Spain To Go

Is Spanish bureaucracy designed by sadists, or just by incompetents? Here's the story of my latest run-in with red tape. Read more on the blog: https://expatmadrid.com/spanish-bureaucracy/ If you like this podcast, please leave a review, subscribe, and donate some money to help the cause at https://expatmadrid.com/donate Hit me up through the blog with any questions or comments. Thanks!

A few random thoughts from Barcelona: we've got the death of neighbors, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, intermittent fasting, Fiestas de Gràcia, public nudity and more. Also: is Barcelona overrated? Find out in today's episode. You can listen to this podcast on YouTube, where I have a channel for Spanish learners as well, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/c/learnspanishwithdaniel

Recently, Morena took me to a convention of payroll salespeople in Dublin, Ireland – a city famous for it's foamy stouts and peaty whiskies... and very little else. Did I mention I've recently stopped drinking? More on the web: https://expatmadrid.com/sobriety-introvert-hell/

Yesterday Spain held its 23-J general election and in this episode I talk about the preliminary election results, as well as Spain's business (or anti-business) culture, funcionarios vs autónomos and more. Read the article here: https://expatmadrid.com/spanish-general-election-results/ Donate to the cause by buying me a virtual coffee here: https://expatmadrid.com/donate

I've just spent a week up in Sweden, and done some research into the old idea of the Scandinavian utopia. So, is the Swedish utopia a myth? Listen to find out, or read the article here... https://expatmadrid.com/swedish-utopia-myths/ You can donate to the cause (and I'll appreciate it greatly) right here: https://expatmadrid.com/donate

Let's talk about that famous American ignorance. What does the average American know about Spain? Probably very little... More on the web: https://expatmadrid.com/american-ignorance/

Here's a new piece about some of the high-brow "socialist utopia" stereotypes Americans have when it comes to European life. Are they true? Are Europeans just as ignorant as Americans? Does it matter? Find out here. Read more on the blog: https://expatmadrid.com/european-stereotypes-revisited/ Donate to the cause at https://expatmadrid.com/donate

Hey y'all! In episode 21 I talked about some shocking Spanish proverbs... the ones we have today are a bit more toned-down for everyday use. Check out https://expatmadrid.com/proverbs to read the sentences. Donate to the cause by buying me a virtual coffee at https://expatmadrid.com/donate

Hey hey! It's time to talk about sex in Spain. This podcast goes into several of the intimate details of Spanish people's sex lives: from extramarital affairs, to sex in public and more. Check out the article here: https://expatmadrid.com/sex-in-spain/ Donate to help the cause here: https://expatmadrid.com/donate

Ayuso wins Madrid again. Ada Colau is out in Barcelona. There were some municipal and regional elections over the weekend, and the unexpected result has gotten Pedro Sanchez to move forward the national election to July 28th. A bit of Spanish political news... https://expatmadrid.com/municipal-elections-2023/ Support the cause by buying me a virtual coffee at expatmadrid.com/donate Thanks for list...

This week there's a controversy involving okupas – also known as squatters – here in Barcelona. It's anarchists vs fascists all over again! Here's the article about the legal situation and the various protests both for and against: https://expatmadrid.com/okupas-spain/ Support the cause here: expatmadrid.com/donate And feel free to drop me a line through the website. I'm happy to h...

Some thoughts on Peter Kemp's book "Mine Were of Trouble", which is an interesting counterpoint to Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" that we covered in the last episode. Full article, links, pictures and more here: https://expatmadrid.com/mine-were-of-trouble/ Donate to the podcast at expatmadrid.com/donate and please don't hesitate to drop me a line through the blog.

George Orwell's book "Homage to Catalonia" is about the Spanish Civil War – a classic first-person account of trench warfare on the Aragón front and street-fighting in Barcelona. Here's a bit of summary of the book, the questions raised by the Civil War, and the current situation of Spain's "historical memory" of the 20th century: https://expatmadrid.com/homage-to-c...

Amy runs Walk and Eat Spain, a company offering food and wine tours in the Malasaña neighborhood of Madrid... and soon, the Gredos region of Spain. Here we talk about Spanish food, life in Madrid, running a business in Spain and much more. Check out Amy's website at https://walkandeatspain.com

So, is cannabis legal in Barcelona? NO! But it's not exactly illegal, in small amounts, for personal use. Here's a bit of info about the weed clubs in Spain. Remember... I'm not a lawyer and this is NOT legal advice. More on the blog here: https://expatmadrid.com/cannabis-barcelona/

Here's some vocabulary and some culture related to Spain's Holy Week celebrations. Holy Week – or Semana Santa – is a big deal in many parts of Spain. More on the web here: https://expatmadrid.com/holy-week-in-madrid/

Soon – allegedly by the end of March 2023 – Spain will be passing a new law creating a visa for digital nomads. This promises to bring some high earners and big spenders into the major cities. What else does it mean for "the locals" and others? More on the web: https://expatmadrid.com/digital-nomad-visa/

It's International Women's Day this week, and Spanish feminism is divided as never before. Here's a bit about the situation for feminism in Spain: sex-based quotas, the "Trans Law", prostitution scandals and much more. Read the article on the blog: https://expatmadrid.com/womens-day/ Support the podcast with a donation here: https://expatmadrid.com/donate

Here's a bit about the adventures I've had getting Spanish work permits throughout the years. Soon there will (allegedly) be a new Digital Nomad Visa, but nothing's final yet. More on the blog: https://expatmadrid.com/work-permits-spain/ Support the podcast buying me a virtual vermouth here: expatmadrid.com/donate

A bit about this ex-vegetarian's experience living in a country that's not exactly vegan-friendly... and how I learned to love Spanish cuisine. Much more, as always, on the web: https://expatmadrid.com

This is a bit of a departure... Here's a contemplation on my recent 40th birthday, inspired by stoic philosophy (and a really painful dental treatment). More on the web: https://expatmadrid.com/turning-forty/

Thanksgiving isn't a real holiday in Spain, but you can still celebrate with a full Thanksgiving dinner. Here's how... https://expatmadrid.com/thanksgiving-spain/

Here in Spain, the coalition government has promised to get rid of prostitution and human trafficking. But will they? Can they? What's the deal with prostitution in Spain anyway? All your questions, answered in this episode. Or on the blog if you want more: https://expatmadrid.com/prostitution-spain/

There are plenty of must-do things in Madrid... but honestly, some of the things everyone does are a bit expensive and overrated. Support this podcast here: expatmadrid.com/donate Read more on the blog, here's the full article: https://www.expatmadrid.com/madrid-musts/

Can you really make a living teaching English in Spain? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: yes, but it's complicated. Here's the full article... https://expatmadrid.com/make-living-teaching-english/