Itinerary+Melissa

Melissa´s Itinerary


 * Group of 25 college students who speak intermediate Spanish – ages range between 19 and 21 years old.
 * The trip will be a total of ten days.
 * Travel destinations: Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Figueres, and Barcelona.
 * Students should expect to see important monuments, museums, and learn about the Spanish culture throughout the provinces they visit.

DAY ONE: MADRID.


 * Madrid is the capital of Spain along with the largest city in the country with a population of 3.3 million people. It has an area of 234 square miles and is part of the autonomous community of Madrid. **
 * Arrive in Madrid airport at approximately 10 AMto catch bus to hotel.
 * Arrive at Hotel Moderno in the Puerta de Sol (one of Madrid´s most popular plazas) and have time to unpack, shower, etc.
 * 1:00 PM – meet in hotel lobby to walk to lunch (you have until 2 PM)
 * 2:00 PM – Guided tour of the Prado Museum in your choice of English or Spanish.
 * The Prado Museum is one of Spain´s most visited museums. It holds home to one of the world´s finest collections of European Art, including paintings by El Greco, Titian, Velazquez, and Goya.
 * 4:00 PM – Meet in courtyard of musem and break for coffee, snacks, etc.
 * 4:30 PM – Meet back to take bus to the Royal Palace for tour in choice of Spanish or English.
 * 4:45 – 6:30 PM – Tour of the Royal Palace.
 * The Royal Palace is the official residence of the King of Spain and is only used for State Ceremonies. The site of the palace dates from a 10th-century fortress, called // mayrit, // constructed as an outpost by Mohammed I, Emir of Córdoba and inherited after 1036 by the independent Moorish Kingdom of Toledo.
 * 6:30 PM – Departure back to hotel to change and get ready for dinner.
 * 8:00 PM – Dinner with the group and free time after.

DAY TWO: MADRID AND TOLEDO.
 * We will be waking up early in the morning for the Reina Sofia before we depart for Toledo.

Toledo is located 70 km south of Madrid and the capital of the province of Toledo. It is also the capital of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The city has a population of 78,618 and an area of 232.1 km2 (89.59 square miles).


 * 7 – 9:30 AM – Free breakfast in hotel.
 * 9:30 AM – Meet in lobby of hotel to walk to el Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.
 * Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (MNCARS) is Spain´s national museum of 20th century art. It is located at the southern end of the Golden Triangle of Art, close to the Prado museum. It includes many paintings from Spanish artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, including Picasso´s masterpiece //Guernica//.
 * 10 AM – 12 PM – Guided tour of MNCARS in either Spanish or English.
 * 12:15 PM – Depart for hotel to pack and get on the bus to head to Toledo.
 * 1 PM – 2 PM – Bus to Toledo
 * 2 PM – Arrival in Toledo and time for lunch, provided by the program.
 * 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM – Tour in Spanish of the Cathedral of St. Mary of Toledo.
 * The cathedral of Toledo is one of the three 13th century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered to be the pinnacle of the Gothic style in Spain. It was begun in 1226 during the reign of Ferdinand III and the last Gothic contributions were made in the 15th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished, during the times of the Catholic Monarchs. It is built with white stone from Olihuelas, close to Toledo.
 * 4:15 PM – 6 PM – Walking tour of Toledo in English.
 * 6 PM - Get back on the bus to head to hotel in Toledo to shower, rest, etc. or have free time.
 * 8 PM - Meet in hotel lobby to go to dinner provided by the program. Free time to go out in Toledo.


 * We will be leaving Toledo at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning.

DAY THREE: CORDOBA**

Cordoba i s a city in Andalusia, and the capital of the province of Cordoba. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, in the Middle Ages it was a capital of an Islamic Caliphate and one of the largest cities in the world. It currently has a population of about 325,453.


 * 7:30 – 10:00 AM – Breakfast in hotel
 * 10:15 AM – 3 PM – Drive to Cordoba and arrive at hotel (lunch provided during bus ride)
 * 3:30 – 5 PM – Walking tour of the Jewish Quarter of Cordoba
 * We will visit the Synagogue and the Souk. The Jews were a huge part of the cultural mix or Cordoba until they were exiled from Spain in 1492. But before this, the Jews lived in peace and have religious freedom and self-governing communities. Cordoba's synagogue was built in 1350. It is the only synagogue in Andalusia to survive the expulsion and inquisition of the Jews in 1492 and one of only three ancient synagogues left in all of Spain.
 * 5:15 – 8 PM – Free time in Cordoba
 * 8 PM – Dinner provided by the program (free time after dinner).

DAY FOUR: CORDOBA AND GRANADA


 * 7:30 – 10:30 AM – Breakfast in hotel.
 * 10:30 AM – Depart for the Great Mosque of Cordoba.
 * 11 AM – 1 PM – Guided tour and discussion of the Great Mosque of Cordoba.
 * The Great Mosque of Cordoba is now known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. The old Mosque, now Cathedral, is seen as one of the greatest architectural accomplishments of the Umayyad Dynasty.
 * 1 – 2:30 PM – Time for lunch.
 * 2:30 PM – Meet back at the hotel to pack up and head to Granada.
 * 3:30 – 6 PM – Bus ride to Granada.
 * 6 – 7:15 PM – Free time to get settled in hotel.
 * 7:15 PM – Meet in hotel lobby to walk to the Albaicin for Flamenco show and dinner. Free time for the rest of the night.

DAY FIVE: GRANADA


 * Granada is the capital of the Province on Granada in Andalusia. It is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and includes three rivers - the Genil, Darro, and the Beiro. In 2005, the population of Granada proper was 236,982, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 472,638. Granada was originally a Moorish city in the Islamic Al-Andalus and part of the Nasrid Dynasty. It was surrendered to the Catholics in January 1492.


 * 7:30 – 9:30 AM – Breakfast in hotel.
 * 9:45 AM – Meet in hotel lobby for walking tour of Granada.
 * 10 AM – 12 PM – Walking tour of Granada ending at the Granada Cathedral.
 * 12 – 2 PM – Tour of the Granada Cathedral in English or Spanish.
 * The Granada Cathedral or Cathedral of the Incarnation is constructed with three styles of architecture, making it one of the most interesting cathedrals in Spain. It was constructed over a mosque, with the plans being laid down in 1518.
 * 2 – 4 PM – Free time for lunch.
 * 4 PM – Meet in Plaza Nueva for trip to the Alhambra.
 * 4:15 – 6 PM – Tour of the Alhambra.
 * The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada. There is also the Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, a Holy Roman Emperor in 1527.
 * 6 – 7:45 PM – Free time before meeting in hotel lobby for Tapas Tour.
 * 8 – 11 PM – Tapas tour of Granada. Free time after the tour for the rest of the night.
 * Tapas are small appetizers that come with drinks (beer, wine, tinto de verano, soda) for free in Granada. You can get tapas all throughout Spain, however it is very rare outside of Granada to find them for free.

DAY SIX: GRANADA


 * 7:30 – 9:30 AM – Breakfast in hotel.
 * 9:45 AM – 1:30 PM – Optional trip to Parque de las Ciencas.
 * Parque de las Ciencas is an interactive science museum with outdoor activities and many hands-on exhibits.
 * 2 PM – Meet in Plaza Nueva for lunch provided for by the program.
 * FREE DAY IN GRANADA!
 * 9 PM – Dinner at restaurant in hotel provided for by the program.

DAY SEVEN: GRANADA, FIGUERES, AND BARCELONA


 * Figueres is the capital of the district of Alt Emporda in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. We will be stopping here to visit the Salvador Dali Museum.


 * 7:30 – 9:30 AM – Breakfast in hotel.
 * 10:30 AM – Depart by bus to Granada Airport for flight to Barcelona.
 * 12:00 PM – Flight to Barcelona (Girona Airport
 * 2:00 PM – Arrival in Girona airport and take bus to Figueres to Salvador Dali Museum
 * 3:00 – 5:00 PM – Guided tour of the Salvador Dali Museum and time for lunch.
 * Salvador Dali was a surrealist artist who was born in Figueres. He is known for being extremely imaginative and for having very odd behavior. He loved to be different and he executed this well in his paintings - especially those that you will see on display in this museum.
 * 5:15 – 7:00 – Bus ride in to Barcelona and arrival at hotel. Free time until dinner.
 * 8:45 – Meet in hotel lobby for dinner and night tour of Barcelona

DAY EIGHT: BARCELONA


 * Barcelona is the capital the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of around 1,621,537. It is located on the Mediterranean coast between the Llobregat and Besos rivers and the Serra de Collserola ridge is to the west.


 * 7:30 – 10:00 AM – Breakfast in the hotel.
 * 10:00 AM - Meet in hotel lobby to head to the Sagrada Familia.
 * 10:30 – 12:00 PM – Tour and informational talk about Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia.
 * The Sagrada Familia is a church in Barcelona. Construction began on this church in 1882, and it is predicted to go unfinished until at least 2026. It is Barcelona's number one visited tourist spot due to the extremely different architecture that somewhat resembles a sandcastle. The Sagrada Familia was intended to be the shy, quirky Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece and it is slowly, but surely, headed that way.
 * 12:00 - 12:15 - Bus ride from Sagrada Familia to Park Guell.
 * 12:15 – 3:00 PM – Picnic lunch and free time in and around Park Guell.
 * Park Guell is a garden and park located on the hill of el Carmel in the Gracia district of Barcelona. It was built between 1900 and 1914 with the intention of being a housing development thought up by Count Eusebi Guell. The park actually contains two houses (neither of which Gaudi designed) towards the front entrance of the park that no one wanted to buy, so Gaudi lived in one for a while with his family.
 * 3:15 PM – Board bus to head back towards the city center and the Barcelona Aquarium.
 * 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM – Tour of the Barcelona Aquarium.
 * The Barcelona Aquarium is located in Port Vell and has 35 different aquariums, 11,000 animals, and 450 different species.
 * 6:00 PM – The rest of the day is yours in Barcelona! We will provide you with money for dinner.

DAY NINE: BARCELONA
 * 7:30 – 10:00 AM – Breakfast in the hotel.
 * 10:30 AM – Meet in hotel lobby to visit the Picasso museum.
 * 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Guided tour of the Pablo Picasso museum.
 * Pablo Picasso was born in October 1881 and is known as one of the founders of Cubism. He went through many stages in his life that are very obvious in his paintings, such as the Blue Period and the Red Period. His most famous painting is el Guernica, which we saw in the Reina Sofia in Madrid. He died in 1973.
 * 1:00 – 3:00 PM – Free time for lunch around the Las Ramblas area. Meet at 3 PM in front of the Kiosk for the Wax Museum.
 * 3:15 – 6:00 PM – Tour of Antoni Gaudi’s houses (Casa Vicens, Casa Battlo, Casa Mila).
 * Antoni Gaudi was an extremely proud Spanish architect who was very well known for the extremely modern and intriguing homes, churches, and parks. These three houses are the most popular of his and are quite different from anything else you will ever see randomly on the street.
 * 6:15 PM – Back on the bus to head back to the hotel for free time before dinner.
 * 8:00 PM – Meet in hotel lobby to receive money for dinner. You will be on your own tonight for your last night!

DAY TEN: LAST DAY IN SPAIN
 * 7:30 – 9:30 AM – Breakfast in the hotel. Please have your bags packed. We are leaving promptly at 9:30 AM!
 * 9:30 – Meet in hotel lobby with all of your belongings to put on the bus. We will be leaving them there during our beach tour.
 * 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM – Beach tour of Barceloneta and free time around the beach.
 * Amongst the attractions on Barceloneta's beach are German artist Rebecca Horn's 'Homenatge a la Barceloneta' monument, and, where the beach gives way to the Port Olimpic, Frank Gehry's modern 'Peix d'Or' sculpture
 * 12:30 PM – Meet back at bus to head to the Barcelona airport.
 * 4:00 PM – Flight back home from Barcelona airport. Hope you all had a great time in Spain!!