Brian's Spain Domain – Podcasts and Writings by Brian Murdock

Talkin’ Spain: The Treasure of Villena Heist

In late August a group of thieves broke into the muncipal Museum of Villena and in just four minutes made off with the stunning Treasure of Villena, one of the most impressive and important Bronze Age hoards in Europe, leaving the archeaological world in shock, as well as the residents of the town. The raid is just the latest in a streak of art robberies throughout Spain and the rest of Europe, and it has raised concerns as to what to do about it. Listen and learn more.

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Let’s Open a Bottle: Condado de Huelva Wines

This long overlooked wine region from Andalusia is actually one of the oldest D.O: regions in Spain. In fact, it’s one of the oldest regions too, and its wines were arguably on Columbus’ first voyage. Condado wines are made mainly with the local grape Zalema, thje source of most of its young white wine. But the wineries cover just about everything: fortified wines, red wine, sweet wines, sparkling wine, and even vermouth and vinegar. But the real star is its orange wine, and it’s not what you might think it is. Join us in this podcast as we describe the world of Condado wines and learn about them at the Oliveros winery.

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Talkin’ Spain: Spain’s first total eclipse in 114 years

(Image: National Astronomy Institute)

On Wednesday, August 12, the north of Spain will experience the country’s frist eclipse since 1912. The country is brimming with excitement. Listen and learn a little more about what’s to be expected. Enjoy!

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The Day Madrid Was Struck by a Tornado

(Illustration depìcting the tornado in Madrid, published by the magazine “La Ilustración Católica”)

Most people associate tornadoes with the United States, and especially the Midwest and the South, and for good reason, but these extreme weather events are known to affect many parts of the world, including Spain. While they are generally uncommon and rarely are that strong or affect populated areas, on occasion they have cause great destruction. In 1886, an F3 tornado roared through Madrid, wreaking havoc, devastation and a large loss of life. The local population was totally unfamiliar with twisters and quite literally had no idea what hit them. The called it a cyclone or a hurricane at the time. Further research and investigation would reveal the shocking truth. Listen and learn more.

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Spain’s Miraculous Society of Snow Story

So few people know about this this episode that if has slipped under the radar of modern Spanish history, if you’ll excuse the pun. The year is March 8, 1960, and a and American Navy plane, a DC-4, has crashed landed on the side of a mountain in a remote corner of the remote Sierra Nevada. To leave you hanging a bit, I won’t give away any more information. Listen and see what happens! Enjoy!

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Women in Spanish History: María de Zayas

Spanish literary Golden Age took place between the years ran mainly from about 1550 to 1650, with a few outliers on each end, and it was a intense period of artistic production and creation. For the most part, male content creators dominated the era, such as Cervantes in literature and Velazquez in painting, but there were a number of prominant women writers too, many of whom have gone almost completely forgotten until recently, which is a shame because they were very popular when they were alive. A perfect example is Maria de Zayas, an amazing 17th Century writer who brought to our attention many of the struggles women of her time had to endure. Listen and learn more.

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Que Fort!

The other day, the musical artist Rosalía expressed her admiration at the goal scored by the Spanish national team and uttered “que fort!”, in her native language of Catalan. In English, it means something like, “no way!”, “that’s crazy!” The exclamation should have gone unnoticed, and yet it didn’t, which is what made it all the more noticeable. Remarked on in social media and even some news outlets, it was a minor outburst of joy that revealed once again the complexity of Spain’s linguistic reality. Listen and learn more.

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The Origin of the Spanish Expression “Quinta”

Saying someone is from your “quinta” is to say that they are basically the same age as you, and you hear it from time to time in Spain. The origin goes back to the 18th Century and the compulsory military service. Listen and learn more. And enjoy!

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Carlos III and the New Settlements

In 1767, King Carlos III came up with a startling new idea to help repopulate parts of Andalusia. Bring in settlers from central Europe, especially Germany! It was a bold, ambitious and practically unrealistic plan. But the towns still exist today. Listen and learn more!

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The Esquilache Riots

In 1766, the people of Madrid rose up against the authorities over a recent law banning long capes and wide-brimmed hats. The policy was the brainchild of King Carlos III’s Italian-born adviser, the Marquis of Esquilache. What was the beef? The justification of the order was the need for greater safety since the long garments could conceal weapons. But the locals reacted strongly to a foreigner minister telling them how to dress. But that wasn’t the only reason for the upsetment. Listen and learn more.

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