Join Dr. Jeffrey Seif on JUNE 8-17, 2019
JUNE 8 – Depart USA
Flights are not included in the tour package.
JUNE 9 – Arrive Madrid – Toledo – Madrid
¡Bienvenido a Madrid! Upon arrival in Madrid, clear customs and meet your Parallel Tours and Travel representative and transfer to Toledo by private motorcoach beginning with a panoramic city tour. Continue with a guided tour of the Old City of Toledo, including the Jewish Quarter; the Samuel Halevi Abulafia Synagogue, now a converted church known as Nuestra Señora del Tránisito; the Sephardic Museum; and the Santa Maria La Blanca Church (formerly the Grand Synagogue). Lunch on your own and free time to explore. Return to Madrid for check in at hotel followed by dinner and overnight. (D)
June 10 – Madrid
After breakfast this morning, enjoy a panoramic tour of the city’s highlights including its business and financial district Paseo de La Castellana, Plaza de Colón which commemorates the famous explorer, as well as Madrid’s City Hall with its impressive gothic architecture. Begin with a walking tour of the city, stopping at various sites, including: Plaza Mayor, witness to the many auto-da-fé’s that took place here, El Madrid de los Austrias which was Madrid’s old city center built during the rule of the kings from the house of Habsburg and Las Letras Quarter where some of Madrid’s most notable writers have lived and written over the years. Free time to explore the city and lunch on your own. Dinner and overnight at hotel. (B,D)
JUNE 11 – Madrid – Segovia – Ávila – Hervás
This morning we leave Madrid as we continue our journey on to the World Heritage City of Segovia. During our tour we will visit the Alcázar (Spanish palace). The first documented record of the fortress dates back to Christian writings in the 12th century. Visit also of the Jewish neighborhood, cemetery, House of Abraham Seneor (housing rich history on Segovia’s Jews) as well as the site where the synagogue once stood. Continue to Medieval Christian Ávila. Ávila was a center of intellectual and spiritual life, where an important Talmudic school flourished. It is here where Moseh de León (author of the Sefer ha-Zohar) and the prophet of Ávila, Nissim ben Abraham (author of the Book of Wonders of Wisdom) resided. Enjoy a walk along the Sephardic Garden, memorial of the rich Jewish heritage of the city. After our visit, depart for Hervás. Visit of Spain’s best preserved Jewish neighborhood and Hervás’ most historical heritage, the Jewish quarter. Its narrow, steep streets are lined with houses clustering together like grapes, which were made with adobe and chestnut wood frameworks. The religious heritage includes the church of Santa Maria (13th century), The Convent of the Trinitarian Fathers (1659); The hermitage of San Andres (14th century), and the hermitage of St. Anton. Check in at hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
JUNE 12 – Hervás – Plasencia
After breakfast, depart for Plasencia. On the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city’s strategic location along the Silver Route. This town was inhabited by Romans and Arabs until the 12th century. Since the 15th century, the noblemen of the region began to move to Plasencia, defining its current appearance. Plasencia’s Parador de Turismo (Inn) is located in an old convent. Check in at hotel followed by free time on your own to explore. Dinner and overnight at hotel. (B,D)
JUNE 13 – Plasencia – Cáceres – Sevilla
This morning, depart for Cáceres where the influence of the ancient civilizations of the Romans, Arabs, and Jews is clearly displayed throughout as well as Renaissance vestige. Visit Cáceres’ Old Jewry located inside the Monumental Wall which is presided over by the Hermitage of San Antonio (site of the old Jewish synagogue). Visit also the New Jewish Quarter, outside the walls of the Monumental City and next to the Plaza Mayor, is the neighborhood settled predominantly by Jews in 1478 and establishing a strong Jewish presence and heritage. After our visit, continue our drive to Sevilla for check in at hotel followed by dinner and overnight. (B,D)
JUNE 14 – Sevilla
Seville, a city shaped by both Renaissance and Arabic influences. Tour the beautiful Alcazar Palace, followed by a visit to the Great Cathedral, the burial place of Christopher Columbus, and La Giralda, built in the 12th century, whose bell tower became the symbol of the city. Ancient texts place Jews in Seville at the time of the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C. Visit the Santa Cruz neighborhood, formerly Seville’s Jewish Quarter, once known as La Judería (The Jewry), with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life found within the contemporary city. Lunch on own and afternoon free to explore Seville. Dinner and overnight at hotel. (B,D)
JUNE 15 – Sevilla – Córdoba – Granada
Check out of hotel after breakfast and drive to Córdoba, the capital of the Moorish Kingdom of al-Andalus. Visit Córdoba’s Cathedral (former Mosque) with its 1,000 colored columns. Visit the Jewish Quarter, including Plaza Tiberias and the Yehuda Halevi Square. View the Statue of Maimonides and visit the Maimonides Synagogue. Lunch on your own. Before departure for Granada, stop at Casa de Sefarad, dedicated to the history of the Sephardic Jews prior to the Inquisition and expulsion of 1492. (B,D)
JUNE 16 – Granada – Málaga
Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors before it fell to Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492. After breakfast, enjoy a guided visit to the Alhambra Palace, a spectacular maze of opulent halls, filled with intricate dado panels, colonnaded courtyards, and ornamental honeycomb ceilings. Visit also the majestic Generalife Gardens once enjoyed by the Moorish kings of Granada. Continue to Málaga where we begin with a panoramic tour of the city from the 10th century Gibralfaro Castle followed by a walking tour of the city center including the bustling Larios Street and visit of the Picasso Museum. Continue to Torremolinos for check in at hotel followed by dinner and overnight. (B,D).
JUNE 17 – Depart Málaga
Breakfast at hotel before departure for airport. Air travel not included in pricing. (B)