Itinerary for Spain, Portugal and Morocco October 22 - November 4, 2011

Transcription

1 Itinerary for Spain, Portugal and Morocco October 22 - November 4, 2011 Day 1 Oct. 22, 2011 (Saturday): Flight on Delta Airlines from Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain The exact flight schedule will be available toward the end of December, Day 2 Oct. 23, 2011 (Sunday): Barcelona, Spain * 9:00 AM (approx.) Arrive in Barcelona, Spain * 10:15 AM Motorcoach pickup at the airport * 10:15-12:00 Noon - Motorcoach tour of the highlights of Barcelona including: a. Sagrada Familia Cathedral - This cathedral is an amazing piece of architecture by Antonio Gaudi. It reminds one of an enormous sand castle. It remains unfinished even after 100 years. b. Casa Batillo - This modernist building, another famous Gaudi design, is like something of a fairy tale influenced by flowing designs found in nature. c. La Pedrera/Casa Mila - With its undulating lines, this magnificent Gaudi building resembles a submarine cliff. It is fascinating! * 12:00 Noon - End our overview coach tour at the Barcelona Cathedral for a photo. If we have any time free before lunch, you may have a visit inside or you may wish to wander the fascinating Gothic Quarter where some of the most beautiful buildings and streets in Barcelona are located. Note - Optional Cathedral visit is 6 Euros per person. * 12:30-1:30 PM - A special Welcome to Barcelona lunch where we shall enjoy various tapas for lunch. If you are in Spain, you must know all about tapas which are little appetizers. Our guide will explain this tradition of eating tapas and also discuss the various kinds of tapas. After this lunch, you will know how to order tapas on your own as we travel through Spain. * 1:30-2:30 PM - Enjoy Las Ramblas, one of the favorite tourist attractions in Barcelona. This special pedestrian street is lined with outdoor patios, colorful street performers and vendors selling anything from caged yellow birds to beautiful flowers and paintings. * 2:30 PM - Depart for Montjuic where you will enjoy a beautiful view over the city and have a visit to the Olympic Stadium where Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympic Games. * 3:30 PM - Arrive at the Barcelona pier where we shall board our beautiful ship, the Ryndam, by Holland America Cruise Lines. * 5:00 PM - Ship sails Day 3 Oct. 24, 2011 (Monday): Day at Sea What a nice way to catch up on sleep and overcome your jet lag. Enjoy our beautiful floating hotel today. Day 4 Oct. 25, 2011 (Tuesday): Malaga, Spain Sail at 6:00 PM * Today we shall travel to Granada, one of the most magnificent cities in Spain. Granada enjoys a glorious setting on a fertile plain overlooked by three hills and the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Watching over the modern Christian city stands the breathtaking Alhambra, one of the most magnificent monuments ever created by man and for many, the highlight of Spain. Page 2

2 * The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the joy that crowns this beautiful city. In this masterpiece of architecture, every inch squared is a work of art. During our visit of the palaces, grand halls, rooms and exquisite gardens, we ll understand why the last Arabic king cried, retreating as the Catholic Kings conquered it. * We ll meander through the Generalife gardens of the Alhambra, some of the most impressive gardens in the world. * Lunch included in Granada * 5:00 PM Return to port * 6:00 PM Ship sails Day 5 Oct. 26, 2011 (Wednesday): Day at Sea A day to rest, relax and have fun on our glorious ship. Day 6 Oct. 27, 2011 (Thursday): Madeira (Funchal), Portugal (Portuguese Island) Sail at 4:00 PM * 8:00 AM Port in to Funchal, Madeira * 8:15 AM Meet on the pier to begin our tour * Travel to Monte - a village on the mountain above Funchal. Visit the little parish church followed by the famous wicker sledge (Toboggan) rides down to Livramento. These rides will be great fun!! Originally appearing in 1850, this was a fast means of transport down to Funchal for people living in Monte. These two-seater wicker sledges glide on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and straw hats, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes. * Travel up to Picos dos Barcelos which offers a glorious view over Funchal. * Next, climb higher in the mountains to Eira do Serrado, the grandest miradour in Madeira. This belvedere looks out over the Grande Curral, which is the deep crater of a long extinct volcano in the center of Madeira. You can look down into the awesome crater, viewing farms built on terraces inside the crater itself. * A typical Maderian lunch will be included here. * Up from the miradour of Eira do Serrado, one can see the village of Curral das Freiros, meaning Corral of the Nuns. The village used to be the center of the Convento de Santa Clara, where the sisters retreated for safety whenever Moorish pirates attacked Funchal. * Proceed down the mountains to the beautiful coastline where we shall visit the fishing bay village of Camara de Lobos that inspired some of Winston Churchill paintings. Landscapes are predominated by vineyards. Here we shall visit a Madeira wine cellar to learn of the making of Madeira wine and then have a lovely tasting experience. * Continue on to Cabo Girao - the highest sea cliff in Europe and the second in the world. Stop for beautiful photos. * Travel back to port in Funchal where we board our ship. * 3:30 pm Board our ship * 4:00 PM Ship sails Page 3

3 Day 7 Oct. 28, 2011 (Friday): Tenerife, Spain (Canary Islands) Port in at 9:00 AM Sail at 6:00 PM * 9:00 AM Port in to Santa Cruz, Tenerife * 9:30 AM Meet our guide on the pier to depart on our tour to the Parque Nacional de las Canadas del Teide, declared a national park in It includes an enormous volcanic crater, out of which rises Mount Teide at a staggering 3,718 meters (over 11,000 feet) making it the highest mountain in the whole of Spain. Time will be given for photos as we cross this amazing terraine with vast colors and formations of lava. It is spectacular! * 11:00-11:30 AM Visit Mt. Teide * 11:30 AM Depart Mount Teide and head down to the lush green north coast to the town of La Orotva which lies in the valley of banana plantations. This old town distinguishes itself by its magnificent and monumental architecture. * 12:30-1:30 PM - During our visit of Orotava, we will have a stop at the beautiful Casa de los Balcones ( balconies house ), a jewel of the island s traditional architecture. * 1:30 PM Lunch included at a typical Canarian restaurant with traditional cuisine. * 3:15 PM Visit La Laguna, one of Tenerife s most historical cities. Founded in 1496, it served as Tenerife s capital until The original Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains perfectly preserved, almost hidden away in the heart of the city. You will love this medieval town. * 4:15 PM - Visit Monte de las Mercedes with its spectacular scenery and vegetation. It even has the unique laurisilva vegetation, a relic of the tertiary ages. * 5:15 PM Arrive at our ship * 6:00 PM Ship sails Day 8 Oct. 29, 2011 (Saturday): Lanzarote (Arrecife), Spain (Canary Islands) Sail at 5:00 PM * 8:00 AM Port in to Arrecife, Lanzarote (UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve) * 8:15 AM Meet our guide on the pier and depart for our tour * Visit Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, Lanzarote s most popular attraction and rightly so - as here you will find scenery like nowhere else on the planet. Timanfaya is often likened to the surface of the moon - but in truth this is more how the earth must have looked when it was first formed many centuries ago. Witness the destruction created by the world s longest ever volcanic eruption and marvel at the twisted lava shapes and colors. * Camel Rides - One of the best ways to trek through the Fire Mountains is on one of these dromedaries. We will have great fun on this trek over the volcanic terrain. The ride is easily done in two side baskets sitting on the camel s hump. Two persons ride at one time. * Witness three different demonstrations that show how the earth is still amazingly hot - just below the surface soil. * Drive to Monumento al Campesino for photos. This is a monument by Cesar Manrique, the island s greatest Lanzaroteno. It marks the center of the island and pays homage to the peasant farmers of Lanzarote. He used an old fishing boat to construct it - all cubic and elevated on a bed of rocks. It is uniquely stunning! * Enjoy an amazing change of pace as we experience our visit to Fundacion Cesar Page 4

4 Manrique, the former private home of Cesar Manrique (artist and architect), which shows how powerful the bond can be between nature and architecture. His subterranean home was built around five volcanic vacuums in the surround lava flow. It is breathtakingly amazing! * Lunch on our own * Visit Jameos del Agua, a real jaw-breaker! A jameos is basically a collapsed lava tube - which Cesar Manrique turned into an underground grotto featuring bar and restaurant areas, great gardens, a lagoon that houses the worlds only albino crabs, a stunning auditorium and a swimming pool so beautiful that only the King of Spain is allowed in for a dip. * 4:20 PM Return to our ship * 5:00 PM Ship sails *** Note: Morocco has recently been added to Holland America s itineraries for 2011, and the two ports that we are scheduled to visit are still being refined concerning tours offered. We have received some information that will give you an idea about what we are suggesting to do in each port. In a couple of months we should have confirmed information about tour options. We will update you at that time. Therefore, what is listed below for the ports is what we suggest doing at this time. We will be doing ship tours out of the Moroccan ports because it is critical that we get back to port and not miss our sailing connections.*** Day 9 Oct. 30, 2011 (Sunday): Agadir, Morocco Sail at 2:00 PM * The tour that we recommend is Markets and Medina of Ancient Taroudant. On your onehour drive (each way) to Taroudant, you will visit the Kasbah (fort) and take in the panoramic view over the city of Agadir and the Atlantic Ocean. * Upon arrival at Taroudant, you will find red mud walls lending a character that is both unique to the town itself and also quintessentially Moroccan. Capturing the essence of life centuries ago in Taroudant requires virtually no imagination, for the town gives the distinct impression that not much has changed in a very long time. Under the Almoravid, Saadin and Moulay dynasties, Taroudant developed into an agricultural center far from the crowded cities - its hinterland support cotton, rice and sugar cane. * The distinctive essence of this serene town is best discovered at its wonderful souks (markets) located in the town medina area - among the most colorful in Morocco. * We will cross the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter, and end our tour with a stop at one of the city s ancient palaces now transformed into a luxury hotel. * Enjoy a soft drink before heading back to Agadir. * 2:00 PM Ship sails * Lunch on our ship * Afternoon free on our ship to enjoy lots of fun activities or just relax. Page 5 Day 10 Oct. 31, 2011 (Monday): Casablanca, Morocco Sail at 9:00 PM

5 * Today there are several options for tours that look fascinating. We shall list them below. A. The Imperial City of Rabat - It is a one-hour drive to Rabat, capital of Morocco and one of the four Imperial Cities. See the vast courtyard outside the Royal Palace and the 12 th century Hassan Tower gracefully dominating the ruins of a mosque. In the Old Town, you will discover the fascinating souks (markets) and the Oudays Kasbah. See where the Roman town of Sala stood outside the walls of Rabat, and the remnants of a fortified cemetery built in the 14 th century. B. Casablanca Highlights - Casablanca is the economic capital of Morocco. From your motorcoach you will walk through Place Mohammed V - the main square. At Casablanca s New Medina - a modern development in a traditional style - you will find the magnificent Royal Palace, the recently built Great Mosque, the Regional Law courts, Notre Dame de Lourdes Church and the central market. Driving along the coastal road, see the golden beaches of the Ain Diab Resort and enjoy a refreshment. C. Fez: The Cultural Capital - Drive to Fez, the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco. On the way, you will pass through Rabat with a brief tour of the city. In Fez, you will first visit the Batha Museum which displays a variety of hand-crafter pottery that traces Morocco s cultural history. Drive to the Royal Palace of Fez, with beautiful drawings and decorations. In the Barr ssif section, your walking tour begins with a stop at a wool dying factory. At a tannery, you will see leather for slippers, jackets, and wallets. View the Attarine School, founded by the Merinide Dynasty in the 14 th century and Al Quaraouiyine University - the first university in Morocco. D. Magical Marrakech - Founded almost a thousand years ago, Marrakech nestles at the foot of Morocco s mighty Atlas Mountains. Once in Marrakech, you will pass by the Koutoubia Minaret, a 12 th century Moorish monument. Walk among the gardens and hedges of fragrant rosemary to see the ornate Saaedian Tombs. At the Bahia Palace, you will have the opportunity to see the Harem. Lunch will be served at a deluxe hotel before you visit Jammaa El Fna Square, where soothsayers, acrobats, snake charmers and water-sellers mingle. Note: We think there will be an overnight tour offered into Marrakech. You will disembark our ship in Agadir, drive to Marrakech, spend the night and then the next afternoon, drive to Casablanca where you will meet our ship. If you choose this tour, this will take the place of any tours in Agadir and Casablanca. More details will come to you in the next few weeks. Day 11 Nov. 1, 2011 (Tuesday): Cadiz, Spain (Visit Seville) Port in at 11:00 AM Sail at 8:00 PM * Breakfast/Brunch on our ship * 11:00 AM Port in to Cadiz * 11:15-11:30 AM Meet on the pier to depart on our tour * Travel 1 ½ hours to the glorious city of Seville * Walking tour of the main highlights of Seville which are all in easy proximity to each other. Page 6 The walking tour will be 3 hours in length and include: A. Alcazar Royal Palace - Originally a 10 th -century palace built for the governors of

6 the local Moorish state, this magnificent building still functions as a royal palace - the oldest in use in Europe. On visits to Seville, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia stay here. It is also the place where Ferdinand and Isabella, who at one time lived in the Alcazar and influenced it architectural evolution, welcomed Columbus on his return from America. You will certainly marvel at the grandeur of this beautiful building. B. Cathedral of Seville and Giralda Bell Tower - Seville s Cathedral if the third-largest church in Europe (after St. Peter s in Rome and St. Paul s in London), and the largest Gothic church in the world, taking 120 years to build. This cathedral is so enormous that even its builders recognized the folly and fanaticism of their dreams. Its crowning summit, the Giralda, one of Europe s most famous towers, was begun in the late 1100's by the Moors. C. Barrio Santa Cruz - What was once a ghetto for Spanish Jews who were forced out of Spain in the late 15 th century in the wake of the Inquisition, is today Seville s most colorful district. Near the old walls of the Alcazar, winding medieval streets open onto pocket-size plazas. Flower-filled balconies with draping bougainvillea and potted geraniums jut over this labyrinth. Feel free to look through numerous wrought-iron gates into patios filled with fountains and plants. * 4:00 PM Free time to wander on your own, get a bite to eat, or do some shopping. * 5:15 PM Depart Seville * 6:45 PM Return to our ship * 8:00 PM Ship sails Day 12 Nov. 2, 2011 (Wednesday): At Sea Today is free to enjoy the last day on our cruise. This is a perfect day to reflect on the marvelous things you have experienced and maybe write a few notes to help you make notes for your pictures when you get home. Day 13 Nov. 3, 2011 (Thursday): Port in at 7:00 AM Barcelona, Spain * 7:00 AM Port in to Barcelona * Disembark our ship and board a private motorcoach for a transfer to our Hotel All day free to enjoy Barcelona. Day 14 Nov 4, 2011 (Friday): Early morning transfer to the airport for our 10:00 am flight home on Delta Airlines.