Brian's Spain Domain

The province of Valencia recently made internatinal headlines after massive flooding devastated the region resulting in the death of nearly 225 people to date. The shocking events took place nearly seventy years after another autumn flood submerged parts of the city of Valencia itself that led to major changes in the landscape and possibly avoided an even greater catastrophe. Listen and learn more. Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check […]

One of the great mysteries behind one of the most mysterious individuals in all of history is the origin, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Common knowledge dictates that it was Genoa in Italy, but for years, many have been skeptical of that story. Just recently, a team of Spanish scientists put forth a surprising theory, adding yet another twist to the plot. Listen and learn more! Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate […]

Catalonia is home to about a dozen different wine regions with a whole array of quality wine, from modern standards like red, white and rosé, to classic fortified wine to refreshing sparkling wine. Today we focus on the wines from the province of Tarragona, in particular D.O. Montsant, D.O. Tarragona, and D.O. Terra Alta. Enjoy! Cheers! Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit […]

King Alfonso XIII leaves the country in 1931 and Spain’s proclaims a republic for the second time in its history. It will be a relatively brief stint, but the new government will pass some of the country’s most progressive and modernizing laws. But these are bad times for major politcial changes, and many parts of the country are simply not up for the new Spain. The country becomes more polarized than ever and events will lead to civil war. Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or […]

José Canalejas was one of the most forward-thinking leaders in Spain of the early 20th Century. Unfortunately for him, the turbulent political climate of the times earned him many enemies, including the anarchists, who were especially supportive of violence. Here is a famous picture of the prime minister just minutes after he had been assassinated. Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit our […]

One of Spain’s hottest tapas in the last couple of years is the torrezno, basically fried pork belly, which is a sinful delicacy, typical in the province of Soria. Now it’s nearly ubiquitous. It’s paradoxical because you’d think healthy eating trends would be shifting people away from such temptations. But they’re big, real big, and a study performed at a convent, of all places, seems to suggest that when properly prepared and consumed they can help improve your health. Is it true? A miracle of miracles? Listen and learn more. Become a part of the Spain Domain community. You can […]

The final years of King Alfonso XIII’s reign (1923-1931) were dominated by a coup and the formation of a military government led by General Miguel Primo de Rivera who would rule Spain under a dictatorship. This was an attempt to keep Spain from spiraling out of control, while at the same time help it to modernize. But progress came at a huge cost of political freedom, as well as other basic rights, and many of Spain’s deepest issues would not be resolved. Listen and learn more! You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if […]

The southeast of Spain is popular for its Mediterranean beach weather and attracts domestic and international tourism throughout the year. We are talking about the province of Alicante and especially the region of Murcia. Like most parts of Spain, winemaking is also carried out. In these parts the grape variety of choice is Monastrell, which also goes by the name Mourvedre and Mataro. It’s a powerful variety which can make meaty red wine. The three D:o.’s we are looking at today are Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas. Listen and learn more! You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple […]

The photograph in this podcast is most likely the earliest snapshot of a terrorist attack (a bombing in this case) in history. It captured the moment when a bomb was going off in an attempt to assassinate King Alfonso XIII and his new bride on their wedding day, May 31, 1906. Learn more about what happened and who took this astonishing picture. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit our YouTube channel […]

The first quarter of the 20th Century saw Spain develop on one hand but struggle to maintain stability on the other. The economy improves, generally, but social issues and workers’ movements increase. In addition, Spain gets bogged down with a complicated war in Morocco and democracy gives way to authoritarianism. The faux democratic system known as “turnismo” is faltering and acceptance of the Bourbon monarchy is wearing thin. Listen and learn more. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or […]

The Spanish ended this year’s Olympics with a total number of medals similar to what they have been reaching in the past 30 years, which makes a case for their consistency. There had been hope they would break the all-time record of 22, but they fell short. All the same, there were many great moments and we feel proud of their efforts and success. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit […]

After 6 crazy years of Spain suffering from huge political identity crisis, the Bourbons return and the political situation stabilizes under a faux-democratic process known as turnismo, or turnismo pácifico. Industry grew and the country developed, but tensions were still high thanks to workers movements and nationalism. On top of that, the Spanish-American War saw the end of Spain’s last major colonies. Listen and enjoy! You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, […]

The year is 1964. Spain is hosting the Eurocup finals, which it will win. Lurking in the background is a small group of anarchists plotting to assassinate the dictator. One of them a Scotsman named Stuart Christie? What’s the plan? How does it play out? What does it have to do with soccer? Listen and enjoy. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit our YouTube channel and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@BriansSpainDomain

On December 21, 1983, the Spanish national football team needed to win its final game of the qualifying round to go through to the Eurocup tournament in 1984. But victory wasn’t enough. They had to beat their opponent by 11 goals. Malta may have seemed like an easy side to crush, but at halftime, the score was only 3-1. The second half is legendary. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, visit […]

Or soccer team, if you prefer. Spain’s Selección has seen it all. Up until 2008 they were the perennial underachievers of world football. Then came the dynasty, the fall, and the rersurgence. Today they play a very different game and are in top form again. Listen and learn how both the team and our perspective of their performance have changed rather radically over the past 30 years. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click on our PayPal donate button at www.brianmurdock.net or check us out at Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/briansspaindomain Also, […]

This is a six-year period is known as the Sexenio Democrático, and it was a frenetic stretch of more changes than most countries would ever want to experience, only to end up practically the same as when they started. Normally our episodes cover longer periods, but this is so intense, so packed full of activity, […]

In the 1960s, the Spanish government under Francisco Franco carried out an initiative to build the bomb and a nuclear arsenal. Why? Did it succeed? Why or why not? Listen and learn more. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Castos. Or if you wish to support Brian’s Spain Domain, click […]

Every year for about a month, the most important bullfighting tournament in the world takes place in Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring. There was an event almost every day. This year the arena filled to the brim almost every day, but the bullfights themselves were generally subpar, compared to last year. We went to one and […]

Up until recently, the Godello white grape variety was generally unknown in most parts of Spain, let alone the rest of the world. These wines are made in the northwest of the Spain, but the most celebrated versions come a small region in Galicia called Valdeorras. You can also find Godellos from Bierzo and Monterrei. […]

This is one of Spain’s quintessential summertime dishes. Refreshing and restorative, it’s the perfect answer to those draining hot estival days. Its evolution has gone a long way since its origins. It fact, there seems to be little in common. But there is, amnd we’ll take a look at these things as well as the […]