Spain: Seville,Granada & Córdoba A CULTURAL WALKING ADVENTURE Barcelona & the Costa Brava A CULTURAL WALKING ADVENTURE


When we asked our guides how to describe Catalonia to you, they surprised us.“Tell them we areTuscany,only better.” They have a point. Spain’s eastern- most province easily equals the best of Italy. Olive groves, ranks of cypress trees and perched stone villages all shimmer in the incredible light.The aromas of local markets and fresh Mediterranean air along the Costa Brava remind you how rich the world really is.And stimulated by walks in rustic countryside or on the avenues of Barcelona, your sense of taste will be more than satisfied by the vivid flavors of Catalan cuisine.With all due respect to our guides, this tour offers so much thatTuscany can’t—a park full of extinct volcanoes…a dip in the sea at your private resort…and fascinating Moorish- accented history and architecture. If you have already enjoyed Southern Europe’s other favorite regions but don’t want to repeat yourself, make this your next destination.You won’t be disappointed!


ITINERARY


We meet in Barcelona (1 night) to take in architectural treasures like Gaudi's cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, before strolling the Gothic Quarter and dining at one of the city's best paella restaurants.


You may think you've accidentally ended up in Tuscany on our walk through the rolling hills of northern Catalonia to Vic (2 nights) where we picnic on fare foraged at the covered farmer’s market. Our parador hotel is a beautifully restored farmhouse with a tempting swimming pool. From here, a walk forays to Santa Pau, a fortified medieval village in Garrotxa Volcanic Park. We'll also visit with a local potter at his workshop and explore the 11th-century Jewish baths. A wonderful trail takes us into the remote village of Girona, whose houses tilt over the River Onyar. Then we settle into a luxurious seaside resort at Begur (3 nights) with time for an afternoon swim.


Tour Dates May 8-14, June 12-18, Sept 11-17, Oct 9-15


Trip Length:7 days/6 nights


Price: From $3895 (includes all breakfasts and 5 dinners) Single Supplement: $595 Begins & Ends: Barcelona


Vic Barcelona


Starting at the nearby town of Pals, our guide's favorite walk pass- es streams and olive groves to a village carved from sheer rock, and we’ll stop in at the outlandish Dali museum in Figueres. We spend our final full day on the coastal trails of the Costa Brava— from Cap Roig's promontory and botanical garden, overlooking white sand beaches and pastel villages to Llafranc. Afternoon tea is in a lighthouse on Cap Sant Sebastia overlooking the vibrant blue Mediterranean. On our final morning, we return to Barcelona.


28 Barcelona Madrid A


Córdoba Seville


I Córdoba Seville


Granada Jaen


Ronda


Though our parador in Jaen (2 nights) clings to a rocky crag, there’s space for a pool. Use it…or nap before a visit to the Roman baths. Other walks lead us to an olive oil tasting at a working mill…the workshop of a classic potter…and a visit to the ruins of a medieval castle. On our final morning, we arrive in Córdoba with time to explore the awesome Mezquita.


Cadaqués Begur


If you’ve ever seen El Cid, you know that the Moors invaded Iberia, then the Spanish chased them out. Of course, that took almost 800 years—and in the process created Europe’s most fascinating and frankly gorgeous culture. Seville is the


suavest of cities.The Alhambra? The way water in all its gurgling, splash- ing variety is used to coolthe air that whispers through beautifulstone fretwork is unimaginable.The vastness of la vega—the province’s plain—is truly cinematic, scattered with whitewashed villages, punctuated by ruined alcazares (fortresses), and carpeted in vineyards, swatches of gnarled olive trees and stately groves of poplar.We stay in several of Spain’s finest paradors.And the walks—in both city and country, through markets and Spanish palaces—are gentle revelations every step of the way. Our guides are exceptionally well-connected so you get introductions to ceramicists, the families who own the olive groves, even the Alhambra’s resident wood inlay expert. Can you tell? Southern Spain is one of our favorite places on earth.


Tour Dates May 1-7 June 5-11 September 4-10 October 16-22


Trip Length: 7 days/6 nights


Price: From$3895 (includes all breakfasts and 5 dinners)


Single Supplement: $595 Begins: Seville Ends: Córdoba


Other Tours in Spain: Barcelona & the Costa Brava pg 28. Basque Pyrénées see Web.


ITINERARY


We meet in Seville (1 night) and enjoy a leisurely stroll that takes in King Ferdinand’s Alcazar and the chic shopping district.


Journeying into the Andalucian countryside, we walk among green hills to one of Los Pueblos Blancos (“the white villages”). En route to Ronda (1 night), we’ll visit Europe’s largest prehistoric cave painting. A morning amble amid the natural pillars of El Torcal National Park offers a great contrast to the manmade wonders of Moorish Granada (2 nights). Our hotel is a short walk from the Alhambra so we can enter the palace in advance of the crowds. Later, we’ll hag- gle our way through the alcaizeria (reminiscent of Morocco’s souks). Then we give the evening over to dinner in the gypsy quarter.


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