HERITAGE OF SPAIN 22days / 21 nights

Transcription

1 1 HERITAGE OF SPAIN 22days / 21 nights Modern Spain is perceived as a nation of people that are all alike, The Spanish. However, prior to the expulsion of the Moors in the 15 th century, Spain consisted of many rival kingdoms with differing cultures reflecting their origins and geographic diversities. This three week program shows the regional differences and individuality of Catalonia, Aragon, Navarra, Castilla, Andalusia and La Mancha, as we explore the landscapes, the people, the cities, the gastronomy, the heritage and regional icons. Beginning in Gaudi s Barcelona, continuing with exploring the mountainous Aragon, the mediaeval, tableland cities of Castilla, the wilderness of Don Quixote s La Mancha and the rich Moorish heritage of Andalusia. Despite the diversity of these regions, together they combine to what is known to be Spanish. Day 1: BARCELONA Arrive in Barcelona where we meet and enjoy a short orientation tour of the city before settling in to our central hotel. There is time to relax and freshen up before our welcome meeting and welcome dinner with chance to meet your fellow travellers and group leader. We stay 4 nights on a bed and breakfast basis with 2 included dinners at the Hotel in Barcelona. Catalonia, Barcelona Once a part of the Aragonese Empire, Catalonia is now an autonomous Spanish province, proud of its distinctive language and culture. Stretching from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees, it was here that the Romans first landed on the Iberian peninsula and founded a new 'colonnia' on the site of a previous Carthaginian settlement; the area now forming Barcelona's 'Barri Gotic'. Catalonian heritage is a mixture of old and new as ancient churches and monuments vie for attention with the Modernist school of Gaudi and Dali. The Catalonian capital reflects this contrast with architecture ranging from its Gothic cathedral to Gaudi's modernist Sagrada Familia. In Barcelona, we learn about Catalonia's history to understand its varied culture and heritage. We explore the city to inspect its many icons such as the 17 th century fort on the Montjuic Hill with panoramic views over the city, the mediaeval Gothic quarter and the city's art nouveau / modernist buildings culminating in the buildings of Antoni Gaudi.

2 Day 2: BARCELONA With this morning s field trip begins our exploration of Barcelona with a guided tour of the city to experience the city s Gothic Cathedral and Gaudi s La Sagrada Familia. We will also see many of the city s other icons and architectural masterpieces before a free afternoon to explore Barcelona on your own. Day 3: GIRONA FIGUERES A full day excursion to explore the medieval city of Girona and visit the famous Dali Museum in Figueres. Day 4: MONTSERRAT This morning we discover the Monastery of Montserrat, the Holiest site of Catalonia, famous for its boys choir before a free afternoon to pursue Barcelona your own. We enjoy an included dinner, possibly with a little local Spanish character! Day 5: ZARAGOZA ALFARO Today we start early in Barcelona as we travel to the border of Aragon and Navarra via the ancient Aragonese capital city of Zaragoza. This city was founded by the Romans in 25BC and it is here that we experience some of the best examples of Mudejar architecture before traveling on to the historic town of Alfaro where we stay for 4 nights on a Half Board Basis in a local Hotel. Aragon / Navarra Both once independent kingdoms, Aragon and Navarra stretch from the Ebro Valley to the Pyrenees. They are dotted with picturesque preserved towns and boast some stunning mountain scenery. We stay in the historic town of Alfaro, just on the Aragonese border, from where we explore both regions as well as visiting the neighbouring region of La Rioja. We learn about Aragon s Roman and Moorish heritage as portrayed in its striking monuments and Mudejar architecture and we experience the mountain kingdom of Navarra with its capital, Pamplona. We also learn about the local wine making in La Rioja. Day 6: ALFARO TUDELA TRAZONA Today we start our exploration of the region with a guided tour of Alfaro and the colorful Navarran town of Tudela with its maze of old streets and fine town square. The afternoon takes us to Aragon where we explore the ancient town of Trazona with it Mudejar towers and unusual bullring as well as the 12 th century Cistercian Monastery of Veruela. Drive back to Alfaro, dinner and overnight. Day 7: LA RIOJA LOGRONO SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA - OLITE We learn about the viticulture of the famous wine producing province of La Rioja. We visit Logrono, the commercial centre of the region, and experience one of its wine bodegas. We taste the local product and also visit the nearby town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, named after the 11 th century saint who built roads and bridges to assist the pilgrims on the Road to Santiago de Compostela. We also experience the historic town of Olite with its fine Gothic castle built in the early 15 th century. Drive back to Alfaro, dinner and overnight. Day 8: PAMPLONA After breakfast we go on our excursion to the fortress city of Pamplona, capital of Navarra, known for its bull run in Hemingway s The Sun also Rises. Day 9: BURGOS VALLADOLID Today we head for Castilla but stop en route to explore the cathedral city of Burgos, birthplace of El Cid. Our destination is Valladolid, an important academic and industrial centre containing some of Spain s best Renaissance art and architecture. Here we stay 4 nights on a Half Board basis at a Hotel in the heart of Castilla. 2

3 Castilla - For ones, the geographical and spiritual heart of Spain, Old Castile, is where much Spanish history has been determined. As the seat of power the region s dialect, Castillano, became the nation s language and from here Ferdinand and Isabella orchestrated the unification of ancient Iberian kingdoms, the Reconquista and the exploration and conquest of the New World. The raised plateau of Castilla provided the ideal vantage point from which to rule Spain. Here we will marvel at the architectural splendours of Salamanca, Segovia and Avila. We learn about the history of this important region and its preserved medieval cities such as Tordesillas, Valladolid, Sergovia, Avila and Salamanca which evoke, a past and glorious era, known as Spain s Golden Age. We also learn how these Castillan villages and towns were built as outposts against the Muslims. Day 10: VALLADOLID MEDINA DEL CAMPO We start our exploration of this region with a guided tour of the historic Valladolid, where the Catholic Monarchs were married, Philip II was born and Columbus died! The afternoon continues with a excursion to the small historic town of Medina del Campo with its fine square and ancient castle of La Mota and where Queen Isabella met her end! Day 11: TORDESILLAS SALAMANCA Today we experience Tordesillas, where the historic agreemend dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal was signed. We continue our day with an afternoon at the university city of Salamanca with its fine Renaissance honey colored architecture. Drive back to Valladolid, dinner and overnight at the Hotel. Day 12: SEGOVIA AVILA Our full day excursion combines the essentially Castillian town of Segovia, known for its Roman Aqueduct, Gothic Cathedral and distinctive Alcazar and Avila surrounded by the finest preserved mediaeval walls in Europe. Back at Valladolid, dinner and overnight. Day 13: TOLEDO CONSUEGRA PUERTO LAPICE ALMAGRO An early departure from our hotel for our journey to La Mancha in order to maximize our time in Toledo, known as Spain s historical and cultural centre, former Spanish capital and Episcopal seat of the nation. We have a guided tour of the city before continuing south via Consuegra, dominated by its 13 th century castle and windmills and pausing in the typical La Mancha town of Puerto Lapice at whose inn Don Quixote was knighted, to the typically La Mancha town of Almagro where we stay 3 nights on Half Board Basis. La Mancha Quintessential Spain, La Mancha has immense plains dotted with windmills and castles interspersed between olive groves, vineyards and mediaeval villages. It is perhaps best known as the setting for Cervantes, Don Quixote. Here we experience sites described Cervantes s historic novel but also explore the countryside, villages and towns of La Mancha and absorb its cultural heritage and history. Day 14: TABLAS DE DAIMIEL RUIDERA VALDEPENAS Our exploration of La Mancha starts with a walking tour of the Tablas de Daimiel Natural Park, a marshy wetlands area used as feeding and nesting grounds by a huge range of aquatic and migratory birds. Then we visit the Lakeland area of Ruidera (featured in Don Quixote) and finish our day learning a little of the viticulture of Valdepenas where we sample some of the local products. Drive back to Almagro, dinner and overnight at the Hotel. Day 15: EL TOBOSO ARGAMASILLA DE ALBA ALMAGRO We continue our exploration of La Mancha with a full day on the Don Quixote trail as we discover the charming town of El Toboso, where he wooed Dulcinea, the windmills at Campo de Criptana, at which he tilted, and the village of Argamasilla de Alba, the place where it is all said to have started En un lugar de la Mancha. We also include a short guided visit of Almagro dominated by its colonnaded stone square with its enclosed green balconies. Dinner and overnight. 3

4 Day 16: CALATRAVA BAEZA As we drive south to Andalusia we pause at one of Spain s most magnificent and isolated castles at Calatrava before arriving at the Renaissance town of Baeza where we stay 4 nights on a Half Board basis. Andalusia - Ironically, as it is the part of Spain which was longest occupied by the Moors, Andalusia with its white villages, beaches, flamenco, bull fights and fiestas is now seen as the region most typically Spanish. Best known for Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and the Costa del Sol, it also contains spectacular scenery and variety of Spanish landscapes. Here we experience the architectural wonders and heritage of the cities of Córdoba, Sevilla and Granada as well as the Renaissance gems of Baeza and Ubeda and some of the region s dramatic countryside s. Day 17: UBEDA BAEZA JAEN A guided walk of the Renaissance showcase town of Ubeda is followed by an exploration of Baeza, one of Andalusia s most beautiful small towns and an evening of typical Andalusian Flamenco in the Moorish town of Jaen. Drive back to Baeza and overnight at the Hotel. Day 18: CORDOBA A full day excursion to Córdoba includes a walking tour through the city s quaint Jewish quarter and a visit to its great Mosque. After the guided visit some time at leisure. Day 19: GRANADA Today we experience the last of the great Moorish cities on a full day excursion to Granada including a guided visit to the great palace of the Alhambra and the Generalife Gardens as well as to the Royal Cathedral containing the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella. Some time on your own, drive back to Baeza, dinner and overnight at the Hotel. Day 20: SEVILLA We cannot leave Andalusia before exploring the region s capital. Our excursion allows us much of the day in Sevilla where we experience its impressive cathedral, third largest Christian Church in the world, and its Barrio de Santa Cruz, the former Jewish quarter, before boarding our fast evening train to Madrid. We enjoy dinner on the train before arriving in Madrid where we stay 2 nights on a bed and breakfast basis with farewell dinner. Madrid - Madrid is the capital of Spain and Europe's highest capital city, located close to the country's geographical centre on the Castilian Plateau. With a population of over 3 million, it offers a rich treasure chest of Spain's art and ancient monuments. According to tradition, the Moors founded the city. It was just a small fortress town when captured by Alfonso VI of Castile in the 11 th century. Felipe II chose Madrid as his capital in 1561 and it soon became the centre of a great Empire. Since then it has become the capital of a modern European democracy but continues to house the great heritage of Spain. Amongst Madrid's many interesting features are the Palacio Real (Spain's Bourbon Palace), the impressive 17 th century Plaza Mayor and the great art collection of the Prado. Near Madrid lies the massive monastery palace of El Escorial as well as the Valle de los Caidos - the awesome memorial to the fallen of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's tomb. We explore the Spanish capital and learn about the Golden Age of Spanish History. There will also be time at leisure in the city to pursue personal interests. Day 21: MADRID We explore the Spanish capital and learn about the Golden Age of Spanish History as our guided tour introduces us to the monuments and icons of the city. The afternoon is free to allow us time in the city to pursue our own interests before our farewell dinner at the hotel. 4

5 Day 22: MADRID Our program concludes in Madrid with a return transfer to Madrid's Barajas airport and your flight back home. 5