Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 160

The ONLY paper covering exclusive stories on the coast

the My love of Spanish cooking, says Paul Page 63

No thumbs up for Max Page 2

Ronaldo in the dog house

Page 3

The original and only English-language investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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Vol. 7 Issue 160

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Don’t let the Don’t thein bankslet cash banks cash in www.hifx.co.uk www.hifx.co.uk see page 13 seepage page13 45 see

May 1 - May 15, 2013

Leave my home alone!

UK pensioner battling to keep London home over a Spanish property investment that went wrong A RETIRED British businesswoman faces losing her UK property over a defunct Spanish property investment.

Pensioner Joan Deak has been threatened with an embargo on her London home after a Costa del Solbased buyer came after her UK assets.

The 61-year-old - who has diagnosed with cancer which she claims has been

EXCLUSIVE By Giles Brown brought on from the stress of the 10 year case – has been forced to stump up thousands in legal fees to defend herself.

She is even being forced to fly to Spain to attend a crucial court hearing in Fuengirola next week or face the possibility of being found guilty in her absence.

STARS OF THE COOKERY WORLD Spain regains its Best Restaurant in the World title, STARS: Brothers at World Number One Cellar de Can Roca

UKIP launch on The Rock

see page 3

The case is the latest to involve disgraced property firm Palmera Properties, which still has hundreds of clients trying to bring action against it.

The vast majority put down deposits on developments promoted by the firm owned by Ferraridriving church-goer Jesus Gotardo, who lives in Fuengirola. Most of these homes were never built.

Deak’s nightmare began when she and a business partner invested in two unfinished apartments in Mirador de Torreblanca, near Fuengirola in 2004.

They put down a deposit of €69,000 on the two apartments, which were due to be finished later that year.

However, the following year, with progress moving increasingly slowly they decided to sell the option – at a loss - on one of the unfinished apart-

EXCLUSIVE

STRESSED: Joan Deak ments.

“Palmera Properties found us a buyer, acted as agent and negotiated the deal for one of the properties that I had paid €32.000 for,” she told the Olive Press.

“I agreed on a reduced price of €25,000 with the new Spanish buyer deciding to cut my losses on this particular apartment” However, little did she know that her nightmare was just beginning, when she began to receive letters from the disgruntled Spanish buyer now demanding his money back.

“But as far as I was conTurn to page 4

BRITAIN’S most controversial political party has launched in Gibraltar.

Among those attending the first official UKIP meeting – appropriately held in the Lord Nelson pub - was Douglas Hall, the former Deputy Chairman of Newcastle United.

Confirming his alliance with local pressure group Defenders of Gibraltar, the leader of the party’s youth wing Sean Howlett, told the Olive Press: “It is clear Gibraltar is facing problems with Sovereign infringement.

“The lack of backbone from Whitehall isn’t helping and we believe we can make a difference.”

Topics covered at the meeting included manifesto ideas and linking up to other pro-British groups in the area.

Turn to page 4

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the olive press - May 1 - May 15

CRIME NEWS

Home invasion Armed gang attack elderly expat in his own home EXCLUSIVE

By Mason Jones A BRITISH pensioner has been subjected to a horrifying armed robbery at his village home near Antequera.

The 77-year-old man, who has asked not to be identified, was rushed to hospital for a blood transfusion and brain scan after being tied up and beaten by a gang of four robbers.

The gang, who are believed

to be of Spanish nationality, are yet to be apprehended after taking over €2,000 worth of belongings.

“I had just sat down to watch the television at nine o’clock when I heard glass break in the kitchen,” the expat told the Olive Press.

The elderly man, who has asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, armed himself with a metal

Costa return for accused writer A COSTA DEL SOL travel writer charged with 18 sexual offences in the UK has returned to Spain.

Mike Souter, 59, from Norfolk, is charged with sexual offences against boys, as well as a charge each against a man and a woman.

Souter, who has homes in La Cala and El Faro, announced his return to Spain a month after denying all charges in court.

“Great to be back at my main Spanish house in La Cala.

Looking forward to catching up with chums old and new and having a trip to Valencia,” said the former Sur in English and BBC radio contributor on Twitter.

The journalist has been granted conditional bail until the next crown court hearing on May 20, with a trial date set for June 3.

pole to investigate the noise and saw four masked men at his door.

“I pleaded with them to go away but one grabbed the pole out of my hands and forced his way in.”

After the group entered the house the expat was then attacked and tied up with a telephone cable.

Repeatedly demanding money from the pensioner, the gang become more even violent before threatening him with several weapons.

“They told me they were going to kill me, they had my garden sheers at my throat.

I tried to tell them I’m a pensioner, I don’t have any money, I don’t have a safe or anything like that,” he

added.

The robbers then dragged the pensioner down a set of stairs to his garage where a knife was produced.

“I thought they were going to kill me,” he added.

The pensioner was then left tied up and bleeding from his injuries while the gang ‘ransacked’ his house for 15 minutes before fleeing with several valuables.

After the robbers fled, the expat was finally able to untie himself and call the emergency services.

The elderly Brit required several stitches to his forehead and hands after the ordeal. The Guardia Civil are currently looking to identify the gang.

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Marbella Max charged with sex offences COSTA del Sol regular Max Clifford has been charged with 11 counts of indecency against women and children between 1966 and 1985.

The alleged offences relate to seven different women and girls ranging in age from 14 to 19 years old.

Mr Clifford, who spends much of the year in his Marbella villa, was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, originally set up after claims were made against Jimmy Saville.

Clifford, 70, from Surrey, has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and vows to clear his name.

“The allegations are completely false and I have made this clear to the police during many, many hours of interviews,” said Clifford.

“Nevertheless a decision has been taken to charge me

with 11 offences, the most recent is 28 years ago and the oldest 47 years ago.”

He continued: “I have never indecently assaulted anyone in my life.”

He has been released on bail and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 28.

The PR Guru, who has represented hundreds of famous and infamous clients, has long had a home in Nueva Andalucia.

He once offered his services to improve Marbella’s image, but his fees, said to be thousands of euros a week, were rejected by the cash strapped town hall.

A source told the Olive Press that Max had looked relaxed as he sipped coffee in the sun on a short visit to the area last week.

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ON A ROLL! Spanish chefs yet again come out top as world’s best chefs in restaurant poll

WORLD’S BEST: Joan Roca

SPAIN is once again leading the world in the food stakes.

Family-run El Celler de Can Roca has toppled Denmark’s Noma from the top slot of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, having spent two years as runner-up.

And the restaurant, run by a trio of brothers in Valencia, has been joined by two other Spanish joints in the top 10.

Although slipping down a place, Mugaritz in San Sebastian came in fourth, while fellow Basque eatery Arzak stayed firmly rooted at eighth.

A total of five Spanish res-

By Annabel Grossman taurants made it into Restaurant Magazine’s Top 50, with the avant-garde Quique Dacosta, on the Costa Blanca, coming in at 26 and charming Asador Etxebarri taking 44th spot.

But it was Girona’s three Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca run by the three Roca brother that took the biscuit.

Known for their innovative yet traditional take on typical Catalan cuisine, with dishes including caramelised olives

On a wing and a prayer

Crisis talks for Ronaldo after claims that he cheated on his model girlfriend Irina

WINNERS: Team at Mugaritz and Juan Mari Arzak served on a bonsai tree and garlic and quince terrine.

Head chef Joan Roca said the secret of his success is hard work and the ‘luck’ of having two incredible brothers - head pastry Jordi chef and head sommelier Josep.

“We don’t know if we are the best restaurant but you can be sure that we will continue to work with authenticity, generosity, hospitality and of course creativity,” he added.

The United States and France also did well - both with six restaurants in the top 50 - but Britain only managed three.

These included two of Heston Blumenthal’s eateries – Dinner, which climbed up to seventh place, and The Fat Duck, which tumbled from number 13 down to a rather disappointing 33rd.

ElBulli at Home?

CRISTIANO Ronaldo may have more on his mind than the Champions League after claims have emerged that he cheated on girlfriend Irina Shayk.

Brazilian glamour model, Andressa Urach, 27, claimed the Real Madrid striker played away from his girlfriend of three years, bedding her after CLAIMS: Ronaldo and girlfriend Irina Shayk and Urach (far right) sending a string of racy texts.

Dubbed ‘Miss Bum Bum’, Urach told The Sun the pair spent the night in Madrid together just 48 hours before A COUNCILLOR who was forced to quit her his team lost 4-1 to Borussia job after a porn video of her emerged on YouDortmund in their ChampiTube has now stripped off for a magazine. ons League semi-final first leg Olvido Hormigos had resigned after the video last week. of her pleasuring herself went viral but has Hitting back, the footballer renow posed topless to ‘shut up her critics’. leased a statement which read The 42-year-old mother of two, who works as that she was ‘someone seeking a primary school teacher, graced the cover of the limelight on my account’.

Spanish magazine, Interviú, in nothing but a He continued: “I wonder why pair of see-through knickers and high heels. this happens one day before a Hormigos was forced to step down from her very important game for my seat as councillor in Los Yébenes, Toledo, team? when the graphic footage she had sent to her “I was in fact at the Hotel Villa footballer boyfriend was leaked on the interMagna on April 22 giving net. an interview to Manu Sainz, The clip quickly spread around the town of something the reporter him6,500 people before it was posted on YouTube self is able to corroborate, and spread on social networks across Spain in everything else is pure fiction September. and forgery.” Russian beauty Upon her resignation Ms Hormigos branded Shayk, also 27, has been datthe leak ‘an attack on her privacy,’ saying she ing Ronaldo since 2010 after handed in her notice out of respect for her the pair met at an Armani Exfamily and to her party, the PSOE. change campaign.

SHAMED COUNCILLOR GOES TOPLESS

DINNERS could be about to get a lot more interesting with the launch of a new app for your mobile phone.

‘Adría en casa’ provides 31 different three course menus for you to prepare at home.

All chosen by Spanish überchef Ferran Adria, the app will also allow you to share your culinary triumphs with family and friends as well as keep up to date with the latest news from his restaurant/academy elBulli.

The app will even advise you on other issues such as healthy eating and how to organise your kitchen.

The app, which costs €14,49 is available via www. adriaencas.com

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the olive press - May 1 - May 15

UKIP in Gib From Page 1

A source told the Olive Press that leader Nigel Farrage would be coming down to campaign later this summer, possibly joined by former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine

Leave my home alone From Page 1

cerned it was Palmera who he should have been going after... they were responsible for making sure the property was built.

“Ultimately we both lost money because Palmera did not comply with the original deal.”

However, her decision on taking legal advice to ignore the buyer has backfired.

Unknown to Joan, under Spanish Law, the buyer is able to come after her UKassets and force the sale of her UK residence, a fourbedroom property in Stanmore, in order to get his money back.

“It came as a massive shock when I was served papers on my doorstep in London.

“I certainly had not realied that my UK assets could ever be in danger” she continued. “I was resigned to biting the bullet and taking a loss, but I didn’t expect this. If I do not defend myself in court, Spanish law

will find me guilty and liable to repay this deposit back to the new buyer, as well as all the court costs. I have had to engage a Spanish solicitor and also a barrister at great expense. It is costing me at least €50,000.”

Joan’s case meanwhile could have huge implications for many other UK residents who sold on options to third party buyers.

“If this case goes through and the plaintiff wins, it could open the floodgates to everyone who sold on an option to build... even, as in this case, the property was never built,” she warns Ultimately her health has suffered as a result of the stress involved.

“This has all been a huge nightmare. It has stressed me and I’ve just had a second diagnosis for cancer.

I don’t expect to see any money back from this in my lifetime. This has blighted my life for the past 10 years”

NEWS

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Director predicts Mayday mayhem Police braced for trouble as film director Pedro Almodovar believes violent clashes more likely this year POLICE are braced for rioting around the country with thousands expected to take to the streets for antiausterity May Day protests today.

On the same day last year, thousands marched - largely peacefully - through Madrid and Barcelona to rally against increasing austerity measures.

But this year the mood has turned angrier as increasing numbers of young Spaniards, in particular, are out of work.

All police leave has been cancelled and there will be thousands of extra officers on the beat.

The likelihood of unrest has increased, claims Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar “I think the country as a whole is worried about social unrest breaking out. I

certainly am,” said the popular director.

“Every day that goes by, I get the impression that there is further provocation.

“I’d invite everyone to react, but in the most peaceful way possible,” he added The news comes after police arrested 15 demonstrators following protests that turned violent outside parliament last week.

Around 1,000 protestors gathered on the streets of the capital to call for the government to step down.

The violence erupted when demonstrators pulled down barriers and police charged with batons and fired blanks in the air.

Some 1,400 police had been deployed in anticipation of trouble and politicians cancelled the session for the day.

The demonstration follows the release of official figures

WAITING: Police in Madrid and (left) director Almodovar

showing the country’s unemployment rate has hit a record high.

The number of people without jobs has topped the six million mark for the first time, with the unemployment rate soaring to 27.2%.

This figure rises to 38% in Andalucia and over 40% in various provinces including Cadiz and Jaen.

Among young people from

16 to 24, the rate rises to over 57%. This figure climbs considerably higher in Andalucia.

The government has launched a raft of financial and labour reforms to reduce the swollen deficit, and has pursued a series of spending cuts and tax increases.

But in 2012, Spain still had the highest budget deficit among the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, with critics blaming the government for stifling economic growth.

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It’s an (old) Bug’s Life ENTIMOLOGISTS are waving their antenae after an ancient insect species was discovered in Coín.

Naturalists in the Sierra Alpujata claim to have found Nevrorthidae, a family of winged insects that could have been around since the dinosaurs.

The species, which are included in the Neuroptera group, have survived various ice ages and are described as being “living fossils”.

Green hope Donana gas plan halted for the time being at least

DANGER LIST: WWF wants Donana on list for its lynxes and birds

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Petrolheads’ Paradise IT was a real petrolheads’ paradise at the Costa del Sol’s first classic car and bike show in Estepona.

A variety of exotic motors including a James Bond Aston Martin DB5, as well as a display of American muscle cars were on show at the Costa Sur Clasicos.

“We’re delighted with the turnout” said organiser Lucinda Bernadette. “And are already planning the next one.”

THE Junta has temporarily suspended plans to drill for gas in one of Spain’s most important conservation zones.

In a victory for environmentalists the pipeline plan in the Donana National Park has been halted after the Junta ordered further studies to be undertaken.

The stop comes despite company Gas Natural being given permission by the Junta’s environment ministry to analyse the potential for gas extraction in the wetlands area which borders Cadiz, Huelva and Sevilla.

The project, which would also include the construction of an 18 kilometrelong gas pipe, was due to start this year, despite both

By Mason Jones the PSOE and the IU party strongly opposing it.

The European Union launched its own investigation into the scheme a week ago.

Meanwhile the World Wildlife Fund has asked that the wetlands area be put on the UNESCO endangered list for fear of development.

A spokesman Juan Jose Carmona said: “While we appreciate it is not in grave danger it could easily and quickly become so.”

The area is not only one of Europe’s key habitats for birds, it is also the main home for Spain’s endangered Iberian Lynx, which number only around 300 animals.

Back to blanco thanks to Tarifa expats A GROUP of local residents have got out their paintbrushes to paint their town white.

The Tarifa residents, many of them expats, are giving the town a Spring spruce up in a bid to help tourism.

“There has been a real lack of maintenance in the town, but now we’ve started the project it looks how a real Andalucian pueblo should,” said organiser Dutchman Henk Post, 47 who has lived in Tarifa since 1986.

The group has managed to get financial support from local businesses and hotels

including the Hurricane, Dos Mares and Turmares.

They have also succeeded in securing a law which will oblige those living in the old town to paint their houses white each year.

The new law was pushed by local politician Carlos Nunez who, like the group, believes the town hall

should focus more on its tourism sector.

“Tarifa is in transition from a military and fishing town to one geared around tourism and sport. This is a step in the right direction,” added Post (pictured above).

The group is now planning to replant gardens in the town after it finishes painting.

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OPINION Good old lumpy custard AS the UK considers scrapping school dinners completely, it’s refreshing to see that Andalucía has gone the other way by offering pupils three square meals a day.

Against a backdrop of soaring unemployment figures and violent protests, the news that the Junta is making positive moves to help Spain’s poorest is sure to be welcomed.

While cutbacks and austerity measures may be necessary, now more than ever should educational establishments be maximising their efforts to help families that are most in need.

It’s interesting to note that many of the children receiving the meals are from so-called ‘middle class’ families, suggesting that perceptions and the stigma around free school dinners could be shifting.

As Spain struggles to pull itself out of recession, it seems that more governments should be following Andalucía’s lead and make it a priority to get free, healthy food to the children who really need it.

Will UKIP Rock the Rock?

Gibraltar has been a melting pot of nationalities and faiths through the centuries. Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim faiths all co-exist while nationalities include British, Moroccan, Spanish, Indian and Pakistani.

When you consider the actual size of the Rock, it is a real testament to the nature of Gibraltar that they all get along and, although relations with Spain may not be at their best at the moment, they are at least small signs that things are improving. The introduction of a racist party like UKIP could, in theory, upset this balance. The fact that this is a party that has a strongly pro-British manifesto and that on a recent visit Sean Howlett met with the group ‘Defenders of Gibraltar’ should certainly set off alarm bells in Madrid should they pick up support. We will await UKIP’s summer launch with interest, but doubt their right wing rants will get them far.

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Contact our team of journalists in our Costa del Sol office on

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Tel: 951166060 (admin) or 951127006 (editorial) A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain 188,000 copies distributed monthly (120,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

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I

T’S teatime on a wet Wednesday in April when the Algeciras-to-Ronda train makes an unscheduled stop at San Pablo to collect 24 passengers from the rain-soaked platform.

This is unusual. There’s not too much call for San Pablo, a Toytown station in the middle of nowhere particular, so the train doesn’t always stop here.

But this is no ordinary escorted group tour, as I already know. I’m in the next carriage, keeping a low profile, a proviso of being privy to this topsecret visit.

I feel like a spy, my nose pressed to the rain-spattered window, watching them. Two British peers of the realm, their ‘Lady’ wives and an assortment of Honourables; three generations of the same family (practically an entire dynasty), climbing into a one-class-fits-all carriage.

I’m not sure what I’m expecting. Pomp and circumstance?

Twinsets and pearls? (What foolish stereotypical notions we journos sometimes entertain!) Maybe not leggings and pacamacs, though.

So what are they all doing here, in this far-flung but far from God-forsaken spot in rural Andalucía?

The short answer is, they’ve just eaten lunch. At the railway station. Not an establishment you would ordinarily find Lords and Ladies frequenting.

But L’Estacion is no ordinary railway buffet. This charming country station that could have been plucked from the pages of a Thomas the Tank Engine book does double duty as a gourmet restaurant.

(While I was munching on a muesli bar from the train’s vending machine, these distinguished guests were dining on veal topped with foie gras!)

The longer answer is, they’ve flown out to Spain for a whistle-stop tour of their heritage: the Victorian train line locally known as ‘Mr Henderson’s Railway’. It was financed by the patriarch of their tribe, Sir Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon of Oxfordshire, a mere ‘Mister’ when it opened over a century ago.

Mr Henderson financed many more famous and important railways in his time but none with so colourful a history: a line in Spain plied by British trains powered by steam through notorious ‘bandit country’. He also financed elegant Edwardian hotels at either end, the Reina Cristina in Algeciras and the Reina Victoria in Ronda. Their own history is spiced with stories of Hollywood stars, WW2 spies and a young Winston Churchill. (more on that coming soon!)

Celebrities and writers rode the line (the ubiquitous Hemingway too – he sure got around). TB sufferers and the families of Gibraltar garrison officers rode it for a fix of Ronda’s fresh mountain air.

Fine Edwardian ladies rode it (craning their necks for a glimpse of those reckless bandits, no doubt). Smug-

FEATURE

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As Michael Portillo gets set to make a TV program on one of Andalucia’s most historic railway lines, built by British engineers, the Olive Press joined the train standing on platform one

All aboard the Blighty Express

FEATURE

VISIT: Michael Portillo is set to make a programme on the Mr Henderson’s railway line this month glers rode it too, to sell their contraband goods through the carriage windows.

Today, two of Mr Henderson’s great grandsons and their clan are riding the line for the very first time. (Perhaps for the last time, too, but that’s another story.)

The train is modern but the views are little changed in over a century: a collage of cork oaks, dwarf olives, crumbling fincas, nesting storks, lonely goatherds and majestic mountain peaks flashes past the carriage windows, much as it did in Mr Henderson’s day (but now in fasterforward).

The train winds a circuitous trajectory across river and

A distinguishedlooking gentleman in natty red trousers approaches mountain, via 20 bridges and 16 tunnels, to an altitude of 730 metres – an astonishing feat of engineering.

Much like the present Lord Faringdon and family’s visit – a one-year feat of engineering.

It took eight months of mindboggling Spanish bureaucracy to engineer the train’s un-

timetabled stop at San Pablo (where it sometimes stops anyway) … plus a lot of nuts and bolts in assembling the three-day itinerary.

For this feat of ‘people engineering’ Manni Coe, indefatigable MD of Toma Tours, should take a bow. Manni lived up to Toma’s promise of showcasing ‘the Spain you never knew’ – in spades.

Keeping 24 members of the same family happy on a whistle-stop tour in a foreign country deserves a mention in the annals of guiding.

(Maybe he’ll get one. I wrote to TV train buff Michael Portillo and now he’s planning a Great Continental Railway Journeys programme about the line. Toma’s Revival Walking Tour this October, based around the railway, can only benefit.)

Manni has also engineered an exclusive interview for me.

While I wait, I pace the laminate floors of the hotel, recently reopened after zealous refurbishment. Most of the original objets d’art have been spirited away for safe keeping by the new owners, Fundación Unicaja Ronda.

But the wallpaper and mirrors in the Salon de Espejos are genuine.

A distinguished-looking gentleman in natty red trousers approaches.

“I’m Mark,” says Lord Marlesford of Suffolk, offering me a firm handshake. “Lord Faringdon will be along shortly.

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We’re second cousins, you know.”

Lord M regales me with tales from his Cambridge undergrad days. In the 1950s he worked in the kitchens and waited on tables at the Reina Cristina! (More on that coming soon!)

We are joined by another distinguished-looking gentleman with silver hair and a broad smile. The present and 3rd Lord Farringdon, in the flesh (and looking great for 75).

For the next hour we talk about everything – the weather, the IMF, jamón Ibérico, the “splendid” countryside views through the train windows – everything except what I’d really come for: the history of the train itself.

Old photographs, perhaps?

Memorabilia? Timetables?

Letters? Anything at all?

Lord F shakes his head.

“Nothing. You see, I come

Fat pigs snoozed beneath the cork oaks as we passed the immaculately white Spanish stations from a family of shredders.

When my great grandfather died, all he left in the middle drawer of his desk was his passport and title deeds.”

“Although maybe I do have something …” Lord F, seeing I’m crestfallen, goes off to his room to fetch it.

He returns with a photocopied excerpt from The Tangier Diaries 1962-1979, by American author John Hopkins. “Wonderful writing – sums up the whole thing, I think, including the weather,” he laughs.

And he proceeds to read it aloud, quite beautifully, with enunciated consonants and rounded vowels. English as it used to be spoken! (I’d link you to the tape recording but the ‘musak’ in the background quite spoiled it.)

This is what he read: “Today we took a train up here through the green hills of Andalucía. Spring has come howling into southern Spain and, after days of torrential rain and frightening winds, we were greeted by sun and a profusion of wild flowers.

Fat pigs snoozed contentedly beneath the cork oaks and we passed the diminutive, immaculately white Spanish RR stations one after another.

Now we are living and working in this austere but comfortable hotel (the Reina Victoria). A thick, icy wind moans out of nowhere as screeching eagles dive over the cliff.

Rilke stayed here during the winter of 1912-13. His sad effigy surveys the valley from the garden.”

“Let’s have one beside old Rilke,” says Lord F, when I ask if I can take a photograph. Thousands of Germanspeaking tourists flock to the Reina Victoria just to share the views that inspired this Austro-Hungarian poet.

the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013 It’s windy and spitting with rain again, so the scene is perfectly set.

Out into the garden we go and stand by Rilke’s statue, sharing his view of the mistswathed valley below us (minus screeching eagles).

It’s one of those fleeting moments in time you know you’ll remember forever.

As we say our goodbyes, Lord Marlseford glances at my business card and chuckles.

“Mistress of Sizzle eh … what’s that all about?”

Sometimes, I wish I knew!

“Well, everyone claims to be a writer these days so I have to make the distinction,” I explain. Lord M understands.

He was a journalist on The Economist. Although it was a bit easier to earn a living from writing then, than now.

I’ve spent unpaid weeks ‘selling the sizzle’ of this wonderful little train and Lord Faringdon’s visit. What a great story! But only Michael Portillo replied (well, his researcher, to be honest). My other emails are circulating in cyberspace, marked ‘deleted, not read’. Enough to make anyone’s sizzle fizzle…

But I’m not giving up! My brief encounter with two British peers on a rainy day in Ronda has rekindled my sizzle. I’ve made a spiritual connection with the railway that stops in my village (Los Barrios) and I’m going to ride this train to the end of the line.

Whatever it takes and wherever it takes me!

7

HERITAGE: The Henderson family and the train line CAPTION: xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

Picture credit: Karl Smallman / Robin Graham

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Can Brussels save our home?

British couple take the case of their demolition threatened property to the European Courts of Justice

A BRITISH family whose home is at risk of being demolished is taking the Junta to court.

The claimants, who wish to remain anonymous, are taking their case to

the European Courts of Justice claiming the Junta is not respecting their basic human right to property.

“This claim is (likely to be) the first of many

Gib Bank appeals €1.7m fine over money-laundering case A HUGE €1.7 million fine imposed on a Gibraltar bank still stands after it lost an appeal at the Spanish High Court.

The sanction was imposed on Jyske bank after it refused to release details of a property purchase in 2007 on the Costa del Sol. The European Courts of Justice backed Spain’s demand for the information as it believed the transaction is linked to money laundering.

The ruling comes despite the bank finally releasing some information on the purchase. However, it failed to divulge who was involved or provide transaction copies.

After the Spanish High Court issued the fine, Jyske appealed to the EU Court claiming the bank was only obliged to inform the Gibraltar authorities over the transaction.

However, the EU court ruled that as the

bank had regular activity in Spain it should also communicate directly with the Spanish authorities to fight against money laundering.

Jyske now plan to appeal the judgement.

“We are now studying the preliminary ruling together with our Spanish lawyers in order for us to prepare for the continuing case before the Spanish courts,” Managing Director Lars Aarup Jensen told the Olive Press.

“However, we would like to stress that this case is not about whether Jyske bank has been involved in money laundering.

“It is a question of whether Spain should obtain reports on potential money laundering from the Financial Intelligence Unit in the home jurisdiction of a bank or directly from the bank itself,” he added.

such claims against Spain for not respecting the fundamental right to private property,” said Maura Hillen, president of property owners association, AUAN. “This couple’s case is particularly acute. Their house has planning permission granted by the town hall but the regional government challenged it on the basis that the house risked creating an urban nucleus.”

The family is claiming that the Spanish system has failed them and that the Spanish state does not sufficiently respect their basic property rights established in the European Convention of Human Rights.

It follows the case of Len and Helen Prior who are still waiting for proper compensation after their house was wrongly demolished by the Junta five years ago.

The couple are still living in the garage of their former home, also in Almeria.

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NEWS

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News IN BRIEF

Croc shock THE lake in Mijas where the body of a Nile crocodile was found last week will stay manned by Seprona officers in case there are others.

Costly costa A stretch of the A-7 between Torremolinos and the A-45 juntion costs an average €390,000 per kilometre due to the number of serious accidents.

Terror mistake

Spain’s consul in Boston, USA, has been fired after closing the consulate following a terrorist attack in the city.

Ronda run 7,800 entrants will take part in Ronda’s 101 kilometre marathon from May 10 to May 12.

Lucky stop 16 members of a gang who held at least 21 people hostage across Europe have been arrested in Torremolinos in a routine traffic stop.

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NEWS

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Dolphin rescue

HEROIC: Actions of Millington and the team (left) may have saved dolphin

Dramatic effort sees team of expats save animal from certain death TWO big-hearted walkers have rescued a dolphin in peril after the animal washed up on their local beach.

Expat Annie Millington, 66, was enjoying an earlymorning stroll on Playa la Sal, in Casares, when she noticed the dolphin lying helpless on the sand.

Together with another local walker, also an expat, she tried to push the mammal out into the sea but strong

EXCLUSIVE

By Annabel Grossman waves kept knocking the dolphin back to shore.

Even with the help of a JCB digger and driver, the pair struggled to help the confused animal back into the sea.It is thought that the dolphin was suffering from a brain infection that upset its navigation system and caused it to head for the

MAMMOUTH WASP NEST FOUND IN ABANDONED PROPERTY

A GIANT wasp nest has been found in an abandoned house in Spain.

The 22ft nest was discovered by police who were contacted by worried neighbours in La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

Experts believe the nest was made by an invasive species from Africa as the native varieties are never as big.

The Canary Islands are just 100km from Morocco by water.

shore rather than the ocean.

Eventually the little group of rescuers managed to push the animal out into the water, although they were concerned the dolphin would simply wash back onto the beach. However, after half an hour it had not come back and when Annie returned to the beach the next morning the animal was gone.

“So it looks as though it’s been one lucky escape for this dopey dolphin,” said Millington.

Toy Dog Trouble

A WOMAN in Jaen has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for throwing her neighbour´s dog out a third storey window.

The neighbour was also fined €900 and ordered to pay the €500 vet bill for the Chihuahua that incredibly has made a full recovery.

The accused acted after the dog ran into her apartment in a block of flats.

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NEWS

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GREEN NEWS

A RECORD number of pink flamingoes could be flocking to Andalucia this month.

After the extremely wet winter birdwatchers hope that up to 18,000 pairs of the rare birds could be landing on the lakes around Fuente de Piedra, near Antequera, to breed.

Low rainfall in previous years has seen their numbers dwindle, but it is hoped that is now about to change with breeding conditions described as now being ‘ideal’.

Experts also report that due to the colder temperatures this spring, many birds are laying their eggs later in the season than normal.

Fuente de Piedra has the second largest colony of flamingos in Europe after the Camargue region in France and the only inland site on the continent where they breed.

Ecologists however are very concerned that a railway test track scheme that would come close to the breeding ground could seriously endanger the colony.

www.theolivepress.es

Flamingos good to go

Beauty of green energy

Revolutionary new sustainable energy plant will also double as a producer for the cosmetics industry

ANDALUCIA is about to become a world leader in green energy with the construction of a new facility that will use microalgae to reduce emissions.

But the Co2Algaefix project, in Arcos

de la Frontera, will not just be a boon for the environment... it will also produce raw materials for the cosmetics sector.

The amazing new style of reactor

Monumental mistake AN outraged environmental group is calling for the removal of a monolith built by a religious brotherhood in the pine forest in Chiclana.

The Environmental Toniza Association is furious after the ‘concrete monstrosity’ went up following the group being turned down for planning permission.

After the Olive Press published a series of pictures believed to be a series of ‘chemical trails’ off the Costa del Sol, our mailbox was inundated with readers comments.

Here are two for and against the claims.

The group insists that the massive house-style gravestone threatens the area’s exceptional biodiversity, including several endangered plant species.

The 2.7 metre high monolith was constructed by the Hemandad del Rocio brotherhood with the permission of Chiclana town hall.

being built by Iberdrola will be more efficient and productive than conventional open reactors.

It will be a milestone at world level for both its dimensional characteristics as well as being able to test the capacity of the process to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

And best of all it will produce high value products such as biogas, fertizilers, animal feed and even raw materials for the cosmetics sectors.

The project, which is the only one of its type in the world, is expected to reduce Spain’s annual emission of carbon dioxide by 200 tonnes, or the equivalent of what would be absorbed by 34,000 trees.

Chemtrails or Contrails? year round and in summer I have seen how they spray them parallel to the coast where they drift in over sunbathers on the beach.

These chemtrails are damaging our health and animal and plant life, and we need to stop this crime against humanity.

This started way back in the 50’s and 60’s when these chemicals were sprayed from the back of trucks in the UK. I hope over time people will wake up to the truth; this abuse has to stop and only we can do it.

Kind regards, Liz Casey

Dear OP At last people are beginning to notice that these cloud formations are not natural, nor are they normal contrails from planes.

Indeed, after hundreds of hours of study I have found that we are being sprayed with heavy metals including barium, strontium and aluminium.

I have watched these poisons being sprayed Dear OP, These clouds are what are-

called ‘chemtrails’. These are not to be confused with the standard ‘contrails’ (condensation trails) left behind by normal aircraft.

Chemtrails have been used in the States to alter the weather for many years.

The US government though has never fully disclosed any information in regards to chemtrails so their existence is purely speculative.

Thanks, Alex Salazar Dear OP I was extremely disappointed when I read your article on what you referred to as ‘mystery trails’.

The trails in the skies all over the world are aircraft

flying above approximately, 30,000 feet and the hot engine exhaust causes condensation in the cold somewhat rare air (-50 degrees C and the atmospheric pressure is 265 millibars).

These trails have been up there since man was able to get flying machines above 30000 feet, which was around the time of World War II. Geoff Jones Dear OP I think you’ll find they are exhaust trails from high flying jet planes, mostly long haul flights.

If you see them when you are doing a bit of sunbathing, you can see the trails coming from the planes as they fly past. There’s nothing sinister about them.

Norman Holmes

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GREEN NEWS

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NEWS

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Doctor ‘stole babies’

A mother has won an appeal to reopen a stolen baby case from three decades ago

Second tragedy for Malaga Three Kings family THE mother of a boy crushed under the wheels of a float during a Christmas Three Kings parade in Malaga has died.

The 48-year-old mother-of-two was found unconscious by her young daughter, 9, at the family’s home in the Pedregalejo area.

Initial reports suggested it was suicide after pills and alcohol were found at the scene, but it is now thought the woman died of natural causes.

She had previously suffered from heart disease, which may have worsened due to the extreme stress she was under following the death of her young son.

The six-year-old was run over as he collected sweets from the road during the traditional Three Kings parade on January 6.

The boy’s father, a doctor, attempted to revive his son at the scene but the child died from his injuries.

The family had been enjoying a day out at the parade and the boy’s mother and sister both witnessed the accident.

An autopsy to determine the cause of the mother’s death is to be carried out at Malaga’s Legal Medicine Institute, where coincidentally her husband works.

A DOCTOR has been accused of stealing a newborn baby 31 years ago.

The Cadiz medic is facing prison over claims that he took a child born at the Puerta del Mar hospital.

It comes after a local mother was given the right to a court appeal over her baby boy who she was told had died after a complicated caesarean birth.

Innacuracies

Prudencua Gomez was told the child had died from a heart problem while the father was told that the boy had lost his life due to complications with the umbilical cord.

Additionally, Gomez claims the medical report of the birth also contains inaccuracies.

“The report shows that I had a horizontal cesarean, but my scar is vertical,” added the mother.

By Mason Jones Gomez believes the contradictions indicate that the doctor stole the newborn, but the complaint she filed to the Provincial Court last year was dismissed due to lack of evidence.

Now, with backing from action group Stolen Babies SOS, the case has been reopened.

The doctor implicated will not be named until charged.

He claims not to remember any contradictions within the report.

“It is a fundamental step to clarify whether doctors, midwives and nurses were able to participate in the plot,” said Stolen Babies SOS president Chari Herrera.

The group also claims that Cadiz town hall is blocking an exhumation of the baby’s body.

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Runway lands in Gibraltar LONDON Paris, Milan, New York and now Gibraltar can rank as an international fashion capital as, for one night, a mixture of international designers and local talent takes to the catwalk.

Runway on May 4 will showcase new local talent as well as bringing over international designers, bands, and industry professionals, including models flying in especially from Malta, Belgium and Hungary.

The night at King’s Bastion Leisure Centre will have live bands, DJs and stalls. MC for the night will be Miss Gibraltar 2012 Jessica Baldachino (pictured).

Residents and government at odds over huge five star floating hotel project

Float away!

CONTROVERSY surrounds a huge floating hotel planned for Ocean Village.

Residents have slammed the scheme that would see a £150 million luxury yacht berthed in the marina.

They say the 142-metre Sunborn Yacht Hotel (right) has bypassed Gibraltar’s planning process and could be dangerous for locals Tradewinds’ resident Mr William Leay said, “It will have a huge detrimental visual impact on the whole area.”

Other critics claim that increased traffic could be dangerous for local school children.

The custom-designed Sunborn has seven decks with 166 cabins and 17 suites. It boasts a ballroom, restaurant, sun terraces, pool and bar, as well as banqueting and conference facilities and a gym and spa.

“The environmental impact is much smaller than building from scratch,” insisted Environment Minister Dr John Cortes.

He added that the land reclamation needed for a car park would not prove ecologically damaging as the marina was already quite contaminated.

The vessel’s sewage output and water supply will be connected to the city’s main infrastructure.

Minister for Tourism Neil

Costa added: “The Sunborn’s arrival will be a significant addition to Gibraltar, targeting the growing demand of a luxury hotel.

We believe it will become an icon and major attraction.”

Ocean Village marketing director Brian Stevendale also welcomed the scheme. “We are very excited and recog-

nise this is a massive investment.

“Clearly a 5-star hotel and conference centre is a welcome development recognising the success of Gibraltar”.

The hotel is expected to create about 150 jobs and is due to open towards the end of 2013.

Tourism set to soar GIBRALTAR airport is gearing up for over 1,800 flights from now until October.

In total, 32 weekly flights will take off over the summer season, with Sundays seeing seven flights to all destinations, including Birmingham and Luton.

ON the Rock

New Olive Press guide to the best of What’s On in Gibraltar over the next two weeks May 5 World Dance Championship Presentation by the Danza Academy at John Macintosh Hall Theatre. Tickets £10 from Soho design May 6 Charity Haircut for The Little Princess Trust. To donate and for further information contact Heidi on 54278000 May 11 Botanic Gardens Tour 10.30am from George Don Gate May 13 Operation Tracer Launch – official launch of the documentary by Gold Productions Studios, 6.30pm John Macintosh Hall, more information at goldps.com May 13 - 17 ‘Gibunga’, a Llanito musical comedy, by LOL productions at the Ince’s Hall Theatre. Tickets £12 from The Nature Shop May 14 The Bible as Literature, a talk by Charles Durante, 7pm at the Garrison Library

Under new plans, Monarch is adding a fourth weekly flight to its Manchester service, while BA is extending afternoon flights to Heathrow on Saturdays and Sundays.

Meanwhile Easyjet will operate four additional weekly services to London Gatwick, as well as replacing their smaller Airbus A319 with larger Airbus A320s on selected services.

The news comes as two major cruise companies announced that visits to Gibraltar will increase by 33% this coming autumn/winter.

It comes after executives from Thomson Cruises and Island Cruises, Neil Duncan and Jacqui Nobile, visited the enclave.

“Gibraltar is one of our customers’ favourite destinations and now many more will be able to experience the sights of this fascinating enclave,” said Duncan.

Seven million tourists currently visit Gibraltar each year and 200 cruise ships visit annually.

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GIBRALTAR NEWS

Get it open!

Thousands protest over hospital standstill

By Rebecca Maguire THOUSANDS of protesters have demanded an opening date for La Linea’s controversial hospital.

Demonstrators of all ages marched to Constitution Square to insist that the half built hospital is finally finished.

Led by Multiple Sclerosis patients in wheelchairs, they were joined by the mayors of three local towns and various politicians.

Many protesters carried banners and chanted, “The cuts have arrived, but they haven’t reached our throats!”.

Last issue the Olive Press reported how the Junta stopped work on the new facility a

Quick, swim for it!

A GROUP of eight tobacco smugglers tried to flee Gibraltar by swimming to Spain.

The incident happened after they were rumbled on the border with some 50,000 cigarettes.

When challenged the men discarded their load and tried to flee into the sea, swimming to Spain.

However, by the time they got there they were met by Guardia Civil on the beach.

A few days later, a further 10,000 cigarettes were seized following the arrest of two Spanish nationals at the same beach.

ANGER: Thousands join the protest year ago blaming a lack of funds.

The structure’s empty shell is a reminder that 150,000 users are still awaiting its completion.

Juan Jose Uceda, of the Hospital’s Defence Platform drew parallels to the scandal of the ERE fraud case in Sevilla.

In a rousing speech he said: “The Junta uses the excuse of cuts while they’re embroiled in the ERE scandal.

“Central government blames the Junta while ruthlessly cutting health spending.

They’re both responsible; we’re tired of excuses and broken promises.”

He was joined by a parent who has been forced to travel to Malaga over four years for his child’s treatment.

Uceda asserted, “The presence of politicians is important. We’ll be watching them to ensure they fight for our inhabitants’ health.

“They need to analyse what went wrong and try to fix it.”

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Axq IN BRIEF Charity sale

THE Almunecar Women’s Group has raised €331 for Granada based hospice Acompalia by running a car-boot sale.

Had your chips

Local police have arrested five individuals for stealing 100 kilos of potatoes from a field in Velez-Malaga.

AXARQUIA NEWS

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Iron Man-iac

A YOUNG child has been attacked by a man at a cinema in Rincon de la Victoria.

The seven-year-old boy suffered neck and head injuries after being thrown down the stairs while watching the movie Iron Man 3 at the cinema in the town’s commercial centre.

Guardia Civil are now investigating the incident after an eyewitness claimed to have seen a man ‘grab a child by the neck and throw him down the stairs of the hall during the screening’.

“We heard a thud and then saw the child run to hide crying,” added the witness.

The assault is said to have taken place when the boy left his seat to go to the toilet.

The child’s father reportedly squared up to the man, who was sitting a few rows behind. It is not known if they came to blows.

The boy was later taken to a local medical centre to be treated for bruising to his head and neck.

Seven-year-old hospitalised after being thrown down stairs during screening of Iron Man 3

Costa stingers warning BEACH-goers in Torre del Mar and Caleta de Velez have been asked to take extra care after a surge of jellyfish in the area.

Red flags were placed on several beaches following the appearance of hundreds of Bluebottle jellyfish.

The creature, also referred to as the Portuguese Man o’ War, is capable of inflicting severe pain with venomous tentacles reaching over a metre in length.

In extreme cases, sting victims have been known to experience fever, shock, and even interference with heart and lung function.

Life’s a beach

STRONG-swimming jobseekers could be in luck.

Over 50 people will be selected to work as lifeguards along the coast over the upcoming months.

A further six applicants will be hired to man the boats and jet-skis as tourists flock to the area.

PP Councillor Nieves Atencio also announced that those interested have until May 10 to apply for the positions through www.nerja.es

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POTTED POINTERS ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR LEVELS This week: 93.40% full Same week last year: 74.73% Same week in 2003: 63.44% 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 1.3 American Dollars 0.84 British Pounds 1,33 Canadian Dollars 7,46 Danish Kroner 10,12 H Kong Dollars 7,65 Norwegian Kroner 1,61 Singapore Dollars

WHERE’S MY RECEIPT? Dear Olive Press I have just finished reading your newspaper and really enjoyed it. What caught my eye were the articles on taxes in Spain. I am interested because when my family was on holiday and ate in a Spanish restaurant, when paying we were issued with a detailed bill that also included the VAT. When we ate in a British establishment and asked for the bill we were told what it was and we paid up. How is it that these places do not issue receipts and how is the amount of tax they should pay calculated?

I think in these difficult times Spain is losing a lot of tax that should be payable bythe businesses concerned! After reading your newspaper I began to wonder how the Spanish tax authorities keep track of all of these un-recorded transactions. The apartment we rented was privately owned.

How does the owner pay his tax for unearned income?

While enjoying my holiday all of this was flashing through my mind, because I think Spain could do with some extra income.

Miriam Philips London

Leave us alone

Dear OP

Dear OP With reference to your article about making private holiday rentals illegal in your last issue. In my mind this is yet another piece of legislation by the Spanish government which will stick two fingers up to all the residents who are paying their taxes. Why shouldn’t owners earn money from their own properties? The hotels target a completely different demographic from selfcatering accommodation, and there are many holiday makers who prefer the freedom of staying in someone’s home rather than a hotel room.

Kind Regards Simon J Norman Coin

Testicle tut tut

Not democratic Dear OP I would like to disagree with David Ballard regarding bank embargoes. In 2002 I had €6.000 in my checking account and the social security (S/S) embargoed the whole account for €40. The bank manager told me that

I could not use the account until the social security released it. The ‘debt’ was a fine for paying my S/S one month late and seven years previously! At no time did the S/S contact me about this and talking to the social security people - who were very polite and helpful - they told me that as the

It appears that people from the UK still think they can use the Spanish NHS without complying with simple rules such as either taking out travel insurance or obtaining the EHIC card, which will then give them access to treatment here.

This is why Samantha Fryer, who apparently thought she could just walk into a Spanish hospital and have treatment for her son Josh (pictured left), without having the necessary documents. Spain has one of the finest NHS services in the world, but like the UK is under severe financial stress which has resulted in doctors, nurses, having their salaries drastically reduced. To bring her son to Spain without medical cover it could be said that she is not giving her son the protection he needed in case such medical care was needed.

Regards W. J. Glastonbury ED: Well you are in a minority here... we have had plenty of horrified readers who were amazed by this behaviour and (lack of) treatment

‘debt’ was published in the boletin del estado therefore I had no redress nor possibility of disputing it. At the time I thought this not very democratic.

James A. Binyon Mijas Pueblo

CROSSMOT 7

Missing Mail Dear OP I am writing with regard to the postal service (or rather lack of) to some of the areas surrounding Comares. Until about two months ago we had a regular mail delivery but the post lady left and since then we have received virtually no mail. I know that other outlying areas do receive regular postal deliveries but the area around Masmullar has definitely been forgotten. What is happening to the undelivered post?

Jean Catchpole Comares

Not dangerous Across 1 Trunks (7) * 5 Desatar (5) * 8 Total (5) * 9 Huerto (7) * 10 Deeply (13) * 11 Fare (6) * 12 Voces (6) * 15 Contribuciones (13) * 18 Ninety (7) * 19 Brief (5) * 20 Escala (5) * 21 Our (7).

Down 1 Ruido Sordo (5) * 2 Al Aire Libre (7) * 3 Circunferencia (13) * 4 Espadas (6) * 5 Incómodo (13) * 6 Tren (5) * 7 Sin Fin (7) * 11 Heels (7) * 13 Más Cercano (7) * 14 Obtener (6) * 16 Bride (5) * 17 Ground (5).

L = 198

Dear OP, In the Olive Press at the beginning of April Pete Jukes from San Pedro sent in a photo of a spider (above).

This is a type of wolf spider Pardosa Palustris var herbigrada. It is not dangerous, but it´s bite can cause swelling, mild pain and itching.

Valerie May, Sabinillas

Letters should be posted to Urb. Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350, Malaga or emailed to letters@theolivepress.es The writer’s name and address should be provided. Published opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

la cultura

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On the Road to Malaga

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what’s on

C

ordoba, May 8-19, Festival de los Patios, annual competition of florally decorated patios and balconies featuring flamenco, wine and tapas tasting events. For more information see: www. patiosdecordoba.net

L

a Linea, June 1,

The work of Sixties superstar Dennis Hopper comes to the Picasso museum JANE Fonda firing a bow and arrow, paintings by Andy Warhol and music by James Brown...welcome to Malaga’s hippest new show.

The exhibition documenting the photography of Hollywood icon Dennis Hopper launched this week at the Picasso Museum.

Dennis Hopper, On the Road is a collection of 141 black and white photographs taken between 1961 and 1967.

The display features the Easy Rider star’s shots of road journeys, celebrity friends, fashion pieces, film sets and even street advertising.

Also included in the exhibition are works by Hoppers´ peers such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg along

with some of the actor`s own artwork.

Various listening points will also enable visitors to hear a soundtrack compiled for the exhibition with music by James Brown, Ike & Tina Turner, The Byrds and Neil Young.

The museum’s artistic director, Jose Lebrero Stals, described the show as ‘a modest attempt to pay tribute to a Bohemian from a faraway place called Dodge City’.

To coincide with the exhibition, the museum has also produced a limited edition book which chronicles Hopper’s many talents.

Dennis Hopper, On the Road runs from now until September 29 at the Museo Picasso Malaga. For more information contact 952 12 76 00.

Palacio de Congresos, Carnaval Festival, a musical showcase featuring ensembles such as Los Recotaos and Los Validos. Tickets are €15 and are available from several outlets in La Linea and Algeciras. For more information see: www. juanjocarnaval.bitacoras. com

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alaga, now until June 16 at CAC Malaga.

At home I’m a tourist, an exhibition displaying some of Selim Varol’s toy collection which is the biggest in the world with over 15,000 objects.

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. Free entry.

S

evilla, Contemporary

Art Centre (CAAC), now until June 30, Al Wei Wei: Resistance and Tradition, work by international artist and activist Al Wei Wei including his most famous piece, Sunflower Seeds.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 9pm, Sunday 11am-3pm entrance fee €1.80. Free entry 7pm9pm

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Covering the costas and ALL 8 provinces of Andalucia Less than 1% returns and a much bigger footprint than our 3 main rivals:

CORTES Camping el Salitre • Mary Becker • La Fuente CORDOBA Bodegas Campos • Hotel Casas de la Juderia • La Fuente CORTES DE LA FRONTERA Petrol Station •La Fuente CUEVAS DE ALMANZORA (Desert Spring Golf) Restaurant / Clubhouse DIANA Royal Nordic Club • Man Friday Supermarket • Super Market • Aud Dublin • Big BlueBox DUQUESA PORT Paparazzi Neswagents • Supermarket • Las Galleries • English Butcher • Duquesa Golf Club • Paper Shop • Gaston Golf • Manilva Properties • Topline Paper Shop • Clubhouse Bar • La Bella Vista Camping El CHORRO El Kiosko • Hotel Posada el Conde EL FARO El Faro Supermarket • Post Room • Zurich Office • Captains Bar EL ROSARIO German Bakery/Cafe • Da Fabio Restaurant • Mozaic/ Els News • Marbella Golf • The Jeans Factory EL TRAPICHE El Trapiche Cafe/ Bar ELVIRIA Martys Hairdressers • EIC School • Aventura • Amazonia • TFC Restaurant • Studio B • Bar Casi Casi • Regalos Isabel y Paco • Asia Foods • Playwrights • Mancomunidad ESTEPA BP Garage ESTEPONA Longmans Bookshop • Fergussons Bar • Cudeca Shop • Dune Bar • Laguna Village Paper shop • Hospiten • Albayat Resort • Best Coches • Terra Sana • Digi Print Optica Machin • Muebles Gavira • Furniture World • Techno Aluminio • Lidls • Amapola • Tourist Centre • Estepona Golf • International Club of Estepona • Costa Natura • Laguna Village: Entrance • Tibet Clothes Shop ESTEPONA MARINA Sailors Cafe • Business Centre EportBic Universal Estate Agents • The Irish Fiddler Marlow Chip Chop FRIGILIANA Hotel Almazara FUENGIROLA Iceland Store • Scotties Butchers • Specsavers • Cudeca • Dunnes Stores • Yorkshire Linen • Euromarkets Cayetano (C/ Malaga) •

Euromarkets Cayetano (C/ San Isidro) • Euromarkets Cayetano (Av de los Lirios) • Salon Varieties• Old Gold• Marfil• Tourist Office• Fafa Foods• Prensa Iberia• Califonia 7• Cafe Fresco• Dunnes Las Rampas• Opticos Vicente• Anthonys Diamonds• Prensa Maxim • David Bookshop • Spainsburys • Woodys • Yaramar • Prensa Quijote • Joys Pies • Prensa Don Luis • Torreblanca Supermarket • Caravajal Supermarket • Red Dragon • Oasis • Torreblanca Post Office • Wessex Bar • Cheers Bar • Manila Bar • Mananas Bar Tonys Shanleys/ Chequers Golf • Estanco PYR FUENTE DE PIEDRA Bar Rebujito • Corner Bar • Diane’s • Donkey Sanctuary GARRUCHA Clinica Veterinaria • Hostal Timar GAUCIN Repsol Petrol Station • Hotel Caballo Andaluz • Pura Vida Health Shop • Benassim Deli • Fructosa • El Convento • Casa Antonia • La Fuente • El Puente GIBRALTAR Café Fresco • O’Reileys • Ibex Insurance • Morrisons • Elliot Hotel • Sacarellos • ICC Shopping Centre • Cafe Solo • Café Rojo • Colourworks • Rolex • Caleta Hotel • Ibex Insurance GRANADA Airport • Hotel Macia Plaza • La Romanilla • Hotel Fontecruz Granada • Metro Bookshop • Hannigans 1 • Hannigans 2 • Tourist Office • El Catrachod • Jardines de Zoraya • La Alacena de Andalucia • Hotel Palacio de Santa GUADALMINA Tricky Rickys • Bookworld GUARO Petrol Station HUMILLADERO Restaurante Cinco Rios IZNAJAR BP • The Yoga School • Bar Verde JEREZ Tourist Office JIMENA DE LA FRONTERA Cepsa• Papeleria Los Garabatos • Bar Cuenca • La Tasca • Hostal Anon • Bar Oba • Estate Agents • Casa Henrietta JIMERA DE LIBAR ESTACION Bar Allioli LA CALA Cafe Boulevard • Cocinas Plus • Prensa Quetzal • BP Garage • Snack Attack

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MIJAS PUEBLO Tourist Office • Town Hall • BP Garage • Mijas Hotel MIJAS ROAD World of Sofas • Centro Idea Danish Centrel • Euromarket MOJACAR PLAYA (Centro Comercial) Masko Cafe • Habana Cafe•Diego Ortega Notaria • Michael Davis Solicitors • Clinica Dental • Ibex Insurance • Pippas Cafe MOJACAR PLAYA Gas Station • Koi Cafe • Kasbah Romantic • Sal’s • Currency Exchange • Paco Salas Farmacy • El Olivo Restaurant • Total Entertainment • Tomas Supermarket • Mojacar Estates • Beachcomber Restaurant • H Puntazo Hostal • Trufibar • Kimrick Restaurant • Parador • Cafe Bellagio • K7 Real Estate • Price, Brown Partnership • Tourist Office (Playa) Tito’s • Los Arcos Bar • Los Amigos Bar • La Posada • ELC MOJACAR PUEBLO Centro de Arte Municipal • English Library • Bar Pavana •Bar Habanero •Bar Cherigan MOLLINA Bar Margarita • And Estates • Brit Shop • Lazy Days Mobile Home Park MONDA Paper Shop • Petrol St. •Design Academy MONTEFRIO Alan Russell MONTE HALCONES (Ronda Road) One Stop Café • Irish Café MONTEJAQUE Las Casitas MOTRIL Café AL Campo • Tourist Office Los Moriscos Golf • Bar/ Rest Moriscos • Gran Elba Hotel NERJA Hotel Carabeo • English Book Shop • Supermercado Iranzo • Smiths Bookshop • Tourist Office • John the Barber • H2O Bar • Keyhomes Estates Agents • Team Estate Agents • Olas Bar • Cocinas Nerja NUEVA ANDALUCIA Aloha News • Garden Bar • Yanks • Wilsons • Alberts • La Sala • HIFX • Mad Hatters • Terra Sana • H10 Hotel OLVERA Petrol Station • Dynos • Olvera Properties • Via Verde • Rest. El Puerto ORGIVA Indoor Market • Camac • Internet Café • Alpujarra Supermercado • Baraka •Limonero PAMPANEIRA

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• Anglo Wines SOTOGRANDE MARINA Videola • 50K Bar • La Brasserie • Hairy Lemon • Hotel Maritimo • Midas TARIFA Tourist Office TOLOX Cross Road Bar • Vent Garradena TORRE DEL MAR Papeleria el Faro • English Bookshop Pasatiempo • Expatriate Help Centre • Lukuma • Baviera Golf • Las Yucas • Cudeca TORREMOLINOS Tourist Offices x 2 • Cudeca Town Centre • Baileys BP Garage • Parador Golf Hotel • Parador Golf • Riu Belplaya • Shennanigans • Hotel Melia • Rubens Exchange • Nigel & Cheryls Rest. • Cosy Nook • El Mojito • Toms Tavern • Wellness Clinic • Fig & Olive • Full House • Talk of the Tyne • BP Garage TORROX Russels English Shop • El Pino English Shop • Light of India • Tourist Office TURRE Fundraiser Shop• Zambra • Casa Diego • Total Entertainment • Tio Tomas •Connexions UBEDA Golden Poppy English Center VEJER Tourism Office • Califa • Camping Vejer • Monte Medio Golf • Barca de Vejer • Castilleria Restaurant VELEZ MALAGA Garden Centre La Palma • Eroski Centre • Bar Jamaica • Dunnes • Pronumatico VERA Iceland • Galasaa VILLANUEVA DE ALGAIDAS La Bodeguita VILLANUEVA DE ROSARIO Bar • Bar • Town hall VILLANUEVA DE TAPIA La Paloma Rest.

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la cultura

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the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013

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Clicking castanets and polka dot dresses... the latest anti-capitalist protests ANTI-capitalist flash mobs have been putting on impromptu flamenco dispays in banks across Andalucia.

Wearing polka dot dresses and clicking castanets, the group known as Flo6x8, have descended on numerous banks around Andalucia.

Primarily targetting Bankia and Banco Santander the apparently spontaneous dance and song performances are designed to express anger and frustration at the economic crisis.

While some involve just one

Major retrospective of Salvador Dali launches in Madrid

Genius on display THE creative genius of Spanish artist Salvador Dali has gone on show at Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum.

In the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in Spain for over a decade an incredible 200 paintings, sculptures and film clips are on display.

Spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, it even includes 30 works never before seen in Spain.

From the bizarre and beautiful to the weird and wonderful, Dali is best known for his startling surrealist pieces which matched his outlandish personality.

By Annabel Grossman Called All of the poetic suggestions and all of the plastic possibilities, the show investigates how Dali’s experiments with painting, cinema and advertising have influenced art.

Having already been viewed by a staggering 790,090 people in four months at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the exhibition will now run until September 2 in Madrid.

The top attraction of is no doubt the artist’s bestknown painting, the 1931

The Persistence of Memory (above) which depicts melting pocket watches.

According to Dali, the piece - currently on loan from New York’s Museum of Modern Art - was inspired by watching camembert cheese liquefying in the sun.

Although the show focuses on Dali’s paintings, there are also photographs, films and TV clips on display.

These include the 1929 silent short film Un Chien Andalou - written with Spanish director Luis Bunuel - featuring its infamous scene of a woman’s eye being slit with a razor.

or two silent bailaores, others are made up of several dozen dancers clicking their fingers and stomping their feet to the music.

Although today flamenco is generally associated with love and passion rather than politics, the roots of this art form are embedded in social protest.

Indeed, the lyrics sung in the late 18th century were often about poverty, suffer-

ing and the struggles of everyday life.

Although the flash mobs are peaceful, the Spanish government has recently tightened the law to make it harder to stage such protests.

However, the mobs have responded by going global, with performances taking place not only in Spain but across Europe, including Milan, Rome and the UK.

A G V Into the valley ll about

uadalhorce

alley

Issue 160 May 1 2013

Robin Savory on the stunning fertile valley that is now home to thousands of expats, right back since Moorish times

A

S the altitude begins to drop sharply on the journey to the Costa del Sol from northern Europe the first images that lucky window-seat passengers have in sharp focus are of the Valle del Guadalhorce.

This 804 sq km region of Malaga province is a huge swathe of fertile agricultural land, dissected by the Rio Grande river and with craggy mountains to both the east and west.

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Guadalhorce Valley special www.theolivepress.es

High life CAPTION.....

from previous page

RESTUARANT LA CRUZ

Criss-crossed with many other streams, as well as modern and ancient acequias, or man-made water channels, it is an area abundant with agriculture, indeed, one of the richest in Spain.

Because much of the upper reaches are uninhabited, abundant and rare wildlife thrives in the forests and the hills.

The region’s principal towns lie in a line under the Sierra de Mijas, a long ridge of hills that are coming ever-closer to becominga Natural park.

These municipalities include Alhaurin de la Torre, Alhaurin el Grande, and Coin, the re-

MAGICAL MONDA: Topped by a former Moorish castle gion’s ‘capital’ and all are very popular with the British expat community living happily alongside their Spanish (and German) neighbours.

This popularity is reflected in the availability of all-day bacon and egg breakfasts amid traditional tapas bars and well-priced menus del dia, which are snapped up by all nationalities.

In Alhaurin el Grande there is an English family that runs a near-equivalent to an English Post Office complete with all the British (and German) newspapers. Close by is an English butcher, a pet groom-

LOCAL DYNAMOS: From Papeleria Cristina and The Wardrobe ing business Posh Pets, run by former Crufts winners and a clothes shop the Wardrobe, where you can get a pedicure.

“More and more foreigners seem to be moving here,” explains John Gow, 42, from

FROM BOYS TO MEN EVERY boy wants to grow up to be a soldier and in Alhaurin el Grande it is no different. Here, a group of teenagers practise moves with their rifles in the hope of one day following in the footsteps of the Foreign Legion that marches through its streets at Easter time

Northumberland, who runs the popular Papeleria Cristina in the heart of town. “We can gauge it by our PO boxes. We got another 50 at the end of last year and they are already all taken. A lot seem to be

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the olive press - May 1 - 15, 201327 27

BANTER: Expats and local Spanish gossip in central Coin Scandinavians.”

Move inland a few kilometres up the main A357 past Cartama or up the charming A404, which eventually winds up to El Burgo and you will eventually arrive at the sometimes snowy peaks of the Sierra de las Nieves, a natural park and Unesco biosphere reserve.

Up here in the hills, suddenly the cosmopolitan life on the coast seems very far away.

Mercifully the area has no large scale ‘plastic tent’ farming as traditional methods still apply giving the landscape a tranquil feeling.

On the western side and passing three ‘Franco villages’ there is a Malaga/Ronda railway line which takes in Pizarra and Alora on its way

towards Antequera and the world famous climbing area of the El Chorro Gorge.

Halfway up the A357 there is a junction where the visitor

As each road winds its way up the valley the views keep getting better has some choices to make: Turn left and the road takes you to Casarabonela, famous for its water, traditional white washed village image, heri-

SPECTACULAR: The gorge at El Chorro

tage status Rondellas festival and the largest collection of cactus plants in Spain, and then onto Alozaina and over the mountain passes to Ronda.

Alternatively go straight on and the road climbs up towards the historic spa town of Carratraca and then the ancient settlement of Ardales which lies just below the lakes and rivers thatfeed the Guadalhorce river itself.

Another side turning takes you past Pizarra along the valley towards Alora, past the imposing castle on top of a hill, and on to the El Chorro gorge by a different route.

The scenery is spectacular in all directions. As each road winds its way up the valley, the views get better and better.

But head into any of these towns, even the more sprawling settlements of Alhaurin el Grande and Coin, and you will find classic narrow streets with white-washed houses and a great choice of lovely churches to visit.

Up in the hills take any of the dirt tracks for a stroll and you will quickly come across herds of goats and sheep and often mules ploughing between the olive trees.

While first colonised by the Romans, it was the Moors who have had the major influence on the area. Everywhere there is evidence of their work which tamed the tumbling streams into irrigation systems and brought fertility to the whole of the valley.

But while the region has been termed one of the breadbaskets of Andalucia since Roman times, the locals have long struggled with the fluctuating rainfall which can still bring devastating floods to the whole of the valley or leave the land parched for months on end.

Huge citrus groves dominate much of the landscape the crops of which are transported to the local fruit wholesalers and cooperatives where it is packed and sold on.

There are also swathes of olive and almond plantations,

HISTORIC: The Arabic tower of Hurique near Alhaurin el Grande and in many of the towns and villages there are thriving olive oil factories.

The first drift of northern Europeans into the valley came in the 1960s and 1970s, but during the late 1990s and early this century there was a massive drift to buy the many fincas and cortijos scattered around.

Now many enterprising expats make a living alongside their Spanish neighbours, whether it is a safari ride in a Land Rover or a quad bike trail.

For walkers there are experienced guides who will take

small parties into the hills along centuries old mule tracks, or there are horses to hire by the hour or by the day.

The best of the inland golf courses is Lauro, a gem with wide open fairways For those who seek other forms of leisure there are in-

land golf courses, the best of these being Lauro golf, one of Andalucia’s oldest and a gem with lovely views and wide open (and thankfully flat) fairways.

Many organisations, such as the Royal British Legion and the U3A art group hold events in the valley and there is always something going on.

Yes, perhaps it is time you left the beach on the Costa del Sol and came and explored this large and varied region where 10 per cent of Malaga province has its home. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

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the olive press - May 1 - May 15

Inside the Garden of Allah

Alhaurin el Grande is slowly returning to the days when it was known as the ‘Garden of Allah’ by the Moors and the ‘Garden of Eden’ by writer Gerald Brenan

RELICS: Evidence of its agricultural past at Lauro Golf and (left) the Arabic Hurique fortress

T

HERE is no doubt that Alhaurin has been through a dramatic transformation over recent years.

Wandering around the old town there is a new swagger about the place, despite the high unemployment that is affecting the whole of Andalucia.

The streets are tidy and the old buildings have been generally well preserved. There is even a modern new library in the heart of the town.

Don’t be put off by its rather ugly outskirts. Head west from the roundabout on Calle Gerald Brenan and you are soon in the Albaicin barrio, which got its name due to similarities with the same district in Granada.

Nearby, leafy Plaza Alta is abuzz with childrens voices and roadside cafes ply their trade late into the evening, while further up the ancient Vera Cruz chapel sits alongside one of the best 180 degree views in inland Malaga.

From here you can see why, while nearby Coin might be the official capital of the Valle de Guadalhorce, Alhaurin has always been the real nerve centre.

The views stretch for miles around, down towards Malaga airport and up into the Sierra de las Nieves mountains.

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VISTAS: The view from FincaSonrisa and (left and right) local fountains and (bottom) church square

At 240 metres above sea level the town sits in a commanding position between the 1,100 metre tall Sierra de Mijas and the fertile valley below, where everything from olives to avocados have been grown for centuries.

Indeed it was in Phoenician times that Alhaurin became a market town, as the already established Iberian tribes bartered their goods with the new arrivals from the Lebanon.

Later the town thrived under Roman occupation when a number of wealthy merchants from nearby Malaga made money from the rich mineral deposits in the nearby hills.

They built sizeable villas, such as Villa de la Mata, and labelled the town Lauro Nova.

Evidence has been found in the numbers of coins, statues and pillars, a trio of which stand pride of place opposite

the town hall today.

But it wasn’t until Moorish times that the town really blossomed, as the Arabs planted new crops in the wide fertile valley that is crossed by two rivers, the Fahala and Blas Gonzales.

They introduced acequias (or water courses) to irrigate the entire valley and built a number of important mills, such as the Molino Morisco de los Corchos.

An area of particular beauty – not to mention an extremely clement climate – it had soon taken on an appropriate new name, that of Garden of Allah, or Alhaurin.

Remnants of the eight centuries of Arabic rule can still be found, particularly at the Arco del Cobertizo, which was a gateway to the medina, that had a souk, specialising, among other products, in silk.

But the best way to get a feel

for the past is to take a walk But it was anything but plain out into the countryside, in sailing for the united municiparticular to the area known pality and there were epidemas Hurique, on the back road ics of plague and even an earthquake in 1680. to Coin.

Parking your car at the charm- Later, Alhaurin was occupied ing hotel Finca la Mota, where for four years by the French you can get a great lunch, you during the Peninsular War in walk down into a lovely valley the early 19th century, which led to inevitable destruction full of mixed agriculture.

Alongside charming white- and upheaval. walled ruins sit small farm- Since then, apart from the steads of orange and lemon turbulent period during the groves, orchards of plums civil war, the biggest threat to and peaches, and herds civil peace was a small smatof goats and sheep roam tering of English hooligans over the last decade. around.

In the middle distance, seen And then there was Scott from miles around, is the im- Harrison, the former world champion posing 12th boxer, from century AraGlasgow, bic fortress who made of Hurique, It has even been his home which is well said that Coronain the area preserved a few years tion Street’s Bet and mirrors ago, but a similar forLynch has a place proceeded tress, called in the area to live up to O r te g i c a r, his hell-raisnear Ronda. er reputaKeep on gotion during ing and you will eventually come to the a series of drunken nights out even more beautiful open in the town. space of Barranco Blanco, After one particularly messy where the famous Timotei ad- night out he ended up punchvert was once filmed under- ing a policeman, after getting arrested for stealing a car in neath its waterfall.

One of the last towns to be the early hours of the mornconquered by the Catholic ing. He ended up in nearby kings in 1485, it was eventu- Alhaurin de la Torre prison. ally merged with Alora, Carta- Fortunately there have been ma and Coin in 1666 to form a number of more salubrious a single entity known as the celebrities who have come to settle in the town.

Four Towns.

These include Status Quo’s Rick Parfitt, who lives with his wife and kids near the town, while Claire King from Emmerdale Farm is a regular visitor, as is Neneh Cherry, who has been a few times on holiday.

It has even been said that Coronation Street’s Bet Lynch has a place in the area, having been spotted shopping in

Mercadona a couple of times.

The town however, should perhaps best be remembered for its connections to Gerald Brenan, the celebrated writer of numerous books in southern Spain, such as South from Granada and The Spanish Labyrinth.The writer lived in the town for two decades and described it as his Garden of Eden. And quite right too.

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Captain Cook, the Moors and Eldorado How the great, the good and, quite frankly, some not-so-good have spent some time in Coin, writes Jon Clarke

I

T has been well over a decade since Eldorado slunk from the TV screens with a whimper and an hasta luego.

While there have been stories of its return over the last year, it still remains the biggest soap opera flop in British TV history.

Ham-strung with problems from the start, the show suffered from poor casting, bad storylines and cringing performances by actors, many of whom didn’t even know what a read-through was.

Indeed, the only thing producers had no shortage of was sunshine, with the set appropriately built in the hills above the Costa del Sol. It is still there today – in Coin – and despite the show having re-couped its investment many times over due largely to re-runs, it stands as a sad

(and to be fair, rather tacky) reminder of the BBC’s failure to replicate on screen the life on the Spanish costas.

Either way, few people in Coin like to be associated with the show or believe it has any relation to their lives today.

“It is a complete coincidence that the programme was set here,” explains one local estate agent. “It was based on an urbanisation around Nerja that had become quite well known in the UK at the time.

“It was about an English ghetto and nothing like Coin which is a real Spanish town, where most foreigners try to integrate and learn the language and those who don’t mostly don’t get on and end up leaving for the coast.”

Over 4000 foreigners are said to live in the mountain town of around 20,000 resident. The majority British

ANCIENT AND MODERN: Potted plants and quad bikes are seen on the streets of modern Coin - but with a large number of Dutch and Germans - they enjoy the more relaxed country town living, while still having excellent connections for the airport and nearby Costa del Sol. A big town, it has the quality of life of a village and a very laid back feel.

Best of all, it has a lovely average annual temperature of 15 degrees.

Located in a fertile valley of the Rio Grande river, it has been known for its production of fruits, such as oranges, avocados and more recently pomegrantes, since the Romans ruled Spain.

Named Lacibis, it became an important market town and transition point for the minerals being quarried in the nearby Sierra Blanca. Marble from these quarries was used in the construction of the Roman town of Italica, or Roman Seville, and the mining of iron ore and marble continued into the 19th Century.

During the time of the Visigoths, like many places in Andalucia, the town lost its lustre and largely fell into ruin until the Moors conquered the region and rebuilt it around 929AD. It went through something of a rennaissance, thanks to the Arabs’ clever use of water and love of gardens and planting. But their days were numbered and in 1485, after a long siege, the town finally fell to the Christian Crusaders from the north, who are said to have included Christopher

Columbus among their troop.

But the Moors legacy of planting and gardens was thankfully respected, a factor that was clearly noted by celebrated British explorer Captain Cook when he visited the town, along with Cártama and Alhaurín in 1829. Travelling with the Royal Navy, he was mightily impressed.

“These villages”, he wrote, “are on rising ground above the river and in beauty of situation and cultivation cannot be excelled. They afford a specimen of the whole country when possessed by the Moors, being surrounded by gardens with orange, lemon and palm trees and abounding in all the fine as well as the more common fruits.”

To this day an orange tree features on Coín’s coat of arms and there is no doubt that the town still has a curious feel of being both bustling and rural in equal measures.

Unusual While on one hand slick businessmen walk into the town hall armed with briefcases and clutching planning applications, it is not unusual to see a tractor or quad bike driving around its narrow lanes, and there are numerous farming implement businesses scattered around.

And then, of course there is the La Trocha shopping centre on the way out of town towards Coin.

An unusual round shape,

CALMING: Fountain in the main square here you can find a decent range of local shops, as well as a cinema and even a branch of Irish department store Dunnes.

Best of all, there is still a big Sunday market, which on its day is one of the best attended in Andalucia, with people sometimes queueing up all night to get a stall, it being so oversubscribed.

Best plan come and stay a night in the valley and get up early on Sunday to see for yourselves.

Guadalhorce Valley special

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A Great place to live Insurance agent Jacqueline Caplan lists her top ten reasons to live in Coin

Posh with a capital ‘P’

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WO decades ago if you asked someone what Coin was like, the reply would usually be ‘don´t go... nothing happens there. Well I am pleased to say that Coin is now well and truly on the map and is a very popular place to live and visit on holiday. Below are 10 facts that many people probably do not know about this charming town: • There is a large football ground with many different teams from seniors to juniors all of whom play in leagues throughout Malaga and Andalucia during the football season and do very well • Legend has it that Christopher Colombus was among the Christian troops who laid siege to the town during its final Moorish phase • There is a new state-of-theart Library called Fernando de Hermosa y Santiago.

As well as many books, of course, there is a book club and they have now installed a free WiFi service • Coin has TWO ferias. One in the month of May and one in the month of August.

This consists of the day Fe-

ria where everyone goes to eat and drink and listen to the music and the night feria where they have the usual fair attractions.

• Day of the Orange in May is a popular day for folk in the Guardalhorce Valley, who all get together bringing along their citrus fruits and the main meal of the day that is handed out to locals is salads, pudding and boiling soup. All homemade and free for everyone to try.

• Dia de la Cruz sees a religious figure taken from one of the many churches in Coin and carried round the town.

The streets are decorated and the best decorated street wins a cash prize . A very popular event with the local

Spanish women who all become very competitive.

• SACAB. This stands for Salon Andaluz del caballo, which is a big horse event. A large tent of approx 2100m is constructed and holds up to 1300 people. They put on a first class horse show usually done by the riding school Finca El Rocio • There is a cinema in Coin with seven screens. They put on films in English on a regular basis which are very popular with expatriates • Restaurants come in many different flavours and include Italian and Indian • On Sunday La Trocha shopping centre holds a large car boot sale which is extremely popular and gets very busy.

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HEN it comes to pedigree they certainly take some beating.

While established in Alhaurin el Grande since 2004, Posh Pets Spain has over 60 years of experience working with pedigree dogs.

Founder Rachel Goutorbe (top left) has a long established history of showing, judging, breeding & gundog work.

Indeed, her family kennels with the ‘Upperwood Affix’ are still among the top breeders and trainers of Setters and Pointers in the UK and export their famous bloodlines all over the world.

So it is little surprise that Posh Pets can provide every possible thing you could want for your pet, whether it is a full groom or clipping service or teeth cleaning with a scrape and polish without sedation.

The shop provides an array of pet accessories and products, as well as Pet ID tags that are engraved on site.

The centre has also established itself as a popular training centre for groomers from around Europe, with recent students coming from Ireland, Switzerland,

England, Malta and Lithuania.

The Boutique Dog Hotel and Cattery boasts excellent facilities for play and rest and it even comes with sun beds, paddling pools and toys.

The cattery rooms have a full panoramic view at the bottom of the orchard away from any dogs complete with cat trees, toys, music (favourites include Love Cats by the Cure, Best of the Stray Cats and anything by Atomic Kitten) and for the occasional chilly evening the cats are provided with radiators.

Pet transportation has also become a major service with the company now relocating pets all around Europe to their new homes.

It is fully licensed with a bespoke service in beautiful, correctly customised vehicles. This is a ‘Pet Only’ travel service for peace of mind where all pets are given plenty of individual space and comfort during travel; and the vehicles have been fully inspected and approved

by DEFRA. For more information on all the service kindly visit www.poshpetsspain.com

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Guadalhorce Valley special

the olive press - May 1 - May 15

Battle for variety

Lighting up the skies

Dueling pistols, antiques and sustainable furniture from the Far East... welcome to Muebles del Mundo

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HERE are few places in the world where Ramon and his wife Yolanda haven’t visited.

And this is immediately obvious stepping into his Aladdin’s Cave of a shop in Coin.

Wardrobes from India, fabrics from Thailand, clothes from Indonesia, boxes from Mongolia and lamps from Morocco.

There is even a wonderful set of dueling pistols, most likely to have come from England, at some point in the 18th century.

“They are worth at least €5000 and are incredibly rare,” explains Ramon, who heralds from Valladolid and ran an antique shop in Madrid before settling in Coin a decade ago.

His amazing cornucopia of collectibles – now having a 50% sale - has grown organically and spreads out over half a

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Ra ar th Ri sto few alo

I RARE: Pistol set hillside at the back of the unusual entrance that includes a 1960s Vespa.

“And it definitely still works,” he insists.

“We have clients from all around the world and the other day I had 18 nationalities visit the shop.”

Most of them are looking for that little something special.

Something off-beat, different and original and, best of all, they can know that not only have Ramon and Yolanda chosen it themselves, but everything is created sustainably.

“We don’t buy plastic or anything from Sweden and we ensure that all the companies

TREASURES: Muebles del Mundo we work with are sustainable wood suppliers and most plant two trees for every one they cut.”

Olive Press readers are being urged to take this pull out to the shop for a fabulous free gift of a chest of tea in an ornate holder, or an additional 10% off the already 50% off Spring sale.

OF all the fiestas of the Guadalhorce region, the most spectacular by far must be the famous and dramatic procession of the Virgin of the Rondeles from the Hermitage of Veracruz to the Church of Santiago Apostol through Casarabonela’s steep narrow village streets.

The only lighting for this unique event held every December comes from the burning of the oil soaked esparto grass (or rondeles) which illuminate the passage for the team carrying the Virgin.

In 2001 the procession was designated a fiesta of national tourist interest.

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si

Tak you the Rio Ven han whi bac to bac ing Sta the ear sta Now fed of viad whe out Tak out our the the ing imp the

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the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013

ay Powell takes road trip up to he source of the io Grande river opping at a ew nature spots ong the way

T is one of Andalucia’s biggest rivers and has been a major source of ife for centuries. t few people know ere the meandering o Grande river has its urce. ell take a drive up tords El Burgo on the 04 and look out for the n for the tiny hamlet of ox. Nestling in the SierPrieta it is here that you l find this mighty river’s urce. ming out of some limeone rocks near the ham, the river moves fast as drops some 300 metres a power station below. fore electricity came s short distance had ven water-mills, some grain and some for ols and it also makes a nderful start to our joury although on foot you l struggle to get far. continue our journey must retrace our steps car back onto the main ad en route for Alozaina d Tolox bridge.

To the source of the queen

hundering through the gorge, this is always impresive, particularly in spring

ke this lovely road until u meet a bridge where e river is joined by the o Horcajos. The nearby nta Ermita provides a ndy car park and base ile we follow our river ck upstream on foot where the river comes ck into view after leavg Jorox. arting from just above e bridge we come to a rly hydroelectric power ation. w long disused it was d by an elaborate system stone-built canals and ducts from the point ere the valley flattens t. ke the track that is cut t of the sheer rock on r left and you will enter e gorge through which e river cuts. Thunderg through this is always pressive, particularly in e springtime after the

SLEEPY: Jorox village where the mighty Rio Grande begins as a tiny stream rains and snow melt.

Head downhill from here for another five kilometres until you get to Venta Gallido, where you drive down through the car park to find the river yet again.

Here in Spring, apart from the lovely smell of orange blossom, you will find a myriad of wild flowers including Tamarisk, Vipers Buglo and Bermu-

dan buttercups.

In the air egrets and herons fly past; the bridge takes us over the river to the fertile area known as the Hoya de Malaga.

Continuing down to Coin, you reach a roundabout and a camino rural this takes us again into the Hoya de Malaga.

It is a lovely lane and if you follow this for about five kilometres you get

to an ideal picnic spot and a vantage point for watching the many varieties of birds and fish in the river below.

Follow this road through for another 15 km and we arrive back at Alozaina, a fitting end to our small trip seeing the upper reaches of this Queen of rivers.

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My weekend glamping!

Frances Leate test drives a new yurt hotel near Alora

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YING back in a brightly coloured hammock I look out over the mountains of Alora.

The smell of onions, garlic and fresh herbs is wafting through the air and the hot tub is just warming up.

The setting sun creates a beautiful red glow all around and the gentle evening breeze seems to lift all the stresses of the last few weeks from my shoulders.

Only an hour after arriving at

CAPTION: xxxxxxxxx

Alora Yurts I know I am in for a very relaxing stay.

Run by a friendly laid back British couple Sara Easey and Darren Dickinson the hotel makes sure your every need is met.

It is not just eating and sleeping in outdoor luxury.

From make it or break it couples to workaholics in desperate need of a break, Sara and Darren have seen it all since they opened their new business.

Doubling up as chefs, taxi drivers and even unofficial counsellors, the couple go that extra mile for their guests.

Offering fine cuisine from around the world and authentic Mongolian yurts decked out with beautiful furniture and ornaments, the couple have transformed what was once simply a stunning location with beautiful views into a bohemian hideaway brimming with character and charm. I was soon being offered a range of local activities including quad-biking, horse riding, stone massage and trips into the nearby towns of Alora and Pizarra.

I took a trip to Alora which overlooks the breathtaking rock face of Mount Hacho on the banks of the Guadalhorce River.

With an impressive castle dating back to Phoenician times and later renovated by the Romans then the Moors, this white washed town has a wealth of history ready to delve into.

The quaint beauty spot offers tourists a taste of traditional Spain through its culture and cuisine. The local speciality, Sopa Porata - a garlic broth with croutons, scrambled eggs, spring onions and vegetables - comes highly recommended.

For more information visit www.alorayurts.com

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WHERE TO STAY

Put a smile on your face

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AKING up at Finca Sonrisa certainly puts a smile on your face.

This wonderful B&B – appropriately meaning Finca Smile – sits in an acre of lush mountain parkland high in the Sierra de Mijas above Alhaurin and has views to match.

Run by the wonderfully warm host Joan, a Dutchwoman, who heralds from the Dutch Antilles, this is easily one of the most comfortable places to lay down your hat in Andalucia.

The rooms are extremely well appointed with everything you could need from kettles to microwaves and from bottles of water to sun cream.

Expect to get plenty of local advice and tips from your

RUSTIC SURPRISE: Finca La Mota host and her breakfasts are becoming legendary with travellers.

Above all, staying up here in the hills gives the perfect impression of what the first

expat settlers to the valley would have found back in the 1960s and 1970s.

Another amazing place to stay is at Finca La Mota, a 350 year old farmhouse in a

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LUSH: Finca Sonrisa is a real slice of paradise set in the Sierra de Mijas foothills

ROOM WITH A VIEW: Finca La Toronja in Coin sits at the top of the town secret valley outside Alhaurin el Grande. Run by Dutch father and son Kees and Danny, it sits in a privileged spot with views around the valley.

You enter into a classic patio Andaluz with a huge pool and its own terrace restaurant.

Inside it is charming with comfortable rooms and a separate dining area.

For a classic room with a view you should consider guesthouse Finca La Toronja, at the top of the town in Coin.

While Belgium-run, the Scandinavian-style B&B has castle-top views around the Guadalhorce valley and a lovely spacious garden and pool.

You choose one of five or six rooms, each with its own distinct views and style.

From here, you can easily walk down into Coin town or head off to explore the nearby valley.

Another good option in the heart of Coin town centre is Hotel Albaicin, which has a

distinct style and swagger about it.

Not your normal town hall lodgings this place has style and has been built with a good use of space and light.

Owned by the family behind popular local venta La Cruz de Piedra, it is extremely good value, particularly if you take up the special night’s offer for Olive Press readers with a four-course dinner, time in the spa at just ₏110 per couple.

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WHERE TO EAT

Creative cuisine

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ITH an incredible range of local produce it is no surprise you can eat well in the Guadalhorce Valley.

The best restaurant for creative cuisine must be Santiago del Calvario, a charming spot, set up by an English couple in the heart of Alhaurin el Grande.

Now well established as Number One on Trip Advisor, it has a good range of dishes with both oriental and northern European slant.

You dine either in the lovely patio at the back or the candlelit restaurant, which is seductively decorated with dark hues and Moroccan lamps.

Nearby, on a more traditionally Spanish tip, yet equally rated is La Higuera, a popular family-run restaurant on the edge of town.

Very Spanish, it has a good varied menu, with a particularly excellent Galician-style octopus served with Paprika.

If it is fish you are after then

one of the best seafood restaurants in the province sits in the heart of town.

Casa Paco attracts diners from far and wide and understandably so, with not just an amazing range of fresh fish and sea food, but for a stylish interior.

The hot conchas finas were incredible, while the razor shells were as fresh as could be and the grilled langoustines unforgettable.

Over in Coin, you must look out the adventurous and highly romantic, Bohemia restaurant in the centre of town.

The owner Pedro Trillo has incredible talent both for his interior design, food and original tapestries which line the walls.

If it's oriental you fancy, then you will be hard pressed to get a better Indian than at the recently-opened Taj Mahal.

But, as well as a full Indian menu you can also get some Mexican dishes and even a good range of pizzas.

Finally hunt out the classic country venta La Cruz de Piedra, which sits on a hillside above the town.

This lovely old spot has great grilled meats on weekends and a superb menu del dia for the rest of the week.

Last but not least head over to La Risa, at Lauro golf,

Map of valley

AUTHENTIC: La Cruz de Piedra (above) and Bohemia (below) are classic Spanish eateries

where Janice Byron has carved out a classic hive for visitors as far and wide as the

coast and around the valley.

Now 6 years after she took over the place as a shell and

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the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013

GOOD RANGE: (From above clockwise) Casa Paco, Santiago, La Higuera, La Risa and Taj Mahal has turned it from a five-customer-a-day joint to one of the best for food. There is always a great mix of daily specials (her cod with tartare sauce and mushy peas is legendary) and everything is homemade and delicious.

“There was no kitchen when we took it over,” explains Janice, who previously worked as an office manager in Hampshire. “It was classic blood, sweat and tears and I pulled my first pint the day it opened, but we got there in the end.”

Advertise here for as little as 40 € per issue

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The Olive Press’

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monthly youth and education section

treme

the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013

A FEEDING LIFELINE SCHOOLCHILDREN are to be offered three meals a day in an effort to tackle some of Andalucia’s worst childhood poverty.

The region’s socialist-led government has announced that breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served to pupils from Monday to Friday.

Andalucía is one of the regions worst hit by Spain’s economic crisis, with six out of every 100 of its children

By Annabel Grossman

currently thought to be living below the poverty line.

For many of these youngsters schools provide their only square meals of the day.

Some 200,000 pupils are already eating daily at school via a coupon system - more than double the number in 2008.

The government plans to in-

Andalucia to offer poor pupils three meals a day at school

crease the amount it spends on school meals from €7.5 million to €8.5 million this year.

The introduction of three school meals a day is the first stage in a €100 million package aimed at alleviating undernourishment and poverty in Andalucía.

The second stage involves

Rewarding good behaviour

MARINA Garcia Hunter was awarded an iPod Shuffle after winning the most points at Swans International School’s first Positive Behaviour Week.

Positive Behaviour Week reinforces the effects of positive behaviour which are wide-ranging and ultimately lead to a more effective learning environment.

The system allows teachers to award points for good behaviour including the following: helping others, politeness, good table manners and keeping their classrooms tidy.

An incredible total of 7,000 points were awarded overall.

a job stimulus programme and the third will make it easier for families to access financial help.

Childhood poverty in Spain rocketed by 45 per cent during the first two years of the economic crisis, a study by the Observatorio Social de España and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) revealed at the end of 2012.

It found that Spanish children were among the hardest hit in Europe during the early days of the economic crisis. Although the scheme in Andalucía will operate in term times, the Canary Islands are now planning to open schools throughout the summer to ensure children are being fed.

Europe better at preparing children A THIRD of British children start school lacking basic language and communication skills, the UK childcare minister has claimed.

Elizabeth Truss told MPs that the system in Europe – and particularly France – was better than in the UK. She claims that nurseries in the UK are ‘chaotic’ and where children ‘run around’ with ‘no sense of purpose’.

She praised France’s traditional approach which is more effective academically and produces better adjusted, happier children.

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Txt spk ruining youngsters’ job prospects THERE is a ‘clear mismatch’ between the expectations of young people and employers, a new report has found.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed that desperate employers are confronted with candidates using ‘text speak’ in their job applications and turning up late for interviews.

“When it comes to recruitment it can feel as though young people and employers are on completely different planets,” said Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD. “Too many young people are struggling to find their first job, whereas many employers are finding it difficult to get the skills they need.”

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Swept away by the Litter Muncher PARENTS were swept away by a performance by Year 3 of The Litter Mucher, set in Lazy Daisy Village, at Swans Primary School. A kindly robot called Litter Muncher helps keep the town tidy but is taken for granted… It was a musical, dancing and acting extravaganza enjoyed by all.

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British School of Marbella head Miss Kirkham talks about fashion shows and school life on the ocean waves...

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Xtreme

ORGET the catwalks of London, Paris and Milan.

For all eyes were focussed on the British School of Marbella (BSM) as Year One children released their spring clothing collection onto an unsuspecting public.

Among the parents, teachers and fellow pupils who had dutifully gathered for the eagerly-awaited show, there were rumours of talent scouts from top fashion houses hoping to get a glimpse of this season’s must have new look.

Using cutting edge techniques such as the string loom, glue and scissors, the fashionistas created more accessories than you could shake a Gucci handbag at.

The trend-setters then strutted their stuff down the catwalk in front of a packed school hall and

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Fashionistas

the dazzling flashes of the paparazzi photographers...proving conclusively that what Year One don’t know about fashion, isn’t worth knowing.

In other news, primary aged pupils have been causing a splash after sailing was introduced to their sports programme.

Armed with wetsuits, trendylooking boat shoes and a sense of sea-faring adventure, students are now being taken down to Marbella port once a week to learn how to sail.

Not surprisingly, sunny afternoons spent sailing along Marbella’s coastline with the wind blowing

in their hair and the sun on their face have also proved increasingly popular with the teachers who accompany them.

Meanwhile, back at BSM headquarters on terra firma, our Year Two students were also busy getting behind the lens, a video camera lens that is.

As part of their new topic the pupils brainstormed ideas for a silent film before scripting, performing and filming it.

The budding film stars were inspired by silent cinema movies of yesteryear and the comedy antics of early stars like Charlie Chaplin.

A guest-list of for the worldwide

premiere of ‘Charlie has toothache’ was despatched and attracted a number of high-profile parents.

Among them were some film critics who noted with nodding heads and raised eyebrows the skill and expertise that had gone into transforming the Year Two classroom into a cinema (complete with red carpet and curtains around the whiteboard).

To see a video report of our Fashion Show or the critically acclaimed ´Charlie has Toothache` make sure you visit the new video section of our website.

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School’s in for summer

PUPILS should spend more time in the classroom and less on holiday, claims UK education minister Michael Gove.

Long summer holidays are a relic of the 19th century when children needed to help out on family farms during the six week break, he insisted.

Speaking at an education conference he said: “I remember half-term in October, when I was at school in Aberdeen, was called the tattie holiday - the period when kids would go to the fields to pick potatoes.

“It was also at a time when the majority of mums stayed home.

“That world no longer exists, and we can’t afford to have an education system that was essentially set in the 19th century.”

The minister said all schools should follow the lead of

Asian nations where pupils are expected to follow a longer day and get less time off for holidays.

He argued that research from countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore showed that expectations of mathematical and scientific knowledge were ‘at every stage’ more demanding than in the UK. “In order to reach those levels of achievement a higher level of effort is expected on behalf of students, parents and teachers,” Gove said.

“School days are longer, school holidays are shorter.

The expectation is that to succeed, hard work is at the heart of everything.”

The minister’s demands are likely to provoke a backlash among teaching unions that claim the six-week break is vital to allow staff to recharge their batteries.

The National Union of

Pupils should have shorter summer holidays if they are to get on, claims UK minister

Teachers has even called for a shorter school day, with teachers spending no more than 20 hours a week in the classroom.

In Spain pupils currently get around two months off in summer, with a week at Easter and two weeks at Christmas. They also have a half term in February/ March, which in Andalucia is often termed ‘semana blanca’ as traditionally some schools took their pupils skiing to the Sierra Nevada then.

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A STROLL THROUGH HISTORY IT was a lovely day for Year 8 at Swans at the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia, near Tarifa. Some 60 students had a guided tour of the ancient site learning all about life in Roman times. The trip ended with some time to relax on the nearby beach at Bolonia, which has one of the biggest sand dunes in Spain.

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Top Dollar

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The Olive Press fortnightly business section www.theolivepress.es taking a look at the Spanish economy and offering tips on how to save AND make money

Six million on dole!

BA in Vueling takeover BARCELONA-based airline Vueling has been successfully taken over by the International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, who already held a 45.85 per cent stalk of the airline.

The €123,5 million deal, which valued Vueling shares at €9,25 per share, means that IAG now holds 90.51% of the airline.

Spanish unemployment soars to record high MORE than six million Spaniards were out of work in the first three months of 2013, raising the jobless rate to an alarm-

ing 27.2%.

This puts unemployment at its highest level since records began in 1976 following the death of Franco. Although the rate of increase has now slowed, the figures emphasise Spain’s struggle to pull itself out of recession.

“These figures are worse than expected and highlight the serious situation of the Spanish economy,” said Jose Luis Martinez, strategist LINEN and bedding company Yorkshire Linen at Citi in Madrid. has reached its fifth birthday.

The popular shop, based in Mijas Costa, first opened its doors in 2008 with the aim of providGrowth ing high quality soft furnishings including bedIn mid-2007, the jobless rate in ding, bed linen, bath linen and curtains.

Spain stood at 7.9%, but has been The large superstore quickly built up a reputarising relentlessly for the last seven tion for supplying outstanding home furnishquarters. ings at low prices, backed by a high standard of Prime Minister Rajoy told parliacustomer care. The business has continued to ment that the job situation for the grow year on year and now boasts a stock list in entire year ‘will not be good, but it excess of 12,000 products. will be less bad than in the precedLast year the company launched a website ing years’. “Next year we will have www.yorkshirelinen.es which is also going growth and jobs will be created in from strength to strength. our country,” he added.

Birthday for bedding shop

Win a wardrobe with Cotton Traders Bankia back on track SPANISH lender Bankia has returned to profit, following record losses and an EUsponsored bailout last year.

The bank announced a €74 million profit in the first three months of 2013, although it warned the Spanish economy was still a cause for concern.

Bankia has been considered one of the greatest casualties of Spain’s economic crisis, after losing €19.2 billion during a disastrous 2012.

“This year, 2013, will mark the return to normality, in an environment that is still not normal,” said Bankia’s director general Jose Sevilla, insisting that 2012 had been “the year of the cleanup”.

“There are macroeconomic tensions, tensions on interest rates... [it] is a very demanding environment,” he added.

THE Olive Press is offering readers the chance to win a whole new wardrobe.

Enter the special draw with UK company Cotton Traders and not only can you win shopping vouchers and signed shirts, but also a whole new get up.

In addition anyone signing up for the monthly newslet-

ter at cottontraders.co.uk where you enter the competition, you will get a special 10% discount off your first order.

The monthly newsletter sent via email will keep you informed of new ranges and special promotions.

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Road to Riches, by Richard Alexander

After 720 filing – Now comes the Post Mortem!

AS the dust settles on overseas assets filing, many are now anticipating the questions will start and for some that may well be the case but I have a question of my own!

If you were one of those people who declared cash on deposit in excess of 50,000 Euros, which would you rather have?

Richard Alexander takes a look at the likely fallout from the draconian 720 form debacle and makes a clear and obvious suggestion

1. Interest added to your account at a rate of 1.7%, on which you have to pay 21% income tax leaving a net return of 1.34%.

2. A bonus added to your account at a rate of 5% with no tax to pay.

large amounts of cash on deposit.

If I was to advertise an account paying 10% plus a year, I would no doubt have a queue of people at my door – why; because it is too good to be true and it is right to say that double figure returns from low risk investments are a thing of the past.

But how about if I was to advertise a low risk investment which provides three times the net return of deposit accounts; would that sound attractive?

It should and it is possible. In fact, many people have enjoyed double figure returns over the last year on some of their investments which, have been linked to equity markets but I am not talking about that level of risk; I am still talking low risk for the cautious investor.

To my mind the answer is obvious and yet many thousands of people would appear to have opted for answer 1, so why is that?

I can only assume that it has to do with that quaint old notion that cash on deposit is ‘safe’. While I agree that we all need to keep a certain amount of cash available for everyday expenses and unforeseen emergencies, it is barking mad in the current financial climate to keep

One fascinating thing I have learnt from this whole 720 filing experience is just how many people have large amounts on deposit back in the UK – why?

Some say because it is safer there than in Spain while others insist it is simply a matter of habit, but many are not spending the interest each year.

Over 10 years, the difference between my two examples (above) is rather scary.

Take option 1 and a deposit of 50,000 euros would grow in value to 57,119.

Meanwhile, option 2 would grow to 81,444.

That’s an extra 24,325 Euros – I know which I would rather have!

I think I can hear what is going through your mind right now; there has to be a catch, it cannot be that simple?

Well I may not be comparing apples with apples but what I am referring to is genuinely a long term, low risk investment solution for people tax resident in Spain.

Ah, there’s the catch, I hear you say, it’s long term – And yes, it is, but I am talking about people who have cash on deposit long term too!

Want to know more – email me at info@ra-fp.com

Richard Alexander Financial Planning Limited is an appointed representative of L J Financial Planning Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK. Contact him at Richard@ra-fp.com

Top Dollar

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Green shoots for UK Growth at last plc S THE UK economy has avoided falling back into a recession.

The Office for National Statistics has reported that its first estimate for GDP show that the economy grew 0.3% during the first quarter of 2013.

This means that the economy has avoided falling back into its third recession in five years, in a triple-dip recession.

Economists commented that while news would give a small boost to business, overall the broader picture for the economy remained the same.

Chancellor George Osborne said that it was an encouraging sign, while Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls described the economy as being ‘back to where it was six months ago’.

TERLING gained around one per cent against the Dollar and the Euro following the release of the eagerly awaited first quarter growth figures last Thursday morning.

The Office for National Statistics said the economy grew by 0.3% in the first three months of 2013, three times the consensus among economists who had predicted growth of 0.1%.

A lot has been made of this particular growth because of the risk of the UK economy slipping back into recession for a third time in five years.

There will no doubt have been cheers and relief in Westminster, at least from the coalition’s side of the house that despite the continued reductions in government spending, the economy is managing some growth.

The IMF very recently suggested that the Chancellor should scale back on deficit reduction to focus more on growth in the economy. Looking at the growth figure they might be slightly wrong. Despite there still

being some areas of the economy that are still dragging, there does appear to be positive signs in some of the key sectors such as retail and the service sector.

Ultimately, the data seems to vindicate the Bank of England’s recent upbeat claims on the economy and its outlook. From a monetary policy point of view, I am now less convinced by the prospects that the Bank of England will follow the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan in opting for more asset purchases (Quantatative Easing). This should help Sterling hold on to some of the gains we have seen in the past six weeks following its horrendous start to 2013 when it clocked up losses of around 8% against the greenback and the single currency.

With GDP figures from the Eurozone likely to show a contraction for the first quarter and few signs that activity is picking back up; the Pound could once again make a show over the 1.20 level and the technically important 1.55 level against the Dollar in the coming weeks.

Keith is head of European Sales at HiFX. To contact HiFX and find out how the team can help you with your international transactions, call in at the office in Centro Plaza, call 951 203 986 or email olivepress@hifx.co.uk

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Top Dollar

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Tax evasion clampdown advertorial

Roy Baldwin, tax investigations partner at Smith & Williamson, explains how the Spanish tax authorities and HMRC are getting more information about expats’ finances

O

N April 9 the UK Government agreed to develop a multilateral exchange of tax information project with France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Under the agreement, a wide range of financial information will be automatically exchanged between the five countries.

They believe this will help catch and deter tax evaders and provide a future template for a wider multilateral exchange of tax information on an automatic basis.

This pilot will be based on an agreement already in place between the countries plus the US with a view to ensuring that international tax evasion is tackled in a way that minimises costs for both businesses and governments.

It is seen as an important early step in a much wider move towards a new international standard in the automatic exchange of tax information, and helping administrations to clamp down on tax evasion.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) welcomes this new pilot which will provide it with information about citizens with assets and bank accounts in Spain.

This information will be inputted into ‘Connect’, its new state of the art computer data-gathering system, with a view to targeting potential tax evaders.

The latest agreement follows hot on the heels of the requirement for UK expats in Spain to declare all assets with a value of 50,000 euros or more, held outside of Spain as of Decem-

ber 31, 2012.

There appears to be a real appetite being shown by the European countries to access information on their residents’ offshore assets.

This will undoubtedly lead to information being passed to HMRC regarding assets belonging to UK expats who still have a UK ‘footprint’.

HMRC will be keen to track down expats who left the UK with unresolved tax issues, using the cross border agreements which exist for the collection of tax due to another jurisdiction. This means that if HMRC can demonstrate to the Spanish tax authorities that tax is legally and correctly due in the UK, it can ask the Spanish tax collector to pursue the funds on behalf of HMRC. Not a comfortable prospect for those individuals.

It is almost always a much less painful process, both emotionally and financially, to voluntarily disclose to HMRC before an inspector comes knocking at your door.

There are now some very good disclosure facilities available to people who think they may possibly have tax disclosures to make.

If you are one of those people please don’t wait – act now. If you are unsure what your position is, please don’t hesitate to contact me at. roy.baldwin@ smith.williamson.co.uk.

For further information regarding offshore tax or visit http:// www.smith.williamson.co.uk/ tax-investigations Smith & Williamson is an independent professional and financial services group employing around 1,500 people.

Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, it is a leading provider of investment management, financial advisory and accountancy services to private clients, professional practices and mid-to-large corporates. The group has eleven principal offices in the UK and Ireland; these are in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Glasgow, Guildford, Manchester, Salisbury, Southampton, and Worcester.

Disclaimer By necessity, this briefing can only provide a short overview and it is essential to seek professional advice before applying the contents of this article.

No responsibility can be taken for any loss arising from action taken or refrained from on the basis of this publication. Details correct at time of writing.

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Law Beat the Crisis 51

www.theolivepress.es

MARBELLA is set to host the first international forum on how businesses, groups and individuals can survive the current crisis.

Held at the Marbella Congress Centre on May 16, Innova 2013 is a forum on in-

novation, education and entrepreneurship – key factors to overcome the recession.

The all-day event includes a keynote speech from Juan Verde, advisor to Barack Obama, as well as many other leading figures in-

cluding Luis de Castilo and Manolo Santana. At a press conference, Pancho Campo, founder of Innova, stressed the need for education and innovation to deal with the current economic situation.

AGONY ANT

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED

Penthouse for sale with sea views, jacuzzi and…energy certificate Be warned a new law regarding energy efficiency is coming into force next month FOLLOWING the implementation of a EU directive on energy performances of buildings, we will soon be seeing ads like these.

As of June 1 anyone wishing to sell or rent out their home will need to supply the tenant or buyer with an ‘energy efficiency certificate’ for the property.

Each property must have an efficiency rating, which includes an objective evaluation of the energy characteristics of the building and suggestions for improving energy consumptions.

Among the items to be studied will be boilers, windows, lighting, insulation and even kitchen appliances will be considered in this technical report.

Ultimately though, the certificate will not

oblige the owner to carry out improvement works. It will merely suggest what could be done to achieve the efficiency.

This will be via a list of basic processes, but it does not say who is specifically qualified to do the work, although it is assumed engineers and surveyors should be able to sign and oversee the work.

One however would be unwise to underestimate the importance and impact of these certificates.

The new law is not coming in without good reason.

The paperwork will clearly spell out your energy consumption and point out the failings.

And it will be made clear that savings between A-listed properties and ones badly insulated could mean as much as 70% more in energy costs.

This will mean many hundreds, even thousands of euros more a year in extra Q. I wish to inherit a property but I don’t have the money to costs and could therefore be pay the taxes due on the inheritance. What can I do? critical when choosing one property over another one.

I have certainly heard of casA If you wish to inherit in Spain, you need to formalize it by es of people breaking their means of signing a ‘Deed of Acceptance of Inheritance’, at a budget to move into lovely Notary. properties on the Costa del You then have to pay taxes on the value of the estate inherited Sol only to find that the enwithin six months from when your relative died – ergy bills are extortionate After this date you will have to also pay a surcharge penalty as (often two or three times well as interest. what other similar houses If you do not sign the ‘Deed of Acceptance of Inheritance’, are paying) and have been you do not become the owner and therefore don’t have to pay forced to move out early. taxes.

With respect to the cost of Many times, however, inheritors do not sign the above docugetting a certificate, the govment, but use the property as if it was theirs, thereby becomernment at first predicted ing ‘tacit’ inheritors. that it would cost betwen This in itself could make the inheritors liable for payment of 90 and 250 euros, although taxes if they are discovered by the Tax Office, but this is not a the chairman of the Spancommon occurrence. ish Association for Quality What generally happens is that inheritors in Spain live in or of Building estimates it will use the property and after four years and 6 months from the more likely be between 250 death, they can sign the deed without paying any taxes as the and 400 euros. standard four year statute of limitations applies.

On a plus-side the certifiYou can’t sell it or rent it out but you can enjoy it. cate will be valid for 10 years Another option is to sell the property on the condition that the or until there is a variation deposit paid by the buyer will be used to pay the relevant death in aspects of the building duties. that can modify the original certificate.

Ask Ant

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Why vitamins are vital

In the second installment of our new column, Sotogrande-based expat and grandmother Juliet Hambro runs a rule over which vitamins and minerals are important and which not for senior citizens

I

F you read the literature on which vitamin and mineral supplements are the best to take, you’ll find confusing and often contradictory advice.

Some say to take only a multi-vitamin, some say you should take large doses of herbal remedies, some say you’ll get diseases without taking vitamins and others say just the opposite. Who can you believe?

claim healing properties for certain supplements that are not documented by the Baby Boomers have more money medical community. to spend than any other category.

There are special groups of They are the most affluent people who may need vitaconsumer group that exists, min supplements to mainaccount for over 40% of total tain health. consumer demand, own 79% of Those would include pregnant women, children and financial assets and spend nearly teens who are poor eat$2 trillion on goods and services ers, dieters or those on a each year! restricted diet, those with eating disorders and seWell the aptly-named Diniors with various problems etary Supplement Health including chronic diseases and Education Act (DSHEA) and those taking medicadefines supplements in this tions which limit vitamin way: absorption.

Seniors need vitamin D for A supplement is: osteoporosis, bone pain, 1) A supplement to food diabetes, heart 2) Contains one Quote of the Week disorders and or more dietary other health condiingredient such Becoming a grandmother is tions. They need as a vitamin, wonderful...One moment you’re just adequate vitamin mineral, herb or A for eyesight and a mother, the next you are all-wise botanical, or an heart health, C for amino acid. and prehistoric. - Pam Brown prevention of glau3) Comes in pill, coma and arthritis, capsule, tablet or K for healthy blood blotting prescription drugs. liquid form 4) Is labeled as a dietary They could potentially cause and prevention of Alzheiminteractions, imbalances er’s and Calcium for bone supplement and dangerous side effects. health. All of these may be Vitamin and mineral supple- Another issue with herbal obtained in a single multi-viments are meant to help and botanical supplements tamin or in over the counter maintain smooth body func- is that many are not regu- small dosages. tion while herbals or botani- lated and may be either In general here is the best cals have medicinal prop- stronger or weaker than the advice. Eat a healthy diet and talk to your docerties and target Quote of the Week 2 tor about any health certain body arconditions you have, eas such as skin, Do you know why grandchildren the medications you bones, or organs. are always so full of energy? take and which supVitamins and minplements may be of erals aid unique They suck it out of their benefit to you. body capabilities grandparents.- Gene Perret Beware of any inforsuch as enhancmation that encouring eyesight, bone ages taking large doses of growth, or beefing up the packaging indicates. body’s immune system. De- There are those who believe supplements and anyone ficiencies in these vitamins that many supplements, es- who claims to be able to or minerals can adversely pecially inexpensive ones cure health conditions with affect the body and may contain toxins in the ingre- them. As usual, good comlimit the body’s ability to dients used to bind them mon sense is often the best together into pill or capsule way to arrive at healthy soluheal itself.

Vitamin and mineral sup- form. There are others who tions for your senior lifestyle.

Granny fact

plements are not meant to make up for a poor diet, but they can support health when taken in conjunction with healthy food intake.

Herbals and botanicals are some of the oldest remedies in the world. It is thought that about 80% of the world’s population still relies on herbal remedies for most ailments.

It can be dangerous, however, to take herbals and botanical products in conjunction with modern day medicines. You need to check with your doctor to see whether or not herbal medicine products are safe to take with your current

www.askgranny.com is a unique website and resource for grandparents and senior citizens worldwide created by Granny Juliet and provides useful information on a number of topics.

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Top Salud 51

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Weeding keeps you wee!

Gardening is the best way to stay slim and healthy

FORGET faddy diets and gruelling exercise regimes, because if you really want to lose weight your best bet is to take up gardening.

New research from the University of Utah has revealed that green-fingered men and women tend to be trimmer than non-gardeners.

The study shows that a woman who gardens is on average five kilos lighter than a non-gardening female neighbour – roughly the equivalent to a whole dress size.

Meanwhile, green-fingered men were shown to be 7 kilos - more than a stone lighter than their non-gardening counterparts.

What’s more, the research revealed that men were 62% less likely to be overweight or obese if they gardened, while the women were 46% less likely to pile on the

pounds.

And the differences in weight could not be explained away by good genes, as the study found non-gardening brothers and sisters were not as slim as their green-fingered siblings.

But it seems that spouses benefit from their husbands and wives endeavours - possibly due to helping out in the garden or eating the fresh fruit and veg grown at home.

“We know that obesity is costly,” said lead author Cathleen Zick, professor of family and consumer studies at the university.

“This study begins to shed light on the costs and benefits of the choices families make about eating and physical activity.”

Use your mobile to avoid skin cancer SPANISH SCIENTISTS DISCOVER CURE FOR MOUTH ULCERS

OF E EE RG FR A CH

SCIENTISTS in Granada have found a hormone in the body that could help tackle painful mouth ulcers in cancer patients.

About 40% of chemotherapy patients develop severe mouth ulcers, and many describe it as the most unpleasant aspect of their treatment.

Now scientists at the University of Granada have developed a gel made from melatonin, a hormone crucial for sleep.

Ulcers are thought to be the result of chemotherapy destroying the mitochondria — tiny components in the body’s cells which are crucial for their survival.

Animal studies suggest that the gel protects the mitochiondria from damage and the team now hope to start human trials.

A CLEVER new phone app will help expats keep an eye on any potentially dangerous skin cancer growths.

The app Skin Prevention is designed to give people early warnings signals of the disease.

It lets users take a photo of any suspicious moles or marks they have on a smart phone.

The € 5.99 app then monitors any changes in the skin by overlaying different images of the same area taken over time. The device then highlights any developments that a doctor should be informed about.

Top Salud 51

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COLA-ADAY CAN LEAD TO DIABETES A major study found the risk rose by as much as 22 per cent for every can of sugar sweetened drink consumed per day

By Mason Jones DRINKING just one can of soft drink a day can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by a fifth, scientists have warned.

A study of almost 30,000 people living in eight European countries, including the UK and Spain, showed a direct link between the drinks and developing diabetes.

The number of Britons diagnosed with diabetes hit three million this year for the first time – almost one in 20 of the population.

Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to lifestyle factors such as being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet.

It occurs when the body gradually loses the ability to process blood sugar, leading to high levels which can damage body organs and result in years of ill-health.

DANGER: Avoid fizzy drinks as much as possible The latest study used data on consumption of juices and nectars, sugarsweetened soft drinks and artificially sweetened soft drinks.

Dr Dora Romaguera, who

led the study, said: “Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population.”

Shroom with a view

PLACING your mushrooms in direct sunlight before eating them can provide as much vitamin D as health supplements.

Experts have discovered that mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light contain the vitimin D2.

“Furthermore we found that ingesting mushrooms containing D2 was as effective as raising and maintaining a healthy adult’s vitamin D status as ingesting supplements,”

explained researcher Dr Michael Holick, at Boston University.

To get the most out of your mushroom, he recommends taking them out of their wrapping and leaving them outside on a window sill for 30 minutes.

The mushrooms transform ultraviolet light from the sun into vitamin D, and continue to do so even when harvested.

Adults need 2,000 units of vitamin D a day while a portion of sun-exposed mushrooms provides around 400 units.

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Mineral Miracle Man

talk radio europe

IF it were not for minerals Peter Willoughby would surely be dead.

At 19, the motorcyclist went under the front wheels of an articulated lorry doing 60 mph. The motorbike got jammed under the cab and to make things worse the drunken lorry driver drove backwards and forwards crushing his body further.

He was a mess and no one thought he would survive.

Although he ‘flat lined’ numerous times he pulled through and, incredibly, several years and countless operations later, he was able to walk again.

The prognosis however for the future was not great.

The specialists told him to expect crippling arthritic pain for many years. And that is where his research started.

He read that minerals formed ‘the basis for all life’ and after trying many supplements he came across a plant-based mineral product containing a natural source of 75 essential and trace minerals.

It led to eight years free from pain until one day he felt unwell.

ably well and has absolutely no aches or pains.

He is a regular visitor to Spain and works closely with Esteponabased Natural Health Solutions which supplies his products locally.

For more information call 00 34 667 644 543

PETE: Back to health

Supplements

An examination revealed a 10.5 cm pulmonary embolism, the largest ever recorded in a (still) living human being.

“What have you been doing to have arteries so clean, strong and flexible?” the surgeon asked.

Peter told him about the plant-based mineral supplements, which the doctor believes are what kept him alive.

So happy was he with the results, Peter purchased the mineral supplements company and has been passionately focussed on spreading the word since.

“The superconductive nutrients Mother Nature intended us all to live on form the foundation to all life, but they are no longer available in our food,” he explains.

“We need these minerals to regain our own optimum cellular health.”

Now 50, Peter is remark-

RECORD: Pete’s embolism was 10.5cmin size

Complementary Salud!

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55

RE-BIRTH In the first of a series of articles Geoffrey Wattinne explains how good osteopathy can be for babies

OSTEOPATHY is very beneficial for babies, which is only natural as during birth the baby passes through the pelvis and the head suffers compression.

After birth a natural phase of decompression takes place through which the baby’s skull bones go back to their normal position.

Sometimes this decompression phase is not completed properly, especially if the birth was either unusually fast or long or if forceps or a vacuum was used.

In these cases although the head may look symmetrical, the compression may still be present.

This can lead to crying, irritation and the baby could have sleeping problems, breastfeeding difficulties and/or constipation among other symptoms.

Why can skull compression BENEFICIAL: An osteopath can help your baby sleep and improve his health affect a newborn so much?

In between the baby’s skull Each cranial nerve has a the lungs, the heart and the helping with the disappearsystem, ance of the symptoms. there are cranial nerves different function and each gastro-intestinal that are connected to the one is extremely important. thus we can see that only organs. If the compression For example, the correct one irritated nerve can reis still present after birth function of the five senses is sult in complications.

For more information on these nerves can be irritated involved, movement of the An osteopath decompresses Craniosacral Osteopathy by the bones affecting the eye, the tongue, the facial the skull bones of the baby’s contact Geoffrey Wattinne head using light, gentle on 622 09 89 16 or visit physiology of the organs muscles, etc.

One nerve is connected to and precise manipulations, www.osteopatiadelsol.com and creating problems.

Yoga

with Rachael Hemming

Balasana (Child’s Pose) Benefits • Peace, rest & tranquillity • Tight buttocks, thighs and high arches in feet require posture adaptation • Releases tension in the back, shoulders and chest • Recommended if you have dizziness or fatigue • Helps alleviate stress and anxiety • Flexes the body’s internal organs and keeps them supple • It lengthens and stretches the spine • Relieves neck and lower back pain when performed with the head and torso supported • It gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles • Normalizes circulation throughout the body • It stretches muscles, tendons and ligaments in the knee • Calms the mind and body • Encourages strong and steady breathing How to do it • Sit in kneeling position, shins to floor, feet pointing backwards, soles of feet upwards and relaxed so big toes point inwards.

Gently allow back of your thighs to rest towards your calves and buttocks to rest towards the backs of your shins. Be relaxed, breathing slow and regular.

• Inhale and as you breathe out fold from your hips and waist, forwards and down, taking your tummy towards your thighs.

When and if your tummy rests on your thighs allow the centre of your forehead to rest on the floor and close your eyes. Keep your buttocks down towards your heels. Do not strain • Breathe in and as you breathe out lay your arms alongside your body, fingers pointing towards your toes, be relaxed, palms soft & facing upwards. Inhale and as you exhale allow your shoul-

ders to soften towards the floor. Relax your buttocks and allow it to soften towards your heels.

• If this is uncomfortable in any way adapt this position and open your knees to a comfortable distance, keeping your buttocks going towards your heels. Place one fist on top of the other, place your forehead on top of your fists and relax.

• Take 10 soft rounds of breath, in and out softly through your nose allowing your out breath to be longer than your in breath, do not force the breath, simply take a little control of length of breath. On each exhalation look to relax a little more.

• This posture, if comfortable is nurturing, reflective and introspective. It is often used as a counter posture to back bends and is soothing for the base of the spine and lower part of the back.

• If you have any concerns practising yoga please consult your doctor.

• Come and join my yoga nights at Tikitano in Estepona. Mondays from may 6. Three classes from 6pm, including Hatha, Kundalini and Mantras.

• Rachael Hemming 634 872 450 www.theyogicemporium.com

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Adria at home I NOTICE that super chef Ferran Adria , he of ‘you’ll have to wait 30 years for a table by the toilets at elbulli’ fame, has launched a new app.

With it, you will be able to create 31 distinctive menus from the great man himself to dazzle and impress your guests. Oh, and you’ll be able to share photos of your best dishes.

What a shame Spain has finally reached this stage.

One of the reasons that I left the UK in the late 90s was the fact the Masterchef/Jamie Oliver madness had just begun, and you couldn’t go to a dinner party without the hugely stressed hostess serving something

with a ‘jus’.

Personally I’ve always found that it’s the company that makes a great dinner party. The food is a secondary consideration. Though you may find the carefree consumption of premium cocktails also helps...

I’LL NAME THAT WIFE IN FIVE My heart goes out to the Senagalese street trader who was refused Spanish citizenship because he couldn’t name Prime Minister Rajoy’s wife.

I haven’t a clue either. My mate thought it might have been Eva Longoria and I wonder if they will start introducing this kind of question before any future investors from the gulf states invest in the country.

“Shiek al-Thani, can you name all of your wives?” thought not.

Adios Mandu

They say you never actually own a cat but that it finds you and lets you live with it.

That was certainly true of my cat, Mandu. (You know I can never resist a bad pun).

The builders next door to where I was living 10 years ago found her as a kitten and asked me if I wanted

to keep her or they would ‘take care of her’.

So for the last decade Mandu became my psychotic feline companion, frequently appearing in my articles and variously described as a ‘Furry bowling ball’,, ‘Mobile Davy Crocket hat’ and ‘Fat Mandu’ (She was a large girl).

I kept the listeners of my

radio show abreast of her latest adventures up at my casita on the lake.

That was until last week when I was hurrying out to an evening meeting and glanced over to the terrace to see her lying motionless in the garden.

Devastated was not the word. In fact I was distraught as I learnt that she

might have been poisoned and then even somehow had a heart attack after being attacked by an eagle.

Adios Mandu, and thanks for being able to put up with me for so long.

The Happy Hunting Grounds, where I know you now reside, must be wondering what hit them!

FROZEN FLAMINGO FUN It’s flamingo season up in Fuente de Piedra and the arrival of the distinctive birds always brings birdwatchers - or ‘twitchers’ as I believe they are known - flocking up.

It led to one of my favourite exchanges with a British tourist while shopping in a supermarket near the lake, when I lived nearby some years back.

“Excuse me? are you british?” this chap in a t-shirt and shorts asked. “could you tell us where the flamingos are?”

“Third aisle down, next to the frozen chickens” I replied, before stumbling off and leaving them totally bewildered.

U J p the

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ardin path MOTOR

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Get them gardening GARDENING could become a thing of the past due to a generation of celebrityobsessed youngsters, warns Alan Titchmarsh.

The green fingered TV star said that unless teenagers are encouraged into the horticulture industry, the Chelsea Flower Show will

Ground Force star warns horticulture is a dying trade become ‘little more than a wistful memory’.

“It’s time we reconnected

CALL TO ACTION: Titchmarsh

them with apples rather than Apple Macs, plant cells rather than cell phones and

Three cheers for Tommy!

VISITORS to the Homes and Garden’s and Lifestyles Show in Torremolinos enjoyed a cup of tea with Tommy Walsh on the Cambridge 800 stand.

The Ground Force star was more than happy to sign autographs, pose for pictures and even speak to fans over the phone!

Money raised from the Tea with Tommy event has been donated to Positively Pink and Positively Blue Charities.

raspberries as well as BlackBerrys ,” said the former Ground Force presenter.

Speaking at the launch of the RHS Chelsea Centenary Appeal, Titchmarsh said the industry is in decline because ‘careers advisers never even think of it’.

Expressing his concerns, the 63-year-old added: “Without horticulture we would be hungry, uninspired, artistically stunted, unhealthily house-bound , pale of skin and unsound in body.

“Our wildlife would be deprived of habitats, birds would go hungry, bees would be short of nectar and frogs would fail to find sufficient places to spawn.”

HE KNOWS HIS ONIONS! by Peter Langdale

Gardeners critique O N deciding what to write, I thought as the weather is non too good I would have a rant.

The subject of my displeasure is slightly attached to gardening as I hope to clarify some points related to commercial crop production in Almeria. No doubt several of you read the extract taken from the book Bad Seed, which was featured a couple of weeks ago in the Olive Press, and highlighted the situation of migrant workers in Almeria.

In my opinion much of what was written was a load of b*****ks and did not reflect the immense professionalism of the majority of growers in Almeria. This is not to say some abuse does not go on but this is not the norm. For somebody who has spent several weeks in a hippy commune, and by their own admission smoking copious amounts of dope, I do not feel they are justified in insinuating that the example they recount

is typical of commercial production in Almeria.

Like any good woolly pulley wearer or green supporter, the writer considers the plastic a blot on the landscape. Possibly they would like to turn the clock back 50 years and still have the South east of Spain as a barren desert and completely impoverished.

The development of advanced growing systems and plastic structures has turned Almeria into a power house of European food production.

The development of horticulture has given much needed work to thousands of people and generated much income and tax revenue for Spain and helped maintain the social fabric of a developing country.

The writer also comments on the use of chemical fertilisers. The application of mineral fertilisers is far safer to the consumer than the risk of bacterial contamination from some organic or animal manure fertilisers. The

dosification of nutrients is a very exact science and usually controlled in protected cropping by sophisticated computer driven equipment.

Chemical synthetic pesticides: The use of synthetic pesticides and subsequent residues are rigorously controlled and in many cases safer than some natural pesticides used in organic crop production. A large percentage of the protected cropping area of Southern Spain follows the disciplines of integrated crop protection with the use of natural predators and minimal chemical intervention.

Genetically modified crops: These are not grown as most European retailers still do not accept varieties of fresh produce that have been genetically modified.

Labour use and employment regulation: As most of the large exporters sell to the big European markets and retailers, it is usually a pre-requisite that they and their nomi-

nated growers are audited as ethical labour employers.

As an exporter myself we are constantly audited on all aspects of our production and labour usage, and failure to comply and subsequent loss of certification would be a disaster for our business.

I appreciate that a certain sector of society frowns on factory farming. The reality is that factory farming can be ethical and within Europe works within the bounds of environmental restraints.

Modern production methods have given the readers of this publication year round availability at a very affordable price.

As a foot note to all the above I welcome the writer of Bad Seed to take me to task and see if we as growers in Southern Spain deserve the poor opinion of us or alternatively that we can demonstrate the contrary.

Next time around I will try and come up with some gardening tips and recommendations.

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Eat the World Spanish food is taking the globe by storm show new statistics

T

HERE is seemingly no stopping the global appetite for Spanish cuisine.

Spanish food exports have recorded an increase of 11.9% over the last year.

The huge growth area now counts for 16% of Spain’s total exports or a whopping €30 billion in value.

“It is a very important growth area,” explains Ines Menendez de Luarca, director of Gastronomy of Spanish Trade and Investment (ICEX).

“Countries ranging from Brazil to Hong Kong, Poland and the United Kingdom have all seen Spanish chefs opening restaurants in the last five years, along with foreign investors opening Spanish restaurants in London, New York and Melbourne,” she adds.

The latest boom market is in the Far East, in particular in Hong Kong, which has become a hotbed of Spanish cuisine.

Restaurants in Hong Kong include Catalunya Hong Kong, 22 Ships, View 62 owned by Ferran Adria disciple Paco Roncero, Boqueria and Vi Cool from Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola.

Various Spanish companies have been opening worldwide franchise tapas bars, such as 101 Montaditos and Lizarran, which operates in the United States, from New York to Florida.

And of course, local restaurateur Dani Garcia has recently opened his new restaurant Manzanilla in New York, which has been receiving rave-reviews.

He told the Olive Press this week: “The enthusiasm for Spanish food in the US has been incredible.

“Our cuisine is bit by bit getting up there with French cuisine globally. It is very exciting.”

HIT: Dani Garcia and Catalunya

Bottoms Up as Spanish wines boom in the UK! SPANISH wine is more than plonking itself on the tables of the chattering classes of London.

Sales of Spanish wines have boomed by an incredible 16% in just one year in the UK. Overtaking New Zealand and Argentina, Spanish wine now accounts for a staggering 63 million bottles a year.

The growth has mainly been fuelled by Rioja - and Spain

now ranks fifth as Britain’s best-loved wine-producing nation, after Australia, Italy, the US and France.

Food analysts Nielsen puts the growth down to the rising popularity of tapas in the UK. It comes as supermarket Tesco, the largest UK wine retailer, has added more than a dozen new Spanish wines to meet this demand.

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Pancho’s Punch In the first of a new wine column Andalucia’s only Master of Wine (MW) Pancho Campo talks about the massive impact climate change is having on the industry, particularly in hot countries like Spain

ALL CHANGE

I

HAVE been studying climate change and its impacts on the wine industry for 10 years. Indeed, I wrote my masters dissertation on the subject, which led on to the World Conference on Climate Change and Wine in 2006 in which I was lucky to meet former US Vice-president Al Gore.

We went on to attend two training seminars together and I later became an advisory board member of his Climate Reality Project to try to spread the message.

But it was certainly not easy in those early days because

WINE OF THE WEEK Ramos Paul 2005 – Bodega El Chantre – Ronda

Bodega El Chantre is one of the most enchanting wineries in Andalucia. Located in Ronda, only meters away from the Roman amphitheatre of Acinipo, its views across to the Sierra de Grazalema are spectacular in the extreme. The winery is a must visit for any wine aficionado when travelling around this part of Spain and the likes of Bill Gates and President Rajoy have been recent visitors. Nané and his wife Pilar are famed for their hospitality and they have a true fondness for the UK and love to practice their English. A tour of the winery and a tasting of their magnificent wines should follow a visit to the Roman ruins. Excellent Iberico ham will be served and if you get Nane in the mood he will sing and play a few songs with his guitar. Their wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Syrah, which results in a voluptuous, full bodied but elegant wine, ideal to pair with a juicy steak.

people thought that global warming, as it was called then, was more in the realms of science fiction than reality. Many people labelled us simply sensationalist or attention seeking. But we soldiered on.

So what impact does climate change have on wine?

The answer is simple and makes a lot of sense.

Good wine has to be made with good grapes and grapes are directly influenced by the climate they are produced in.

Basically sunlight, rainfall, temperature and humidity are the key factors for the growth of a vineyard.

These are the factors that climate change affects the most and it can lead to warmer or colder regions as well as big changes in annual rainfall levels.

Let me explain. Global warming refers to an average increase in the earth’s temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate.

Dr. Gregory Jones from Southern Oregon University reported results of their analysis of 50 years of climate data from 27 wine regions and compared them with Sotheby’s 100-point vintage ratings.

They wanted to spot trends in wine quality and growing season temperatures.

In addition, they ran a sophisticated climate model to look at the projected temperature changes over the next 50 years.

The results are striking. Overall, growing season temperatures have increased for most of the world’s high quality wine regions by an average of 2 ºC. In tandem with this rise in temperatures, the quality of vintages has also improved in recent years.

The results also suggest that the 27 wine regions analysed can expect an average growing season

Regions traditionally cold and humid, like England, quality wines are starting to be produced. temperature increase of 2.04 ºC by 2049.

It has always been accepted that the regions for wine growing are those located between the parallels 30 and 50 in both hemispheres. This has started to change, and in regions traditionally cold and humid, like England, quality wines are starting to be produced.

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On the flipside, the warmer wineproducing areas, like Spain, will start to find difficulties in growing the same grape varieties.

In hot regions water resources are becoming affected and grapes are starting to show excessive ripening conditions, and losing flavour and complexity.

The regions in most danger include Chianti and Barolo in Italy, Rioja, in Spain, southern France, the Hunter Valley, parts of Chile and the Central Valley of California.

The main affects of this increased temperatures will be lower acidity, and a higher alcohol content, a major added disadvantage with new enforced drink drive laws.

As rainfall levels drop, harvest periods will probably have to be brought forward, and there will be an increased problem of pests and diseases.

So while it seems that the climate change over the last 50 years has mostly had a positive effect the future could be quite different.

Viticulturists will be forced to plant different varieties with increased resistance to drought and to the new climate conditions. We will witness the introduction of new irrigation methods and one thing for sure, the wine-producing map will have big variations and the style of certain regions will change.

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Don’t follow the rules!

Annabel Grossman meets pop star turned celebrity chef on a cooking day in Fuengirola

POP legend Paul Young is one chef that doesn’t follow the rules when it comes to Spanish cooking.

On a trip to the Costa del Sol this week for a cooking demonstration, the singer-turned-chef told the Olive Press that he likes to mix it up in the kitchen by adapting traditional dishes to individual tastes.

“I enjoy experimenting with fish dishes from the coastal areas of Spain,” he said, reflecting on his long-standing love of the Costas. “But with all my recipes I chop and change a few of the flavours.

“Ultimately you don’t always have to follow the rules,” added Young, who is a regular visitor to the Costa del Sol, where his mother-in-law has lived for years.

After becoming famous in CHEF: Singer Paul Young cooks up a feast the Eighties with hits such as Wherever I Lay My Hat, he has became something of a celebrity chef over recent years, having appeared in a number of TV shows including Master Chef and Devils Kitchen.

So keen has he become with cooking in fact, that he has just launched his own cookbook Recipes Found On My Travels, which features a number of Spanish dishes.

“My favourite recipes are those that combine a range of influences, I find that sort of cooking the most exciting,” he added.

While some of the dishes may seem extravagant, Paul is quick to point out that many of the recipes can be mastered by even the most novice chef.

“The book has everything from simple soups and family favourites right up to extravagant Mexican and pork dishes,” he said.

“So it’s up to you whether you want to stick to simple cooking or branch out and be more adventurous.”

The singer was showing off his culinary flair this week when he whipped up his seafood paella at a cooking demonstration to a packed audience at the Club La Costa World resort, near Fuengirola.

The resort restaurant Safari has even now installed three of his recipes on the menu.

However, he admitted he’s still got a lot to learn when it comes to Spanish cooking.

“I know very little about cuisine from other regions of Spain,” he said. “I’ve tried simple tapas but I’d be really interested to travel inland and experiment with different styles.”

Awardwinning hotel and restaurant 39

the olive press - May 1 - 15, 2013

JUST ten minutes from Ronda, there is a small hotel and restaurant which has been punching above its weight for many years.

Deep in the countryside, in a really idyllic spot, Hotel Molino del Santo continues to offer excellent service and quality in all it does.

With 18 comfortable rooms in the hotel and wonderful terraces alongside a mountain stream where amazing food is served every day, it is little wonder that thousands of people visit the hotel every year.

Great Food Trip Advisor users love Molino del Santo – making it a winner for the 3rd consecutive year – and the restaurant gets rave reviews from all quarters.

A whole range of eating options is availa-

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ble from light snacks to full tasting menus where each course is matched with a glass of a local wine – and the wines are also delicious.

The local train stops just 300metres from the hotel – but only four times a day. The timings are perfect to visit for lunch or to use the train in to return from walks in the area. Lunch by train from San Roque makes for an unforgettable day out.

Fancy staying over? Ronda is just up the road but there is so much to see and do in the area that you may need to stay in the hotel for longer than you planned.

For a different day out or a break from the coast, the reception staff – who all speak English – have great knowledge of the area and will be delighted to help you in any way they can. www.molinodelsanto.com T: 952 16 71 51

the FREE

the olive press - May 1 - May 15

Dominoes deemed too noisy in popular resort town

By Lennox Napier THE mayor of Mojacar has become internationally famous after threatening to ban the game of dominoes in her town.

In a crack down on noise mayoress Rosa Maria Cano insists that the ‘slap slap’ sound of dominoes is an affront to the peaceful nature of the town.

The PP mayor is also introducing fines for loud revellers and insisting that bars must close by 2.00am rather that 3.00am.

As well as loud music, the clank of cash registers, the sound of high heels from the apartment upstairs, as well as dogs barking are all coming under attack.

Culprits will face fines of up to 3000 euros.

‘We have gone from being paradise to a drunken purgatory’, she explained.

Covering Andalucia in 2013 with 188,000 papers www.theolivepress.es (120,000 digital) and around 150,000 visits to the website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

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Doping doctor convicted of endangering public health

May 15, 2013

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THE Spanish doctor at the heart of the blood-doping scandal has received a one year suspended sentence following a 10-week trial in Madrid.

Eufemiano Fuentes has been found guilty of endangering public health after overseeing a large-scale doping operation within the cycling industry.

However, in a move that has angered the Spanish anti-doping agency, Judge Julia Santamaria refused to hand over additional evidence presented during the trial which could have led to further investigations.

Santamaria instead ordered blood bags and documents seized from Fuentes’s clinic to be destroyed.

The blood bags will now remain in storage in Barcelona until an appeal by the agency is heard.

When the clinic was raided in

By Mason Jones

2006, doping was not illegal in Spain so Fuentes and his coaccused could only be tried on public health charges.

The doctor stood trial with four others, including his sister Yolanda and former manager of the Kelme cycling team, Jose Ignacio Labarta.

Labarta was also found guilty and handed a four-month prison sentence.

Although the case was only limited to work with cyclists, Fuentes admitted that other clients included athletes from football, boxing and tennis.

Under Spanish law, sentences of less than two years handed to those with no previous convictions are suspended meaning Fuentes will not have to serve a custodial sentence.

Well travelled tapestry comes home

A SPANISH tapestry stolen in 1979 has been returned from an art shop in Texas.

The tapestry, which depicts the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus and Saint Vincent of Zaragoza, was declared a national monument in 1924 by royal decree.

But in 1979 it was stolen from a cathedral in Aragon.

Now, the US authorities have returned the piece after the Guardia Civil discovered it had been sold in 2010 at an arts fair in Brussels for €285,000.

Investigators also discovered the piece had been previously owned by collectors from Milan and Paris.

US agent Brian M. Moskowitz said: “Our special agents are at the forefront of the effort to identify and return these items to their lawful owners.”

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Police raid FINAL WORDS

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Six people have been arrested in connection with 120 kilos of cocaine which was stolen from a police warehouse in Malaga.

Bee happy The EU is to impose a Europe-wide ban on modern pesticides blamed for the declining bee population for two years.

WE’LL BE NO PUSHOVER GIBRALTAR’S FA has commissioned a photographic exhibition celebrating the Rock’s devotion to football just as its bid to join UEFA reaches its final stages.

As part of its efforts to gain UEFA membership the GFA’s council members have been flying around European cities in the last month with the message: “We are ready”, to become the 54th UEFA team.

The association is also developing ambitious designs for a new, world-class stadium to meet FIFA standards which would be built at Europa Point.

UEFA will vote on Gibraltar’s membership at their Congress in London on May 24th.

The Faces of football is on view at Gibraltar’s Fine Arts Gallery in Casemate’s Square until May 6.

No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the explicit permission of the publisher. While efforts are made to ensure the authenticity of advertisements and articles appearing in The Olive Press, the publisher does not accept any responsibility for claims made, nor do contributors’ opinions necessarily represent his own. Copyright Luke Stewart Media S.L 2013