Shows
Hispanophiles PodcastInside Barcelona's Gingerbread HouseThe Casa Vicens is the private summer house commissioned by stockbroker and merchant Manuel Vicens i Montaner in the charming, alternative neighbourhood of Gràcia. Now open to the public, Vicens gave young local architect Antoni Gaudí his first opportunity to explore ideas and concepts that would later define much of Barcelona's fabulously idiosyncratic modernist architecture. And while Gaudí experimented wildly from room to room, the common colour scheme of the building's exterior gives the Casa Vicens the impression of being one giant gingerbread house!Have you visited? Is there a different Gaudí building you prefer? Let us know...
2026-02-2752 min
Hispanophiles PodcastWhat IS Sherry??Andalusia's fortified wines are some of the most prestigious but most misunderstood drinks on the planet. From the driest of the dry to the sweetest of the sweet, centuries of tradition and careful supervision combine in a small corner of Southwest Spain to produce a range of wines unlike any other on the planet. In this episode, we explore what sherry is, why it is the way it is and what type of sherry is best suited to your palate. ¡Salud!
2026-01-291h 14
Hispanophiles PodcastThe Mercy Killing That Won An OscarParalysed for 3 decades, Ramón Sampedro was the first ever Spaniard to petition the government for the right to end his own life with dignity. When the courts denied his request, he took matters into his own hands and formulated a cunning plan. Not only was he immortalised in the film Mar Adentro that went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film the following year, Sampedro's story changed the debate in Spain that ultimately resulted in a law changes in 2021. Many thanks for listening!
2025-12-2456 min
Hispanophiles PodcastI Wish Someone Had Told Me This Before I Moved To SpainDifferent beauty standards, agonising bureaucracy, terrible soups - the grass is not always greener when moving to a new country.In this episode, the Hispanophiles explore the hidden challenges to moving to Spain that take some getting used to, both the silly and the serious. And the biggest challenge of all is the one thing nobody ever expects to encounter....Did we miss anything off this list? How does moving to Spain compare to moving to other countries? Let us know in comments, and thanks for listening!
2025-12-0649 min
Hispanophiles PodcastSpain's Fan Ownership Problem | GolGolGolGolOn June 30th 1992, Ley 10/1990 del Deporte came into effect, forcing all but 4 professional Spanish football clubs to convert to private limited liability companies and sell shares on the market. The objective? To add an extra degree of accountability to ensure Spanish clubs managed their books without compromising the quality of the game. The outcome? A vicious circle of private investors throwing money at the game with skyrocketing costs that distance average fans from the running of their clubs. In 3 decades, dozens of great clubs in Spain have fallen foul of incompetent owners, dodgy business deals and mountains of debt...
2025-11-1553 min
Hispanophiles PodcastIdiot's Guide To Toledo - Faiths and FortressesThe Romans, the Visigoths, the Sephardim, the Moors and the Castilians.... Each great civilisation in Spain left its mark in the Medieval Fortress City of Toledo. The first ever capital of what would later be called Spain, Toledo is located almost perfectly in the middle of the country and entices countless culture-cravers with its otherworldly relics and architectural gems. Come explore one of Spain's truly great cities as we trace the steps of Visigothic kings, Jewish scholars, Umayyad statesmen, Catholic knights and a plot to blow up the biggest building on the skyline....
2025-09-301h 19Hispanophiles PodcastBRUTALLY Rating Every Spanish RegionHaving visited each comunidad autónoma in Spain, James reviews every region and gives his brutally honest rating, from worst to best. What makes a place worth visiting? Food? Architecture? Lifestyle? The locals? That indescribable X factor? In this episode, there are no holes bared as we give our honest assessment of each corner of Spain - PLUS the 5 cities we LEAST liked visiting. Enjoy = )
2025-07-0149 minHispanophiles PodcastThe Ultimate Spain Bucket ListSpain is a country that offers anything you could want - the best beaches, the finest cuisine, the wildest parties and the craziest cultural events. But which are the ones you really need to put on your bucket list? In this episode the Hispanophiles present the top 10 cultural bucket list activities that you must do in Spain at least once, from wine battles to stargazing via running with the bulls. But is there anything you think we've missed? What activities would you put on your Spain bucket list? We hope you enjoy this episode!
2025-06-0944 minHispanophiles PodcastAndalusia's Most Underrated Tourist AttractionThe Casa de Pilatos is a 16th century palace that fuses multiple architectural styles in the middle of Seville - the city at the centre of the world in the 1500s. Between the Mudejar archways and the Romanesque columns, the Casa de Pilatos boasts the first ever application of Italian Renaissance design anywhere on the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, the palace tells the story of the evolution of Spain's high society in the post-Columbian and post-reconquest era where silver mined in the Americas paid for tonnes of neoclassical marble statues imported from Naples. But in spite of its splendour, the C...
2025-05-1747 min
Hispanophiles PodcastIs Athletic Bilbao Really Completely Basque?? | GolGolGolGolAthletic Club Bilbao claims to be a Basque club for the Basque people, but is it really so? In this Episode of GolGolGolGol, we ruthlessly examine the biggest and most successful Football club of Euskal Herria and look at the ways in which its characteristics represent Basque culture and heritage, from the music played in the stadium, the "Gabarra Athletic" and of course the much celebrated "Basque Only" player hiring policy. But has the club been lying about the origin of some of its recent players?Thanks for listening!
2025-04-2847 minHispanophiles PodcastPre-Historic Humans in Spain; From Atapuerca To Altamira4,000 years.... 750,000 years.... ten million years.... How long do you think human beings have been living in Spain??In this episode the Hispanophiles become anthropologists and get digging in the Sierra de Atapuerca to learn all about the lives of the earliest humans ever to live in Spain. From Ronda to Santander, the discoveries of fossilised skeletons and cave paintings illustrate the spread of the first hominids in the Iberian Peninsula. But although Homo Antecessor, Homo Heidelbergensis and the Neanderthals thrived across Spain for hundreds of thousands of years, climate disaster and the arrival of a new...
2025-03-3059 minHispanophiles PodcastThe Siesta SpecialDo the Spanish still take siesta? How long is it supposed to last? What are its origins?In this episode of the Hispanophiles Podcast, we're grabbing a pillow and talking everything Siesta - the famous Spanish tradition of grabbing some shut eye for 20 minutes in the middle of the day. Contrary to popular belief, the Siesta is a core institution of traditional family and town life all around the country. The pressures of the modern world and the demands of a globalised economy are threatening one of the greatest Spanish traditions of them all! But as the...
2025-03-2347 minHispanophiles PodcastMy First Culture Shocks In Spain¡Buenos días Hispanophiles!In this episode, James takes us back to the very first day he moved to Spain and shares the greatest culture shocks and biggest surprises he experienced living in rural Andalusia. A 5 month internship was filled with drunk carpenters, nosey neighbours, arrogant managers, snails for dinner and a tiny town that could find any excuse to throw a wild party.There is no better way to discover a foreign culture than small town life, so sit back and enjoy this story of a wide-eyed kid making the most of every moment!!
2025-03-071h 12Hispanophiles PodcastWhat Else Are The Spanish World Champions At??What do the Spanish do better than anybody else??Hey Hispanophiles, in this episode we are celebrating the little things that our Iberian friends do better than anybody else in the world and asking ourselves "what else are the Spanish World Champions at?" From keeping their city streets clean to folk music via motorway service station food, James, Jessica and Silvano each propose 3 things that they think the Spanish do better than anybody else on the planet. Spoiler alert: arriving on time is not one of them.....Is there anything else we missed...
2025-02-1557 minHispanophiles PodcastThe First Man To Sail Around The EarthHello Hispanophiles! On today's episode we are going back to the age of exploration and joining the crew of Fernando de Magallanes a.k.a Fernão de Magalhães a.k.a Ferdinand Magellan on their 16th century circumnavigation of Earth - something that had never been done before. Eager to match their great rival Portugal and directly access the valuable commodities of the Spice Islands of the East Indies, Magellan was given license to lead a team of 235 and 5 ships from Spain, around the Americas, across the Pacific and to the Malay Archipelago where they could load up...
2025-01-2646 minHispanophiles PodcastHow To Travel In Spain On A BudgetWelcome to the Hispanophiles' ultimate guide to travel in Spain on a shoe-string budget!! In this episode we share our best tips on how to get the most out of your trip to Spain for cheap, from recognising the overpriced restaurants and tapas bars to navigating public transport from one city to another for under 10 Euros. Plus we reveal the most backpacker-friendly city in all of Spain!!Thank you for listening!
2025-01-111h 07
Hispanophiles PodcastVillarreal's Journey from Provincial Minnow to Europa League Winners | GolGolGolGolWelcome to Villarreal - the Europa League champions from a town small enough to fit into most stadiums!In this episode of GolGolGolGol the Hispanophiles are taking a look at extraordinary rise of Villarreal CF; the "Yellow Submarine". Now a difficult team for anyone to play against, Villarreal does not come from a large city and it does not boast centuries of tradition like other many Spanish Football clubs. However the astute business decisions of one local family have allowed it to leapfrog its bitter neighbours up La Liga and into the final of European competition.... but how?
2024-11-2356 minHispanophiles PodcastThe Coolest Gaudi Building You've Never Heard Of¡Buenos días chicos! In this episode, the Hispanophiles visit Bellesguard - a fortified royal house in Barcelona restored by Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí who left subtle clues and details all around the building to honour the grand history of the House of Barcelona and the monarchs who built this place. But while other more famous Gaudí works are known for their colour and vibrance, Bellesguard is darker, more mysterious and has far more secrets.... But best of all, the visitors who are brave enough to climb to the rooftop come face to face with a recreation of the fear...
2024-10-2557 minHispanophiles PodcastSpain's Most Dangerous Animals (Excluding Politicians)If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a big surprise....From creepy crawlies to beasty maulies, in this episode the Hispanophiles take a look at all the dangerous animals you can find in Spain as well as the best ways to avoid them. They may be camouflaged in dense forests, lurking in shallow rock pools, or even waiting patiently in your shoes by the back door....Like, subscribe, enjoy the episode and stay safe!!
2024-10-121h 17Hispanophiles PodcastYour Perfect Spanish Holiday (featuring Daniel Radcliffe)No plans yet for your next holiday? Struggling to decide where to go? The Hispanophiles have got you covered! In this episode, Mistique, James and Daniel Radcliffe throw caution to the wind and discuss what their perfect 7 day holiday in Spain would look like! From bodega tours to history walks, from horse races to fine dining, we leave no stone unturned in our plan to deliver you the PERFECT itinerary for your next summer vacation.Do you agree with our choices? What would your perfect trip in Spain include? Thanks for listening and have a g...
2024-09-141h 04Hispanophiles PodcastSpanish City Top Trumps!!And the winner is..... For this episode, James and Silvano are joined by Angelique, Ino and Jessica for a game of Spanish City Top Trumps to decide which is the best city in Spain one and for all!We ranked each Spanish city and awarded points depending on how cool or lame each city was in 8 categories before awarding the definitive title of "Best City in Spain" to the city that scored the most points!!Do you agree with our result? Which categories would you have chosen? Or should we have chosen a d...
2024-09-071h 15Hispanophiles PodcastThe COMPLETE History of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand PrixEverything you need to know about the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix! In this episode, James and Mistique explore the history of the Spanish Grand Prix through the ages from the nascent era of motorracing in Spain and look to the future and the shock decision to move the race to Madrid in 2026. The halcyon days of pre-civil war Grand Prix racing were soon replaced with decades of tragedy, heartbreak, sacrifice and turmoil as Formula 1 racing struggled to find a secure home in Spain until the competition arrived at the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1991. But after 32 years of l...
2024-08-291h 23Hispanophiles PodcastTHIS Is Why Living In Barcelona Sucks....Yes, we know the title is a bit clickbaity.... but not everything that glitters is gold!! In this episode, the Hispanophiles let it all out as Silvano, Mistique and James sit down and discuss the 3 things they hate most about living in Barcelona - as well as working out what we can do to fix them. Things got heated in the podcast booth.... Do you agree with our choices? Thanks for listening and see you soon!
2024-08-1049 minHispanophiles PodcastSalvador Dali's Crazy Life¡Hola chicos! In this episode the Hispanophiles learn all about the wild life of Salvador Dali, one of the most celebrated and vilified artists of all time. In spite of a difficult childhood, his outrageous talent and wild curiosity paved the way for his emergence as a cultural icon and international rockstar living in his own time. But Dali's genius, originality and flare were often overshadowed by the controversaries that seemed to follow him, and he lived out his final days penniless and paranoid. Whether you love him or loathe him, Salvador Dali was undoubtedly one of the most i...
2024-07-211h 05Hispanophiles PodcastIdiot's Guide to Seville - Bullrings and Moorish KingsWelcome to Seville - capital of Andalusia and one of the most distinctive and fascinating cities not just in Spain, not just in Europe, but in the entire world! In this episode the Hispanophiles take a trip to the ancient city to uncover its magnificent past, unearth some of its dark secrets and point out some of the most breath-taking sites Seville has to offer. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites to abandoned space rockets, join us on our trip to Spain's 4th largest city!
2024-07-091h 05
Hispanophiles PodcastEvolution of the Tourism Industry in Spain (Hangover Optional)In episode 003, the Hispanophiles delve into the history books to understand the evolution of the tourism industry in Spain and how it became one of the world's most popular holiday destinations!Your hosts examine how Spain transformed itself through the 20th century, the incredible impact international tourism had for the Spanish (economically and culturally), what the future for Spanish tourism might look like and the potential dangers that an economic reliance on tourism poses for the country.From the Camino de Santiago to package holidays on the Costa del Sol, all is revealed in this...
2024-06-0853 min
Hispanophiles PodcastExploring Spanish Geography And Debunking Mistique's Siesta Scepticism!!In this episode, the Hispanophiles explore Spain's extraordinary geography, from the top of the highest mountains to the bottom of the deepest rivers. Taking a step back, the Hispanophiles ask the big questions about the country's main geographical features while also sharing their thoughts on some of their earliest culture shocks in Spain. Enjoy!
2024-06-081h 04
Hispanophiles PodcastMeet Your Hosts! (And How Not To Impress An Air Hostess....)The Hispanophiles Podcast is live!! In the very first episode, Silvano, Mistique and James discuss their "origin stories" and how they made the bold decision to move to Spain as well as their initial impressions of the city where they all first met - Barcelona. Thanks for listening!!
2024-06-071h 00
Free Audiobook: Because Folding Laundry Is More Exciting With a StoryEspaña: A Brief History of Spain - Giles TremlettListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeTitle: España: A Brief History of SpainAuthor: Giles TremlettNarrator: Luis SotoFormat: UnabridgedLength: 8:34:57Language: EnglishRelease date: 04-14-2022Publisher: W.F. HowesGenres: History, EuropeSummary:Bestselling author Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer for visitors, curious listeners and hispanophiles.
Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political and actual w...
2022-04-148h 34