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 bus and 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 afternoon will also include a visit to Toledo Cathedral, the spiritual heart of the Spanish church, and the seat of the Primate of all Spain. (Arrival day sightseeing is subject to flight arrival time)

DAY    3            TOLEDO AREA - GRANADA (1 NIGHT)
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 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 - BENALMADENA (5 NIGHTS HOMESTAY)
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. This afternoon we travel to Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol, where we will meet our Host Families.

DAY    5            LANGUAGE CLASSES & MALAGA
This morning we will begin our Spanish Language Classes. This afternoon we will explore Malaga, the second largest city in Andalusia and the largest on the Costa del Sol. We begin with a visit to Malaga's vast Alcazaba, built between the 8th and 11th centuries. Our visit will be highlighted by the partially excavated Roman amphitheater by the entrance, and the Museo Arqueologico, which houses a magnificent display of Phoenician, Roman and Moorish artifacts. We continue to the hill directly behind the Alcazaba, where we will visit the ruins of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a 14th century Moorish castle. We return for an evening with our host families.

DAY    6            LANGUAGE CLASSES & BENALMADENA
This morning we will have our Spanish Language Classes. This afternoon we will enjoy the Beaches of Benalmadena, followed by Flamenco Lessons. We will learn the passion and rythym of flamenco dance and music, as an istructor teaches us basic steps. We return for an evening with our host families.

DAY    7            LANGUAGE CLASSES & ANTEQUERA
This morning we will have our Spanish Language Classes. This afternoon we visit Antequera, a busy market town, which was strategically important first as Roman Anticaria and later as a Moorish border fortress defending Granada. After time to explore the town, we will explore the hilltop Castle built in the 13th century on the site of a Roman fort. We will enter through the Arco de los Gigantes, before taking a walk around the Castle Walls. We will have wonderful views of Antequera from Torre del Papabellotas on the best-preserved portion of the walls. Next we will stop just outside the town to view the massie Dolmens, which are thought to be burial chambers of tribal leaders that date from around 2500 - 2000 BC. We return for an evening with our host families.

DAY    8            LANGUAGE CLASSES & MIJAS
This morning we will have our Spanish Language Classes. This afternoon we visit Mijas, a scenic resort town on the Costa del Sol, set high in the hills above Fuengirola. There is an excellent range of local and international cuisine in and around Mijas, and the local "ventas" and tapas bars serve wonderful home-cooked fresh produce. The afternoon will be free to relax on the beautiful Beaches or to try a wide range of watersports. We return for an evening with our host families.

DAY    9            LANGUAGE CLASSES - RONDA - SEVILLE AREA (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we say "adios" to our host families and enjoy our final morning of Language Classes. After lunch we journey into the mountains for a visit to Ronda, located on a massive rocky outcrop, straddling a precipitous limestone cleft. We will take a Walking Tour through the classic Moorish Pueblo Blanco (White Village), featuring cobbled alleys, lovely window grills and many of Ronda's historic sites, including the Puente Nuevo, Convento de Santo Domingo and the Ayuntamiento. We will also visit Ronda's world famous Plaza de Toros, the spiritual home of bullfighting, inaugurated in 1785. It is the dream of every bullfighter to display his skills in Ronda's bullring. We continue to Seville, the capital of Andalusia.

DAY    10          SEVILLE
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 Seville Cathedral, beginning with an ascent of La Giralda, the magnificent bell tower, 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. Our afternoon begins with a visit to the Reales Alcazares, the former Moorish palace taken over and partially remodeled by the Christian Kings. 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. This evening we will enjoy a Flamenco Show, where we will observe the art of Flamenco dance and music.

DAY    11          SEVILLE AREA - CORDOBA - MADRID (1 NIGHT)
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 with 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. This evening 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    12          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.