Puntos de vista - a personal Spain blog

I had to go to Málaga City for a Press dinner this week. I decided to go in an environmentally friendly manner.

I also had my eye on the cost, being a pensioner and all.

View of Malaga City [Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]    

What I did

Instead of burning fuel for the 240 kilometer round trip and having to pay parking charges, I took the bus.

First, I walked for about seven minutes to the Hotel Ronda Valley where I caught the bus for the short ride to Ronda bus station. 1 euro and little environmental impact.

At the Estación de Autobuses I picked up the direct bus from Ronda to Málaga. As a pensioner with a tarjeta sesentaycinco, issued free by the Andalucia regional government to over-65s, I got a 50 per cent discount. I paid just 12 euros for the return trip. Low environmental impact and cheap!

[Photo courtesy of Ronda Today]    

From Málaga bus station it was a short walk on level ground to my hotel, the 2-star Hotel Goartín, where I paid a mere 52 euros for a single room with a double bed. The online price was quite a bit higher, but I rang the hotel direct and negotiated. Result!

After a snack and a beer purchased from LIDL (cheap!) I got online for a while back at the hotel before heading off on foot to the restaurant where the Costa Press Club meeting/dinner was to be held. That took 45 minutes which took their toll on my feet - my shoes were quite new and hadn't been worn in properly!

Hotel Goartin, Malaga [Photo: booking.com]    

The Restaurante Bendito had been reserved for our exclusive use. These Press Club dinners are always preceded by another activity, usually a presentation by an outside speaker on a topic relevant to media people.

On this night we were honoured to have Lydia Cacho, Mexican by birth, but now living in Málaga Capital, a refugee from the country of her birth.

Lydia, originally a journalist and then a supporter of abused children in Mexico, told us her life story in eloquent English. Having been imprisoned for daring to expose the abusers, she was tortured but eventually freed when she won her court case. She decided she should seek refuge in Europe and chose Spain.

[Photo by Paul Whitelock]    

An author of 21 books she continues to be an advocate for abused children and especially boys, who find it hard to open up.

After a few questions from the audience, we got on with the meal, which consisted of an 8-dish tasting menu with drinks included. That cost 30 euros a head. An absolute steal!

Annual CPC subs were also due, a very reasonable 45 euros.

So, all in all I escaped a happy and far from impoverished man!

I couldn’t face the long walk back to my hotel with my feet throbbing painfully by then, so I invested in a taxi. Just six euros!

    Lydia Cacho [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

After a nightcap of an ice-cold patxarán in the bar opposite my hotel (3 euros) it was time for bed.

Day 2

I rose early and went in search of a dawn coffee. I settled on Cafetería Mary Pepa which was full of my kind of people: dodgy old men like me and young girls/women on their way to work.

I watched the latest news on the bar's TV, Macron with Trump at the White House and 37 European leaders meeting with Zelenskyy in Kiev. Good to see that Europe is being steadfast in its support of Ukraine.

I had two coffees and a pitufo integral con aceite y tomate (wholemeal roll with olive oil and tomato puree) for five euros including tip. Wey, hey!

Back to the hotel for a nice relaxing soak in the bath before packing, checking out and spending the morning on the coast in El Palo and Pedregalejo before getting the bus back home to Ronda.

    [Photos by Paul Whitelock]

Links:

Early Morning Coffee 

Early morning coffee in Spain - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Early morning coffee on the Costa del Sol 

ImPRESSive! 

Magnificent, under-rated Málaga 

MALAGA CITY - Help me, Ronda

The “Crazy Guy” gets his house finished just in time - A1 INMOBILIARIA - Real Estate

“WHEN I’M 65…”: HOW TO ….. get a tarjetasesentaycinco 

© Pablo de Ronda

Photos and Images:

Paul Whitelock, Ronda Today, Wikipedia, www.booking,com

Tags:

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Local council mayors can earn good money these days. I remember when being mayor of a town was a voluntary role and an honour, although whether they were effective is another matter.

Surely, it’s right that the “chief executive” of a council with a budget to manage is regarded as a professional who should be paid.

This has been the case for many years in the UK, and also in Spain. Councillors/elected members are also remunerated for their time, even though most of them are part-time.

[Map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]

Spain in 2023

The data for 2023 have recently been made known. The highest-earning mayor in Spain is in Madrid, followed by Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Vitoria, Valencia and Sevilla.

These salaries are controlled, with a maximum amount allowed depending on the size of the population.

The mayor of Madrid since 2019, is 49-year-old José Luis Martínez-Almeida Navasqüés, a lawyer, representing the Partido Popular (PP). His salary is 108,517 €.

The mayor of Sevilla, the largest city in Andalucia and the region’s capital, is José Luis Sanz Ruiz of the Partido Popular. He is the 7^th highest paid mayor, earning 92,440€.

Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida          Malaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre

                                              [Both photos: Mayors of Europe]

In 8th position is the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, also PP, who earns 90,815€. The mayoress of Ronda, another PP politician, María de la Paz Fernández, earns 57,418€.

Montejaque mayor, PP, Diego Sánchez Sánchez pockets a cool 32,806€.

  Ronda Mayoress, María de la Paz Fernández [SUR in English]        Montejaque Mayor Diego Sánchez

In contrast, the mayor of Estepona, J M García Urbano, has opted not to draw a salary.

The mayor of Almogía, Antonio García, PSOE, claims just 900€.

Well ….. ?

Should we pay our local politicians? On balance, I think we should. Otherwise you only get people who are rich enough to do the job voluntarily. That means you must be excluding a lot of talented folk.

In Spain, a lot of the old mayors have been cleared out, investigated for corruption and some have gone to gaol. Quite right too.

A former mayor of Ronda, where I live, was investigated for corruption and found guilty. Before he could start his prison sentence, he died. RIP Antonio Marin Lara (PSOE) known as “Toti”.

A former mayor of Montejaque, where I am empadronado, was ousted for alleged corruption. The case against Miguel Alza (PSOE), who was mayor for 16 years, was not proven, and has been filed (archivado). Nowadays he can be seen driving the municipal “dupe” (dumper truck).

    Former Ronda mayor Antonio Lara [CharryTV]      Former Montejaque Mayor Miguel Alza [Diaro Ronda]

Links:

© Pablo de Ronda

Acknowledgements:

Facebook, Wikipedia

Photos:

Ayuntamiento de Montejaque, Charry TV, Diario Ronda, Mayors of Europe, SUR in English, Wikimedia Commons

Tags:

Antonio García, Antonio Marin Lara, archivado, Ayuntamiento de Montejaque, Barcelona, Bilbao, Charry TV, “chief executive”, councillors, council mayors, Diario Ronda, Diego Sánchez Sánchez, driving the municipal “dupe”, dumper truck, elected members, filed, former mayor of Montejaque, former mayor of Ronda, Francisco de la Torre, gone to gaol, highest-earning mayor in Spain, investigated for corruption, José Luis Martínez-Almeida Navasqüés, José Luis Sanz Ruiz, J M García Urbano, largest city in Andalucia, Madrid, María de la Paz Fernández, mayoress of Ronda, mayor for 16 years, mayor of Almogía, mayor of Estepona, mayor of Madrid, mayor of Malaga, mayor of Sevilla, mayors have been cleared out, Mayors of Europe, Miguel Alza, Montejaque, not proven, Pablo de Ronda, PP, Partido Popular, PSOE, part-time, Paul Whitelock, professional, San Sebastian, Sevilla, Spain, SUR in English,  “Toti”, Valencia, Vitoria, voluntary role, Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia

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When Nicola Powles went on a three-day break to the Costa del Sol in Spain with her husband, little did she know what would happen next.

“All I wanted was a spot of sun, I didn’t mean to move there,” admitted the mother of two.

Nicola Powles [Photo courtesy of DiarioAS]    

Three weeks later, the estate agent had given up her job and moved her entire family, including her husband, two children, two horses and their two dogs – and she has never looked back.

2001

“I moved my family from boring Portsmouth to Spain & save £1K a month”. Nicola rents out two villas with pools and says she can eat out for £11.

In fact, she ditched “boring Britain” altogether, upping sticks for sunny Spain and urging people to “get out now while you can”.

Nicola now wakes up most mornings to sunshine and never less than an average of 17-degree temperatures and says she is better off than ever before.

“It’s a shame but Britain is quickly becoming a third world country with nothing to offer for the people who live there.

“It’s a scary country with [crime] out of control, you can’t see a doctor and ambulances don’t arrive.

“It’s always grey – where will it end?”

Nicola Powles [Photo courtesy of The Sun]    

“So many things are much cheaper here, for example; eating out, alcohol and petrol.

“The hospitals here are also amazing, there’s hardly any wait time unlike in the UK.

“And mortgage rates are less, the streets are very safe, and I actually feel comfortable walking alone at night in my village.”

According to Kanan, a study-abroad company, the average cost of living for a family-of-four in the UK was around £2,200 per month, excluding rent, in 2024.

In Spain, this figure was found to be much lower – around £1,400, excluding rent.

“In the UK, life was a constant hamster wheel”.

“Luckily, my husband also loved the idea of moving.

“As our kids were only young at the time, it was easy enough to get them enrolled in school and learn the language.

“I was determined to make the gorgeous weather, stunning land and friendly locals an everyday occurrence for us.

“In the UK, we were paying the same amount of rent for one house than what we were doing for two in Spain, which both included a pool.”

2025

Nicola has now lived in Malaga for 24 years and although prices have changed, she says it’s still cheaper than the UK.

She has no plans to ever return to the UK.

She said: “Life is amazing, filled with warm days and late light evenings.

“I’ve made some wonderful friends, and I am so much more relaxed.

“I don’t fret over whether I’ll be able to pay the bills or working all hours.

“If I do miss home, I’m only a two-hour flight away.”

Nicola’s family have now returned to the UK and she and her husband have divorced. While she misses her children, she can’t bring herself to return to the UK.

“I miss my daughter and grandchildren ….., but the country has nothing to offer me anymore,” she admits.

Nicola Powles in 2024 [Photo: The Olive Press]    

“The only way I’m ever returning to the UK is in a coffin.”

Nicola now runs her own company helping fellow emigrants take the plunge and move to Spain.

She’s also bought and renovated multiple properties, earning a whopping £100,000 in profit overall.

Be warned!

Nicola says that wannabe emigrants should be mindful of rules and regulations when it comes to moving to Spain.

She advises: “Always use a local lawyer …..”

“And be aware that nearly all agents share a database of all the properties available, Idealista.com, so you can choose just one agent to view anything.”

Factcheck

Everything you need to know about visiting Spain. It’s changed a lot since Nicola moved here.

The UK was a member country of the European Union back then.

Since BREXIT it’s much more complicated.

    BREXIT [Image courtesy of Dachser]

• British citizens must have at least three months left on their passport from the day they plan to leave the country.
• Tourists do not need a visa if visiting for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
• Make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
• Travellers may be asked at the border to show hotel booking confirmations and proof that they have enough money for their stay.

© Pablo de Ronda

Acknowledgements:

Amy Walters, DiarioAS, Jam Press, Nicola Powles, The Olive Press, The SUN newspaper

Tags:

Amy Walters, “boring Britain”, BREXIT, British citizens, coffin, Costa del Sol, DiarioAS, estate agent, EU, European Union, Idealista.com, Jam Press, Kanan, Malaga, Nicola Powles, Portsmouth, Spain, study abroad company, The Olive Press, The SUN newspaper, three-day break

Puntos de vista

By Paul Whitelock

"Puntos de vista" was the first blog I ever wrote for "Eye on Spain" back in 2001. Since then my portfolio has extended to 20 threads. It's high time for a review of those 20 threads. It seems appropriate to post the result of this review on Puntos de vista.

Puntos de vista [Image courtesy of Facebook]    

Why do I blog?

Writing is a hobby, nay a passion, which I enjoy immensely. I don’t earn a “penique” for my efforts, but that’s OK.

However, when writing begins to dominate my life to the detriment of my other interests, it’s time to take a look, to review and to prioritise.

In addition, feedback from friends and other readers tells me that some threads have become redundant and/or do not really belong on a website about Spain.

Fair enough!

    Puntos de vista [Cartoon by Novarum]

Cutting down

I’ve been pretty brutal and have decided to implement the following changes:

• Eye on Trump will cease after Episode 10 – my final post will be this weekend.
• My Covid-19 Diary has served its purpose and run its course. It will also close this weekend.
• Somewhat surprisingly, the posts in “Guiris” Galore have only attracted a few hundred clicks each, so I shall merge that thread into the more visited The Culture Vulture.
• As The Merry Tippler I’ve only posted two articles, both in October of last year, and nothing since. I’ll leave it active for the time being, but I suspect it’s not a priority, and I’ll probably close it down.
• A View from the Mountains, a repository for news items about Spain, where I haven’t posted since November 2024, attracts a lot of readers, so I’m inclined to keep it for now.

   Paul Whitelock [selfie]    The Merry Tippler [Simpsons]        The Curmudgeon [Luck & Flaw]     Diary of a Nobody [Wikipedia]

Conclusion

So, I’ve carried out a bit of a cull. The time-sensitive threads, ie about the news and current affairs, are disproportionately time-consuming, so I shall leave the news to newspapers and online news services.

Closing those down will release more time for my other activities, eg gardening, DIY, travel, holiday lets and property sales.

© Paul Whitelock  

Links:

A View from the Mountains

"Guiris" galore

The Culture Vulture

The Crazy Guy

The Merry Tippler - a blog about drinks

Acknowledgements:

Delphine Du Boys, Eye on Spain, Julia Flynn, Nick Flynn, Paul Whitelock 

Photos and Images:

Diary of a Nobody, Facebook, Luck & Flaw, Novarum, Paul Whitelock, selfie, The Curmudgeon, The Merry Tippler, The Muppets, The Simpsons, Wikipedia

Tags:

A View from the Mountains, Diary of a Nobody, “Eye on Spain”, Eye on Trump, Facebook, “Guiris” Galore, Luck & Flaw, Matt Groening, My Covid-19 Diary, Novarum, Paul Whitelock, selfie, The Culture Vulture, The Curmudgeon, The Merry Tippler, The Simpsons, Wikipedia

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