Flamenco is a music style that is easily conceptualised but seldom understood. From humble origins it has found a global audience, but Flamenco's modern reputation as "Spain's national music" would shock its 16th century pioneers who used song and dance as a way to cope with tragedy and despair. In this episode, we introduce you to the advocates, to the detractors and to the trailblazers of cante jondo, and we offer a basic understanding of the tormented history of the world's most popular folk music - as well as its cultural relevance in the 21st century.

The 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 in comments and don't forget to like and subscribe. Many thanks for listening!

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!

Paralysed 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!

Different 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!

On 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 while Real and Barca consolidate their duopoly. But new legislation passed in 2022 ostensibly designed to protect employees in Spanish sport has thrown an unintended lifeline to aspiring fan-owned football clubs from Spain's lower leagues. Thanks for listening!

The 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....

Having 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 = )