Spanish painting attracts worldwide attention !

Security has been stepped up around a painting donated to a church in Andalusia after an unauthorised advert for its sale sparked a bidding war.

Art dealers from across Europe and America bombarded the bishopric of Quesada, in Jaen, with offers of up to €200,000 for the painting by Spanish artist Rafael Zabaleta.

The oil on canvas was put up for sale by the parish priest, without the permission of the bishopric, in an effort to raise much-needed funds for maintenance work.

 Now, the artwork, depicting St. Peter and St. Paul, has been placed in secure storage amid fears that its increased profile could make it a target for thieves.

Expressionist Zabaleta donated the painting to the church in his hometown in 1940.

The masterpiece is a rare example of religion in the Spaniard’s work, which more commonly depicted scenes of peasants and rural life.

Iconic 'Lorca' building saved from ruin ....

For years it has been allowed to crumble and decay.

Now, after years of legal wrangling, one of Andalucia’s most evocative monuments has been saved from certain destruction.

Cortijo del Fraile – the building which inspired Federico Garcia Lorca to write his play Blood Wedding – has finally been taken over by the Junta.

In a deal between Nijar Town Hall and the owners of the finca, the Junta’s Ministry of Culture will now take it over to be restored.

The historic 18th century farmhouse – where in 1931 a bride was killed on her wedding day – will now get urgent work to prevent its collapse.

The building can also be seen in  the movie 'The Good The Bad & The Ugly' and  'For A Few Dollars More'.

Although classed as a ‘Building of Cultural Interest’ (BIC) in 2008, it disgracefully suffered years of neglect, after the authorities insisted it was the owners who were responsible for maintaining it.

In May last year, the owner, a local agrobusiness, was fined €30,000 for breaching preservation duties, sparking a row between Nijar and the Junta.

Nijar mayor Antonio Jesus Rodriguez said this week: “Now it’s time to act quickly so that everything is processed in the shortest time possible and work can begin on the maintenance, preservation and rehabilitation.”

It is thought the building could be worth around €4 million once restored to its former glory.
It is believed it could become a major tourist attraction for the stunning Cabo de Gata natural park, where it sits.

As part of the agreement, the owners of the building will receive a new plot of land within the municipality of Nijar.


 

Surfers Welcome Gales.....

The South-Easterly gales which have been blowing trees down all over the place, has been a golden chance for surfers to get their boards out in La Herradura Bay, a twenty minute or so drive to the west of Motril on the Costa Tropical.

Around  20 surfers from down Málaga way, gathered at the mouth of Río Jate, near Peña Parda and were soon out amongst the surf.
The windier the better and who cares if the water’s cold, if you have the right equipment in the form of a neoprene wetsuit.   But cold it has been, thanks to the snowfall on the Almijarra mountain range behind the village.

La Herradura is a choice spot for surfers thanks to the bay and attracts people from outside the province, as well as our inland towns.

Ferry to Nador, Morocco from El Costa Tropical.....

Motril Harbour backed by the Sierra Nevada

Africa,  in just over four hours........

Motril to Nador, Morocco.......

The Naviera Armas begins operating from next Monday, January 21, a new route between Motril and the nearby port of Nador, as advanced to the shipping company MELILLA canaria TODAY.  

The news of this new route and the potential impact on maritime transport of Melilla has caused different reactions, since while the Tourist Board believes it can be positive, Melilla Puerto fears that it might cause a drop in passengers.



La Naviera Armas empezará a operar desde el lunes que viene, 21 de enero, una nueva línea marítima entre Motril y el vecino puerto de Nador, según avanzó a MELILLA HOY la compañía marítima canaria. 

Esta nueva ruta y la repercusión que podría tener sobre el transporte marítimo de Melilla ha causado diferentes valoraciones, ya que mientras el Patronato de Turismo cree que puede ser positivo, el Puerto melillense teme que cause un bajón de pasajeros.

El viceconsejero de Turismo melilense, Javier Mateo cree que la nueva línea entre Motril y Nador puede beneficiar a Melilla. En su opinión, "ayudará a fomentar el yacimiento de Motril, del que se nutre nuestra competencia marítima".

El presidente del Puerto de Melilla, en cambio, no ve con buenos ojos esta nueva ruta de la Naviera Armas porque puede suponer una distribución de los flujos de transporte en el Norte de África.    

Motril Digital

New Year, new expenses....

The prices of many basic services went up on January 1st by much more than earnings and many people will find it difficult to reach the end of the month.

The sixth year of the economic crisis has now begun and it brings with it yet another increase in the price of most basic services. Neither the salaries of those who still have jobs nor the average retirement pension have risen by as much and, with spending power significantly reduced, many people will not find it easy to face the increases in certain taxes.

 

 

Electricity

Electricity has risen by 3 per cent for millions of domestic customers, although for some - those whose contracted supply is lower than 3 kilowatts, families where all members are out of work, pensioners on the lowest income - the price has been frozen. 

The government is also going to penalise increases in consumption by charging more and has therefore had to eradicate the estimated monthly meter readings. 

There will be further increases during the year, because the tax of 7 per cent which has to be paid by the suppliers will end up being passed on to the public.

 

Fuel

Petrol and diesel will be going up immediately if the oil companies and petrol stations decide to include in the final prices the tax on biofuels which form part of the products' composition. 

The exemption from this tax ended on January 1st. 

At the pumps, this new tax could mean an extra charge of between 3 and 5 céntimos per litre. 

 

Telephone

The crisis has caused a flight of customers to virtual operators and created huge competition among the big companies such as Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange. 

The most expensive monthly charge for landlines is that of Telefónica, and it has been frozen at 13.974 euros plus IVA for the past five years. This could go up by the same rate as the Retail Price Index, not only in 2013 but also every year until 2016. 

 

Postal charges

On 1st January the cost of sending normal letters and postcards up to 20 grammes in weight went up by 2.7 per cent to 37 céntimos.

 

Transport

The price of suburban, medium distance and regional rail sevices is going up by an average of 3 to 3.5 per cent. 

The discount on return tickets will be increased from 10 to 20 per cent on conventional regional services and those that use the high speed lines.

 Companies which run the inter-urban bus services have been authorised to charge 6 per cent more to compensate for the rise in fuel costs. 

Airport taxes will include a surcharge of 85 céntimos per person, and tolls on state-run motorways have gone up by an average of 2.4 per cent.

 

How to make savings

Consumers associations point out that it is still possible to save money by, for example, writing a list before going shopping, comparing prices, making note of special offers, buying own brands and seasonal produce, filling washing machines and dishwashers completely, limiting central heating and showering instead of taking a bath.

 

 

Annual Giant Paella.....

This year marks the 21st campaign organized by the Asocación Solidaria Amigos de Baracoa, Cuba, which culminates in the Giant Paella prepared by Joaquín from La Herradura’s Chambao de Joaquín, in the Majuelo, Almuñécar.

 The event will take place on the weekend fo the 19th and 20th of January and will have live music performed by Cubanísimo and the Duo Sortilegio (Laura & Diego), as well as plenty of colour and movement provided by the Flamenco dance group, Sabor Andaluz.
There will also be musicians and dancers from Baracoa in Cuba: Nadiuska & Raul Cintra and their dance academy Salsaludando.

For those of you who remember the very popular kiddy’s show from the early 80′s, Verano Azul, there will be some of the actors from the series.

And it doesn’t stop there because there will also be a raffle draw with prizes such as legs of cured ham and boxes of wine and much more. Finally, if you like a good Cuban cigar, you can buy them then, as well.

So, starting at noon on the 19th, you’ll be able to contribute to a charity cause and watch Joaquín, in spectacular form,  preparing and cooking a huge paella, which, for just six euros, you can have a good plate of together with a drink and bread.

What’s Going On with the A7?

A socialist MP has had some harsh words for the Government’s decision to re-evaluate the price tag for two stretches of motorway: the A7 between La Herradura and the A44 between Izbor and Velez de Benaudalla.

This re-evaluation has led the Central Government to pay an extra 60m euros to the construction companies, even though the work was completed in both cases over three years ago.

An extra 25.8m euros was awarded to the construction company that built the said part of the A44, which was finished in May 2009 and a further 33.9m for the said part of the A7, which was completed in July 2009.

The socialist MP, Juan Manuel Fernández, pointed out that the quality of work on the A7 between La Herradura and Taramay lead to the bridge disaster,  yet the conservative government has seen fit awarded them extra funds,  above what was originally agreed.

Sr. Fernández finds this decision hard to swallow whilst the pending parts of the A7 languish through a lack of funds....

“I don’t know if it is absolutely legal for them to approve a revision of prices three and a half years after the sections were opened to traffic,” he said, adding, “No decent-minded citizen can understand these price revisions, much less in these times of crisis, and even less so over three years after being opened.”

He also mentioned with pointed irony that it only took the Government four days (with a weekend in the middle) to approve the revisions.

“It seems immoral to me that the PP consigns 46.4m euros of the state budget to pay for these revisions yet for the the continued work [on the A7] and creating employment, they only allow 27.1m for the A7,” complained Sr. Fernández.

Editorial Comment:
 In the meantime,  the time when drivers can drive from one side of the Costa Tropical to the other on the A7 is fast receding into the future.
 

 

Los Reyes....The Kings....Epiphany

Epiphany,  January 6^th,  is a Public Holiday in Spain. 

    

The 'Magi' are particularly revered in Spain and it is is believed that they travel through the countryside re-enacting their journey to Bethlehem every year at this time, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
 

Some families set up their nativity scene in such a way as to be able to move the images of the wise men closer and closer to Bethlehem over the Christmas season. The idea is to have them arrive at the stable right on the 6th.

                                                                    

The Kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar continue to arrive on the 5^th January every year to villages, towns and cities throughout Spain to make the annual parade which usually starts at dusk.                     

 They are magically able to appear simultaneously throughout this entire land as evening falls and they don’t come empty handed.   As their royal majesties parade about town with their entourage of locals, smiling and waving from trucks, trailers and even floats, depending on the local council’s resources, they dutifully throw out handfuls of sweets to the children waiting in the streets as they pass. 

That same night of January 5^th,  children leave their shoes on the windowsills in anticipation of gifts and fill them with straw, carrots, and barley for the camels or donkeys of the Three Wise Men. Their favourite is Balthazar who rides a donkey and is the one believed to leave the gifts.   These days though, as Papa Noel or Saint Nicholas becomes more popular, some lucky children are given gifts on both days and the gifts are left under the Christmas Tree as the shoes are no longer large enough to contain the gifts.

Epiphany Breakfast is a special occasion on January 6th with the 'Three Kings’ Cake' the centre of attention. This is a special sweet bread that is adorned with dried fruits and sugar. Inside, bakers have hidden a small prize wrapped in paper as well as a bean. The one who finds the lucky prize is supposed to be King or Queen for the day, a gold paper crown is often provided with the cake, while he who ends up with the unlucky bean is expected to pay for next year’s 'Kings’ Cake'  and considering that some of these cakes go for about 20 times the price of a loaf of regular, unsweetened bread if bought at a bakery, this can be very unlucky indeed.

                                                                                                 Rosca de Reyes
Ingredients: 

500 g flour
30 g yeast
100 ml water
1 pinch of salt
zest of a lemon
3 egg yolks
150 ml sparkling wine
100 g melted margarine
1 dried bean
150 g glace fruit
1 beaten egg

For Decoration: 

200 g glace fruit for decoration
icing sugar
jam to taste


Preparation 

Pour 330 g flour into a large bowl and make a mould in the centre. Blend the yeast with the remaining flour and add to the lukewarm water. Add the mixture to the bowl containing the flour, combine well and shape the dough into a ball. Add the salt, lemon zest, egg yolk, sparkling wine and the melted margarine. Knead the dough well,  it should have the consistency of a bread dough. 

Then add the diced glace fruit to the dough and knead again. 

Cover the dough and leave to rest in a warm spot until double in size. Knead the dough once again and shape into a ring. Place the ring of dough onto a baking sheet dusted with flour. Now insert a small coin or gift wrapped into tissue paper and the dried bean into the dough. Cover the holes. Allow the cake to rise once again.     
Brush the cake with beaten egg and decorate with glace fruit. Bake in an oven at

160 °C for approx. 1 hour until golden brown. Once the cake has cooled, brush the candied fruit with jelly and dust with icing sugar.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade (or in a blender or electric mixer set at highest speed), buzz the mozzarella, butter, sugar, and cinnamon about 60 seconds non-stop until smooth and creamy; scrape down the work bowl sides with a rubber spatula and beat 60 seconds longer. Note: It will take longer for the electric mixer to reduce the mixture to creaminess – perhaps 3 to 4 minutes of steady beating.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add the flour and snap the motor on once or twice to blend.  Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, cover and chill several hours.

Motril  January 5th  2012

Spain's Foreign Minister to clip Gibraltar's wings at EU meeting.....

Gibraltar International Airport

In 2013, the governing Popular Party is set to take the offensive in Spain's long-running dispute with Gibraltar.

Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo plans to slowly but steadily dismantle the 'concessions' granted to the British overseas territory by the previous Socialist government.

The PP feel that these 'concessions'  have strengthened The Rock's sovereignty without Spain receiving the benefits it had expected in return!

The foreign minister's opening gambit will be to try and have Gibraltar International Airport excluded from the so-called Single European Sky legislation.
 The directive was scheduled to be approved under Cyprus's tenure of the rotating EU presidency but was delayed and will now be handled under Ireland's watch.
The matter will be on the agenda at the next meeting of EU transport ministers.

The veto on Gibraltar's airport was lifted in 2006 after a meeting of the Trilateral Forum between Madrid, London and Gibraltar.

The Córdoba Accord of 2006 lifted restrictions on Gibraltar's airport - including a ban on flights over Spanish airspace - in return for the creation of a jointly owned company to provide airport services.

Now the Spanish government wants to return to the pre-2006 status quo.

García-Margallo in December said that the Trilateral Forum would not be pursued by the PP:
 "We are not at the table under conditions of equality," the minister said.


taken and edited from the Seaside Gazette

Picardo responds to Margallo’s Gibraltar EU air exclusion plan

 Gibraltar Government yesterday issued a swift response to the article in El Pais suggesting that the Spanish Government would be seeking to reverse the application of EU air liberalisation measures to the Rock.

 In a statement Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said he will work closely with Britain to hold Spain to its commitments under the 'Cordoba Agreement'.

Mr Picardo further stated that Spain would be taking “a totally retrograde step” with such a course of action, and reneging on the obligations entered into in the 2006 agreement not to exclude Gibraltar airport from EU aviation measures.

The Chief Minister said Gibraltar and Britain had both complied with their own obligations, constructing a new air terminal and paying Spanish pensioners respectively, yet Spain now sought to “cherry pick” the benefits and not comply with its commitments under the cross-border diplomatic accord.

Convent Place response
A Gibraltar Government statement said: “Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar notes reports in El Pais newspaper in Spain, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources, suggesting that the Government of the Kingdom of Spain may seek to suspend the application to Gibraltar Airport of forthcoming EU aviation measures.

“Such actions would be a totally retrograde step for Spain to take and would amount to the Spanish Government reneging on the obligations and commitments it entered into as part of the agreements arrived at in Cordoba in 2006. Specifically, the Ministerial Statement on Gibraltar Airport provided (at paragraph 14(iv)) that from 18th September 2006 Spain would “cease to seek the suspension of Gibraltar Airport from any EU Aviation measure not yet adopted.”

“Gibraltar has built a new air terminal next to the frontier fence in order to comply with its obligations under paragraph 6 of the same Ministerial Statement on Gibraltar Airport. The cost to the Gibraltar taxpayer has been approximately £80m.

“As the United Kingdom has made clear in its response to the Foreign Affairs Committee, it has also complied with its obligations under the agreements made in Cordoba in respect of pensioners who had worked in Gibraltar before the closure of the frontier, at a cost to the British taxpayer of some £125m. 
(Source: UK Foreign Affairs Committee, Additional Question from the Committee to the FCO; 12 May 2008 - www.parliament.uk.)

“By seeking to benefit from those parts of the Cordoba Agreement which suit it and not comply with certain other obligations, the Government of the Kingdom of Spain would in effect be “cherry picking” from an Agreement to which Spain had agreed in its entirety.

“Her Majesty’s Governments in the UK and Gibraltar will work closely together to hold Spain to its commitments under the Cordoba Agreements.

“Despite the recent insistence by Spanish Foreign Minister Snr Margallo that he will not talk to Gibraltar, HM Government of Gibraltar remains strongly committed to the Trilateral Forum for Dialogue, as the UK Government has already repeatedly stated.”


Gibraltar Chronicle

Thoughtful Thief?

A man who had just robbed two bars, popped into the kitchen of the second one and asked them how much they earned for a day’s work. Upon hearing it, he handed them 130 euros and left.


This 34-year-old man from Armilla had the modus operandi of drinking at the bar until the rest of the other customers had gone, and then leaping over the counter and threatening the barman with a broken bottle to gain access to the till and then empty it.

His first ‘port of call’ was Los Tres Juanes in his home town, before moving onto Ogíjares, which is where he had his Robin Hood moment.
His “kinder” moments are few and far between because two days previously he had held up a female acquaintance and stole her car at knife point. She was too scared to report it.

But back to the case of the bar in Ogíjares, where he had hopped over the bar again and threatened the barman with a knife.
Not only did he take the contents of the till, but he also took the signed bank notes that the proprietor had decorating one of the walls – want not; waste not, obviously.

However, soon after running out of the bar, he turned around and sauntered back in, which was when he went into the kitchen, to the astonishment of the kitchen staff and handed over a day’s pay to them.

Just another Day........

Tuesday January 2nd 2013....

The outside temperature early this morning is a mild 12 degrees and the sky blue apart from a few hazy looking clouds.

The kitchen is a complete tip, after yesterday's lunch gusts finally departed at 11.30 pm.

Looking forward to a trip to Malaga  this morning, to collect number one son who is flying in to spend the last few days of the holidays with us.

Later.... we set off with the acrid smell of bonfires in our nostrils; looking around there were at least four to be seen, filling the valley with with smoke billowing upwards and outwards.  Hopefully there will be a warm sea breeze later to blow the smoke away.   We definitely do not want a northerly wind blowing down from the snowy slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

It is traditional at this time of year for the farmers to prune and burn off the branches and leaves from the Chirimoyo trees.   Left to themselves, the trees would not shed their leaves until April, just before they burst back into life with the new year's growth but, for whatever reason,  the cleaning up is usually done in January and we are left with just the gnarled bare branches above the bare earth for the next three months.

Up in the hills behind us, the Almond Blossom has been making an appearance, far too early, at least 3 weeks before time, probably because the weather has been so mild and we have had no rain now for well over a month to cool the earth.

The drive to the airport takes around 75 minutes along a very pleasant and interesting stretch of  the coastal motorway, offering views of the ocean every now again among the vistas of  hills, villages and mountain ranges and we reach the arrivals hall more or less as the plane we are expecting is announced as having landed.  This spectacular good timing must be the result of  the many, many such journeys over the past fourteen years but...never, ever in all that time have we seen  this new arrivals hall or indeed the old arrivals hall so amazingly empty. 
Just after midday and Malaga airport is empty.   How on earth has that happened?

Back home it's lunch and then siesta time.

This evening,  a visit to a favourite bar down at the Port where they serve good tapas.

Just another Day!