Interfaith Odyssey to Jewish and Christian Spain With Pastor Jan Lookingbill & Rabbi Leonard Cahan October 21 to November 5, 2012

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 Sunday (Oct 21): Departure from the U.S.
Overnight non-stop flight arriving in Madrid next day

Day 2 Monday (Oct 22): High speed AVE train to Seville.
Check into your hotel and after lunch we will take a short tour of Seville, the Barrio de Santa Cru, the former Jewish quarter, with its winding streets and white washed houses. The 15th-century Cathedral of Seville was built on the former site of the city's mosque. The Giralda, originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. The cathedral is also known for housing
The remains of Christopher Columbus on a grand raised platform.
Dinner at the Hotel
Overnight: Ayre Hotel in Seville

Day 3 Tuesday (Oct 23): Seville
After breakfast, the Alcázar of Seville, a royal palace across from the cathedral. Continue to Plaza de España and Maria Luisa Park, Both built for the 1929 Exposition Ibero-Americana international fair. The famous Maestranza bull ring, the old city neighborhood of Triana and a new Museum of Flamenco.
Overnight: Ayre Hotel in Seville

Day 4 Wednesday (Oct 24): Jerez de la Frontera - Gibraltar - Marbella – Malaga
We will travel by bus and take in the the lushness of the Costa del Sol. Jerez de la Frontera the "world capital" of sherry wine production. We visit a bodega (winery) and taste their wines. We will continue with a visit to the School of Equestrian Art and its beautiful horses, After lunch we continue via Cadiz. In Christopher Columbus' days, it was a major staging point for treasure-hunting adventures to the New World. We continue to visit Gibraltar and then on to dinner in Marbella and to Malaga Overnight Eurostars Astoria Hotel in Malaga Day 5 Thursday (Oct 25): Granada After breakfast, we take a short trip to the Picasso Museum. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881. Bus to Granada where we will visit Alcaiceria, Granada’s Cathedral, the Royal Chapel and take a walking tour of the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens. Dinner in town, returning by bus to Malaga.
Overnight: Eurostars Astoria Hotel in Malaga.

Day 6 Friday (Oct 26): Madrid
After breakfast we will take the AVE train to Madrid. We explore the capital city (Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, world-class museums, etc.). Return to hotel and get ready for Shabbat Jewish Shabbat services at the Beth Yaakov Sephardic Synagogue. Follow with Shabbat Dinner
Overnight: Hotel Agumar in Madrid.

Day 7 Saturday (Oct 27): Madrid
Visits to the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum, the Thyssen - Bornemisza Museum, and Plaza Mayor, and down the narrow streets of the old section of the city, with its outdoor cafes.
Overnight: Hotel Agumar in Madrid.

Day 8 Sunday (Oct 28): Cordoba
After breakfast we take the AVE train to Cordoba. The Juderia is one of the most important places in Cordoba, and a synagogue survives in the middle of it with a statue of Maimonides nearby. Across the street is the Casa de Sefarad. Walking tour of the Mezquita, Alcazar and Juderia. We will have dinner in town and return by AVE train to Madrid.
Overnight: Hotel Agumar in Madrid.

Day 9 Monday (Oct 29): El Escorial - Avila - Segovia
Day trip to the Palace of El Escorial, & on to Avila, the birthplace of the great mystic St. Teresa We view the massive two-mile-long fortifications encircling the old city and its 89 guard towers and entrance gates. Visit the Romanesque St.Vincente Basilica, the Convent of Santa Teresa, the Santa Teresa museum and the monastery of La Encarnacion To see objects, relics, writings and souvenirs of the saint and her surroundings. Proceed to Segovia, Where Ferdinand & Isabella signed the order expelling Jews from Spain, & home of one of Spain's largest Juderias and the renowned Roman aqueduct. Return to Madrid.
Overnight: Hotel Agumar in Madrid.

Day 10 Tuesday (Oct 30): Toledo
Toledo is 50 miles south of Madrid. It was founded by the Romans in 200 BC. In the 6th century AD the Visigoths chose it as the capital of Spain. El Greco lived there. We visit its Alcazar and reconstructed Synagogues. After dinner we return to Madrid.
Overnight: Hotel Agumar in Madrid.

Day 11 Wednesday (Oct 31): Bus to Burgos, then on to Bilbao.
With its magnificent cathedral, Burgos offers one of the purest examples of Gothic architecture in all of Europe. A walk through the historical center brings back memories of El Cid and Isabella, queen of Castile who completed the re-conquest of Spain from the Moors in 1492. In Bilbao, the capital of the Basque Country, we will visit the Santiago Cathedral, dedicated to St. James and an important stop on the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James), This crosses northern Spain on its way to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Continue with a visit to the Guggenheim Museum of contemporary art.
Overnight: Hotel Gran Bilbao in Bilbao. Dinner at hotel

Day 12 Thursday (Nov 1): Zaragoza – Barcelona
Zaragoza is the capital of the ancient kingdom of Aragon and the birthplace of the famous Spanish painter Goya. This city has important religious monuments, most notably the Pilar Basilica, which commemorates the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. James the Apostle in 40 AD. We continue by AVE train to Barcelona.
Overnight: Hotel Cristal Palace in Barcelona

Day 13 Friday (Nov 2): Barcelona
Bus tour of the city including the Cathedral, the Gothic Quarter, and the ten Gaudi buildings. One of the main attractions is the ancient Call (Juderia, or ghetto) and the Sinagoga Mayor. Despite perhaps being the oldest synagogue in Europe, the Sinagoga Mayor was forgotten and abandoned until the twentieth century. Then on to the top of Tibidabo Mountain for a breathtaking view of the city, and then to Montjuic, and the Olympic park. Lying just outside Barcelona is the ancient Jewish cemetery of Montjuic (lit. Jewish mountain) located on the western edge of the city.

Return to hotel and get ready for Shabbat Jewish Shabbat services-----------------------------

Shabbat dinner must be kosher, catered to hotel or at nearby restaurant!
Overnight: Hotel Cristal Palace in Barcelona

Day 14 Saturday (Nov 3): Barcelona
Day at leisure to shop and stroll in Barcelona, including some of the Gaudi edifices, the Cathedral, the Gothic Quarter, and the Picasso Museum.
Overnight: Hotel Cristal Palace in Barcelona

Day 15 Sunday (Nov 4): Montserrat - Figueres - Girona
On the way out of Barcelona, visit of the medieval Marian shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat and its medieval black virgin (La Moreneta). Tour of the monastery and the basilica. Continue to Figueres with its surrealist Salvador Dali Museum, And on to Girona with its magnificent Cathedral, and one of Europe's best-preserved Jewish quarters and a Jewish museum. Return to hotel to freshen up for farewell dinner
Overnight: Hotel Cristal Palace in Barcelona

Day 16 Monday (Nov 5): Morning at leisure, transfer to Barcelona Airport.
Return flight to U.S.

Details subject to change!

Included in the price:

• All hotels (w/breakfast daily);
• All transportation (Train, AVE, Bus touring & transfers);
• 5 dinners,(Welcome dinner in Seville; 2 Kosher Shabbat dinners in Madrid & Barcelona; Dinner in Bilbao; Farewell dinner in Barcelona);
• Entrance Fees to sights as per itinerary;
• Professional Guide throughout.
• Accompanying tour leader from arrival in Madrid till departure from Barcelona

Itinerary Subject to Change

 

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