Richard Harris

Richard has lived and traveled in Spain for over 20 years and has family roots in Italy and Ireland. This gregarious grandfather, lawyer and entrepreneur took an "early retirement" from his legal career to focus on cultural travel, his historic novel and his 4 bilingual grandkids. He will be taking cooking classes this year to complement his wine & cheese collection. Thanks to his new wife Carmen's motivation and yoga classes he is on track to stay in shape. Richard may pop up on any of our tours or events, especially if fine food and wines are involved. His friends in Spain range from artist, winemakers and chefs to musicians. He often host visits by groups of old friends including customers and hopes to offer future travel in China 2009.

Daniel  O'Beirne

This friendly Spain guru has lived in Spain for 10 years and has been listed by Rick Steves the host of a PBS TV travel show in his Spain travel books.Dan loves to help people discover the real Iberia beyond the tourist trap facades. He has been on the TRAVEL CHANNEL and MTV and has amigos everywhere. A great host, some say this personable "walking encylopedia" of history & food, is one of Europe's best guides + part-time group psychologist and cultural teacher. Dan says he loves sharing his knowledge with our guest and making their vacations unforgettable.

After a summer on Capitol Hill, this former Boy Scout dropped law school and Tostoy and studied in South America. His family roots in Ireland, France and Spain led him to follow his Old World passions for medieval castles, slow food, ancient trails, olive oil, conversations with wine and languages.Dan is fan of the Athletico de Madrid and La Barca en La Liga and Jamon Iberico de Bellota, possibly the world's best ham.

Goals for 2008 include kitesurfing Spain's islands, regular yoga, a YouTube project + an article in the NY Times + a trip to India and/or Argentina. His dream is to develop a historic hotel & conference center + make wine.

Montse Torres - Japan, Ireland, France, Morroco and Turkey are a few of the places this athletic yet elegant Barcelona native and English teacher has visited. Montse who enjoys design, theater, cooking Catalan dishes, nature hikes, flora, reading and her grandmother exquisite seafood paella. She spent a year in Dublin and another in California and speaks Spanish, Catalan and English.

She assist with special projects and events and loves putting her special modern yet classical touches on everything. She is also a scuba diver and wind surfer and hope to marry in a medieval castle with 1000s of candles when she encounters the right moment, the right castle and the right prince!

Carlos - Probably one of Europe's top guides, tour mangers, and planners we are happy to work with Carlos. He has studied and worked as a food consultant in the U.S., France and England for eight years. Congenial Carlos was born and raised in Spain, and now lives in Madrid with his American wife.

Carlos is also a big fan of tennis in the country with the highest number of top players per capita including current world #2 Rafa Nadal. An enthusiastic promoter of Spanish culture, cuisine and wine, Carlos understands North Americans in a way Spaniards who have not lived abroad may not. Olé Carlos!

Stephen With 20 years as a history professor in Madrid, this  BBC consultant has spent more time in Spain than Hemingway and is a writer himself, chairman of the Wellington Historic Foundation and has been cited by the London Times.

Stephen delights in sharing his wit and vast knowledge of history of old Madrid and central Spain... Don't miss his unforgettable private day trips from Madrid. Stephen also has a long list of freind in and around Spain and is major expert on the Peninsular Battlefields and the bloody Spanish Civil War that involved a number of American in the Lincoln International Brigades.

Honorary Opera Figures

With a sense of humor we can only imagine the colorful, passionate score pulsating with Gypsy rhythms, as opera’s ultimate femme fatale arrives. Carmen would be a unique fantasy additon to our team. This striking Andalusian female archtype is a unique historic figure in Seville and Spain. We imagine she'd be great for tours of old Seville and maybe even do a bit of Andalusia Flamenco dance! Carmen would perhaps be now taking intensive English classes in Dublin and to be bilingual for the 2009 season..... if she escaped Hollywood! Who knows maybe Don Jose, Micaela and Escamillo may not be far behind. Of course Don Juan and the Barber of Seville would also be invited!     :-)