Iberian Fiesta

We’ll see Antonio Gaudi’s famous buildings and monuments such as Casa Batllo and La Pedrera on the fancy Paseo de Gracia, and the still unfinished (started 1882) Cathedral of the Holy Family – Sagrada Familia. We’ll finish our tour on the renowned “Rambla” – a mile long lively pedestrian promenade, lined with trees, cafes and shops. Balance of the day at leisure. Overnight: Barcelona.

Rua da Força, the main (narrow) street of the “call” still preserves some of the traces of the ancient Jewish community. We’ll return to Barcelona and stop in Plaza Cataluña – the pulsing heart of the city for a walking tour of Barri Gotic, the medieval quarter of the city. We see the impressive Gothic Cathedral, the Royal square, the place of the famous Jewish-Christian dispute of 1263, and more the “Carrer dell Call” (< Hebrew Kahal)– the old Jewish quarter. We’ll will visit the Singoga Mayor, the Main Synagogue of Barcelona which was not only the oldest in Spain but in all of Europe. Despite the synagogue’s importance, it was discovered almost by accident as for many centuries of use for other purposes, the building re-opened as a synagogue and museum in 2002 after steps were taken to ensure its restoration.
Overnight: Barcelona.

Our sightseeing of Seville takes us to see the beautiful gardens of the Maria Luisa Park, site of the 1929 Spanish-American Exhibition, where we can admire Becquer’s Monument – one of the most impressive romantic statuary complexes in Europe and the nearby grandiose Plaza de España. Our panoramic motor coach tour shows us the 12th century Torre del Oro – Gold Tower on the Guadalquivir river, the dominating Giralda tower, and the fine Baroque building which is now the University but used to be the tobacco factory where Carmen worked. Then we’ll stroll through the narrow lanes of the charming Santa Cruz quarter, the former “Juderia” – the Jewish quarter, as did Figaro, the barber or Don Juan. We’ll visit the Mudejar Alcazar and its gardens built by king Peter the Cruel in the 14th century, inspired by Alhambra. Then there’s time to relax or further explore the city.
In the evening we will enjoy a boat ride on the Guadalquivir River and see the sights of the most beautiful city in Andalusia from a different perspective.
Overnight: Seville.

Cordoba is the birthplace of Rambam (Maimonides) – Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon. Here we’ll visit the medieval old “Juderia” and its’ Mudejar Synagogue which survived. It is a tradition to take a picture with Rambam’s statue in the tiny Tiberiada square. Next, we’ll tour the magnificent 8th century La Mezquita – the Mosque of the Caliphs, famous for its 850 pillars of porphyry, marble, and jasper. We’ll finish our tour on Callejon de las Flores – “the alley of flowers” a nice little lane decorated with lots of flowers. Here we may visit the last living workshop of artistic processing of leather, a Cordobese Moorish specialty. In the late afternoon, we’ll return to Seville. In the evening we can enjoy the best and most complete flamenco show in Spain (Optional).
Overnight: Seville.

At noon we’ll be in the legendary Gibraltar “Jabal Tariq” – “Mount of Tarik” in Gibraltar. Its impressive stature, and towering Rock, isolated above the surrounding countryside, causes the greatest impact. It is a narrow peninsula linked to the end of the Iberian Peninsula by a narrow sandy isthmus. Gibraltar has been in British hands since 1704. Soon after the British occupation, Sephardic Jews coming from Italy, North Africa and later from England settled there. Until today there is an active local Jewish community with a number of Synagogues and a Glatt Kosher restaurant. Both famous and enigmatic, Gibraltar contains some of the most extensive Military Fortifications in Europe, spanning over 1200 years of Moorish, Spanish and British history.  We visit the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, including the intriguing St Michael’s Cave, as well as the famous Barbary semi-wild Gibraltar apes in The Apes’ Den, the focal point for all visitors to The Rock of Gibraltar. Weather permitting; we might get a glimpse the African continent beyond the Strait.
Evening services will be followed by Shabbat dinner.
Overnight: Gibraltar

We cross the lavish resort of Marbella and its elegant marina – Puerto Banus on the way to Grenada we will stop in Mijas, a small village of white houses’ we will walk along the beautiful streets from there we will continue to Grenada, named “Garnata al-Yahud” (Granada of the Jews) by the Arabs during their conquest of Spain. Granada was also the last Moorish stronghold in Spain; it was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II & Isabella I of Castile in 1492.  We will visit its main attraction:  Alhambra, the mighty yet graceful Citadel and Palace designed by the 13th and 14th centuries Moorish rulers of Granada. A fantasy of “Lace in Stone” surrounded by Arabesque gardens and fountains, it affords superb views of the Old quarters – Albaicin and Sacromonte, a hill occupied by Gypsy cave dwellers. Walking across the Court of the Myrtles we’ll will stop at the “Hall of the Ambassadors’’ in Comares Tower, where the Edict of Expulsion was issued on 31 March 1492.  We’ll also amble through the magnificent terraced Generalife water Garden, with its shadowy cypresses, oleander, pavilions and cool fountains – The Royal Summer Residence. A panoramic sightseeing tour of downtown Granada. In the end the panoramic tour we’ll stop in front of the statue of Yehuda ibn Tibbon (1120-1190) the forerunner of the Arabic-Hebrew translation movement.
Overnight: Granada.

We’ll stop by the picturesque Venta del Quijote just to take a look at the famous courtyard where Don Quixote is supposed to have been dubbed a knight. Another stop will be at Consuegra where Don Quixote jousted with windmills. Continue to Madrid.
Overnight: Madrid.

We’ll concentrate our sightseeing around the old Juderia. We’ll see El-Greco’s house which used to be the home of Don Shmuel Halevy Abulafia (14th century), the king’s (Pedro el-Cruel) wealthy treasurer. We’ll also visit both ancient synagogues, today museums: El-Transito, Shmuel Halevy’s Mudejar synagogue (1356) considered to be the best preserved Jewish monument of the pre-Inquisition period, and Santa Maria la Blanca, Ibn Shoshan’s synagogue. Close to the Jewish quarters we’ll see El-Greco’s best known painting “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz”. We’ll return to Madrid and proceed on a sightseeing tour of the city including: the historic treasures of the Royal Palace, that is truly one of the most beautiful Palaces in Europe, the fabulous Prado Museum, housing one of the richest art collections in the world, including masterpieces by Goya, Velasquez, Rubens and Bosch. We will drive past Madrid’s great squares – Plaza España, with its monument to Cervantes, Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, the Neptun and Cibeles fountains, the major avenues of Gran Via, Castellana and the Retiro Baroque park, so enjoyable to stroll.  We’ll finish at Beth Jacov Synagogue and the Jewish Community Center.
Overnight: Madrid.

The ancient walled city of Avila is where Moses de Leon (Moses ben Shem Tov) a Jewish Kabbalist. The decree of Expulsion of 1492 is also housed in Avila’s archives. And it is also the burial place of the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada. We will visit an old cemetery that was discovered in 2012. We’ll continue to visit the historic Romanesque town of Segovia, the city where Isabella was proclaimed queen in the soaring Alcazar, the Castle that so typifies Spain. We will See the stupendous Roman Aqueduct, dating back to the time of Emperor Trajan, and uptown, between the cathedral and the walls, the Calle de la Juderia Vieja, and Calle de la Juderia Nueva. If possible we’ll visit the former old Mudejar synagogue (13th century) inside the Corpus Christi Hospital. At the end of the day we will return to Madrid and in the evening you can experience the beautifully illuminated fountains and luminous buildings of Madrid as this city of grace and color lights up the night (optional).
Overnight: Madrid.