What do the Spanish words Hasta, Loco, Barrio, Aceite, Moreno, Ojalá, Chaleco, Tarea and Fideo all have in common? They’re all Arabic origin words that have been absorbed into the Spanish language. Spanish has some 1,000 Arabic roots and about 3,000 derived words, so nearly 4,000 in total, that’s 8% of the Spanish language. In … Continue reading Discovering the Arabic Influence on Spanish Language with David Bowles
I speak to Susan Solomont about her new book Lost & Found in Spain – Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife. When Susan’s husband, Alan Solomont was appointed US Ambassador to Spain under President Obama, she left her career in philanthropy, her friends and family to join her husband for three-and-a-half-years in Madrid. In this episode … Continue reading Lost & Found in Spain: Tales of An Ambassador’s Wife
Giving everyone two kisses, mixing up Spanish and English, drinking coffee in glasses, wearing flip-flops indoors, being more stingy when tipping and buying everyone a drink when it’s MY birthday. All things I never used to when I lived in the UK! These are just a handful of habits I’ve picked up since living in … Continue reading Becoming Spanish – 17 habits I’ve picked up since living in Spain
In this episode I talk to Adrian Flude, an avid walker of El Camino de Santiago, Spain´s famous pilgrim route to the city of Santiago de Compostela. Adrian has walked El Camino no fewer than seven times and is something of an expert on The Way of St James. We explore the history of the … Continue reading Walking El Camino de Santiago with Soul Camino’s Adrian Flude