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Home , Camino de Santiago, Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, Seville

E A S T E O N T H E C A M I N O S E V I L L E T O S A N T I A G O A P R I L 1 4 - 2 2 , 2 0 2 2 Our journey acquaints us with ’s past and present. Gentle walks through contrasting landscapes of Spain’s regional history, music, architecture combine with excellent food and wine. Local people on our route will share all of this with us as we make our way northwards to our final destination.

An eight-night adventure along the Vía de , a lesser travelled route of the Camino de . Starting with the dramatic setting of on Maundy Thursday, we discover Spain at the most poignant time of the Spanish church year as we travel through the contrasting regions of , , Castile and León and , stepping off the path briefly for a night in the Portuguese town of Braganza. In addition to the Maundy Thursday Procession in Seville, we witness processions on in the town of and Easter Sunday in the world heritage town of Cáceres. Continuing from the Hispanic world’s oldest university town of to the land of the Conquistadores in Extremadura and through the lush pastures of Galicia, we finish our journey in . HIGHLIGHTS Watch the Holy Thursday processions in the heart of Seville from a

private balcony

Good Friday in Seville, Tour the Alcázar , the Cathedral, the site of the Old Mosque and walk through the

Santa Cruz neighbourhood.

Walk along the

Roman road to the abandoned

Roman dwelling of Cáparra Easter Sunday procession in the World Heritage town of Cáceres

A guided visit to

World Heritage Site of Mérida with its Roman theatre and the Roman Museum designed by

Rafael Moneo

A visit to the

award-winning cheese-maker Vicente Pastor A wine tasting along the

Vía de la Plata

Dinner at the Michelin-star Pousada de Bragança Hotel in Braganza,

Visits to the

cathedrals & 13th-century university buildings of the Golden of Salamanca Private mass with

Bishop Carlos in Santiago de Compostela’s

Santa Susana Church

Farewell dinner in the 15th-century de Santiago de Compostela

V I A D E L A P L A T A : "The Silver Way", starting

in Seville, it is the longest

commercial and

path to Santiago, it was

traditionally taken by

North African Christians on

their way to Santiago.

The Romans also left an

important mark along the

Vía de la Plata and you will

encounter some of the best

preserved Roman sites in

Europe such as Mérida and Cáparra. A B O U T Y O U R H O S T S Nancy Mead lives in Narragansett, Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with degrees in French and Art. Married to an Episcopal priest for forty-five years, she is the mother of two children and the doting grandmother of four. After two careers in the fashion industry and florist business, Nancy took up trekking at age 50. She has walked four different routes of the El Camino and has walked the Via Francigina from Canterbury to amongst many other routes - over 6000 miles in total. She is also a keen gardener!

Originally from Yorkshire, UK, Joanna Wivell has always felt a natural attraction to Spain. She has lived in for 19 years, where she first worked in television for the lifestyle channel, Canal Estilo, and then the National Geographic Channel. For the last fourteen years, she has been showing visitors Spain with a personal, insider’s view through her companies Insider’s Madrid and Corazon Travel. Joanna has enjoyed walking on her travels through South America and in . She has a love for dancing which she studied when living in as a student and loves to find the real deal when she is travelling.

Bishop Carlos López Lozano is the Episcopal Bishop of Spain, an indigenous national church and proud member of the Anglican Communion. Bishop Carlos studied theology at the United Evangelical Theological Seminary in Madrid & recently published an article on the history of the church in Spain with the Sorbonne. He has been the Episcopal Bishop of Spain since 1995 and was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. ITINERARY M A U N D Y T H U R S D A Y :

W E L C O M E D R I N K S &

P R O C E S S I O N S F R O M 1 P R I V A T E B A L C O N Y

Guests arrive independently & check into our hotel, the Vincci La Rábida, a 4- star hotel, housed in a minutes' walk former 18th-century mansion house Y from the cathedral. We meet in the lobby at 5pm before being led to our venue for the evening. Our

guide is a passionate and knowledgeable Holy A Week enthusiast who will accompany us throughout the evening, giving us valuable insider information and background about the processions D that we will enjoy from a privileged balcony as they pass below us. Wine & are served in the property where the balcony is, during the evening. Our guide will also explain why Seville is the most famous city in Spain for its celebrations.

This sets the scene for the rest of the Easter processions we will witness in the coming days. G O O D F R I D A Y : T O U R O F S E V I L L E & Z A F R A B Y E V E N I N G After breakfast we tour Seville, visiting the city’s towering 12th- century Gothic Cathedral, built on the site of the Great Mosque, its Moorish tower still intact. We go on to visit the intricate Mudéjar architecture of the Alcázar Palace and its gardens. then the the former D winding streets of Santa Cruz, Jewish neighbourhood. We learn about the Golden Age of this Andalusian capital & the great attraction it held for the many

A who flocked here to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

After a light tapas lunch in a local taverna, we’ll board our private bus and embark for Zafra in the region of Extremadura,

Y our next point on the Camino. Zafra is a former Roman settlement which later prospered as a cattle trading post due to its strategic location on the Vía de la Plata.

We stay tonight in the Casa Palacio Conde de la Corte, a 19th- 2 century mansion house and former home to one of Spain's most prestigious bull-breeders. We take a tour of the town including the 15th-century Plaza Grande and the Church of the Candelaria, with art by the “Spanish Caravaggio": Francisco de Zurbarán. A tasting of wines on the camino, followed by dinner at the Rebotica restaurant and time to watch the Good Friday procession. H O L Y S A T U R D A Y : W O R L D H E R I T A G E S I T E S M É R I D A & C Á C E R E S After breakfast, we drive to the World Heritage site of Mérida, the former capital of the Roman province Lusitania. We visit the world’s longest ancient bridge, the Puente Romano before visiting the Roman theatre, amphitheater and the Roman

Museum designed by the Spanish architect, Rafael

Moneo. A light lunch in Mérida & on to our next stop on the Via de la Plata - the town of Cáceres. A

UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, Cáceres is 3 listed as being the third most important historic and artistic urban centre in Europe. It still has 30 towers from the Moorish period, including the

famous Torre de Bujaco along with Roman, Moorish, Y

Gothic & influences. The city also plays host to film and TV productions; Game of Throne A fans will not be disappointed. A 4 mile walk to

Aldea del Cano, passing the well-known mailbox milario! D We stay at the Parador, a 14th-century mansion house in the protected historic centre. The day finishes with a short, guided evening walk and dinner at the Parador. E A S T E R S U N D A Y : C Á C E R E S , D R O M A N R O A D S , S A L A M A N C A

A Easter Sunday in Cáceres. Some free time in the

morning for guests to witness the Procesión de

Encuentro, or walk its cobblestone streets. A light Y lunch before boarding the bus to the province of

Salamanca. We stop to that walk along the Roman Road forms part of the Via de la Plata to the abandoned 4 pre-Roman city of Cáparra. We then continue by

bus to Spain’s oldest university town of

Salamanca & check into the 16th-century former

Dominican convent, the Hospes Convento San

Esteban.

We are joined by Bishop Carlos Lozano for an

evening stroll up to the 15th century Plaza Mayor

for a tapas dinner. T O U R H I S T O R I C S A L A M A N C A , M I C H E L I N S T A R D I N N E R

We take a walk through the “golden city” of Salamanca, so named after its hallmark sandstone architecture. The Bishop, having been rector here some years ago, is our art historian and guide this morning as we visit the old and new cathedrals, the University, the oldest in the Hispanic world, listing Cervantes amongst its alumni and Columbus amongst its lecturers.

We then bid farewell to Salamanca & continue our journey 5

north by bus, stopping to visit award-winning cheese- maker, Vicente Pastor. We resume our route north, but tonight, we step off the Vía de la Plata and spend the night Y across the Portuguese border in Braganza. Dinner at our hotel's Michelin star restaurant, G Pousada. A D

O U R E N S E , 6 - M I L E C A M I N O W A L K , W I N E T A S T I N G I N T H E C O U N T R Y D

We check out of the hotel & leave for in A Galicia. A morning coffee and a short walk around Ourense

before driving to the start of our six mile walk on Y the Camino through pretty wooded countryside to the small town of Cea.

We stay tonight in the country house, Pazo de Bendoiro, where we enjoy a Galician dinner with 6 paired wines. W A L K I N G T H E C A M I N O , T R A D I T I O N A L G A L I C I A N

D I N N E R & W I N E 7

Today you will have your first glimpse of the spires of the Santiago cathedral. Our walk starts from the

Ermita de Santa Lucia passing several cruceiros en Y route. In Angrois we pass the Colegiata de Santa Maria del Sar with its 12th-century cloister where you can see some of the best-carved arches outside A of Santiago. One of the prettiest walks of the Camino into the Plaza Obradoiro and to the Parador where D we will be staying. It is in effect the oldest hotel in Spain.

We have a sandwich lunch upon arrival. There will be free time after checking into the Parador. ’s Mass is held in the cathedral with a chance to see the impressive . We meet at the Parador to walk to our local restaurant for dinner, serving

Galician cuisine with a modern twist. Paired with local wines from Albariño & Ribera Sacra.

M A S S I N 1 2 T H - C E N T U R Y C H U R C H , T O U R O F H I S T O R I C S A N T I A G O D E D C O M P O S T E L A

A For those who would like to join, Bishop Carlos will celebrate mass for our party in the 12th century Santa Susana church. Y The group reassembles for our tour of the historic centre and the Cathedral of Santiago. Free time for lunch and our farewell dinner at

the Parador. 8 T I M E T O S A Y G O O D B Y E , F O R N O W . . .

Tour ends after breakfast and we 9

go our separate ways. Y A D "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar." "Pilgrim, there is no way, you make the way as you go."

⎯ , Spanish poet & writer who died at the end of the with a poem in his pocket P R I C E , W H A T ' S I N C L U D E D

Price: Accommodation: €4855 / $5590 / £4140 per person 1 night at the Vincci La Rábida, Seville 4* Single Supplement: €950 / $1120 / £830 1 night at the Casa Palacio Conde de la Corte, Deposit: €500 / $600 / £450 Zafra 4* 1 night at the Parador Caceres 4*

Includes: 1 night at the Hospes Palacio de San Esteban Includes hotel (based on two people 5* sharing), all breakfasts, dinners and 1 night at the Pousada de Braganza 3* lunches. There is no lunch scheduled 1 night at the Pazo de Bendoiro, Casa Rural on the last full day. All guided 2 nights at the Parador Santiago de mentioned in the itinerary, entrances Compostela 5* and sales tax where applicable. Flights, Private transport by luxury coach tips, and holiday insurance are not Tour hosts included. Breakfast daily; 6 lunches, 7 dinners Visits & activities as specified *Optional early arrival: Wednesday, 8th April* All applicable taxes If you wish, tour members can book an extra night before the start of our tour. Culinary delights: Local specialties from all five regions we visit, with a tailored wine tasting & a To Book, please contact Michelin star dinner.

[email protected] for your booking form or call her +34 699 493 193 DETAILS