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Live from woodland near the Valle de los Caidos, site of Franco’s tomb, not far from El Escorial - on the 30th anniversary of Franco’s death.
Wikipedia has a concise history of Franco’s life and death.
What other travel-related, based-abroad, expat podcasts do you listen to? In fact, what podcasts do you listen to in general? Please let me know in the comments here! Thanks.
Two photos from the podcast (click to enlarge):
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Ben
20 Nov 05 at 11:06 pm
I forgot to mention another travel cast I’ve listened to, this podcast from Argentina, the Buenos Ayres Voice.
A few more I like are in the links section of this blog, that needs updating… Which podcasts do you lot listen to?
Chris
21 Nov 05 at 6:17 am
Just bought ‘Errant in Iberia’. Sorry it won’t make you rich (it was the cheaper pdf download). Looking forward to reading that this week. Another good podcast. Keep up the good work.
Although I’ve been to/through most European countries, I haven’t yet been to Portugal or Spain. I look forward to visiting Spain after I move back to Blighty next year. Having listened to 16 episodes of NFS, I feel like I already know parts of it.
You plugged your book in this podcast, maybe next time you’ll mention the motorbike ride across India in February 2006?
Lawrence
21 Nov 05 at 3:06 pm
Haven’t listened to the latest podcast yet but looking forward to it. Also looking forward to the release of the audio version of Errant in Iberia.
Along with NFS, the other travel-based podcast I listen to regularly is Travel With Rick Steves – http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/podcast.htm . Other ones of different genres I like are Reel Reviews – http://reelreviewsradio.com/ , Escape Pod – http://www.escapepod.org/category/podcasts/ , Winecast – http://www.winecast.net/ and most of the BBC ones – http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/downloadtrial/ .
Steve
21 Nov 05 at 4:40 pm
I really like Tokyo calling,about Scott’s life as a westerner in Japan.
‘Tis good, check it out.
lee
21 Nov 05 at 5:47 pm
have to say the buenos ayres blog is a pain to listen to, the background music is surreal at times ?????? twee irish folk music?????? nope, needs work this one
Ken
21 Nov 05 at 9:13 pm
Other travel related podcasts that I like to listen to include:
—Rick Steves (as mentioned above)
—Sparkletack at http://www.sparkletack.com/ which is all about San Francisco. It’s well produced and always interesting.
and
—Lonely Planet puts out a podcast, youcan find it at the Lonely Planet Web site.
jim w
22 Nov 05 at 12:59 am
Another nice piece of work. By coincidence I was looking at the mausoleum on Google Earth just an hour or so before your cast appeared. I’d like to look at it “in the flesh” one day, if only because you can’t beat a bloody good tunnel.
Kristen Adams
22 Nov 05 at 4:14 am
Oooh that’s so cool that’s one of the places I went this summer.
http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs7/i/2005/238/5/8/Valley_of_the_Fallen_II_by_netsirksmada.jpg
My travel group had lunch in the park near Valley of the Fallen.
El Escorial was gorgeous.
Pol
23 Nov 05 at 1:19 am
Well, I think Marina I think you should be more aware of Spain’s history. Being more fond of science is not an acceptable excuse. I would suggest some very fine books on Spain’s History written by british historians such as Raymond Carr or Paul Preston. The man that you both refer in this podcast, who died another 20th of november (of 1936, therefore at the begining of the Spanish Civil War) is Jose Antonio (not Francisco) Primo de Rivera (solely referred ‘Jose Antonio’), and he was not a previous dictator. He was a conservative member of the parliament in the days of The Republic, and he was the founder of Falange (a fascist political group inspired in Mussolini’s Fascio).
Also I think that 30 years is a long time. It shouldn’t be neccesary to point out any more who was Franco, and how Spain regained freedom. It is also, in my modest opinion, completely unneccesary to remark that ‘you love freedom and you hate dictatorship’. I think that has to be so obvious, that any further remark is meaningless. Also I think that you give ‘Fascism’ (or whatever that might be nowadays) a special significance that it really hasn’t. What is Fascism today?? Maybe we are labeling as fascists simple boring hooligans.
Anyway, this is only my opinion, which, of course, might be mistaken. Very nice podcast (as always). Keep it up!!!.
Steve W.
23 Nov 05 at 1:27 am
Have a listen to the podcasts of musician/artist/writer Momus. Lots from Japan, Berlin and other places where he has lived and travelled. All very interesting. I was listening to these when I lived in Spain this year, as I, unfortunately, hadn’t come across yours yet.
http://www.imomus.com/momusradio.html
Marina
23 Nov 05 at 2:11 pm
Hi Pol, I think you are right, I should read a little about Spanish history, mainly for culture prupuses, but for the podcasts as well because I feel terrible when Ben asks me a question like that one and I don’t know the answer.
However I don’t agree with you about the freedom bit being so obvious to everyone. (When I spoke about freedom I was speaking of its general meaning not only as an opposite to dictatorship)
That is exactly what I used to think, but for the past 3 or 4 years I’ve spoken to quite a lot of people my age who have a misleading concept about freedom, that in fact goes against of other peoples’ freedom.
A llittle example that just makes me very angry:
Maybe you know that when you pay the yearly taxes (Declaracion de la Renta) you have an option in case you want to give a small porcentage of it to the Catholic Church. Someone told me recently that it was against his freedom (as a catholic) that other religions could be included. So for example a muslim that works in Spain and pay his taxes, from his point of view should not have the same right, i.e. an option to give his percentage to muslim organization.
As I have said this is just a little example, but you would be suprised how many people inSpain thinks like this. I don’t think the meaning of Freedom is so obvious to people…
Ben
25 Nov 05 at 11:52 am
Thanks for the podcast suggestions, I’ll check them all out. Any more still very welcome!
Miguel
26 Nov 05 at 12:25 am
Spanniards are not the only people having prejudices on foreign food. I remember listening back in the seventies to two americans who talked about how they longed for a hamburger when they were visiting Barcelona. Believe me, I could not understand them.
I once invited home a dutch couple, friends from Groningen. Even when I had bought the highest kind of cheese delicacies, I could not persuade them to eat spanish cheese. I was dismayed because I enjoy eating a good Gouda Oud, or even better Extra Oud, like the one they had brought from the Nederlands with them and insisted on eating themselves!
I also heard from some foreingner who considered eating paella as sort of licking a dirty sea floor.
It takes, in my opinion, a lot of open mindness to be adventurous with food, after all, during our education, we have been eating what our parents fed us.
MadridMan
27 Nov 05 at 8:48 pm
A very informative, educational, insightful, and even entertaining podcast, Ben & Marina. Thanks very much.
Marina’s comments and feelings towards the Valle de los Caidos is echoed by many of my own Spanish friends. I’d wanted several times to go to Valle de los Caidos simply for the experience but none of my Madrid friends would accompany me, some of whom had fathers imprisoned by Franco’s regime.
I’ve also heard from a number of United Statesens who want to go to Valle de los Caidos because they believe it’s a general dedication to Spain’s Civil War and “the fallen soldier”. But when they find out that the tomb is actually a dedication and tomb to Spain’s dictator and built largely by politically persecuted prisoners they begin to feel differently and see the “monument” in a whole new light – or “darkness”.
Your decision to take a walk through the hills of El Escorial, near Valle de los Caidos, sounds like a good alternative to me.
Keep up the GREAT work and wonderfully insightful podcasts. You two are a great team. Hope to meet you both someday.
Saludos, MadridMan
Ray Byram, EEUU
30 Nov 05 at 3:39 pm
Love your podcasts and eagerly anticipate each new one. I wish my Spanish was as good as Marina’s English. I was surprised listening to your visit to Valle de los Caidos that Marina was against going in but did not know the history of Franco. Marina, have you visited the Aqueduct in Segovia? It was built by slaves as well. It is a marvel. In the US we have an unfortunate horrible experience with slavery…however I find the knowledge of the history to be the biggest deterrent.
Ben
30 Nov 05 at 4:39 pm
I think Marina knows as much basic history of Franco as the next Spaniard. And in her defence, I think many of us are probably a bit shaky on our own country’s history. My British history is appalling, very general… And I do usually throw questions at her out of the blue!
We’ve been to Segovia many times, her father grew up there. Great town and definite future podcast. We’ll read up on the history first though next time
Marina
1 Dec 05 at 6:20 pm
Hi Ray,
The Aqueduct of Segovia is a master piece of art, specially as only stone was used to build it (nothing was used to stick each stone to the next one).
However I feel more distant from something that was built 19 or 20 centuries ago, in Romans times, than something that happend just a few years before I was born and affected my family directly. During Franco’s dictatorship members of my grandmothers’ family had to escape to France walking through the Pyrenees. These families were broken up, leaving children and/or wives behind. Families that I know. Sorry If I’m not objetive about this.
Any one who wants to see the aqueduct can check out the following link: http://images.google.com/images?q=acueducto%20segovia&sourceid=mozilla-search&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&sa=N&tab=wi
César Ortega
4 Dec 05 at 4:56 am
Bueno, hacía tiempo que no os escuchaba y heme aquí después de venir de marcha a las tantas de la madrugada delante del ordenador y un poco subidito, escuchando vuestras reflexiones sobre El Valle de los Caídos.
Franco murió hace unos treinta años y por lo tanto creo que deberíamos empezar a verle como una figura histórica y empezar a estudiarle sin prejuicios. Eso no lo pueden hacer tus padres, Marina, guapa, ni los míos, pero sí tú, que ya no lo conociste y has vivido toda tu vida bajo un régimen de libertades.
Quisiera que te fijaras por un momento sin ideas preconcebidas por qué estalló la guerra civil y cómo era la vida en nuestra II República. Si no sabes nada en concreto sino sólo un par de conocimientos históricos cogiditos con alfileres del tipo: “Franco era un fascista”, “LA II República fue una época ejemplar de la historia española truncada por los fascistas”, “Los llamados republicanos eran todos gente demócrata, tolerante y que querían una democracia de tipo occidental” etc, mejor que le digas a Ben cuando te hace hablar de algo de lo que no tienes mucha idea: “No, mi amor, no me metas en este atolladero, que esto se queda grabado y me las van a dar por todas partes”
Es curioso que hayáis ido a parar al Valle de los caídos porque no os queríais topar con los antifascistas que campaban por sus respetos en Lavapiés y que iban destrozando todo lo que pillaban por su camino. Es curioso cómo esa gente jovencísima, que siempre ha vivido en libertad, usa métodos fascistas para intimidar a la gente y provocar daños, pero repito, es curioso porque vosotros los llamáis “antifascistas” ¿No creéis que es el momento de empezar a no utilizar tan a la ligera palabritas como “fascista”?
Os recomiendo otras excursiones a las afueras de Madrid: A parte de El Escorial, que ya la tenéis pensada, qué tal un día en Alcalá de Henares, la ciudad de Cervantes u otro día en Aranjuez, el Versalles español, pero seguro que una idea perfecta para otra grabación con marcado sentido histórico, quiero decir de historia contemporánea, sería darse un garbeo por Paracuellos del Jarama así podríais dar a conocer lo maravillosos y humanos que eran esos “antifascistas” de antaño y que tanto se parecen a los “antifascistas” de hogaño.
Jo
14 Jan 06 at 9:58 pm
Am just catching up on some of hte older Notes from Spain archives and wanted to comment on a couple of specific podcasts, including this one, which was very good.
Marina, I admire your convictions and your commitment to excersise your beliefs – to display actions in support of your philosophies. Also appreciate your willingness to discuss your beliefs openly – takes great courage. So “kudos” to you for refusing to pay admittance to a memorial that represents somethign contrary to your beliefs, and “kudos” to you for sharing your passion with us.
Keep up the great podcasts – it is your teamwork that gives your podcast richness and depth.
Listening from the US,
J
Jose Antonio
11 Jun 06 at 1:17 pm
Franco was the greatest leader that Spain ever had. Under his rule, Spain avoided the World War II and joined the UN. You have to remember that at the time of the Civil War and Franco’s rule that Spain was a very backward and poor country, and if democracy had of survived, then Spain would take to long to catch up with the rest of the world. Franco made Spain rich again, he made my people and myself proud to be from Spain. It sickens me that Zapateor has legalised the disgusting gays to marry and adopt children! When God made the world he put a man and woman to love one another, not man and man O woman and woman! I respect Marina’s beliefs that if she no want to enter the Valle then she should not have to, what I cannot respect is that Franco is branded as an evil fascist! Its disgusting that a Spaniard, shoudl critise or even possible hate Franco, such actions and beliefs are treason against our country and our history. Zapatero es un hijo de puta! Viva Franco! Arriba Espana!
Edith
5 Aug 06 at 4:57 pm
Just a short note to say that I share Jo’s opinions on this podcast. I could sense that Marina did not feel at ease in the Valle de los Caídos, something which I can really relate to. Unfortunately, some people still feel the need to cling to a bygone era instead of embracing democracy and renouncing totalitarianism. I have read about la transición in Spain and about die Wende in Eastern Germany, and I’m really glad these countries have been able to become functioning democracies without bloodshed. Now that Fidel Castro seems to be on his last legs, let’s hope a similar process will get off the ground in Cuba. Viva la democracia y viva los derechos humanos para todos.
ruthdabu
10 Jul 09 at 2:58 pm
honestly, I don’t know much about pod casting, I think I need to learn more by making research about his topic, it might help be updated with what is happening.