Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Gibraltar, Barcelona
July 5th-15th 2020
Day 1/Sunday/ July 5 In Transit
Today, you will take an overnight flight to Madrid.
Day 2/Monday/ July 6 Madrid
Arrive in the exciting and vibrant city of Madrid. Commence your adventures with an afternoon tour of the most beautiful of Madrid’s sights, including the Royal Palace, which overlooks the scenic Manzanares River. Then, take a walk through the central Plaza Mayor, celebrated for its beauty and charm. Conclude your tour with a visit to the Bais Yaakov Synagogue – the first synagogue in Madrid, founded in 1492. Queen Sophia famously studied Judaism and attended services here as part of her university course in 1976. This is also the site of the rescinding of the Spanish Expulsion Edict by King Juan Carlos in 1992. Spend the evening exploring the enchanting side-streets and spacious plazas of Madrid, and perhaps enjoy a performance of live music. Accommodation will be at the Villa Real or similar.
Day 3/Tuesday/ July 7 Toledo-Madrid
In the morning, Deluxe Kosher Tours will escort you to the Medieval city of Toledo, beautifully perched atop a hill of granite. Once the capital of Spain, Toledo is now a gorgeous historical treasure offering us insight into the Medieval period’s art and architecture. Especially noteworthy is Toledo’s longstanding tradition of Jewish scholarship and intellectualism; once home to celebrated scholars Abraham ibn Ezra, a biblical scholar and grammarian, Yehudah ha-Levi, a poet, doctor, and philosopher, Rabbi Asher bar Rav Yechiel, Toledo was known as the “Second Jerusalem.” Spend time in Toledo’s two remaining synagogues: the eleventh-century Santa Maria la Blanca and the twelfth-century El Transito. The latter is home to the Sephardic Museum and Library: housing a collection of ancient treasures. Finish your adventure with a trip to the Museum of El Greco, located in his old house, where you can see the works of this great master up close. Return to Madrid in the early evening for another moonlit night in Spain’s gorgeous capital.
Day 4/Wednesday/ July 8 Madrid-Seville
Today, Deluxe Kosher Tours will bring you to one of the pre-eminent world-class museums of the world – El Prado – where you can see the works of Goya, Velazquez, and more. Transfer to Seville in the afternoon for an exploration of this romantic treasure of history – which spans the Roman times to Moorish conquest to the present. Marvel at the beautiful gardens at Maria Luisa Park, the Plaza de Espana, the Giralda Tower, and the university, whose baroque facade was once famous for a different reason: the building was the cigar factory in which the seductive gypsy “Carmen” of Bizet’s tragic opera once worked. Then visit the Alcazar Palace, a stunning example of Moorish architecture, and wander the picturesque former Jewish quarter: Barrio de Santa Cruz. Spend the evening at an optional flamenco show. Spend the night at the Hotel Seville Center or a similarly beautiful hotel.
Day 5/Thursday/ July 9 Cordoba
The birthplace of Maimonides (Rambam), one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time, Cordoba was once home to one and a half million Jews. The beauty of the old Juderia, or Jewish Quarter, is still preserved, with charming narrow streets winding towards the city walls at the Almodovar Gate. Take a look at the Statue of Maimonides before visiting the fourteenth-century synagogue on Calle de los Judios, built by Isaac ben Efraim. Afterwards, visit Plazuela de Maimonides, according to legend the home of Maimonides, and the nearby Calle Rambam Maimonides for another tribute to this great scholar. See Maimonides’s birthplace at 5 Calle de los Judios, and visit Juda Levi Street to commemorate the poet who lived in Cordoba for many years. Return to Seville in the early evening.
Day 6/Friday/ July 10 Gibraltar
In the morning, leave for Gibraltar, a British colony only four miles long and a half-mile wide, beautifully located between Spain and Morocco. Visit all the lovely sights of the city, including the Upper Galleries, Moorish Castle, and Caves of St. Michael. You will also visit the celebrated colony of Barbary Apes. The afternoon is at your leisure. Spend the night at the Hotel Elliot or similar.
Day 7/Shabbat/ July 11 Gibraltar
Spend this unforgettable Shabbat in the Jewish quarter of Gibraltar, celebrating with the Gibraltar community of 600 Jews and dining at a local kosher restaurant.
Day 8/Sunday/ July 12 Granada· Barcelona
In the morning, Deluxe Kosher Tours will take you on a picturesque drive from Gibraltar to Grenada, a 1200-year-old city that is a fantasy of Moorish architecture. Visit the Alhambra, a sumptuous summer palace built for Moorish princes, beautiful not only for its ornate design and surrounding gardens, but also for its stunning views of the city’s historic center. The site of many historic events, this palace is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella signed the decree exiling Jews from Spain, but also the site where Don Isaac Arbanel attempted to have it revoked, and where Columbus first received permission to embark upon the fateful journey that led to his discovery of the New World. Later, visit the beautiful Generalife Gardens and savor the floral fragrances of the lush scenery before flying to Barcelona in the evening. Spend the night at the Condes de Barcelona or similar.
Day 9/Monday/ July 13 Barcelona
Experience the vitality and vibrancy of Barcelona, one of the most cosmopolitan and exciting cities in the world. Begin your trip in this historic Gothic Quarter, where you will see some buildings that have survived from the Middle Ages. After a tour of the city, Deluxe Kosher Tours will take you to the Picasso Museum for a chance to explore some of this artist’s most significant works. Conclude the day at Montjuich for panoramic vistas of the city.
Day 10/Tuesday/ July 14 Barcelona
Today, visit more of Barcelona’s storied sights, including the Town Hall, statue of Columbia, Spanish Village, and the plaza where – according to tradition – the Spanish king welcomed Columbus home from his adventures in the New World. Later in the day, explore the Jewish quarter of Barcelona, once a great center of rabbinical learning, and the place where the famous dispute between Pablo Christiani and Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Ramban) occurred. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 11/Wednesday/ July 15 Barcelona
Today, depart Barcelona Airport for your return flight home.
HOTELS (subject to confirmation upon receipt of deposits)
Madrid Villa Real
Seville Hotel Seville Center
Gibraltar Hotel Elliot
Barcelona Condes de Barcelona
PRICE PER PERSON (in double occupancy) Single Supplement
$6,995 $1,995
ADDITIONAL COSTS
- Visa fees as required
- Insurance
- Snacks or items of a personal nature
- Excess/overweight Baggage fees (only 20KG per flight is permitted on flights within Spain)
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
- $1500 per person deposit (non refundable) required to hold space
- Balance of Payment due April 1, 2017
ITINERARY & HOTELS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICEITINERARY & HOTELS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IF THERE’S A FLUCTUATION IN CURRENCY OF MORE THAN 4% FROM AUGUST 1, 2016
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IN THE EVENT OF AN INCREASE IN AIRLINE FUEL CHARGES
