When in Spain

Join me for a rainy day stroll along what is probably Madrid's most iconic street. We start off at the bottom end of Gran Vía where it joins Calle Alcalá and follow its 1.3 kilometres all the way to Plaza de España. Forget chain stores, hotels, and touristy restaurants! Along the way we'll take in the street's most famous buildings and landmarks and explore the fascinating stories behind them. Think clocks, bombs, cocktails, neon lights, theatres, skyscrapers, and a Phoenix. Locations: Edificio Metrópolis Edificio Grassy Museo Chicote Gran Via metro station Edificio Telefónica Almacenes Madrid-Paris (Now Primark) Schweppes neon advertisement Edificio Carrión/Edificio Capitol Cines Callao Palacio de la Prensa Various Theatres Edificio de España/Riu Hotel Torre de Madrid Plaza de España Monumento a Cervantes El edificio de la Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas Casa Gallardo

The cool autumn evenings have arrived in Madrid and on a wander down Madrid's Calle de Arenal, I had a sudden craving for Spain's favourite warm, sweet treat — churros y chocolate! This a quintessentially Spanish snack that can be enjoyed at any time of year, but I think during autumn and winter churros y chocolate are a perfect comforting warmer. Join me as I visit Madrid's iconic Chocolatería San Ginés and pull up a chair at an old marble table in its dining room that dates back to 1894. As I dunk and chomp my way through this sinfully delicious delicacy I take in the surroundings, look at the photos adorning the walls, and take in the basement 'train carriage-style nook'. I also talk about San Ginés's interesting literary connection to modernist playwright Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and his play Luces de Bohemia. Next stop Los Artesanos 1902 where I see their churrero in action in the kitchen, albeit through a glass window, and explain how churros and porras (the thicker version) are made. Final stop is a very quiet Chocolatería Valor for another round of churros and run-through the curious history of this snack and also when it is usually eaten. (Not for dessert!) Other must-visit churrerías that I mention in the episode: Chocolat La Antigua Churrería  Churrería Camu  Churrería Santa Ana Here's a bit more background about the play Luces de Bohemia

Walk with me through the charming city of El Puerto de Santa María. We'll take in the famous sherry bodegas, explore Christopher Columbus's link to the city, take a look at the Castillo de San Marco, where Juan de la Cosa famously drew the first map of the world to include The Americas. Along the way, a few observations on the crumbling charm of Cadiz's sister city, a stroll through the lively Plaza de España and a stop at an even livelier local sherry bar. To round off, some top tips on what and where to eat, nearby beaches to visit, and what to do when when the Levante wind blows!

Join me for all the sights and sounds on a visit to the university city of Salamanca during Spain's 'Semana Santa'. I take in what is possibly Spain's most impressive Plaza Mayor, explore the city's ancient university — including a frog hunt — dodge religious processions, and gaze in wonder at one of the city's cathedrals — yes, it has two! Plus, a splash of history, architecture, and observations for good measure!

After a loooooong break I'm back with a beautiful spring evening wander down one of my favourite Madrid streets — Calle de Santa Isabel. We'll be taking in the sights and sounds with stop-offs in El Cine Doré (Cinema and home to Spain's national film archive), San Antón municipal market, El Amor de Díos Flamenco school, Bar Benteveo (one of my all time favourite Madrid bars with its kitch interior), The Santa Isabel convent and a few other points of interest before the final stop just outside the Reina Sofia museum. Why not follow along on Google Maps? https://goo.gl/maps/BptC7WN3z8KSDWmy6

Where should you visit in Spain if it's your first time? Where should you visit if you only have two weeks? Can you see it all? No. So how do you decide what to include on you itinerary? That's what this episode of When in Spain tries to answer! Join Spain travel consultant, Karen Rosenblum and myself as we try to answer these huge questions to help you get the best out of your trip to Spain. Karen helps us break down Spain by topics so that anyone visiting can decide where to include in their trip based on personal interests. Whether you love gastronomy, beaches, or Roman ruins, Karen shares some great recommendations. She also gives advice on how to put together a realistic, enjoyable, and unrushed itinerary to help you get the best out of your Spain vacation. To find out more about Karen or book a Spain travel consultation with her, head over to Spain Less Traveled. Also, check out her fantastic Facebook community, Travel Spain! for a wealth of information and advice about planning the perfect trip to Spain.

I'm whisking you away on the high-speed AVE train for a day trip to the beautiful medieval city of Cuenca. Join me as I stroll around Cuenca's charming streets and squares, admire the gothic cathedral (one of the earliest examples in all of Spain) and cross the San Pedro bridge to admire the famous 'casas colgadas' , or hanging houses. Later I walk up to the castle neighbourhood and get some breathtaking views of the city from the old castle remains as I reflect on the turbulent history of this UNESCO world heritage site. In the episode I mention Cuenca's Parador in the old San Pablo convent. It was closed the day I went, but also worth visiting the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art.

After a six-month break When in Spain is back! And to celebrate we're taking you on a tour of ten classic Madrid bars. Our guide is Chris Lynch, Spanish wine-buff, former Spanish bar owner, and founder of the Spanish Wine Collective. If you're on a first visit to Madrid these ten bars are required drinking and eating! From the cosy Casa González bar in the centre of Madrid and over a bottle of cava, Chris takes us on a virtual tour of his ten favourite bars of the Spanish capital. He recommends what to drink, what to eat, and when to go. Along the way we talk about the fascinating history of these classic Madrileño bars and Chris describes some of the colourful characters who work in them. At the end of the episode we both give some useful tips for getting the best Madrid bar experience on your visit. Here's the list of stops on the tour: Casa González Casa Toni Casa del Abuelo La Venencia La Dolores Bodegas Ricla Casa Revuelta Casa Lucas Vinoteca Vides Casa Dani Also mentioned: La Concha (Great vermut on Cava Baja) La Osita (Craft beer on Cava Baja) Celso y Manolo (Near Vinoteca Vides) Mercado de la Paz (Municipal indoor market and home to Casa Dani)

Want to sound super Spanish? I run through ten useful and fun Spanish interjections that you can pepper your conversations with to help express yourself even more clearly when you're chatting en español. ¡Anda! When I first started learning Spanish and hanging around with native speakers I kept hearing these noises that popped up in conversations and always wondered what they meant. I'll look at some of the most common interjections and make comparisons with English and give you some examples. In the second half of the episode I'll run through nineteen really useful muletillas ('little crutches') or filler words, as we call them in English. These will make you sound very natural when speaking Spanish and also give you more time to think about what to say next!  Vamos a ver!

In this episode I take you on a trip around Spain's most arid provinces, Almería. We explore the Tabernas Desert and its Spaghetti Western filming locations, the beautiful wild beaches of Cabo de Gata including the dramatic Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead), and I guide you through Almería City's top sights including the imposing Alcazaba. We'll also wander the back streets of the hilltop village of Mojácar, officially one of Spain's most picturesque pueblos. Along the way I uncover the turbulent history of Almería, pillaging pirates, moorish uprisings and its rich mining heritage. I also talk about the vast Mar de Plastico (Sea of Plastic) expanse of greenhouses used for intensive fruit and vegetable production. Plus plenty of sounds along the way to help transport you to this dramatic corner of Spain.

Chris Atkin, author of his new book, (Just As Well) It's Not About The Bike: A Journey Across Southern Spain, joins me in this episode to chat about his experience pedaling 1300 kilometres from Valencia to Gibraltar on a basic bike with only seven gears and barely enough room for panniers. Chris describes some of his favourite stops on his six week journey, including a grueling ride across Spain´s Sierra Nevada, Gandia´s ghost town vibe, picturesque Altea versus the untamed tourism of Benidorm, discovering morcilla in a tiny pueblo of Almócita in the province of Almeria, Granada and the Alhambra and the final destination of Gibraltar, bursting with civic pride. On the ride Chris shares with us some interesting anecdotes, for example Franco´s favourite singer (She despised him!), a little known nuclear catastrophe that happened in Palomares in the 1960s and the heartwarming story of why Mónica was daubed in giant white letters on a Málaga chimney. Chris also offers some practical advice for cycling in Spain, finding accommodation and improving your Spanish. Get your hands on a copy of his book (Just As Well) It's Not About The Bike: A Journey Across Southern Spain here Find out more about Chris Atkin on his website https://chrisatkinonline.com/

Join Karina, me and friends, Adam and Ollie, for a day trip to the charming medieval town of Brihuega and its beautiful lavender fields. A slice of Provence right in the centre of Spain! Brihuega is famous in Spain for its lavender cultivation and surprisingly, it is one of the world's major producers of lavender products, including lavender oil which is used by one of the big Spanish perfume brands. But, away from the lavender fields, we discovered that Brihuega has much more to offer than Instagramable photos of purple hillsides. Find out about the town's turbulent history, Moorish past, former royal cloth factory, secret tunnels and relaxing fountains. The perfect day trip from Madrid! We also stop off in the city of Guadalajara to explore what it has to offer. (Compared to Brihuega, not very much we discovered!) Listen for yourself in the episode...

Sarah Willats joins me to talk about Madrid's public transport network, how to get the best out of it, tickets, passes and trips whether visiting for a holiday, business or making the Spanish capital your home. Sarah, aka Sarah la Viajera (check out her Spain travel blog!) has recently published her book, The Ultimate Guide to Madrid’s Transportation Networks which she spent two years researching and which involved riding every Madrid Metro line, many of the city's buses, commuter trains and bike and scooter sharing schemes. Sarah is an expert on Madrid's public transport system after spending five years riding it and painstakingly testing and researching the network to make life easier for anyone visiting the Spanish capital. In the episode we talk about the transport network's different systems and the differences and pros can cons of each one. Sarah walks us through some facts and figures about the Madrid Metro and some curious history, including its 'ghost stations'. We also share our favourite journeys using Madrid's public transportation and run through some suggestions for day trips out of the city without using a car. Then it's onto practicalities. Sarah guides us through the different tickets and passes and how to buy them and how to get to the centre of Madrid from Barajas Airport and onwards to Atocha train station.

Join us for all the sights and sounds on a road trip along Spain's rugged Costa Brava. Discover the beautiful seaside towns and villages of Tossa de Mar, Calella de Palafrugell, Platja Fonda, Roses and of course Cadaqués, home to Salvador Dalí's former house, now a wonderful, eccentric museum. We explore the coves of turquoise waters, the back streets of fishing villages and the stunning medieval fortress village in Tossa. Tune in to hear about the Costa Brava's turbulent history and a slice of Catalan culture, food and drink. At the end of the episode I offer some practical advice for a visit to this beautiful corner of Spain.

Writer, historian and guide, Nick Lloyd walks us through Barcelona to explore the history of the Spanish Civil War and the city's relationship with this dark chapter from Spain's past. Nick guides around the key locations in the Catalan capital which hold historical significance and reveals some chilling stories of death and destruction. He also describes the walking tour that he runs in Barcelona and how some of his guests inspired him to start collecting fascinating artefacts which help him tell the story of the Spanish Civil War. Nick gives us a comprehensive overview of the key events, players and locations and talks about themes such as the defeat of the military rebellion in Barcelona, the militias, the libertarian revolution, revolutionary violence vs Francoist violence, anarchism, George Orwell and the bombing of Barcelona. We also talk about the lack of a museum dedicated to the Spanish Civil War and talk about whether plans to create one in the future will ever come to fruition. You can find out more about Nick Lloyd on his websites: http://thespanishcivilwar.com/ and https://www.iberianature.com/ If you would like to get a copy of his book Forgotten Places: Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War you can find more information here and buy a copy on Amazon here

Think you can speak Spanish? Think again if you move to Andalucía! Adam Harrison moved to Huelva province seven years ago and realised that the local dialect was very different to the Spanish he had learnt. So on a quest to share is observations and frustrations learning Andaluz Adam set up InglesAndaluz on TikTok and Instagram where he compares English, Spanish and Andaluz through humourous videos. His content recently went viral and he was invited onto a number of Spanish TV programmes to talk about speaking Andaluz as a non-native. In the episode Adam gives us a crash course in the Andaluz dialect and shares some of his favourite vocabulary and expressions that will make you sound like a native of Andalucía. He also shares his thoughts on living in Andalucía compared with his native Newcastle in northeast England. Want to lean to speak Andaluz? Check out Adam's videos on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inglesandaluz/?hl=en and on his TikTok channel https://www.tiktok.com/@inglesandaluz?lang=es If you would like to get your hands on a copy of the Andalusian Dictionary you can find it here: https://www.plateroeditorial.es/libro/andalusian-dictionary_119406/

Travel journalist and writer Tom Chesshyre joins me to talk about his slow train adventure all around Spain. As research for his latest book Slow Trains around Spain: A 3,000-Mile Adventure on 52 Rides, Tom spent 35 days on the tracks and clocked-up 95 hours and 20 minutes onboard all manner of different types of trains, from funiculars, cog trains, narrow gauge, metros and even an aluminium mine train. Tom shares his experience of going unprepared and traveling in an ad-hoc way with a rucksack and an armful of books. We look at the history of Spain's railways, train stations, train museums, George Orwell and the trenches near Huesca where he fought in the Spanish Civil War. Tom shares some anecdotes about his fellow train passengers, hostel owners and station managers and talks the politics of the Spanish train network.

Hola Spain fans! This is a kind of hybrid episode. Lots of sounds of Madrid as I wander its squares, shops and markets and stop off in a few cafes and bars. Along the way I talk all about the cost of living in Spain. I look at renting and buying property, utility bills, groceries, healthcare costs, running a car and average salaries. I make lots of comparisons between costs in a handful of different Spanish cities and also compare the cost of living in Madrid with London and New York. So join me to find out some useful facts and figures as well as immersing yourself in Madrid on a sunny Friday afternoon! Check out the amazing market atmosphere towards the end of the episode. A very immersive and colourful experience! For more detailed show notes head over to wheninspainpodcast.com

We transport ourselves to the majestic olive groves of Jaén to talk all about Spanish olive oil with special guest and olive oil aficionado, Lucas Soler. Lucas was born in Barcelona but even though he has spent nearly all of his life in the US, olive oil has always remained in his blood. Since a young age 'liquid gold' has been a staple of his diet. When Lucas's mother bought an olive grove for the family in Almería 25 years ago, his passion for olive oil was re-ignited. Faced with a lack of good quality EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) in the US, Lucas spotted a businesses opportunity. He set up his own company called Olive Oil Grove oliveoilgrove.com where he imports the best possible quality Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the US market. In the episode Lucas talks us through the different grades of olive oil, the health benefits and what you should look for when choosing great quality Spanish olive oil. We even do a virtual transatlantic olive oil tasting where we compared notes on the Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil that Lucas has sourced from a grove in Jaén following a trip there last year in the midst of the lockdown - a story he also shares in the episode. Lucas also dazzles us with some truly incredible facts and figures about Spanish olive oil and I run through the ancient history of olives and olive oil to find out how it became so popular in Spain. Find out more about Lucas, his business, Olive Oil Grove at oliveoilgrove.com.  Also find him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/oliveoilgrove/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OliveOilGrove/

In this episode of the When in Spain podcast I explore the Balearic island of Mallorca. Joining me to scratch beneath the surface of the island is guide and long-time Mallorca resident, Gina Vasquez who runs Visit My Mallorca https://www.visitmymallorca.com/ Gina talks us through the ancient history of Mallorca and recommends things to see in the island's capital, Palma, including the city's impressive gothic cathedral, La Seu. It has one of the world’s largest stained glass windows.  We also get out across the island and look at Gina's favourite towns, villages, beaches and natural beauty spots to include on a visit. We talk about the artist and sculptor Joan Miró who lived and worked on Mallorca - Gina's husband knew Joan Miró personally and she recommends a visit to the the Fundació Joan Miró where you can see Miró's workshop and numerous pieces of his work. https://www.fmirobcn.org/en/foundation/  Gina also tells us about a fascinating slice of Mallorcan history. The small town of Petra is the birthplace of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784), a Franciscan friar who founded the first nine of 21 Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco. Places and other things we mentioned in the episode: La Seu Cathedral, Palma Santa Catalina neighbourhood, Palma Plaza d'Espanya, Palma Olivar Market, Palma La Llotja de Palma Across the Island Sineu (with its 15th Century market) Sóller Portopetro Portocolom Cala Figuera Biniaraix Banyalbufar Sa Calobra Formentor Mirador Es Colomer Parc natural de Mondragó Estellencs Deià (Robert Graves called it his home) Drach Caves (Porto Cristo) Sant Elm (San Telmo) Pollença (Family beaches) Bakery in Palma to buy Ensaimada - Fornet de la Soca https://fornetdelasoca.com/ TV Series - The Mallorca Files https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9204128/ RESOURCES  Miró https://miromallorca.com/en/ government tourism site https://www.illesbalears.travel/experience/en/mallorca/sant-antoni-and-sant-sebastia transportation island-wide www.tib.org Palma city bus. http://www.emtpalma.cat/en/home One of Gina's favorite restaurants in Palma, http://www.larosavermuteria.com/en/restaurants