Valencia Life – the podcast came into being over the past three months. We aim to focus on people who are doing their utmost to improve the quality of life for extranjeros in Valencia, and next week will record number 10, the final of Season One. By Eugene Costello
Back in September, my good friend Lily Chen came to me with an idea. “Euge,” she said. “Have you ever thought about doing a podcast?
I confessed that I hadn’t but Lily doesn’t take no for an answer lightly. Her work rate is phenomenal, and she convinced me to give it a go.
Valencia Life: the podcast was born, largely through her efforts and vision.
You can hear the full series here on Spotify or here on Apple.
The pilot is a free-ranging chat between me and Lily as to why we chose Valencia. Or more likely, why Valencia chose us. We discuss Parque Central, Ruzafa, the history of the Turia, the City of Arts and Sciences, local boy Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic masterpiece, and Caixa Forum‘s bold adaption of Calatrava’s Agora, before now largely unused…
Meeting a literary weaver
For our second show, we interviewed Jason Webster, the English author who made Ruzafa his home. He wrote the series of detective thrillers whose hero was the non-conformist dope smoking Max Cámara. What a wealth of stories he had! Jason has written 15 books – most recently, Duende, released last month. It is, he says, “an anthology that tries to capture the elixir that is the soul of flamenco”, be it through poetry, lyrics or essays.
Jason is also the man who put Ruzafa, and Valencia, on the literary map, not least through his Max Cámara detective novels. It is what I call ‘Med Noir’, and I am now working his way through them. Find out how the story of his finca almost collapsing under the groaning strain of human waste that had not been connected to the sewerage became a reality for poor Cámara, and how it was common during the financial crisis for people to commit suicide by jumping off the top of tall buildings!
Fittingly, in England, in the Middle Ages, ‘webster’ meant ‘weaver’. And he really is a weaver – of locale, of character and of plot. Funny, engaging and erudite, he nonetheless wears his erudition lightly. Listen to the interview – and order his books! We also published an article based on the interview that you can read here…
Our third guest was local legend Jonathan Cherry. Jonathan moved to Valencia in July 2019. He has developed a successful business training people to achieve fitness and live their best lives. He talks to me, a fellow Londoner, about why he hasn’t been back to London, what he wishes he knew before he pitched up here – and he patiently pretends to laugh at Eugene’s wince-inducing jokes. What a legend the geezer.
Number four came in the form of Lodewijk Cuypers, aka Ludo, from relocation specialists Globexs. Ludo first moved to Valencia 18 years ago, to Ruzafa. Says Ludo, “Now it is very fancy, with bars and restaurants, but back then Calle Cuba, Calle Denia and so on were dreadful, no-go zones.” He adds, “I am not sure that Spain is the best country for foreigners to live and to work, but what I can say with absolute certainty is that, within Spain, Valencia is definitely the best city in which to live.”
He should know – originally from Ghent, he has lived in Pais Vasco (Bilbao), Madrid, and knows Barcelona and Seville very well. Together with wife Tiscar, a residency and property lawyer, they run Globexs, with Ludo focusing on the property rental size.He tells us how enormously the city has changed in his time – “back then, Peris I Valero was basically a dirty, fume-filled motorway and there were no cycle lanes. Now the city has cycle lanes everywhere, making it a huge attraction especially to the Dutch and Belgians.”
He concludes: “Valencia is very welcoming to foreigners, and there is zero racism.”
Meeting Onda FC supremo Pim Hollander
For or fifth, we chatted to 27-year-old Dutch national Pim Hollander – technically, my oldest friend in Valencia, having met him on the first day of my new life here – who told us about his new venture:
ONDA F.C., a web app that allows members to train, play matches and take part in organised tournaments. He talks about witnessing Eugene’s welcome to Valencia – a punch in the face from an elderly neighbour, the Dutch invasion of Valencia and those “bloody cyclists” from Holland, and wanting to spend more time with his partner Louise. He also describes the mushroom-like explosion of call centres in Valencia for Dutch companies, where employees are required to pretend they are back in the Low Country.
Our sixth guest was Murat Mumcuoglu, from Adana, eastern Turkey and, later, Istanbul. He moved to Valencia in 2019 to work for a company that builds waterparks – but then discovered Spanish wines. In fact, he became an influential blogger about Spanish wines in Turkey. His daughter was at the same school as Producer Lily’s little girl – and he and his wife are renowned gourmands. Now his passion is to bring beloved Spanish wines from small producers to new markets…
Lucky Seven came in the form of the legend that is Jennifer Powers. When Jennifer Powers – aka Hurricane Jennifer – swept into the studio at Wayco as a guest on the Valencia Life podcast, we were not prepared for this high-energy powerball! Half an hour of hilarity ensued, perhaps our favourite podcast yet! We spoke to Jen about her plans to put on an event called Valencia Has Talent, through her company Intermission VLC, encouraging all kinds of performers to get involved. It was an amazing night, and was open to the public!
Meeting Visit Valencia in person
For number eight, we were privileged to chat to Visit Valencia’s brand and markets director, Miguel Perez. A born- and bred-Valenciano, Miguel Perez has his dream job. Promoting his city to incomers and visitors. We chat to him about the astonishing slew of accolades that Valencia has received this year – they just keep coming – and he talks to us about what wonders Valencia has for residents and tourists over the Christmas period. He started out in sales, including furniture, but now sells the thing that is closest to his heart. Valencia. And after 14 years with Visit Valencia, he knows what he is talking about!
Number nine was the effortlessly chic and stylish Stephanie Siu. Stephanie is a serial digital nomad. She has lived in Scotland, London, New York and now Valencia! With her Spanish sister-in-law who is a lawyer, they run boutique relocation consultancy Encantada World. It’s a fitting name — not only does Valencia “encanta” Stephanie, Stephanie in person is una encantadora…
And next week, we shall unveil which guest will be our season’s finale!
• You can hear the full series here on Spotify or here on Apple…
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
Thank you so much for providing individuals with remarkably spectacular chance to read articles and blog posts from this site. It can be so cool and full of amusement for me and my office friends to visit your blog particularly 3 times per week to see the fresh items you have got. And lastly, we’re always happy considering the brilliant tips you serve. Certain 1 points in this post are ultimately the very best we’ve ever had.
Tak skal du have!|Olá, creio que este é um excelente blogue. Tropecei nele;
) Znovu ho navštívím, protože jsem si ho poznamenal. Peníze a svoboda je nejlepší způsob, jak se změnit, ať jste bohatí a
) Jeg vil besøge igen, da jeg har bogmærket det. Penge og frihed er den bedste måde at ændre sig på, må du være rig og
information.|My family members every time say that I am killing my time here
Děkuji|Ahoj všem, obsah, který je na této stránce k dispozici.
Díky moc!|Hej, jeg synes, dette er en fremragende blog. Jeg snublede over det;
Kan du anbefale andre blogs / websteder / fora, der beskæftiger sig med de samme emner?
nenarazili jste někdy na problémy s plagorismem nebo porušováním autorských práv? Moje webové stránky mají spoustu unikátního obsahu, který jsem vytvořil.
že spousta z něj se objevuje na internetu bez mého souhlasu.
Díky moc!|Hej, jeg synes, dette er en fremragende blog. Jeg snublede over det;
Kender du nogen metoder, der kan hjælpe med at forhindre, at indholdet bliver stjålet? Det ville jeg sætte stor pris på.
O conteúdo existente nesta página é realmente notável para a experiência das pessoas,
) Jeg vil besøge igen, da jeg har bogmærket det. Penge og frihed er den bedste måde at ændre sig på, må du være rig og
It contains fastidious material.|I think the admin of this website is actually working hard in favor of his site,
you’ve a terrific weblog here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
Wow! Thank you! I permanently wanted to write on my website something like that. Can I take a part of your post to my site?
Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thanks
Your house is valueble for me. Thanks!…
information.|My family members every time say that I am killing my time here
Awesome site you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get suggestions from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Many thanks!
) Jeg vil besøge igen, da jeg har bogmærket det. Penge og frihed er den bedste måde at ændre sig på, må du være rig og
at web, except I know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading thes pleasant posts.|Fantastic post. I will also be handling some of these problems.|Hello, I think this is a great blog. I happened onto it;) I have bookmarked it and will check it out again. The best way to change is via wealth and independence. May you prosper and never stop mentoring others.|I was overjoyed to find this website. I must express my gratitude for your time because this was an amazing read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I’ve bookmarked your blog so I can check out fresh content in the future.|Hi there! If I shared your blog with my Facebook group, would that be okay? I believe there are a lot of people who would truly value your article.|منشور رائع. سأتعامل مع بعض هذه|
Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would enjoy your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
At this time it looks like WordPress is the preferred blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
It contains fastidious material.|I think the admin of this website is actually working hard in favor of his site,
at web, except I know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading thes pleasant posts.|Fantastic post. I will also be handling some of these problems.|Hello, I think this is a great blog. I happened onto it;) I have bookmarked it and will check it out again. The best way to change is via wealth and independence. May you prosper and never stop mentoring others.|I was overjoyed to find this website. I must express my gratitude for your time because this was an amazing read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I’ve bookmarked your blog so I can check out fresh content in the future.|Hi there! If I shared your blog with my Facebook group, would that be okay? I believe there are a lot of people who would truly value your article.|منشور رائع. سأتعامل مع بعض هذه|
webside er virkelig bemærkelsesværdig for folks oplevelse, godt,
vykřiknout a říct, že mě opravdu baví číst vaše příspěvky na blogu.
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your design. Cheers
Howdy this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding expertise so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Com tanto conteúdo e artigos, alguma vez se deparou com problemas de plágio ou violação de direitos de autor? O meu site tem muito conteúdo exclusivo que eu próprio criei ou
) Jeg vil besøge igen, da jeg har bogmærket det. Penge og frihed er den bedste måde at ændre sig på, må du være rig og
UID_74743238###
Ini dia! 🎉🎉 ASN BKN Ubah Pola Kerja yang baru dan efisien! 🎉🎉.
UID_83344528###
Inilah 🎉🎉 Pupuk Inovatif Kebun Riset Kujang yang bikin Wamen BUMN bangga! 💪🏻🇮🇩
UID_21891068###
Takjub 😮 dengan fenomena serbu gas? Yuk, baca Warung Tatang Diserbu Warga dan temukan faktanya! 🕵️♀️👀
UID_25978847###
situs terbaik hanya di slot gacor agentotoplay
UID_95859078###
Baru-baru ini, para pemain Mahjong Wins 3 dikejutkan dengan bocoran RTP yang diklaim bisa meningkatkan peluang kemenangan secara signifikan. Banyak yang percaya bahwa informasi ini membantu mereka mendapatkan hasil yang lebih konsisten dalam permainan. Jika Anda ingin tahu lebih lanjut, cek bocoran RTP Mahjong Wins 3 hari ini dan lihat apakah strategi ini benar-benar efektif.
UID_17136916###
Kisah inspiratif datang dari seorang tukang ojek online asal Tangerang yang berhasil membawa pulang hadiah fantastis setelah bermain Mahjong Ways 2. Dengan modal kecil, ia sukses mengubah nasibnya dan meraih kemenangan besar senilai 200 juta rupiah. Penasaran bagaimana caranya? Simak kisah lengkapnya di artikel tukang ojek online menang 200 juta dari Mahjong Ways 2.
UID_87427935###
Cek yuk! 🚍👮♂️Operasi Keselamatan 2025 Polres Ciamis Siapa tahu bus favoritmu jadi sasaran! 😱👍
UID_18563832###
Ini yang di ganti >>> Yuk, ketahui lebih lanjut tentang Syarat Gabung OECD dan Pentingnya Ratifikasi Konvensi Antisuap di sini! 🕵️♀️🔎📚.
UID_83003169###
Kenalan yuk! 🤝 Dengan guru inspiratif ini, Guru Dede Sulaeman yang mengajarkan cara merapikan pakaian di kelasnya. 👕👚🎓
Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
enten oprettet mig selv eller outsourcet, men det ser ud til
vykřiknout a říct, že mě opravdu baví číst vaše příspěvky na blogu.
It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article. I desire to read more things about it!
|Tato stránka má rozhodně všechny informace, které jsem o tomto tématu chtěl a nevěděl jsem, koho se zeptat.|Dobrý den! Tohle je můj 1. komentář tady, takže jsem chtěl jen dát rychlý