Day 1 - 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 - Seville
This morning we will transfer to
the airport for an early flight to Seville,
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). This
will be our home for the next three
nights.
The afternoon we will have an optional
tour to Italica, the Roman ruins founded
in 205 AD and birthplace of the Roman
emperors Trajan and hadrian.
Day 5 - Seville
This morning we depart for a panoramic
day excursion to Ronda and the White
Villages. We will have a walking tour
of Ronda, and view the magnificent Puente
Nuevo bridge, dazzling cliff sides and
town mansions, exotic squares and gardens.
Day 6 – Seville
We will spend the afternoon on a
historical walking through this beautiful
city, uncovering this once vibrant Jewish
community with its’ narrow street
of whitewashed houses and hidden squares.
We will also see Seville’s magnificent
15th century Gothic cathedral and the
famous bell tower, La Giralds.
Day 7 - 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 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 - 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 10 - 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. |
