Join me for a rainy day stroll along what is probably Madrid’s most iconic street. We start off at the bottom end of Gran Vía where it joins Calle Alcalá and follow its 1.3 kilometres all the way to Plaza de España.

Forget chain stores, hotels, and touristy restaurants! Along the way we’ll take in the street’s most famous buildings and landmarks and explore the fascinating stories behind them. Think clocks, bombs, cocktails, neon lights, theatres, skyscrapers, and a Phoenix.

Locations:

• Edificio Metrópolis
• Edificio Grassy
• Museo Chicote
• Gran Via metro station
• Edificio Telefónica
• Almacenes Madrid-Paris (Now Primark)
• Schweppes neon advertisement
• Edificio Carrión/Edificio Capitol
• Cines Callao
• Palacio de la Prensa
• Various Theatres
• Edificio de España/Riu Hotel
• Torre de Madrid
• Plaza de España
• Monumento a Cervantes
• El edificio de la Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas
• Casa Gallardo

The cool autumn evenings have arrived in Madrid and on a wander down Madrid’s Calle de Arenal, I had a sudden craving for Spain’s favourite warm, sweet treat — churros y chocolate! This a quintessentially Spanish snack that can be enjoyed at any time of year, but I think during autumn and winter churros y chocolate are a perfect comforting warmer.

Join me as I visit Madrid’s iconic Chocolatería San Ginés and pull up a chair at an old marble table in its dining room that dates back to 1894. As I dunk and chomp my way through this sinfully delicious delicacy I take in the surroundings, look at the photos adorning the walls, and take in the basement ‘train carriage-style nook’. I also talk about San Ginés’s interesting literary connection to modernist playwright Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and his play Luces de Bohemia.

Next stop Los Artesanos 1902 where I see their churrero in action in the kitchen, albeit through a glass window, and explain how churros and porras (the thicker version) are made. Final stop is a very quiet Chocolatería Valor for another round of churros and run-through the curious history of this snack and also when it is usually eaten. (Not for dessert!)

Other must-visit churrerías that I mention in the episode:

Chocolat

La Antigua Churrería 

Churrería Camu 

Churrería Santa Ana

Here’s a bit more background about the play Luces de Bohemia

 

 

Walk with me through the charming city of El Puerto de Santa María. We’ll take in the famous sherry bodegas, explore Christopher Columbus’s link to the city, take a look at the Castillo de San Marco, where Juan de la Cosa famously drew the first map of the world to include The Americas.

Along the way, a few observations on the crumbling charm of Cadiz’s sister city, a stroll through the lively Plaza de España and a stop at an even livelier local sherry bar. To round off, some top tips on what and where to eat, nearby beaches to visit, and what to do when when the Levante wind blows!

Join me for all the sights and sounds on a visit to the university city of Salamanca during Spain’s ‘Semana Santa’. I take in what is possibly Spain’s most impressive Plaza Mayor, explore the city’s ancient university — including a frog hunt — dodge religious processions, and gaze in wonder at one of the city’s cathedrals — yes, it has two! Plus, a splash of history, architecture, and observations for good measure!

 

After a loooooong break I’m back with a beautiful spring evening wander down one of my favourite Madrid streets — Calle de Santa Isabel.

We’ll be taking in the sights and sounds with stop-offs in El Cine Doré (Cinema and home to Spain’s national film archive), San Antón municipal market, El Amor de Díos Flamenco school, Bar Benteveo (one of my all time favourite Madrid bars with its kitch interior), The Santa Isabel convent and a few other points of interest before the final stop just outside the Reina Sofia museum.

Why not follow along on Google Maps? https://goo.gl/maps/BptC7WN3z8KSDWmy6

Where should you visit in Spain if it’s your first time? Where should you visit if you only have two weeks? Can you see it all? No. So how do you decide what to include on you itinerary? That’s what this episode of When in Spain tries to answer!

Join Spain travel consultant, Karen Rosenblum and myself as we try to answer these huge questions to help you get the best out of your trip to Spain. Karen helps us break down Spain by topics so that anyone visiting can decide where to include in their trip based on personal interests. Whether you love gastronomy, beaches, or Roman ruins, Karen shares some great recommendations. She also gives advice on how to put together a realistic, enjoyable, and unrushed itinerary to help you get the best out of your Spain vacation.

To find out more about Karen or book a Spain travel consultation with her, head over to Spain Less Traveled.

Also, check out her fantastic Facebook community, Travel Spain! for a wealth of information and advice about planning the perfect trip to Spain.

I’m whisking you away on the high-speed AVE train for a day trip to the beautiful medieval city of Cuenca.

Join me as I stroll around Cuenca’s charming streets and squares, admire the gothic cathedral (one of the earliest examples in all of Spain) and cross the San Pedro bridge to admire the famous ‘casas colgadas’ , or hanging houses.

Later I walk up to the castle neighbourhood and get some breathtaking views of the city from the old castle remains as I reflect on the turbulent history of this UNESCO world heritage site.

In the episode I mention Cuenca’s Parador in the old San Pablo convent. It was closed the day I went, but also worth visiting the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art.

After a six-month break When in Spain is back! And to celebrate we’re taking you on a tour of ten classic Madrid bars. Our guide is Chris Lynch, Spanish wine-buff, former Spanish bar owner, and founder of the Spanish Wine Collective. If you’re on a first visit to Madrid these ten bars are required drinking and eating!

From the cosy Casa González bar in the centre of Madrid and over a bottle of cava, Chris takes us on a virtual tour of his ten favourite bars of the Spanish capital. He recommends what to drink, what to eat, and when to go.

Along the way we talk about the fascinating history of these classic Madrileño bars and Chris describes some of the colourful characters who work in them.

At the end of the episode we both give some useful tips for getting the best Madrid bar experience on your visit.

Here’s the list of stops on the tour:

1. Casa González
2. Casa Toni
3. Casa del Abuelo
4. La Venencia
5. La Dolores
6. Bodegas Ricla
7. Casa Revuelta
8. Casa Lucas
9. Vinoteca Vides
10. Casa Dani

Also mentioned:

La Concha (Great vermut on Cava Baja)

La Osita (Craft beer on Cava Baja)

Celso y Manolo (Near Vinoteca Vides)

Mercado de la Paz (Municipal indoor market and home to Casa Dani)

Want to sound super Spanish? I run through ten useful and fun Spanish interjections that you can pepper your conversations with to help express yourself even more clearly when you’re chatting en español. ¡Anda!

When I first started learning Spanish and hanging around with native speakers I kept hearing these noises that popped up in conversations and always wondered what they meant. I’ll look at some of the most common interjections and make comparisons with English and give you some examples.

In the second half of the episode I’ll run through nineteen really useful muletillas (‘little crutches’) or filler words, as we call them in English. These will make you sound very natural when speaking Spanish and also give you more time to think about what to say next! 

Vamos a ver!

In this episode I take you on a trip around Spain’s most arid provinces, Almería. We explore the Tabernas Desert and its Spaghetti Western filming locations, the beautiful wild beaches of Cabo de Gata including the dramatic Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead), and I guide you through Almería City’s top sights including the imposing Alcazaba. We’ll also wander the back streets of the hilltop village of Mojácar, officially one of Spain’s most picturesque pueblos.

Along the way I uncover the turbulent history of Almería, pillaging pirates, moorish uprisings and its rich mining heritage. I also talk about the vast Mar de Plastico (Sea of Plastic) expanse of greenhouses used for intensive fruit and vegetable production.

Plus plenty of sounds along the way to help transport you to this dramatic corner of Spain.

Chris Atkin, author of his new book, (Just As Well) It's Not About The Bike: A Journey Across Southern Spain, joins me in this episode to chat about his experience pedaling 1300 kilometres from Valencia to Gibraltar on a basic bike with only seven gears and barely enough room for panniers. Chris describes some of his favourite stops on his six week journey, including a grueling ride across Spain´s Sierra Nevada, Gandia´s ghost town vibe, picturesque Altea versus the untamed tourism of Benidorm, discovering morcilla in a tiny pueblo of Almócita in the province of Almeria, Granada and the Alhambra and the final destination of Gibraltar, bursting with civic pride. On the ride Chris shares with us some interesting anecdotes, for example Franco´s favourite singer (She despised him!), a little known nuclear catastrophe that happened in Palomares in the 1960s and the heartwarming story of why Mónica was daubed in giant white letters on a Málaga chimney. Chris also offers some practical advice for cycling in Spain, finding accommodation and improving your Spanish. Get your hands on a copy of his book (Just As Well) It's Not About The Bike: A Journey Across Southern Spain here Find out more about Chris Atkin on his website https://chrisatkinonline.com/