Itinerary

Southern Spain: Crossroad of Cultures

March 26–April 8, 2010


Print-friendly itinerary Program description

 

Program leaders: Jim Dunlop, professor emeritus of Spanish, and Mac Gimse ’58, professor emeritus of art

Note: Breakfast and either a group lunch or group dinner are included each day.

Friday, March 26
Depart United States
Group flight departs Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Saturday, March 27
Arrive Granada
Arrive in Granada, where we are met by our tour operator and national guide, Annette Johnson. Transfer to the hotel in private coach. Group lunch, depending on timing. Guided walking tour of city center. Introduction to Semana Santa (Holy Week).

Sunday, March 28, PALM SUNDAY
Granada
Opportunity to attend mass for those interested and watch the traditional processions. Guided tour of the Alhambra, originally a Moorish fortress and later a lavish palace. The stoic exterior hides a surprisingly stunning interior.

Monday, March 29
Granada
Guided tour of the ornate Renaissance Cathedral and Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), one of the country’s architectural highlights. Opportunity to view the processions as a group or on your own. Stroll through the Albaicín (old Arab quarter) and have a group dinner there.

Tuesday, March 30
Granada — Úbeda
Transfer in private coach to Úbeda (about 1 ½ hours). Opportunity to view the processions as a group or on your own. Guided walking tour of Úbeda, a Renaissance-era town and Spanish national landmark.

Wednesday, March 31
Úbeda/ Excursion to Baeza
Opportunity to view the processions as a group or on your own. Visit Baeza, one of the best preserved old towns in Spain.

Thursday, April 1
Úbeda — Córdoba (Cordova)
Transfer in private coach to Córdoba (about 2 hours), a showcase of Moorish and Jewish glory. Visit the Mezquita-Catedral, one of the greatest attractions in Europe. The building literally represents the layers of history: a cathedral was placed in the center of this former Great Mosque, which replaced a Visigothic basilica, which had replaced a Roman temple. Today’s processions feature the Last Supper, Pontius Pilate, and Crucifixion. (Thursday evening is the “all-nighter” with the procession of the “Cristo de la Buena Muerte” going throughout the night.)

Friday, April 2, GOOD FRIDAY
Córdoba
Guided tours of the Jewish Museum, synagogue, Jewish Quarter, and Medina Azahara, the ruins of a palace city built in the 10th century. Opportunity to view the processions as a group or on your own.

Saturday, April 3
Córdoba — Ronda
Transfer in private coach to Ronda (about 3 hours). Guided tour of the city center, the Moorish and aristocratic center lying on one side of the spectacular gorge which separates the old city from the new.

Sunday, April 4, EASTER SUNDAY
Ronda — Sevilla (Seville)
Opportunity to attend mass. In the afternoon, travel in private coach to Sevilla. Optional bull fight.

Monday, April 5
Sevilla
Guided tour of the city center. Seville is quintessential southern Spain, with tiled patios overflowing with flowers. Visit, among others, the cathedral (the largest Gothic building in the world and also built over the former site of a mosque), and the Alcázar (a 14th-century palace).

Tuesday, April 6
Sevilla/Excursion to Jerez de la Frontera
Excursion in private coach to this old Andalusian town known for the hundreds of bodegas that make and ship sherry around the world. Jerez is also known for its Dancing Horses, rivals of sorts to the Lippizaner stallions which originated in the Spanish Riding Schools. Other visits may include the Alcázar, complete with an octagonal mosque and ancient baths, the Iglesia de San Miguel, one of the oldest churches in Europe, and the Flamenco Museum.

Wednesday, April 7
Sevilla
Majority of the day free. Farewell group dinner.

Thursday, April 8
Depart for United States

Register
Register online, call toll-free 866-255-6523 or fax 507-786-8232. A deposit of $500 per person guarantees your space.