IBERIAN HOLIDAY MADRID, TOLEDO and SEGOVIA Monday, December 28, 2015 Through Sunday, January 3, 2016
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AN IBERIAN HOLIDAY A NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION IN MADRID, TOLEDO AND SEGOVIA* Monday, December 28, 2015 through Sunday, January 3, 2016 *Itinerary subject to change $ 3,600.00per person INCLUDING AIR $2,400.00 per person LAND ONLY $450.00 additional for SINGLE SUPPLEMENT Join us on our ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S TRIP takes you to SUNNY SPAIN AND THREE OF ITS MOST INTERESTING CITIES – MADRID, TOLEDO AND SEGOVIA. Our custom itinerary showcases a variety of museums, delicious dining experiences and fascinating sites from the ancient to the modern that come together on this wonderful Iberian Holiday. DAY 1 - MONDAY, DECEMBER 28 NEWARK Board United Airlines Flight #964 departing Newark Liberty Airport at 8:20pm for our NON-STOP trip to Madrid DAY 2 - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29 MADRID (L/D) Arrive at Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport at 9:45am, gather our luggage and meet our coach and guide. After lunch, take a panoramic city tour where you will see many of Madrid’s beautiful Plazas, Monuments, Shopping Streets and Fountains. Visit some of the city’s different districts including the typical "castizo" (Castilian) quarter of "la Moreria." Check into the beautiful and centrally located Four Star Hotel NH Collection Madrid Paseo del Prado at 3:00 Relax for the rest of the afternoon. Dine with your fellow travelers at a festive Welcome Dinner DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30 MADRID (B/L/D) Meet our local guide for a short walk to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Take a guided stroll down the history of European painting, from its beginning in the 13th century to the close of the 20th century by visiting works by Van Eyck, Dürer, Caravaggio, Rubens, Frans Hals, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Kirchner, Mondrian, Klee, Hopper, Rauschenberg ... These are just some of the great masters of art history whose works are on display at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Enjoy lunch at the Museum Join our guide for a visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid). Home to the Kings of Spain from Carlos III to Alfonso XIII, it remains the family’s official residence. It is the largest palace in Europe and is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and the decoration of its rooms. Continue the afternoon as we view Madrid’s Cathedral (Catedral de la Almudena), it’s train station (Estación de Madrid Atocha) and its iconic main post office ( Palacio de las Comunicaciones) probably the most photographed building in Madrid Relax with some free time in the Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s main square. Get into the rhythm at Dinner at “Casa Patas” with its traditional Flamenco song and dance. DAY 4 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 (NEW YEAR’S EVE) MADRID (B/D) Start our day with a walk to La Caixa Foundation where our local guide will discuss its architecture. La Caixa is Madrid's latest cultural and architectural star and is one of its “must-see” sights where the building is as much of an attraction as the content found in the interior. With its exuberant façade featuring a vertical garden by the French botanist Patrick Blanc, it consists of 15,000 plants from 250 species. You will have time to explore exhibitions that feature works from the foundation's permanent collection as well as temporary displays from other museums and foundations. Take a guided tour of Spain’s National Art Museum the Prado (Museo Nacional Del Prado). It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, it unquestionably contains the best single collection of Spanish art. Spend some time with paintings that you have seen and know in reproduction and enjoy them real life. Alongside Velázquez's Las Meninas and Goya's The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid: The Executions on Principe Pío Hill, the galleries are packed with masterpieces from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools. Wander through the galleries at the Prado then return to the hotel on your own as you enjoy a free afternoon prior to our evening’s festivities. Ring in the New Year with dinner at “Café de la Opera” a charming restaurant where the traditional "good food" combines with cutting edge cuisine. At the "Café de la Opera" dinner is sung as our food is served by major figures of song. You will experience a symphony where the best culinary dishes and the best music pieces make you feel like a part of the spectacle. DAY 5 - FRIDAY, JANUARY 1 EXCURSION TO SEGOVIA (B/L) Sleep in before you partake of a late breakfast Depart for tour of Segovia, the ancient city of Roman origin. Amongst its many historical monuments is its Aqueduct. Built in the time of Augustus, the aqueduct has 118 arches and is 10 miles long, although just a fraction of its length remains visible today. You will also see Segovia Cathedral (Catedral de Segovia). Begun in the 16th century but not finished until 1768, it is the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain. You will continue to the Alcázar of Segovia (Segovia Castle) located in the old city and the inspiration for the design of the Disney castle. Lunch today at the famous Mesón de Cándido where you will enjoy the full ceremony of Cándido, the cutting the suckling pig. (There will an option for those who request an alternative selection.) Return to the hotel to have dinner and an evening on your own. DAY 6 - SATURDAY, JANUARY 2 EXCURSION TO TOLEDO (B/L/D) Depart hotel and walk to Reina Sofia Museum. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain's national museum of 20th century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992 and is named for Queen Sofia of Spain. The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art highlighting excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Certainly the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's painting Guernica which was returned to Spain by the Museum of Modern Art in 1981. Depart for the imperial city of Toldeo, only 70 km away from Madrid. The whole city is a National Monument: the houses, the streets, the churches, the palaces, its treasures and artisan products, like the famous 'Damasquinado' (gold and silver inlaying in iron). One of the oldest towns in Europe and called 'city of the three cultures' since Christians, Muslims and Jews lived here together, its genuine Spanish buildings include almost all the periods in the history (Arab, Gothic, Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque style). Good examples from the Mozarabs (Christians who lived under Moslem rule) are the churches of San Sebastián and Santa Eulalia, while the Mudejars left in Toledo a style with rich Arab decoration which can be seen in the Church of Santo Tomé, famous for housing El Greco's famous picture entitled “El Entierro del Conde Orgaz” (The Burial of Count Orgaz). Enjoy a typical Spanish lunch See the El Greco Museum (Casa y Museo de El Greco) with its sixteenth and seventeenth Spanish artworks which honors master painter El Greco who lived here in the Sixteenth Century. Depart Toledo for Madrid Gather for a Farewell Dinner in a local restaurant. DAY 7 - SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 DEPART MADRID (B) Breakfast at hotel Check out of hotel and board our motorcoach to Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid– Barajas Airport where our NON-STOP United flight 965 departs Madrid at 11:15am and arrives at Newark Liberty Airport at 2:25pm TOUR INCLUDES: Round Trip non-stop international air transportation (coach) on UnitedAirlines - Newark/Madrid 5 nights in Madrid at the 4-Star Hotel NH Collection Madrid Paseo del Prado (Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, 4, 28014 Madrid, Spain) Breakfast daily 4 Lunches 4 dinners including New Year’s Eve Gala dinner Private bus according to itinerary Local tour guide for tours Admissions as per itinerary Porterage in the hotel All tips and gratuities with the exception of hotel chambermaids IBERIAN HOLIDAY MADRID, TOLEDO AND SEGOVIA Monday, December 28, 2015 through Sunday, January 3, 2016 $ 3,600.00per person INCLUDING AIR $2,400.00 per person LAND ONLY $450.00 additional for SINGLE SUPPLEMENT GROUP FLIGHT ITINERARY (Subject to change by the airline) DEPARTS ARRIVES Monday Dec. 28 UNITED #964 Newark 8:20pm Madrid 9:45 am Sunday Jan. 3 UNITED # 965 Madrid 11:15am Newark 2:25pm FREQUENT FLYER MILES: Individual participants who wish to use frequent flyer mileage rewards must handle all arrangements directly with United Airlines. Carew Travel Consultants, as a third party, is not responsible for any frequent flyer mileage arrangements. Individuals wishing to receive mileage credit for mileage on this trip must check with Delta directly regarding their policy for crediting group air miles. INDEPENDENT FLIGHT ARRANGEMENTS: All airport transfers are based on the group’s flights and the bus will not able to alter its departure if your flight arrives after or leaves before the group’s flight. If you choose to book your own flights on a different carrier and miss a group transfer, you will be responsible for providing your own transportation and meeting the group at their next destination. BAGGAGE: Each passenger is entitled to one piece of checked luggage and one piece of carry-on luggage in addition to a personal item such as a purse or laptop. Currently United Airlines allows one checked bag weighing up to 50 pounds plus one carry-on without charge on flights to Europe.