading businessman. “He had various businesses here, but he was always really surly, not a nice chap.”

His downfall is believed to have come after the fall out of the infamous Securitas robbery in 2006, in Kent, over which he earned his nickname ‘Goldfinger’.

Some €60 million of gold bars were stolen when 14 members of staff were tied up.

However, there was a huge fallout between the British and Eastern European gangsters involved and detectives believe this led to Palmer’s death.

It is now believed he may have been executed by the same hitmen implicated in the killing of Great Train robber Charlie Wilson, in Marbella in 1990.

Detectives are apparently probing a list of suspects for Wilson’s killing due to similarities between the cases.

Specifically, they were murdered in their own gardens, clearly by an experienced assassin.

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the Olive Press July 10th - 24th July 2015

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BRITISH boxing legend Ricky Hatton has been boozing it up in Marbella.

The former world champion was spotted on the dancefloors in Puerto Banus looking visibly larger than his boxing days and slightly worse for wear.

Fans favourite ‘the Hitman’ Hatton is known for his weight and alcohol problems.

After his comeback defeat to Manny Pacquiao he suffered with depression and almost ‘drank himself to suicide’.

No more TOWIE

By Rob Horgan

BOOZER: Hatton

LA CALA

End of an era for our showbiz columnist, Elliott Wright, who now has bigger fish to fry…

A

FTER two years I have finally called time on TOWIE. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience but I can’t progress any further on the show - plus my restaurant Olivia’s is obviously my main focus now.

Although I haven’t finished my TV career and there are things I’m looking at doing soon I’m ready to move on.

You won’t miss me too much… and the good news is I FINALLY have a licence for my restaurant… in hand (see left) so shovels are back in the ground at last and

work’s underway again.

I was starting to feel like there were just too many hurdles to get over, but I persevered and the end is in sight!

Still no sign of Nick Knowles…

I had hoped he was going to come and help me out with a 60 Minute Makeover, but I guess he’s got used to Spanish mañana manana ... I’m still here Nick?

So let’s get the champagne on tap - the restaurant menus are written up and we have just signed a contract with Moet & Chandon who are sponsoring us with Ice Imperial.

In the meantime, my kids have flown over for a couple of weeks so it’s going to be tough being a single dad at the same time as opening the restaurant.

But I am sure they’ll be time to take a trip to the new Costa Water Park.

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TWO Americans and a Brit have been gored on the first day of the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

A 30-year-old Briton was gored in the groin, while the Americans, 38 and 27, both sustained injuries to an armpit.

A total of 11 people - including three more Americans - were injured and taken to hospital at the opening run of the San Fermin festival.

Since record-keeping began in 1924, 15 people have died from gorings at the festival.

Thousands of adrenaline junkies flock to Pamplona every year for the nine day festival.

A total of eight, 8am bull runs take place, each lasting under five minutes over 825 metres in the town’s narrow, winding streets.

The festival comes to an end on J u l y 14, with a party in the town’s streets.

WHAT IS THE POINT?

DANGEROUS: Eleven people injured on the first day alone

Not so desperate SHE may have found fame as a desperate housewife, but Eva Longoria was more of a chilled-out entertainer on her recent Marbella break.

The American actress touched down on the Costa del Sol for the Global Gift Gala, the latest in a long line of charity events she has attended.

The 40-year-old is busy juggling her career with a large amount of charity work around the world.

So it’s no surprise she revelled in the Spanish sun during the trip, finding time to party with friends on a yacht in Puerto Banus and swim in the Mediterranean.

Pictures: Instagram

Three tourists gored in Pamplona at opening day of running of the bulls

Top punch

NEWS

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From front page ward, where she remained, separated from her family, for 20 days, effectively a ward of court.

A second doctor who later performed a medical examination concluded that Cottle had indeed given birth, but, incredibly, not to the baby she brought to the hospital.

The extraordinary case was then handed over to VelezMalaga courts and the national police, who took DNA tests and placed the baby under the care of social services while waiting on the results.

Meanwhile a distraught Cottle was discharged from the hospital, but refused to leave while her healthy baby remained alone inside.

July 10th - 24th July 2015

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: DRAMATIC MOMENT A TODDLER MEETS HER LITTLE SISTER

Breastfeed

Bizarrely, she was allowed to breastfeed the child once every three hours under doctor’s supervision.

“I was treated like a criminal, with everyone thinking I stole my own baby,” said Cottle, whose father has a PHD from the University of Oxford.

“This has been extremely hard on my three-year-old, who was not allowed near Anzelika and has been asking for me and the baby, who she hadn’t seen since the day she was born.

“It has been such a confusing time for us, I even brought the placenta to the hospital, which I understand was destroyed.

“They were asking me if I was from Senegal despite the fact we all have British passports,” she added.

Staff at the hospital however denied any possibility the situation was linked to the fact

SPECIAL SCENES: (From left to right) Stacie and mother with DNA results, baby Anzelika and finally with the whole family

Re-united

Cottle is mixed race, or that it was related to the area’s problem with immigrants crossing over from Africa.

“She is a tourist and that is the only thing which has made it more complicated with regard to paperwork,” said a hospital spokesperson, after numerous requests for comment.

The Olive Press then liaised with the police, courts and social services on the family’s behalf, before witnessing

the moment Cottle and her daughter walked free from hospital yesterday afternoon at 3:30pm.

“I am so over the moon, but I’m really surprised it is all over so suddenly,” Cottle said last night.

“I’m so grateful, this would never have happened today without the Olive Press’ help.

“I feel like these three weeks have been stolen from me, the baby has grown so much I was worried she wouldn’t fit

into the clothes I bought her.”

However, the struggle is not over yet, as the baby has not been registered as a UK citizen within ten days of its birth. It might take up to a year now before the family can return.

What’s more, after the landlord witnessed them being taken by police on their first night in the new apartment, he decided to evict them.

“I was so excited to start a life here, but not now. We haven’t

Pictures by Iona Napier

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SISTER ACT: Anabella, 3, reunited with baby sister left this hospital for 15 days,” Cottle’s mother Veronica, who came to Spain hoping to work permanently as an English teacher, told the Olive Press.

Cottle is separated from the baby’s father, who the Olive Press understands is aware of

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Neither the paediatrician who first claimed the baby was not Cottle’s, nor the second doctor, was available for comment. The hospital hasn’t commented either.

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NEWS

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June 11th - June 24th 2015

NEWS IN BRIEF

ISIS recruiter A SPANISH woman has been arrested in the Canary Islands for recruiting female members for terror cell ISIS.

Coke conquered MORE than 290 workers at Coca-Cola’s plant in Madrid have won their unfair dismissal trial against the drinks company after they were laid off at the start of the year.

Dream boats SPOT THE REAL BANKSY: Picasso portrait by Shurman and famous Banksy

‘I’m the real Banksy!’

British expat claims ‘wealthy and powerful’ members of UK art scene including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin - stole global graffiti concept from him EXCLUSIVE

By Rob Horgan A MAVERICK Andaluciabased British artist claims to be the ‘real Banksy’.

Londoner Michael Shurman claims he created the globally-known graffiti persona over a decade ago, but it was stolen from him.

Now ‘hiding out’ in a backwater of the Guadalhorce Valley, near Coin, he insists he is taking legal action against a group of leading British artists, who he believes, conned him.

“This is the biggest art story in half a century,” claims 52-year-old Shurman.

“I’m the real Banksy. Or should I say, I created Banksy and then it was stolen from me,” he told the Olive Press.

OUT OF THIS WORLD: Shurman with latest work He continued: “There are some very powerful people behind this, including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.”

He insists he came up with the idea in the early 2000s entirely alone.

He claims that it was him who first painted ‘alien heads’ in Bristol and Glastonbury in 2004, an image which has become synonymous with Banksy.

He later daubed images on walls in Totnes, Devon, further accentuating the legend, that now sees original Banksys selling for up to a million euros each, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie included as owners.

Now relocating to an isolated, rented home, where he continues to paint, he continued: “I have had over 120 works of art stolen over the last 10 years.

“People know I’m the real deal and they are all waiting for the lid to be blown on this.”

Having contacted Marbella legal company Lawbird this week, he now plans to go public with proof of his claims.

He is angry that a cabal of Britain’s leading art figures has conspired to get him banned from all the top UK galleries.

He added: “This time next year people will be talking about Shurman, not Banksy.

“I’m going to pull the pants down on the whole scam.”

Last night, a spokesman for the official Banksy website denied the claims.

In a short statement, he said: ‘Shurman is not me’.

Numerous requests for a comment from Damien Hirst’s company were HIDDEN MEANING: Shurman with ‘Banksy-inspired’ piece ignored.

MALAGA overtakes Cadiz in the number of boats registered, with more than 25% more boats registered in Andalucia in the first quarter of this year.

Police in dock MORE than nine years after his death, four Marbella police officers are to stand trial for manslaughter of Belgian citizen Lieve de Wilde.

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FEATURE NEWS

Olive Press July 10th - 24th July 2015 thethe Olive Press May 2015 June13th 11th -- May June27th 24th 2015

OPINION Insanity THE DNA tests may have been a formality for Stacie Cottle’s unusual situation, granted.

And yes, it may have been a necessary - if awful - protocol to place the baby under the care of social services until the results came back.

However, the question on Stacie’s lips is one worth asking; would the same thing have happened if a Spanish person had walked through that hospital door with a healthy newborn?

Would she have been treated like a criminal? Would she have been left totally in the dark for three weeks?

We can only speculate, but clearly bureaucracy - and appalling medical errors - have gotten in the way of humanity in this extraordinary episode.

The parents of Ashya King, who were jailed for trying to do their best for their ill son, ironically in the very same Axarquia region, would certainly be able to relate to Stacie.

Junta staff barely recognised her existence when she picked up the results from the court which proved she had always been in the right.

But the hundreds of thousands of expats in Spain will take notice Stacie.

Just look at how this newspaper received calls and emails from groups of them desperate to offer help in any way they could as soon as our story initially went online.

Friends at last?

IT comes as no surprise that over 60% of Olive Press readers are supporting a campaign to unify Gibraltar with La Linea.

With Gibraltar seeing almost double digit growth for the last few years it makes perfect sense for La Linea to want to reach out an olive branch to its noisy neighbour.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo for one, told the Olive Press, that Gibraltar could create 40,000 jobs for the unemployed in the area.

It could also ease border tension, which cost Gibraltar a reported £40 million in tourist income last year.

No doubt a La Linea-Gibraltar independant republic would face strong opposition from Spain but it could (maybe, just maybe) be the first step towards a blossoming Spain-Gibraltar relationship. Then again, that might be asking too much.

Stan the man

A NEW newspaper on the coast published a barely-legible report claiming the Olive Press was racist, sensationalist, untrustworthy and unethical, among other things.

Of course, its allegations are a completely unfounded and fabricated retaliation to our 1,600-word article on Stan Israel and his companies Sunsearch and Simply Media, the result of a month-long investigation which has proved to be very popular with readers.

We value quality journalism too highly to waste space answering every ridiculous accusation, so see our clarification at www.theolivepress.es for further details.

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THE following companies are no longer allowed to do business with the Olive Press (Luke Stewart Media SL - CIF B91664029), due to long standing debts: - MWM Investments Ltd - Petersham Coins, Marbella - Investor Spain - Simple Care - Autotunes Manilva - Hotel Embrujo, Arriate

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The details are being published in support of other companies that may be unaware of the problems that might be faced by providing credit facilities to the businesses and their present individual owners.

The original and only English-language investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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or admin@theolivepress.es or sales@theolivepress.es A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly (130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

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‘I

SUPPOSE my heavy metal days are now pretty much behind me,” Marbella’s new mayor Jose Bernal admits with a long Ozzy Osbourne-style cackle.

“But I’m never going to forget my favourite band AC/DC and will never throw away my treasured concert T-shirt.”

It is one of several light-hearted moments during a drink with the new socialist charge, where I momentarily forget I am interviewing the coast’s hottest new politician, not an old friend.

From chatting football to whistling the Monty Python Life of Brian theme, a film he watches at least once a year ‘because it’s the greatest ever made’, Jose comes across as a very normal bloke.

Although ‘normal’ is a discredit in many ways. His impeccable taste in pop culture alone elevates him, with favourite film La Vida Es Bella and preferred read Love in the Time of Cholera being two cases in point.

Bernal – or ‘Pepe’ as he insists I call him – is only slightly embarrassed to admit he supports Malaga CF (‘and Marbella, honest’) and Sunday football matches are etched in

The 40-year-old is averaging just four hours sleep per night his Leganitos-based childhood memories.

In fact, politics is (hopefully) lucky to have him, since nearly all of his relatives, with his father, uncle, cousin and nephew all having played professionally or semi-professionally.

I was expecting to meet the new mayor, who got into power last month through a pact with three other parties, at his office. But, I am soon being dragged out to a leafy cafe, appropriately in the town’s central Plaza de los Naranjos.

This seems to be his way of doing things.

Open and friendly, Bernal is clearly a sociable and popular character, who grew up in Marbella and has a busy social life there.

It quickly becomes apparent that he is a man of many interests and is, clearly, quite different to the cabal of politicians who came before him.

For starters he lists his favourite pastime as walking in the nearby countryside with his wife and three-year-old son

ROCKER: Bernal loves AC/DC like he loves politics

Call me Pepe!

The Olive Press’ Iona Napier meets Marbella’s new headbanging mayor Jose Bernal, after sacking his predecessor’s FIVE bodyguards, €20,000 in personal parking spaces and iron-fisted press control

MAN OF THE PEOPLE: Mayor Jose meets a waiter whom he regrets seeing less of due to the new post.

Secondly, he has visited a number of global cities, including

London, plans a five-day trip to Italy this summer and insists that he is going to get his level of English up, having just start-

Elections looming Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy leads the charge of pre-election promises to get the voters onside, writes Mario Alegria

Y

OU can always tell when it’s an election year. Politicians will do anything to boost their reputation.

And Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is no different.

The flailing PM is doing everything he can before the end of the year election race in which his Popular Party (PP) is expected to perform poorly.

Last week, he pushed up the date for the next round of personal income tax (IRPF) cuts, which will now go into effect later this month.

There will be two more tax rate cuts for 2015 and 2016, he promised.

He also insisted that Spain will end the year with a 3.3 % growth rate, which will

allow him to make some positive changes to the 2016 budget, which he plans on getting passed before the elections.

But he has still not taken any concrete steps in solving the unemployment problem, especially among young adults.

While the election seems most likely to be in December, some PP bosses, including Madrid premiere Esperanza Aguirre, are calling for elections for September to cut short Podemos attempts to organise an effective campaign.

The problem with this would be the government not having enough time to organise a strong budget and introduce more ‘positive measures’, which he plans to moot at the PP’s annual conference this weekend.

ed a series of classes.

Forget his work dinner with Eva Longoria (in Marbs for one night only) because, if he’s brutally honest, the mayor happily admits ‘I’d much rather spend the evening with a group of friends’.

But since he picked up the mantle of pulling Marbella out of decades of the very worst institutionalised corruption, Bernal hasn’t had much of a chance to enjoy his hobbies.

So seriously is he taking his new role, the 40-year-old is averaging just four hours sleep per night.

“And that’s when I can get to sleep – with responsibility as big as this comes adrenaline and there are days when your body is shattered but your mind simply doesn’t stop,” he says.

However with a strong support network (I meet his father-inlaw fleetingly who insists on paying the tab), good intentions and ‘absolutely no illusions’, he is as well-placed as any to handle the job.

It has certainly been a stressful couple of months particularly as he was anything but a dead cert to land the job.

While his bitter rivals, the PP party and the former mayor Angeles Munoz won 14 seats, the PSOE was forced to pact with Costa del Sol Si Puede, the IU and OSP in San Pedro to get into power.

Bodyguards

It was anything but easy, with, in particular, Bernal having to spend many days attempting to woo OSP leader Manuel Osorio with the offer of San Pedro mayor.

It is the first time in 24 years that the socialists have been in power in Marbella and brings eight years of PP control to an end.

It is fair to say that massive change is in the air.

One of his first moves was to send Munoz’s five bodyguards (‘yes, five’) back to roles in the police force from where they came from previously fighting domestic violence and robberies.

“I just think it’s far more important for the city’s safety and if a crazy person wants to harm me… well, I’ll be ready,” he says.

But that is not the only change he has made.

He’s also scrapped the former mayor’s car in favour of a vehicle available to any town hall

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MADRI MATTE D RS

Actually, the tax rate cuts, which will drop between 19% and 45% on most income brackets, would leave the average Spaniard with an extra €30 a month in their pockets.

But let’s put this in perspective, Rajoy has overseen some of the highest tax hikes in Spanish history since coming to power in 2011, including pushing the VAT rate to a massive 22%.

The announced cuts are just one way of trying to give a little something back to Spaniards, what they had already had before austerity measures were imposed.

But they are being painted as illustrious works by an administration that has lost all credibility.

FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es www.theolivepress.es

the 2015 theOlive OlivePress PressJune May 13th May 27th June25th 11th---July June9th 24th 2015

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THE CURSE OF THE MARBELLA MAYOR

CORRUPT: Former mayors Munoz, Jaque and (right) Munoz and Gil member who should need it – even the opposition!

He has also cancelled the PP’s six parking spaces which cost the taxpayer a cool €20,000 per year, as well as an unpopular plan to build the new San Pedro bus station just 13 metres from a school.

“We don’t yet know what the space will be used for but we will be led by parents participating.”

And that isn’t all.

He has already made steps to remove all traces of former dictator Franco, and is introducing new rules on transparency and integrity, which are ‘numbers one and two’on his agenda.

This starts with publishing

MARBELLA may well be the jewel of the Costa del Sol, but it has latterly also become a watchword for corruption.

Its first ever mayor, Jesus Gil, was a colourful character known widely as one of Spain’s greatest rogues.

He served from 1991 to 2002 but, despite being reelected three times, in 2002 hewas banned from public office for 28 years due to corruption and embezzlement.

No less than three Marbella mayors have been imprisoned for corruption - linked to the shocking Malaya case, which saw 670m euros paid in bribes in the 1990s.

A total of 53 town hall employees were given 11 years in prison and fined 240m euros in the case that shocked Europe.

Most recent mayor Angeles Munoz, while cleaner than most, latterly became embroiled in tax evasion claims over a 3.1m euro property fund in Luxembourg.

She was also criticised over a gerrymandering case which would have seen her gift land to Benahavis that would have benefitted her developer husband Lars Broberg who was set to build 50 luxury homes.

STAR ATTRACTION: Bernal with celebs including Eva Longoria this week his new salary, which will be €53,000 per year before tax -

History boffin BERNAL is a historian by trade, having written four books and worked for many years as a history teacher.

He hasn’t always been geeky, however, and admits to being naughty at school and only really starting to take academia seriously when he arrived at university and his parents’ financial sacrifices for his education became clear.

“I didn’t get bad grades,” he laughs – which comes as no surprise.

2,000 less than his predecessor - and ‘not a cent more’.

Last, but not least, I ask him about what he plans to do for the huge numbers of expats who live within his town.

“The Guiris are everything,” he says, without a second’s thought. “Previous mayors just wanted foreigners to get enrolled in the town to boost the numbers and get more public money to spend… but we want to take care of them.”

FRIENDLY: Bernal meets Olive Press’ Maria Gonzalez and (right) Iona Napier

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HOT CELEBRITY EXC www.masmovil.es/en LUSIVES THIS ISSU Musical E NOT chairs OLIVE PRESS – Earpiece NOT BUT 27th May ELECTION LATEST

THE winds of change have truly blown in as dozens of anti-corrupt ion parties made substantial gains in town halls across Spain.

Voters made clear they are ready to ditch Spain’s traditional two-party system as new parties Podemos and Ciudadanos performed well at regional and local elections on Sunday.

THE boss of Spain’s most visited tourist attraction has been arrested in a fraud investigation.

Alhambra director Maria del Mar Villafranca has resigned after being charged with the misuse of at least €5.5 million of public funding.

Villafranca, who headed up the board of trustees, was grilled alongside four other senior members of staff.

They are under investiga-

tion over a contract to supply audio-guides to the Moorish monument’s 2.4 million annual visitors, in which €5.5million remains accounted for.

Public prosecutors and the police’s financial crimes unit in Granada have been investigating the legitimacy of the contract to supply the guides to the company Stendal.

The firm’s payments to the Alhambra have allegedly

Ex-presidents resign over fraud case FORMER Junta president Manuel Chaves has been forced to resign as a MP after being dragged into the ERE case.

He finally stepped down, alongside another former president Jose Grinan, after they were both implicated in the multi-million bogus lay offs scandal.

The pair along with Gaspar Zarrias, who led the Junta briefly in 2009, have been ordered for questioning at the Supreme Court, over involvement in the so-called ‘reptile slush fund’.

Chaves, 71, who led Andalucia for 19 years and had a seat in Madrid’s parliament, previously told the court he had no idea that his Employment Ministry was syphoning tens of millions fraudulently every year for a decade.

But now a damning 129-page report from Judge Alberto Jorge Barreiro at the Supreme Court states there is substantial evidence the former heads were involved.

The alleged fraud is estimated to amount to €855 million between 2000 and 2010, when the probe was launched.

Four years ago the Olive Press hinted that the pair were guilty in an opinion piece.

2

TV presenter Nick Knowles and stunning wife Jessica lift the lid on their escape to Sotogrande on Page 3

3

Arty tapas is the special of the day in a new column from former Michelin-starred TV chef Steven Saunders.

See Page 49

River of shame

All over the country the governing PP lost absolute majorities, meaning it will have to pact at least, one other with, Estepon a Town Hall fails to to form legitimate party clean gov- up a deadly ernments. river often played in Some of the big mayors by in children danger include MarbelWhat is E-Coli? la’s Angeles Munoz A DEADLY bacteria Malaga’s Francisco and found in an Esteponahas been E-Coli is a type of fecal EXCLUSIVE de la Torre.

A strand of the killerriver. coliform bacteria usually

By Rob Horgan E-Coli bacteria has been detected found in the intestines in See A Spring of Change, the Arroyo del Hornacinos, animals and humans. of Residents of the neighbouring on Pages 4 and 5 a stream often played Its presence in water Villas Andaluzas are now in by children. strong indication of is a ing in the Guardia Civil’s callrecent sewage or animal ronmental arm Seprona, enviwaste contamination. written complaints to the after town When the bacteria lives hall came to nothing. in animal or human intestiThey insist that the nal tracts it is harmless. overrun with rats andarea is mos- CONCERNE However when it appears quitos and the town D: Resident Sam Hall hall has at river’s bank in inadequately treated been completely ‘inactive’ de- worse. water it produces a toxin spite receiving the first report “It is which is harmful and in April. an absolute disgrace from Surrey, as well as varipoous neighbours, have and worse, a serious tentially Independent analysis fatal to humans. submithealth water shows that theof the hazard,” said British resident ted a number of formal complaints to the town hall. poses a serious health river Sam Hall, 78. risk ing about it,” Hall added.

He added: “It’s especially In response, a town and could be fatal. hall “On hot days spokesman told the A report from Laboratorio worrying because we couple unbearable the smell is so that seen children playing have Mayor Jose Urbano Rafael Perez Rodriguez was able to sit out in we are unour that the quantities of stated the water where it flows near ‘aware of the problem’ and it Ironically, Esteponagarden.” into would be forms’ were so high that ‘coli- the sea. ‘sorted out’. was rewere ‘too many’ to count.there “If anyone were to be struck However, when a clean up cently honoured with a Green E-Coli can cause vomiting, down, it would be a national was finally ‘promised’ for May Flag Award for boosting environmental awareness.

18, nothing happened. scandal.” diarrhoea, liver disease and Hall and Estepona Which ageing costa his wife Susanna, “They say one thing to keep respond Town Hall failed to to Olive Press quesyou happy and then do noth- tions. show was cancelled DJ’s

Eye on

Alhambra boss charged in €5.5 million fraud investigation

1

TOWIE star Elliot Wright launches a no-holds-barred column on Page 3 before we grill him on our food pages. See The Wright Stuff on Pages 54-55

2015

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River of shame II: EU steps in

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ESTEPONA Town Hall is facing yet another probe into Free river. a dangerous varifocal lenses The European Union is investigating claims that high 59€ levels of methane have been detected in a river which could be a fire risk as well as a typhoid health hazard.

Complaints of raw sewage being pumped into the Arroyo Judio, in El Padron, have been ignored for over 10 years by Estepona authorities.

However, a petition lodged by Estepona Expat Association chairman Tony Dodd has now been accepted by the European Union.

“It is great that the petition has been accepted,” said Dodd, who has previously submitted complaints to the town hall, the police, the fire department and even the Junta.

“But each time I have been ignored, despite this being a clear danger and disgusting,” he said.

In May, the Olive Press revealed that high levels of the deadly E-Coli bacteria had been found in another Estepona river (River of shame, issue 214).

The riddled Arroyo del Horancinos has since been visited by Junta officials but has yet to be cleared up.

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CHARGED: Maria del Mar Villafranca been tainted by constant delays and with huge irregular discounts.

It comes just a year after the Olive Press revealed how a network of 45 people ran a fraudulent €3.5 million fake ticket between 2002 and 2005.

Granada’s public prosecutors are calling for prison sentenc-

es of four to nine years for the hotel workers, travel agents and staff from the Alhambra Palace who sold an estimated 50,000 bogus tickets.

Hoteliers and travel agents would take money from tourists then take them into the UNESCO World Heritage Site following deals made with various officials.

Last chance for Greece SPAIN is hoping Europe can negotiate a new bailout for Greece after declaring it would give the nation one last chance following the Greek people’s rejection of austerity demands in Sunday’s referendum.

Economy minister Luis de Guindos said Greece has the right to ask for a third rescue package after rejecting the first two.

He added that Spain is ‘absolutely not contemplating’ the possibility Greece will leave the Eurozone.

“Given the circumstances, from the point of view of the markets it is absolutely necessary,” said de Guindos.

However, he denied any accusations that Spain’s economy could face troubles as a knock-on effect of the Greek debt.

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Gibraltar NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

ON the Rock July 11-August 15 The Summer Nights summer festival gets underway at Casemates Square at 8.30pm with a live DJ and Katy Perry tribute act.

For more information visit www.visitgibraltar.gi

July 16 Fashion designers from across the globe will be showing off their latest lines at the King’s Bastion leisure centre, Queensway, from 7pm. For tickets call 35020074349.

July 18 The 18th edition of the Gibraltar Colours Festival is to get underway at the old cricket pitch at Europa Point, with UK artist Wiley heading the lineup. Tickets from £25 at www.buytickets.gi

July 10th - 24th July 2015

Better together

By Tom Powell

OVER 60% of Olive Press readers are backing a campaign to unify Gibraltar with La Linea as an independent republic.

The ‘Referendum adhesion a Gibraltar’ Facebook group has gained 500 likes since

Olive press readers back a campaign to create independent Republic of La Linea and Gibraltar it was launched a week ago, stirring up debate on both sides of the border.

The social media campaign was started by La Linea residents who are fed up with being portrayed in the Spanish

media as a drug trafficking and smuggling route.

They now want to see who would be in favour of joining with Gibraltar in an unprecedented yes/no referendum.

“As La Linea residents, we are

Wood works for FA

THE hunt for Allen Bula’s successor is over.

Former Brighton & Hove manager Jeff Wood is to take the reigns, following Bula’s controversial sacking in March.

Wood – a former goalkeeper for Charlton – has coached amateur team the Gibraltar Lions for the past year.

He has also been recently involved with the Wales set-up, acting as a goalkeeper coach at under 19 and under 21 level.

Englishman Wood said he wants ‘the world to take Gibraltar seriously given the calibre of player that we constantly produce’.

His predecessor, was dismissed after allegations of aggressive behaviour and derogatory comments.

tired of supporting an oldfashioned situation of confrontation between the UK and Spain,” explains the group Facebook page.

“We are even more tired of the queues and being used as pawns in a strategy game between the two countries.”

As we went to print, 61.1% of voters were in favour of the independent Republic of La Linea and Gibraltar.

One reader, Patricia Alton, a Sabinillas expat from Nottingham, commented: “Now that is a plan, it would benefit both immensely.”

Have your say in our poll at www.theolivepress.es

10

NEWS IN BRIEF Eastern promise A GIBRALTAR delegation led by finance minister Albert Isola is heading out to Singapore and Hong Kong to broker import/ export deals.

Clean waters FRENCH ‘clean tech’ company Blue Shark Power are to study marine currents off Europa Point in renewable energy push.

Tax free GIBRALTAR has been removed from Latvia’s blacklist of tax havens, following ongoing talks between the two countries.

GAFFER: Wood

Beauty is the best MISS Gibraltar 2015 has been crowned.

Primary school teacher Hannah Bado has taken the top prize at this year’s contest, staving off the six other finalists.

Crying as she accepted her tiara from outgoing Miss Gibraltar Shyanne Azzopardi, 22-yearold Bado said it was a ‘dream come true’.

“I have always wanted to be Miss Gibraltar but I never thought it would happen,” she said.

“I really can’t believe it. I am still in shock. I think it’s going to take a long while for it to sink in. I am just so happy.”

English popstar Matt Cardle performed at the event as well as Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist and contemporary dancer Jonathan LutDREAM COME TRUE: For Hannah Bado, 22 wyche.

Picardo wins justice LIBEL damages of £30,000 have been awarded to Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo against Spanish anti-corruption union Manos Limpias.

The former barrister filed suit after union leader Miguel Bernard Remon described him in ‘scandalous and false’ terms in front of the European Commission in 2013.

Manos Limpias refused to apologise for or retract its claim that Picardo was ‘an accomplice, collaborator and necessary co-operator in smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering’.

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The Supreme Court of Gibraltar reached a default judgement in favour of Picardo after Manos Limpias failed to reply to the legal notice.

The Chief Justice has also ordered that Manos Limpias pay the Chief Minister’s legal costs of £35,000.

“It is very gratifying to see this now draw to a conclusion in Gibraltar,” said Picardo.

“We will now start the process of enforcement in Spain. It is unacceptable that a right wing Spanish group like Manos Limpias think they can defame Gibraltar or any Gibraltarian with such impunity.

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AXARQUIA

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the Olive Press July 10th - 24th July 2015

NEWS IN BRIEF Without a padel

Fire finance

A PADEL centre in Rincon de la Victoria is being forced to shut after neighbours complained to Malaga courts about the noise.

New chief TORROX mayor, Oscar Medina, has named Jose Ortega as the new head of the local police, after exchief Jose Fernandez was sent to prison for fraud.

THE fire which ripped through Competa last summer has cost the Andalucian government €350,000. Some 223.5 hectares were burnt killing 20,000 trees in the worst fire seen on the Costa del Sol last year. More than 400 people were involved in clearing up the area as well as planting new trees, mostly pine.

Coast is clear AXARQUIA’S beaches are being given €750,000-worth of equipment to improve the coast’s safety and cleanliness, by Malaga Town Hall.

River banned

By Rob Horgan

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Community

HUNDREDS of tourists and locals are to be banned from Nerja’s Chillar River.

The river has been turned into a tourist hotspot over the last few years, with residents and tourists using it as a ‘water park’ in the summer.

But the fun looks to be coming to an end.

New government proposals

Popular Nerja river to become ‘nogo zone’ due to graffiti and rubbish

are set to restrict access to the river, after it became overrun with rubbish and the walls were graffitied on.

“We need to do our best to prevent the widespread increase of tourists in the area and the damage to such a valuable site,” said environmental councillor, Jorge

Bravo.

“We can no longer turn our backs to this problem, but look for creative solutions that will also mean new jobs for our residents.”

Proposals to limit the number of people using the river have been mooted as well as making it an outright ‘no-go’ zone.

Stethoscope attack A 70-YEAR-OLD man is facing time behind bars for attacking a doctor with a stethoscope in VelezMalaga.

The man - a local from Velez-Malaga - attempted to strangle a doctor at Velez Sur clinic after the doc refused to partake in an insurance scam.

He was being seen at the clinic for injuries to his stomach following a bar fight. During his examination he attempted to bribe the doctor so he would report more injuries than there actually were.

When the doctor refused he launched his attack.

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GREEN NEWS

13 www.theolivepress.es www.theolivepress.es ECOLOGISTS in Cadiz are winning the battle to preserve the ocean’s loggerhead sea turtles.

Since 2008, 188 injured sea turtles have been treated in Algeciras before being returned to the waters.

A spokesman for the centre said 60% of injuries sustained are ‘because of man’.

“Most of the injuries sustained are shell related,” he added. “Unfortunately most of the injuries come as a direct result of human activities.

“But on the flip side we are doing very well and have a 79% success rate.”

the Olive July -10th the Olive PressPress June 11th June- 24th 24thJuly 20152015

Solar scavengers

Shell yeah!

Toxic tides

By Rob Horgan

MORE than 100 people were rushed to hospital in Almeria for an allergic reaction to toxic algae. Sunbathers were

Toxic algae-ridden beaches closed in Almeria as helpless sunbathers suffer allergic reaction forced to go to hospital after coming into contact with the poisonous micro-algae on

Nutty problem A BAND of environmentalists has called an urgent meeting in Huelva to tackle the region’s worrying chestnut decline.

It is the first meeting of the Mesa del Castanar (Chestnut Forum) in more than three years and underlies the growing concern from local farmers and ecologists.

Head of the forum, Jose Manuel Benitez, said trees in Malaga province are ‘at risk’ from diseases such as canker and gall wasp.

“We must make it imperative that immediate action is taken to prevent the spread of these pests,” he said.

“Protocols should not only help in curbing these diseases, but also in allowing the destruction of affected trees, which only serve to facilitate the spread of these bugs.”

In 2014, the Sierra de Huelva produced 1.5 million kilos of chestnuts, an amount which Benitez considered ‘poor’.

‘VULTURE’ funds are scavenging for rich pickings among small solar panel plants on the brink of closing down.

New government regulations are forcing small-sized plant owners to sell up as they can no longer make a profit from the energy they produce.

Controversial new regulations tax solar panel energy producers 27% of their income.

Taking advantage of the change in policy, energy experts are warning of the ‘vulture’ funds buying up the market at a cut price.

“We have been harassed by unscrupulous companies looking to benefit from the electricity reform,” says Juan Castro-Gil from the national solar panel association.

“Many small and medium investments can not repay the loans.”

13

Jaws dropping FOUR Costa Brava beaches were closed after lifeguards spotted blue sharks swimming in the shallows.

Just weeks after a blue shark was filmed swimming in Fuengirola, police closed all four beaches of the resort Pineda del Mar near Barcelona.

Four blue sharks, a species not considered dangerous to humans, were seen and a red flag was erected over night until the waters were safe for bathers.

beaches in Cuevas de Almanzora and Vera.

Two beaches were closed in Cuevas de Almanzora and one in Vera following the outbreak of the ‘algal bloom’ in the waters off of the beaches.

Those affected were treated for severe chest infections and skin irritations.

The beach in Vera has now been reopened, while the two in Cuevas remain closed to the public while ecologists attempt to clean up the water.

Mayor Antonio Fernandez said he would work ‘around the clock’ to make sure the beaches were made safe.

“These micro-algae are still appearing on the water tests,” he said.

“None of the residents have shown severe symptoms, although we are still taking the problem extremely seriously.

“Tests are being carried out constantly and there is no need to worry.”

Chimping around SAY hello to Noelia, Eva and Natalia.

These chimp residents of Bioparc, just like many Spanish visitors, love nothing more than to sunbathe in these balmy climes.

They make up one of only two reproducing groups of their species in Spain and one set has just moved into a new home in Bioparc Valencia.

Visit their distant (or not so distant) relatives in Bioparc Fuengirola…

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la cultura

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Capital gains

15

what’s on

TThe Los Alamos beach

orremolinos, July 1619

festival will take place over four days and three stages with a variety of acts booked.

For more info visit www.losalamosbeach. com

World’s most expensive painting arrives in Madrid

M Lenny Kravitz, Lionel arbella, July 18-August 22

Ritchie and the Village People are just three acts on show at the month long Starlite festival in Marbella.

For more info call 902 750 787

A 26

lhaurin de la Torre, July 3-September

Eighty paintings, sculptures and drawings by renowned artist Jose Cordoba form the ‘Intermezzo’ exhibition are to be shown off at the Sala de Exposciones El Porton TAKE CARE: Gauguin’s painting in Madrid AT the mind-boggling price of €270 million, it is reportedly the most expensive painting ever sold.

So it is fitting that Paul Gauguin masterpiece ‘Nafea faa ipoipo’ (‘When are you getting married’) should arrive in one of art capital Madrid’s top galleries.

The 1892 oil painting of two Tahitian girls has gone on

display in Madrid’s Reina Sofia art gallery after being sold to an unnamed Qatari buyer earlier this year.

The Tahitian painting is on loan as part of a special 60-piece exhibition running until September, having previously hung in Basel, Switzerland.

The Rudolf Staechelin Family Trust handled the historic

Beats on the beach

ALMERIA will be gangster trippin’ this summer to the sound of Fatboy Slim, at August’s Dreambeach festival.

The DJ, real name Norman Cook, is the latest star along with Eric Prydz to join the already glittering line-up.

Fatboy Slim, 51, has won two Brit awards and ten MTV videos.

The highlight of last year’s festival, Dutch DJ Armen Van Buuren will also return to Villaricos’ beaches for the event on August 7-8.

For more information and tickets visit www.dreambeach. es/2015

Happy happening

sale, but played down its importance.

“This is not the most valuable painting in this museum. I think Guernica is definitely worth more than this painting,” said trust spokesman and art collector, Ruedi Staechelin.

“It is not the amount of dollars hanging there, there are wonderful paintings there.”

The masterpiece replaced ‘The Card Players’ by Paul Cezanne which was previously the most expensive painting to be sold, reportedly changing hands for €227 million.

It is a big week for the Spanish art world, with the first major exhibition in 25 years on iconic Spanish artist Francisco Zurbaran showing at the ThyssenBornemisza in Madrid.

FLOWER power, peace and love will bring a sixties flavour to the Festival Arte Sano in San Pedro later this month.

The healing and performing arts festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a throwback to the era of free love and psychedelia over the weekend July 25-26.

Arte Sano X is the largest alternative free festival on the coast, showcasing the best of natural health products and personal development therapies, as well as art and dance.

More healthy food stalls than you can shake a broccoli stalk at are on hand to keep hunger at bay, while a full programme of fun family activities is planned throughout the weekend, with funds raised going to charity.

The festival – attended by over 6,000 people last year – takes place on the seafront prom, with a yoga space, a colourful market place and a children’s area.

The free event takes place from 11am to midnight.

For more information visit www.festivalartesano.com

the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

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16 16the Olive Press June 11th - June

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24th 2015

July 10th - 24th July 2015

Not proud

Rainbow revels RAINBOW flags flew in Madrid as the capital’s Gay Pride Parade marked a decade since same-sex marriages were legalised in Spain.

The parade, held on the first Saturday in July, is one of Europe’s most flamboyant and biggest LGBT festivals, attracting over 1.5 million partygoers.

Aptly, the Spanish celebrations coincided with rainbow revelry across the USA, where same-sex marriage has become a right nationwide.

It’s 10 years since PSOE Prime Minister Zapatero spearheaded the campaign that led to the official legal recognition of same-sex marriage on July 3, 2005.

With it came the legalisation of adoption for same-sex couples.

Spain was the third country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands and Belgium, and was closely followed by Canada just 17 days later.

There was a surge of same-sex weddings in Spain in 2006, when it became likely that the law might be repealed.

Church slammed for publishing article on homosexuality cure SORRY: Priest Gonzalez to the spotlight when a volunteer posted an article on its website entitled ‘Curing homosexuality is possible’.

The outspoken article, asking ‘Is homosexuality a disease?’ and offering therapeutic and ‘technical’ information and reading material, was swiftly taken down.

LGBT groups are in uproar and claim the perpetrator should be punished.

Priest Santiago Gonzalez Alba published a statement apologising to any groups offended by the ‘unfortunate post’.

AN expat author in Granada has published a book about The website had been run the trials and tribulations of doing business in Cuba by an unidentified volunteer where his partner was none other than Fidel Castro. who published the piece withThe world-famous communist dictator even attended as out any prior warning. guest of honour when Michel Villand opened his Pain de “With all the so-called gay Paris bakery chain, after arriving in Havana in 1994 with pride celebrations it is fitting US$3 million of investment capital. timing to confront this ideolEroticism, power politics, ecoogy that destroys Christian nomics, black magic and revofamilies,” read the article. lution all come into play in My The piece requested readPartner Fidel Castro, 74-yearers share the article ‘with as old Villand’s intriguing account many contacts as possible as of his adventures in business a lot of good can, and should with the nation’s cigar-chompbe done with it’. ing military leader on the stunIt is not the first time Priest ning Caribbean island.

Gonzalez has been in the The memoir provides an unnews, most notoriously when precedented look at the toll the he was accused – and later regime’s severity took on those cleared - of having a key role living under the dictatorship in the suicide of a parishioner. is set during Cuba’s economic crisis when the government was promoting initiatives to attract foreign investment, although no foreigner could be NEW figures reveal the USA a main shareholder. is now the second largest The likes of Francois MitterSpanish-speaking nation. rand and author Gabriel Garcia Marquez also make apIt is only outstripped by pearances in this autopsy of life within Castro’s world.

Mexico which has 121 million French-born Villand, who lives in Montefrio with his CuSpanish speakers. ban wife, hopes the book will help other prospective busiAn Instituto Cervantes study nessmen caught up in the frenzy to invest in the new Cuba. has revealed that there are “What we accomplished in 1994 with the three million dol41 million American-Spanish lars would be difficult to replicate today, but not imposspeakers and 11.6 million bisible,” he says. “A great deal of patience and tenacity is relinguals. quired to prove you are the best, and my book shows just Spain lags behind as it only how to go about that.” has a population of 46 million.

The book is available on Amazon and in bookshops in It is predicted that there will English, Spanish and French. be 138 million Spanish speakers in the US by 2050.

AS gay pride celebrations ripple across Spain and overseas, controversy has broken out in Sevilla as a church published advice on ‘curing’ homosexuality.

The church of Dulce Nombre de Bellavista took

Baking bread with Castro

Spanish USAge

www.romanoasis.com Email: romanoasis@outlook.com

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

NE man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ is a popular cliche trotted out all too often when discussing global terror. The sentiment, however, has long been with us.

Larger-than-life historical figures have always had their share of detractors, as well as their passionate admirers.

Winston Churchill was voted ‘Greatest Briton’ in a 2002 BBC poll - primarily for his efforts in seeing Britain through the dark days of WWII. To some however, mostly outside of Western Europe, Churchill is perceived as a ‘grotesque, a racist and a stubborn imperialist’.

Similarly, was Christopher Columbus a courageous explorer or a greed-driven coloniser?

Even Adolf Hitler had (and still has) his share of admirers.

This summer that dynamic is set to play itself out yet again this time involving the presentday Pope Francis, California’s

July 10th - July 24th 2015

Junipero Serra: Saint or sinner?

To Pope Francis he is a Spanish missionary worthy of sainthood, to others he was the devil incarnate. His canonisation ceremony could get interesting...

Native Americans and an 18th century Spaniard.

Junipero Serra (1713-1784) was a young Mallorca-born Franciscan friar filled with passionate evangelical spirit. He travelled to New Spain (now Mexico and California) to found

the California Mission System.

The Spanish missions were religious, agricultural and military outposts designed to colonise Spain’s California claims. The system aimed to establish literacy, educate Native Americans and, primarily, to ‘bring the gos-

NEW WORLD: San Francisco, USA, was established by Serra

Jack’s Corner

pel’ to the New World.

Outposts that later became San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco were among the 21 centres established by Junipero Serra.

Most accounts portray Serra as genuinely respectful of the locals. He was successful in educating and converting them and establishing efficient agricultural systems which, on balance, protected native populations from warring neighbours, famine, drought and abuses imposed by the Spanish authorities in Mexico City.

Serra’s legacy is so venerated in California that his statue adorns the state capital and many highways, hospitals and schools are named after him.

August 29 (the day he died) is a statewide holiday there and commemorative stamps have been issued in his memory.

In 1988, Serra’s fame spread when he was beatified (‘made blessed’) by Pope John Paul II who stated that: “He sowed the seeds of Christian faith amid the momentous changes wrought by the arrival of European settlers in the New World. “It was a field of missionary endeavor that requires patience, perseverance and humility as well as vision and courage.”

This September, Pope Francis will formally canonise Serra as a saint during his first visit to the United States. Serra will be the first Hispanic American to achieve formal sainthood (notably, from the first His-

panic Ameri-

FRIAR: Serra can pope). However, the visit promises be anything but seamless.

Native Americans and academics plan to condemn the event publicly. They point to the harsh conditions, forced conversions, disease, imprisonment and devastation brought to California’s Native American culture by Spanish colonisation. Many descendents of those Native Americans are also bitterly opposed to Serra’s sainthood.

Was Serra a well-intentioned humanist genuinely concerned for his subject’s spiritual welfare? Or was he yet another coloniser bent on greed and spiritual conquest? When Pope Francis visits the U.S. in September we will likely hear impassioned arguments from both sides.

Terrorist or freedom fighter? Saint or sinner? Perhaps the message here is that good and evil has long struggled within t h e soul of all of us.

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

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19

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LETTERS

Olive Press July 10th - July24th 24th2015 2015 thethe Olive Press June 11th - June

POTTED POINTERS ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR LEVELS This week: 71.97% Same week last year: 78.30% Same week in 2005: 66.37% AIRPORTS Gibraltar 00350 22073026 Granada-Jaen 958 245 200 Jerez - 956 150 000 Malaga - 952 048 844* *For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000 EMERGENCIES Police 091 Guardia Civil 062 Medical service 061 Fire 080 EURO EXCHANGE RATES 1 euro is worth 1.11 American dollars 0.71 British pounds 1.40 Canadian dollars 7.46 Danish kroner 8.58 H Kong dollars 8.92 Norwegian kroner 1.49 Singapore dollars

Dishwasher dismay

Gere’s gal stood me up

Dear OP, I CAN understand the frustrations of messrs Lewis, Benchley and Hodge (Blowing a fuse, issue 213) having dealt with Wortens ‘customer service department’ myself.

I purchased a ZEN V021 dishwasher unit from Worten in Malaga in June 2011 and 20 months later returned both the baskets tray to the shop as they were badly rusted.

Some days later a technical person telephoned to say he would not be visiting my house as ‘the baskets are an accessory and are only guaranteed for six months’.

Over the following 10 months I spoke to EIGHT different people all producing absolutely no action or result. A denuncia and a letter from an MEP both had the same nil effect.

At 73 years of age I have better things to do with what is left with my life than fight Worten.

YOUR article about Richard Gere’s Spanish girlfriend (Richard Gere snuggles up to his new senorita, online) took me on a painful trip down memory lane.

Alejandra Silva stood me up on a date many, many years ago – and only now can I finally understand perhaps I just wasn’t her type…!

Funnily enough we met at boarding school in the UK, even though I used to spend my summers in Cordoba and studied in Salamanca.

Alejandra cancelled on me at the last minute, leaving me high and dry without a date for my sixth form leavers’ ball.

And the back-up options were few and far between!

She was quite a catch, her father being vice president of Real Madrid, and pretty cool, but obviously lacking in any kind of taste.

As you can see, I’m not bitter at all.

Jake, Competa I am not a vindictive person normally, but I do sincerely hope that heads have rolled at the customer service department at Worten.

Laurence Patterson, Estacion de Cartama

Penny for your thoughts I RECEIVED this five pence piece on my travels to Gibraltar and wondered if it was still legal tender.

It is in the shape of a traditional 10 pence, but is slightly thinner and marked with ‘five pence’.

It is dated back to 1988 and

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has an image of the Rock’s famous barbary macaques on the underside.

I just wondered if any Olive Press readers knew if it is still in circulation or one that slipped through the net.

David Roberts, La Linea

Brilliant Belgian SURELY the most interesting mayoral appointment is Mario Blancke, the Belgian in Alcaucin.

He has served four years as a councillor, as supremo in urban development, and is now Mayor of a Spanish town.

He is a spokesman for SOHA, which gains him a large expat vote, and is also popular with the Spanish.

Here is a Belgian alcalde, with Ciudadanos. This is the cutting edge of Spanish Politics now.

John Munns, Axarquia

Help don’t hinder I DO not know Kim so am unable to comment on her, but I am sure she has done all that she possibly can to make her shelter a success (Fire Sale, issue 216).

So many people are too quick to criticise. It’s not easy to run an animal sanctuary and until you have worked in one, it can be better to keep quiet about or offer voluntary help.

Obviously I am not saying keep quiet if you see cruelty but there are hundreds of people that could help out at their local sanctuary, by walking the dogs, but they do not bother and instead they moan.

Bad baron I WAS glad to read that Baron Rothschild has been indicted in France (Baron Rothschild indicted, issue 216).

I have been following the Olive Press’ coverage of this ongoing saga for years.

It is absolutely outrageous that he has been able to swan off to France and avoid facing the proverbial music.

I hope they track him down soon and I, for one, will be keeping my eyes peeled for the next OP update.

Hermione Ferrand, Marbella

Returning the Status Quo Well warned I WOULD like to thank the Olive Press for flagging up the conman behind the pots and pans scam (Quo conmen: Get them in the pot!, issue 216).

Frederick Rooze tried to scam me in Calahonda, but luckily I had just finished reading the article about him.

He was driving the same car mentioned in the piece (a dark blue Range Rover Sport, number plate 4-ZJP-33).

He only approached me because I valet luxury cars and he obviously thought I had a lot of money. As soon as I said I didn’t, he scarpered.

Stephen Crymble, Calahonda WIN ! WIN! WIN!

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AN embattled group is being Costa media sued by one Andalucia’s of biggest printing Rockstar Rick firms.

Sunsearch Parfitt and wife Lynds Media, run Israel, is being

by Stan after losingay call in police non-payment chased for the of €8,000 ing back to datSwiss kitchethousands in 2013.

ROCK legend Tecnographic, nware con printed Perfect in Sevilla, conned out of Rick Parfitt has been Homes, one falling for an thousands of euros ROCKED: Rick of a range age-old trick. after EXCLUSIVE magazines of large, glossy The Status Quo Costa conmen and Lyndsay Parfitt produced lost thousand price as they

By Rob Horgan group. by his was duped into guitarist and vocalist s to pans and cutlery buying ‘luxury’ Switzerland. can’t transport it back Israel, 53, Having pots, launched for to €1,465 from taken their company in “It is all a new of slick conmen a pair police their photo and very believabl details, she ply Media 2014, called Sim- men in Guadalmi posing as Swiss salesgiven added. “They e,” Lyndsay quick conviction Group, whose is hoping for na. show you some ents allegedly gear while SUSANA Diaz cli- It was only when the a “I cannot believe . genuine you are seated include Louis 66-year-old rocker returned has reached Vuitton, Bulgari that and then start agreement we both fell British ness instructor in your car an for and even that he realised to his Marbella mansion popstar Lady to claim herwith Ciudadanos “When they throwing deals at you.

“Neither of Lyndsay told the Olive it,” fithe had Gaga’s perfume.

Instead of president of second term as into the boot start loading the boxes ‘luxury Swissbeen sold a dud. just goes to us are stupid or gulliblePress. became apparent the Andalucia show how profession finery’, it soon of your car so it Junta. legitimat guys n that it all looks are. load of old e. he had acquired Debt al these The PSOE pact “They are dressed “It is only when When confronte inscribed ontosh’ with ‘made in China’ ‘a with Ciudadanos leader the base of realise you’ve you get home that luxury BMWs in slick suits and drive dog-lover Israel d last night, And if that the you concluded Juan Marin was bought a lot wasn’t bad pans.

- who drives Parfitt’s rubbish.”

Switzerland. and claim to be from a Range with of the cheap enough, of three document wife Lyndsay signing Always on “They are claimed to Rover - initially ALSO tricked was very good 72 policy points. s regarding have nothing by the same the Parfittsthe lookout for a bargain, so it is vital at their act, with Sunsearch fraudsters to The coalition , claiming do incidence completely by warned about that people must be 2006 in a £46married in Gibraltar was sold last is coit them.” in anti-corruption based on an ceremony The con involves who ended year to someone Approach.

They now agreement, and Ciudadan ed separately split their .

But he thenup ‘not paying’.

Nueva Andalucia men’ approachthe two ‘businessbetween propertie os has time in Spain porters in admitted he against the told supstill a ‘sharehold s in Alhaurin Grande and while they ing their ‘target’ was before, Lyndsay , two days pact that it will not Marbella. er’. are in el handed merely Either way, over the same a ‘watch and stationar listen’. still fighting Tecnographic is her husband, amount as usually in y car, Election latesta car payment, andfor the €8,000 Parfitts €2,930leaving the park, Lyndsay Page 4 down rael to court has taken Is- nothing to explained. show for it. with in Sevilla over The the debt. pair have From there While insisting police, after now called in the claim to have they Lyndsay amazit had won lefta ingly then met the over stock Turn to Page same men in IKEA’s car from a 2 nearby exhibitio week later. park in Malaga a n, which

Junta pac t

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27th May

World’s best I HAVE eaten in most countries in the world, but the Palangreros in Fuengirola is right up there with the best of them (Where to eat in Fuengirola, issue 216).

I find it the most relaxed place, with great food, great service.

When visiting the town I always make time to spend a good few evenings in this restaurant, usually enjoying my favourite meal, which is the cod in lobster sauce.

Give it a try!

Georgina Burns, Alhaurin el Grande

Lila McCann, USA

Bigger still I READ your article on the kitchenware con with great interest.

I know you have pinned down one of the guys selling this stuff but I believe there are a number of con artists pulling the same trick.

One of them approached me in Mijas and was selling Swiss knives. It was the usual tale of ‘leftover merchandise’.

This guy reeked of tobacco and was driving a light blue Peugot 206, registration 7664 FFR. Alice Campbell, Mijas

Letters should be emailed to letters@theolivepress.es. The writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

What’s hot on the web The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks (June 22nd - July 6th): 1) Baron Rothschild indicted in France over fraud case (28,501 pageviews)

4) “I’m the real Banksy,” claims British artist hiding out in Spain (5,626)

2) British holidaymakers warned of terror threat to Spain (10,402)

5) Spain set for soaring heatwave with Malaga seeing temperatures reach 36ºC (4,724)

3) Spain on high terror alert following attacks in France and Tunisia (6,190)

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All about

the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

osta de la Luz

Issue 217 www.theolivepress.es

2121

June 26 - July 9 2014

July 10th - July 24th 2015

Fifteen years after her first taste of Tarifa, Iona Napier (above) returns to the wind capital of Europe and well, once again, gets...

Blown away I

EERIE: Fish being wind-dried at Barbate’s Herpac factory

ALWAYS wear my billowing maternity-style dress in steaming summer temperatures, smugly satisfied that I’m literally ‘cooler’ than everyone else.

But, be warned this style of outfit should come with an embarrassment warning on the Costa de la Luz, where I spent a day holding down the hem, while loosely resembling an inverted lampshade.

Welcome to Tarifa, wind capital of Europe where the naughty levante breezes can play havoc with a girl’s dignity. continues page 22

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

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osta de la Luz

SUNKISSED SPECTATORS: Kitesurfing is the best free show in town

Summer here is truly magical from previous page

Luckily, no-one gives two hoots, as they get “It’s just a chiringuito, really,” she laughs, on with their day, shopping, surfing, kitesurfflummoxed when I ask the name of her homeing. Oh and looking incredibly cool. ly salon, before baptising it on the spot ‘Salon While the wind might be set to Beaufort de Marilu’, after her daughter.

Scale-blustery, the natives are as serene as “We’ve lived here all our lives,” explains Lola, a summer snooze, and the tourists (most of “If I won the lottery maybe I’d get a place in them) radiate a distinct sense of style.

Malaga for the winter, but summer here is With the ratio of dreadheads to skinheads truly magical.” set at approximately one to one, and flipChattering with these women in their unpreflops the established dress code, the easytentious hideaway gives me a behind-closedliving, good-time vibe is impossible to miss. doors glimpse of the old Andalucia in a town Tarifa is rammed with kooky cafes, funky that has seen huge changes over the last surf shops and boutiques full decade. of sun-bleached and windTarifa was the first point of the bronzed thrill-seekers taking Although the wind Moorish invasion in 711 AD. some time off. continues to buffet But Sancho IV El Bravo, whose But while the cobbled pavestatue still keeps vigil below the ments and airy courtyards are the town’s ramparts, battlements of Guzmán Castle, rammed with them in summer the sun has shone wouldn’t recognise the town he months, luckily the locals en- favourably on Tarifa reconquered in 1292. sure the town doesn’t lose its Behind him, another fast ferry is heart off season. departing the port for Tangier to I meet some of the old guard as I scale a hilly join the daily traffic jam in the Straits, one of Moorish passage in the old town and happen the world’s busiest shipping lanes. upon four cosy Spanish ladies gathered in a The 14-kilometre crossing takes just 35 minfront room which stinks of acetone. utes so you can do Tangier easily in a day. It is I’m impertinent enough to stare and Loli – certainly very tempting. lady of the house-cum-salon – invites me in, I have had a long affinity to the town as it plonks me down and embarks on an unsolichappens. My first memory of Tarifa came in ited (but much-appreciated) manicure for the a series of aircon-less road trip holidays with princely sum of €4. my family, where we conquered a huge chunk of Spain’s most emblematic corners.

On one trip, aged nine and deeply ensconced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I was oblivious to the wondrous views as we passed from Malaga into Cadiz and dipped down towards Tarifa’s endless white sandy beaches, where the Atlantic kisses the Mediterranean.

I recall being bundled out of the car on an overcast day – with similar wardrobe malfunctions – to a greying, tired town swarming with ‘lookylooky men’.

Things certainly looked up when I coerced my mother into buying me a turquoise handbag from a street stall, but I don’t remember much else.

Fast-forward 15 years and, although the wind continues to buffet the town’s ramparts, the sun has shone favourably on Tarifa.

The Atlantic beach strip, the beaches Los Lances and Valdevaqueros, has become a fashion catwalk for the STUNNING: Roof terrace views across the old town

23 July 10th - July 24th 2015 UNSPOILT: Acres of golden sands on Los Lances beach while (left) Sancho el Bravo and (below) Loli and (inset) DIY spa at Playa Punta Paloma

Hawaii 5.0.set with their Billabong T-shirts and Rip Curl board shorts.

Watching them lug their kitesurfs into the water to turn tricks above the waves is the best free show in town!

Other high-adrenalin sports like scuba diving, quad biking and hang gliding, and the more gentle pursuit of whale watching, have ushered in a prosperous new age, creating a polyglot society that has honed the Spanish charm without suppressing it altogether.

Surfers Residence, where I spend the night, is the brainchild of a group of young, charismatic German kite surfers cashing in on the booming tourist demand; among them, Tonia, whom I meet by chance in the tourist information office.

She came to Tarifa in 2013 to do her kitesurfing instructor qualification and never left.

I also meet blues band ‘Us’: Bob from Los Angeles, Paco from Tarifa and Alberto from Buenos Aires serenade tourists in the buntingfestooned Plaza del Oviedo at dusk.

After a chat, a photo and a hug, their street performance sets me up for an onslaught on Tarifa’s vibrant nightlife among the bars and clubs of Calle Cervantes.

Next morning, blearyeyed but upbeat at how many people you can meet here in just a few hours, I burn up the coast towards the capital of Cadiz through a kaleidoscope of colour.

Pale gold sands, turquoise waters, rolling green hills, neon kites and spinning white turbines flick through my peripheral vision at speed until I arrive at – officially – Europe’s 10th best beach.

Majestic Playa Bolonia is more sheltered than Tarifa’s Los Lances.

It is a stunning spot and from a distance, the people scaling its iconic dune – the largest on

the continent - look like ants.

In the foreground you mustn’t miss the architectural ruins of Baelo Claudia, dating from 2BC. Meandering between the Roman columns, it doesn’t take a novelist’s imagination to picture toga clad townsfolk socialising in the forum or detect the fishy scent of its tuna industry (making a paste called Garum) perfuming the air.

I hop over a barrier to get a better shot of the forum, to the fury of my lawabiding fellow tourists who are using selfie sticks.

But my triumph is short-lived. I get a telling-off from a small army of whistle-blowing caretakers lurking in the shade, who look set to drag me off site like a slave girl.

Half a Fanta on the beach,

before the wind whips my can off the table, followed by an invigorating dip in the Atlantic restore my spirits.

Trailing back along the coast with salt and sand in my hair, I stop off at several beaches: quiet Rio Jara, party central Arte Vida and Punta Paloma where I slap myself all over with mud, the ultimate DIY spa experience.

Days like this really do bring out the best of the Costa de la Luz: an effortless, unspoilt and – as yet – relatively undiscovered stretch of beauty, with an open-minded crowd up for sharing it.

If Cadiz capital is intent on being the jewel in the Costa de la Luz crown, Tarifa is her jingly-jangly silver anklet – less precious, but unequivocally more rewarding in high winds.

And talking of windswept, don’t forget your Bridget Jones knickers if you’re planning to wear a dress…

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osta de la Luz

Final frontier Between the sea and the sierra, Tom Powell travels to the former outpost of Vejer de la Frontera

T

HE name says it all. Vejer de la Frontera, a hilltop fortress on the Costa de la Luz, was once a last frontier of Christian Spain.

The scene of invasions and bloodthirsty battles for hundreds of years, this much sought after strategic outpost changed hands numerous times, finally becoming part of King Ferdinand’s Spain in 1248.

Later, in 1805, the sound of heavy gunfire could be heard again as Admiral Nelson destroyed the unified French and Spanish Armada at nearby Cape Trafalgar.

LOOK-OUT: Wonderful views from town’s walls

Stunning

The Civil War years were violent too, with calls for land reform from residents met by General Franco, sending 24 soldiers to occupy the town, killing anyone who stepped out of line.

Nowadays, however, the only thing likely to knock you over in Vejer is the wind.

That and the stunning views from this delightful white vil-

EMBLEMATIC: Vejer’s main square and (right) Pajarra T-shirt shop lage, exposed to the gusting At- with whitewashed homes dislantic from its hilltop perch be- covered along twisty-turny, tween the sea and the sierra. cobbled streets.

An unmissable component of The Moorish castle – or Alcazany visit to the Costa de la Luz, aba – hides down a side-street the medieval quarter oozes his- lined with eucalyptus trees. tory, its castle walls intertwined The jasmine-scented court-

yard houses the den of the local scout group, who will happily show tourists around the ramparts of what is otherwise mostly residential now.

The streets all tend towards the town’s central square, the highly picturesque Plaza de los Pescaitos with its exquisite, bright fountain decorated with 19thcentury Triana tiles from Sevilla.

The plaza takes its name from the little goldfish – pescaitos – which used to swim in the fountain when it was built in the 1920s.

The surrounding streets and alleyways are a hive of activity, belying their sleepy appearance. There are handicraft shops, art galleries and flamenco haunts, as well as cafes, bars and restaurants serving up the best produce from the turbulent Atlantic and encircling farmland and forests.

In particular look out for Pajarra, a shop that for over a decade has provided visitors to the Costa de la Luz with an amazing range of stylish, original, hand-printed t-shirts… right in front of your nose.

Above all, make sure to head

Weird and wonderful

Tel: 956 451 848 c/. Corredera 55, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz CalifaVejer.com

NMAC, set in luscious parkland and forest near Vejer, is worlds away from the typical Costa de la Luz experience.

The main feature of the charity-run art refuge is the weird and wonderful sculpture park, boasting some emphatic works by renowned international artists.

Dictator Franco and his horse can be found half buried in the ground, while the neverending rollercoaster of wheelbarrows and household goods presumably represents the monotony of life.

The exhibits suddenly appear along a forest pathway, while in huts there are a further series of sculptures and photography.

Visit www.fundacionnmac.org

up to the turreted walls, from where views spread out across cultivated fields to the mountains and the 5,000 hectare Las Brenas Natural Park.

It’s easy to see why this immaculate village was voted second Most Beautiful in Spain on Trip Advisor. There is certainly something special about Vejer, which

appears to lord it over its neighbouring fishing villages from its exalted hilltop eyrie, its white cubist houses tumbling down the hillside like tossed dice.

And it’s a safe bet, if you’re new to the Costa de la Luz, that you’ll be leaving nothing to chance if you take a trip to the former final frontier.

25 July 10th - July 24th 2015

With a regular influx of talented restaurateurs and chefs it is no surprise that Vejer has become one of Andalucia’s culinary capitals, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke

I

T is perhaps no surprise to find someone of the calibre of Ellie Cormie in Vejer de la Frontera.

The former owner of five restaurants in Scotland - one with a Michelin star - fits like a glove in the charming white town, whose food culture is one of the richest in Andalucia.

Taking the helm of the stunning new restaurant Corredera 55, she has brought her own unique sprinkling of magic to the bustling, competitive local restaurant scene.

Alongside owner James Stuart, who owns a numMAGICAL: Garimba in the main square has a superb mix of tapas ber of hotels and restaurants in the town, they have turned this amazing lookout diner into a genuine must-visit for foodies.

With a fabulous, good value menu, heavy on vegetables and fish, 55 will inevitably succeed.

Add in an adventurous wine list and the drive and panache of Ellie and you have a winner.

Vejer is just the sort of place to find this sort of fine dining.

Like a slow-cooked pork belly, the town has gently fused its ingredients to carve itself into the definitive food capital of Cadiz and perhaps only rivalled by Marbella and Malaga in Andalucia.

Visitors now flock here from around the country and it is incredible how many good places there are to eat in this gem of a white town.

“We set the bar high,” explains 55 boss Stuart, who also owns award-winning eaterie La Califa.

“There is plenty of competition between restaurants and all of us keep taking the level higher in order to get ahead.”

Another local entrepreneur Paco Pacheco, at La Tarantella, whose family own a trawling business, knows more than anything else that he has to get the offering right... and above all, deliver Creativity comes in droves and the wine list is one of the best in Cadiz, with a rich and varied quality.

“There is so much competition now I had to work mix of bottles. out carefully what would be my niche. I certainly “We pride ourselves on working incredibly hard, know about fresh fish, but figured that what the never standing still and keeping the prices down,” he says. centre still didn’t have was a good But it is on the outside of town Italian restaurant,” he explains.

It is this level of in the most obscure of locaIt is this level of thought that has helped to make this small Cadiz thought that helped tions that the bar is really being pushed higher and higher. town into such a foodie Mecca.

Much of the ingredients of sucmake this small Up in Santa Lucia you have one Andalucia’s best meat rescess are down to the local surCadiz town into a of taurants Castilleria that gets roundings, which produce some of better and better each year the best quality ingredients in the foodie Mecca and next door Venta el Toro, world. one of the most authentic resThe obvious examples are sherry, fish and the wonderful pork and beef from the taurants around. classic brown ‘retinto’ cows, which you often see Describing its food as ‘comida de cuchara’, basically home-cooked ‘spoon food’, it just serves wandering around the nearby hills.

Of course the amazing ‘almadraba’ blue fin tuna, simple, delicious Andalucian classics. caught nearby is spectacularly good and the veg- From here, take a ten minute drive up to Patria (see review on P34) to find out why laid back etables available are also of a high quality.

Another reason is the type of tourists who visit Dane Tomas and his lovely wife Ase are consisthe town, which has seen a distinctly better tently topping many dining polls. heeled crowd than its nearby rivals on the Costa While the menu is compact, the regularly-changing specials are becoming increasingly experidel Sol. mental and always look delightful.

“We don’t just rely on beaches,” explains “A lot of our success is the fact restaurateur Ramon at Vina y Mar, that we use so many vegwhich has its own wine shop with etables,” explains Dane over 200 references. “And many Tomas, who lives next of the people who visit are door with his family. keen food lovers, who come A laid back chap, here specifically to eat.” who spends his This is certainly the case spare time surfand the huge mix of resing, he sums it taurateurs, who herald up perfectly: “We from France, Denmark, know we have Britain and the north to constantly of Spain have helped to evolve and creput together a rich and ate new things varied offering for them. if we are to keep Frenchman Damian Giup with the exroud at long-running La cellent quality in Brasa de Sancho typitown.” fies the mix.

Last, but anything Having cooked since his but least, take a 10 teens – and even had a stint minute ride towards the under the Roux brothers at Le sea to Barbate, where you Gavroche in London – he knows will find the stalwart Campplenty about cooking. ero, easily one of Spain’s top fish His near neighbour Javier Duenas at restaurants and a lesson in hard work Garimba in the main square has perhaps been and discipline. the biggest success story of the last few years.

The Madrileno’s bustling restaurant serves up It is here, that Jose Mellero and his team have a fabulous mix of excellent value tapas, not to been serving up the finest blue fin tuna for the last two decades. Miss it at your peril. mention amazing tuna and steaks.

DINING CAPITAL

OFFERING: Califa (top) and Corredera 55 are highlights

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Sandblasted and set-free For what it lacks in size, Sancti Petri makes up for in beauty, history and gusto, writes Tom Powell

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HE Atlantic wind is gusting against me as I propel myself through the water aboard my kayak.

My destination, Sancti Petri castle, looms ahead, beckoning me on, but the sage advice from the experts who rent out the kayaks is beginning to prove true.

Insisting it would be ‘impossible’ to kayak out to the castle in this wind, I soon give in to spend my time pootling around the charming and chilled-out bay instead.

After all, there are boat trips to the castle where the chance of capsizing is significantly lower.

A delightful sight to behold, Sancti Petri castle sitting on an island just offshore is steeped in history.

Legend has it that the island was once home to the temple of Hercules, arguably the most important religious building in the ancient world.

Hercules’ legacy survives today through a statue at the marina entrance and - as if that wasn’t enough - a street name.

Meanwhile, Roman emperor Julius Caesar is said to have

HISTORIC: Sancti Petri castle is the stuff of legends had a dream which foretold his domination of the world while staying at this very castle.

It certainly has a lot to live up to, and there is still a magical, somewhat eerie air about the ruined remains.

But in this charming little corner of the Costa de la Luz there is much to discover.

Kayaking, sailing, kitesurfing and all manner of watersports are on offer in the marina, along with numerous soft sandy beaches.

It is also well worth visiting for

the seafood, brought in daily by the salty, old fishermen who know these seas even better than they know their poor wives.

Scrumptious, no-frills fish, squid and prawns are served up by Sancti Petri marina’s Club Nautico, along with many other bars and restaurants in the nearby town of Chiclana de la Frontera.

While it is not exactly a tourist hot-spot, a large amount of expats do surprisingly live in the town’s satellite area of Pago

del Humo.

In Chiclana they find everything they could need in terms of shopping and business, while in Sancti Petri, and nearby Barrosa beach, they have stunning coastline.

In fact, life seems so good for those unafraid to ditch the Costa del Sol for the Costa del Wind that by the time I’d finished gorging on seafood, I had to drag myself away… and only half of that was because of the wind blowing me in the other direction.

The great escape Estate agent Glyn Lewis of Andaluz Homes on why he loves the Costa de la Luz LET’S face it. In this modern world of tricky technology, increasingly-long working days and economic uncertainty, everybody’s pretty stressed.

Like it or not, our day-to-day decisions and general sense of well-being are constantly influenced by a barrage of international news events.

After nearly 20 years of helping clients purchase a property here we have received a lot of feedback on why buyers have either been motivated or deterred from purchasing in Andalucia.

This week it is the ‘Grexit’, last month it was atrocities in Tunisia, while last year’s headlines focused on the stock market turbulence.

The vast majority of buyers purchasing in Spain are looking to achieve a common goal; ‘peace of mind’. After all, buying a property is a big decision and often involves a large investment.

They are buying into a lifestyle change giving them the opportunity to kick off their shoes and escape the strains of day to day life.

Coming here they can relax on award-winning beaches, sample the excellent local cuisine, absorb the culture and enjoy the sights and sounds of ‘real Spain’.

Andaluz Homes exclusively offers a 20-year Safe Purchase Guarantee (underwritten by *Caser*) as part of its comprehensive service. The title deed guarantee insurance is provided on all property sales.

Visit www.andaluzhomes.com

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Life’s a beach Despite being a flip-flop down, Rob Horgan scoots along the many amazing beaches of the Costa de la Luz

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UNCREAM, sunglasses, skimpy swimming shorts … packing for my 40km beachcombing marathon along the Costa de la Luz didn’t take much planning.

Although I wish I’d brought superglue too.

For during my day-long mini-marathon along the ‘coast of light’ from Tarifa to Chiclana I only had one working flip flop.

I lost one of them when my toe strap snapped on Playa de Los Bateles, in Conil, while I was fighting a battle with my beach towel against a pesky levante wind.

The longest beach in Conil (one of six) appropriately sounds like it’s named after a battle but it actually means ‘Beach of Boats’.

A stroll around the whitewashed streets of this VARIETY: From hip Canos de Meca to wide open Chiclana (top) former fishing village offers a glimpse into the and Conil (inset) violent history which blighted the Costa de la Luz for centuries.

Meca, but keep an eye out for dress code signs The Torre de Guzman – a short, squat tower built if you’re an unrepentant ‘textile’ – the derogatory by the town’s official founder, Guzman El Bueno term naturists use for people (like me) who wear – offers my first glimpse into the coast’s swashshorts. buckling military past.

The numerous hidden coves certainly reveal Founded by the Phoenicians, Conil was later inmore than you bargained for! habited by the Romans, Vandals, Visigoths and ‘Canos’, as it’s abbreviated, has its own nudist Moors, along with the Brits who smashed the beach at the foot of a steep cliff.

French and Spanish Navies at the Battle of TraA former hippie colony, the village is no longer falgar in 1805. teeming with women with flowBut as Cape Trafalgar, where it all hapers in their hair, but it still has An orchestral pened, is still some way off I subdue my that ‘edgy’ laid-back vibe, with fluttering beach towel and sit down to concert of bird song its cool surf dudes. take in the view.

The 15-minute drive from here It’s easy to see the attractions of Spain’s emanating from the to Barbate was by far the most wild west coast. In both directions, as far broccoli-shaped impressive part of my journey. as the eye can see, bronzed bodies are The road slices through dense trees basting on the beach. pine forest and motorists are Heading east you reach El Palmar, treated to an orchestral conwith its endless soft sandy beach, as cert of bird song emanating popular with surfers as sun worshippers these days. from the broccoli-shaped trees.

Neighbouring Torre del Puerco with its panoramBarbate is a major fishing port and more indusic lookout tower and Zahora, popular with sailors trial than its neighbouring towns. A giant tuna and fishermen, complete the beauty pageant of sculpture on the long wide promenade, and a peaceful playas. tuna museum, are testimonies to its key industry.

Next up is the emblematic Cabo de Trafalgar Along with sun worshippers and watersports enlighthouse, the cape where Lord Nelson won the thusiasts, the main beach is also a favourite arebattle but lost his life aboard HMS Victory. na for handball. I sit down among the masses to It is actually possible to walk the entire stretch of watch four games being played simultaneously. unbroken sand between Conil and Los Canos de As the sun begins its downward descent to the SCENIC: An inlet between Barbate and Zahara

horizon there’s one more port of call to make. Zahara de los Atunes, famous for its annual May tapas festival celebrating its almadraba tuna, a method of catching tuna in large circular trap nets at sea handed down by the Phoenicians.

This quaint little town - the most upmarket on the coast - is filled with tapas bars and restaurants, each with their own artistic take on how to serve its namesake fish.

It only seemed right to try some so I ordered up a slab of juicy red tuna steak and ate it while watching the moonlight on the water. After a day discovering the peachy beaches of the Costa de la Luz, there can be no more fitting a finale.

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Surf ‘n’ turf A little slice of Ibiza in Andalucia, no other place better epitomises the hip Tarifa scene than Valdevaqueros, writes Jon Clarke

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CHILLED: Signposts to the world’s kitesurf capitals

’M lying back on a wooden bench watching a profusion of kites bob up and down, almost in tune to the strains of Damian Marley on the sound system.

With a fabulous ‘superfood smoothie’ in my hand - the so called ‘magic maca’ served up at the new iZumo! juice bar I’m about as chilled as could possibly be in Andalucia in July.

Welcome to Valdevaqueros, a beach bar/restaurant/ all-round-hip-lifestyle venue, where anybody who wants to understand the unique Tarifa vibe needs to visit.

Also serving as the home of Mistral’s watersports centre and the launch pad of half of the world’s best kitesurfers, this is a place where you can literally spend hours watching the world go by.

“While it used to be just for sporty types, the majority of people come here now because it is super-hip,” explains Mistral boss Chris Ziaja.

“It’s Mojitos from 3pm but it creates a great atmosphere and it is surprising how many people end up renting out paddle surfs or taking a kitesurf lesson.”

Hip: At Graffitti It is certainly the spot to take up this fun, high-adrenaline sport, with current world leader Liam Whaley learning and basing himself here when not touring the world competing.

I gave it a go last year and while the 40-knot winds wreaked havoc with my classes - I’ll admit I let the kite go in a panic and almost lost it as it half blew to Morocco - I still had a fantastic time.

But equally, it is a great place to just take the waters, have

lunch or an afternoon drink at the achingly hip Tumbao beach bar.

The restaurant is great, serving fresh food every day, while the new Burger bar serves up incredible patties.

There is some accommodation at the side and there is even a clothes shop Graffiti, the very epitome of cool, while its new neighbour iZumo! adds to the mix.

Opened by Daniela Di Placido this summer, she has been serving up juices around the world for nearly a decade.

“They are mostly dairy free and I have a big range of minerals and vitamins I add to the drinks, which are great on the stomach.”

The story behind Valdevaqueros began over three decades ago when British adventurer Peter Whaley made an unscheduled stop off en route from his home in Ibiza to a holiday in Morocco.

A keen windsurfer he unwittingly found himself on the windiest beach in Europe and had the vision to launch a business there.

It was 1984 and he had soon found a partner (an Australian

board maker Barry Pussell) to help him open the coast’s first rental business.

Named 100% Fun (now a successful nearby hotel) – the shack rented out windsurfs and sold clothes from his wife Terese’s successful fashion label Graffiti Ibiza.

“It was a low key launch and

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VIBES: Some of the staff at Valdevaqueros including Daniela (right)

we had no idea how well it was going to go,” explains Peter today.

“What we did have was a great board maker and fantastic, totally Spanish-made clothes.”

It was the spark to launch the wind revolution on the Costa de la Luz, an industry that now brings in tens of millions of euros every year.

But, Peter quickly realised that in order to keep the growing number of surfers happy they needed to offer accommodation, so the following year he and his brother Michael, a builder, bought an old ruined 12-room hostal just up the road.

A third brother James, a film director and producer from London, was also soon involved.

A big figure in the film business – as well as the manager of Adam and the Ants - it was little surprise that the Hurricane Hotel was soon to become one of

An d a lucia’s hippest places to stay.

“I convinced my brothers that we would never make enough money from 12 rooms, so we obtained permission from the town hall to build an extra 23 and brought in an architect,” explains James, who is very much still the life and soul of the Hurricane – and its nearby sister hotel Punta Sur. Over lunch at the Hurricane, he continues: “Once opened we converted the bricklayers into our staff, some becoming cooks, others waiters, others receptionists or gardeners.

“I explained to the builders

The Whaley story is not over yet with the next generation already making waves.

Peter’s son Liam Whaley has won the Tarifa kitesurf championship and is now ranked second in the world and currently leading this year’s competition.

Kiting since the age of nine, he lives and breathes the sport.

“There is never a shortage of wind here,” he tells the Olive Press. “And it is one of the most fun places to live.”

Travelling the world, he has his own sponsorship with Cabrinha and is closely linked to Mistral, which rents boards and kites at Valdevaqueros.

TOP TUCKER: At the stylish restaurant that making a cake was as easy as making cement. All you had to do was throw the right ingredients into a mixer and stick it in the oven at the right temperature for the appropriate amount of time,” he continues.

As the local restaurants back then were basic, at best, the brothers installed a herb garden and started to plant and grow their own vegetables.

As James had lived in Italy he got a friend to send rucula, or rocket seeds, and the coast’s best restaurant was also born.

“It just grew and grew organi-

cally,” explains Peter, who still spends half the year in Ibiza, where he has a farmhouse. “But now we think we have just the right ingredients to continue to be successful for years to come.”

Nowadays the group comprises four hotels - The Hurricane, Punta Sur, Valdevaqueros (100% Fun was sold five years ago) and a new hotel recently opened in Jericoacoara, Brazil, appropriately also a kitesurfing hotspot.

“Called Hurricane Jeri it is the first stylish five star hotel there and we believe in winter a lot of the cool northern European

Clubbing together

CHILL OUT: Young holidaymakers at Tumbao

JUMPING HIGH!

WHETHER it’s a hair-raising, adrenaline-pumping ride on Tarifa’s waves attached to a kite, or a chilled-out pootle atop a paddleboard, Club Mistral is always prepared in Tarifa’s unpredictable climate.

The international firm has two bases near Tarifa, from which kitesurfing, windsurfing and stand-up paddle-boarding are available for everyone from complete novices to lifelong enthusiasts.

One is at the stunning Valdevaqueros beach, and the other a few kilometres further south at the Hurricane hotel.

The team includes personal fitness trainers and nutrition experts, who are developing special fitness, physiotherapy and injury recovery programmes.

Sailing excursions are also a regular feature of the busy summer programme, which is best kept on top of through the Club Mistral Tarifa Facebook page or by visiting www.club-mistral. com

KITE KING: Jon Clarke meets Liam Whaley crowd will choose to go there,” explains Peter.

Given his previous eye for business, it is probably very likely to be the case.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: James (left) and Peter with wife Terese

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GONE WITH THE WIND! The Costa de la Luz is Europe’s definitive kitesurfing capital

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AKE a look in the skies above the beaches on the Costa de la Luz and chances are you will see a mass of colour- f u l kites bobbing and weaving in the breeze.

The sport of kitesur f ing has taken the area by storm, creating a commercial dynamo in its wake.

Invented in 1984 by the Legaignoux brothers the two key spots for kitesurfing are by the Trafalgar lighthouse in Canos de Meca, and along Tarifa’s two main beaches.

This adrenaline-packed sport now completely eclipses windsurfing in popularity among thrill-seekers.

“There is nothing like it,” explains kitesurfing instructor Patricia Suarez, owner of Tarifa Air Force (TAF) in Tarifa.

“It is an incredible sport which is fantastic for people of all ages… and this area is definitively Europe’s number one spot to practice it.”

This is down to the exceptionally mild winters as well as one of the best wind currents in the world.

The Poniente, in particular, is an extremely constant easterly wind from Portugal, measuring between two and five on the Beaufort scale.

The other dominating wind – better for windsurfers – is the Levante, which comes from the southeast over Africa and builds up for a few days be-

SURF’S UP: In Tarifa

fore peaking at eight or nine on the Beaufort scale.

“When I saw people jumping 15, 20 metres high, I knew I had to do it,” adds Patricia, whose shop stocks a great range of kit as well as the best in fashionable clothing.

“The feeling you get on the waves is incomparable.”

Because of the calmness of the sport, kitesurfing companies such as Club Mistral, Hot Stick and Tarifa Air Force

can teach clients to kitesurf at any age, from retirees to children as young as eight years old.

COMING TO A SHORE NEAR YOU: Whales in Straits of Gibraltar, and (below) tuna half-eaten by orcas

Whale of a time SUN-SEEKERS and surfers aren’t the only ones who head to the Costa de la Luz every year.

Sharing the shores are pods of whales which can regularly be seen frolicking in the Straits of Gibraltar.

A number of local companies – such as the best established Turmares Tarifa - take guests on boat trips to see these mammals, with a slant on marine conservation.

The orcas are attracted to the sparkling Mediterranean by the large amount of tasty blue fin tuna, which occasionally brings them into conflict with local fisherman.

“Luckily for us, orcas come here each year to feed,” Andre at Turmares explains.

“On the other hand, that’s not so good for the presence of the Bluefin tuna.”

Andre adds that despite the ‘killer’ name attributed to the most famous whale they are actually ‘harmless to humans’ although they do feed on 32 different mammal species.

Along with the killers, pilot, sperm and fin whales migrate from the Atlantic, as well as three different types of dolphins – common, striped and bottlenose.

All of which can be seen during boat trips, depending on your luck!

For more information visit www.turmares.com

Photos by Pablo Gill

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July 10th - July 24th 2015 HOTTEST SPORT: Kitesurf fan and (below) Patricia at TAF

Biking paradise TARIFA is a mountain biker’s dream.

Great views, a feeling of adventure, varied trails and great descents. It has it all.

You can go cross country on full days along stony coastal paths beside the Straits of Gibraltar with amazing views of Morocco and the Atlas Mountains, medieval herding tracks over rolling farmland/wetlands, or winding trails through ancient cork oak forests.

All within a lush green landscape with craggy sandstone peaks and mountains that roll into the sea.

Rides take from two to seven hours, and most start from the heart of the town.

“You can expect to hear the screech of an eagle, see thousands of buzzards crossing the straits and fields of wild flowers,” explains keen cyclist Tony Cassidy.

“There are also plenty of Roman ruins and even remains of Prehistoric Man,” he adds.

“It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s wonderland.”

Bikes can be rented for around €20 a day from a number of places.

Tarifa Air Force even offers special ‘children courses.’

“You start with a small kite and as you learn you keep trying bigger and bigger kites,” says Patricia.

This keeps the level of power always in line with the level of experience of the kitesurfer.

To the skeptic, she assures that despite its appearance, the sport is much safer than skiing or snowboarding, with many less serious accidents.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should just take a board and a kite onto water without lessons.

However, the learning curve is astonishingly quick.

In general, beginners need three days to learn the basics, and in only five days are out kitesurfing on their own.

Hot Stick, Club Mistral and Tarifa Air Force rent out kites, wetsuits, helmets and lessons from as low as €50 per day.

Tarifa Whales, Dolphins & Orcas Bird watching by boat Daily trips Scientific research Environmental education Watching guaranteed or second oppotunity free Local community responsibility

Reservations

956 680 741 - 696 448 347

Chukkas away!

FOR chino-clad gents and Pimms-sipping women look no further than Atlanterra.

Accessed via Zahara de los Atunes, the small village comes to life for one weekend every September.

Usually held on the last weekend of the month, polo players from around the globe descend on the beach for an actionpacked polo tournament.

Four teams are invited to take part, with the final taking place on the Sunday evening.

Learning the lingo H

AVING been in business for 26 years, it can rightfully claim to be one of the oldest language schools on the Costa de la Luz. And that is no surprise, with Hispalense school, in Tarifa, having a successful knack of bringing pupils into contact with the real world.

Boasting 12 highly qualified native teachers with Spanish as the focus (German, English and French are also available) pupils are encouraged to get out onto the beaches and into the sea in the afternoons after a morning in the classroom.

“The students love it because you can be so active in Tarifa,” says boss Gaspar Cuesta, who joined the school 24 years ago and has been at the helm for eight of those.

“From windsurfing and kitesurfing to wine-tasting and tapas tours, there’s so much to do and we help to organise it all.

“And we make people feel at home with customized classes and lots of accommodation possibilities if they need it.”

Class sizes are small with a maximum of eight students with a mix of adults and younger students from people studying for a few days to months at a time – everyone is welcome!

For more information visit www.hispalense.com

Jackelin - glass bottom boat

Alcalde Juan Núñez, 3, TARIFA

Just in front of the Harbour

www.turmares.com Pirata – the fastest boat in the Strait

BACK TO SCHOOL: Hispalense students

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WHERE TO EAT

NEW BROOM: Mourat at 7

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PPROPRIATELY named Tesoro (treasure), it is very much a treasure hunt arriving at what is easily one of Andalucia’s most charming places to eat.

High up in the hills between Tarifa and Bolonia, it takes a good deal of wit and guile to continue on the track to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

But it is well worth the trip, with owners Jesus and Juana, creating a genuine paradise overlooking rows of vines and a sea of undulating umbrella pines.

Aside from the fabulous food

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Costa de la lunch

Few places in Spain have such a great range of good places to eat, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke - including fresh langoustines and a classic ‘retinto’ steak typical of the region – the views over the Gibraltar straits to Africa are impossible to improve.

Back down in Tarifa itself you are spoilt for choice with a string of excellent places to eat.

In particular head to Calle Alameda, where you will find

four or five of the finest restaurants on the Costa de la Luz. Starting from the tourist office downwards you will find the talented father-and-son team of Daniel and Javier, who run neighbouring restaurants La Ternera Mimosa and Lola Mora.

Open for well over a decade, both have a distinctly Medi-

FAMILY FIRM: Daniel and Javier

terranean flavour, while La Ternera Mimosa now has its own charcoal grill, top quality steaks and some amazing artisan pizzas and grilled fish.

Lola Mora is better known for fish and has the prestige of having won Tarifa’s best tuna tapa competition (a tuna tartare in puff pastry with a beetroot salmorejo).

Next door, look out for the

WHERE TO STAY

Where sleeping is a breeze!

The Costa de la Luz is a stylemeister’s dream for places to stay, writes Jon Clarke

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HE Costa de la Luz is literally creaking with hip places to stay from beachside gems to inland cortijos and from grand townhouses to campsites.

In Vejer you would be hard pressed to beat the seminal Casa de Califa, in the town’s loveliest square, surrounded by its best restaurants.

The Moorish building sits around a charming central patio, where guests take breakfast and dine under candlelight each evening.

Historic in the extreme, the building, and its sister Triperia, oozes history and has been extremely well renovated.

However if you are after something more rustic, then another great option is Hotel Sindhuru, which is peace personified with some of the most amazing views.

Run by friendly Ana and her husband, it has a lovely pool and, best of all, its own exceptionally good restaurant.

Nearby, right on the beach, in Canos de Meca, is Madreselva, set around a central courtyard and with a decent pool for the kids to splash in.

Also in Canos, just a short walk to the Trafalgar light-

In Canos de Meca you will find Madreselva set around a pool for kids to splash in

HIPPY CHIC: Luxurious Casas Karen house, is evocative Casas Karen, a super-chilled retreat, sitting in a wild spot with the natural park behind as a backdrop.

Between pinewoods and beach, the collection of chozas (straw huts) and traditional Andalucían farmhouses blends perfectly into the landscape.

It is also one of the greenest hotels around, with all waste being recycled and water is drawn from a well. Massages and yoga can be arranged, or guests can simply relax in a Mexican hammock.

In Tarifa you have an equally good group of stylish hotels.

On the beach, the best established is the Hurricane, which is now 25 years old and run by the coast’s long-serving expats, brothers James and Peter Whaley, who also own the more luxurious Punta Sur across the road.

Both hotels have their own restaurants and both serve up a great range of activities on the beach and in the hotel, including pilates and yoga classes every day, plus a brand new spa.

Another great new option in the centre of the town itself is La Rosa de los Vientos, which is an attractive place in a great location.

Set up by Seval and her partner Mourat, it has a nice range of rooms and a fantastic roof terrace and central atrium to chill out.

Last, but definitely not least, if you are looking for one of the best beachside escapes then Hotel Antonio in Zahara de los Atunes is wonderful.

Sitting right on one of Andalucia’s top beaches, this is a professionally-run and great value hotel with an amazing restaurant to match.

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TREASURE: The view from Tesoro and (right) chef Jesus and trainee

ever improving French joint Petit Bistro, which has been refurbished and reborn with a new menu combining owners Veronica Rodriguez and Benoit Mangeon’s favourite influences with the best local produce.

The pair, who started out selling crepes in a backstreet of Tarifa 15 years ago, now regularly turn out some of the town’s most refined dishes.

Expect to try dishes like basilperfumed gazpacho, as well as his recent tuna salad with mango and beetroot.

Favourite

If Italian is your thing, then two paces away you will want to check out Trattoria, run by local business magnate Luciano, from Naples.

A long time favourite, with its authentic pizza oven, the restaurant is slowly adapting to the town’s more demanding diners and focusing on finer ingredients, such as boletus mushrooms from Zamora and black truffles from Soria.

The vegetables are mostly organic and delivered each day

by Alberto, thanks to Luciano’s fondness for his country’s Slow Food Movement.

Another long-term stalwart is Pescaderia, run by Victor, a former architect from

FISH FANATIC: Victor (above left) and tuna sashimi

AUTHENTIC: Trattoria

Argentina, who looks like Joe 90 from Thunderbirds - when grafting away in the kitchen with trademark scientist-style glasses.

A massive tuna fan, boss Victor goes out of his way to prize the very best specimens out of the clutches of the Japanese… and is not scared to shell out thousands for the right fish.

“It is vital as our clients absolutely love it,” he explains.

Enjoy the separate tuna menu including a great carpaccio, sashimi and best of all tartare, all washed down by some excellent wines.

If it is beach dining you are harking for then a true chestnut is Bien Estar, right on the beach. It is open all year and claims to be the southernmost restaurant in Europe and has been set up by three friends with over 50 years of catering experience between them.

And in Tarifa, there is yet more with the opening of a new restaurant 7, where there is a wonderful mix of Spanish, international and oriental flavours, thanks to its chef Mourat, who is a half continues page 34

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WHERE TO EAT

Culinary adventure from page 33 Russian, half Moroccan jew.

Having done his time cooking in Germa- ny, where his wife heralds from, he spent a few years cooking in Andalucia, before opening his own restaurant.

Heading up the coast, if it is Atlantic blue fin tuna you are after, Andalucia’s best place to eat must surely be El Campero, in Barbate.

Here, Jose ‘Pepe’ Melero has catered for celebrities, poli-

COASTAL LEADER: Campero and (inset) a creation

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INVENTIVE: Tuna salad at Petit Bistro

ticians and fellow chefs for two decades and runs the restaurant with military precision, often serv-

ing well over 300 people for lunch alone.

The place has just been through a stylish transforma-

Head to the hills

T is almost the very definition of a ‘dining secret’.

High in the hills in an obscure location ten minutes from Vejer, Patria is one of those destination restaurants that you really have to make an effort to visit.

Hidden away in a scruffy hamlet, arriving is certainly part of the adventure.

And, once there, the contrast between the humdrum nearby houses and the pretty rural diner couldn’t be more distinct.

For owners Ase and Thomas Caption here CAPTION: Donso have created a beautiful escape that wouldn’t be out of place in the Picos de Europa or wooden tables and stylish inteProvence.

Everything from its flagstone rior draw you in further. terrace to vine-clad veranda is And thankfully your Danish hosts do not disappoint when it geared towards seduction.

Surrounded by vines, oleander comes to the food. and olive trees, its candlelit Split into a three-course menu

Any foodie would be mad to miss a visit to Vejer’s true dining secret Patria, writes Jon Clarke

of the month and a more detailed a la carte offering, you will be spoilt with lots of vegetables, and almost all seasonal produce.

As Thomas explains: “The joy of cooking is about what’s in peak season. There is no need to import anything from far away.”

He raves, quite rightfully about the quality of the local produce, and adds: “We work around what our suppliers can provide us local be it wild asparagus, rabbit or bulls’ heart tomatoes.

“It is all about being able to adjust, c h a n g e and cre-

CHARMING: Patria’s flagstone terrace

ate.”

And this is certainly what he and his Peruvian sous chef Pedro are doing in the kitchen.

The food is as light, fresh and exciting as you could possibly expect in Andalucia.

A tartaki of thinly sliced beef served with pickled Swedish-style vegetables is a wonderful starter and only beaten by the original tomato and mozzarella salad served with basil ice cream and pine nuts.

Smoked sardines come out with pickled TEAM: Pedro and boss Thomas

figs, while thinly sliced duck comes out with a coriander and orange source and delicious balls of foie gras that explode in the mouth.

The red snapper served with asparagus and green beans sautéed in butter and pine nuts, was about as beautifully cooked as could be imagined.

And finally, the ingenious ‘cerviche of Strawberry’ pudding with lime, chilli, crème anglaise and pistachio was a wonderful way to finish.

With an interesting and varied wine list fused with a dozen Sherries and interesting hand-picked wines from around Spain, in particular an interesting red from Cuenca, called Patio, you will be in capable hands.

To use an old phrase of former dictator General Franco ‘Todo por la Patria’!

www.theolivepress.es

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

Ventorrillo

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July 10th - 24th July 2015

EL NENE

The best lunch stop between Tarifa and Vejer

tion, while last year it opened a sister restaurant in Zahara.

One place that really must be experienced if visiting Zahara is Antonio’s, one of the best established hotels on the coast.

Sitting on a fantastic white sandy beach, this restaurant is amazing and run with professional aplomb and with easily some of the best fish in Spain.

Another excellent new find is Ventorrillo El Nene, in the strategic town of Facinas, making it the perfect lunch

NO BULL: The grilling kings at El Nene

stop for anyone travelling between Tarifa and Vejer or Conil.

Absolutely steeped in bullfighting memorabilia, it un-

BATTLE: Two types of tuna tartare at Antonio’s

surprisingly serves up some of the best meat on the coast, with an incredible retinto steak, one of the best I have ever tried.

All cooked by the owners on their outside grill, you dine under bulls’ heads, beside a mock-up bullring and with bullfighting posters all around.

Finally, over in Vejer you will find an amazing mix of good places to eat, including Patria, Corredera 55, Califa and Castilleria… Turn to page 25 for a more in-depth look.

Tel: 956 687 020 Móv: 686 954 189 Carretera Facinas, Los Barrios Km. 1.5, Facinas (Tarifa) - Cádiz www.ventorrilloelnene.es

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36 36 the Olive Press June 11th - June ll about

24th 2015

osta de la Luz

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Property

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

July 10th - July 24th 2015

Light and airy Marbella lighthouse to become stylish guesthouse

THE iconic Marbella lighthouse is set to be reborn as a boutique hotel.

Two companies have submitted applications to turn the 29-metres high landmark into the town’s next hippest overnight destination.

These applications will now be checked over by the Port Authority before being displayed publicly, so that objections and concerns can

ORIGINAL: Light-hotel

be lodged.

One condition is that the plans offer public access to the lighthouse, built in 1864, so that it can still be enjoyed by the masses.

This project is part of the nationwide campaign to protect and restore lighthouses which are no longer in use, called Proyecto faros de Espana.

A lighthouse in Malaga, La Farola, was recently restored and turned into one of the city’s most popular hotels.

While the Punta Doncella lighthouse in Estepona was restored two years ago with landscaped gardens, decking and benches.

Better than Barca!

MADRID has trumped Barcelona as the best place to live in Spain.

Spain’s capital came in 16th place in elite magazine Monocle’s annual list of 25 ‘most liveable’ cities.

Eight places further back, Barcelona just squeezed into the top 25.

Meanwhile Tokyo in Japan and Vienna in Austria were

named the ‘most liveable’ cities in the world.

Last year’s winner Copenhagen fell from top spot to tenth in the rankings, while three German cities (Hamburg,

Munich and Berlin) makes the European country the most represented on the list.

There was not such good news for the Brits though, as all UK cities were overlooked.

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Fleeing the nest YOUNG Spaniards are notoriously bad at leaving home and setting up camp away from their family… but that looks to be all changing.

The Alpha real estate network - which has more than 170 offices in Spain is seeing a growing trend of young homeowners buying up ‘cheap’ property.

Vice president of Alpha has attributed this change in attitude to a growing economy, leading to a more ‘ambitious youth’.

“Since last summer, we have been observing that every day there are more young people who have begun searching for a house to buy,” he said.

“Young people are generally interested in cheaper properties, around 100,000, to get them on the property ladder.”

And the company estimates that by the end of the year, 10% of renters under 38 years of age will become homeowners.

years 11+ experience in

37 37

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Property

www.theolivepress.es the Olive Press July 10th - July 24th 2015

Matando Maggie Short-lived controversial Margaret Thatcher Square, in Madrid, to be renamed

OVER: The Iron Lady’s Madrid presence

THE news that the Iron Lady would give her name to a square in central Madrid generated controversy and even vandalism last September.

And now, Madrid’s new mayor has announced Margaret Thatcher square, named after the former UK prime minister, is set to surrender its name, just months after being unveiled.

The Podemos party has reportedly piled the pressure

Chueca district.

Pablo Iglesias’ left-wing party’s reasoning is that a public place should not bear the name of the former British prime minister who ‘enslaved the working classes’.

The fact that the plaza was also inaugurated by former mayor Ana Botella - who was never officially elected – is another stumbling block.

Botella, who opened the square, described Thatcher who died in 2013 as an ‘in-

on to left-wing Mayor Manuela Carmena to rename the plaza in the heart of the

New life for new builds THE price of new builds in Spain is finally on the rise.

For the first time in eight years, the cost of new builds has showed signs of improving.

A 1.8% market increase since the turn of the year represents the first positive growth in the market since

Lender bender

BANKS and mortgage lenders are loosening the purse strings across Spain.

The number of registered home mortgages has risen by more than 20% in the last year.

And it appears to be good news for Andalucia’s property market, with more mortgages being approved in the region than any other region.

A total of 3,450 new mortgages were registered in Andalucia in April alone.

While 3,218 were signed up in Barcelona and 3,159 in Madrid.

In April, the total amount lent to homeowners in Andalucia was €293.5 million.

Self-catering culture PRIVATE rentals are dominating the holiday market in Spain.

For the first time, the number of home rentals has surpassed the number of hotel beds booked in Spain.

Airbnb and similar sites took a total of 2.7 million bookings in the past year, compared to the 2.4 million reservations taken out at hotels and traditional lodgings.

Airbnb currently lists 278,000 properties in Spain.

In Barcelona alone, 64% of available rooms are offered by online home rental services.

2007.

The market tumbled by a massive 38% since 2007 after a surplus of new builds, and half-built properties left the country’s property market in dire straights and contributed to the country’s economic downturn.

spiration’.

Since the PP’s 24-year Madrid rule has finished, the new powers are loath to promote such an icon of conservative politics.

The 2,000 metre square space, between Calle Goya and Paseo de la Castellana, not, as yet, been given a new name.

But the latest rumours suggest Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla could replace Thatcher as the namesake for the square.

Property

www.theolivepress.es

MORTGAGE THINK TANK

by Tancrede de Pola

the Olive 39 Press June 11th - June 24th 2015 thethe Olive Press July 10th - July 24th9th 2015 Olive Press June 25th - July 2015

Getting to grips with the different types of mortgage can be imperative to finding the right product for you, writes the finance bureau’s mortgage expert Tancrede de Pola

Finding a mortgage that fits

C

HOOSING a mortgage is a lot like buying shoes. There are a lot on offer but only the right one fits.

Different mortgage types cater for different factors, be it nationality, age, employment type and level of income, whether large or small, and your available deposit.

In Spain, there are five main mortgage types.

All of which, apart from interest-only mortgages, which no longer exist, can be obtained through the finance bureau.

1) Non-resident mortgage The non-resident mortgage is for people who are resident in any other country other than Spain – i.e. for people not in possession of a Spanish residency card and not paying taxes in Spain for at least two years.

It is designed for those buying a second house or holiday home.

The maximum LTV (loan-to-value) is 70% of the client’s income with a maximum repayment

plan of 30 years (the term plus your age must not exceed 75 years old). Clients from non-eu countries may only qualify for a lower LTV. The finance bureau has negotiated rates from 1.75% plus Euribor upwards, depending on the loan-to-value and the number of products that are contracted with the bank.

2) Spanish resident mortgage Designed for Spanish residents who are looking to buy a first, second or holiday home, a Spanish resident mortgage offers the highest LTV rate (80-100%).

The maximum payback term is 40 years and again is only available to those under 75.

Interest rates start at 1% plus Euribor.

3) Interest only mortgage in Spain These used to be a popular form of loan for property developers but they no longer exist and are not on offer in Spain.

Hotel high Buyers from near and far are flocking to Spain for a piece of the hotel market

been splashing the cash and the total investment is set to reach record levels.

The current record-holding year was 2006 when €1.6 billion was invested in Spain’s hotels.

Although official figures for 2015 are not yet available, a CBRE spokesman said ‘the industry is on PRICEY: Hotel Villa Magna course for its best ever year’.

A boost in the counTHE most expensive hotel deal in Madrid’s history has try’s econobeen wrapped up. my as well Colombian businessman Jaime Gilinski has acquired as reinthe Hotel Villa Magna for a whopping €190 million. vigorated The sale of the five star joint is now the most lucrative interest in the capital, surpassing the €130 million paid for the in Spain’s Ritz hotel by Saudi group Olayan Mandarin earlier this t o u r i s t year. hotspots Gilinski is the main shareholder of Sabadell bank and has been atthe second richest man in Colombia. tributed to Hotel Villa Magna has 150 rooms, including suites the boom. measuring 290m2.

Transfer record

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4) No age limit mortgage in Spain These are only available from Scandinavian banks for clients coming from Norway, Sweden and Denmark and are available for the over 75s.

5) Equity release Available to both Spanish residents and nonresidents, equity release is for clients who own mortgage-free property or one with a small mortgage.

This mortgage allows you to borrow against the property for refurbishment purposes or to finance another purchase.

The property must be owned by the person requesting finance against it and it is again only available to the under-75s. In the event that the property-owner is reaching the top end of the age-limit, it may be possible to bring in a younger guarantor.

The maximum LTV is 70% with 30-year term and a 2.5% interest rate.

To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call 666 709 743 or email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com

INVESTMENT in Spain’s hotel sector is going through the roof.

The nation’s hotels are attracting ‘unprecedented’ levels of interest from buyers at home and overseas, according to financial advisor CBRE. Middle Eastern, Asian and US backers have already

39

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40 40 the Olive Press June 11th - June

NEWS IN BRIEF Losing contact SPAIN has the most contactless credit card reader machines in the whole of Europe, while the UK issues the highest number of contactless cards.

Hacks attack GOVERNMENT surveillance provider Hacking Team has been hacked and 400 gigabytes of private data has been virtually stolen.

Tech threat THE prospect of online banks run by tech giants Google, Facebook and Apple are the ‘biggest threat’ to the Spanish banking sector, according to central government reports.

Sale away ONLINE retailer Amazon is celebrating its 20th anniversary by offering its Prime users massive reductions on purchases.

www.theolivepress.es

24th 2015

the Olive Press July 10th -July 24th 2015

Not so difficult

Family fortunes from Spain

Douglas Chadwick of Saltydog investor explains why they invest in funds... not shares

W

E at Saltydog Investor we are passionate believers in active momentum trading. In simple terms, this consists of buying what’s hot, and ditching what’s not. Momentum investing can work with individual shares, commodities, exchange traded funds, and no doubt many other types of investment.

The Saltydog system is unique in that it invests in actively managed funds – Unit Trusts and Open Ended Investment Companies (OEICs). So why funds and not shares? There are many good reasons.

A fund collects the money of many individuals and invests it into many businesses within its sector of operation, thereby giving the advantage of scale to the individual. In other words, your money is being spread over a number of investments and all your eggs are not in one basket. It is run by a professional fund manager, usually with a team of researchers, who has the time to carefully select and closely monitor the assets.

They are also highly regulated, ensuring that your investments are protected from any financial misfortune which may happen to the organisation running the fund.

Contrary to popular belief, they are also

relatively cheap and easy to trade. Fund supermarkets now offer a wide selection of funds and you can often switch between them without any transaction fees, initial investment charges, or bid / offer spreads. To make changes you only need a computer, an internet connection and a few spare minutes.

Funds are also clearly defined by their IA (Investment Association) sectors. The IA has specified over 30 different sectors and most funds in the UK fall into one of them. Sector definitions are mainly based on assets, such as equities and fixed income, and some also have a geographic focus. To qualify, a fund must stick to some fairly rigid rules. As the funds have to work within such tight constraints it’s hardly surprising that when a sector is doing well most funds in that sector will benefit. It is equally true that when a sector is suffering, even the best

fund manager will struggle.

The task is to have your money invested into funds which are performing above the average, in sectors of the equity market that are on the rise. Say this quickly and it sounds easy. Well, with the correct guidance, and access to up-to date accurate fund performance numbers, it’s not so difficult.

The performance of the sectors can vary significantly, both relative to each other and over different time periods.

The table (above) shows some of the best and worst so far this year, along with how they performed last year.

For a better understanding of our practical approach to momentum investing in funds, visit: www.saltydoginvestor.com

MIGRANT workers in Spain sent €8.9 billion back to their home countries in the past year.

Payments to Morocco topped the bill at €1.5 billion, while those to China came in second at €950 million.

Spain’s migrant workers are among the top countries in Europe for sending money back to their families, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Only Russian, British, German and French migrant workers sent home more money than those in Spain.

South America took in the greatest amount, compared to any other continent (€3.1 billion), while African countries received a total of €2.6 billion.

The average migrant worker sent home €2,500 in 2014.

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41

Highway to help TRAVELLING across the Australian outback is about to get a whole lot easier… thanks to two Spanish construction firms.

Ferrovial and Acciona have won a €1.1 million contract to connect the town of Toowoomba to the main highway.

Work will begin in 2018 on a 41 kilometre highway and the Spanish companies will be in charge of maintenance for 25 years.

Summer flights fiasco HOLIDAYMAKERS are facing midsummer mayhem as Spain’s air traffic controllers step up industrial action this month.

The strikes are scheduled to take place on July 11, 12, 25 and 26.

Air traffic controllers will down tools between 10am

Air traffic controllers are to strike again over the busiest July weekends in Spain and 1pm on the 11th and 25th, and from 5-8pm on the 12th and 26th.

For richer for poorer SPAIN’S richest and poorest towns have been unveiled.

With just 12% unemployment and an average income of €54,000 it comes as no surprise that those with most cash in their wallets live in Madrid’s Pozuelo de Alarcon.

Two other suburbs of Madrid, Las Rozas (€50,000) and Majadahonda (€44,000) make up the top three wealthiest places in Spain.

On the other end of the scale, workers in the Alicante holiday resort of Torrevieja are Spain’s poorest workers with an average income of €7,985.

Meanwhile the highest unemployment in Spain is seen in Sanlucar de Barrameda, in Cadiz, where 49% of people are out of work.

Snapping up shares from overseas FOREIGN investors are snapping up shares in Spanish companies.

A surge of foreign interest means shareholders from overseas now control a massive 43% of shares listed in Spain.

That is the highest level of foreign investment ever seen in Spain and represents a 7% increase since the crisis begun in 2007 and is double the amount invested from abroad 20 years ago.

In 2014, 64% of share deals were generated outside Spain and overseas sales accounted for 264,000 million shares.

It is the second wave of industrial action in as many months and the strikes threaten to disrupt holidaymakers plans during the busiest travel days of the month.

The USCA (air traffic union) confirmed the strike on Twitter, blaming Enaire which runs most of Spain’s airports - for failing to meet their demands.

A total of 61 members of staff were fined one month’s salary after missing work at Barcelona’s Control Centre last month.

USCA is demanding that this money is repaid to those who were punished.

Magnificent six THEY are the best bosses to work for in all Spain.

Six of the country’s corporate leaders have been ‘named and famed’ in a new opinion poll.

The annual MERCO survey rates company bosses according to what their customers, employees and industry experts say about them.

Chairman of supermarket chain Mercadona, Juan Roig, has been crowned top dog for ‘corporate reputation’.

He is followed by Europe’s richest man and founder of retail giant Inditex, Amancio Ortega, with Inditex’s current chairman, Pablo Isla, coming in third.

Also making it into the top six are Telefonica Chairman Cesar Aliera, Banco Santander boss Ana Botin and CEO of Caixabank Isidro Faine.

CREAM OF THE CROP: Juan Roig

the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

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Wandalust CHINESE property giant Wanda is eyeing up an investment in Madrid worth billions of euros.

The real estate and entertainment group has expressed its intention to carry out a third project in the Spanish capital, which could be ‘10 times bigger’ than the €265 million it paid last year for a historic skyscraper in Plaza de Espana.

The group also wants to build a shopping centre and a water park in Madrid’s Latina district.

But Wanda’s owner, Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, is expected to face fierce opposition from Madrid’s new anti-austerity mayor Manuela Carmena.

The 71-year old former judge, who took over as new mayor in May, has vowed to pin big building projects back which were approved

Property giant Wanda faces strict restrictions from new Madrid mayor over multi-billion euro investment

BIG FISH CALLED WANDA: Madrid skyscrapper and (below) Wang Jianlin

by the former conservative council.

Rich get richer THE number of rich people in Spain has increased by 40% since the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis.

According to the annual World Rich Report published by RBC Wealth Management, 50,900 people have earned a higher patrimonial status since 2008.

The report revealed that Spain’s upper class grew by 10% in 2014, amounting to 178,000 people.

Short of income?

Carmona met with top Wanda executive Michael Qiao after the Chinese group contacted her to express its ‘concern for its investment’ under the new mayor.

Wanda and the council have now set up a commission to discuss the development and will consult citizens and environmental groups.

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The latest EU Directive 2006/126/CE states that holders of EU driving licences that have expired or are about to expire need to renew their licence.

Holders of EU driving licences that are valid indefinitely or for more than 15 years for Group 1 (AM, A1, A2, A, B & BE) or valid for five years or more for Group 2 (BTP, C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D, DE) need to renew their licence, providing they have been legally resident in Spain for two years since 19 January 2013.

Therefore, EU licence holders that are valid indefinitely or for more than 15 years, who are legally resident in Spain before or up to 19 January 2013, should renew their driving licence from 19 January 2015.

EU licence holders that are valid indefinitely or for more than 15 years, who are legally resident in Spain since 6 June 2014, should renew their driving licence from 6th June 2016.

How to renew This can be done in the local office of the Spanish Traffic Department, by calling 060 and making an appointment, or online at www.dgt.es You will need: · Official application form (available from local Spanish Traffic Dept. or download from www. dgt.es) · Proof of identity and residency · EU driving licence. Original and a photocopy · Results from psychometric aptitude tests from recognised and authorised centre · A recent photograph 32mm x 26mm

In the interests of road safety These procedures have been implemented to comply with driving licence regulations (Directive 2006/126/CE) in an effort to help increase road safety in general. Countries of the European Union have a single driving licence for all 28 members, in a drive to harmonise the more than 110 different types of driving licences currently in circulation.

To contact Línea Directa call 902 123 282 or visit www.lineadirecta.com

www.theolivepress.es 43

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the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015 the Olive Press the Julyolive 10thpress -July- 24th 2015 March 19th - April 1st 2015

AGONY ANT

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EU vetoes ‘Google tax’

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

HEN one thinks about litigation in Spain and the time it takes to get a case through the courts, we automatically think in terms of years, not months.

And yet we could all be very wrong if we are to believe the findings of the 2014 report issued by the supervisor for the judiciary, the General Council of Judicial Power (CGPJ).

According to the report published this year, court cases are taking months rather than years to be resolved.

This and other interesting ‘judicial’ data available online (www.poderjucial.es) can be summed up in the length of my column:

1. Courts issued rulings in the following average time: - Civil cases: 7.6 months - Civil appeal cases: 7.5 months - Divorce mutually consented: 1.9 months - Divorce not mutually consented: 9.5 months

2. Foreclosure proceed-

ings are a different story: on average, it took the courts

Law by numbers

Lawyer Antonio Flores casts a whimsical eye over the latest judicial figures to hit 8. Compensation granted the streets for courts responsibility for 28 months to finalise these cases.

3. Percentage of rulings that are appealed: - Courts of First Instance rulings: 11.7% - Appeal Court rulings: 4.8%

4. Ratio of court rulings up held vs. reversed on appeal: - Upheld: 63.6% - Reversed: 19.5% - Partially reversed: 16.0%

5. Number of court cases

in a year: In all of Spain, last year just over 8.6 million court cases were filed, around 8.8 million were final-

43 43

ised and just over 1.6 million rulings were passed. Andalucia was the most belligerent regional community in 2014, with 230 court cases per 1,000 inhabitants. The least is La Rioja, with 136 (wine must have had something to do with it!)

6. Number of cases per

court: On average, 1,669 cases per year.

7. Number of complaints: In 2014, approximately 16,000 complaints were lodged in relation to the dispensation of justice. Of these, 200 complaints were received in the Law Societies.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es

defective operation: in 2014, approximately €6 million were awarded in compensation for defective or dysfunctional dispensation of justice.

9. Money lodged within

Courts’ bank accounts: during 2014, Santander bank (officially appointed by the Spanish judiciary) had an average balance in its accounts of €3.4 billion.

THE European Union has voted against plans to introduce a Europe-wide ‘Google Tax’.

Proposals to reform copyright laws on online news stories have been quashed, following an European Committee vote.

Spain and Germany introduced their own version of the ‘Google Tax’ at the end of 2014.

As a result, Google’s News service was disabled in both countries, resulting in a drop in traffic to media outlets.

German MEP Julia Reda - who campaigned against the reform - said: “It is encouraging that the Committee has sought to avoid one of the errors that Spain and Germany committed in their respective copyright laws.”

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Clarkson clash

the Olive Press July 10th -July 24th

Ex-Top Gear host on collision course with Spain over racially provocative review DISGRACED former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is facing a backlash from the Spanish Embassy over his damning review of a Spanish car.

Packing no punches, the unrepentant Jezza’s review in The Times reads more like a tirade against the Spanish, with its references to stereotypes and racial slurs.

Labelling the new SEAT Leon as a ‘lukewarm paella’, Clarkson said he had never driven a SEAT because he ‘never saw the point’.

“SEAT was created at the time Spain was emerging from its Third World status and the government didn’t want its people squandering their beads and their chickens, or whatever currency they used at the time, on high-value imports such as

MOTOR MOUTH: Clarkson

cars,” he added.

“Who would choose to have his car made by Spaniards, who are good at fishing off

Cornwall, when he could have the exact same thing made by Germans, who, let’s be frank, are good at making cars?”

In response, economic minister at London’s Spanish embassy, Inmaculada Lopez, slammed the report as ‘inaccurate’.

“More than two million people all over the world buy Spanish-made cars every year and they seem perfectly happy with the product and strangely impervious to Mr Clarkson’s thoughtful, balanced and always entertaining views.”

COMING SOON: Hover boards

Back to the future IS it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s a Hoverboard, as flown by Marty McFly in the cult sci fi movies Back to the Future II and III. And this radical new form of personal transport, modelled on a skateboard, could soon become a reality.

Toyota’s luxury car brand Lexus has created a working prototype for its latest advertising campaign and will be testing the board in Barcelona this summer.

Toyota is also at the design stage of creating the world’s first ever floating car.

Speedy solution

Fair cop!

IT shouldn’t be funny... but it is.

Needless to say, watching this police car be towed away in Tarifa brought a smile to the face of more than one Olive Press member of staff.

Clearly nobody in Spain is above the traffic laws, not even those who enforce them...

MOTORISTS in Spain are being given a better chance to avoid speeding fines.

The locations of more than 800 mobile speed camera units are to be unveiled across the country, this month.

The decision comes following a successful trial in Asturias and Castilla y Leon which saw average car speeds decrease following the announcement of speed gun locations.

Central government raked in €130 million in radar gun fines through 2014 and Andalucian drivers contributed 20% to the pot.

GOLF In the swing of it

July 10th -July 24th 2015

Pablo power UNSUNG Spanish golfer Pablo Larrazabal claimed a rare victory at the International Open in Munich.

Often overshadowed by compatriots Sergio Garcia and Miguel Jimenez, it was Larrazabal’s turn for the limelight when he finished one shot ahead of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.

Larrazabal, 32, now has four European Tour wins to his name. His latest victory was his second at Munich’s Eichenried course, where he pipped fellow countryman Garcia to victory in 2011.

EXCLUSIVE: For now, the Club de Campo golf course in Madrid may soon be transformed into a farm

Fairway feud THE new radical, left-wing mayor of Madrid wants to turn the capital’s most exclusive golf course into an urban farm.

Manuel Carmena of Podemos-backed Ahora Madrid has made the Club de

Madrid’s top golf course bunkered by sweeping political change Campo, on the bank of the Manzanares river, a symbolic target of the country’s sweeping political reforms.

She believes that because the golf course stands on land belonging to the city, it should be for every-

Ashes team hits Almeria IT wasn’t cricket that brought England’s top batsmen and bowlers to Almeria, but golf.

The dream team swapped their customary cricket bats for golf clubs to get in the swing for the world’s most prestigious cricket tournament.

The entire squad was taken on a team-bonding trip to the Costa del Sol’s most easterly province to limber up for their Ashes battle with Australia.

Staying at the luxury Desert

Springs resort near Vera, they hit the fairways under the eagle eye of new head coach Trevor Bayliss.

It’s not the first time the England team has been whisked away ahead of an Ashes campaign. In the build-up to their 2011/12 triumph, Andrew Strauss’ men enjoyed a week at an SAS boot camp in Germany.

TEEING OFF: Skipper Alaistar Cook

one’s use instead of merely ‘serving the interests of a few’.

It is currently a membersonly club with a waiting list of thousands and a one-off joining fee of €3,000, while non-members are not even permitted to walk through the gates free-of-charge.

Golf Breakfast & Buggy Hire!

Popular

The Royal Equestrian Society is a major shareholder in the club while King Felipe’s eldest sister, Elena de Borbon, stables some of her horses at the adjoining equestrian centre.

The proposal to turn the golf course into a public farmschool originated from a popular idea posted in Ahora Madrid’s online citizens’ forum.

Carmena’s manifesto aims to ‘create centres of environmental education and urban gardens’.

Gaston Golf - Olive Press:Layout 1 08/06/2015 11:21 Page 1

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Columnists

July 10th -July 24th 2015

A hot night at Calentita...

Belinda Beckett aka Mistress of Sizzle guzzles Greek grub in a bus shelter at Gibraltar’s gastro fest

‘C

FESTIVE FUN: For foodies in Gibraltar

ALENTITA’. It sounds like a cat call appreciative construction workers might shout out to hot young chicas.

In fact, Calentita Night is named after something that looks like my failed Yorkshire Pudding.

It’s a pancake made with chickpea flour, water and olive oil, and an acquired taste, if I’m honest! But, as the local cuisine was inspired by 14 sieges and 16 years of border closure, cooks had to be dab hands with basics and can openers.

Unlike its national dish, the Rock’s annual, al fresco, globally-flavoured food festival certainly rose to the occasion.

Now in its ninth year and touting 47 food stalls with entertainment thrown in, Calentita Night has grown more rapidly than Greece’s national deficit – and Greek was

Road rage

Mad summer motorists get me really hot under the collar

O

K, I’ll admit it. I have been known to suffer from the odd bout of road rage. This usually occurs at this time of year when the roads around Marbella are clogged full of tourists in their rent-a-cars trying to find the nearest sports bar and Madrileños in their Mercedes, who pay no heed to road signs and parking spaces, considering themselves to be far too civilised to worry about what we uncouth Andalucians think.

Regular readers of this column will know my thoughts on other motoring matters in Spain. Especially my disdain for souped-up Seat Leons, quad bikes and the fact that no one in this country has the faintest idea how to correctly navigate a roundabout, though why Spain needs so many of the bloody things...

I think there must be an EU directive that each country with an EU-funded road network is obliged to construct a roundabout every kilometre or so … normally embellished with some ill-judged piece of modern art. There are monster ants just outside Estepona and one roundabout at the entrance to Benalmadena greets the new arrival with a pile of giant steel balls. I will pass no further comment.

I’m also used to the generally rubbish standard of parking during summer. Any popular bar on the coast will normally

NAME AND SHAME: Shocking parking have cars double or triple parked outside it, and it can take prolonged beeping plus a few choice Andaluz words to get your car out if you do find yourself blocked in.

The current trend for large 4x4s and American muscle cars also makes parking somewhat of a problem as they tend to take up at least two spaces on their own. Worse than thinking you’ve spotted a gap between two cars, only to find a skip parked there...

But all this pales into insignificance when compared to the parking I witnessed last month. I was doing the weekly shop in my local supermarket and had parked downstairs to keep out of the heat. I try to time my shopping to coincide with siesta so that I don’t have to fight my way to the checkout.

The supermarket was quiet and there were only four other cars parked downstairs. And then I saw it. A convertible BMW parked close to the entrance… across two disabled parking spaces.

Strangely enough, I fought the compulsion to key the idiot’s blue paintwork and instead posted the photo below on social media, which brought a similar response to my own outrage. So if anyone out there does know whose car this is, I’d be delighted to name and shame them!

one of the cuisines you could try.

‘Stuffed vine leaves’, I salivated as we scanned a posh Sunday Times Colour Supplement-sized programme to pick out our favourite stalls and see what time dancing dervish Jonathan Lutwyche of Britain’s Got Talent fame would be performing on stage.

We arrived early and a good thing too, as according to official records 5,998 other people turned up on the night – swelling Gibraltar’s 30,000-something population by nearly one fifth at a stroke!

The first surprise was Market Place bus terminus, transformed beyond all recognition by a crescent of glossy pvc Camelot-style jousting tents selling everything from Cuban mojitos to American hot dogs.

A giant Argentinean barbecue weighed down with 180 kilos of sizzling meat cuts, and three long baronial tables placed alongside, seemed an open invitation to get stuck in and toss the bones over your shoulder as they did in the Middle Ages.

But there were litter bins and signs about using them everywhere. You could even enter a lottery to win an ipad Air if you saved waste by bringing your own plates and cutlery!

Ultimately, the tinted glass windows of my local bus shelter proved a Godsend for indulging in some incognito Medieval guzzling away from the public eye. With the Moorish Castle lit up above, I felt like the Lady of Shalott - and you could get those too at this homage to the home cooking of the amazing multicultural society resident on the Rock, or close by.

The Nepalese with their curries and dals, the Hong Kongese with their dim sum, the Germans with their magnificent bratwurst, all cooking up a storm to raise funds for their favourite charities; the quintet of beaming Filipinos serving up sizzling spring rolls smothered in chilli sauce. “We’re from the Filipino Association of Sotogrande and we like to keep our traditions alive,” they told me.

“Watch out, very hot.”

Which sums up Calentita Night, now added to a lengthening list of festivals that are turning the Rock into one very hot ticket, topped by the Music Festival in September – Glastonbury in the Med, without the mud.

See you there!

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FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Fridge-for-all A BASQUE town is aiming to fight food waste with a leftovers fridge that anyone can take from.

Galdakao, near Bilbao, installed the large ‘solidarity fridge’ on a pavement in the town last month for anyone to leave leftover or unused food in. The items can then be picked up by anybody who wants them.

Unopened milk cartons, sandwiches and lentils are some of the foods that appear in the fridge on a typical day.

Organiser Alvaro Saiz claimed the fridge has already saved be-

‘Solidarity fridge’ fighting food waste in Basque town tween 200 and 300kg of food from the rubbish bin.

He started the project with a team of volunteers after becoming appalled with the amount of edible food thrown out.

“We started to think that if even just one of their rubbish bins was replaced with a fridge, people could take advantage of these items,” he said.

“This isn’t charity. It’s about making use of food that would otherwise end up in the bin.

“It doesn’t matter who takes

it – Julio Iglesias could stop by and take the food – at the end of the day it’s about recovering the value of food and fighting against waste.”

The rules prevent any raw fish, meat or eggs being left in the fridge, while packaged goods cannot be past their sell-by date.

Local restaurants have also begun taking advantage of the fridge, where they would have previously discarded food at the end of the day.

Spilt wine

SCRUMPTIOUS: Olive Press reporters with owner Paul Hickling

Back to the Oasis

WHAT happens when you cross a leafy Manilva hillside with a sumptuous buffet fit for royalty and a phenomenal violinist? Why, the eclectic Roman Oasis restaurant reopening party of course.

Owner Paul Hickling’s eccentric eatery is back for another summer season and the Olive Press was lucky enough to attend its dramatic opener.

The atmosphere was buzzing, with Quike Navarro’s (below) explosive catalogue of pop remixes on his violin raising the roof, alongside guitarist Steve Nelson.

Now in its 33rd year, the Roman Oasis has grown from a barren tract of land into one of the coast’s most loved restaurants, and it is also a favourite of TV chef Keith Floyd.

And the entire turbulent history has been put down in words by Hickling in his book, My Roman Oasis, available on Kindle and at local bookshops.

ONE of Spain’s more peculiar festivals has seen thousands of revellers doused in wine.

The winemaking town of Haro in La Rioja was overrun with tourists as it hosted its annual La Batalla de Vino or ‘wine fight’.

More than 1,000 litres of wine were poured over festival goers on the celebrated St Peter’s feast day.

The festival was originally designed as a feast, but over the years the food has been replaced with bottles of plonk.

www.theolivepress.es 51

Grape expectations Fiesta del albariño, Galicia – July 29 - August 2 THE Galician town of Cambados welcomes some 150,000 visitors to its Albariño Festival – a five-day bender that’s the second-oldest wine fiesta in Spain. Thousands of bottles of Albariño – Galicia’s sweet white wine – are uncorked in casetas against a backdrop of orchestral concerts, street entertainment, music and traditional folklore. With wine and tasting workshops also on offer for those who want to learn more about growing and production, food festival fans will find it hard not to raise a glass to this one.

FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Eat, drink and be merry

the Olive Press June 11th - June 24th 2015

From squashed tomato fights to a super-sized sausage contest, Fiona Tomas explores some of the intriguing food festivals being served up this summer

Really seeing red

La Tomatina – Bunol, August 26 IT’S red or dead at Spain’s world-famous tomato fight which must surely be the messiest event on Spain’s food festival calendar. The sleepy Valencian town of Buñol invites 20,000 participants to paint the town square – and themselves – red by chucking over-ripe tomatoes at each other. Around 150,000 of the blood-red pulp-balls are used for the fight, all of which must be pre-squashed before being thrown to avoid injury. A fiesta which satisfies the appetite for fun rather than offering pleasure for the palate.

Pigging out Día de la longaniza – Huesca, July 26 IT’S no porky pie, the town of Graus holds the Guinness World Record for the longest grilled pork sausage, with its 1997 effort, measuring one kilometre long. Things will get smokey later this month when the townsfolk attempt to make an even longer longaniza, as it’s called, which will be grilled on a 25-metre squared barbeque, so big it has to be airlifted into the street by a crane.

Once cooked, the super-sized sausage is cut up into portions and enjoyed by everyone. The festival has been creating a sizzle since 1992, and with artisan chefs serving up umpteen other sausage varieties too, it promises to be a banger of a start to the season.

51

Fish fest

Cheesy celebration

Paniqueso – La Rioja, August 6 THE festival of cheese and bread (Paniqueso) in the village of Quel dates back to 1479 and is one of the most authentic food fiestas in Spain. It originated in medieval times when an outbreak of plague threatening to wipe out the town was miraculously halted. After a mass in homage to the saints, the local friars threw 2,000 bread rolls, 50 kilograms of cheese and wine from a chapel balcony to hundreds of churchgoers. The tradition is Local issue 46:The Issue 5/13/14 10:54 PM Page 104 repeated eachLocal year by the5same brotherhood, to the delight of hungry locals and tourists.

Feria de la Urta – Cadiz, August 4-7 RELATIVELY unknown but growing in popularity, this festival celebrates a popular dish from the Cadiz province, urta, or sea bream. The rose-coloured fish has been served locally for over a century in the region and is religiously revered in the town of Rota over a three-day summer festival. One of the days is designated to the urta itself, where locals and professionals alike compete to win the tastiest and best-presented dish, judged by festival goers themselves. Music and fun-filled activities contribute to the festival’s carnival atmosphere.

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52

FOOD & DRINK www.theolivepress.es with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com FLOWER POWER

by Steven Saunders of the Little Geranium

Our resident Master Chef Steven Saunders, previously of BBC TV’s Ready Steady Cook and chef proprietor of The Little Geranium in La Cala, shares his Royal recipe

Fit for a Princess!

W

HEN I tell my stories I often feel that people don’t really believe them, due to the raised eyebrows.

However, I can assure you they are true! One story which always sticks in my head when clients order our crispy duck salad is one that reminds me of Princess Diana, who frequently visited my Pink Geranium restaurant near Cambridge in the UK. She loved the duck salad at lunchtimes and often mentioned us as one of her favourite restaurants. As you can probably imagine, the publicity didn’t do us any harm!

In one interview she raved about the crispy duck salad, calling it a ‘sensation’. So here it is, the sensational Crispy Duck Salad straight from the menu of our Little Geranium. It’s a great starter for a dinner party with a glass or two of good rose wine or a slightly chilled red, or you could make a huge salad and stick it in the centre of the table.

If that seems too much like hard work, to just come see us and order it off the menu, my better half Michele makes a mean Pomegranate Marguerite to accompany it!

Ingredients for 4

1 tin of confit duck. The tins are usually 750g and contain 4/5 legs. You will need approx. half a duck leg per person, the meat picked from the bone carefully so that there is no bone, no skin and no gristle.

4 heaped tablespoons of cornflour seasoned with salt and black pepper Oil for frying (sunflower) pre heated in a wok or fat fryer to 190 c

For the sauce

5 tablespoons from 1 bottle of sweet chilli sauce 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of cooking white wine or light chicken stock 1 tablespoon of plum sauce (available in some supermarkets) 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (Thai Nam Pla) 1 stick of fresh lemon grass finely shredded 1 red onion finely chopped 2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thinly 2 teaspoons of sesame oil 1 piece of fresh ginger ( approx. 3cm) peeled and chopped

For the salad

Assorted premium salad leaves ( 2 bags approx 100g bags) 1 red onion peeled and finely sliced 1 small bunch of fresh coriander (picked, so that you have little sprigs) 1 small bunch of fresh mint some picked some chopped 2 mild japapeno chilies finely sliced The seeds of 1 fresh pomegranate

Method

Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and heating in a saucepan. Add a little cooking white wine or light chicken stock to loosen it slightly. Set aside and allow to cool.

It should be the thickness of double cream.

Now pull the salad ingredients together so that it is all mixed and ready to use.

Take the picked duck meat and toss it through the seasoned cornflour and dust off the flour using a sieve (with the meat in the sieve) so that it isn’t thickly coated.

Fry in the preheated oil in either a large wok or deep fryer until crispy and season immediately with good flakes of salt. Then drain onto tissue.

Put the crispy duck in a clean glass bowl, take approx half a tablespoon of the Steven Saunders FMCGB finished sauce per person and add it to the duck. Drop in the leaves, herbs, www.thelittlegeranium.com pomegranate etc and mix well together. steven@thelittlegeranium.com Serve with chopsticks and enjoy this delicious salad!

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Roll out the barrel

Fuengirola castle home to German beer festival for one month only

ALE aficionados are in their element in Fuengirola where the town’s emblematic Sohail Castle is hosting an Oktoberfest-style German beer festival until July 19.

The fortress courtyard has been transformed into a giant bierkeller where comely wenches are serving foaming steins of ale and typical Bavarian dishes during the eighth edition of the beer bash.

Lederhosen is also on show as thigh-slapping German bands take to the stage to entertain visitors with daily performances.

JUGS GALORE: At Fuengirola beer festival Various special events include a chance to sample the full range of German bratwurst priced at just €1 each

Cheers to that

SIPPING on a cana in Malaga is cheaper than anywhere else in Spain.

And better still, grabbing a beer in the Andalucian city is the fourth cheapest city in the world.

With the average price for a beer coming in at just €1.56, the people of Malaga get the best deal in the country.

Meanwhile Krakow in Poland is the cheapest city to acquire the golden liquid, according to GoEuro’s findings which compared 33cl beers in stores in 75 cities and hotel bars.

Top 10 cheapest beer cities 1 Krakow, Poland (€1.51) 2 Kiev, Ukraine (€1.52) 3 Bratislava, Slovakia (€1.54) 4 Malaga, Spain (€1.56) 5 Delhi, India (€1.59) 6 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (€1.62)

7 Mexico City, Mexico (€1.78) 8 Belgrade, Serbia (€1.79) 9 Asuncion, Paraguay (€1.80) 10 Bangkok, Thailand (€1.92)

A dog’s life,

on July 14.

And there will be special offers on thirst-quenching beers too. Prost!

Ale and arty BEER drinkers across Europe are opting for quality over quantity.

Instead of necking pint after pint, Europeans are choosing to savour ‘highquality’ craft beers.

In Europe, two in five beer drinkers opt for craft beer, with 33% of Spaniards swapping their San Miguels for something more upmarket.

However, consumption of beer in general has fallen by 4% across Europe and 6% in Spain, according to Mintel researchers.

by Eddie the hotel hound

Eddie the dog’s sage advice for making people love you

Wag your tail

OMETIMES I watch he who must be obeyed.

It is hysterically funny.

He runs round like there’s not enough hours in a day, huffing and puffing because the phone rings or because he has so many emails to answer. Why bother?

All you really need in life is a dog basket, some water and a bowl of food (collar and lead optional).

Actually, having seen him getting out of the shower in the morning, I’d probably put a pair of shorts and a shirt on his list as well.

S

“We’ve heard about you. We’ve been meaning to visit you for a long time...”

Does he really have to do so much busy hotel stuff though?

Life is very short and there’s an awful lot of walks and smells out there.

Come to think of it I’ve never seen him sniffing a single lamp-post or tree. He is a strange guy.

So why does he look after me so well? I think it’s to do with my waggy tail.

I’ve learnt to get out of my basket when he gets home – sometimes more quickly than others, depending on how fast asleep I have been - and wag my tail.

It works wonders. He smiles, often mumbles something about the first kind face he’s seen all day and scratches me behind the ears.

So here’s a little advice if your personal relationships aren’t quite what they should be.

To get in touch with Eddie, contact his owners Andy and Pauline at the Hotel Molino del Santo. Bda Estacion s/n, 29370 Benaojan, Malaga.

952 167 151 - 952 167 927. info@molinodelsanto.com

Very special offer for Olive Press readers Visit Molino del Santo before it’s too late

DON’T LEAVE IT TOO LATE!!!

This week a lovely couple from a village near Málaga (you know who you are!) arrived in the reception at Hotel Molino del Santo.

“We’ve been meaning to visit for such a long time,” they said.

Half an hour later they were back in reception. “We are so cross with ourselves for not visiting before. This feels like a very special place.”

Less than an hour later, the male half of the partnership returns to reception: “I want to book a longer stay in August for my wife’s birthday. We both love it here.”

Don’t put it off. Visit Molino del Santo soon.

The Ronda area’s most popular small hotel is open every day for accommodation and sustenance.

Discover what brings people flocking to the hills.

Just don’t leave it too late...

SPECIAL EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR OLIVE PRESS READERS: Still a few rooms available at half price in July from only 58.50 euros per couple. E-mail us to check availability.

Only one room per night available at 50% of normal B&B rate.

Only one night per guest. First come, first served. Not available with other offers.

Offer only available by e-mail. reat

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ke the to ma of the most AREA A ROND y Chapell d by And Compile

with the

help of

Free Guide to 101 THINGS TO DO IN THE RONDA AREA available by e-mailing info@molinodelsanto.com

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the dog Eddie

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More information of any kind e-mail

info@molinodelsanto.com

www.molinodelsanto.com | info@molinodelsanto.com | 952 16 71 51 ESTACIÓN DE BENAOJÁN, NEAR RONDA, MÁLAGA

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Covering Andalucia in 2015 with over 200,000 papers (130,000 digital) and around 500,000 visits to the website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

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Telephone: 951 273 575

July 10th - 24th July 2015

The eye-full tower

Reader’s digress

TOURISTS in Valencia got more than they bargained for when they stumbled across a live porn shoot beside the city’s famous Serranos Towers (left).

In the shoot a tattooed man was seen pulling a semi-naked woman in a dog collar around the building, with another man filming.

A WHOPPING 60% of Spaniards admit that they have never read the country’s most iconic novel, Don Quixote.

FINAL WORDS

Cats eyes SPAIN’S environment agency is warning the country’s motorists to lookout for stray cats climbing into the engines of cars as they seek out shade.

Grand slam TENNIS star Rafael Nadal has slammed the Spanish tennis federation after a corruption probe was launched against its president Jose Escanuela.

Ronnie’s rant CRISTIANO Ronaldo stormed out of an interview after Real Madrid’s press officer prevented him from answering a question and made him ‘look stupid’.

The filming culminated in a graphic sex scene outside the monument, reportedly filmed in front of children.

Police arrived after filming had finished and the crew had gone.

They are now analysing photos and videos taken by onlookers with a view to building a court case against the couple.

We’ll fight them on the beaches Billboards publicising dangerous criminals to tour Spain’s top resorts

MOST tourists are used to being bombarded with adverts for menu del dias, cheap sangria and day trips.

But now those in Spain’s most popular resorts face an altogether different kind of billboard advertising.

The faces of Britain’s most wanted fugitives have

Relax.. Jacks got it covered

FRANCE - ITALY - PORTUGAL

By Tom Powell been emblazoned on a 13foot digital screen being toured around Spain’s expat hotspots.

This latest initiative from crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is designed to make everyone aware of the 18 remaining individuals wanted

by Operation Captura.

The billboards are being driven up and down the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca and then parked outside shops, bars and nightclubs.

The fugitives - wanted in connection to crimes including murder, rape, drug trafficking and indecent assault of a child – are believed to be hiding out in Spain.

Crimestoppers hopes to flush out the likes of Derek Fergu-

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Real nice guy THE world’s most expensive footballer Gareth Bale (above) has boosted his ‘Mr Nice Guy’ reputation by holding a training session with kids in Madrid.

A group of lucky Brits were flown over to Spain’s capital to partake in a once-in-alifetime kickabout with the Welsh winger.

Laughing and joking with the children, Bale showed his sensitive side as he held pre and post match team talks at a Real Madrid training facility.

Bale has been strongly linked with a move away from the Bernabeu, but the former Spurs man recently said he wants to fight for his place in the Madrid team.

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son, who is Scotland’s most wanted (See Manhunt in Marbella, Page 2).

“This is something we have never done before, but we believe broadcasting these fugitives’ faces right in their back yards will encourage the public to speak up,” said Roger Critchell, of Crimestoppers.

Phil your boots

FORMER England and Manchester United footballer Phil Neville (above) is moving house for the first time in 20 years... and he’s set his sights on Spain.

Neville - who has taken a coaching job at Valencia split his professional career between Manchester United and Everton, meaning he never had to move home.

Determined to integrate into the Spanish way of life, Neville’s family have begun an intensive language course.

“I always wanted to play abroad but it didn’t happen,” Neville said.

“I want to experience a new culture, learn a new language, see how football works in Spain.”