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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Madrid.
DAY
2 ARRIVE MADRID (6 NIGHTS)
We will
be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide, where we
will board our own private bus and transfer into Madrid,
Spain’s cosmopolitan capital city. Upon our arrival we will
explore Madrid’s Old Quarter, including: the Plaza
Mayor, Madrid’s most famous square, and the Puerta
del Sol, where we will view the Kilometre Zero marker
and Madrid’s symbol, the Madrono.
DAY
3 MADRID (TREASURES OF THE BOURBON
MONARCHS)
Our day
will begin in the
Plaza de España,
where we will view the monuments to Columbus and Don
Quixote, before walking past the gardens and statues that
lead up to the richly decorated Palacio Real, the
home of Spain’s Bourbon monarchs until 1931. Our afternoon
begins at the Puerta de Alcala, the ceremonial
gateway to Madrid erected by Carlos III, followed by a walk
along the Calle de Alcala to the Plaza de Cibeles,
featuring a magnificent fountain with a statue of the Roman
Goddess Cybele.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 DAY TRIP TO EL ESCORIAL & VALLE DE
LOS CAIDOS
Today we
travel just outside of Madrid and begin our day with a visit
to El Escorial, a massive monastery-palace
commissioned by Philip II. During our visit we will
explore: the Royal Apartments, many decorated
with fine tapestries; the Pantheon of the Kings,
which contains the mortal remains of all the Spanish
monarchs from the time of the emperor Charles V; the Art
Gallery, featuring works by Bosch, Titian and El Greco;
the Basilica, and the spectacular
Library, with over 40,000 original books and a
ceiling by Tibaldi. We continue with a visit to nearby
Valle de los Caidos, the area built by General Franco as
a memorial to those that died in the Spanish Civil War. Our
visit will include the Basilica, which is carved into
the mountain, and a view of the giant cross dominating the
sky. This afternoon we return to Madrid.
DAY
5 DAY TRIP TO SEGOVIA
This
morning we travel to historic Segovia, where we will view
the impressive Roman Aqueduct, an architectural
marvel built by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. We will
continue with a Walking Tour through the city center,
which will include a visit to Segovia Cathedral, the
last Gothic church built in Spain. Later we visit the
fairytale Alcázar, a castle dating from the 12th
century. Royal romance is associated with the Alcázar; it
was here that Isabella first met Ferdinand, and Philip II
married his fourth wife, Anne of Austria. Our visit will be
highlighted by the equally proportioned replicas of Isabella
and Ferdinand’s thrones, the Battlements of the
once-impregnable castle, and the tower, originally built by
Isabella's father as a prison.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 DAY TRIP TO TOLEDO
This
morning we travel to historic Toledo, picturesquely sited on
a hill above the River Tagus. Our day commences with a
Walking
Tour
to explore central Toledo, with streets barely wide enough
for a man and his donkey. During our walk, we will have the
opportunity to visit spectacular shops that produce and sell
Damascene gold jewelry, as well as medieval swords. Our day
continues with a brief visit to the Iglesia de Santo
Tomé,
where we will view El Greco’s masterpiece, The Burial of
the Count of Orgaz. Toledo is the capital of Sephardic
Judaism and we will visit the
Sinagoga
del Transito,
which features the most elaborate Mudejar architecture in
Toledo. Our visit will also include the adjoining
Museo Sefardi,
with fascinating tombstones, costumes and sacred objects.
We conclude our afternoon with a visit to the
Toledo
Cathedral,
the spiritual heart of the Spanish church, and the seat of
the Primate of all Spain. We return to Madrid for the
evening.
DAY
7 MADRID (MODERN MADRID)
Our
morning commences with a visit to the Templo de Debod,
a 4th century Egyptian temple rescued from the area flooded
by the Aswan Dam. The temple was given to Spain as a
tribute to Spanish engineers involved in the project. We
will conclude the day with a visit to the Centro de Arte
Reina Sofia, which houses the greatest repository of
20th century art in Spain. The museum places special
emphasis on the great artists of 20th century Spain: Juan
Gris, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso, including
his masterpiece, Guernica, which immortalizes the
shameful blanket bombing of the Basque town by the German
Luftwaffe, fighting for Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
8 DEPARTURE FROM MADRID
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our
tour manager/guide accompanies us to the airport for the return
flight home.
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