Seville to Santiago

E A S T E R 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 2 0 2 0 This is (what was planned for) April 2020's itinerary. Please enjoy a look through as an example. We are currently working on confirming our new Easter on the Camino trip & will upload the new itinerary as soon as possible. Thank you! - Insider's Travel Our journey acquaints us with Spain’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 la Plata, a lesser travelled route of the Camino de Santiago. Starting with the dramatic setting of Seville on Maundy Thursday, we discover Spain at the most poignant time of the Spanish church year as we travel through the contrasting regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile & León and Galicia, 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 Good Friday in the town of Zafra & Easter Sunday in the world heritage town of Cáceres. Continuing from the Hispanic world’s oldest university town of Salamanca to the land of the Conquistadores in Extremadura & through the lush pastures of Galicia, we finish our journey in Santiago de Compostela. Watch the HIGHLIGHTS Holy Thursday processions in the heart of Seville from a private balcony above the crowds, from the studio of a professional flamenco dancer. Good Friday in Seville, Tour the Alcázar Palace, the Cathedral, the site of the Old Mosque & 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 & 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, Portugal Visits to the cathedrals & 13th-century university buildings of the Golden City of Salamanca Private mass with Bishop Carlos in Santiago de Compostela’s Santa Susana Church Farewell dinner in the 15th-century Parador 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 & pilgrimage 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 & 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 & the doting grandmother of four. After two careers in the fashion industry & florist business, Nancy took up trekking at age 50. She has walked four different routes of the El Camino & has walked the Via Francigina from Canterbury to Rome 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 Madrid for 19 years, where she first worked in television for the lifestyle channel, Canal Estilo, & 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 & Corazon Travel. Joanna has enjoyed walking on her travels through South America & in Europe. She has a love for flamenco dancing which she studied when living in Granada 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 & 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 & 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 and check into our hotel, the Vincci La Rábida, a 4-star hotel, housed in a former 18th-century mansion house Y minutes' walk from the cathedral. We meet in the lobby for a welcome drink before being led to A our venue for the evening. Our host is a flamenco dancer who shares with us her studio’s private offering a balcony, privileged view of the Holy D Thursday processions as they pass below us. Wine & tapas are served in the studio during the evening. Our guides will explain the traditions of Semana Santa in Seville, the most famous city in Spain for its Holy Week 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 Giralda tower still intact. We go on to visit the intricate Mudéjar architecture of the Alcázar Palace & its D gardens. then the winding streets of Santa Cruz, the former Jewish neighbourhood. We learn about the Golden Age of this Andalusian capital & why anyone who was anyone wanted a A piece of the action. 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. 2 We stay tonight in the Casa Palacio Conde de la Corte, a 19th- 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, Gothic & Y Renaissance influences. The city also plays host to film & TV productions; Game of Throne fans will not A be disappointed. A 4 mile walk to Aldea del Cano, passing the well-known mailbox milario! We stay at the Parador, a 14th-century mansion D 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 walk along the Roman Road that 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.

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