Spain is a loving assault on all your senses. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s colorful — and yet. It’s also intimately beautiful and ripe for quiet, perfect moments.
Snuggled onto the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Spain is not just one thing. It’s the imposing Pyrenees in the north and the sunny, lazy beaches of the coasts. It’s the spiky Gothic architecture of Barcelona and the intricate design of a Moorish cathedral in Córdoba. The classics hung on the walls of the Prado in Madrid and the playfulness of Dalí’s home in sun-dappled Cadaqués. You can marvel at Gaudi’s nature-inspired architecture in La Sagrada Familia or sit peacefully in a sun-dappled square in Seville. A little exploration yields big surprises and rewards.
But wherever you go, there are a few things on which you can rely: an enthusiasm for the good life, friendly people, and ridiculously delicious things to eat and drink. There’s seafood fresh from the coastal waters and patatas bravas, crisp and hot from the fryer. Perhaps you’ll start your day with a rich cup of hot chocolate (hello, churros!) or dig into a potato-and-egg tortilla any time. You can sip spicy-sweet vermouth in a bar with friends and get romantic over a smooth glass of Andalusian wine. Or raise of glass of cava — and stamp your feet with flamenco rhythms — in celebration of simply being alive.
In this episode, we get all dreamy-eyed about everything that makes Spain a fantastic place to visit. We get curious about a unique but frequently overlooked statue on the streets of Madrid and nerd out on Spain’s distinctive languages (and cuisine and art). Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page, including a food-centric travelogue, a modern classic set in Gothic Barcelona, a sexy literary thriller, a family story with unusual narrators, and a graphic novel that reminds us why ‘The-Ladies-in-Waiting’ might be the world’s greatest painting.
Read the full transcript of Spain: Valencia, Velázquez, and Vermouth.
Perhaps you’d like to listen to some flamenco music while you dig into these links.
The photo at the top of the page is a sunset view of the Gran Vía in Madrid. It’s sometimes called the ‘Spanish Broadway,’ in recognition of its theaters, hotels, shopping, and vibrant nightlife. On the far left in the photo is the Telefónica Building, the first European skyscraper, built between 1926 and 1929. The Metropolis Building (Edificio Metrópolis) in the foreground is a stunning example of the French, Beaux-Arts style. The cupola is decorated with 30,000 leaves of 24-carat gold; the columns just below display statues representing mining, agriculture, industry, and commerce. Across the street is The Principal Madrid Hotel, topped with a stunning rooftop terrace (La Terraza) that serves up romantic views of the Metropolis.
Culture Trip: The Perfect Spanish Region for Every Traveller.
National Geographic on the Spanish Civil War.
More on Marina Ginestá…
17-year-old Marina Ginestà with an M1916 Spanish Mauser rifle overlooking Barcelona during the 1936 military uprising in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. Photo by Juan Guzmán. Color by Julius Colorization: https://t.co/bBdts5i2sX pic.twitter.com/oK4TQ7ANyt
— History Defined (@historydefined) January 9, 2023
Cannot say this more vehemently: Visit The Prado asap.
And maybe take a trip to Cadaques to see Dali’s house museum — and other fun stuff.
Explore Moorish architecture at the Alhambra in Granada and the Mezquita Cathedral in Córdoba.
Feast your eyes on the work of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona.
Food in Spain is ridiculously awesome. A great place to start educating (and entertaining) yourself is with Spain Revealed, a YouTube show and other helpful info from James and Yoli Blick.
Saveur wants you to travel through 15 cities to eat the best tapas — and here’s a great piece on paella.
All you need to know about Spanish vermouth:
We’re sharing our personal favorite places for tapas and other delicious things to eat on Patreon. Why not join us there?
This is The Library of Lost Time episode that’s all about nun cookies!
Statement 2: There were plans for the Eiffel Tower to be constructed in Barcelona. The low-down on that whole situation.
Statement 3: There’s a statue in Madrid that honors a rock fan. All hail Ángeles Rodriguez Hidalgo, aka, La Abuela Rockera! See her around 1:27 in the video below.
If you want to do a reading project of books with non-human narrators, you might start with When I Sing, Mountains Dance, then move ont to Flames by Robbie Arnott (recommended in our Tasmania episode), My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (recommended in our Turkey episode), Metropolitan Stories: A Novel by Christine Coulson (recommended in our Museums episode, and The Pages by Hugo Hamilton.
Grape, Olive, Pig by Matt Goulding is part of a trilogy from Roads & Kingdoms. The Roads & Kingdoms website is a treasure trove of food-related travel. Here’s their guide to Barcelona.
The Seville Communion by Arturo Perez-Reverte is set in beautiful Seville.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is part of a cycle that includes three other novels, including The Labyrinth of the Spirits, recommended by Mel in our Library episode. Here’s the author’s obituary from The Guardian.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón was also a composer and pianist.
Congratulations! You made it to the end. Here is your reward of patatas bravas and vermouth:
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