DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Vigo.

DAY    2            ARRIVE VIGO AREA (2 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide, where we will board our own private coach and transfer to our hotel in the Vigo area. Time permitting, we will enjoy an introductory tour of Vigo, which is Galicia's largest town and the biggest fishing port in Spain.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (THE WAY OF ST. JAMES)
Today we will journey to the northwestern pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela, the third-largest holy city of the Christian world, a university town and a marketplace for Galician farmers. A pilgrimage to the tomb of the beheaded apostle, St. James, was a high point for the faithful, peasants, and prince alike, who journeyed here from all over Europe. Our morning begins with a guided tour of the Cathedral, which was begun in the 11th century, and is the crowning achievement of Spanish Romanesque architecture. Maestro Mateo's Pórtico de la Gloria, carved in 1188, ranks among the finest produced in Europe at that time and the three arches of the portico are carved with biblical figures from the Last Judgment. We will also see the Crypt, where a silver urn contains what are believed to be the remains of the Apostle St. James. Our visit will also include the Cathedral Museum displays tapestries and archaeological fragments, and the Palacio de Gelmírez, an archbishop's palace built during the 12th century, which is another outstanding example of Romanesque architecture. Our day continues with a Walking Tour, which will highlight many of Santiago's most impressive buildings and monuments. Highlights of the walk will include the Plaza del Obradoiro; Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, formerly a royal hospice and, in the 15th century, a pilgrims' hospice; the Monasterio de San Martín Pinario, founded in 899 and rebuilt in the 17th century, the beautiful Plaza de la Quintana; the Casa de la Canónica, the former residence of the canon, which has wrought-iron window bars, lending it a rather severe appearance; and the Renaissance-style Plaza de las Platerías, which has an elaborate fountain. Later we visit the Romanesque Santa María del Sar, a collegiate church and one of the architectural gems of the Romanesque style in Galicia. We will cap off our day with a walk along Paseo de la Herradura, the gardens southwest of the old town, where we will get an all-encompassing view of the cathedral and the old city.

DAY    4            VIGO AREA - FÁTIMA (1 NIGHT)
This morning we will drive into neighboring Portugal to Fátima, where we will visit the small slanted-roof shed known as the Chapel of the Apparitions. Inside stands a single white column marking the spot where a small holm oak once grew. An image of the Virgin Mary reputedly appeared over this oak on May 13, 1917, when she is said to have spoken to three shepherd children. We will also visit the pristine White Basilica in the neoclassic style, which was erected at one end of the wide square. The evening is set aside to provide you with the time and opportunity to immerse yourself into the faith and mystery of this holy place. You may choose to visit the graves of Jacinta and Francesco, or walk the moving Stations of the Cross, or spend some quiet time in prayer and devotion. This evening we will join with pilgrims from around the world in a candle light procession honoring the Mother of Christ.

DAY    5            FÁTIMA AREA - ÉVORA AREA (1 NIGHT)
Our journey continues today to Évora, the capital of Alto Alentejo, a Roman city under Julius Caesar (Liberalitas Julia), and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will commence with a Walking Tour through historic Évora, where we will view sixteenth and seventeenth century houses, many with tile patios, cobblestone and labyrinthine streets, arcades, squares with bubbling fountains, whitewashed houses, and a profuse display of Moorish-inspired arches that help characterize the town. Our walk will be highlighted by the craft shops along Rua 5 de Outubro, the Praca de Giraldo, the city's main square, the old university, the remains of the Roman Walls, and capped with a visit to the Roman Temple, ruins thought to be dedicated to the Goddess Diana, in the center of the city. Our afternoon begins with a visit to the Sé, Évora's magnificent cathedral, which took over 50 years to complete, and has the look of a fortress, with a portal flanked by two unmatched towers.

DAY    6            ÉVORA AREA - BEJA - SEVILLE AREA (2 NIGHTS)
Our day continues to Beja, founded by Julius Caesar, and once known as Pax Julia. The capital of Baixo Alentejo, the town rises like a pyramid above the surrounding fields of swaying wheat. We will ascend the Torre de Menagem, Beja's massive castle keep, which marks the northwest limit of the old quarter, and provides a marvelous panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside. We continue our day just outside the city, where we will explore the remains of the luxurious Roman Villa at Pisoes. Dating from the 1st century AD, excavation is far from complete; however extensive floor mosaics and fragments of decorated walls, baths, a bathing pool and hypocaust have been uncovered. We continue with our drive to Seville, the capital of Andalusia in Spain.

DAY    7            SEVILLE (THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPAIN)
Our morning commences with a Walking Tour through Seville's Barrio Santa Cruz, a tiny quarter of narrow streets and whitewashed houses, with flower-bedecked patios and iron bound windows. We continue with a visit to Seville Cathedral, beginning with an ascent of La Giralda, the magnificent bell tower, which provides breathtaking views of Seville. Next we enter the cathedral, where we will visit the Treasury, and view the Capilla Mayor and the Tomb of Columbus. Our afternoon begins with a visit to the Reales Alcazares, the former Moorish palace taken over and partially remodeled by the Christian Kings. We conclude our day in the Parque de Maria Luisa, Seville's grand and beautifully landscaped park. A highlight of the park is the Plaza de España, a building and square designed for the 1920's Exposition, featuring Baroque towers, fancy bridges, immense colonnades, and over a million azuelos, painted tiles depicting maps and historical events from every province in Spain. This evening we will enjoy a Flamenco Show, where we will observe the art of Flamenco dance and music.

DAY    8            SEVILLE AREA - CÓRDOBA - GRANADA (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we travel to Córdoba, an important town in Roman times and a city of kings during the Muslim domination of Spain. We will visit the exquisite Mezquita-Catedral, originally built as a mosque and later transformed into a Christian cathedral. The hundreds of carved arches, pillars, grillwork and mosaics dazzle the eye in this 1200-year-old building. Time permitting, we will also explore the Judería, Córdoba's ancient Jewish quarter, with a nest of tiny streets with interesting shops and cafes, as well as uniquely designed synagogues and houses with beautiful flowered patios. We continue to Granada, one of Spain's most beautiful and important cities. This evening we will take a stroll through the old Moorish quarter, the Albaicin, where we will be rewarded with a magnificent view of the floodlit Alhambra from St. Nicholas Church.

DAY    9            GRANADA (LEGACY OF THE MOORS)
This morning we begin with a guided tour of the Alhambra, Spain's finest display of Moorish architecture. Set high upon a hill overlooking the city and shadowed by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Moors built this city within a fortress as a symbol of power and strength on the outside, and of "Paradise on Earth" on the inside. Our visit will also include the Generalife, the country estate of the Nasrid Kings, where they could enjoy tranquility high above the city, a little closer to heaven. This afternoon we make a brief visit to the Capilla Real, where we will view the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, before have time to eat churros con chocolate and shop in the Alcaiceria, a silk market in Moorish times, and now a kind of oriental bazaar with craft and souvenir shops.

DAY    10          DEPARTURE FROM MALAGA
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home.