Franco and the Spanish Civil War – the making of Spain’s Caudillo

Everyone called him Paquito. He was the third child of five, born in 1892. His father was a bohemian – a drinker and a gambler. Growing up in

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Swine Fever Panic! Barcelona’s boars catch “la peste porcina”

A few weeks ago, for my birthday, Morena and I walked across Collserola. That’s the big natural park outside Barcelona. We took the Way of Saint James – you

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Christmas in Spain – 8 holiday traditions that might surprise you

Christmas is in the air! Are you ready? It’s time to get into the holiday spirit, but if you’re new to Spain, you might be a bit lost

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Himmler, Picasso and Mazón – Spanish news roundup, Nov 2025

Hey hey! It’s time for another roundup of Spanish news stories I find interesting. Spanish politics is going through quite a difficult moment, with Pedro Sánchez losing support

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Becoming a Spanish Citizen – the end of the immigrant hustle?

Last week I was in Phoenix. My home town, out in the Arizona desert. (Or, more accurately, on the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert.) It was my

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Cultural Differences between Spain and the United States – 4 more things I’ve noticed

Living abroad is an eye-opening experience. A guy like myself — coming from a place in the US that’s not very cosmopolitan, not incredibly exciting, and not super

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Police State! Know your rights with Spanish police and law enforcement

So there I was, standing by the side of the highway. Hands on my head, sweating through my t-shirt, and getting a pat-down from a burly officer of

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Population Explosion! (and an update on my Spanish Nationality)

Last Monday my lawyer messaged me. “I thought you should see this…” he said. I opened the PDF he’d sent, and my heart fluttered as I skimmed the

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Famous Spanish people – all of Spain’s brightest and best

Who are some famous Spanish people? Good question. Back during the Great Recession, there was a lot of worry about Spain’s failed attempts to market itself internationally. And

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Fifteen million bullets, and Spain’s military dilemma

Spain is re-arming. Or at least so they say. This week’s political scandal here in Spain involves 15 million bullets that the government recently ordered from Israel. The

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