My family and I did the Prado Museum and Toledo 1-day tour. The Prado Museum portion of the tour was guided by Irina Karasenko. Irina has a wealth of knowledge, and she put this on display by adeptly discussing various areas such as the mindset of the artists, the messages they were trying to convey, and the political and socioeconomic conditions of the time in which the art pieces were created. In addition, I noticed Irina did something no other tour guide in the museum did: she had us view some of the paintings from different locations/perspectives, and in so doing, we were able to see some visual effects unique to the paintings themselves. For instance, Irina had us view one of the paintings of Jesus Christ from across the room because the painting had the appearance of being 3-dimensional from this location. She then had us come closer to the same painting, and upon doing so, we noticed other elements such as the artist’s use of realism and impressionism that would not be gleaned standing from afar. All of the aforementioned things contextualized the art we viewed and exceeded the expectations we had for the museum portion of the tour. Beyond that, Irina proved to be incredibly kind, warm, and accommodating.
The Toledo portion of the tour was guided by Hernan A. Satt. Like Irina, Hernan has a wealth of historical knowledge as well, and this helped set the stage for us to gain greater insights about Toledo, one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. There are a couple of things that really set Hernan apart. Firstly, Hernan has an amazing ability to connect with his clients. He took an interest in who we are, where we come from, and what we wanted out of the tour. After taking these things into consideration, Hernan was able to adjust his tour on the fly to meet what we wanted to do. For example, we were given two options to view Toledo: (1) go to the places where 95% of the tourists go or (2) view Toledo from “off the beaten path.” My group chose option #2, and the ensuing result was being able to view some unique areas unbeknownst to most of the touring public in attendance such as an underground cave over 1,000 years old. This “off the beaten path” option made our private tour feel that much more exclusive because no other tourists were going to the areas we were visiting. Secondly, Hernan has a propensity to go above and beyond for his clients. Leveraging his knowledge and experience of Madrid, Hernan suggested areas and activities my family and I could do in Madrid outside of the scope of the Toledo tour itself. Through his dealings with my family and I, I got the sense that Hernan really cares about his clients and wants them to have a fun and enjoyable experience. In addition to everything mentioned, Hernan is a worldly and energetic guide with an incredible sense of humor.
The service my family and I received from Irina and Hernan during the Prado Museum and Toledo 1-day tour made for an unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait to hopefully visit Madrid under their guidance again.
