THE REAL THING - FOR UNIQUE, CULTURAL AND GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN & PORTUGAL

Company Description THE REAL THING is a DMC, specialized in the organization of tailor-made trips in Spain and Portugal. 

Their unique cultural and gastronomic experiences are designed to meet the needs and expectations of those sophisticated clients looking for the authentic and the slow.

AN AGENCY DEDICATED TO THE ORGANIZATION OF UNIQUE, CULTURAL AND GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES IN SPAIN & PORTUGAL, DESIGNED TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF THOSE SOPHISTICATED INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATE CLIENTS LOOKING FOR THE AUTHENTIC AND THE SLOW.

"Travel is the traveler. What we see isn’t what we see but what we are. Fernando Pessoa

And that trip, a trip designed for travelers, is what we offer you at THE REAL THING, a reality that goes beyond the journey and can only be found in good company and with even better organization. For those who know, with those who know.

THE REAL THING
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. TRAVELS TO THE OTHER SPAIN & PORTUGAL

We want to know what you like and what´s more, if you let us, we want to surprise you with new things. Both those seeking their first Spanish or Portuguese experience and the well-versed traveler to Spain in search of something more, will find what they are looking for with us.

At THE REAL THING we know how to make the most popular places feel special and unique, and how to make the unknown essential.

Spend the day at a well-known bullfighter’s ranch, try your luck bullfighting against some young bulls, ride a beautiful Spanish horse or have a picnic in the countryside. Enjoy an afternoon in a haute couture workshop, looking at patterns and adornments; or at an artist’s studio. Take an eye-opening

Portuguese cooking course, or learn how to sing flamenco with one of the country’s best. Sample delicious morsels on a terrace with views more beautiful than you could have ever imagine, or discover your passion for traditional, hundred-year old pottery making – and take something special with you when you go. Sleep in a palace with a stunning interior patio, breathe in the raw emotion of a Holy Week procession… Shall we continue?

Our trips are top-quality and tailor-made to fit your interests, needs, passions and means. We want you to go home with a suitcase full of one-of-a-kind experiences and your memory bursting with stories of both the other Spain & the other Portugal, which we hope you’ll visit many more times in the future.

GLÒRIA POU

I studied Art History at the Universitat de Barcelona, and after several forays into the London market, I knew I was meant to be in Barcelona, my city. I started out at the emblematic Sala Metrònom gallery (when it was reopened), founded by the Fundació Rafael Tous, where I organized a wide range of programs such as an International Experimental Music Week, exhibitions, a radio show, an independent film festival… After such an intense period, I spent the next seven years in the art industry, covering the artistic process from beginning to end. My first stop: Edicions T, Toni Tàpies’s publishing house, where we created an exquisite catalogue of graphic works by artists such as John Baldessari, Sean Scully, Sol LeWitt and, of course, Antoni Tàpies. The project grew, and we became a leading gallery. Years later I became Director of the Estrany – De la Mota Gallery. During that period, it was an honor for me to work with other artists such as Jaume Plensa, João Onofre, Jana Sterbak, Ignasi Aballí, Douglas Gordon, Jonathan Monk, Bestué-Vives, Francesc Ruiz and José Antonio Hernandez-Diez, during their exhibitions in the gallery and at major contemporary art events, international museums, and leading art fairs. At the same time I curated the group show Creatures, a place for the absurd.

THE REAL THING
MARTA Y GLÒRIA
We developed a fondness for travel, and for fine dining, at an early age. As we have gone through life, and in addition to unique experiences and journeys, we have taken on our own interesting projects, as well as those of others — tips and recommendations on restaurants or must-see landscapes; learning about wine and flamenco; gathering stories about local festivals or comparing notes on hotels. Traveling with someone else’s notebook is always a good place to start — especially when they have a unique point of view.

And then we started THE REAL THING: a destination management company specialized in the organization of tailor-made trips in Spain and Portugal. Our unique cultural and gastronomic experiences are designed to meet the needs and expectations of those sophisticated individuals and corporate clients looking for the authentic and the slow. Bespoke suggestions for the discerning traveler.

MARTA MUÑOZ RECARTE

I started out studying Business Administration in Rotterdam and Madrid, because it’s important to do practical things in life… and once you have, you can then do what’s really important. For me, this meant classes at Sotheby’s Institute in London, followed by studying art history and theory away from the maddening crowds at Bryn Mawr College, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I later spent time at the MoMA and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, before returning home and continuing with Advanced Studies in Art History at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and working at the Fundación ICO, the Residencia de Estudiantes and the Fundación de Amigos del Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. With these experiences under my belt, I began to develop other projects where I could apply my art training, including pedagogical work for La Casa Encendida, the Sociedad Estatal de Conmemoraciones Culturales and the Fundación BBVA. Additionally, I created a digital archive for promoting Spanish artists abroad — through the Sociedad Estatal para la Acción Cultural Exterior — and implemented continuumlivearts.com, an association and digital platform dedicated to the study and diffusion of live arts.

THE REAL THING
Email gpou@therealthing.es
Website www.therealthing.es

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