Day 1: We meet at your town of departure to board our bus to O’Hare Airport, and check in for our flight to Barcelona. We will be served dinner and can watch a movie during our overnight flight – we will change planes in Madrid before continuing on to Barcelona. (In-flight meals)

Day 2: Touch down in Barcelona, one of Spain’s magnificent cities. You will be met by our Tour Manager; after you clear customs he will accompany us to our hotel in our private motor coach. Today is a free day as we become accustomed to our new surroundings; in the evening we will transfer to the Olympic port area to enjoy a welcome dinner. (D)

Day 3: After breakfast, we journey out for a panoramic city tour featuring the most important areas of Barcelona; Catalunya Square, the famous Ramblas, the Olympic port, Passeig de Gracia with Gaudi’s buildings Casa Mila and Casa Batlo; which are exterior of characteristical buildings of different regions of Spain. After time for lunch we will continue this afternoon with an excursion to nearby Montserrat to see the shrine and contemplate the image of Our Lady of Montserrat, patron of Catalonia and called “La Morenta” because of its black color. We return to our hotel and dine this evening in the hotel. (B, D)

Day 4: After breakfast, we have an early morning departure for Pamplona, the city glorified in the novels of Hemingway.  We drive along the motorway through the regions of Cataluna and Aragon to arrive in Pamplona which has been made famous by the running of the bulls that takes place during July of each year. (B, D)

Day 5: After breakfast, we have another early morning departure as we drive through the beautiful country on our way to San Sebastian, the pearl of the North, we will have a panoramic tour of the city before continuing on to Bilbao where we will visit the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Museum. When we leave the museum we will drive south and arrive in Burgos where we will spend the night. (B, D)

Day 6:  Enjoy your breakfast as our baggage is loaded on to our coach, after breakfast we will do a walking tour of the city, visiting the interior of the beautiful Gothic Cathedral, in which you see the tomb of the folk hero “EL Cid”. After our walking tour, we will board our coach and drive to Salamanca, one of the most beautiful Castilian cities, and has the most beautiful main squares in all of Spain. (B, D)

Day 7: Again today we will start the day with a walking tour of the city after our breakfast. Today we will visit the Main Square, the old quarters of the University – which is the second oldest University in Europe after the one in Heidelberg; we will also visit the old and new cathedrals. After our walking tour we will board the coach and head west into Portugal. (B, D)

Day 8: After breakfast we will have a panoramic tour of the city of Porto (home to Port Wine) before we depart inland to stop and see the Gardens of the Palace of Mateus, property of the winery of the same name. We will continue on to Fatima, where we will have ample time for those who would like to visit and pray in Our Lady’s Shrine. We will then continue on to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, which will be our home for the next three nights. (B, D)

Day 9:  After breakfast we will depart for a morning tour featuring Marques de Pombal Square, Monument to the Discoveries, exterior of the Belem Tower, Alfama Quarter and an interior visit to the Jeronimos Monastery. Our afternoon today will be at leisure for us to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. (B, D)

Day 10: Today after breakfast we will have a half day excursion to the beautiful cities of Qeluz and Sintra, which will give us an idea of the splendor of Portuguese former times. We return for another leisurely afternoon in Lisbon. (B, D)

Day 11: Today after breakfast we will head southwest crossing the Portuguese fields with cork trees and once again arrive back in Spain and drive on to the capital of Andalusia, the lovely city of Seville. (B, D)

Day 12: Today while at breakfast your baggage will depart on our coach for Madrid. We will depart on another coach for a city tour of Seville. We will visit the Plaza de Espana, Maria Luisa Park, the old tobacco factory, which today is the University- this is where “Carmen” the famous woman was supposed to work as reflected in Merimee’s and Bizet’s opera. We will also visit the quaint old Santa Cruz Quarter and interior of the Royal Alcazar, a Moorish fortress- palace, which today is a Museum and the official residence of the Spanish Monarchs when they visit the city. We will then have some free time before we are transferred to the train station to board the high speed train that will speed (2 ½ hour ride) to Madrid. (B, D)

Day 13: After breakfast we will depart for a visit to the Spanish School of the Prado Museum, admiring the paintings by Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Sorbian and El Greco. We will visit the Royal Palace with its marble staircase, guard’s room, porcelain room, ambassador’s room, main dinning room, the Monarchs former premises and the beautiful scarlet throne room. In the afternoon, we will continue with a panoramic orientation tour featuring other important sites of the city such as Alcala Gate, Velazquez Street, and Discovery Square with the monument to Christopher Columbus and the Spanish sailors who discovered America. (B, D)

Day 14: After breakfast we will depart for an excursion to Toledo, former capital of the Spanish Empire until the XVI Century, when King Felipe II transferred it to Madrid. We will experience this great city – Heritage to Mankind- where in the Middle Ages the Christians, Jewish and Muslim people lived in perfect peace and harmony. Visit the interior of the Cathedral with its choir, main altar, treasure room; St. Tome Chapel with Greco’s masterpiece “Burial of Count of Orgaz” and the remains of the Synagogue of St. Mary the White. We will return to Madrid where we will have the afternoon free, before we depart this evening for our farewell dinner. (B, D)

Day15:  We can have a leisurely breakfast before checking out and being transferred to the airport for our return journey back to Chicago (B, in-flight meals)

Remember to turn in your digital cameras to your group leader so that we can have our video done for this trip. We will plan a get together in a few weeks so that we can share those video and other stories of this unbelievable journey.