Advertise on podcast: Spanish Practices – Living in Spain: Real Life, Real Spain

Is Spain's socialist government delivering a better quality of life, or is America's capitalist approach offering a better route to financial security? In Episode 215 of Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain, I compare the economies, lifestyles and competing ideas shaping life in Spain and the United States. Spain's economy is performing strongly, but behind the impressive GDP figures lies a growing housing crisis, rising rents and wages that often struggle to keep pace with the cost of living. For many young Spaniards, getting a job is no longer enough to guarantee a home of their own. So, if Spain is getting richer, why are so many people finding it harder to get ahead? Across the Atlantic, America's entrepreneurial culture and emphasis on personal wealth offer a different perspective. John explores the controversial economic realities facing American households, the American Dream, and the Trump Accounts initiative designed to give eligible children a financial head start through government-backed investment contributions. Could this approach help the next generation build wealth, and what might Spain learn from it? In this thought-provoking episode, I look at the differences between capitalism and socialism, public services and personal responsibility, and the challenges of raising children and building a secure future on both sides of the Atlantic. In this episode: 🇪🇸 Spain's economic growth under Pedro Sánchez's socialist-led government. 🏠 The Spanish housing crisis, soaring rents and the struggle to buy a first home. 💶 Wage stagnation, purchasing power and the real cost of living in Spain. 🇺🇸 The American economy, the entrepreneurial spirit and the changing American Dream. 👶 Trump Accounts and the idea of giving American children a financial head start. 🌍 Spain versus America: social protection, personal wealth and the search for a better quality of life. Is a stronger economy enough, or should we judge a country by how well ordinary people live? EU AI Disclosure - parts of this podcast uses my AI clone voice.

There's a cemetery just outside Salobreña that I drive past all the time. It looks peaceful enough. Whitewashed walls, flowers, rows of graves and you can see the castle and the Mediterranean down in front of you. But beneath that ground may be the remains of people who have been waiting nearly ninety years to be found. In this episode of Spanish Practices, I explore the forgotten history of the Spanish Civil War in Salobreña, and the archaeological search now taking place for Civil War and post-Civil War graves in the town. I tell the story of two Salobreña brothers, José and Juan Esparrell Alaminos, who were taken from their home in February 1937 and murdered during the terrible aftermath of the fall of Málaga. Their story takes us back to La Desbandá — the desperate flight of tens of thousands of civilians from Málaga towards Almería. Families fleeing along the coast were attacked from the sea and air, including by German and Italian aircraft supporting Franco's forces. Many died along the way, including people who tried to cross the swollen Guadalfeo here in Salobreña. Some of those who died may have eventually been buried in the cemetery. Nearly ninety years later, archaeologists are returning to the ground in an attempt to locate the graves, recover remains and, where possible, give names back to people who have been forgotten for generations. As Spain approaches Todos los Santos, when families traditionally visit cemeteries and remember those they have lost, I look at what happens when someone has no grave to visit. Because eventually, the history of the Spanish Civil War stops being about generals, politics and armies. It becomes about someone's father,  brother. grandfather. Spanish Practices — Real Life, Real Spain.

Why does Spain celebrate Christopher Columbus — and why is his legacy still so controversial? Today the 12 October, Spain celebrates Hispanic Day (Día de la Hispanidad), its national day, with a spectacular military parade in Madrid. But behind the flags, fighter jets and public holiday lies a much more complicated story. In this short episode of Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain, I explore what Hispanic Day actually commemorates, how Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 in search of a route to Asia, and why his arrival in the Caribbean changed the world forever. But did Columbus really discover America? What about the millions of Indigenous people already living there? And how do we reconcile Spain's extraordinary cultural legacy in the Americas with the conquest, exploitation and suffering that accompanied its empire? From Spanish national pride to the darker consequences of European colonisation, I look at the history behind one of Spain's most important public holidays — and why the same date means very different things on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Hispanic Day, Christopher Columbus, Spanish history and a controversial past — all in about three minutes. Welcome to Spanish Practices: Real Life, Real Spain, the podcast exploring the people, places, traditions and stories that make living in Spain endlessly fascinating. EU AI Disclosure: Some parts of this Podcast use my AI cloned voice.

Driving in Spain can sometimes feel like an exercise in expecting the unexpected. In this episode of Spanish Practices, I take a humorous look at what it's really like behind the wheel in Spain — from the mysterious art of navigating Spanish roundabouts and the sometimes flexible relationship with lane markings, arrows and indicators, to the motorbikes that seem to appear from nowhere and the ever-watchful Guardia Civil de Tráfico. I also look at the wonderfully relaxed Spanish driving culture, why you sometimes need to anticipate what another driver is going to do rather than simply watch what they are doing, and the things you definitely shouldn't be doing while driving — from wearing flip-flops and using earphones to texting, FaceTiming or attempting to eat your lunch at the wheel. I'll also talk about drink driving, Spanish traffic fines and that remarkable little card machine carried by traffic officers. But for all the differences, driving in Spain has a huge upside. Get away from the towns and cities and you can find yourself almost alone on beautiful roads, surrounded by mountains, olive groves, spectacular countryside and some genuinely breathtaking views. So buckle up, watch the roundabout, check your mirrors and remember the golden rule of driving in Spain: Expect the unexpected.

What does it really take to build your dream home in Spain? When we bought our Spanish house in 2016, we thought we'd found paradise. A wreck of a house, yes… but with spectacular views across the Mediterranean to Morocco. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as it turned out. There was no electricity, no proper drainage and the house had actually moved more than two centimetres after the Spanish authorities cut into the mountainside for a new road. We had no idea about Spanish building licences, the difference between obra menor and obra mayor, planning permission, architects, structural engineers or just how complicated building a house in Spain could become. In this episode of Spanish Practices, I take you through our very real experience of renovating and extending a property on the Costa Tropical — from the €10,000-plus electricity saga and a 75-metre trench, to new drainage, extra bedrooms, an infinity pool, terraces, a hot tub, outdoor kitchen and the latest project: adding two more bedrooms to the house. We'll look at the true costs of building in Spain, Spanish planning permission, building licences, architects, taxes, waste fees, urbanisation rules and why you absolutely need to check whether the land you're buying can legally be built on. I'll also explain why finding good builders, electricians, plumbers and other skilled tradespeople can be such a challenge in Spain, and how traditional Spanish construction differs from building methods commonly used in Britain and the United States. Building your dream home in Spain can be complicated, expensive and painfully slow — but when the work is finally finished, the Mediterranean is outside your window and the sun is shining, it can also be absolutely worth it. If you're thinking about buying, renovating, extending or building a home in Spain, this is the reality check you probably need before you start. Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain. EU AI disclosures parts of the Podcast use my cloned AI Voice

Look Up! The Naughty Architecture of Spain Think Spanish architecture is all cathedrals, castles and grand Gothic buildings? Think again. Look closely — or, more accurately, look up — and Spain's historic buildings reveal a much cheekier side. In this episode of Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain, I go hunting for the rude, ridiculous and downright outrageous details hidden in Spanish architecture. We start at La Lonja de la Seda in Valencia, where medieval gargoyles include dragons, monsters, grotesques… and one particularly memorable gentleman who is rather enthusiastically holding his own dinky doo! And he's not alone. We head north to Cantabria and the remarkable Romanesque church of San Pedro de Cervatos, where centuries-old carvings include naked figures, exposed g******s and some spectacularly bawdy medieval sculpture. Then there's Salamanca, where a modern stonemason continued the tradition of slipping unexpected jokes into historic buildings — including an astronaut on a cathedral and a devil eating an ice cream. But why did medieval craftsmen carve such rude and bizarre images onto churches and civic buildings? Were they warnings about lust and sin? Symbolic representations of temptation and fertility? Political messages? Or were some medieval stonemasons simply having a bloody good laugh? The truth is that nobody knows for certain — which makes the stories even better. This is a slightly naughtier side of Spain, Spanish history, medieval architecture and Spanish culture, and a reminder that some of the best stories aren't found in the grand tourist guidebooks. They're hidden in the tiny details you almost miss. So next time you're visiting Spain, remember: Don't just admire the building. Look up. You might discover that Spain has been making filthy jokes in stone for more than 500 years. Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain. EU AI disclosure - my cloned AI voice was used in parts of this episode.

In this episode of Spanish Practices, I look beyond the shocking images to ask what actually happened. Why did Maricarmen lose her tenancy? Was she offered alternative accommodation? Who is Urbagestión, the company behind the property? Were the police and social services right to proceed as they did? And what does being forced from the home you've known for more than seven decades do to an elderly person? But Maricarmen's story is also part of something much bigger: Spain's housing crisis. Rents have surged, affordable housing is desperately scarce and the gap between wages and housing costs is growing. With Madrid now at the centre of a national debate over rent controls, evictions and the future of the rental market, what is actually driving Spain's housing crisis — and what might realistically fix it? One woman. One home. One eviction. And a housing crisis affecting millions of Spaniards. UPDATE: Maricarmen Abascal is going home. Just days after Spain watched the 87-year-old wheelchair user being carried from the Madrid flat she had called home for 71 years, a new agreement has been reached with the property owner. Maricarmen will be allowed to return to her home once she is discharged from hospital, with a new eight-year tenancy and a rent capped at 30% of her net income — expected to be around €500 a month. She remains in hospital after suffering severe exhaustion following the eviction. EU AI disclosure - my cloned AI voice was used in parts of this episode.

Is Spain falling out of love with the British tourist? From Magaluf and Ibiza to Benidorm, Spain is changing the way it deals with drunken party tourism. I'm going to take a look at the crackdown on excessive drinking, pub crawls and all-inclusive booze holidays — and ask whether Spain now wants fewer tourists spending more, rather than millions arriving for cheap beer and sunshine. With personal stories from life on the Costa Tropical, the reality of mass tourism, overflowing bins, blocked sewers and even the arrival of the Ratadonna Supermarket. I think Spain isn't saying "Brits, go home." It's saying: come and enjoy Spain — but behave yourself. Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain. Subscribe to this Podcast it really helps me make more of the same.

Casual Cruelty in Spain - Dogs, Birds and Bullfighting Eight puppies in a rubbish bin. A dog abandoned on a piece of string. Birds shot for sport and a little rescue dog called Skippy who survived unimaginable abuse. In this unsettling episode of Spanish Practices, I ask why casual cruelty to animals still exists in Spain — and whether attitudes are finally changing. PLEASE subscribe ot follow this Podcast it really help us make more of these episodes.

Spain's economy is booming in 2026 — and foreign workers are playing a surprisingly big role. Why are migrants filling jobs, paying taxes and helping drive economic growth — and what does it mean for Spain's future? From immigration and employment to Spanish schools, education and the future of our children, I will ask and try to answer a  really tough question...whether Spain can turn today's growth into tomorrow's prosperity?

Am I really living in Spain — or have I simply created a little Britain in the sunshine? In this episode, I'll explore what integration really means, from language and Spanish culture to friendship, acceptance and belonging. I'll ask why so many expats stay inside familiar British bubbles — and whether that can quietly limit our happiness and wellbeing. I'll also look at the reality of being an outsider, accepting that Spain will sometimes frustrate us, and finding peace with the things we may never fully understand. Because moving to Spain isn't just a change of country — it can be an opportunity to change the way we live, think and feel.

Think the Spanish Inquisition was something that happened in a dark corner of old Europe? Think again. Spain's infamous religious police crossed the Atlantic — and its reach extended into territories that are now part of the United States. In Episode 204, I uncover the surprisingly American story of the Inquisition: the denunciations, secret accusations, torture, confiscated fortunes and spectacular public punishments — and discover what it was actually doing in places like Florida, California and New Mexico. And yes, there's even a Monty Python connection. The Spanish Inquisition came to America. Nobody expected that.

Moving to Spain? Don't buy that dream home just yet! 🇪🇸 Could AI save you from making an expensive mistake when buying property in Spain? John Metson discovers how AI can investigate Spanish estate agents, solicitors, directors, reviews, town halls, local news, planning issues and even the Spanish bureaucracy. But there's a catch: AI can be spectacularly wrong. So how do you use AI for Spanish property research and due diligence without getting fooled by the machine — or the estate agent? Before you send that deposit, let AI do your homework. A quick EU compliance note before we begin. The introduction to this episode deliberately uses an AI-generated version of my voice, created using ElevenLabs. The words, opinions and content are mine — the voice you hear just in this introduction has simply been generated using AI.

🔥 Could a donkey help save your Spanish home from a wildfire? Spain is facing a new generation of wildfires — hotter, faster and increasingly impossible to fight in the traditional way. So what happens when climate change, abandoned countryside and 40°C+ summers collide? And if you're dreaming of buying a home in Spain, should any of this change your plans? In this episode of Spanish Practices, I'll take a look at Spain's terrifying new era of mega-fires, why some fires are now creating their own weather, and the surprising return of an old Spanish hero: the donkey. 🐴 Could millions of grazing animals actually help prevent wildfires? 🏡 Should Americans still be buying property in Spain? 🔥 And why might prevention, rather than firefighting, be the only realistic answer? It's a serious problem — but, as usual, there's a wonderful Spanish twist. And it involves a donkey having breakfast.

In this special report, we look at the escalating crisis in Ceuta, the conflicting reports over how many migrants remain, violence on the beaches, people-smuggling boats, Spain's €25 million response, the planned Ceuta Day protests, and the complicated relationship between Spain and Morocco. But what does any of this mean if you're thinking about buying property in Spain?