Spanish Treasures from Madrid to Barcelona September 7 - 21, 2012

	Intense! Passionate! Spectacular and Diverse! Join us for a sample of Madrid, El Escorial, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, Bilbao & Barcelona. Experience the incredible Golden Triangle of Art – the Prado, the Reina Sofia National, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museums. Explore the richness of the Royal Palace and the Royal Monastery. Visit Gugggenheim Bilbao, the Wind Combs and Chillida Lekuu. Discover Gaudi’s Palau Guell, the Church of La Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera. Tour the Miro Foundation, the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona and more.

	Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary

	September 7, 2012 Depart for Spain on Air Canada via Toronto. September 8, 2012 Arrive in Madrid and transfer to and check in at the elegant Hotel Tryp Ambassador located in the historical city center of Madrid close to the Royal Palace, Teatro de la Opera, the courts and the Gran Vía. Free time until our Welcome Dinner at Las Carboneras flamenco restaurant. Transfer back to the hotel after the show. Overnight, Hotel Tryp Ambassador. D

		September 9, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Prado Museum, one of the greatest museums of art in the world, for a guided tour. The Prado features one of the world's finest collections of European art, which dates from from the 12th century to the early 19th century, and includes works by Spain’s three great masters – Goya, Velásquez and El Greco. Tapas lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon, continue our exploration of the Golden Triangle of Art with a guided tour at the Reina Sofia National Museum dedicated to Spanish art, with excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Certainly the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's painting Guernica. Dinner and evening free. (Optional performance) BL

September 10, 2012 Following breakfast at the hotel, complete our exploration of the Golden Triangle of Art with a morning visit to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the third jewel in the crown. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English, Dutch and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofia, the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, once the second largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection, includes Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, with over 1,600 paintings. Lunch in a traditional Spanish restaurant. This afternoon, visit the sumptuous Royal Palace, the largest palace in Europe. The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art, both in terms of the use of fine materials in its construction and in the decoration of its rooms with artwork of all kinds. Return to hotel for dinner on your own and an evening at leisure. BL

September 11, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel. Check out and depart for El Escorial and a visit to the Royal Monastery. The Monastery of El Escorial, situated at the foot of Mt. Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama, is also a pantheon, a basilica, a convent, a school, a library, and a royal palace. The decoration of the Monastery was entrusted to prominent Italian painters of the time who were responsible for the Gallery of Battles and the Library. Works by Titian, Bosch, El Greco, and Velázquez also hang on the walls of the Chapter Rooms and Sacristy. Overall there are about 1,600 paintings and more than 500 frescoes on walls and ceilings. Lunch in a local restaurant before continuing on to Salamanca. Check in at the Hotel Tryp Salamanca, located in Paseo Canalejas, near the Gran Vía, Plaza Mayor of Salamanca and the cathedrals, and only a short walk from the Centre for Performing Arts and Music. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. Overnight Hotel Tryp Salamanca. BL

	September 12, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel before a morning tour of Salamanca. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Our tour will include visits to the Old and New Cathedral, as well as the University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, the oldest university in Spain and the third oldest western university. We will also see Casa de Las Conchas (Shell House) and Salamanca’s famous Plaza Mayor. Lunch on your own and afternoon free to enjoy this lovely city. Dinner at the Hotel Melia Las Claras. Overnight Hotel Tryp Salamanca. BD

		September 13, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel before checking out and departing Salamanca for Santiago de Compostela. Lunch stop at Ourense enroute. Check in at Parador de Santiago – Hostal de Los Reyes Catolicos, Santiago de Compostela, probably the oldest hotel in the world and also one of the most luxurious. The hostal, which originated as a Royal Hospital in 1499, gave lodging and shelter to the numerous pilgrims making their way to Santiago. It has four beautiful cloisters, elegant living rooms, comfortable bedrooms and a luxurious dining room which offers fish and meat dishes cooked 'a la gallega,' in addition to the classical caramelized apple 'filloas' (crepes) and cream. Remainder of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight Parador Reyes Catolicos. BLD

	September 14, 2012 After breakfast at the hotel, a morning sightseeing tour of Santiago de Compostela, including the Cathedral (Museum) and a walking tour through the city's Old Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages. Afternoon free. Dinner and overnight Parador Reyes Catolicos. BD

September 15, 2012 Following breakfast at the hotel, check out and depart for Oviedo. Enjoy a short panoramic city tour and lunch in a local restaurant before continuing on to Bilbao. Check in at the centrally-located Hotel Silken Indautxu. Remainder of the day and evening at leisure. Dinner on your own. Overnight Hotel Silken Indautxu. BL

September 16, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a guided tour of the Guggenheim Bilbao, the architectural marvel designed by world-renowned Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, which houses modern and contemporary art. Lunch at a local restaurant follwed by a visit to Cor-Ten Steel Sculptures; the Wind Combs, the masterpiece of Eduardo Chillida, and Chillida Leku, set up by Chillida for the display of his work at the site of an old farmhouse in the Basque countryside. Today there is an outdoor sculpture garden dedicated to his work. Remainder of the day at leisure and dinner on your own. Overnight Hotel Silken Indautxu. BL

		September 17, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Depart for Barcelona with a stop in Zaragoza for lunch in a local restaurant. Check in at the Silken Gran Hotel Havana in Barcelona, a first class hotel housed in the Casa L. Fradera, a historic building dating back to 1882 situated in Barcelona's Gran Vía Avenue. Strategically located in the centre of the city, the hotel is only a stone's throw away from the most emblematic buildings of Gaudí, the mythical Ramblas avenue and the Gothic Quarter. Remainder of the day at leisure. Dinner on your own. Overnight, Silken Gran Hotel Havana. BL

	September 18, 2012 After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudi." The Palau Güell is a mansion designed by Gaudi for the Catalan industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell. Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church, also designed by Gaudi. Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV. Lunch at a local restaurant followed by a visit to Casa Mila. Casa Milà,better known as La Pedrera , meaning 'The Quarry', is another Gaudi-designed building. Gaudi wanted the people who lived in the flats to all know each other therefore there were only lifts on every second floor so people had to communicate with one another on different floors. Remainder of the day and evening at leisure with dinner on your own. (Optional performance.) Overnight, Silken Gran Hotel Havana. BL

September 19, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel before a tour of the Gothic Quarter, the centre of the old city of Barcelona where many of the buildings date from Medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Visit the city's gothic cathedral, known as La Seu. Lunch in a local restaurant. This afternoon, a guided visit to the Miró Foundation, a museum of modern art honoring Joan Miró. The building, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, a close friend of Miró, includes courtyards and terraces to create a natural path for visitors to move through the building. Remainder of the day and evening at leisure. Dinner on your own. Overnight, Silken Gran Hotel Havana. BL

	September 20, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel with an entire day to enjoy the sights of this incredible city. Farewell Dinner at the 7 Portes Restaurant, one of Barcelona’s oldest and most famous restaurants. Overnight, Silken Gran Hotel Havana. BD September 21, 2012 Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to airport for our return flight to Ottawa. B
	Coordinators: Sally Hutchison Donna Mouzard Travel Agency: Executive Worldwide Travel Agent: Jean Sheikh, C.T.C. (613) 236-5555 Or 1-800-267-5552 Registration No.: 1892605

Back to Tours