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Totally recommend Alex for free-flowing information on topic of Spain in Europe over the centuries, combined with reverence for literature ,writers and conviviality. A two and half hour journey round courtyards/plazas, very old restaurants, monuments and statutes, spectacular architecture and landmarks. A most enjoyable walk and talk combining religion, politics, centuries of history, monarchs and emperors, geography and conceptions of the world of those times, philosophy, local lore and Spanish literature. Great stuff. Highly recommended. Thanks a bunch Alex, I'm very glad we managed to schedule this. five stars.
For two hours Melissa lead me through Madrid's central streets explaining ideas of its development from before Roman times up to the present day. We discussed aristocracy, politics, religion and society, and saw stunning and vernacular architecture; monuments, trees and sculpture that are the impressive, magnificent and simple but mute reminders of Madrid's history. Indicators such as ornamental street trees, and the grand bronze statues that were structured so as not to tople following Gallileo's advice, and the grand Cathedral. Connections to Italy and France wove into the history. Also the twentieth century was not overlooked. Melissa showed me an intriguing, very old restaurant that maintains much antique character inside on three levels including the cellar with wine bottles covered in wine-bottle dust — a sign they've been in business a long while. The Guinness Book of Records claims it to be the oldest restaurant in the world. We saw its kitchen that almost matches this claim— and she taught me an essential cultural tip: you don't need to pay for tapas ! Tapas ought to come free with the price of your drink. I didn't know ! Thank you Melissa, it was so nice to walk, learn and look with you as my friendly guide. Highly recommended.
Carmen is hospitable and well informed about her subject. Great tour enjoyable, and wish it was longer
Fran's fascination with social history is full of life. His mind was more like a bookshelf, than a book as he related anecdotes, ironies, translated poetry, and explained local Patron saints, flags, buildings and places from more than 2000 years. He is familiar with Catalunya's history from Romans though medieval times to twentieth and twenty first centuries, and has mapped it onto landmarks and architecture and ornamentation of the streets in Gothica and el Born. Fran's interest in dissidents found evidence in the walls and streets with examples from all periods and he explained their place in the bigger picture. At one point he was able to demonstrate that tolerance of gender fluidity and prostitution was greater in Catalunya of the 1200s than in mid-twentieth century Spain. This was evidenced by the sculpture-portraits of the ordinary people of Barcelona at that time, on the wall of the old city hospital. Just before this he had explained why Gaudi lived opposite the church and school that Mussolini bombed killing 30 children, on 30th January 1938; and that the bomb's shrapnel marks in the church wall are not the bullet holes of firing squads (an urban myth). Fran pointed out figures carved in stone by someone who had never seen a rhinoceros, or elephant: one turned out like a unicorn and the elephant doesn't look like any real animal I've ever seen. It looks pretty weird. And before that he showed me stones inscribed with hebrew script, built high into an ancient wall, that were pilfered from the Jewish burial ground. This was tolerated as Jews were held in such low regard, and had been since the massacres and forced conversions of the late 1300s. As you can tell, his fluent and engaging commentary is super informative and I highly recommend walking and talking with Fran. He also is considerate of his audience's energy levels, and their personal curiosities and contributions.
Really fabulous depth to this tour from ancient kingdoms and the Romans, to the industrial development of Barcelona, the ostentatious families of the start of the previous century and then a mass of knowledge of Gaudi and the Basilica itself. Great going Daniel. You can be so proud, you communicated so much, so well.