May 22- June 4, 2001
(14 days)

Led by James Hart

$2367 * - age 25 and under
(triple or quad room)
$2588* - over age 25
(double room)

 
For the traveler whose tastes run to the sophisticated and exotic, this tour offers a vibrant mix of cultures and landscapes. You begin in Spain's Andalusia, ruled for seven centuries by Moors, a people descended from Berbers and Arabs. Next there's Morocco, the mixing pot of Europe and Africa, with its breathtaking beauty and wondrous history. Finally, visit Madrid, the cosmopolitan capital of Spain.

 
Schedule of Travel and Visits:

 
  • Day 1:   Depart from the USA
  • Day 2: GRANADA   Arriving in the port city of Malaga, you set off for Granada. Drive through the sun-bleached towns and rough mountains of the Malaga Province. After a briefing on you itinerary, you enjoy a typical Andalusian dinner. (D)
  • Day 3: GRANADA   Your morning's tour focuses on the Alhambra, a fortress high above the city. Inside the fort is a Moorish Palace with a forest of halls, courtyards, fountains, ponds, arches and columns. Surfaces everywhere are covered by Arab calligraphy incised into plaster as well as tile mosaics with delicate flower patterns and geometric shapes. This morning you also view the site of the Sultan's summer palace, the Generalife, and walk through its lush, fastidiously tended gardens. Enjoy the free afternoon. (B)

 
  • Day 4: SEVILLE   On the drive to Seville, you stop at Cordoba, once center of the Moorish caliphate. Here you visit the Mezquita with 1000 marble, jasper and onyx pillars. This is arguably the grandest and most beautiful religious building constructed by the Moors. Nearby is the Juderia, the city's oldest Jewish quarter where Maimonides wrote his seminal works on law, medicine and philosophy. (B,D)
  • Day 5: SEVILLE   Spend part of this morning at the city's cathedral. More than 200 years in construction, it is one of the world's largest Gothic buildings. Next to the cathedral, is the last remnant of the old city's main mosque, the splendid Giralda tower. You also tour the Alcazar, a Christian citadel built atop a Moorish palace.(B)
  • Day 6: RONDA   This morning travel through Andalucia to ancient Ronda which is perched high on a ridge. Ronda is divided by a deep ravine spanned by an 18th century engineering marvel, the Puente Nuevo. The town is best known for its bullfighting. You tour its bullring, one of Spain's oldest. (B,D)
  • Day 7: TANGIERS   Enjoy the scenic route to Morocco. Board a hydrofoil to Tangiers. (B,D)
  • Day 8: FEZ   Spend the morning touring the "medina", or old town of Tangiers. This labyrinth of narrow streets and cul-de-sacs is surrounded by a high wall. Pass through the wall to enter the Place du Grand Socco, the busiest square in the city. On route to Fez, you visit Volubilis to explore the remains of Roman houses, a forum and basilica, oil mills, and a rampart one-and-a-half miles long. (B,D)
  • Day 9: FEZ   You spend the full day in the oldest of Moorish imperial cities. You see Bab Bou Jeloud, a rampart gate decorated with blue arabesques (symbolizing Fez) on one side and green tiles (symbolizing Islam) on the other. Beyond the gate lies the "souk" or market area. This market encompasses Place Nejjarine and the Kissaria, offering spices, ointments, silks, and brocades. (B,D)

 
  • Day 10: MARRAKECH   You stop off in Meknes, a city of changeable fortune, on your way to Marrakech. Here you see 25 miles of triple ramparts built when Meknes was an imperial city. Farther along, you stop at the holy town of Moulday Idris, home of the dazzling mausoleum of Idriss I, the most venerated saint in Morocco. (B,D)
  • Day 11: MARRAKECH   A high point of this wonder-filled day is the Place Djemma el-Fna - heart of Marrakech. You also see the Menara Gardens with its 250 acres of olive trees, the Koutobia Minaret which stands like a sentinel at the gates of the Sahara, and the "kasbah," Marrakech's old fortified district. (B,D)
  • Day 12: MADRID   Enjoy a scenic drive to Casablanca where you board your jet aircraft to Madrid. The afternoon is free to stroll down the elegant Calle Serrano and enjoy papas at a sidewalk cafe. (B,D)

 
  • Day 13: MADRID   A guided sightseeing tour of Madrid this morning includes the Plaza de Espana and the Puerta de Alcala. See the best of Spanish art from the 12th to the 19th century in the Prado Museum. (B)

 
  • Day 14:   Return to the U.S.A.

 

* = Prices include transportation and accommodations, most meals, entrance fees, tour guide services and an insurance package.

(B) Breakfast is included    (D) Dinner is included   (B,D) Breakfast and Dinner included

For registration and detailed itinerary information contact Kathy Clifton at Edison Community College.
Office: 309 1-800-922-3722 (Ext. 331)