Morocco & Andalucia: Islamic Gardens and Architecture
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Morocco & Andalucia: Islamic Gardens and Architecture April 4 – 15, 2013 Co-sponsored by Pacific Horticulture Society and the San Diego Horticultural Society Escorted by Katherine Greenberg Come with us to discover the splendid Islamic gardens and architecture of Morocco and Andalucia. Our tour will take us from the Imperial Cities of Marrakech, Fez, and Meknes to Tangier and across the Straits of Gibraltar to the Moorish Kingdoms of Granada, Cordoba, and Seville. We will explore some of the ancient medinas and fabulous palaces that have enchanted travelers for centuries. We also have invitations to visit exceptional private homes and gardens. Along the way, we will enjoy regional cuisine in private homes and acclaimed restaurants, while staying in traditional hotels in the heart of the old cities. Join us for an amazing adventure! April 4, Thursday: USA – Marrakech, Morocco April 5, Friday: Marrakech Independent arrivals into Marrakech airport, with private transfers to our hotel, Jardins de la Medina, located in the medina of Marrakech. Transfers may also be arranged, at cost, from the Casablanca airport. In the late afternoon we will meet our Moroccan guide and depart for the famed Hotel La Mamounia, where we have a special invitation to enjoy a cocktail and have a tour of its legendary gardens. From there we will visit the vibrant heart of the city, Jemaa el Fna Square, on our way to a welcome dinner of Moroccan specialties. (D) April 6, Saturday: Marrakech Our day begins with a presentation on the history of the city by the Koutoubia minaret, the symbol of Marrakech and a “reference” of world Islamic art. It was built under the Almohad Berber dynasty on the site of the city’s 11th century foundations. The minaret is the “sister” to the Giralda tower in Seville, also from the 11th century. From here we will visit Bahia Palace, a classic example of Moorish-Andalusian art, where the transition from tradition to modernity in Moroccan architecture at the turn of the 19th century can be seen. Time allowing, we may also visit the Saadian Tombs, the last window into the splendor of early 17th century Moroccan interior art. After a seafood lunch in the new city, we will enjoy a walk through the spectacular Majorelle garden, designed in the 1920s by the French painter Jacques Majorelle. The garden meticulously restored by the late Yves St. Laurent, and the home is now the Museum of Moroccan Arts, with items from YSL’s own collection. We have a free evening to enjoy dinner in one of the city’s excellent restaurants. (B, L) April 7, Sunday: Marrakech This morning we explore Marrakech’s bazaars, the largest in Morocco. We begin by walking through the residential quarters of the old city, with their traditional public bakeries and baths, to see the Ben Youssef Medersa, a 15th century theological school that has recently been restored. Then we visit the Museum of Marrakech, with its eclectic collection of crafts and contemporary arts, housed in a former palace. As we walk through the narrow alleyways of the medina, we will pass stalls displaying an astonishing variety of Moroccan arts and crafts. There will be free time for lunch, and an afternoon excursion will take us toward the High Atlas Mountains and the Ourika Valley, where the orchards and Berber villages are enclosed by dramatic red cliffs. We will visit the Jardin Bio-Aromatique, a garden with over 50 species of aromatic and medicinal plants native to Morocco, and learn about their traditional uses. This evening we are invited to dinner in a lovely private residence amid the palm groves of Marrakech. (B, D) April 8, Monday: Marrakech – Fez Today we drive to Fez, Morocco’s oldest Imperial City, crossing the Tadla Plains, one of the Kingdom’s prime “bread baskets”. We continue through small villages to the Middle Atlas range, where we will stop at the last natural forest of Moroccan cedars, Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, and see a band of the indigenous Barbary macaques. After passing Ifrane, a mountain station and site of Africa’s most prestigious university, we descend toward Fez, with an early evening arrival. We will stop for lunch in Zayane at the Berber center Khenifra. Later we will check into the famed Palais Jamaï, one of the country’s finest hotels. The hotel was built upon a former vizier’s palace and features lovely terraced gardens and views of the medina. Dinner awaits in the elegant Moroccan Room of the hotel’s original palace wing. (B, L, D) April 9: Fez Today we explore Fez, a World Heritage site that is considered the last true example of a typical medieval Arab city. We begin in “old” Fez, which dates from the 9th century, following its labyrinthine alleys to the Attarine Medersa, the highest artistic achievement of the 14th century Merinid Dynasty. We will visit the mausoleum of Idriss II, the picturesque leather tannery, and the restored 17th century Nejjarine caravanserai. We will also explore the busy ateliers and markets around the world’s oldest functioning university, the Qarawine. After a lunch of local specialties in the medina, we will continue to the 15th century “new” Fez, with its Boujeloud “Blue” Gate and the Bou Inania Medersa, another jewel of the Merinids. We will also visit workshops for making pottery and tile mosaics, a specialty of Fez. We have a free evening or an optional dinner at the Maison Bleue, one of Morocco’s most esteemed traditional restaurants. (B, L) April 10: Fez – Meknes – Tangier This morning we drive to the Imperial City of Meknes to see its astounding 17th century granary, a World Heritage site. Then we continue to Tangier, formerly an international city on the Straits of Gibraltar, with a span of 9 miles separating Morocco from Spain. We arrive in Tangier in time for lunch and then enter the Kasbah for a tour of the American Legion Museum with its director. The museum first came into U.S. hands as a gift from the Sultan, and is the only monument outside U.S. territories registered as a National Historic Landmark. Hidden in the maze of the Kasbah, the museum showcases everything related to the city, including paintings and crafts. We will check into El Minzah Hotel, ideally located in the center of the city, above the Kasbah and port of Tangier. This evening we are invited for cocktails and dinner in a private hillside villa with an exotic garden developed over the last 30 years by its owner. (B, L, D) April 11, Thursday: Tangier – Granada This morning a fast boat will take us across the Straits of Gibraltar to Tarifa, following the route of the Moors, who crossed the Straits in 711 to conquer the Iberian Peninsula. We will meet our Spanish guide and stop for lunch along the beautiful Costa del Sol. Then we will continue to Granada and check into the Hotel Alhambra Palace, an elegant hotel near the Alhambra Palace with views of the city and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dinner tonight is in the elegant hotel restaurant, followed by a special guided visit to visit the palaces of the Alhambra. Seeing the architectural details of the palaces and patios illuminated at night is a memorable experience. (B, L, D) April 12, Friday: Granada We will depart this morning on foot to visit the Alhambra and the Generalife with our excellent local guide, who will give us an insider’s view of these beautiful palaces and gardens. We are invited for a tapas lunch at the private Rodriguez-Acosta Foundation, with its amazing architecture and terraced gardens overlooking the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The complex was created in the early 20th century by painter Jose Maria Rodriguez- Acosta to house his studio and art collection. The director, Mrs. Cristina Rodriguez-Acosta, will welcome us and show us the art collection of the Foundation’s Manuel Gomez Moreno Museum. After lunch we will visit two significant private gardens in the Albaicin Quarter overlooking the Alhambra. From there we go to the Royal Chapel, the burial place of the Catholic Kings Isabella and Ferdinand, that houses part of Isabella’s personal art collection. A free evening follows for dinner on your own or perhaps a flamenco performance. (B,D) April 13, Saturday: Granada – Cordoba – Palma del Rio – Seville This morning we depart by coach for a scenic drive through a landscape of silver-green olive groves to Cordoba, passing picturesque castles and hill towns en route. In Cordoba, we will visit the magnificent 8th century Mosque. Its orange tree court is considered to be the oldest garden in Europe. The mosque was expanded over several centuries and eventually converted into a cathedral in the 15th century. We will also visit the Alcazar de los Reyes Catolicos, which retains attractive Moorish patios and terraced gardens. Then we will stroll through the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter, to see its charming patios and visit the only remaining synagogue in the city. We will enjoy a tapas lunch at El Churrasco Restaurant, once a private home with interior patios in the old quarter, and then depart for Seville. On the way we will visit Islamic-influenced private gardens in the village of Palma del Rio. On arrival in Seville, we check into the Casa Romana Hotel. A free evening to enjoy un paseo en Sevilla, stopping for tapas or dinner in one of Seville’s excellent restaurants. (B, L) April 14, Sunday: Seville In the morning, we will walk to the Alcazar to see its lovely gardens, patios, and spectacular architecture. This fortress was begun in the 8th century by Spanish Islamic rulers.