Road trip number two of 2019. Join us for as we holiday across Spain’s Costa de la Luz. First stop, Cádiz, one of my favourite Spanish cities. I describe the faded grandeur of this once-powerful city, soak up the atmosphere of its squares and streets and contemplate the city’s history and geography. Then on to … Continue reading Costa de la Luz Road Trip: From Cádiz to La Doñana & beyond to Portugal
Author, Kate Boyle talks about her novel Happy as a Partridge – Life and Love in Madrid. Kate spent two-and-a-half years living and teaching English in Madrid. Kate recounts her own experience of living in the Spanish capital which inspired her to write her first book whose protagonist is Evie Fuller, a girl approaching her thirties … Continue reading Happy as a Partridge – Author Kate Boyle on Life & Love in Madrid
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
This week I’m talking all about el vino, Spanish wine. To help me explore the world of Spanish wine I’ve enlisted the help of wine lovers, wine experts Luke Darracott and Roque Madrid. In the episode I head along to their wine shop called Madrid & Darracott where we talk about the history of Spanish … Continue reading Discovering Spanish wine with Luke Darracott & Roque Madrid
Talking and tasting tapas with Margit Sperling from Walk and Eat Spain tour. Margit runs her own neighbourhood food tours in Madrid with a focus on the Malasaña barrio where she lives. In this episode we stop off in a couple of Margit´s favorite tapas stops, to sample cheese, wine and cañas. Along the way … Continue reading Tapas – Talking and tasting with Margit Sperling from Walk & Eat Spain
This week I’m talking Flamenco, that unmistakable Spanish art form, some might argue the very quintessence of Spain. Listen in as I attend a flamenco dance class for professional ‘bailaoras’ or flamenco dancers given by Belén López at Madrid’s Centro de Arte Flamenco y Danza Española Amor de Dios, a prestigious dance school. While I was there … Continue reading Flamenco! Steps, styles, shows & why ‘duende’ is a dirty word! Olé!