Itinerary: Bilbao (3 Nights), Burgos (2 Nights), Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque Architecture
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NORTHERN SPAIN BILBAO TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA SEPTEMBER 17-29, 2021 TOUR LEADER: DR JENI RYDE NORTHERN SPAIN Overview BILBAO TO SANTIAGO Northern Spain feels like a country apart, and in many ways, it has been. DE COMPOSTELA In this region, the presence of the Moors, who influenced Spain for eight centuries, was significantly shorter and some regions, like Asturias, were Tour dates: September 17-29, 2021 never conquered at all. As a result, most of the cultural influences are Northern European and some of the finest and best-preserved pre- Tour leader: Dr Jeni Ryde Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic art and architecture. We see churches and monasteries inspired by the monks of Cluny and influenced Tour Price: $7,550 per person, twin share by the thousands of pilgrims who came south to walk the Camino Francés Single Supplement: $1,340 for sole use of to Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of St James, the ‘Moor Slayer’. double room Our 13-day tour travels from East to West in Spain, roughly adhering to Booking deposit: $1,000 per person the Pilgrim’s route: from the forward-thinking port city of Bilbao in the Basque country, to the inland cities of Burgos and León high on the plains Recommended airline: Emirates/ Qatar of Castile. We cross the mountains outside picturesque Oviedo and travel on to the Atlantic via the green fields of Celtic Galicia, finishing our stay in Maximum places: 20 the celebrated city of Santiago de Compostela, with its splendid Itinerary: Bilbao (3 nights), Burgos (2 nights), Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture. En route we have the Leon (2 nights), Oviedo (2 nights), opportunity of savouring the cuisine and wine of a region which is highly Santiago de Compostela (3 nights) regarded in culinary circles: the pintxos of San Sebastian, wine of the Rioja valley, the avant-garde ‘Delicios’ restaurant in León, the famous Date published: June 15, 2020 marketside eatery Abastos 2.0 in Santiago and the superb seafood of Galicia’s coast. Your tour leader Dr Jeni Ryde is a former Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, where she completed her PhD focusing on the Renaissance, heritage tourism and museology. She has a wide-ranging knowledge of European history, art and architecture, and has travelled extensively through Spain and Portugal. Jeni holds two undergraduate degrees with majors in Anthropology and French and Interpreting and Translation with NAATI qualifications, two Masters degrees in Italian Linguistics and TESOL and a cross disciplinary PhD in Renaissance Art History, Tourism and Museum Management. 'Northern Spain is special for me not least because it is less travelled in these times of mass tourism. Highlights are luscious green landscapes, spectacular mountain ranges, dramatic architecture and Enquiries outstanding art galleries. Add exceptional food and wine and an unhurried lifestyle to these gems and you have a perfect counterpoint to Spain’s and bookings busier regions’ For further information and to “Jeni is an excellent tour leader, very professional and secure a place on this tour helpful to all our group. A pleasure to travel with and we would be please contact Hannah happy to travel with her again on another tour.” Kleboe at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 – Feedback from Northern Spain & Portugal, April 2019. (outside Sydney) or email [email protected] Tour Highlights GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO In 1991, the Basque government commissioned Canadian- American architect, Frank Gehry, to build a work to enliven Bilbao’s decrepit port area. The result was a gallery of contemporary art that has been celebrated by critics and the public alike. The huge exhibition space boasts a permanent and a rotating exhibit collection, but the real draw is the building itself, with its now famous titanium curves. SAN SEBASTIAN The elegant resort town of San Sebastián with its superb Bay of la Concha, was adopted by the Spanish Monarchy as a summer retreat in the 19th Century. Today people flock here to stroll along the promenade and frequent the vibrant bars of the cobbled streets in the Old Town where you can sample the Basque version of tapas, pintxos, made famous by innovative chefs and washed down with local wine Txakoli. THE BODEGA YSIOS WINERY In the world-renowned Rioja wine region, the Bodega Ysios is a ‘temple dedicated to wine’. The only winery to be designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, it has an aluminium wave of a roof, inspired by Gaudí. The building has the rugged Sierra de Cantabria as a backdrop and compliments the scenery perfectly, creating a dialogue between the construction and nature. PRE -ROMANESQUE CHURCHES The term Pre-Romanesque refers to the architecture of Spain and Portugal after the Classical age and before the Romanesque. On the outskirts of Oviedo, we visit three well preserved churches, dating from the 9th Century, which tell of over a millennium of worship. Set at the foot of the Naranco mountain, the countryside sets off their simplicity and austere design. THE PILGRIMS TRAIL Our itinerary loosely follows the second half of the Camino Francés, which ends at the burial place of the apostle St James, Santiago de Compostela. The cities of Burgos and León feature churches, monasteries and cathedrals which sprung up in the Middle Ages to service the pilgrims. Close to Santiago we walk a section of the trail and meet pilgrims who are close to completing a trek of some 800kms Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D. Tour start & finish time The tour begins on Friday September 17, 2021, at 7.30pm in the lobby of the NH Ría de Bilbao Hotel, Bilbao. The tour ends on Wednesday September 29, 2021, after breakfast at the San Francisco hotel in Santiago. FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17 Bilbao Our tour starts in Bilbao today. We recommend taking an early evening flight from Barcelona to Bilbao with Vueling airlines which connects with flights arriving from Australia. The group airport transfer will coincide with this flight. If you wish to arrive prior to the tour to recover from jetlag, we recommend taking our pre-tour excursion of Barcelona see page 9. After settling in to our hotel across the river from the Guggenheim, we meet for a welcome drink in hotel reception and then walk to dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Bilbao (B, D) SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18 Guggenheim and casco viejo Above: Louise Bourgeois' Spider, Maman, stands greets visitors to the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao; and the outstanding pintxos of Today we explore the striking Guggenheim museum by Frank San Sebastian Gehry. In 1991 the Basque government commissioned Gehry to build a work to enliven Bilbao’s decrepit port area and the result Below: wine barrels in the extraordinary Bodega Ysios winery was a work that has been celebrated by critics and the general public alike. We also pay a visit to Bilbao’s renowned Museum of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes), before a mid-afternoon walking tour along the Nervión river to the Casco Viejo (old heart of the city) via the famous Calatrava bridge. Overnight Bilbao (B) SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19 San Sebastián This morning we take a leisurely excursion by coach to discover the picturesque resort town of San Sebastián. We sample some of the famed local tapas and Txakoli wine before exploring the centre on foot with a local guide. After some free time to walk along the waterfront of the elegant Bahia de la Concha, we join our coach trip back to Bilbao admiring the sculpture of Eduardo Chillida on the way. Overnight Bilbao (B, Tapas) Monday September 20 La Rioja - To Castilla-Leon Departing the Basque country, we head by coach to the wine growing region of La Rioja. We stop in Laguardia for coffee, a medieval walled city perched on a rocky outcrop and have time to explore here before a visit to the contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava’s extraordinary Bodega Ysios winery. This impressive building, with its Gaudí inspired roof and superb mountain backdrop, is an excellent location for our wine tasting. Lunch will be a typical bodega (winery) lunch at a smaller more intimate family owned vineyard. We arrive at Burgos in the late afternoon, our destination for the next two nights. Overnight Burgos (B, L) Tuesday September 21 Explore Burgos We set off on foot to explore the historic centre of a city at the heart of Spain’s history and a principle crossroads of the Camino de Santiago. Amongst other sites we pause outside the Casa del Cordόn, where Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, the ‘Catholic Monarchs’, met with Colombus and endorsed his voyages to the New World, and the world heritage Gothic cathedral, built on the pilgrim’s route and inspired by the cathedrals of Paris and Reims. In the afternoon, we pay a visit to the Abbey of Las Huelgas, a beautiful Cistercian monastery just outside the city centre. In the evening, after a talk in the hotel, you might like to sample the hearty local specialty, “Lechazo”, suckling lamb- ask the tour leader for a restaurant recommendation. Overnight Burgos. (B) Wednesday September 22 pilgrim Route and roman mosaics Departing Burgos for Leόn we witness sections of the Camino Above: the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Mary in Burgos from our coach, passing pilgrims with their iconic staffs and scallop shells tied to their packs. We pause at Frόmista to admire its eleventh century Romanesque church with fine Below: Christ Pantocrator in the Panteón de los Reyes of San Isidoro in León. The Pantheon of San Isidoro is the burial place of carved capitals, built for the devotion of passing pilgrims.