Comment from steve
Time: July 27, 2005, 10:02 am

Thanks for that 37 minute mini vacation! I took my lunch break today in my office to avoid the insufferable heat and smog. While listening to your podcast, I was able to escape just for a little bit. I closed my eyes and for a moment I swear I was right on that beach sitting just on the other side those “pelmas” with their niece. The copas at the end was a great way to end just before getting back to maintaining my database. Make mine a whiskeysito, just without La Oreja de Van Gough. Thanks for the trip Ben!

Comment from Ben
Time: August 3, 2005, 4:38 pm

Cesar posted this comment on my libsyn site with reference to this podcast:-
“Oh, I forgot. I dislike to correct you but valencian is not a dialect of spanish. It is truly a different language, with its grammar, dictionary and everything. It is very close to spanish and even closer to catalan, so many linguists would say that valencian is a dialect of catalan, but most of valencians reject that idea because they don´t want to be included as part of the so called, by the catalan nationalists, “paisos catalans” (catalan countries or catalan speaking regions, that also include the baleariac islands, the languedoc-rousillon french province and a city in the italian island of Sardigna (Alghero))… I don´t want to bore you with historical or political details so if you are interesed, let me know and I will set a comment here or email you explaining more.”

Comment from Ben
Time: August 3, 2005, 4:41 pm

And if the Valencians don’t want to be Catalan ‘paisos’, why the graffiti saying ‘This is Catalan countries’ etc at the beach? Maybe a Catalan wrote it…

Comment from César
Time: August 3, 2005, 5:36 pm

Because it’s part of the spanish way of life of “radical laisser faire”, I would call it “pasotismo”.
I don’t know, but if you would write something like that in Scotland, saying we are not the UK, may be you would find someone that would erase that graffiti straight ahead.
The majority of the valencians is fed up with that, they just ignore them. The problem is that if you don’t know Spain and spanish politics, and as a tourist, you’re not, you might be quite confused.
That’s a problem of Spain, there’s a lot of “pasotismo”.The lack of political conscience of the spanish public so that only the estremists (that are very loud, very goog organized) are heard.

Comment from César
Time: August 4, 2005, 10:38 am

Correction:

It’s radical LAISSEZ faire not radical laisser faire

It’s EXTREMISTS not estremists

Comment from Nick
Time: August 24, 2005, 5:50 pm

Hi

Very much enjoy your podcast I especially like hearing the sounds of the real Spain in the background. I have a boring factory job and am tied to a machine most the time-aghh! Listening to your informed production helps relive the monotony and reminds of happy trips in days passed-thanks.

Comment from Steve
Time: November 20, 2005, 12:41 pm

This took me back to the summer, where I’ve just spent 5 months in Valencia. I know the town of Oliva, just down from Gandía, very well (lots of English there!) and your podcast gave me very strong memories. I’m in London again now, saving money for a permanent return one day, and listening to you helps me to imagine myself in 5 years time, hopefully speaking Spanish well. I’ll give up on Valencian for now.
Keep it up, and more about learning the language please.

Comment from Bob & Kay Rogers
Time: June 4, 2007, 2:20 pm

Just found, and listened to your podcast - fabulous! We are moving just outside Gandia in a village called Beniarjo this July, and you have really whetted our appetite again! We have been visiting the area for the last 5 years and bought on old village property which we have been renovating. You really captured the atmosphere in Gandia, and even two years on from your recording it is still beautifully Spanish. We don’t tell many people where we are going - we don’t want any more Brits there!

Comment from Ben
Time: June 4, 2007, 8:07 pm

Glad you enjoyed it! Don’t worry, it will take a while yet for the Brits to find it