27. Murcia’s Cathedrals, Tapas, And Travel Style

Looking for a city that gives you history, flavour, and space to breathe? We head to Murcia and find a place where the cathedral hums with local life, tapas are taught in dialect, and style is less about labels and more about respect. We start with a listener’s question on how to pack without shouting “tourist,” then build a practical wardrobe for Spain: neutral layers, a light blazer or trench, flat shoes that can handle cobbles, and a black dress you can dress up or down. The goal isn’t to hide; it’s to show up well in rooms that still care about showing up well.

Our walk lands at the Catedral de Santa María, a time capsule that traces Gothic bones through Renaissance, Baroque, and neoclassical details. Instead of queues and selfie sticks, we find quiet, low-cost entry during museum hours, and a full house for Mass that proves it’s still a working church. A few blocks away, we step into Murcia’s “casino,” which isn’t a casino at all but a 19th‑century social club with Moorish-inspired interiors, salons, and a courtyard that feels like a pocket Alhambra. It’s the kind of building that explains a city’s pride: member-funded, carefully kept, and open to curious visitors.

Food ties it together. We taste pastelitos, learn about paparajote, and dive into tapas that carry grammar lessons: marinera with oil-cured anchovy, marinero with vinegar-cured boquerón, and the matrimonio that marries both. Because Murcia sits in the Orchard of Europe, produce shines, prices stay gentle, and the best finds are often places without perfect ratings but full of locals. Add the Mar Menor coastline, golf, small-town castles like Lorca, spring festivals, Holy Week processions, and concert dates that are kinder on the wallet, and you’ve got a destination that beats the obvious without trying.

If this guide helps you see Spain with fresh eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend planning a trip, and leave a quick review. Your notes help us choose the next city to explore and the next local table to sit at.

Transcript

Welcome And Sponsor Shoutout

SPEAKER_00 0:06

This episode of the Maiden Spain podcast is powered by Goco Energy. Clean natural energy for life at the speed of Go. Welcome everyone. Season five, episode three, and we are going to Murcia. My name is Laura Senior Garcia. And I'm the Lady Sharma. I'm the Lady Sharma.

SPEAKER_05 0:28

Co-host. So we're in 2026. Um, and yeah, this is super exciting. We made a trip out to Murcia.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

So I think a lot of people maybe may not know Murcia as a kind of destination. I think for some people in the UK, yes.

SPEAKER_05 0:48

But it is well worth a visit. So you have uh Murcia, the the capital, but you also have the autonomous region. So that's actually, I mean, it's a large geographical area when you draw out the map. But the we went to the capital, the city of Murcia. Exactly.

Where Murcia Sits In Spain

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Now when you look at the map, going to what Nalini said, I think it's always interesting, you know, kind of to find your bearings. Yes. You have the Valencian community on the coast, then you have in between the Valentine community and the Andalusian or La Comida Andalucía, you have Murcia. So that's that piece.

Listener Mail: Packing To Blend In

SPEAKER_05 1:28

It's like the meat in the sandwich. Yeah, basically between the different ones. But before we get into our day trip to Murcia and our recommendations and our experience, I'm going to read out a viewer listener email. Okay, so here it is. Hi guys, love listening to your show, especially the slice of life. You both seem to have such a great time on your trips, which we do. What are your top packing tips? I have a trip planned to Spain next April and would rather not look so obviously touristy. Any advice? And that's from Carol, and she's from Brighton. So, Carol, thank you so much for engaging with us. We love doing our slice of life because it's uh, I think a snapshot into our experiences, our daily life, what we live, what we learn. And um yeah, I think we've learned a lot about travel and packing and travel tips. So sh Carol does not want to look like a tourist.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Carol Wooden wheel. So many times when I'm out and about and I'm like, can you tell me where this is? I'm like, tell me, you know, like I I really don't like looking like a tourist anywhere I go. And actually, one of the things that really bothers me when I kind of get an Airbnb and you're kind of pulling on a suitcase and everybody's looking at me like, oh stupid tourists. But it is what it is. Yeah, Airbnb is a great way to travel. And by the way, I think that you know, kind of mentioning for one second, you know, we do get a lot of engagement on socials, and we did uh recently make a post about Cadiz and Gibraltar. So two things I want to bring up about that, and then we're gonna go straight into Carol's answer. Number one, we will go to Gibraltar sometime in 2026. So this year.

SPEAKER_05 3:19

Shout out Gibraltar.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yes, I was accused of having a blonde moment because the monkeys don't live everywhere in Gibraltar, they're just up the rock. So it's okay, we can be corrected, but we'll go and check it out for ourselves. So thank you, everyone, that commented on uh Gibraltar, and then the reason I bring this up around the connection with the tourist piece and not looking like a tourist, there is a lot of conversation going on online about, you know, like we can't take any more tourists and no more tourists come here and this kind of thing. But the reality is that that is a very small minority. Most people will tell you, please come, please visit, be respectful, and spend money, you know, in the kind of local economy.

SPEAKER_05 4:09

Well, because if tourists did not come here, I mean, Spain, if you look at any sort of travel data data, it is one of the most visited countries in the world. So tourism is, I I think tourism is welcomed here. I think you have the that very sort of niche minority. And if you listen to what they're complaining about, I understand their complaints. However, the complaint is not against the tour tourists that come and bring their dollars, it's really more against the government.

Tourists, Locals, And Respectful Travel

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yes, it's about the government not regulating accessible housing, right? All of those things. So don't believe the hype, is what I'm trying to say. Absolutely not. People are very welcoming here, and in most places, they love sharing about their culture. They love it. We see we saw it with Cadiz. We see it everywhere, actually. Everywhere we go. 100%. And online, if you go and check out that post, there's people educating us about all the wonderful things about Cadith that we had no idea about, or Nalini may have read some stuff, but it was a lot of it was definitely news to me. So please, as we, you know, develop different topics and share different cities, engage with us on socials, make sure you share comment. Exactly, just like Carol. So let's go back to Carol's question.

SPEAKER_05 5:36

Right. She doesn't want to look so glaringly touristy on her trip here. And she's coming in April. So what would your top tips be for Carol?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

I think the biggest thing is here. I don't think we have a huge culture of dressing up like super fancy or anything like that, but the tourist will definitely very quickly stand out when they are too dressed down. Right. Exactly. So the moment you've got you know your brick and stocks or what do you call them? The Jesus sandals. With the straps, a lot of straps a lot of straps. And please, especially if you're wearing those sandals with white socks, I can't help you. I can't wait. However, people still do that.

SPEAKER_05 6:28

I mean, listen, to I always say to each their own, but uh that's not Carol.

Dress Codes, Colours, And Footwear

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Carol, no, don't wear sandals with white socks because it's not a good look. So that's one thing. And the other thing as well is I would almost tend to go for medium high in terms of dress instead of medium low. So exactly that's definitely going to make you fit in more. Specifically, not so much for where we live, because this is a very, very, very dressed-down area. Yes. But Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia. I would err on the side of dressing up instead of dressing down. Uh, you know, it's it yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:09

It's not, you know, it's not like uh you're in Miami or in the Caribbean and you know everybody's wearing kind of sandals and flip-flops and you're, you know, you have beach attire, but also I think it's really respectful that if you go even from the beach to a restaurant, you throw on a nice little it doesn't need to be fancy, but also just a respectful, I think classier cover-up that you cover kind of, you know, your bits. To sit down on a at a table. No need to show your bits hanging out, right? Right. Just like to be a a little bit elevated, classier. Um, and I think the people that work in these places and the establishments, I think they do notice it and they take it. Um and then there's the colors too.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Right. Like again. So, with all respect to our wonderful Dutch and British listeners, the moment you wear anything super bright here, that's the first thing that someone Spanish will say, Oh, you know, they look Hollandeses or like bright. You know, like the bright orange, bright yellow, those are not colors that people would normally wear here.

SPEAKER_05 8:24

Right. And there's a certain there is a certain style aesthetic from with different cities that you go to. So if we anytime that we go to Madrid, you automatically change the way that you dress. Like it's automatic. I would not wear the same thing here on a day-to-day basis that I would in Madrid. People never dress up a little more. They do dress up.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

One thing that I think is a piece to always bring with you that is always going to be adequate is a blazer. A light blazer or a trench coat is always going to do really well here. And obviously a good pair of jeans and light trousers like linen, cotton. And I will, again, I would say this is very much a personal choice, and people should wear what they're comfortable with. But I think I would always err on the side of feeling overdressing more elegant than underdressing my butt cheeks hanging out. Yeah, which is like, by the way, not uncommon for a lot of tourists.

SPEAKER_05 9:23

Or socks and a backpack, which is not a good combination in any country. I'm just gonna put that out there. But I know we're sounding like super judgy right now, but listen, we've gone places where we you end up looking very touristy and you don't want to. You sort of want to blend in, but sometimes you don't really know what the vibe is until you've gone to that city and the, you know, the just that little aesthetic that locals might have. Obviously, you can't create it perfectly, but you can at least get close to it.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Yeah, and I think people just appreciate it. Like you said, I think they appreciate it. Absolutely, you know, like it. I know when I'm with my family and I see like a lady particularly, I have to say, I think we hold like lower standards for men when it comes to us. I think that's code. You see a lady walk in and she's like dressed nice, independent of her age. Right. You're like, oh, look how nice she's dressed, you know. And yeah, you just kind of like there's like an elegance to it, yes, and there's an appreciation. It's like you are showing up, you know. So that would be my advice, Mikhail.

SPEAKER_05 10:25

I would say also for the footwear, um, you have to be very cognizant if when you travel to Europe, that if you plan on wearing high heels, I would say in almost any European city, you're gonna break your ankle. Like it is gonna happen. You're gonna fall. Cobblestones are a thing, cobblestones, and they're everywhere, and even the sidewalk itself that's smooth is slippery. It's so okay, don't wear the strappy sandals, those like broken stocky sandal things.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

A lot of times we're something cute. Yeah, for sure. That's flat. A lot of times, and Melina and I have both experienced this, the taxi or the Uber or whatever method of transport you're taking cannot take you all the way to your destination. So you have to do some walking.

Practical Packing Rules That Work

SPEAKER_05 11:13

You have to, and sometimes it's uphill, sometimes they're very they're ancient steps, they're short, you know, these little steps that are quite um, you know, shallow steps that you have to go up, which is not hard, but they're they're stone or they're rock and they're slippery and they're smooth, and maybe you've had a glass of wine and not the ideal situation. So I always tell people listen, if you're traveling to Europe in the summer and you're planning to do a lot of walking, just get a really cute, simple, it doesn't have to be expensive, clean, yeah, like white sneaker that you can wear with your jeans, a dress, something that's just simple and you feel confident and it's comfortable. And then my other tip always is that a black dress that you can throw, like with little straps, it's kind of loose and flowy, but you can still put a belt on it. You can maybe throw a blazer on your dressing. Yeah, you can wear it to the beach as a cover-up. You are not going to go wrong with it and you will fit in pretty much anywhere you go.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

And leave space for shopping.

How To Reach Us And Subscribe

SPEAKER_05 12:15

Exactly. Yeah. Don't and your other tip that you were we were talking about is do not bring something that's aspirational. Don't bring clothes that don't fit you because you think you're gonna fit into it, you know? Or don't pack something that you would never wear in the first place because you think, oh, I'm gonna wear this on vacation. If you haven't worn it before, you're not wearing it on vacation. It's a waste of suitcase space. So yeah, I would say those are the answers for um Carol. And if anybody wants to get in touch with us, Laura.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Made in Spain Podcast. Or sorry, hola at the made in Spain Podcast.com. Right. At madeinspainpodcast.com and our socials at the Made in Spain Podcast, especially TikTok and Instagram. We'd love to hear from you. Or leave a comment wherever you're listening. Subscribe and follow. We really, really do appreciate our listeners.

First Impressions Of Murcia City

SPEAKER_05 13:07

All right, so let's get into uh Murtia.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Uh do you want to leave this for us? Can I just say that it was so funny at the beginning of uh my husband moving here? He kept referring to this place called Murcia. And I was like, are you kind of joking right now? And saying, like, America America? And then it's like, and then finally I figured out Murtia? It was Murtia. Yeah. Because obviously we see a lot of signs to go to Murcia when we're driving up to the airport. But no, go ahead, Nalini. Introduce us to this wonderful place that is Murcia.

SPEAKER_05 13:39

Okay, so it is a bit of an interior uh well, okay, we talked about this. There's a region, but the city itself is in the interior. So it is just because of its location, the actual city, in terms of food, drink, entertainment, housing, tends to be a little bit less because if you live in the center of Murcia, you're not getting a sea view. But however, the region itself has a coastline, which is the Mar Menor. Yes. I have never been there, but it is a salt water lagoon. Is that true?

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yeah, that I I've been there multiple times, so lots of golf. Okay. So for those who like to golf, lots of options, very accessible, affordable, right? Golfing destination, uh, a lot of secondary homes for a lot of people, which is great. And yes, there is this kind of like salt lagoon. There's a lot of salt produced because of the calmness of the sea there. So, and as Nalini mentioned, you know, I do think um the city itself is one thing, but then you have all the surrounding little towns. Yes. You know, there's Lorca, there's uh amazing castle there. I don't know if they still hold this title, but there's a little town in Murcia called Ojos, which apparently had like at one point I remember reading this years ago, highest consumption of beer per capita. Oh, which is I thought was really interesting. But this is a long time ago. I don't know if they still hold this title. But yeah, Murcia's got a lot to offer.

SPEAKER_05 15:09

Okay, now it is known as La Huerta de Europa.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Yes. So the So it's the Orchard of Europe. Yes, the Orchard of Europe. Lots and lots of vegetables, fresh produce, very fresh produce. So, what were some of the things that you noticed when we went to the city the other day?

Cathedral History And Quiet Awe

SPEAKER_05 15:29

Um I would say it's just it's a really surprisingly cute place to go, and it's very traditional. So, and this is what I think we discovered going to a town such as Mortia, you can experience a real taste of Spanish life in a very authentic way on an incredibly easy budget. Yeah, you know, it's less expensive, way less expensive than Barcelona, Madrid. Exactly. So if your goal is, you know, you you're traveling here and your goal is to um I don't know, you want to see the highlights. Okay, I totally understand that. But uh if you choose maybe to skip that and you head to a town such as Murcia, a city really, it has half a million people. It is a big, it is actually the population is quite decent for the region. But you have the cathedral in the center of the city. We happened to go during the Christmas season and it was very festive. A lot of stores are decorated quite beautifully. They have a red carpet that actually leads to the cathedral. And um we thought the red carpet was just for us. We're like, look at it.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

We're visiting Murcia. Oh, look, they have the red carpet out.

SPEAKER_05 16:46

They have a university, and Murcia also has an international airport that flies to the UK. UK. I think it does fly to maybe a couple of other destinations within Europe and of course, obviously throughout Spain. So they it has an airport you can fly in and out of if you need to.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

It is interesting because the airport in Murcia is actually quite close to the one in Alicante. Right. So, but they they do have direct flights, like you said, and some of them very uh inexpensive. The one thing I will say is well, like you said, if you're looking for more of a destination where it's not going to be very touristy, I think Murcia is the way to go because you're not going to be seeing a ton of tourists at, let's say, the cathedral or the restaurant, etc. Nalini asked the gentleman at the door who was an art historian. Right. At the cathedral. At the cathedral. Does Mas get busy? Oh yeah, like Mass is really busy. So it is a functioning church.

SPEAKER_05 17:50

Church. For the people of the city itself. They do in the the cathedral that in the that's in the center of the city itself. Is um, I mean, it's almost like we did a little research that the it's existed since the am I correct in saying the 1200s?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

I think just looking at our research here, I think they finished it in 1394. Okay. I seem to recall, but they were building it for 400 years.

SPEAKER_05 18:25

Right. And like any church in any part of Europe, you've had pillaging, fires. I mean, different religions have ruled the country, they've been kicked out, they've come back, the Christians have reconquered it. So Murcia has that history behind it. But the church itself is quite spectacular. It's very, I mean, it's a huge church. It's not, you know, La Sagrada, what you would find in Barcelona. I understand that. But if you're going for an experience where you want to see something that is authentic, accessible, I would say this is a real uh a great way to go. We were outside of maybe, I don't know, maybe three or four people when we went in to the actual cathedral. We were the only other people in there. It's a very special experience.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

We were the only people in there, and the energy is overpowering and special. Absolutely. Because again, the way it's built and when it's quiet like that, it's very special. Sorry, so let's go back on the actual data because we'll get eaten alive. Started in 1394. So 1394 is when it started. Right. And not fully completed until the 18th century. So that's where your 400 years come from. Right. One thing that was very cool is that they have this collection that you walk through. It's like chapels. Is that the way you say it? Like uh like little capillas, which is basically the confessionals. Not the confessionals. Oh, I see what you're saying. It's a sh it's a chapel.

SPEAKER_05 20:03

It's like it's almost as if the cathedral itself is a museum. It is. Because, yeah, that is how you could describe it. Because in each um area, they have things that they've collected from other cathedrals, churches from different parts of Spain or around Europe that they have on display there.

Art Periods And Museum Details

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Yes. So yeah, it's a cathedral but also a museum. It is a cathedral and a museum. If you go for mass and you're going like a prayer time, there isn't a fee to enter. Yes. If you go at times that are for the museum visit, there's a very small fee that I think is very worth it if you're five euro to get in. It's like five euro to get in. So the big mix is Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque, as well as like neoclassic. And when you start going around the cathedral, it actually is in order of these different artistic periods.

SPEAKER_05 21:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Very, very clearly reflected in the paintings and very clearly reflected in the style of furniture of that particular, like, let's say, capsule collection of each one of the colours. It is a good way to put it. It is sort of like a capsule. Yeah. Yeah. One thing I will say, like Melini said, is that, and this is one of the things I love about us doing this podcast. I mentioned to someone in my family the other day, oh, you know, we went to Morty and we went into the cathedral. And I have to say, I don't think I would have ever gone in there if it wasn't that we were doing research and wanting to experience this for the podcast. Right. And uh my aunt, actually, who I was talking to about this, said, Isn't that sad that we will not go and do things that are accessible, you know, the history behind something like that. But people will come in from other parts of the world. So I will say, I think this Catedral de Santa Maria is absolutely worth the visit. A hundred percent. It's gorgeous. And again, if you go to the Sagrada Familia, yes, you're gonna have an interesting experience, but it's gonna be along thousands of other people. Right. Whereas here, as Nalini said, you know, you're gonna get very unique, almost like individualized experience.

SPEAKER_05 22:15

Also, you're going to see something that a lot of people wouldn't typically travel to and see.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

And it's not, I mean the paintings are unreal.

SPEAKER_05 22:24

I mean, honestly, and you can do a tour. I think they have tours as well.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

I think the guided tour was only like three more euros.

Coffee Streets And Easy Wandering

The “Casino” Social Club Surprise

SPEAKER_05 22:30

Yeah, we didn't do it, we just went in for our own little experience. But that was fantastic. And the way the the how it's actually situated is that you have all the streets kind of, you know, it's in the center. So you can just take any of the streets in the in Murcia and you know, find a yeah, like find a restaurant or a little place to sit and have a a drink or a cocktail or a coffee. I'd say the coffee scene is pretty good there as well. Yeah. They have some really nice coffee bars. We we'll talk about our food in the slice of life. So, Nellie, you got to tell us about the casino. Okay, the the casino, which is on one of the main uh r streets leading right to the casino or sorry, to the cathedral. So as we're walking in, uh we had done some research and I saw that there's the you know Murcia casino. Uh we thought it was a casino. I was hoping to have a game of blackjack when we get there, but so I'm taking some footage outside, just like doing a little video, and Laura, you guys had gone in, and she says, She's like, Are you coming in? And I'm like, Yeah, yeah, I'm coming in, I'm coming in. So we go in and we walk up, and it turns out it's not an actual casino, it is a social club. So it's very interesting. I mean, the architecture inside it is um from the Moors, right? And the little bit of research that we were managed to kind of extrapolate is that when the Moors ruled Spain, they put little alhambra around the country. So that's a little slice of the you know, yeah, the Arabic rule of Spain in this, you know, town that's really in the interior. So we I started asking the lady and said, Oh, can we come in? So you can pay to get in. I think it's five years or five euro again. And they have all these rooms on the bottom floor where you know there's like a you know, like a dining room, or they have the ladies' room. It's just sort of historical areas, but they also have um the traditional, you know, Arabic courtyard. It's a really stunning building on the inside that you would not even think is there, and it's beautifully preserved, beautiful. It's from the mid-1800s. They've added on to it over the years and they've had to obviously upkeep it. But the actual membership, the social club, you have to buy a m, you have to be become a member.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Which I thought that was really interesting because I think that's probably one of the you know, I remember social clubs for kind of older people who wanted to play like dominoes and bridge and patanka ages ago. But I haven't actually walked into a place that was a social club since I can remember.

SPEAKER_05 25:15

And it's stunningly beautiful when you walk in. I mean, yeah, you feel as if you are in the Alhambra. So I was very fascinated by this membership. And I tried to look it up online, I found bits of information. There's uh you go on the the website, you can download the form, put in your application, but I wanted to know what the cost was and how what the process is.

SPEAKER_00 25:38

So I phoned the the casino, which I don't really know why they call it a casino, but I still don't quite understand that, but there must be a reason. There's no gambling there. No, there's they play chess. Chess.

SPEAKER_05 25:52

She said that's the only gambling over their chess case. No, they yeah, it's chess that they play. Um, so she phoned me back and she said she was very cute on the phone. She was very helpful. She said, Okay, I am going to use words in English I've never used before, but let's try together to figure out your question. And my question simply was, what does a membership cost? So she told me the initiation fee is about 1800 euro. And then you pay 49 euro per month after that for access to this social club. If you are a member, you you first of all you put in the application, the board of directors approves you or doesn't approve you, you pay your fees, which by the way, your initiation can be paid over several installments. You don't have to they're trying to make it not super exclusive, right? And then you pay your monthly fee that allows you access to the club. They have a billiards room, a smoking room, which I didn't really know it still exists. Cigar smoke. I think maybe they have um a movie area. And also, I think it's they have a sommelier, they have a bar, they have a restaurant. It's a very curated experience for the people. Or I don't, you don't need to be from that area. You can be from outside of it as well. But I thought, what an interesting establishment here, you know, and opposite, you walk outside, you have this incredible building with this incredible history and this tradition. And you come outside and there's a Popeye's chicken. Yeah. Popeye's chicken and allohole. It is so jarring to, I mean, it's the old with the new. And I have no problem with it. It's just very that's a funny observation.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

Next. So 2026, Nelane's going to try and join the casino in Murphy.

SPEAKER_05 27:48

Don't even laugh because I was called.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Application, application coming soon.

SPEAKER_05 27:53

But what an interesting, it's fascinating for that city.

Membership Costs And Traditions

SPEAKER_00 27:57

And I just want to know if there's women in it as well. I think it just I don't think no, I don't think it's just for men. No, but I think it all the activities that you mentioned are like cigar smoking and billiards. I don't know, like, yes, there may be some women there, but I'd be curious to see that. Okay, should we share some fun facts about the city? Yes, absolutely. So a few of the little kind of quirky facts you could say is they have this very kind of famous festivity called Entierro de la Sardina. Okay. Burial of the sardine. I would say uh pretty wild parade and very relative to ancient mythology. Okay. And it literally entails like burning a giant sardine.

SPEAKER_05 28:41

Like a real sardine?

SPEAKER_00 28:42

No, I'm not a real sardine, but it's like I think it's like a wood sardine or paper mache. So kind of thing fires, but weirder. So we're gonna look into that more. And it is part of a really big spring festival, so it's actually close in the time of uh Fayas. The Holy Week that we went to uh Granada for, uh the Easter processions here in Murcia are very, very famous as well. There is a strong religious community there, and they're not far from Orihuela, that is also a place where a lot of people study theology. Yes, and we did walk past the University of Theology there, so it's uh definitely a lot of religious undertone. The other thing, as well, is they are one of the biggest producers of paprika. Right, yeah. Which very interesting. No idea about before we kind of started researching for the episode, and it's very high quality paprika and used a lot in Spanish cooking, including making paya.

SPEAKER_05 29:43

We should have stopped at one of those stores to. No, right? We didn't. So, um, what was your overall take of it?

SPEAKER_00 29:50

I think Murcia is worth exploring and worth taking a few days to go downtown to stay at La Manga. There are very different hotel offers depending if you're staying downtown or if you're going to some of the little towns. Yes. And I think it's a good place that you could potentially spend like five days and go see the smaller towns, uh, get a good beach experience, visit the city, golf, golf, uh, lots of stuff, and maybe bump into Carlos Alcaraz while you're and uh I I've I actually read an article.

SPEAKER_05 30:23

Um I don't know if it was for uh maybe ESPN or maybe one of the English uh Sky Sports or something, where the reporter went to Murcia to look for Carlos Alcaraz in his hometown. And he said the experience was just like super funny because everybody knows him. Everybody knows him, and the the you know, they're super happy to show, like, look, this is where he went to school, and this is where his uh family used to live, and this is where he used to practice. Sunday lunch, yeah. But it was, yeah, and and you think, I mean, when you go to the city, I don't know what neighborhood he's from, I have no idea. However, I think he may be from a town. We'll need to look it up. We can look it up, but you can see that there's not a lot of distraction there.

Festivals, Faith, And Paprika

SPEAKER_00 31:05

No, it's not like the glitz of Madrid, for example.

SPEAKER_05 31:10

No, there's no distraction. So you can kind of see, listen, tennis was probably a real, I mean, his thing. And as there's not a lot of distraction, you could really focus on the sport.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

So join us in our slice of life coming up next to find out about what foods and drinks you may want to try in Morthead. Yes. Slice of life. So before we dive into our slice of life, quick shout out to our amazing partner, Goco Energy. You have to try this.

SPEAKER_05 31:51

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SPEAKER_00 32:07

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SPEAKER_05 32:16

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SPEAKER_00 32:37

So hydrating, refreshing, and honestly, it just makes everything flow better. Slice of life! Yay! So, what are we having here, Laura? Pastelitos. Okay. Uh, this is the one that's kind of shaped like a star. Right, okay. Uh there was an option to buy a much bigger one, but I don't think we should try it. So let's try it.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

What do you think is inside of it?

SPEAKER_02 33:11

I think it's kind of like a cabello de angel.

Why Murcia Is Worth A Stay

SPEAKER_01 33:15

I think it's an orange jam, no? I think this is what they call angel's hair here. Oh, okay, really? Not like a pastel. See how it's got like little strands?

SPEAKER_03 33:27

I think this is what they call angel's hair. Whatever it is, it's very good. There's this one and then there's this one as well.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

Super good.

SPEAKER_02 33:45

I don't even know what that is, but it's so good. There's sweets. So we're thinking of outside of it being very religious, excuse me. Um an interesting town, walkable, accessible, etc.

SPEAKER_03 33:59

There's a great food scene. There's a tremendous food scene, and it makes sense if you think about all the fresh produce, right? This one definitely has some orange in it, like orange peel or something. But in the center of the city, it's very funny that you don't see the huge chain grocery stores.

SPEAKER_05 34:18

They they do exist, they're on the outskirts of the town, but you see a lot of shops that sell primarily well, actually only fruits and vegetables. And that's where people pick up their fresh produce.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

I remember uh that as we walk past a different stores, the citrus smell coming out, you know, like the orange, the lemon, that kind of zesty, beautiful smell that comes out of the stores. Um I thought it was really cool. We went into this bakery, I just kind of asked, you know, what's typical. I asked for something that I had heard before. She goes, Okay, you can find that, but that's not gonna be good. Like you have to eat that in the exact moment. It's a papajotes. Paparajote is what it's called. Paparajote. It's okay, pretty interesting word.

SPEAKER_05 35:08

But what is it? And it's that, but that is a dessert that is um specific to Murcia.

SPEAKER_00 35:15

And these are two, apparently, these pastaritos specifically are very much from Murcia. Okay. Um, and again, a lot of the bakeries, super high quality, very, very affordable. There was one that we didn't take with us that I thought was really interesting. She said it was sweet and savory, and it had chicken, egg, and jam in it. I was like, well, that is different. But we didn't get we skipped that one.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

Yeah. But in the actual uh bakery that we were in, I don't know, it wasn't busy, it was just us in there, and the town was actually very quiet. We were there on a Tuesday afternoon. But if you stop and you ask questions, they are so happy to walk you through the I don't know, the 55 desserts that they have on display. They work so hard to make the space so beautiful. They want people to ask questions and they want to share the information. So if you visit a town that's maybe a little bit off the beaten path, ask questions.

SPEAKER_03 36:18

Most people take pride in sharing things about their work and sharing things about where they come from. You know, not everything is what's on social media.

Slice Of Life: Local Sweets

SPEAKER_00 36:29

The other thing as well, that's always interesting to me, a lot of times we end up having the best experiences when we just walk in somewhere instead of going to TripAdvisor or and again, no knock on those sides. They're extremely helpful. I use them all the time. Me too. But sometimes it can be a bit misleading. Because, for example, in Murcia, okay, there's so many little tapas places. Maybe you only go to the ones that have like four or five stars, but then it ends up not making sense. Like once you're in there, you're like, oh, you know, this place only had three stars, but it was a superb experience.

SPEAKER_05 37:05

So just walk around where you see a crowd, go in that place because it means it's local people and it's going to be good. If the locals are going to it, it's going to be good.

SPEAKER_00 37:13

This is not your New York queue scene, as they call it, because you know, every weekend, because something's blown up on socials, there's a queue outside for pancakes or for XYZ. So I would really recommend, like Nalini said, just go out and experience it. And sometimes it's just worth it not actually having a plan of where you're going to eat. If it's a very crowded place and then you need a reservation, but if not, just allow yourself to experience it.

SPEAKER_05 37:40

Um, I read that the uh typical uh tapa in Murcia is the matrimonials.

SPEAKER_00 37:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:47

Which I would does not really appeal to me, but it is.

SPEAKER_00 37:51

Then you have the marinero and the marinera. Yes. So Entaladilla Rusa, which we featured in a couple of episodes ago, uh, which is like a potato salad with uh tuna, etc. etc. It but from Murcia, it is a specific way to prepare it. Right. And one thing that I think is really funny is they do this marinero a marinera. Marinera is the typical one, right? Where you have the little rosquita, you have the ensaladilla, and you have an anchovy on the top. And that's the anchovy that's cured in oil. Right. And when you say anchoa, it's la anchoa, it's feminine. Right. Therefore, that's why it's called marineda.

SPEAKER_05 38:29

Ah, okay. Good lesson. And now the other one is still the anchovy on the top, but it's cured in vinegar. In vinegar. So it's a bit of a different flavor.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

Very different flavor and very different look. The anchovy is kind of dark brown, and the boqueron is white. So the boqueron, because it's it don't ask me why, it's el boqueron. Okay. La anchoa. Okay. El boquerón, that's why it's called the marinero.

SPEAKER_05 38:55

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 38:55

Okay. So it's like the male version, you know, of this. And that's why it's called marinero and marinera. That's the distinction.

SPEAKER_05 39:03

And the um matrimonial is the two of them together. The two, did you know that?

SPEAKER_00 39:09

I didn't know that.

Tapas Culture: Marinera To Matrimonio

SPEAKER_05 39:10

Yeah, that's inherently very typical in Murcia. So you have the machobi and you have the bookerone together.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

Just those two together. That's so funny. So it's a marriage. I didn't know what it was when it was like the marriage between the two anchovies. That's so funny. It's like someone must have been getting really creative, you know, like male tapa, female tapa, and together they make a little marriage.

SPEAKER_05 39:34

But it's Murcia is known for its tapa culture. You can do a little uh tapa scrawl around if you want at the cathedral or just in the center there. There's and they also have international food. We saw Indian restaurants, um, Asian, fusion, sushi. You can find pretty much everything there, but anything that I think you're looking for, like fresh produce.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

Right. Again, because it's not as tortured. The places that are well established, it means because people keep coming back. Right. When you have so much offer and you have, you know, the really nice fresh oysters and shrimp and this and that. And we had the scallops. Yes. Tamborinas. Yeah. So it's a kind of like a scallop. I've never actually been able to it's not a it's smaller. It's smaller and it has this red part. Right. It's like a female scallop or something like that. Tamborina. It's just the guts.

unknown 40:29

I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 40:31

Tastes really good. It's just the guts of the scallop that we ate. That's fine. But they taste, it actually tastes really nice. Yes. So highly recommend Morthea for if you want the traditional aspect of it, the cathedral, if you want to um, you know, just be the Castle of Lorca as well is really nice.

SPEAKER_00 40:49

Which we didn't have time to go to, but keep in mind. I actually went there for a concert once, and they do concerts in the summer, and it's amazing because it's like outside and the sound's really good.

SPEAKER_05 40:59

Actually, I did want to mention that that um sometimes when I'm looking in the summer and you'll see concert dates come up, Murthea is a destination for mainstream artists. Maybe not, you know, like a Marilyn Manson, but still you have Brian Adams, Z Talk, you've had Lionel Richie there. You've had they do all kinds of festivals and stuff. Festivals as well. They had uh they actually have a really decent reggaeton festival there. And the tickets are if you look at somebody's concert travel dates, the tickets in Mortia are always the least expensive. Yeah. Which is surprising to me. I I would think it would maybe be more simply because there are less seats or this the arena or stadium is smaller, but they're actually big arenas there.

SPEAKER_00 41:46

They're less money. Yeah, they have some big arenas as well because they have a big soccer team. Yes, and they have like a big stadium, uh La Nueva Condomina.

SPEAKER_05 41:56

So it's like So, yeah, I would highly recommend checking it out for even if you go in the spring, summer, there's great concerts. And yeah, thanks to Mercia for giving us a lovely afternoon.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

Yes, a hundred percent. So coming up, we're going to be doing a lot of exploring and we're going back into one of our core topics around fashion and manufacturing as well as beauty in Spain. So really excited that you're coming along on this journey with us. Please make sure to like, subscribe, and share as well as engage with us. We love to hear from you.

SPEAKER_05 42:31

All right. Should we do the sentence of the day?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

Yes, ma'am. Okay, so this one is related to we've talked quite a bit about tourism and how, you know, actually going to Carol's uh uh question. A dónde fueres, haz lo que vieres. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 42:52

Where you go out. A dónde fueres. Where you go out, what's the second part? Tell me.

Eat Like A Local, Skip The Lists

SPEAKER_00 43:01

Where you go out is where you are. Okay, so this is about a donde fueres, like wherever you go, right? Do what you see. Okay. Almost. Oh, I'm gonna get there. So it's kind of like respect the culture of the places that you're going to. A donde fuerzes a lo que vieres. So, you know what? If everybody is wearing a t-shirt, maybe it's a good idea to wear a t-shirt. Right. You know, so a donde fuerza a lo que vienes is kind of like respect the local tradition, the local culture of where you're going.

SPEAKER_05 43:33

That's great advice. Yeah. All right. So lots to look forward to as we, you know, move through 2026. And, you know, thanks for coming along on this journey. Bye. Bye for now. The Made in Spain podcast is fueled by Goco Energy, refreshingly real energy that keeps the good vibes going.