Hispanophiles Podcast

Alcohol and the Spanish; a match made in heaven, right? Well we thought so too, but the official data suggests the Spanish are not the avid drinkers everybody assumed.... From the surprising percentage of people who abstain completely to the misconceptions about why people choose to drink, in this episode we explore the ridiculous rituals and tasty tipples of Spain's Drinking Culture - including which Spanish city has more bars per capita than any other. Thanks for listening and we'll see you at a tardeo soon!

The other two big boys may get all the international media attention, but inside Spain there is no club as universally hated as Club Atlético de Madrid. In this episode of GolGolGolGol, we look at the three key events from Atleti's history that have made it the villain of La Liga. Do you think there is a club that is more widely hated in Spain than Atlético? Did we miss any anecdote? Let us know in comments and thanks for listening!

We've finally fallen in love with AI..... from investigating how much ketchup is lost during La Tomatina to calculating how long it would take Peter Crouch to walk the Camino de Santiago, in this episode James and Silvano ask an AI chatbot all their dumb and silly questions about Spain that they could never ask a Spaniard in person! Note - no bulls were harmed in the making of this podcast episode.
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Dalí or Picasso?? Patatas Bravas or Calamares?? Madrid or Barcelona?? In this episode, Angelique and James play "One Has To Go" and identify which of Spain's cultural treasures, historic monuments, natural wonders, gastronomic delights and perennial nasties the country could really do with out.... Did we make the right decision? Were there some categories missing? Let us know in comments, and thanks for listening!!

Pablo Picasso's 1937 anti-war masterpiece remains one of Spain's most important works of art , but the timeline of events from the Nationalist air force campaign against the small Basque town to the publication of the eponymous painting makes the Guernica story even more fascinating. Attempts to keep the truth from the public failed as the French press broke the news of fresh atrocities which finally gave a horrified Picasso a subject for a looming deadline. Many thanks for listening to The Hispanophiles Podcast. 

CE Júpiter is simultaneously one of most obscure and most celebrated sports clubs in Catalonia. Its longstanding connections to the working class communities of east Barcelona proved to be a springboard for the club's emergence as a vehicle for activism and protest during the turbulent decades of the early 20th century. And although sporting achievements have been lacking in recent seasons, its political ties and community focus have justifiably earned Júpiter praise from around the world.

Disease... Bullfighting... Frauds... Having dinner at 10pm.... in this episode we take a break from celebrating all of the amazing things about Spain and turn our attention to the Nasties of Spanish and Iberian history - in Tier List Format! Alex and James sit and give their verdict on which Spanish nasties are minor misdemeanours and which are the worst of the worst (while still having a laugh). Did we miss any subjects out? Let us know in comments and thanks for listening!

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!