Since Barcelona is a large city, so rich in culture, every tour seems to have a special theme; the theme we chose was gay-lesbian history in Spain and Catalonia. Jorge showed us the scenes and described several events in the struggle for gay liberation during the past several decades. He subtly connected these events to other political developments, for example the Spanish Civil War. Of course, along the way he worked in convenient mainstream tourist sights (markets, squares, the Cathedral, Ramblas, etc.). I am a European historian, so I asked him a lot of questions; he gave me very good answers, for example about Catalan Gothic architecture, convincing me that he knows the history of the city very well, and also that he cares about it.

 

Generally everything that Jorge had prepared was perfectly understandable to the English speaker. He asked me for criticism, so I advised him on some pronunciations that were a little tricky for him; I also encouraged him to simplify certain phrases that were too complicated, to strive for clarity and simplicity when possible.

 

Jorge is indeed a charming, pleasant young man, who nevertheless makes an impression of seriousness and so inspires a sense of trust. We liked the tour very much; he taught me a great deal of Spanish and local history; and we tried to show our appreciation by giving him many words of encouragement.

 

To these groups and to Jorge himself I can truthfully say: Jorge gave us an excellent tour; he knows his materials and he is very considerate of the needs and interests of his audience. We recommend him to anyone needing such a tour, in private or in an official group. We also hope to see Jorge again, next time we visit the wonderful city of Barcelona.

 

Yours sincerely,

David K. Robinson