Bilbao & Beyond ... The glories of SPAIN

Beautiful art, stirring architecture, and excellent food await us. Spain is the center of the world's most innovative architecture and home of fine collections of art. We begin in Bilbao, the Basque town famous for the new Guggenheim museum whose sleek and elegant titanium curves have become instantly recognizable throughout the world. We will marvel at Gehry's creation and its art collection before moving on to Barcelona. This walker's paradise has old and new, sea and mountain, post modern and primitive. We will stroll through the Gothic Quarter past ancient shops and chic boutiques to Gaudi's sublimely surreal buildings, the Sagrada Familia and Guell Park. Next we visit Madrid's marvelous Prado museum, then travel to El Escorial, a museum of paintings, tapestries, and royal tombs; and on to Segovia, the center of castle-rich Castile. Join us for a unique artistic and culinary experience. 

Day 1-Board our flight to Spain.

Day 2-After checking in at our first class hotel in Bilbao in the Casco Viejo (old quarter), we will spend the rest of the day enjoying this Basque city on the banks of the Nervion River. Overnight Bilbao.

Day 3-We are off to the Guggenheim Museum, a unique structure and an essential stop on any art lover's tour. Its titanium-plated, shimmering curves glow on the horizon like a blossoming flower -- inside, an impeccable collection of 20th century art for our enjoyment. After a leisurely day in Bilbao we fly this evening to Barcelona.

Day 4 through 6-Welcome to Barcelona, the Catalan center of culture! This magnificent city is a walker's paradise, and we will saunter through the Gothic Quarter past ancient artisans' shops and chic boutiques to view the surreal buildings by Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona's favorite architectural son. We will see his Passeig de Gracia, an apartment building famous for its undulating walls resembling seaside cliffs; the Sagrada Familia, a vast still-unfinished church, his labor of 43 years; and Guell Park, his model community. We will visit the Miro Foundation, featuring the boldly colored paintings and sculptures by Catalan artist, Joan Miro. Finally, we will visit the neighborhood of Las Ramblas with its 164 foot monument to Columbus. This evening we fly to Madrid.

Day 7-After breakfast we are off to visit the Prado Museum. With more than 7,000 paintings, it is one of the great art museums in the world. It began as a royal collection and was enhanced by Charles V, and later by the Bourbons. In paintings of the Spanish school (Velasquez, Goya, El Greco and Murillo), the Prado has no equal. Overnight Madrid.

Day 8-We travel through the Spanish countryside to San Lorenzo de el Escorial and Segovia. El Escorial is a huge granite fortress housing a wealth of paintings and tapestries; it also serves as a burial place for Spanish kings. From El Escorial we go to Segovia, at the base of the Guadarrama Mountains, the center of castle-rich Castile. Isabella was proclaimed queen of Castile here in 1474. Segovia boasts one of the finest Roman aqueducts in the world. Overnight Madrid.

Day 9-A free day to visit the Reina Sophia Museum perhaps, to revisit the Prado, to take a day trip to Toledo, or just to relax and enjoy the city. Overnight Madrid.

Day 10-Today we board our flight home, to dream of the glories of Spain.