A View from the Mountains

DANA has been in the news in the last few days. I’d never come across these initials before, despite having been coming to Spain for over fifty years and having lived here for more than a decade and a half.

Previously I’d only come across the name three times.

The Eurovision song contest winner Dana from Ireland, who scored a massive hit with “All Kinds of Everything” after she won the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest aged 18 and still a schoolgirl.

She entered politics in 1997, and was elected as an MEP for Connacht-Ulster in 1999, where she served from 1999 to 2004.

Dana is the same age as I am - 74.

The second is my step-niece Dana, a German physiotherapist, who is the daughter of my German brother-in-law Horst. She is in her early 40s.

The third Dana is from Texas, USA, and is the wife of my amigo Paul Sachs, also from Texas. They have a house in Montejaque (Málaga), where I also have property, and are frequent visitors to this pueblo blanco.

All three of these Danas are beautiful women, by the way.

DANA 2024

The latest DANA is NOT beautiful, however. Making its first significant appearance in Spain for several decades – which explains why I’d never heard of it – it has devastated large parts of southern and eastern Spain in the last few days. The provisional death toll is 95, but dozens of people are unaccounted for.

DANA, or “Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos” (Isolated Depression at High Levels), is also known as a "gota fria” (cold drop) and occurs when a cold air mass becomes isolated in the atmosphere. When this cold air collides with the warm, humid air of the Mediterranean, it triggers torrential rains and extreme weather conditions.

The main areas affected are Castilla-La Mancha, País Valenciano and Andalucía.

    DANA affected areas [El Tiempo]

Worst hit is the Valencia region, which reports most of the deaths so far. The severe weather, consisting of thunder and lightning, heavy rain, hailstones and high winds has devastated communities from Valencia all the way to Málaga and Cádiz provinces.

The devastation in inland Málaga, not far from where we live in Ronda, has to be seen to be believed: burst river banks, flooded houses, electricity blackouts, dozens of cars washed away, crops ruined.

Coastal resorts are also under water and parts of the A3 and A7 roads have been closed because of severe flooding.

    Photos courtesy of Instagram

Where will it end?

The response from the authorities has been fast and effective, with Policia Local and Los Bomberos in the forefront. Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil have also played their part, as have the Spanish military.

Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, is visiting the stricken Valencia region today (Thursday) and King Felipe VI has addressed the nation on TV

The European Union has promised financial and other support.

    Pedro Sanchez addresses the nation [Agencia efe]

What next?

This is an ongoing story. A disaster of catastrophic proportions, unseen in Spain in over a century. Is climate change to blame? It makes you think, doesn’t it?

STOP PRESS:

Monday 4 November 2024 07.05 am

There have been two comments posted by "guitareth" and "Salmon", taking me to task over a part of what I wrote in this article.

I can only say two things in my defence:

Firstly, I always carry out meticulous research before writing something and in this case I sourced my comments in the Spanish Press (ABC and Diario SUR).

Secondly, DANAs may be commonplace in the Valencia region and the term may be familiar to residents of that area, like "guitareth". Such weather events are less frequent down here in Andalucia. I have lived here for 16 years and am a keen student of all things Spanish. There has never been talk of La DANA. We just don't have them normally here in the south, at least not on such a destructive scale as now. If "Salmon", who lives in Málaga, has heard talk of La DANA he must read different papers and watch different TV to me.

STOP PRESS 2:

On Monday morning 4 November the offical death toll has leaped to 217.

© Paul Whitelock

Acknowledgements:

ABC

Diario SUR

MSN

RTVE

SUR in English

The Olive Press

Wikipedia

Links:

PHOTOS: What is DANA and Why Did This Phenomenon Turn Parts of Spain Into an Apocalyptic Scene?

What is DANA, the weather system that brought Spain a year's worth of rain in one day and its worst natural disaster in modern history? - ABC News

Tags:

ABC, Andalucia, Bomberos, Castilla-La Mancha, climate change, Dana, DANA, “Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos”, Diario SUR, European Union, Eurovision Song Contest, "gota fria”, Guardia Civil, Ireland, Isolated Depression at High Levels, MSN, País Valenciano, Paul Whitelock, Pedro Sanchez, Policia Local, Policia Nacional, RTVE, Ronda, Spanish military, SUR in English, The Olive Press, UK, Valencia, Wikipedia

Over the course of the last ten years 70 per cent of new residents in Málaga province came from abroad.

Two in 10 people living in the area were born abroad, with the British and the Moroccans occupying the top two spots and the Argentinians a distant third.

Diagram courtesy of Diario Sur

By Paul Whitelock

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

From the Phoenicians thousands of years ago to the British in the last half century, the province of Málaga has been a draw for other cultures and nationalities throughout the ages.

    Map of Spain with Malaga in red [Wikipedia]        Malaga province [Absolute Axarquia]

In recent decades, this destination has become a permanent place to live for many foreigners as somewhere to live and work, attracted by the good weather, the lifestyle, cheaper prices and the beauty and variety of the area, from snowy peaks to sun-drenched beaches.

                 Costa del Sol beaches [Photos courtesy of Malaga Airport and Espacar]

Survey of the last 10 years

From 2011 to 2021 the population of Málaga province, which includes the Costa del Sol grew by 6.7%. This translates into 106,848 new residents, of whom 75,251 (70.4%) were born abroad.

In total 341,751 people of foreign origin reside in the province, 20.2% of the total population of the area. This figure, according to the data for 2021.

Over those ten years, the number of foreign residents has grown by 28.2%, according to data from the population and housing census carried out by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (National Statistics Institute) in 2021.

This survey was the latest, most detailed available based on returns from local councils.

It showed that the largest group over the ten years was British, followed by Moroccans and Argentinians. People from countries where there is war or political instability have increased massively, eg Ukraine, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Oddly there has been a large increase from France, possibly for economic reasons.

***

Top 10 countries of origin
Residents of Málaga province born abroad
by total number in 2021  

Variation since 2011

Table: Diario SUR 

Source: Censo de Población y Viviendas, INE

***

What the figures reveal

The United Kingdom continues to be the most represented nation in the province with 50,721 people. It is also the one that occupies first place in the ranking of foreign residents in 57 municipalities.

But although they are still the majority, the British, along with immigrants from Germany, have shown a fall in numbers since 2011 (-0.9% and -6.6% respectively).

This is the opposite of the number of Moroccan-born inhabitants, with a variation of 34.2% in these ten years and a figure of 50,397 compatriots in 2021 - only 324 people away from unseating the United Kingdom in first place.

Despite these figures, the population of Moroccan origin only leads the ranking of countries in 15 municipalities in the province, compared to 57 in which the United Kingdom heads the list. However, the Moroccan-dominated ones are large towns and cities such as Málaga City, Marbella, Torremolinos, Vélez-Málaga, and Ronda.

    View of Malaga City from Mt. Gibralfaro [Wikipedia]

In third position in the province are immigrants from Argentina, although way behind the British and Moroccans with 25,113 representatives. The largest group resides in Málaga City (6,018) and the largest proportion of the total population in Benalmádena (3.9%).

The United Kingdom continues to be the most represented nation in the province with 50,721 people. It is also, as indicated above, the one that occupies first position in the ranking of foreign residents in the most municipalities, 57 out of the 103 local council districts.

Among the municipalities with the most foreign-born residents are the most populated towns in the province such as Málaga city (73,965 foreigners), Marbella (50,070) and Fuengirola (34,134).

If the ranking were based on the proportion of the total number of residents, it is Benahavís which would occupy first place, as 6 out of 10 inhabitants there are of foreign origin. Benahavís is followed by Cómpeta with 43.3% and Sayalonga with 42.2%.

    Benahavis [Photo: Visit Andalucia]

If only municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants are measured, Fuengirola has the highest proportion of foreign residents with 41.6% and Marbella has experienced the highest percentage variation in ten years (41.3%).

In all the large municipalities in the province of Málaga, the difference between 2011 and 2021 in foreign residents is positive, except in one area: Ronda, where I live, which saw a drop of 5.5%.

    Puente Nuevo, Ronda [Photo: Fenix.info]

Disadvantages

Although foreigners investing in property in Spain, contracting local services and shopping in the local shops and supermarkets are undoubtedly a good thing for the Spanish economy, they bring some challenges.

Prices of everything in areas with a high proportion of wealthy foreigners inevitably rise, cf. Benahavís, Puerto Banús, Marbella, Cádiz.

And the supply of affordable apartments for long-term rental by Spanish workers is reduced as owners find that short-term holiday lets via AirBnb or booking.com are more lucrative.

Not to mention, overcrowding. Ronda, where I live, is over-run daily from around 10.30 am until 4.00 pm by hordes of day-tourists coached in from their holiday bases on the coast. And that happens all year round.

But, I say: "Live and let live ….."

Footnote:

Given the importance of foreign immigrants and tourists to Spain’s economy, it is surprising that there is so much anti-foreigner feeling in many cities, eg Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Cádiz, where there have been a number of anti-foreigner demonstrations. Barcelona aims to shut down AirBnb and similar companies from 2028.

Click on the image and then the arrow or click here:  

Anti-tourism protests across Spain continue despite economic growth | BBC News

All I would say is "Beware of biting the hand that feeds you!" Málaga without tourists would soon die! Cádiz also, I suspect. Barcelona has other industries so will not be so badly affected.

© Paul Whitelock

Acknowledgements:

Censo de Población y Viviendas

Encarni Hinojosa

Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)

SUR in English

Photos:

Absolut Axarquia

BBC News

Diario Sur

Espacar

FaceBook

Fenix.info

Malaga Airport

Visit Andalucia

Wikipedia

Links:

Anti-tourism protests across Spain continue despite economic growth | BBC News

Tags:

Absolut Axarquia, AirBnb, anti-foreigner demonstrations, Argentina, A View from the Mountains, Barcelona, Benahavís, booking.com, BBC News, Cádiz, Censo de Población y Viviendas, Colombia, Cómpeta, Costa del Sol, Diario Sur, Encarni Hinojosa, Espacar, FaceBook, Fenix.info, foreigners, France, Fuengirola, immigrants, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Málaga, Malaga Airport, Marbella, Moroccan, Paul Whitelock, Puerto Banús, Ronda, Sayalonga, SUR in English, Torremolinos, Ukraine, Valencia, Vélez-Málaga, Venezuela, Visit Andalucia, Wikipedia

By Ernest Hemingway (sorry! – Paul Whitelock)

Many years ago I wrote an article about the “doubles” of famous people who were living in the Serrania de Ronda. There was Leonid Breznev, ex-leader of the Soviet Union, living in Montejaque; Cheryl Cole, the "Girls Aloud" singer, running a business in Ronda; Lech Walesa, erstwhile president of Poland (1990-1995), Garth Crooks, former Spurs footballer and BBC football reporter, and Ray French, the rugby league commentator and former player, were all playing in a modern flamenco group I went to see. Lech was on flute, Garth on guitar and Ray on drums.

And Robert de Niro, the Hollywood actor, was often to be seen around the Barrio San Francisco, where I lived at that time. He spoke really good Spanish albeit with an andaluz accent.

Fast forward to 2024

Now it has been reported that the real Robert de Niro, aged 80, spent some time in August in the City of Dreams. He was seen dining at one of Ronda’s top restaurants, Bardal, which has two Michelin Stars. 

Chef Benito Gomez didn’t realise that the long-standing booking was for the star of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

De Niro and his fellow diners were happy with the lunchtime set menu, priced at an eye-watering 180€ per head. At that price, I’m glad they were happy!

“Mr De Niro was straightforward, very polite and approachable. He didn't want a private booth or anything special in the restaurant”, said chef Benito Gomez. "He seemed to me to be a very normal, elegant man, very interested in cooking, but without eccentricities."

De Niro is passionate about cuisine and has on several occasions publicly praised the standard of Spanish gastronomy. He has been a frequent visitor to Spain and, of course, lived in the barrio for several years …..!

© Paul Whitelock (a "dead ringer" for Ernest Hemingway)

    Paul Whitelock or Ernest Hemingway?

Links:

"Doppelgänger" in Andalucía: Robert de Niro, Rick Wakeman, Cheryl Cole, Dennis Taylor and reincarnated Sir Lawrence Olivier, Leonid Brezhnev and Arthur Askey

Doppelgängers in Andalucía: Robert de Niro's waiting... in Ronda? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Doppelgängers in Andalucía - Olive Press News Spain (theolivepress.es)

Robert de Niro enjoys a gastronomic getaway in Ronda: where did he dine and what did he feast on? | Sur in English

Acknowledgements:

Enrique Miranda

Paul Whitelock

Secret Serrania

SUR in English

Photos:

BBC

EuroWeekly News

Malaga Hoy

Tags:

andaluz accent, Bardal, Barrio San Francisco, Benito Gomez, Cheryl Cole, Doppelgängers in Andalucía, Enrique Miranda, EuroWeekly News, Garth Crooks, "Girls Aloud", Karl Smallman, Lech Walesa, Leonid Breznev, Malaga Hoy, Michelin Star, Montejaque, Paul Whitelock, Poland, Raging Bull, Ray French, Robert de Niro, Secret Serrania, Serrania de Ronda, Soviet Union, Spurs, SUR in English, Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II

By The Culture Vulture in Ronda
 

Ronda (Malaga) is the centre of attention at the moment. The inauguration of a new “installation” by the famous French designer and architect Philippe Starck in a prominent position overlooking the valley has created interest regionally, nationally and internationally.

Philippe Starck [Photo: El Pais]

Background

Philippe Starck was commissioned by the organic olive oil farm LA Organic to create a memorable “sculpture” on their premises just outside Ronda.

The striking building has references to bullfighting, olive oil production, Pablo Picasso and much more. The structure houses an exhibition of art, an olive oil press, a cata (tasting) and a restaurant.

    LA Almazara in Ronda [Photo: Areall]

Grand opening

The LA Almazara was inaugurated last week by dignitaries from across the region, including Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalucia regional government, the mayoress of Ronda, Maria de la Paz Fernandez, as well as the artist, Philippe Starck himself.

   The opening [Photo: Diario Ronda]

Media coverage

There have been articles in both Spanish, English, French and German at international, national and regional level about this important addition to the Ronda scene, in ABC, costadel-online.es, efe.com, El Pais, El Periodico, europapress.com, Forbes magazine, idealista.com, okdiario.com, La Vanguardia, Cadena SER, Telecinco, tiempo.com, travelandtelling.com, charryTV, Diario Sur, Diario Ronda, Ronda Semanal, starck.fr, Malaga Hoy, Vanity Fair, VivaSevilla, as well as designboom.com, MSN, SUR in English and The Olive Press (pending).

It is regarded as something of a coup for the City of the Tajo to obtain an original piece of work from such a prestigious artist as Philippe Starck.

© The Culture Vulture

Contact information:

almazaralaorganic.com

LA Organic Experience

Carretera A-367 km 39, LA Organic, 29400, Ronda (Málaga) · 05 km

650 88 72 47

Guided tour including tasting 20€

Links:

Abre al público la espectacular almazara diseñada por Phillippe Starck en Ronda | Gastronomía: recetas, restaurantes y bebidas | EL PAÍS

Así es la almazara vanguardista de Philippe Starck que abre sus puertas en Ronda

Cuando Philippe Starck se enamoró de Ronda | Vanity Fair

El arquitecto francés Philippe Starck estrena una almazara vanguardista en Ronda

El diseñador y arquitecto Philippe Starck estrena una almazara vanguardista en Ronda (Málaga) para la compañía LA Organic

Inauguran la almazara ecológica diseñada por Phillippe Starck | Diario Ronda

La Almazara creada por Philippe Starck en Ronda abre al público

La Almazara de Philippe Starck: un proyecto de 22 millones en Ronda

LA Almazara, la primera almazara de autor del mundo, diseñada por Philippe Starck, abre en Ronda (Málaga)

LA Almazara, la primera almazara de autor del mundo, diseñada por Philippe Starck, abre en Ronda (Málaga) - Forbes España

LA Almazara, Ronda

La espectacular almazara picassiana diseñada por Phillippe Starck en Ronda

La primera almazara de autor del mundo, del arquitecto Philippe Starck, está en Ronda (Málaga) | Sociedad | Cadena SER

Philippe Starck, apasionado de España y del aceite, estrena su vanguardista almazara | Ronda Semanal. Noticias de Ronda

phillipe starck curates radical, minimalist 'LA almazara' in andalusia

Philippe Starck estrena su vanguardista almazara

Philippe Starck inaugurará LA Almazara el próximo 18 de octubre

Philippe Starck in Ronda LA Organic

Philippe Starck's organic olive oil mill experience in Ronda is now a reality | Sur in English

Philippe Starck Ronda - Erlebnis für die Sinne

Philippe Starck y su obra en la Serranía de Ronda: LA Almazara

The French architect Philippe Starck opens a avant-garde oil mill in Ronda (Málaga)

Tags:

ABC, bullfighting, Cadena SER, charryTV, City of the Tajo, costadel-online.es, Culture Vulture, designboom.com, Diario Sur, Diario Ronda, efe.com, El Pais, El Periodico, europapress.com, Forbes magazine, French architect, idealista.com, Juanma Moreno, LA Almazara, LA Organic, La Vanguardia, Malaga Hoy, Maria de la Paz Fernandez, MSN, okdiario.com, olive oil, Pablo Picasso, Philippe Starck, Ronda, Ronda Semanal, Serrania de Ronda, starck.fr, SUR in English, Telecinco, The Olive Press, tiempo.com, travelandtelling.com, Vanity Fair, VivaSevilla

Monday, October 28, 2024

By Paul Whitelock

The new winter flight timetable to and from Málaga Costa del Sol Airport was announced last week and got underway yesterday, the day we put our clocks and watches back one hour.

AENA, the Spanish airports authority, announced a record number of flights, with more routes than ever before.

Málaga is the third busiest airport in Spain after Madrid (Barajas), and Barcelona (El Prat de Llobregat).

    Photo courtesy of Solvilla Real Estate

Winter schedule

Málaga will connect to 128 airports in 30 countries with direct flights this winter.

Some 42 airlines have scheduled a total of almost 10 million seats to fly to and from Málaga Airport during the low season which started on Sunday 27 October.

This will add five new destinations compared to 2023.

Airport operator AENA has indicated that 42 airlines will connect Málaga Airport with 128 destinations in 113 cities in more than 30 countries.

These airlines are reinforcing their presence by offering 9.7 million seats to fly to and from the Costa del Sol.   

The airlines are concentrating most of their efforts on Europe and Spain, although they are still committed to growth outside these areas.

In Europe, the airlines have programmed 10% more capacity. In fact, of the 207 total routes that Málaga Airport will have this winter, 172 are links with European airports, according to AENA.

    Photo courtesy of Málaga Car Hire

Markets

There are significant increases in air capacity with Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, and Poland.

However, flights to and from the United Kingdom are in the lead and the UK market remains the market most connected to Málaga, accounting for 44 of the 207 total routes and concentrating 1.9 million seats and 10,000 operations, representing an increase of 7.3 and 8.4%, respectively. There will be direct flights to and from Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London (all airports), Manchester, Newcastle, and Newquay.

    Map courtesy of SUR in English

Other countries

There are also lots of flights to France and Germany, which is good for The Spanish Fly, as he and his German missus visit Germany often and next Easter they are flying to France, to Marseille for a family holiday near Avignon.

© The Spanish Fly

Acknowledgements:

AENA

Pilar Martínez

SUR in English

Tags:

AENA, Austria, Barcelona, Belfast, Belgium, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, El Prat de Llobregat, Exeter, Germany, Glasgow, Italy, Leeds, Liverpool, London (all airports), Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Netherlands, Newcastle, Newquay, Norway

Changing our clocks and watches twice a year is to become a thing of the past - in Spain at least

Monday, October 28, 2024

By Paul Whitelock

The farce of putting the clocks back in Autumn and forward in the Spring is to come to an end, at least in Spain. This change was introduced in the UK during the first world war to allow more daylight working hours. And it’s never been changed since.

As for Spain, their time used to be based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) like the UK and Portugal, but General Franco was pressurised to change to European Central Time (ECT) by Adolf Hitler around the time of the Spanish Civil War. Since then, Spain has been out of step.

    Image courtesy of Tarragona.com

Background

On October 27, Spain put its clocks back one hour, signalling the start of winter. However, this practice of adjusting the time has its days numbered.

For more on this, please click here:

Clocks go back on Sunday - but this practice's days are numbered!

© Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Adolf Hitler, Boletin Oficial del Estado, Canary Islands, Daniela Machorro, ECT, European Central Time, Facebook, General Franco, GMT, Greenwich Mean Time, Ireland, Mundo Deportivo, Paul Whitelock, Portugal, putting the clocks back in Autumn, putting the clocks forward in Spring, Royal Decree 236/2002, Spanish Civil War, Time and Date, Torrevieja.com, UK

The Diputación de Málaga (Provincial Council of Malaga) is to invest 1,231,361 euros in various projects in Montejaque, near Ronda (Málaga).

The granting of these funds was announced by the president of the Provincial Council, Francisco Salado, during a visit to the town for discussions with local mayor, Diego Sánchez.

    Francisco Salado and Diego Sanchez study plans for Montejaque [Photo: Diputación de Málaga]

The works include the repair of an access road to Montejaque and the opening of the Santiago el Mayor Day Centre.

Visit to Montejaque

Sr. Salado highlighted the efforts being made by the Diputación to support the smallest municipalities in Málaga province with projects that contribute to the modernisation of infrastructures and facilities, as well as with transfers of funds to ease the financial situation of these towns and villages.

    Montejaque Square [Photo: Karl Smallman]

The Grant

The Plan de Asistencia Económica Municipal (Municipal Economic Assistance Plan) has been approved by the Provincial Council and consists of four phases. Approval has been given to transfer a total of 527,383.33 euros to Montejaque Council.

Part of this sum is to be used to improve the water supply, but the bulk of the amount may be used at the discretion of the council for the most urgent works needed.

Salado and Sanchez out and about [Photo: Ronda Directo]

Similarly, 332,263.46 euros is to be invested in the reinforcement of just over three kilometres of the road surface of the MA-8403 which runs from the A-374 to Montejaque.

Work will be carried out between kilometres 3.2 and 6.4, a section that has suffered severe deterioration over time.

At the same time, Francisco Salado explained that a subsidy of 188,740.81 euros has been granted for renovation work at the Santiago el Mayor Day Centre. Although the facility was built several years ago, it has never opened and not been used because it did not meet the conditions required by the Junta de Andalucía.

Salado and Sánchez visit the Day Centre [Photo: Dip. de Málaga]

And, finally, through the various programmes of works, supplies and services of the Provincial Plan for Assistance and Cooperation, Montejaque will receive an additional 182,975 euros.

Footnote

This grant represents another coup for Mayor Diego Sánchez and the Ayuntamiento de Montejaque who have successfully lobbied the Diputación de Málaga for funds for the village.

© Paul Whitelock

Acknowledgements:

Diego Sánchez

Diputación de Málaga

Francisco Salado

Karl Smallman

Ronda Directo

Ronda Semanal

Tags:

Diego Sánchez, Diputación de Málaga, Francisco Salado, Karl Smallman, Montejaque, Paul Whitelock, Plan de Asistencia Económica Municipal, Ronda, Ronda Directo, Ronda Semanal, Santiago el Mayor Day Centre