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“He’s not really Spanish.” Hearing that twice, from two different taxi drivers, after one of our kids named his favourite Spain player, stopped us in our tracks. If someone is born in Barcelona, raised in a neighbourhood he proudly signals with a postcode celebration, and plays for the national team, what else do people think is required to belong? That single comment opens a much bigger conversation about Spanish identity, race, migration, and the stubborn idea that a nation has one “look”.

We follow the thread from the World Cup’s surge of patriotism into the deeper forces that shape how Spain sees itself: centuries of layered history, the legacy of Al-Andalus, the turning point of 1492, and how culture can carry memory through language and food. Then we jump forward to the 20th century, the Spanish Civil War, and Franco’s dictatorship, including why the Spanish flag can still feel politically charged in everyday life and why regional languages and autonomy remain so emotionally powerful.

To keep it grounded, we also asked around ten people from different backgrounds what “feeling Spanish” means to them. Their answers bring out surprising common ground: pride in traditions, life lived in the street, the joy and the arguments around food, and a shared frustration with politicians. We finish with a slice of life from watching the final, tinto de verano in absurdly large glasses, and that pure moment where sport makes strangers hug like old friends.

If you’ve ever had questions about where national identity really comes from, press play, and join the conversation! If you love the podcast subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review. What makes someone Spanish to you?

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At three o’clock in the morning, a whole town stands on a dark Costa Blanca beach, staring out to sea. You hear oars and drums before you see anything, then torches flare, gunpowder cracks over the water, and the boats come in. La Vila Joiosa’s Moros y Cristianos is not a quiet heritage display. It’s a full-bodied Spanish fiesta built around the Desembarco, a reenactment of a 1538 raid that locals still treat as part of who they are.

We walk through the history that makes this ritual make sense: the age of Barbary corsairs, coastal villages living in fear, and the town’s belief that Santa Marta intervened when they “should have lost”. From there, we zoom out to how Moors and Christians festivals work across the Valencian Community and beyond, why Alicante holds so much prestige, and what makes La Vila different thanks to its marine landing. We also pull back the curtain on the logistics, from artisan-made costumes that are anything but fancy dress, to the memberships, peñas and comparsas that keep the whole thing running like a well-oiled machine year after year.

Then we get into the questions people whisper from the outside. Is Moros y Cristianos racist, or is it respectful reenactment with pride on both sides? We share what we heard and what we found. And because this is Spain, we finish with the traditional fuel: El Nardo, an iced coffee and absinthe mix that locals say gives you energy and courage, plus a brilliant art-book project, Un Desembarco Genial, that reimagines the landing through the styles of artists like Goya and Van Gogh.

Subscribe, download, and if you enjoy the show, share it with a friend and leave us a review. What’s the most unforgettable local festival tradition you’ve ever seen?

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Your dream summer trip to Spain can turn magical or messy depending on one thing: whether you understand how Spanish festivals actually work. We’re Nalini and Laura, and we go past the postcard version of fiestas to the real story underneath the confetti.

We start in Pamplona with San Fermín and the running of the bulls, unpacking the event’s roots in cattle herding and religion, how it moved from October to July, and why it remains both globally famous and locally controversial. We talk about animal welfare, the way tourism has changed the atmosphere, and the part public pressure plays when traditions evolve. Then we get practical: what Pamplona’s ordinances say about clothing, timing, behaviour, and why filming on the route can earn you a fine. We also tackle this year’s headline grabbing “Joker” TikTok behaviour and why chasing views can put other people in danger.

From there we hop across Spain’s summer festival map: Alicante’s Hogueras de San Juan with its burning monuments and the crowd soaking banyà, Haro’s La Batalla del Vino where thousands throw wine before breakfast, Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia created through a public competition, Málaga’s Feria and the rules that keep casetas safe, and Buñol’s La Tomatina with ticketing, goggles, and the truth about “food waste” tomatoes grown specifically for the event.

We finish with a few slice of life updates: our experience on Spanish radio, a cava we loved, a sobering fireworks safety story from La Hoya, and the oddly emotional calm of watching a solar eclipse. If you’re planning Spain travel, love Spanish culture, or just want smart festival advice, press play, subscribe, and leave us a review. Which Spanish fiesta would you travel for, and what would you skip?

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Valencia looks polished from the outside, but the real city lives in the details you only catch on foot. We’re joined by Paul, a photographer and the founder of Streets of Valencia, and he guides us through a private walking tour that turns the Old Town into a living timeline, full of small stories you would never spot alone. 

We start in Plaza de la Virgen with the Turia River and why water shaped everything from the Roman founding of Valentia to the irrigation channels still used in local agriculture. From there we drop into the Roman layer at L’Almoina, talk about what was uncovered in the 1980s, and keep moving past cathedral corners, orange trees and worn stone marks that hint at the city’s trading past. We also stop to notice modern Valencia, including how Plaza de la Reina has changed through pedestrianisation, shade design and the everyday politics of keeping locals comfortable. 

Food is where the walk becomes instantly practical. Inside Mercat Central Valencia, Paul points out what’s seasonal and why this market still feels like a place locals shop, not just a tourist attraction. We get a clear, no-nonsense guide to paella valenciana, from bomba rice near Albufera to the all-important stock, the rule against stirring, and the joy of socarrat. The route ends with La Lonja de la Seda, Valencia’s UNESCO silk exchange, plus the city’s famously cheeky gargoyles, before we step into El Carmen and the Portal de Valldigna, a doorway into the old quarter. 

If you love Valencia travel tips, guided walks, local food culture and the hidden history of the Valencia Old Town, hit subscribe, share this with a friend planning a trip, and leave us a review with the one place you’d put on your perfect Valencia walking route.

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Your olive oil habit might be costing you flavour, money, or both. We head off on a little “Triple O” mission (oil obsession) to visit Señoríos de Reyu, a single-estate producer a winding drive inland from the Alicante coast, and the day changes how we think about every casual drizzle in the kitchen. When you learn that olive trees flower heavily but only around three per cent of those flowers become olives, “cheap” extra virgin suddenly feels a lot less straightforward. 

We talk through what makes a premium Spanish olive oil producer different: growing, harvesting, processing, and bottling all on site rather than sending olives to a co-operative. We get into coupage blends, why modern machinery protects quality, and how sustainability can be built into the land itself with biodiversity projects, composting, and using every part of the olive so nothing goes to waste. And yes, we nerd out over packaging and design, including aluminium bottles that better protect oil from light, heat, and air plus a bold designer collaboration that turns a bottle into a collectible. 

Then we get practical. We share what to look for on an olive oil label (harvest date that goes beyond the year, origin wording, acidity) and we bust one of the biggest myths: “cold pressed” or “first press” as a guarantee of superiority. We also give a quick shout-out to other award-winning Spanish olive oils we love, and we answer a listener email about Aena airports and how to request free support for invisible disabilities and neurodivergent travel in Spain. 

If you enjoy food travel, Spanish culture, and smart buying tips you can use immediately, hit play. Subscribe, share with a fellow olive oil obsessive, and leave us a review and tell us: what do you check first when you pick up a bottle?

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Podcasting looks simple from the outside: press record, tell a story, publish, repeat. Then you step into the industry and realise it is a mix of language quirks, listener psychology, algorithms, advertising money, and a lot of behind-the-scenes learning. We share what surprised us most after visiting the London Podcast Show, including the sheer scale of the event, how intense short networking meetings can be, and why you need to protect your energy if you want to make genuine connections.

We also zoom out to the history of podcasting itself, from how the word “podcast” was coined (and why it still carries the ghost of the iPod), to a small detail we love: many Spanish speakers say “poscat” because that consonant pairing is awkward in Spanish. From there, we get honest about why podcasts feel so comforting, how they have replaced parts of radio for many listeners, and the downside no one wants to admit: recommendation engines can trap us in beliefs we already hold, feeding an echo chamber one autoplay at a time.

Finally, we talk numbers and strategy. The podcast market is massive, podcast advertising works because listeners actually pay attention, and big-name deals show how valuable attention has become. But the heart of it stays small and human: a clear theme, a real relationship with your audience, and the grit to keep going when you feel out of your depth. If you care about the business of podcasting, starting a podcast, or growing a travel podcast community around Spain, you will take away practical lessons and a few laughs along the way. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who loves audio, and leave us a review: what makes you hit play on a podcast every week?

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Denia is the kind of place that makes you stop mid sentence and look up. A city on Spain’s Costa Blanca sitting between a castle and the sea, continuously inhabited for thousands of years, and somehow still calm enough to feel personal. We’re sharing why Denia earns its reputation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and how to experience it without turning your day into a rushed itinerary.

We talk through Denia’s layered history, from its Greek beginnings to the Roman Dianium connection, then move into what you actually do when you arrive: wander the old town, eye up the castle, and head to the port and marina for that waterfront energy. We also get practical about the ferry to the Balearic Islands (Ibiza and Mallorca) and why it can be slower and pricier than flying, even though it still makes sense if you’re travelling with a car or staying longer.

The biggest surprise is the one most people miss: Jardín de l’Albarda, a conservation led botanical garden just outside Denia that feels like a secret garden hidden in a residential neighbourhood. We share costs, tips, why it’s brilliant for families and photographers, and why a simple coffee and cake there can become the most memorable part of the day. From gamba roja de Dénia and fideuà to a mindset of vivir despacio, we end on what slow travel can teach you about everyday life.

If you enjoyed this coastal guide and our slice of life chat, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs a slower weekend, and leave us a review. What’s your perfect Denia plan, castle first or lunch first?

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Spain’s weekly markets are not a cute holiday extra, they’re a living timetable that shapes how towns eat, shop, and socialise. We’re Nalini Sharma and Laura Senior Garcia, and we take you right into that rhythm, from the everyday fruit and veg stalls to one of the Costa Blanca’s most famous Saturday traditions: the Jalón flea market in the Jalón Valley.

We talk through how market culture evolves from village trading into covered city mercats, and why the market is also a social gathering point where generations mix, gossip flows, and a simple bocadillo can turn into a lifelong memory. We share what Jalón looks like on the ground: the riverbed layout, the competitive parking, the thrill of crystal, china and odd collectibles, and a practical tip for browsing antiques without getting completely lost, using AI on your phone to get a rough benchmark on authenticity and value.

Then the mood shifts. We describe an unsettling stall selling Nazi memorabilia and why seeing it among “normal” market finds hits differently, alongside the legal grey areas and the historical backdrop many visitors never hear about. To round out the weekend, we zoom out to nearby Moraira, Benissa and Calpe, and we get into local Moscatel wine and olive oil, plus a genuinely off-the-beaten-path lunch recommendation at Casa del Maco.

If you’re planning Costa Blanca travel, love local food culture, or just want to understand Spain beyond the beach, come along. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find Made in Spain.

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What does "Made in Spain" actually mean? In this episode, Nalini and Laura take the podcast name literally and dig into the Spanish brands quietly carrying the country's soul — from a Madrid espadrille shop that's stood on the same corner since 1845, to the secretive leather workshops of Ubrique that craft bags for the world's biggest luxury houses.

Inside this episode:

• Casa Hernanz, the family-run espadrille maker just off Plaza Mayor, five generations in
• Ubrique: the hidden engine behind Loewe, Polène, Strathberry and more
• Mint & Rose's quiet luxury out of Valencia, plus Pokihomba's handcrafted boho hats from Barcelona
• La Bien Hecha's modern bags made the old-school way
• The unspoken language of the Spanish fan (and where to buy a beautiful one in Madrid)
• La Chinata's Pimentón de la Vera — Spain's protected smoked paprika, fourth-generation family business
• Fun facts on Lladró porcelain, world-leading olive oil, and 1917, an award-winning Cava you can only buy direct
• Laura's first Romería de Santa Faz — pilgrims, canes, rosemary, and a few shots of Jäger before 10am
• Plus a show-and-tell on Medicube skincare and Netflix's Running Point

Sentence of the day: hecho con amor — because something made the way it was five centuries ago still tastes better than anything made at scale.

This episode is powered by GoKo Energy — clean, natural energy made with coconut water, natural caffeine, and real fruit. No crash, no jitters. Order at gokoenergy.com.

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