Sunday April 25 Boston – Barcelona
We depart en route to Barcelona, Spain, Complimentary meals and beverages are served in flight
 
Monday April 26  Barcelona Airport - Montserrat
This morning we make our way to Montserrat, home to the dramatically set Benedictine monastery. On a rugged mountain not far from Barcelona is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Spain: the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Since the 12th century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna (La Moreneta). According to Catholic tradition, the statue of the Black Virgin of Montserrat was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was later hidden from the Moors in a cave (Santa Cova, the Holy Grotto), where it was rediscovered in 880 AD. The statue was discovered by shepherds. They saw a bright light and heard heavenly music that eventually led them to the grotto and the statue. The Bishop of Manresa, present at the discovery, suggested that it be moved to Manresa, but the small statue was discovered to be so heavy it could not be lifted. Thus the Virgin had indicated her will to stay on Montserrat to be venerated there. By the 9th century, there were four chapels on Montserrat, of which only one remains - St. Aciscolo's, which is in the monastery's garden. In the 11th century, the abbot-bishop Oliba founded a monastery on the mountain of Montserrat, next to one of the chapels, nowadays the Benedictine Abbey is still preserved. Dinner and overnight in Montserrat.

Tuesday April 27  Montserrat - Manresa - Montserrat
Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning we will visit the complex of the Bendictine Abbey: Basilica, Museum and the audiovisual space "Montserrat Portes Endins" (Montserrat Behind the Doors) that provides us with an opportunity to find out about the everyday rules and organisation of the Benedictine community of Montserrat. At midday we will be able to listen the L’Escolania choir school, a children’s choir of sopranos and countertenors. When the repertory requires it they are accompanied by the Montserrat Chapel Choir, formed by old choirboys and by the monks of the Ministry Chapel Choir. With their song, the choirboys transmit the beautiful message of the gospels which transcends linguistic, cultural and even religious frontiers. The midday Salve has become, over the past decades, the most visited daily act of the Sanctuary. Later we will depart to Manresa. Both, Montserrat and Manresa were very important in the new life of San Ignacio de Loyola. After keeping a vigil in Montserrat with a coarse sackcloth and a pilgrim staff as his new arms, San Ignacio retired to Manresa for eleven months (May 1522-March 1523) and there he began to develop the method for seeking God’s will that he would enshrine in his Book of the Spiritual Exercises. In Manresa we will visit the different places related to San Ignacio. We return to Montserrat this evening.

Wednesday April 28  Montserrat - Barcelona - Montserrat
During the day we will visit the city of Barcelona. Barcelona vibrates with life. The city has long had the reputation of being the avant-garde capital of Spain, especially in design and architecture. It boasts some superb museums – including the world-class Museum of Art of Cataluña, and individual art museum dedicated to Picasso, Joan Miró and Tapies – as well as outstanding Gothic and modernism architecture, most perfectly and eccentrically expressed in the work of Antonio Gaudí: Sagrada Familia church, La Pedrera house, Park Güell, etc. The majority sites of historic interest are located in the old town: Barrio Gótico, Ramblas street, Picasso Museum, San Jaime Square, the Gothic Cathedral, etc. But we must not forget the new area of the city: Montjuic where the Olympic stadium and the Spanish Village are situated. Return to our hotel in Montserrat for overnight.

Thursday April 29  Montserrat - Zaragoza - Madrid (by bus)
After breakfast we will depart towards Madrid, capital city of Spain. In our way we will stop in Zaragoza. Zaragoza’s city center reflects an air of prosperity in its wide, modern boulevards, stylish shops and bars. We will visit the city with a local guide including the magnificent Basilica del Pilar, built in the place where our Lady appeared to Saint James (Santiago Apostle). Tradition says that in the early day of the Church, Saint James The Greater was spreading the Gospel in Spain, but making very little progress. He was dejected and questioning his mission. About 44 AD, the Virgin Mary, who was still living in Jerusalem at the time, bi-located and appeared to him in a vision to boost his morale. In it, She was atop a column or pillar, which was being carried by angels. That pillar is believed to be the same one venerated inside the Basilica. We will also visit the Cathedral of Zaragoza and we will do a walking tour of the city. Later we will continue our journey to Madrid. Dinner and overnight in Madrid.
 
Friday April 30    Madrid
After breakfast we will visit the city of Madrid. Madrid became Spain’s capital simply through its geographical position at the center of Iberia. When Felipe II moved the seat of government from Toledo to Madrid in 1561 his aim was to create a symbol of the unification and centralization of the country, and a capital from which he could receive fastest post and communications from each corner of the nation. Madrid’s main sights occupy a compact area between the Royal Palace and the beautiful gardens of El Retiro. The great trio of museums: the Prado (one of the oldest and greatest collections of art in the world: Bosch, Velazquez, Goya, Titian, El Greco, etc), Thyssen Bornemisza (like a walking through the history of the painting) and Reina Sofía (permanent gallery of modern Spanish art: Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Tapies, Chillida, etc); are ranged along the Paseo del Prado, over towards the Retiro park. The oldest part of the city, el Madrid de los Austrias, is centered on the gorgeous, arcaded Plaza Mayor, just to the east of the Royal Palace. Other interesting buildings and sights would be: Puerta del Sol, Gran Via Street, Cibeles fountain, Alcalá gate, the Spanish Square, etc. Dinner and overnight in Madrid.

Saturday May 1  Madrid - Toledo - Alba de Tormes - Salamanca
After breakfast in the hotel, we will depart towards the city of Toledo. In a landscape of abrasive desolation, Toledo sits on a rocky mound isolated on three sides by a looping gorge of the Río Tajo. Every available inch of this outcrop has been built upon: churches, synagogues, mosques and houses are heaped upon one another in a haphazard spiral which the cobbled lanes infiltrate as best they can. Toledo is known as the City of the Three Religions or Cultures, because for many centuries the Christians, the Moors and the Jews lived together in relative equality and peace. The city, surrounded by walls, hides great treasures: its awesome Cathedral, a robust Gothic construction which took over 250 years (1227 – 1493) to complete; the church of Santo Tomé, where the Greco’s masterpiece is located: The Burial of Mr. Orgaz; the Tránsito Synagogue, actually it holds the Museo Sefardita; Santa María La Blanca Synagogue, the superb church of San Juan de los Reyes, which exterior bizarrely festooned with the chains worn by the Christians prisoners from Granada released on the reconquest of the city; the different doors that keep the city safe: Puerta de Bisagras, Puerta del Cambrón, Puerta del Sol, etc. In the afternoon we will cotinue our journey to Alba de Tormes. The town boasts of possessing the mortal remains of St Theresa of Avila in the church of the Carmelite Convent where her miraculously pierced heart rests in a glass reliquary. Continue to Salamanca. Salamanca is the most graceful city in Spain. For four centuries it was the seat of one of the most prestigious universities in the world and, despite losing this reputation in the XVII Century, it has kept the unmistakable atmosphere of a seat of learning. It is a small place, and it is given a gorgeous harmony by the golden sandstone from which almost the entire city seems to be constructed. The city’s architectural sights seem endless: two cathedrals, one Gothic, the other Romanesque, vie for attention with Renaissance palaces and gems of Plateresque decoration. The Plaza Mayor is the finest in Spain; and the surviving university buildings are tremendous throughout, all of them distinguished by the same warm stone. Dinner and overnight in Salamanca.
 
Sunday May 2 Salamanca - O Cebreiro - Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning we will visit the town of Salamanca: The grand Plaza Mayor is the hub of Salmantine life, the vast Baroque church of La Clerecía, Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), named after the rows of carved scallop shells symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago which decorate its façade, the University, the cathedrals, the Roman Bridge, Monasterio de San Esteban, Torre del Clavero, San Marcos and San Martin churches, etc. In the aftyernoon we will depart towards the city of Santiago de Compostela. In our way we will visit Cebreiro, the first village in the region of Lugo along the Route, with an altitude of 1,300 meters. A group of "pallozas" can be seen (Pre-Romanesque circular houses with straw roofs) and a beautiful Pre-Romanesque temple, from the 9-10 C, containing a Chalice, the Paten of "Santo Milagro" (Holy Miracle) and a precious Romanesque carving of Santa Maria la Real. In the evening we will arrive to Santiago de Compostela. In the beginning of the 9C the sepulcher of Santiago el Mayor (James the Greater), evangelist in Spain, was discovered. Pelayo, a hermit who lived in the former diocese of Iria Flavia, had a "divine revelation" in the deep of the forest. He sees "altar lights" and hears "angels singing". The parishioners of San Félix de Solobio, at the foot of the forest, announced the event. The bishop Teodomiro went in the forest, found the mausoleum and identified it as the Apostle Santiago’s tomb. At a time when Europe needed to be united, the Route to Santiago was the first element that made it possible. The find of the sepulcher of the first Apostle Martyr became an unquestionable symbol, compatible with the diverse conceptions of the Christian peoples. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela
 
Monday May 3 Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast in the hotel. We'll set out in the cool morning air to join the walking pilgrims at the Monte del Gozo (Mount Joy) from which the spires of the Cathedral are first visible. We will walk the last couple of miles of El Camino. Very soon, we will arrive at the Cathedral, the destination we have been yearning to reach for a long time. After arrival in the Cathedral square and say thanks to God for taking care of us during our pilgrimage, we will visit and attend the Internaitonal Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of St. James, one of the finest examples of architecture in all of Europe. Access to the Doorway of Glory is via the Obradoiro façade. Once in its interior, we will be carried away by the emotions produced by the sight of so many extraordinary valuable works of art. Tradition invites us to perform some rites: The most important and meaningful one is the hug to the Saint, go under the main altar and visit the crypt where the relics of St. James are preserved. Later on, comes the pagan rite of the bumps. It consists in reaching for a branch on the mullion, below the figure of the Sitting Apostle and, later making three wishes. On the other side of the column, there is another statue believed to impart wisdom and talents to whoever bumps his head against it. In the afternoon we will do a visit to the city of Santiago: Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gelmirez Palace, Franco Street, etc. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Tuesday May 4  Santiago de Compostela - Porto - Fatima
Depart this morning for Fatima.  Along the way stop in Porto. Porto, the country´s second largest city, is in itself full of interest, but the district it heads, though largely industrialized, offers the visitor plenty to see. Along the coast, holiday resorts like the cosmopolitan beach of Espinho, busy ports like Matosinhos, with splendid seafood, or traditional fishing towns. Continuation of the journey towards Fatima. Arrival to Fatima, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917 to three simple shepherd children and exhorted mankind to pray for world peace. After settling into your hotel, you may relax or participate in a candlelight procession or relax. Dinner and overnight in Fatima

Wednesday May 5 Fatima
Breakfast in the hotel. Six times, from the May 13 to Oct 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in the diocese of Leiria. A new big basilica was consecrated on October 2007, however just as beautiful, an older basilica was constructed here in 1928, and millions of pilgrims visit each year. Fatima is one of the most visited holy places for Catholics from around the world. The atmosphere of intense spirituality and the importance of Fatima have been attested to by the visits of two Popes: Paul VI and John Paul II.  Touring Fatima, see the Little Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica, the site of Francesco, Jacinta and Lucy's graves, the Hamlet of Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, the site of Our Lady's appearance after the children's return from prison. Follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra (The Sacred Way) culminating in the Chapel of Calvary, which overlooks all of Fatima. Join pilgrims from around the world in an evening candlelight procession to pray the rosary. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.

Thursday  May 6  Fatima - Santarem - Lisbon
We will leave Fatima this morning and visit Santarem, one of the oldest cities in the world. We will walk through its narrow streets to the Church of St Stephen, containing the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle. See the 750-year-old Holy Miracle of Santarem, a relic of the Bleeding Host. Stolen by a woman in payment to a sorcerer, the host began to emit a brilliant beam of light and then to bleed. Reverently returned to the church of St Stephen, this miracle has been on continuous display since 1266. Dinner and overnight in Lisbon.

Friday  May 7  Lisbon
Wake up this morning in beautiful Lisbon. After an orientation drive through Lisbon, we stop and visit St. Anthony's Church. Despite what might be assumed from his name, Saint Anthony was born and grew up in Lisbon. Traditionally, the invocation of his name is considered the best means of locating lost objects. Dinner and overnight in Lisbon.

Saturday May 8  Lisbon – Boston
Today you will depart for your homebound flight back to the Boston from Lisbon Airport.

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Travel Dates April 28 - May 8, 2010   Basic  All Inclusive ~   Trip Costs
	Trip Price per person in double/twin occupancy from Boston
Upgrade your air to business class (@ $1,450. each way)
	Single Supplement / Private Room (pending availability & upon request)

 

 

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