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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Malaga.
DAY
2 ARRIVE MALAGA - GRANADA (1 NIGHT)
We will
be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide, where we
will board our own private bus and travel to Granada, one of
Spain’s most beautiful and important cities. This afternoon
we make a brief visit to the Capilla Real, where we
will view the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, before free
time to shop in the
Alcaicería
- a silk market in Moorish times, and now a kind of oriental
bazaar with craft and souvenir shops. This evening we will
take a stroll through the old Moorish quarter, the
Albaicin, where we will be rewarded with a magnificent
view of the floodlit Alhambra from St. Nicholas Church.
DAY
3 GRANADA - SEVILLE AREA (2 NIGHTS)
This
morning we begin with a tour of the
Alhambra,
Spain’s finest display of Moorish architecture. Set high
upon a hill overlooking the city and shadowed by the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, the Moors built this city within a
fortress as a symbol of power and strength on the outside,
and of “Paradise on Earth” on the inside. Our visit will
also include the
Generalife,
the country estate of the Nasrid Kings, where they could
enjoy tranquility high above the city, a little closer to
heaven. We continue to the Seville area for the night.
DAY
4 SEVILLE
Our sightseeing tour of Seville will begin as we view the
city from the Giralda Tower, originally a Moorish
minaret and later used as the bell tower for the cathedral.
The ramps of the Giralda were designed to be wide enough for
a horseman to ride to the top! We will then explore
Europe's third largest Cathedral to discover the tomb
of Christopher Columbus. The Cathedral was built by the
exultant Christian citizens of Seville to celebrate the
reconquest of the city. We continue to the
Alcázar,
an ancient Moorish fortress that the Christian Kings added
to in the mudejar style and turned into a royal palace.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
5 SEVILLE - CORDOBA - TOLEDO (1 NIGHT)
This
morning we travel to
Córdoba,
an important town in Roman times and a city of kings during
the Muslim domination of Spain. We will visit the exquisite
Mezquita Cathedral, originally built as a mosque and
later transformed into a Christian cathedral. The hundreds
of carved arches, pillars, grillwork and mosaics dazzle the
eye in this 1200 year old building. We will also explore
the Juderia,
Córdoba’s
ancient Jewish quarter full of tiny streets, interesting
shops and cafes, as well as uniquely designed synagogues and
houses with beautiful flowered patios. We continue with a
scenic drive through Andalusia into Don Quixote’s La Mancha
before arriving at our hotel in the Toledo area.
DAY
6 TOLEDO - MADRID (3 NIGHTS)
This
morning we explore historic Toledo, picturesquely located 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.
We continue to Madrid, where subject to arrival time, our
walk through the Old Town and the Plaza Mayor
will be a perfect introduction to the city.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
7 DAY TRIP TO SEGOVIA, EL ESCORIAL &
VALLEY OF THE FALLEN
Our day begins with a journey to Segovia, a city of delicate
spires and graceful towers. Our Walking Tour will
take us through Spanish history as we view the 2,000 year
old Roman Aqueduct, made with no mortar and still
functioning today, and then continue through the winding
streets of medieval Segovia to view the Cathedral, the last
Gothic building constructed in Spain and resplendent with
pinnacles and flying buttresses. Our next stop will be the
fairy tale fortress of the Alcazar where Columbus
elicited funds for his journeys from Ferdinand and Isabella.
We continue with a tour of El Escorial, the massive
monastery-palace commissioned by Philip II, which is an
impressive monument to 16th century Spain. We will visit the
Royal Apartments, many decorated with fine
tapestries, and the austere rooms that once belonged to
Philip II. The king was so religious that he had his
quarters designed so that he could see the high altar from
his bed. We will see the Pantheon of the Kings,
which contains the mortal remains of all of the Spanish
monarchs from the time of the emperor Charles V, and the
Pantheon of the Infants where royal children were
buried. We return to Madrid, where we will “dar un paseo,”
or take a stroll around the vibrant Puerta del Sol
area.
DAY
8 BOURBON MADRID
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. We will then have some free time prior to
our concert performance.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 DEPARTURE FROM MADRID
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your
guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight
home.
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