[email protected] 800-206-TOUR (8687)   mon - fri 9am - 5pm EST   YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: † Round-trip air from Newark † Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges † Accommodations at religious house / convents as follows:      ~ Avila:Oct 4 - 7 (3 ni)-La Santa Convent                   Oct 7 - 9 (2 ni): Avila-Hotel Las Moradas      ~ Valencia:Oct 9 -10 (1 ni) Hotel Catalonia Excelsior ***      ~ Granada:Oct 10 -11 (1 ni) Monasterio Madre de Dios      ~ Toledo: Oct 11-13 (2 ni) Convento Carmelita de Toledo (Carmelite residence) † Breakfast and Dinner daily † Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach † Assistance of a professional local guide(s) † Sightseeing & admissions fees as per itinerary, including local guide in Avila, Segovia, Fontiveros, Alba de Tormes, Duruelo, Medina del Campo, Valladolid, Valencia, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo & Madrid † Arrangements for Mass daily & Spiritual activities † Luggage handling (1 piece per person) † Tips to hotel staff, restaurants, luggage handlers    † Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents Not Included: Lunches & Beverages, Travel Insurance (www.206tours.com/insurance), Extended Cancellation Protection Plan @ $299 (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection), Luggage Handling not included at religious houses (only hotels), Tips to your guide & driver, Items of personal nature.

Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:

Day 1, Fri, Oct 3 - Depart Newark for Spain
Depart from Newark for your overnight flight to Madrid. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board

Day 2, Sat, Oct 4 - Madrid Airport – Avila
Upon arrival in Madrid, you will be met by your tour guide and driver who will be with us for the remainder of our stay in Spain. We will board our bus that will bring us to Avila. Upon arrival, we will celebrate Mass at the Convent of St. Joseph. Following Mass, we will make our way to the Hotel for check-in, and we will have time to relax, and spend at your own leisure. We will meet in the evening for a “Welcome Get-Together” for dinner, and then return to our rooms for a restful night’s sleep.

Day 3, Sun, Oct 5 - Avila
This morning, we will visit the Monasterio de la Encarnacion where she was Prioress when St. John of the Cross was Confessor. Celebrate Mass at the Monastery and then take a tour of where an angel appeared to St. Teresa piercing her heart and causing her to feel simultaneously pain and joy The walled city of Avila is most famous for being the home of St. Teresa of Jesus, the great mystic and the first of the four woman Doctors of the Church. This morning visit the city of Avila, its magnificent 11th century wall and the fortress Cathedral. Visit Los Cuatro Postes (four columns with central cross) which commemorates St. Teresa, at the age of seven convinced his brother to run away with her to die as martyrs in the land of the Moors. The uncle caught them at this site, Cuatro Postes and returned them home. See the Convento de la Santa built on the site where she was born. This afternoon we will proceed to San Juan Bautista Church which contains the baptismal font in which St. Teresa was baptized, then to Saint Thomas Monastery. Overnight in Avila.

Day 4, Mon, Oct 6 - Avila – Segovia - Avila
After breakfast travel to Segovia, a world heritage UNESCO site, spectacularly perched atop a long , narrow promontory. We begin by celebrating Mass at the Chapel crypt containing the tomb of St. John of the Cross. Then visit monastery of San Jose del Carmen, the ninth Discalced Carmelite foundation (1574) established by St. Teresa. Afterwards we visit a wealth of monuments, including the Alcazar (the 11th Century Palace where Queen Isabel agreed to fund Christopher Columbus’ journey to the New world), La Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (a Romanesque Church which was constructed by The Knights of the Templar and modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) to view the famous ancient Roman aqueduct, and exterior views of various Churches including San Esteban , San Martin, & San Millan from the outside. Return to Avila.

Day 5, Tue, Oct 7 - Avila – Fontiveros – Alba de Tormes - Duruelo – Avila
Early departure to Fontiveros to visit the Church constructed over the birthplace of St. John of the Cross. Visit the Church of San Cipriano where he was baptized. Make our way to the village of Alba de Tormes, where St. Teresa had the eight foundation (1571). It was here that she died on October 4, 1582 and where her miraculously pierced heart rests in a glass reliquary. Visit the Carmelite Monastery of the Annunciation. Celebrate Mass near the tomb of St. Teresa and Holy Hour after Mass. Time to visit the tomb. It is here in Alba de Tormes that the first Church named after St. John of the Cross is located. Proceed to Duruelo Convent where John first took the name John of the Cross and with Fr. Anthony of Jesus began the Discalced Carmelite Friars. Visit the Carmelite Monastery re-founded for the Carmelite Nuns in 1947 by St. Maravillas of Jesus. Continue past Salamanca, the site of St. Teresa’s 7th foundation (1570), as we return to Avila for dinner & overnight.

Day 6, Wed, Oct 8 - Avila – Medina del Campo – Valladolid – Avila
Early departure to Medina del Campo where St. John grew up. Visit the Convento de San Jose second foundation, (1567), and where St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross met for the first time. It is also the site where St. John of the Cross celebrated his first Mass. We celebrate Mass here. See the small museum housing original pieces from the time of the founding by St. Teresa. After lunch, we will continue on to Valladolid and visit the museum of Christopher Columbus, then on to the Carmelite Monastery in Valladolid the fourth foundation of St. Teresa (1568) where St. John of the Cross served as a Confessor to the Nuns. This is where St. Teresa’s original copy of the Way of Perfection is located. Return to Avila for dinner & overnight.

Day 7, Thu, Oct 9 - Avila – Valencia
After breakfast, we will make our way to Valencia. Celebrate Mass upon arrival, and then visit El Escorial Monastery. We will have the remainder of the day free to spend at your own leisure. Dinner, and overnight..

Day 8, Fri, Oct 10 - Valencia – Granada
After breakfast, take a morning tour of the Valencia Cathedral that contains the Holy Chalice of the last Supper. Blessed Pope John XXIII awarded indulgences to people making the pilgrimage to the Chapel del Santo Caliz in Valencia. Pope XII awarded “Sacram Communionen” to this Chapel where the Holy Grail is present. On March 12, 1966, the Confradia del Santo Caliz was established in Valencia, its rules are in the Vatican. The Confradia is able to award the title ‘Caballero’ or ‘Dama’ del Holy Grail to Christians willing to fulfill these rules. We will also see the largest Gold Monstrance in the world. Depart from Valencia for Granada, where Teresa made one of her last foundations (1582) in the final years of her life. Check-in to our Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9, Sat, Oct 11 - Granada – Sevilla
Following breakfast and an following an early morning Mass at the monastery where St. John of the Cross regularly celebrated Mass; we will tour the site of Holy Father’s foundation and the aqueduct that he constructed still exists. Begin the day in the Cathedral (containing the remains of Isabella and Ferdinand), followed with visits to the Alhambra and other sites of interest. Continue on to Sevilla where we will arrive in the evening, in time for Dinner and overnight.

Day 10, Sun, Oct 12 - Sevilla
Today we will celebrate Mass, and enjoy a full day tour of Sevilla, a gorgeous city, the capital of Andalucia, and the site of Cathedral of Saint Mary, the largest Cathedral in Spain and the third largest in Christendom. It is here where the 11th convent foundation was established in 1575. Seville is home to the Carmelite Convent of Santa Ana where the original, autographed copy of Saint Teresa’s Interior Castle is kept. Later enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city that is known for its romance and beauty. Your tour will include many sites of interest such as the Barrio de Santa Cruz (one of the most colorful areas of the city), the Alcazar and Giralda Tower. The afternoon and evening will include presentations on the Interior Castle, a visit to Santa Ana, and a chance to see the elaborately carved altar at the Friars’ monastery at Plaze del Buon Suceso.

Day 11, Mon, Oct 13 - Sevilla – Cordoba – Toledo
Depart from Seville after breakfast. A short ride will bring you to the city of Cordoba where you will celebrate Mass, and visit The Mezquita-Cathedral (is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It is in the shape of a Mosque, however, it was changed to a Cathedral in the 1500’s by the King of Spain.) and Juderia ( a neighborhood representing Christains, Jews, and Muslims) and the Cathedral followed with visits to other sites of interest in the heart of the city. Continue on to Toledo where you will have some free time at leisure, dinner, & overnight.

Day 12, Tue, Oct 14 Toledo – Madrid – Toledo
Following Mass, at the Carmelite church- La Almudena, and breakfast, we will board our bus and proceed to an orientation tour of Madrid. See the Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Espana. Visit the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (Monastery of the Barefoot Royals). Celebrate Mass in Madrid at the Carmelite Church. You will be taken to experience the Prado Museums. You will be taken on a sightseeing tour past many of the city’s most important monuments (such as The Royal Palace, Opera House and Almudena Cathedral (which was consecrated in 1993 by Bl. Pope John Paul II) and then to the Prado Museum. Return to Toledo for dinner & overnight.

Day 13, Wed, Oct 15 – Toledo “Celebrate the Feast of Saint Theresa of Avila”
Today we will attend Mass in the convent with the friars, and then we will take a half day tour of the city of Toledo, where Christians, Muslims, and Jewish culture used to share a cultivated and peaceful medieval society. The beauty of the city and its surroundings inspired many of the El Greco’s paintings which are on view throughout the city. Visit the Convent of St. Joseph, fifth foundation (1569) by St. Teresa, as well as The Cathedral, the Monastery of St. John of the Kings, and the Jewish Quarter. It was in Toledo where Life was written in the home of Dona Luisa de la Cerda and where the Interior Castle was begun in the Monastery. Interior Castle is one of her major spiritual works which outlines the seven stages of a soul’s journey to union with God. Here in Toledo are the bodies of martyrs of the 1930 Spanish War in the friar’s Church, the incorrupt body of Bl. Mary of Jesus in Nun’s Chapel, and in Toledo is where the second largest Cathedral in Spain is located. It was in Toledo that St. John of the Cross was imprisoned following his refusal to relocate after his superior’s orders and allegedly because of his attempts to reform the life within the Carmelite Order. Dinner and overnight in Toledo.

Day 14, Thu, Oct 16 - Toledo - Madrid Airport
It’s time to pack up the wonderful memories and “treasures” you have collected during a grace-filled, enriching, enjoyable journey through Spain following OHM St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. After Mass and an early breakfast with heartfelt farewells we leave by motor coach for Madrid airport for our return flight home.

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