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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 - TOLEDO AREA (1 NIGHT)
We will be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide,
where we will board our own private coach and travel to
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. Time
permitting we will also include a visit to Toledo
Cathedral, the spiritual heart of the Spanish church,
and the seat of the Primate of all Spain.
DAY
3 TOLEDO AREA - GRANADA (2 NIGHTS)
Our day commences with a brief visit to the
Iglesia de Santo Tome,
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 continue to Granada, one of Spain’s most beautiful and
important cities. 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
4 GRANADA (LEGACY OF THE MOORS)
This morning we begin with a guided 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.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
5 GRANADA AREA - CORDOBA - SEVILLE AREA (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we travel to Cordoba, an important town in
Roman times and a city of kings during the Muslim domination
of Spain. We will visit the exquisite Mezquita-Catedral,
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, Cordoba’s
ancient Jewish quarter, with a nest of tiny streets with
interesting shops and cafes, as well as uniquely designed
synagogues and houses with beautiful flowered patios. We
continue to Seville, the capital of Andalusia.
DAY
6 SEVILLE (THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPAIN)
Our morning commences with a
Walking Tour
through Seville’s
Barrio Santa Cruz,
a tiny quarter of narrow streets and whitewashed houses,
with flower-bedecked patios and iron bound windows. We
continue with a visit to the magnificent Bell Tower
of the
Seville Cathedral,
which provides breathtaking views of Seville. Next we enter
the cathedral, where we will visit the
Treasury,
and view the Capilla Mayor and the
Tomb of Columbus.
We conclude our day in the
Parque de Maria Luisa,
Seville’s grand and beautifully landscaped park. A
highlight of the park is the
Plaza de Espana,
a building and square designed for the 1920’s Exposition,
featuring Baroque towers, fancy bridges, immense colonnades
and over a million azuelos, painted tiles depicting
maps and historical events from every province in Spain.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
7 SEVILLE AREA - MADRID (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we take a scenic drive through Andalusia into
Don Quixote’s La Mancha, before arriving in Madrid, Spain’s
cosmopolitan capital city.
Upon our arrival we will take a stroll down the bustling
Gran Via, one of Madrid’s liveliest streets and finest
areas to shop.
Our day concludes as we explore Madrid’s Old Quarter.
We will see the Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s most famous
square, and the Puerta del Sol, where we will view
the Kilometer Zero marker and Madrid’s symbol, the
Madrono.
DAY
8 MADRID (TREASURES OF THE BOURBON MONARCHS)
Our day will begin in the Plaza de Espana, 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 Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 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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