Spain is facing a new reality of extreme weather — from sudden flooding to the growing threat of summer drought.

In this episode of Spanish Practices, I look at the recent storms affecting Spain, including Storm Leonardo and the approaching Storm Marta, and asks what these events tell us about climate change, infrastructure, and life in modern Spain.

Reflecting on the legacy of the Valencia DANA floods, the episode explores how Spanish emergency services have improved their response to extreme weather, why many towns and cities struggle with storm drainage, and how Spain's historic relationship with water is being tested by today's climate.

Why can Spain experience flooding in winter yet still face drought in summer — even with dams full to overflowing? How do other countries, such as Singapore, manage stormwater differently? And what long-term solutions could help Spain address its growing water challenges?

Thoughtful, grounded, and ultimately hopeful, this episode looks at how Spain is learning to adapt — and how communities are learning to weather the storm.

What happens when you don't just move countries — but move brains?

In this episode of Spanish Practices, I explore how moving to Spain quietly rewires your brain, especially if you arrive tired, overstimulated, and worn down by modern life.

From walkable towns and Mediterranean food to better sleep, slower thinking, and everyday social connection, this episode shares five simple brain goals for anyone starting a new life in Spain — or dreaming of one.

This isn't about optimisation, biohacking, or becoming a "better version" of yourself. It's about becoming more human again.

You'll discover:

• Why daily walking in Spain beats gym culture for brain health

• How Spanish food rhythms calm your nervous system

• Why sleep is treated as infrastructure, not indulgence

• How language, history, and slowness build mental resilience

• Why frequent small social interactions matter more than deep friendships

Perfect for expats in Spain, those planning to move to Spain, or anyone craving a slower, healthier, more connected life.

Spain won't fix your brain — but it might give it the space to remember what it was built for.

🎧 Spanish Practices — understanding Spain, one lived experience at a time.

What did the Romans ever do for Almuñécar?

Apart from inventing takeaway food, apartment living, public baths, complaining about politicians… and making the entire town smell like fermented fish.

In this episode of Spanish Practices, we travel back to Roman Sexi (modern-day Almuñécar) to follow one entirely unremarkable man: Lucius. He is not a general, senator or emperor. He is a garum worker — which means his job is stirring rotting fish in the sun and smelling so bad even his own family stands upwind.

Through Lucius's aching back, noisy apartment block, chaotic streets and daily visits to Roman "takeaways", we discover that ordinary life in Roman Spain looks suspiciously like expat life in modern Spain. People live in cramped flats. Neighbours argue loudly. Bureaucracy is baffling. Everyone eats out. The bars are noisy. The water is questionable. And everyone is convinced society is in decline.

There are fish guts. There is urine-based laundry. There are public baths with better gossip than hygiene. There are gladiators, amphitheatres, dodgy wine, and a reminder that tourism is really just garum with better marketing.

From Roman food factories to modern beachfront apartments, this episode explores how little the rhythm of Spanish life has changed in 2,000 years — and why Almuñécar has always known how to turn sunshine into a living.

History, humour, and the unmistakable stink of fermented anchovies.

Spain welcomed a record 97 million tourists — and now the country is bursting at the seams.

In this episode, we look at failing infrastructure, overcrowded cities, and why Spain might need a breather in 2026.

Plus: lesser-known regions to visit and better ways to experience Spain beyond beaches, booze, and burnout.

Three Places, mentioned to visit:

Extremadura

https://www.turismoextremadura.com/en/index.html

Teruel

https://turismo.teruel.es/en/

Galicia - search interior

https://www.turismo.gal/inicio/?langId=en_US

A detailed investigation into the Adamuz train crash in Spain, examining what happened, what investigators believe caused the derailment, and the warnings about track defects raised before the tragedy.

I explore the human stories behind the disaster, including the loss of 41 lives and the death of a 27-year-old train driver, and how families and communities were affected.

Finally, we look at rail safety in Spain, public confidence in high-speed trains, and the questions this tragedy raises for travellers and authorities alike.

This week, we had two power cuts. That led to Bruce our rescue dog getting diarrhea! A biblical lightning strike, a bodged Endesa repair, and one warm fridge too far — welcome to Spanish electrics.

In this wry expat tale, two power cuts lead to a flooded studio, philosophical acceptance, and an unfortunate canine outcome.

Living in Spain teaches resilience, patience, and one golden rule: never trust dog food after a blackout.

A wry, true-to-life look at Spanish plumbing quirks every expat eventually encounters — mysterious drain smells, missing U-bends, and bathrooms with opinions.

From central traps and sewer "breathing" to rain-induced gurgling chaos, this episode explores why Spanish drains work differently.

Packed with humour, cultural insight, and lived expat experience of life in Spain and Andalusia. Spanish Practices: real life, real Spain — where even the plumbing tells a story.

In this episode of Spanish Practices - As we start 2026 Spain faces a demographic crunch. A 2025 forecast says the country needs 2.4 million foreign workers by 2035 to sustain its pension system — just as millions apply for Spanish citizenship under the Grandchildren's Law.

In this episode of Living in Spain, I talk about the choking hazard that is a Spanish Tradition at New Year, drawing on real experiences of expat life in Andalusia after moving from the UK to Spain.

We cover:

• How a Spanish New Year is celebrated, and why twelve grapes play an important part.

• The cultural differences between New Year in Spain and the UK

• What I miss about New Year in the UK and New Year in Spain

• There are stories, mistakes, moments of joy, and the occasional flashback to my former life as a London radio producer — including an exploding bottle of champagne and a one thousand pound bounty for working over the millennium.

In this episode at least two reasons among many why we left our leafy Essex town and beautiful four bedroomed bay-fronted Edwardian House and ran off to sunny Spain.

So to the ghosts two arrive from my past. One is a, to be, famous children's author to whom I was spectacularly rude, after which I threw away the first edition of her book about a boy who didn't know he was a wizard.

The other is a man who once started a little online bookshop with a ridiculous name, well I thought it was when they launched in the UK — Amazon — though confusingly, his name was, I think Jeff, not Amazon.