Episode 08. El Escorial: Christmas from Hell

 

"I take a deep, enraged breath and whisper back:

'Miguel, I cannot wait to wish you a Merry Christmas.'

He looks confused.

'What?'

Oh, Miguel. You'll see what I mean."

Carla feels a lot of anger and pain. Go caroling with her this holiday season through San Lorenzo de El Escorial’s life-sized monumental Nativity Scene (or as she calls it, an LSD dream) and discover King Phillip II’s massive monastery, palace and royal crypt and why he had them built in this precise location (hint: it has to do with a door to the underworld).

Carla finds an old saw used in the original construction. The voices trapped inside tell her the legend of the red- and yellow-eyed black dog that has been terrorizing the townspeople for the past 500 years. And she meets characters not quite living…but not quite dead.

Carla channels her anger and pain to into a Christmas from hell.

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1-See the location of the monastery here.

2-See the official webpage here.

Join our Spanish Sundown community. For original images of the monastery and Nativity Scene:

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Footage of the monastery of El Escorial and the inauguration of the monumental Nativity scene shot on location while recording the episode 12/07/2025.

 
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Episode 09. María Pita: Swamp Breath

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Episode 07. Tirso de Molina: A Trickster Mind