DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 - ARRIVE BARCELONA
This afternoon we will meet at 2 PM our hotel for our
opening discuession and introductions. Then we will
depart on a bus and walking tour of Barcelona to explore
the wonders of this beautiful city and the architecture
of Gaudi.
Day 2 - BARCELONA
This morning we will meet in the lobby for a walking
tour of gothic Quarter. According to archaeological
evidence there was a sizeable Jewish community in Catalonia.
It existed from as early as the beginning of the Common
Era. For centuries thereafter, the Jews of Barcelona
managed their own local affairs and lived relatively
well while confined to the Juderia (The Jewish quarter).
Day 3 - GIRONA - BESALU
We depart this morning to Girona. It is one of the most
important Jewish historical sites in Spain, which dates
back to the XII century. We will visit the well preserved
Jewish quarter. Medieval Girona was famous for its
cabalists. It was also the home of the great sage Nachmanides
who defended the Jews of Spain in the 13th century
Disputation of Barcelona. We will stop in Besalu, a
picturesque medieval town that features one of the
best preserved Mikvas in all of Europe. We return to
Barcelona for the evening.
Day 4 - BARCELONA – GRANADA - SEVILLE
This morning we will transfer to the airport for an early
flight to Granada. We will tour Granada and visit the
magnificent Alhambra. Legend has it that some of the
Jews who were exiled from Jerusalem with the destruction
of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar (586 BCE) settled in
Granada. After our visit to Granada, we will continue
on to Seville, our home for the next two nights.
Day 5 - SEVILLE
We awake in a city shaped by both Renaissance and Arabic
influences. Ancient texts places Jews in Seville at
the time of the destruction of the first Temple (586
BCE). We will spend the morning walking through this
beautiful city and uncovering this once vibrant Jewish
community. We will also visit the Alcazar Palace.
Day 6 - SEVILLE – CORDOBA - MADRID
This morning we board our bus and head to Cordoba, the
Capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus. Cordova,
with its beautiful districts of quaint streets and
squares played a pivotal role in the history of Jewish
life in the middle ages. In the tenth century it became
the seat of Jewish learning, scholarship and culture,
gradually replacing the Babylonian academies of Sura
and Pumbeditha.
This afternoon we will continue on to Madrid which
will be our home for the next three nights.
Day 7 - MADRID – TOLEDO - MADRID
This morning we travel to Toledo which remains much as
it was in the XVI century. Jews played a pivotal role
in Toledo’s history since the last years of the
Roman occupation in 192 B.C.E. The Jews became known
as money-lenders, merchants of fine cloths, and intellectuals.
For centuries scientists, philosophers, poets and artists
of widely differing backgrounds met in Toledo to exchange
ideas with the Jews. We will tour the city as well
as visit the Synagogues and the Jewish Museum.
Day 8 - MADRID
This morning you will have free time before our afternoon
walking tour of the old city. The history of Madrid
Jewry is much like the history of Jews elsewhere in
Spain, consisting of periods of great development layered
between periods of severe persecution. We will view
the old Moorish walls that were part of the 9th century
Arab fortress and the sumptuous palaces that were built
in the 16th and 17th centuries. We will end our walk
in the Plaza Mayor to bear witness to the many Auto
De-Fe’s that took place in Spain.
Day 9 - Departure for the USA
Today we say “adios” to this magical country
and transfer to the airport for our return flight home.
Note: Itinerary subject to change. |
