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Though we have booked many GuruWalks in various places throughout the world, we are always amazed at the kindness of the tour guides ~ Max was among the best ! He shared many interesting stories during our two hours together and he took us to a variety of historically-significent locations. It was a most enjoyable time together.
Where to begin ~ perhaps at the beginning ? Let's go : my husband and I arrived early (as always) at the designated location and wandered through the amazing stalls at the Boqueria on La Rambla. Shortly afterwards, we saw a lovely lady (who had a striking resemblance to the photo of our tour guide) and I asked if her name was Hana ~ and fortunately for us, she was to be our tour guide and during our time together, Hana would become our friend. After a few minutes of sharing our past experiences in Barcelona and how Hana might tailor our time together, we were on our way. Since we were familiar with La Boqueria, Hana took us to another lesser know market (San Anton) in her neighborhood and then to another local & smaller markert where we found saffron at an amazingly low price. We then walked to Hana's home where we were welcomed into a wonderful world of hospitality & grace. There Hana taught us how she made hummus and gazpacho which were lovingly offered while we embarked on making padron peppers and Spanish tortilla, which was served with yummy Spanish cava (champagne). Afterwards, we walked to a churreria where we had magnificent melted dark Belgian chocolate along with freshly prepared churros. With a final visit to Placa Nou, we said our goodbyes ... knowing that we would see our friend, Hana, again.
Jony brought a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to this tour ! First, the fact that Jony is Jewish gave great insight and credibility to his tour and secondly, his extensive research provided incredible insight to the stories he shared. A tour ~ with Jony ~ not to be missed. Thank you !
Our wonderful tour guide (Polina) was at our designated meeting location early and holding the ghost in her hand, as indicated in the description. Since we all assembled early, we were off and "running" (figuratively) ! The places we visited were off the beaten path so they were a pleasant surprise ~ so glad we had our trusty guide to navigate the medieval streets. Polina had interesting stories which drew us in and helped to develop a cohesive band of fellow travelers ~ a group who were complete strangers at the beginning of the tour ! A highly recommended tour ! Thank you, Polina !
Gillen provided us with an excellent overview of his home city with the history covered perfectly ~ enough but not too much ! He showed us the most important locations which enticed us to return to investigate further. A fine job by a kind & gracious guide !