Sadly it's time to say farewell to this wonderful country after a fantastic tour here & in it's equally wonderful neighbor Portugal.
We've seen incredible sights, learned a huge amount of history (with important connections to the US & the wider world), eaten & drunk fantastic food & wine, & walked many, many thousands of steps!
A lot of work goes into making a tour a success, with the local guides & drivers being an especially important part. We've enjoyed some top class guides throughout this tour who all made a big contribution to everyone's pleasure. Most important of all though are the travelers themselves - without their patience, punctuality, understanding, & good humor this tour wouldn't have been nearly so much fun.
Safe travels home. Hasta la vista!
Friday, September 30, 2016
September 30th: Barcelona at Leisure
Today, our final day in Europe, is totally free for everyone to enjoy as they please.
Two couples made a good start & departed the hotel at 8:00am to take a taxi, a train & a cog-railway to visit the mountain monastery at Montserrat. Other gathered later with plans to stroll the Ramblas later, & some were looking forward to visiting the beach this afternoon.
We will all be gathering this evening to celebrate the trip with a final group dinner before we depart early tomorrow morning for Barcelona's El Prat Airport.
Two couples made a good start & departed the hotel at 8:00am to take a taxi, a train & a cog-railway to visit the mountain monastery at Montserrat. Other gathered later with plans to stroll the Ramblas later, & some were looking forward to visiting the beach this afternoon.
We will all be gathering this evening to celebrate the trip with a final group dinner before we depart early tomorrow morning for Barcelona's El Prat Airport.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
September 29th: Beautiful Barcelona!
Incredibly today was our last day of sightseeing together, after a great two weeks.
We spent the morning with Montserrat, our local guide named after the famous mountain monastery. Our plans were disrupted slightly by a metro breakdown/cancellation, so we rethought our itinerary & walked to our first destination instead.
During our explorations we meandered through Barcelona's 'Barri Gothic', saw remains of the city's Roman origins, visited the spectacular Cathedral, learned about Catalonia's tradition of building human 'castles', strolled along the Ramblas, wandered through the Boqueria Market, & saw some of Antoni Gaudi's most innovative constructions.
After a short break for lunch we regrouped & rode the metro to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece church. We had time to visit the downstairs museum & the church itself before our guided tour. What an incredible place for our final visit!
We returned to the hotel & gathered for early evening drinks on the terrace before a free evening.
We spent the morning with Montserrat, our local guide named after the famous mountain monastery. Our plans were disrupted slightly by a metro breakdown/cancellation, so we rethought our itinerary & walked to our first destination instead.
During our explorations we meandered through Barcelona's 'Barri Gothic', saw remains of the city's Roman origins, visited the spectacular Cathedral, learned about Catalonia's tradition of building human 'castles', strolled along the Ramblas, wandered through the Boqueria Market, & saw some of Antoni Gaudi's most innovative constructions.
After a short break for lunch we regrouped & rode the metro to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece church. We had time to visit the downstairs museum & the church itself before our guided tour. What an incredible place for our final visit!
We returned to the hotel & gathered for early evening drinks on the terrace before a free evening.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
September 27th: Holy Toledo!
Those morning we left Madrid for the day & drove an hour to nearby Toledo, the capital of Spain until 1561 & still the headquarters for the Catholic Church in Spain.
Upon arrival in Toledo we met our excellent local guide Juanjo & took a panoramic drive around the city to view it from across the Tagus River (the same river we began our tour viewing, so long ago in Lisbon!). Then we left our bus behind & entered the Old City via an ancient bridge.
During our walking tour we learned about the history of the city & it's important role in Spain, & visited three different locations: the church of Santa Maria la Blanca, once one of the city's many synagogue's; the church of Santa Tome, where we viewed El Greco's greatest masterpiece - The Burial of Count Orgaz; & finally the Cathedral itself, one of the greatest cathedrals in the world & center of Toledo's life for centuries.
Lunchtime & the afternoon were free before we returned to Madrid in time for dinner.
Upon arrival in Toledo we met our excellent local guide Juanjo & took a panoramic drive around the city to view it from across the Tagus River (the same river we began our tour viewing, so long ago in Lisbon!). Then we left our bus behind & entered the Old City via an ancient bridge.
During our walking tour we learned about the history of the city & it's important role in Spain, & visited three different locations: the church of Santa Maria la Blanca, once one of the city's many synagogue's; the church of Santa Tome, where we viewed El Greco's greatest masterpiece - The Burial of Count Orgaz; & finally the Cathedral itself, one of the greatest cathedrals in the world & center of Toledo's life for centuries.
Lunchtime & the afternoon were free before we returned to Madrid in time for dinner.
September 28th: Madrid to Barcelona
Today was a relaxed & easy day, for our travel from Madrid to Barcelona.
The morning was completely free - whether to shop, sightsee, sleep in, or even do laundry!
We met up at 1:00pm & took taxis from our hotel to Madrid's Atocha Station from where we caught the AVE high-speed train.
Our journey time was just 2 hours 21 minutes, & we arrived at Barcelona's Sants station after a smooth & uneventful ride. A short bus transfer took us to our hotel & after time to freshen-up we headed out for dinner.
This evening's group dinner was at a Basque 'pintxo' bar - serving easy-to-eat tapas-style bites consumed whilst standing in the small bar space. This different style dinner was a hit, as was the Italian gelato for dessert afterwards!
The morning was completely free - whether to shop, sightsee, sleep in, or even do laundry!
We met up at 1:00pm & took taxis from our hotel to Madrid's Atocha Station from where we caught the AVE high-speed train.
Our journey time was just 2 hours 21 minutes, & we arrived at Barcelona's Sants station after a smooth & uneventful ride. A short bus transfer took us to our hotel & after time to freshen-up we headed out for dinner.
This evening's group dinner was at a Basque 'pintxo' bar - serving easy-to-eat tapas-style bites consumed whilst standing in the small bar space. This different style dinner was a hit, as was the Italian gelato for dessert afterwards!
Monday, September 26, 2016
September 26th: Madrid in Depth
We spent this morning getting to know the Spanish capital Madrid better with our local guide Ana.
From our hotel we walked down to Plaza de Espana, with its monument to Miguel de Cervantes & his creation Don Quixote.
Then we made our way to the Royal Palace for a guided tour of the incredibly rich & ornate interior, seeing just a fraction of the 2,800 rooms!
From the palace we strolled through the oldest part of the city to Plaza Mayor, which we know from dinner last night. On our route we saw old buildings, learned about a terrorist attack in Madrid 100 years ago, saw the restored market (Mercado San Miguel) & the oldest restaurant in the world, learned where Madrilenos in the know buy their espadrilles, etc.
Our tour finished in Plaza Santa Ana, the perfect location for a leisurely lunch.
In the afternoon we visited the Prado, one of the world's greatest art museums, overflowing with great art & especially Spanish art by masters like El Greco, Velazquez & Goya.
After the Prado visit the group were free to enjoy Madrid at leisure - shopping, sightseeing, dining, etc.
From our hotel we walked down to Plaza de Espana, with its monument to Miguel de Cervantes & his creation Don Quixote.
Then we made our way to the Royal Palace for a guided tour of the incredibly rich & ornate interior, seeing just a fraction of the 2,800 rooms!
From the palace we strolled through the oldest part of the city to Plaza Mayor, which we know from dinner last night. On our route we saw old buildings, learned about a terrorist attack in Madrid 100 years ago, saw the restored market (Mercado San Miguel) & the oldest restaurant in the world, learned where Madrilenos in the know buy their espadrilles, etc.
Our tour finished in Plaza Santa Ana, the perfect location for a leisurely lunch.
In the afternoon we visited the Prado, one of the world's greatest art museums, overflowing with great art & especially Spanish art by masters like El Greco, Velazquez & Goya.
After the Prado visit the group were free to enjoy Madrid at leisure - shopping, sightseeing, dining, etc.
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