n i a p S f o Festivals ITINERARY: March 14, Monday • Depart We depart on our scheduled overnight flight to Barcelona, Spain. Our in flight services include complimentary beverages, meal service and a movie. (IF) D March 15, Tuesday • Barcelona Upon our arrival in Barcelona, we meet our coach and driver and check in at our hotel. After some time to freshen up, we enjoy a locally guided tour of the Barri Gótic, the oldest part of the city, including its Gothic style Catedral. (IF) BD March 16, Wednesday • Barcelona This morning our local guide shows us the areas of the city where we find many examples of Modernism, a style of architecture born in Barcelona. The highlights today include some of the works by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí’s most famous work is the Basilika de la Sagrada Familia. Work on the church was left unfinished after Gaudí’s unexpected death in 1926. Work resumed after the Spanish Civil war and construction, which is funded by donations, continues yet today. We also visit Gaudí’s Parc Güell, a park that opened in 1922 that was originally intended to be a city garden. We also take a tour of La Casa Milà, an eight-story apartment building Gaudí designed for the Milà family. The most interesting area of the building is the roof. It has air ducts and chimneys that look like they could have come from the movie “Star Wars.” There will be time in the afternoon to explore the colorful Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s famous boulevard lined with shops and restaurants. BD March 14 - 30, 2016 17 Days $4,6×95.00* *from Minneapolis, based on double occupancy Single supplement $950 Journeys with Jeff March 17, Thursday • Valencia We depart Barcelona and the region of Catalonia and journey southward along the eastern coast of Spain to Valencia, our home for the next three exciting nights. We will have adequate time to partake in the festivities of the festival of the Fallas de San Jose that takes place every year, culminating March 19. Described by the BBC as “arguably the finest street celebration in Europe," it is as well known in Europe as the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona. BD March 18, Friday • Valencia A local guide will take us on a morning tour of Valencia, Spain’s fourth largest city. We will also learn the story of the Fallas, which includes daily festivities such as street dancing and colorful parades. The main attraction are the Fallas, themselves, figures made of wood, paper máchê, and plaster that form remarkable tableaux of colors that soar several stories into the air! These figures take all year to build and cost thousands of dollars. The afternoon is free to take part in the various festivities. A major event of the day takes place in the evening as hundreds of Valencian girls in their elaborate traditional dress form a procession that winds its way for eight hours throughout the city. At this time a gigantic statue of Mary receives literally millions of flowers, hence the origin of the description of Valencia as the “City of Flowers.” Equally impressive is tonight’s nit de foc, (Night of fire) a stupendous fireworks display lasting an hour and a half BD March 19, Saturday • Valencia This morning (depending on the Fallas scheduling ) we visit the factory where the famous Lladro figures are produced - and there will certainly be an opportunity to purchase! In the afternoon there will be an optional excursion to the Plaza de Toros. Each year Spain’s greatest matadors come to Valencia to perform during the Fallas, and we will have the opportunity to see some of the finest examples of bullfighting in the world. (Note: As not everyone may be interested in attending a bull fight, this activity is optional. Tour members not participating may take in other Fallas activities.) A siesta sometime today might also be a good idea, for we will want to stay up tonight to partake in the climactic activity of the Fallas – “the Crema,” when the more than 300 fallas, loaded with fireworks will go up in flames all over the city in an unforgettable display the Valencians call la cremá! BD March 20, Sunday • Granada We depart Valencia and drive southward along the eastern coast to Murcia, where we turn westward and enter the region of Andalucía and the province of Granada. Our destination is the lovely, “capital” of Granada. Lying among seven hills beneath the snow-capped splendor of the Sierra Nevadas, it evokes the magical images one encounters in Washington Irving’s “Tales of the Alhambra.” There should be some time in the afternoon for individual exploration. BD March 21, Monday • Torremolinos This morning we meet our guide for a tour of the mighty Alhambra; a magnificent Moorish palace built when the Nasrid dynasty ruled Granada and designed to be a paradise on earth. It was the Moors last stronghold in Europe before being driven out in 1492. We also visit the nearby Generalife Gardens used by the Nasrid kings as a retreat from the palace. After our tour we have some free time in the city, and will visit the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), where we see the crypt where the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, are buried. Finally, we continue on to our next destination, Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol, the Spanish Riviera! BD March 22, Tuesday • Torremolinos Torremolinos is the most famous of the Costa del Sol resort towns. It is described extensively in Hemingway’s novel "The Drifters." We take an excursion this morning to Mijas; a quaint, whitewashed Andalusian village perched high on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. Mijas is a great place to do some shopping or maybe ride a taxi burro. Then we return to Torremolinos and enjoy an afternoon at leisure. As an optional activity, some of us may want to attend an evening of Flamenco, an art form that originated in Andalucía! BD March 23, Wednesday • Torremolinos After the excitement of Barcelona and the Fallas festival in Valencia, it is time for a break. Today is a free day to pursue whatever options you wish. Several full day excursions are possible; including the fortification at Gibraltar, or possibly Marbella, Fuengirola, and other resort towns along the coast. If there is enough interest we may take an (optional)excurion past Gibaltar to Tangier, Morocco. A day exploring Torremolinos with its shops and beaches may also be appealing. Dinner is on your own tonight, and along the beach there is a variety of seafood restaurants complete with tapas bars. It should be an evening of relaxation that we will need before the next two activity-packed evenings. B March 24, Thursday • Sevilla We continue westward to Sevilla, Spain’s third largest city. En route we drive through some of the wildest parts of the country to visit Ronda. Situated on a dramatic gorge spanned by a Roman bridge over the Guadalevín River, the town is an amazing sight! Describing it, the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote “ The incomparable phenomenon of this city piled up on two steep rock masses divided by the narrow deep river gorge… It is indescribable!” There will be time to explore this fascinating place, and, perhaps, visit the oldest bull ring in Spain! We then continue to Sevilla. In the evening we will want to be in position to watch the somber procession of pasos (sculptured floats representing scenes from Christ’s Passion) that parade by every hour. Each paso weighs approximately 4,000 pounds and is carried on the backs of 40-100 costaleros who transport it in a swaying, almost hypnotic movement. These processions go on from late Thursday evening until the early hours of Good Friday. Each paso is followed by over 2,000 nazarenos (followers) that are usually hooded, wear conical hats, and walk barefoot. They move to the same swaying movement as the pasos. Between each paso is a pause which gives time to run to the nearest tapas bar or buy fried churros (spicy sausages)! Note: Our hotel is located in the downtown area, so you may participate just as long as you wish to stay out! Breakfast will be late tomorrow. BD March 25 Friday • Sevilla The two most important days of the year to be in Seville are Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa (Holy Week.) Our agenda today will depend on the scheduled program of activities. In the forenoon we enjoy a locally guided city tour, including a stroll through María Luisa Park and visits to the nearby Plaza de España and other pavilions built for the 1929 Spanish American Exhibition. We also visit Sevilla’s famous Catedral, the third largest in the world. This immense gothic cathedral took over a century to build and its bell tower, La Giralda, was originally part of a mosque. Inside the Catedral we see the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Once again, our plans today will be flexible. BD March 26, Saturday • Córdoba We depart Sevilla and journey eastward to Córdoba. Here we take a tour of La Mezquita, the great mosque originally built in the year 785. The mosque is unique because in the 16th century, a cathedral was built in the center of it. After our tour, we take a walk through the Jewish quarter and admire the towering walls, cobblestone streets and the wrought ironwork found on many of the buildings. BD March 27, Sunday • Madrid Today is Easter Sunday. We will depart Córdoba immediately following early services (most likely a mass). We then drive northward to Toledo, where a local guide will show us the rich history of Toledo, Spain’s former capital. Our sightseeing may include tours of La Catedral with its mixture of different styles of architecture, La Sinagoga del Tránsito and Santo Tomé, which houses the “Burial of the Count of Orgaz,” one of El Greco’s masterpieces. After our tour we have time for lunch and some more sightseeing on our own before we continue on to Madrid. We arrive in time to relax before dinner. BD March 28, Monday • Madrid We become acquainted with Madrid this morning on a locally guided city tour, which includes the Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city, the Plaza de Cibeles, where the very distinctive Banco de España is located. We also see the Plaza de España with its statues of Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Finally, we tour the spectacular Palacio Real (Royal Palace), which took 26 years to build and has over 1,200 rooms. We enjoy some time in the afternoon for some shopping and individual exploration. BD March 29, Tuesday • Madrid Our first stop on our full-day excursion today is Segovia. Here our local guide takes us on a tour of the Alcázar. Built atop a rocky hill, this fortress was rebuilt in 1862 after a fire. We also see the city’s Gothic cathedral and its ancient aqueduct that was built in the first century and used well into the 19th century. We have some time for lunch in Segovia before continuing on to Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos, Franco’s stupendous monument to those who fell in the Spanish Revolution. We then return to Madrid in time for our farewell dinner. BD March 30, Wednesday • Return Regretfully, we transfer to Madrid’s Barajas Airport for our return flight to the United States. We return with memories of fabulous festivals, landscapes, cathedrals and palaces. ¡Bienvenidos a casa! B(IF)L B=Breakfast L= Lunch D=Dinner IF = In Flight Tour Cost Includes • Air transportation from Minneapolis • Land transportation via deluxe motor coach. • Double-occupancy accommodations in first class and superior tourist class hotels • Fully escorted from Minneapolis • Services of a local bilingual guide • Locally guided tours of Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo, and Madrid • All breakfasts, and all but one dinner. • Admissions to all sight-seeing activities listed in itinerary, unless designated “optional” • JWJ travel bag, trip journal, luggage tags • Handling of one piece of luggage per person at hotels • All tips and taxes for included services, including end of tour gratuities to bus driver and tour guide Not Included • Meals not indicated above • Beverages, except at breakfast • Items of a personal nature (e.g., passport fees) • Passport must be valid until at least September 30, 2016 Terms and Conditions Payment Policy: An initial deposit of $500.00 per person will be due with a completed application. (We do not accept credit cards.) Final payment will be due December 1, 2015. Cancellations must be received in writing (dates will be determined by postmarks) and penalties for cancellation are: Prior to December 1, 2015 $50 December 2, 2015 - February 21, 2016 $500 plus any unrecoverable land deposits or air fare penalties After February 22, 2016 No refund We reserve the right to cancel this trip due to lack of subscription. In the event of cancellation of the trip in its entirety a full refund of all deposits will be made. Tour price is based on the value of the dollar and the cost of airfare and departure taxes on April 5, 2015 and is subject to change without notice. Deviations are usually available, but must be requested when booking the tour. Deviatons or changes in airfare booking may result in a significant airline fee. It may be possible, that due to unforeseen events or conditions, or changes in airline schedules, the land portion of the trip may be extended or shortened. Any savings realized by such occurrences will be refunded. However any extra expenses incurred must be borne by the client. Health and trip cancellation insurance is available. This low-cost protection can save you money if you are forced to cancel or alter your trip for a medical reason only. We will send you trip health/cancellation insurance information upon receipt of your deposit. Responsibility: Journeys with Jeff, its officers and employees, tour hosts, nor any other persons or vendors connected with the tour shall not under any circumstances be liable to the client under or by reason of this agreement directly or indirectly for any accidents, injury, delay, damage, or inconvenience caused to the client by negligence of others, by malfunctions of transportation systems or equipment, by acts of war, rebellion, or terrorism, strikes, theft or itinerary changes or cancellations, and the client hereby releases the above mentioned corporation and persons from any and all such liability. The airline(s) concerned are not held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time passengers are not on their planes or conveyances. The passenger’s contract in use by the airlines concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the airlines and the purchaser of this tour and/or passenger. Any and/or all transportation companies herein mentioned shall not have nor incur any responsibility to any traveler aside from their liability as common carriers. Air and land costs are subject to change without notice. Air transportation is via projected, non refundable airfare. Other rules may also apply. Services of any A.R.C. or I.A.T.A. carrier may be used in conjunction with this tour. We reserve the right to assess surcharges such as airline imposed fuel surcharges or increases in airport departure taxes whenever they are announced. We reserve the right to accept or retain any person as a member of the group at any time before or during the duration of the trip. Should a tour member be required to leave the trip there shall be no refund for any unused services, and expenses for facilitating the early return are the responsibility of the tour member concerned. Photographic Likeness of members taken on tour may be used in subsequent brochures or other adverising materials unless specifically prohibted by member(s). Festivals of Spain Name of Tour _________________________________ First Name Festivals of Spain Name of Tour _________________________________ First Name Address City State Address City State I grant JWJ permission to use any photos taken on tour that contain my likeness for possible use in future promotional materials. I grant JWJ permission to include my email address solely on the final participant list sent to the members of this tour. I desire a single supplement at an extra cost of $950. For cost refer to tour brochure (subject to availability) Signature Date I have read and agree to the terms and conditions as stated on the tour brochure. Please include me on the trip. . Special Diet Needs r r r I grant JWJ permission to use any photos taken on tour that contain my likeness for possible use in future promotional materials. I grant JWJ permission to include my email address solely on the final participant list sent to the members of this tour. ($500 per person) I desire a single supplement at an extra cost of $950. For cost refer to tour brochure (subject to availability) Signature Date I have read and agree to the terms and conditions as stated on the tour brochure. Please include me on the trip. 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