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Free November 2017 Issue 2

The Local Touch Special Expo Torrevieja Edition

Your Local Guide

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Local Events Games Puzzles November Trivia Photo Pages Motoring Travel Gardening Health & Wellness Positive Thinking Quality of Life Steve McQueen Dame Helen Mirren Costa Lifestyle

INTERNASJONAL MESSE I TORREVIEJA LØRDAG 11 OG SØNDAG 12 NOVEMBER

EXPO TORREVIEJA TORREVIEJA INTERNATIONAL LIFESTYLE SHOW SATURDAY 11 AND SUNDAY 12 OF NOVEMBER See more on page 3 Se mer på side 3 Welcome to November's Local Touch Your Monthly Guide to a Quality of life and Lifestyle on the Southern Costa Blanca Visit us at Expo Torrevieja II: the region's Premier International Lifestyle Fair 10,000, full-colour editions, published each month & distributed throughout the region In English, but with an International Flavour

The Local Touch

WELCOME TO THE LOCAL TOUCH pages, such as the Ivie Davies Memorial Golf Day, Charity Solidarity Calendar presentation, Torrevieja Clubs and Associations Day, Ace Cafe Car meeting and Danish Design's 10th Anniversary Open day.

Welcome to November's Local Touch magazine, which this month is focused on Expo Torrevieja II plus many items with a November link, along with our usual lifestyle features. Expo Torrevieja is the region's largest and only indoor, premier International Lifestyle Show. The Bi-Annual event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, November 11th and 12th, at Torrevieja's elegant Salones Bahia Costa, La Mata, almost adjacent to Torre de la Mata, one of the City of Salt's old watch towers. Doors are open from 10:00am until 3:00pm and admission is free. Think of this as the region's International Ideal Home Show, that's here to help enhance your quality of life on the Costas. And admission is free, so bring your family and friends and discover something new about shopping, services and lifestyle on the Costa Blanca and beyond. This month's Man's Man is Mr.Cool himself, Steve McQueen, and our Real Woman, the one and only, Dame Helen Mirren. Plus our regular features, contributors, quiz and puzzle pages and a whole lot more. Being a photographer and having some great photo friends, such as 'Photos by Kristoff ', we bring you a couple of 'a picture paints a thousand words' photo The Local Touch www.TheLocalTouch.com Would you like to advertise? Contact us Ønsker du å annonsere? Ta kontakt på Kjetil Hamre email: info@TheLocalTouch.com Tel: (+34) 693 749 900

Time to get festive: yes, it may be difficult to imagine, but Christmas, the New Year and those Magic Kings, will all be here and gone within the next six weeks or so. Make sure you pick up a copy of December's Local Touch for ideas on what do, gift giving, Spanish traditions, those dreaded New Year's Resolutions, our cut-out 2018 Calendar (perfect for the Fridge or back of the bathroom Door), a special guide to what to do in a car accident, and how to fill out the forms, plus our regular contributors and a few new twists to take us into the new year, 2018. Looking ahead, dates for your diary will be the two Spanish National Holidays, on Wednesday December 6th, Constitution Day and Friday, December 8th Day of the Immaculate Conception. Being Spain, chances are that many businesses, especially financial institutions, will stay closed on Thursday 7th also, taking them into the weekend, and giving a five day holiday period. Plan ahead for stocking up, as many of the shops, government and banking services, will work reduced hours, over this major holiday period, as we move into the festive season. Enjoy The Local Touch Keith Nicol The guy with the photo touch...

WHAT'S WHERE

2: Welcome 3: Expo Torrevieja II 4: Gardening 5: Alex Stewart & Pedro Valero 6: Movember 10: Man's Man Steve McQueen 12: Los Costaleros 14: Where are they now: Cheers 17: Expo Torrevieja review 18: Tech: iPhone X 22: MSC World Cruise 26: Expo Torrevieja Exhibitors 31: Trace your Ancestors 34: Clubs & Associations 36: Costa Blanca Calendar 38: Madrid's Forgotten Metro 39: Assassination of JFK 42: Real Woman Helen Mirren 43: Beauty Concepts 44: Movies Made In Spain 45: Puzzles & Quizzes 46: Ett Kommatechen 49: Ace Cafe 50: Ivie Davies Memorial 52: A Blank Canvas 53: The Power of YOU 54: November Trivia

Publisher / Trykkeri Localprint S.L, Alicante Deadline for advertising and Submissions Noon, Tuesday November 28th, 2017 Many thanks to our local sources Stor takk til våre mange kilder: www.spain.info www.matprat.no www.Torrevieja.com

The Local Touch

COME AND JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COSTALEROS

By Paul Mutter Holy Week at Easter time (Semana Santa) is one of the most important periods in the Christian calendar. In Spain, processions depicting aspects of Jesus’ life and death are held throughout the country. Here in Torrevieja the Semana Santa processions draw crowds from as far away as Madrid to view the iconic events during this most holy of weeks. So impressive are they that they have also been awarded recognition by the Province of Alicante as being of particular tourist importance and interest.

Since 2005 members of the International community in Torrevieja have had the honour of carrying the beautiful paso of Nuestro Padre Jésus en la Oración del Huerto de los Olivos (Jesus in the Garden of Olives) in Torrevieja’s Santa Semana processions. Our members come from many different countries originally, but mostly from the United Kingdom. Some are Catholic, some Protestant and some might well confess to being of no particular church at all. Age is no bar to being a member of the cofradia and most of us are in the “advanced years” category.

Being a member of the cofradia, wearing the green and gold uniform, is both an honour and a unique opportunity for those of us coming from other countries to take part in what are surely some of the most iconic cultural and religious events in Spain. It is an experience that those of us that have taken part in will never forget. The enthusiasm and respect shown by the huge crowds who line the streets during the processions is something to behold. Before the establishment of the International Cofradia and for many years before, this particular paso had to be taken through the streets on the back of a lorry chassis; it simply was not possible to get a sufficient number of men to carry it on their shoulders. Perhaps mostly because of the average age of the costaleros involved in the cofradia we find we have to recruit new members each year to replace those who for one reason or another are unable to continue.

For 12 years we were able to find sufficient numbers to continue carrying it on our shoulders. However like several other cofradias taking part during Semana Santa getting new members was difficult and we found it impossible last year to gain sufficient members to carry the paso. We were determined though not to let everyone down and so through the ingenuity and skill of several of our members changes were made to the paso to allow us to safely push it through the streets of the town with the reduced numbers we had. We are already looking for new recruits to take part in next year’s Semana Santa processions and I can promise you that it is an experience well worth being involved in. If you are interested and to learn more please contact David McLachlan on 865 661 937 or Paul Mutter on 671 218 285. We will also have a stand at Expo Torrevieja on November 11 and 12, and hope to see you all there.

The Local Touch

EXPO TORREVIEJA NOVEMBER 11 AND 12, 2017

Expo Torrevieja returns to the fabulous Salones Bahia Costa in a couple of weeks time. The region's premier International Lifestyle show attracted more than 5,000 visitors to the first edition back in March 2017, and building on that success, Expo Torrevieja is returning on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th, November. Same times: Same Place: Same Location...

and services that unequivocally define “quality of life and luxury living”. A tapestry of products and services spanning the scale from the large: luxury and vintage automobiles, to those on a more modest scale: solar energy, telecommunications, contemporary fine art, fashion and design, fine wines, eco products, e-bike, and the most innovative in home décor and technology. Discover all these finer things of life at Expo Torrevieja II.

SOCIAL MEDIA Attending one of our events? Spread the good news and share your photos on our special Event Facebook Page to be in with the chance to win even more Prizes. FREE WIFI Thanks to the good folk at Scandinavian TV Box, we are also to offer all our visitors free wifi for you to enjoy and also share you best photographs with Facebook and other social media services. CHARITIES & NGO You can also help a number of great causes at Expo Torrevieja II, from joining and participating in the Semana Santa processions with Los Costaleros (Page 12): adopting a dog from Paradise Rescue Kennels (Page 35) to Rock Against Cancer (Page 22) and more.

Do you enjoy the finer things in life? Have a penchant for improving your quality of life while living on the Costa Blanca? Then we have what you need: and want, plus a few little surprizes thrown into the mix. The Second Edition will take place at the beautiful Salones Bahia Costa, adjacent to Torre del Moro, in La Mata, Torrevieja.

Bring your sense of discovery and appreciation of the exquisite and enhance your quality of life on the Costa. The possibilities are endless and the rewards: priceless.

EXHIBITING AT THE SHOW There are still a few stand places available. For more information, please contact Kjetil: Tel: (+34) 693 749 900

PRIZES Take part in our Lifestyle Survey, either at the show or online, and be in with a chance to win a variety of prizes from our exhibitors.

MORE INFO: www.ExpoTorrevieja.com

Expo Torrevieja II is an innovative concept in lifestyle events. Taking place in one location, in the heart of the community, where you shop, dine and socialise, you will discover a collection of products

OPENING HOURS Hours of Expo Torrevieja are 10:00am to 3:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. FREE ADMISSION Admission and parking are FREE.

The Local Touch

Danish Design's Tenth Anniversary Open Day

The Local Touch

MADRID’S FORGOTTEN METRO LINES

Deep under Spain's capital city are dozens of disused stations and abandoned tunnels dating back to the 1930s. Madrid’s Metro system is a world unto itself: 294 kilometres of track, 301 stations and 13 lines, through which travel some 2,318 trains each day, carrying around two million passengers. There are also four tunnels that are not in use: one, at Chamartín, the high-speed train station in the north of the city, was built as the starting point for a north-south axis that was never completed and two more, one close to Moncloa in the west of the city and another between Nuevos Ministerios and Avenida de Ámerica to the north. The fourth is an annex of Goya, in the upscale Salamanca neighbourhood, which was built in the 1930s, but has been abandoned for the last six decades. Hidden in plain sight on the northbound platform of Line 2 at Goya station is a metal door, and behind it a passageway that, until 1958, led to a one-way track to nearby Diego de León station. It ceased to be used after the inauguration of Line 4, which originally connected Diego de León with Argüelles in the west of the city.

It’s still possible to catch a glimpse of the tunnel aboard trains arriving at Goya from Lista: it’s on the left, just before the entrance to the station. Until the 1990s, its platform was used as a storage area. In its day, this was where a workforce of up to 60 men would carry bags filled with coins from the ticket machines. The 170-meter-long tunnel is well maintained and is a perfect example of the trench method used to build many of the early stretches of Madrid’s Metro system. Along one side is a beautifully preserved pumping well, along with other air vents and the cavities dug into the side of the tunnel where maintenance staff would shelter as trains passed by. Line 3 originally ran between Sol and Embajadores, and was opened on August 9, 1936, less than a month after the start of the Spanish Civil War. It was extended westward to Argüelles in 1941 and south to Legazpi a decade later. The final stretch between Argüelles and Moncloa took another 12 years to complete. In 2006, lines 3 and 6 were incorporated into the

Moncloa transport hub. The new Line 3 station is a little further south than its predecessor, which has been hidden behind a wall. But 550 meters of the old track are hidden in a stretch that can only be accessed by Metro staff via a door on the platform. Until Madrid City Hall decides whether to resume work, the platform at Chamartín has been asphalted and is now used by vehicle manufacturers to launch new models. At 3am, Avenida de América station is empty, making it possible to clamber down on to the tracks, where, 250 meters to the west, the extension begun in 1999 toward Pitis opens up. To the right is another tunnel. The track was in use between 1986 and 1996, but today is used for maintenance. Despite the abandonment of the line, there are echoes of human activity everywhere. On one of the walls, someone has written in large latters the word “Negredo.” Who knows whether it is a homage to a family surname, or testament of admiration of the Valencia soccer player. It’s just another mystery to add to the stories of the forgotten tunnels of the Madrid Metro.

The Local Touch

HOW WOMEN’S CONCEPTS OF BEAUTY ARE CHANGING By StatePoint The modern age has expanded the scope of what Americans consider beautiful, while at the same time, it has also introduced social media -- an ever-present reminder of one’s appearance. In an effort to better understand these shifts, L’Oréal Paris recently commissioned a study with Ipsos engaging women on the topic and shared some top insights on this beauty evolution. Changing Values Women are changing how they view beauty to be a more holistic, progressive and optimistic vision. A majority of women see beauty differently than they did 10 years ago. They believe beauty is about progress -- not perfection -- and are optimistic about continuing to be beautiful as they age. Most surveyed admit that while women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s used to be considered to “look old,” women of the same age today are “in their prime.” Furthermore, beauty standards have changed and expanded as we’ve become a more culturally diverse, global community. Skincare still “Worth It” While many factors play a role in beauty, the care and appearance of skin determines how beautiful a woman feels, according to the survey respondents, particularly in the social media age. Beauty routines can be time-consuming; however, women strongly believe the skin care element is “worth it.” “We’re seeing a major shift in routines of millennial women. Four out of the five skincare products used are cleansers. This is dramatically different from what we saw in the past,” says Dr. Rocio Rivera, L’Oréal Paris director of scientific communications.

Among the top regimens women are incorporating into their skincare is the use of at-home facial masks that cleanse and beautify skin by absorbing oils and impurities. “I am often asked ‘what are little ways to make a difference at home?’ Hands-down a mask is usually the answer,” says Vanessa Hernandez, celebrity esthetician. “Finding one tailored for your skin type is so important and from there, it’s like a mini facial in the comfort of your home.” To find one tailored for you, first determine your skin type. The Pure-Clay Masks from L’Oréal, for example, are made from clay minerals sourced globally and are offered in three varieties for speci-

fic skin needs -- whether you want to reduce excess shine, reduce dull skin and even out skin tone, or exfoliate and tighten pores. Inner Beauty How women feel on the inside dictates how beautiful they feel overall. When describing what makes them beautiful, the women surveyed described a number of emotional traits -- and these qualities vary by generation. Growing confidence is important to Millennials as they move from their 20s to 30s. There is hope among them that they will continue to grow stronger and healthier. For boomers, staying active and feeling young is important to them as they age. Personality, however, is timeless. Women of all ages and ethnicities believe their outlook on life is a huge part of what makes them feel beautiful, concluded the researchers. From new skincare habits to new outlooks, women are viewing beauty differently these days and taking different steps to achieve it.

The Local Touch

MOVIES MADE IN SPAIN: THE BOOK On Wednesday 29th June 2016 Bob Yareham’s new book was presented to the general public followed by two pub quizzes and an informative walk around the City of Valencia showing various locations used in the Provincial Capital over the past century. Orson Welles used to say that Spain isn’t so much a country as a continent, due to its wide variety of unspoilt scenery, which is why he made so many films in Spain. Cinema tourism is an undeniable fact; you only need to ask the delighted authorities in New Zealand, where they are still reaping the benefits of visitors attracted by the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And in Northern Ireland, the Game of Thrones is a constant attaction. Movies Made in Spain is a book about the locations used in over 700 English language films made

the deserts and dunes of Almeria or the prairie land north of Madrid.

book is by English and History teacher and author Bob Yareham. Working from Valencia he created a guide for those tourists who were pleased and surprised to find that Seville not only has wonderful restaurants and monuments but also practically all of the palaces and interiors used in Lawrence of Arabia, as well as one from Star Wars II.

There are few important directors or stars that have not filmed in Spain, creating a cinematic heritage here which may explain why Spanish actors (Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem) and directors (Amenabar, Almodóvar) are so successful today. Classics such as Doctor Zhivago, 55 Days at Peking and Patton were all made here, and more recently, Cloud Atlas, The

Dictator, Kingdom of Heaven, Clash (and Wrath) of the Titans, Knight and Day and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

wholly or partly in Spain to give visitors to Spain some added value along with its attractive scenery, impressive monuments and world-famous gastronomy. The

Set-jetters can find Katherine Hepburn’s Troy (The Trojan Women 1971) in a tiny village of Guadalajara, or Spielberg’s prisoner of war camp (Empire of the Sun) in Cádiz province, or the location of the final scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly near Burgos, although most of the other spaghetti westerns were of course shot in

'Movies Made in Spain' shows where and when different scenes were shot, which famous monuments were used, where the stars stayed and what amusing anecdotes are still told by the thousands of Spanish extras who have made up the armies of Mark Anthony, Rommel, Richard the Lionheart, Richard III or Cromwell. The author hopes the book will attract a more culturally demanding visitor to Spain, visiting some of the less popular locations, and moving away from the

dependence on sun, sand and sangria (although everyone has a right to a good time). The book has been published by the Valencian publishing company Obrapropia and can be bought in paper or electronic form (the e-book also contains 50 original photos) at: http://www.obrapropia. com/Obras/1664/MOVIES-MADE-IN-SPAIN The author, Bob Yareham, has lived in Valencia since 1981 and will be writing a monthly column about the cinema in Live And Enjoy Spain, magazine. He has published books about etymology, history and the cinema and currently collaborates with the L’Iber Museum in Valencia, the largest collection of toy soldiers in the world, in an activity for students called Hollywood & History. bobyareham@gmail.com.

The Local Touch

ARMENIA AUSTRIA CROATIA DENMARK ESTONIA FRANCE GERMANY

Sudoku (Easy)

Sudoku (Hard)

Word Search

Kakuro

GREECE IRELAND LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MALTA MOLDOVA MONTENEGRO

NORWAY PORTUGAL SERBIA SLOVAKIA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND

Kakuro puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a sudoku puzzle. Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum will be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of "across" words, and on the top and bottom sides of "down" words.

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ETT KOMMATECKEN KAN BETYDA DÖDEN häfte, är att fotokopiera och häfta det själv.” Här kan man säga att allt det som föregår predikatet är fungerar som satsens subjekt. Alltså inget komma. I litteraturen finns exempel på hur fel ett litet kommatecken kan bli. Mitt favoritexempel är hämtat ur Fritiof Nilsson Piratens bok ”Flickan med bibelspråken” från 1959, där läraren frågar eleverna om de tror att ett kommatecken kan betyda döden för en människa.

Av Ulf Nordholm Under 1900-talets första hälft lärdes fortfarande logisk grammatisk kommatering ut i våra svenska skolor. Då utgick kommateringen från meningens uppbyggnad, och den innebar att kommatecken skulle användas för att åtskilja ordfogningens avgränsade satser och satselement i en mening. Kommatecknet används nu visserligen mera sällan än för ett halvsekel sedan, men de gånger det används ska det sitta rätt. Tecknets uppgift är att förebygga missförstånd och göra läsningen tydligare och framför allt enklare. Grundregeln är att kommatecknet ska sättas mellan led som är förhållandevis fristående från varandra men aldrig skilja led som hör nära ihop. Ibland verkar det vara enklare sagt än gjort. I en uthyrningsannons kunde man läsa: ”Ett mindre trevlig t rum uthyres.” Ett korrekt placerat kommatecken skulle fungera som ersättare för ett samordnande

mellan orden mindre och trevligt, och rummet skulle genast bli mer attraktivt.

gånger är kommatering en bedömningsfråga.

I 1971 års upplaga av svenska Skrivregler rekommenderar man i stället en så kallad tydlighetskommatering, och den principen hyllas fortfarande i den upplaga av skrivreglerna som kom år 2008. Där slår man fast att kommateringens uppgift är att underlätta läsningen. Detta innebär, skriver man, att komma sätts mellan led som är förhållandevis fristående från varandra, medan led som hör nära ihop inte skiljs åt av kommatecken. Men många

Rent allmänt kan man säga att det inte ska vara kommatecken före och, samt eller andra bindeord om de avslutar en uppräkning. Att placera ett kommatecken så att det skiljer subjekt och predikat åt är riktigt illa. Ett kommatecken mellan subjektet och predikatet skiljer satsens viktigaste delar åt och är därför egentligen otänkbart, men om subjektet är långt är det tydligen lätt att åstadkomma meningar som: ”Ett enkelt sätt att göra ett sådant

”Det hände en gång för åtskilliga år sedan att en mördare, som var dömd till döden, skulle avrättas. Hans nådeansökan hade avslagits av kungen och dagen för avrättningen var redan bestämd. Då kom det sig att kungen just i de dagarna skulle företaga en resa till den stad där mördaren skulle halshuggas. Den tiden var det sed att kungen på sina resor i landet benådade fångar och efterskänkte böter var han drog fram. Kungen beslöt därför att vid sin ankomst till staden benåda den livdömde mördaren. Kvällen före avrättningsdagen telegraferade kungen att avrättningen skulle uppskjutas i avbidan på hans ankomst. Han skrev själv ut telegrammet så här: Avrätta icke, vänta tills jag kommer. Men telegrafisten slarvade med kommateringen och telegraferade i stället: Avrätta, icke vänta tills jag kommer. När kungen kom till staden var mördaren halshuggen. Härav lära vi hur oändligt betydelsefullt ett komma kan vara. Betänk detta noga och beflita er för framtiden om en riktig kommatering, slutade läraren sin lärorika berättelse.” I början av 1960-talet uppmanades Svenska Dagbladets skribenter att vara återhållsamma med kommatecken och anamma tydlighetskommateringen. ”Hacka icke i onödan sönder texten med ett överflöd av kommata”, kan man läsa i tidningens interna skrivregler från den tiden. Kommatecknet ska, rätt använt, bidra till att ge texten flyt, inte visa att skribenten kan sin grammatik. Kommatecknets viktigaste uppgift är först som sist att bidra till läsbarhet och tydlighet.

Urban Life

The Local Touch

A BLANK CANVAS ROLLING OUT THE ARTWORKS

How apt that this monthly article should come to be called ‘A Blank Canvas’. In a way that’s exactly what I want to discuss here in this first edition. Who am I? My name is TJ Miles and I am a professional artist of some twenty years. I have had a studio on the Costa Blanca for around fifteen of those years and make a precarious living selling my paintings and sculptures mainly across Europe, although I have collectors placed right around the globe. What gives me the mandate to write about the arts in general? The feeling of elation and disappointment at various times during my career doing something I love, as well as experience of the fickle art world and it’s idiosyncrasies. I don’t necessarily see it as work in the true sense so, in a way, I can’t see myself ever really retiring. Though I suppose one day it is inevitable that my paintbrushes will dry up and my welder will stop producing sparks. Until then I will throw the odd pearl of wisdom, or otherwise, into the mix to set minds thinking. Read it if you wish. Don’t if you can’t be bothered. Now this is going to sound a bit controversial and will not make me any friends in the monochromatic movement of artists,

but, if you are a fan of canvases of one solid colour to make a bold statement on a wall, for goodness sake, don’t pay a fortune for it just to get a well-known signature in the corner! The American artist Robert Rauschenberg was a great one for the monochrome canvases. In 1951 he painted a series of white artworks which he described in the terms of clocks. ”If one were sensitive enough (….) you would know how many people were in a room, what time it was and what the weather was like outside”. Uh-huh…. I say, seize the moment! Become the artist! Go to your local bricolage or DIY

store; buy a small tin of paint of whatever shade you want to match your curtains, sofas, knick-knacks etc. grab a radiator roller and a cheap canvas and get to work yourself! Half an hour and a few Euros later you have your very own artwork. Sign it, string it and hang it. Job done! The effect is immediate. The room will be transformed with the simplest statement of colour, and no matter what shade you choose for your canvas, you will guarantee that one colour you won’t experience is a rich hue of red in your bank account. If you are after a painting more defined or detailed, for example say, realist, super-realist, impressionist, expressionist, exasperationist (I made that one up) then go and look for an artist to help you realise your dream artwork. Otherwise, Do it yourself.

To create a more existential version of the single colour statement piece you could take a pencil and write a hidden message on the blank canvas before doing ‘The Reverse Onion’ technique. Adding layers of paint skins on top of the dry ones painted before. Thus adding to the allure of the hidden message only the artist knows is there and which the obscure title, duly given, barely hints at. That said; if you really can’t handle the thought of creating your own monochromatic artwork just give me a call. I have a roller or two floating about the studio somewhere. It ain’t rocket science. Of course, if you happen to write ‘N.A.S.A.’ on the canvas before you roll out the paint you could hint to people in a cryptic way that it is actually related to rocket science….

The Local Touch

Local touch magazine November 2017