Thinking about moving to Spain? Think it's too late?  Join me to hear the inspirational story from Marsha Scarbrough who proves it's never too late to say yes to a new life in Spain. Marsha left her native California to start afresh in Madrid when she was 70 years old after losing everything in the 2008 financial crisis and declaring herself bankrupt. Marsha spent 20 years working as an assistant director on films and network TV shows in Hollywood but by the time she hit 50 se knew she...

In this episode of The When in Spain podcast we're talking about Jewish history or Sephardic history - to use the Hebrew word - in Spain. We'll also be talking about a law that Spain passed in 2015 that has laid a pathway for people of Sephardic descent to reclaim Spanish citizenship – and one of those who has been through the process joins me in the episode. I'll be chatting to Nichole Martínez Kruse who relocated from San Diego in the US to Zaragoza in the Spanish region of Aragon after...

Drizzle, green hills, pintxos and cider. We must be talking  The Basque Country! Tucked into the corner of northeastern Spain, País Vasco, or as it is known in the regional Basque language, Euskadi is one of the lesser-known Spains for many. To talk us through the landscape, cities, beaches, language, traditions and food and drink is David Bumstead. David moved to San Sebastian from the UK in 1983 and never left. Join us as we explore this unique corner of Spain and everything it has to...

Madrid-based British writer and podcaster, Alan McGuire joins the When in Spain podcast to talk about Spanish politics, society and the economy since the 2008 financial crisis and the struggles that Spain has faced since then. Alan also talks about how Covid-19 has affected Spain and highlights the problems the pandemic has exposed. We also look at how Spain could or should use the vast pandemic recovery fund that is being made available from the EU. Where should Spain spend the money? And...

In this episode I look at the American writer, Ernest Hemingway´s relationship with Madrid and wider Spain and how Spain and the Spanish capital inspired and influenced his writing. Ernest Hemingway is commonly associated with a handful of places around the world, most notably Paris, Pamplona, Havana, Key West and Ketchum, Idaho, where he took his own life in July 1961. But, Ernest Hemingway also had a lifelong love affair with Madrid and many of the city´s locations inspired his works...

In this second with writer & journalist William Chislett we look at current economic, societal and political problems that Spain is dealing with and the future challenges the country faces. William talks us through the education system, unemployment, the Spanish economy, pensions and the implications of the EU’s €140 billion pandemic recovery fund that Spain is set to receive. William is a former Madrid correspondent for the UK´s Times newspaper. William was based in Madrid and...

In this episode we look at a fascinating and monumental period in Spanish history – The death of Franco in 1975 and Spain's transition to democracy that followed in the late 1970s. In this part one of a two part podcast I had the great pleasure of talking to writer and journalist William Chislett. William is a former Madrid correspondent for the UK´s Times newspaper. William was based in Madrid and reported first-hand on Spain’s transition to democracy from 1975-1978. He even interviewed...

Join me for a walk around a little slice of deep Spain, right on Madrid's doorstep. Located on the Tagus-Jarama river basin, Chinchón is just 45km from Madrid but worlds apart. Although it has grown beyond its village confines, visiting its antique heart is like stepping back into a charming, ramshackle past. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, Chinchón has an iconic Plaza Mayor, flanked by  15th-17th century galleried houses, staggered roofs and 234 green wooden balconies and even...

Join me for a day out to the Royal City of Aranjuez, a worthwhile day trip from the Spanish capital. I hop on the Cercanías light-rail commuter train from Madrid's Atocha Station and make the 45 minute train ride through the middle of the harsh Castilian plateau, to the haven of peace and tranquillity of Aranjuez, which lies in a green fertile valley between the rivers Tagus and Jarama. Wander with me as I explore this opulent, former Royal Spring retreat and walk its grand boulevards,...

This week i´ve got a great guest for you Spain lovers – I´m going to be chatting all about that famous Spanish wine, Sherry with Annie Manson – aka Annie B! Annie is a foodie, food writer, Sherry expert and qualified Sherry educator. Annie who hails from Scotland, ran her own successful catering and corporate hospitality company in London for 15 years before falling for, and deciding to stay in the beuatiful white-washed Adaluz town Vejer. Annie runs ´Annie B´s Spanish Kitchen´, where...

Part 2 of "ask me anything". I answer more of your questions about life in Spain from my point of view. In the second part I answer your questions about my favourite Spanish food and restaurants, moving to different parts of Spain, washing machines and Spanish culture.

I asked you guys, the listeners to "ask me anything"! (About Spain that is - and my life here) In part 1 I answer your questions about how and why I came to live in Spain, where to live in Spain, the situation with Covid-19 and why I decided to start the When in Spain podcast, how I make it and the journey it has taken me on.

In this episode we take a mini break from Spain as I take you with us on a trip to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon and on to the magical sub-tropical island of Madeira. This summer Karina and I booked our holiday to the Portuguese autonomous island of Madeira to visit our friend who is from there. The only way we could fly to the so-called "island of eternal spring" was by stopping off in Lisbon. So we decided to spend a few days there too, incidentally known as the "the city of the seven...

About 20 km east of Madrid, in the small town of Mejorada del Campo, stands a building that testifies to a former monk's lifetime of devotion to the Catholic faith. After eight years in a Trappist order at Soria‘s Santa Maria de la Huerta monastery, Don Justo Gallego Martinez was ordered to leave, for fear of infecting the other monks with tuberculosis that he had been diagnosed with. When his mother died in 1963 and bequeathed to him a large plot of land, including an olive grove in the...

In this episode of the When in Spain podcast I take a weekend trip two hours south of Madrid to the town of Valdepeñas with three friends, one of whom spent a year living the Spanish small town life in deep Castilla la Mancha before moving to the Spanish capital. With the help of Matt Jennings, friend and fellow Hispanophile - who incidentally wrote his masters thesis on Miguel de Cervantes´ most famous work The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha - we talk about what Valedepeñas...

A round up of do's and don'ts to make your experience in Spain as authentic and enjoyable as possible. Spain, like any country when we're not too familiar with it at first, can feel complicated and overwhelming when we don't have any kind of cultural compass to guide us along the way. Whether you visiting Spain on holiday or coming to live and work, I share my personal insights and experience gained over the years of living in Madrid to help you get the best out of Spain.

Join me as I jump on a bike and hit Madrid´s streets to discover some curious secrets of the Spanish capital. I sign-up to Madrid´s Bici Madrid public cycle scheme and brave the traffic to check out some fascinating locations which hide some surprising stories. I puzzle at the Masonic symbolism on the Ministry of Agriculture building next to Atocha Station, visit the scene of the audacious assassination of Spanish prime minister Admiral Luis Carrero - whose car was catapulted over a...

In this episode, I'm joined by native Granaína Marta Sanchéz to find out everything you need to know about the must-visit Spanish city of Granada. Marta is a tour guide and runs her own Granada walking tour company, Bite Granada. we take a virtual walk around this, one of Spain's most captivating cities which oozes the essence of Al-Andalus. In fact it's known as the Moorish city. We begin our tour in Granada's bustling Plaza Bib-Rambla, from there we cut through the Alcaicería, an...

Think blue flowerpots of vibrant geranium flowers of every colour imaginable. White washed houses, the scent of orange blossom drifting through the streets, tranquil patios, trickling fountains and the sound of a distant guitar.  This week we´re heading to Códoba´s annual Fiesta de los Patios (Courtyard Festival) - virtually of course. And joining us we have an expert guide, Karen Rosenblum, who many of you may remember joined me on the podcast episode about our favourite Madrid streets....

Author and journalist Paul Richardson joins me to talk about life living off-grid on his farm El Chabolino (The Little Shack) https://chabolino.com/ in deep Extremadura. Paul and his husband are almost completely self-sufficient and live from what they produce on their 12-acres of Spanish countryside. Which means tending fruit trees, olive groves and making wine from their own vines. They also rear their own animals and make homemade soap! Paul also talks about the (forgotten) region of...

Vermut 101 a guide to Spain's favourite day-time tipple, vermouth. I explore the world of this fortified wine and its culture with Paula Móvil, lifestyle editor from Conde Nast Traveler and co-founder of La Vermutería Pop-up, a pop-up bar event showcasing vermouth, its brands and styles at regular events around Madrid. Paula walks us through the history of Spanish vermouth, the varieties available, how to drink it and shares her favourite Madrid bars to sip it. Check out La Vermuteria's...

I look back at a few food and drink episodes from last year. I sample some beautiful Jamón Ibérico with food guide Margit Sperling from Walk and Eat Spain.  Then I quaff wine and explore the world of Spanish vino with Luke Darracott and Roque Madrid from Madrid & Darracott. From grape to grain with a stop-off at La Osita bar where I chat with owners and brewers David and Patrick about their own Madrid brewed craft beer and the craft beer scene in Spain. From there I pay a visit to...

In this episode we're talking and walking Spain's third biggest city - the beautiful Mediterranean city of Valencia. Guiding us around Valencia is photographer and guide, Paul Knowles who runs his own walking private tour, Streets of Valencia. In the episode Paul talks history and reveals some of Valencia's most important sights, including the Catedral de Santa María de Valencia, La Lonja de la Seda - a beautiful 15th-century Gothic silk exchange, the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas a...

This week I'm joined by travel journalist and host of The Big Travel Podcast, Lisa Francesca Nand.  Lisa spent her childhood living on the Costa del Sol from the age of seven when her parents relocated from the north of England to the fishing village of Los Boliches near Fuengirola. Lisa recalls her childhood memories of growing up with the sun and sea and shares some of her favourite places along the Costa del Sol. We also talk about how Málaga city has transformed itself into a...

In this episode I talk to Mike Damanti, a professional photographer from the United States who moved to Madrid five years ago. While on a quest for artistic inspiration, Mike came across Madrid’s Romani community.  Photographing them over many years and documenting the Romani community’s lives living on the streets of Madrid, he slowly became accepted into their circle and soon developed deep friendships. Being allowed into their lives and sharing their moments of happiness along with...