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November 2024
THE HIGH LIFE
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underF you were looking to stand how architects planned the construction of Ronda's Nuevo record-breaking Puente ways bridge there are few better to find out. brave-atA new route takes the the faheart 100m down into touch mous Tajo gorge to almost its very foundations. as it's The Desfiladero del Tajo, as the known, has been billed version Malaga mountain town's del Caminito of the death-defying Rey near Ardales. near While it’s really nowhere more inthe same scale, it's far teresting for anyone fascinated history. by architecture and social takes The attraction not only new tourists down into a brand part of Ronda but it transports
takes readers on a personal Olive Press editor Jon Clarke town of Ronda, which he first hand tour of the magical decades has called home for two
Continues overleaf
Photos by Jon Clarke
The British flamenco dancer reexamining the art form’s influences
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BRITISH expats have sounded the alarm following the arrival of a sophisticated QR code ‘malware scam’ on the Costa del Sol. Cars across Mijas and ‘along the coast’ have had paper slips placed on their windshields notifying owners they have received a parking fine. One told the Olive Press: “These scammers are placing them on cars everywhere along the coast, people need to be careful and made aware.” The slip reads in Spanish: “Vehicle infraction… you have parked badly.” It then shows a QR code with writing next to it that says: “To pay the fine, scan this code.” Beware, as the code will take you to a fake website that has been created solely to steal personal and banking data. The Olive Press has since discovered the scam has gone nationwide, with slips so far being spotted in Valencia, Bilbao, Madrid, Tenerife and Mallorca. Apparently, when scanning it, the browser takes the user to a website where there is ‘malware’ (similar to a virus) that is downloaded and infects the phone. This virus, known as a ‘trojan’, collects personal data that is sent to the thieves for their use. Any traffic fines are only payable after receiving a letter or email from the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT).
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KITCHEN NIGHTMARES British expat moves into his picture postcard home only to discover he has to share his kitchen with his neighbours
FROM the moment Steven Nadja received an evocative postcard of emblematic Arcos de la Frontera, he was enamoured. A friend had invited him to visit the stunning inland town (above) for a holiday in 2019. It was during the five-day break that he stumbled across the very same historic home - the Casa del Conde del Aguila - on which the postcard featured. To his surprise, there was a sale sign on the door and thinking it was fate, the Yorkshireman jumped at the opportunity to snap up half of the ground floor of the listed 19th century property. Seemingly a bargain at €135,000, he quickly began to turn it into his dream home. It wasn’t long however, before the
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By Yzabelle Bostyn 67-year-old realised he had made a grave mistake when after a couple of days strangers began to appear in his kitchen. Unbeknown to Nadja, a pharmaceutical boss, his kitchen was shared by two neighbours who had the right to enter at any time. “It started one morning when a random stranger appeared with her dog,” he told the Olive Press. “When I asked her what the bloody hell she was doing, that’s how I learnt there were two doors that led directly from other homes into my kitchen,” he added. “I obviously immediately queried it with my lawyer and it turned out she was right.” Nadja, who currently lives in France, continued: “It was completely devastating: I bought it thinking it would be the basis for a new life in Spain, but now I hardly come over because I don’t want to live under the threat of random people sitting down in my kitchen.”
BLAME THE POSTIE: Steven (top) The irony is bought his ‘dream home’ after that Nadja insists he speseeing it on a postcard cifically asked the seller, plus his lawyer, and even the town notary to check the deeds to He also ‘lost’ all the plants and an irrigation system he had put in the ensure the kitchen was his. They all confirmed that while the communal courtyard. kitchen was once shared with two And then a neighbour illegally conother homes, ownership ‘would be nected a pipe to his water, siphoning transferred’ once the purchase was off his supply. “I was just recovering from a stroke complete. The problem is both neighbours have when this all happened,” he continued. “It’s taken a big toll on me both ‘access rights’ and keys to get in. Despite both of them having their financially and mentally. own kitchens, neither of them have “I’ve spent about €20,000 on all the work, including paying for a ceded their rights. And worse was still to come, when a neighbour’s house to be repainted few months later he discovered that and for new beams in the kitchen one of the neighbours had stolen his to save my neighbour’s house from collapsing,” added Nadja, from coffee machine worth over €1,000. Huddersfield. “It is my understanding that these costs should be shared but my lawyer is useless and can’t get the residents together. “Ironically, my kids told me I *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. would regret buying a house See page 10 *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services.in Spain and unfortunately they were right.” TheOlivePress-256x170-Multi2404.indd 1
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