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SPAIN & FRANCE
Catalunia, The Basque Country and French
Pyrenees
14
days / 13 nights
DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR 2008
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Tour Code
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Arrive
Barcelona
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Depart
Barcelona
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SAF
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Saturday
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Friday
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SAF
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Your choice
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Your choice
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Tour operates any Saturday of your choice with a minimum of 6 passengers travelling together.
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PRICES IN POUNDS STERLING
Indicative prices based on minimum of 6 persons :
GBP £1885 pp twin share / GBP £295 single supplement
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What
your tour price includes
- Your
accommodation for 13 nights while on the tour is included
in your tour price, and this includes both breakfasts
and dinners;
- Your
price also includes all entrance fees to attractions,
transportation, services of driver/guide-companion
and all taxes and tips other than those you may wish
to give your guide.
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| TENTATIVE
ITINERARY |
NIGHTSTOP
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DAY
ONE - Saturday
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| Arrival
into Barcelona where you are met by your Back-Roads Touring Co.
Ltd representative and transferred to our Barcelona base. This
afternoon we'll take you on an introductory city tour and tonight
there'll be a welcome dinner. |
Barcelona
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DAY
TWO - Sunday
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| We
depart at 08.30 and take the short drive to the ancient and beautiful
city of Girona, located about 60 miles north of Barcelona. The
city boasts a variety of cultural modern and traditional activities
and one could hardly find a better base than Girona for exploring
the spectacular coastline along the Costa Brava.
This splendid
and ancient city boast a wealth of attractions, and is a very
important site of Jewish heritage. Magnificent buildings in
the ancient quarter include the Arabian Baths, the baroque Palace
of the Agullana Family, one of the most relevant baroque areas
of the ancient quarter, and the winding, narrow street and alleys
of the Rambla de la Llibertat. The Cathedral is breathtaking,
both from the outside and inside. The interior contains numerous
works of art such as the reredos and silver altar canopy Gothic
tombs and baroque altar paintings. The renowned Tapestry of
the Creation, the Beatus, and a rich collection of medieval
gold and silver works are exhibited in the Capitular Museum.
You'll have
free time to explore the city, visiting the Archeological Museum
which contains an important collection of prehistoric objects
together with others from Greek and Roman periods, as well as
a unique collection of Hebrew tombstones. |
Girona
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DAY
THREE - Monday
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| Our
sightseeing attractions today include The Valley of Sant Daniel,
a great natural reserve praised by poets and painted by artists.
There, you'll also see the Monastery of Sant Daniel and visit
the Convent of Sant Domènec. This single-nave church was
one of the first Gothic buildings constructed in Catalunya.
The day's indoubted highlight,
however, will be the Dali Museum at Figueres. The artist Salvador
Dali was born in the Catalan town of Figueres in 1904. Dali
never strayed far from the town and in 1974 founded the Teatre-Museu
Dali here. Showcasing a large part of the artist's work, it
is also full of illusions and surprises. Surrender yourself
to one of the strangest imaginations of the 20th century.
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Girona
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DAY
FOUR - Tuesday
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| We
follow the Costa Brava coast, through quaint fishing villages
and beach resorts, crossing the France border and making for Perpignan.
This is a leisurely day's drive,
enjoying the contrasts and similarities between France and Spain.
The fact that these lands were just one region until relatively
recently becomes obvious, but the slight differences are also
intriguing.
We arrive at the medieval walled
city of Carcassonne and our base nearby.
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Carcassonne
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DAY FIVE
- Wednesday
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Today
we explore Carcassonne and its surroundings.
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Carcassonne
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DAY SIX -
Thursday
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The
Tarn Gorge and Albi.
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Carcassonne
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DAY SEVEN
- Friday
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Toulouse
and Lourdes to Pau.
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Pau
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DAY EIGHT
- Saturday
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More
surprises await on the French side of the Pyrenees. Iparralde,
as the French Basque Country is known, is filled with peaceful
villages of red and white half timber farmhouses. Cottage
industries producing delicious sheep milk cheese, foie gras,
pottery, baskets and jewellery abound.
On the
coast, the towns and villages vary from the chic resort of Biarritz
to the traditional fishing villages. One of the latter is San
Jean de Luz which grew up around a pilgrim's hospital in the
middle ages. Corsaires built impressive mansions from which
to watch their boats at sea. A tribute to the town's importance
came in 1660 when Louis XIV, the Sun King, chose it as the site
for his marriage to Maria Theresa. We see the dramatic cliffs
of Hendaye and visit an explorer's crazy neo-gothic palace before
continuing up the coast to Biarritz for an afternoon of Belle
Epoque glamour and wonderful shopping.
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San Sebastian
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DAY NINE
- Sunday
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We
have crossed back into Spain and to the Basque region, the focus
of our explorations over the next few days. We'll begin with
San Sebastian, known as the pearl of the Cantabrian sea, with
its shell shaped bay, wide, tree lined boulevards and protected
fishing harbour. We will tour the city, visiting the unusual
fish market where fish are displayed like works of art, San
Telmo museum which houses a unique series of wall hangings by
Jose Maria Sert, and the lovely port area. In the evening we
will meet in San Sebastian's old part and dine as the locals
do on the surprising and delicious miniature cuisine known as
pintxos. A dining experience like no other.
Nearby,
Ainhoa is a tiny town known for its crafts and art galleries,
and the walled medieval village of Fuenterrabia.
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San Sebastian
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DAY TEN -
Monday
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Frank
Gehry's acclaimed Guggenheim Museum is the focus of our morning.
The titanium-clad structure, remarkable in itself, has been
the catalyst for Bilbao's economic revival along with Sir Norman
Foster's unique metro system. The changes that have taken place
in Bilbao are staggering. Cesar Pelli's plan to unify the river
bed with the modern city center is in full swing. After lunch
at the museum you can choose to explore Bilbao, its shops and
fascinating architecture or visit the Basque council house and
the legendary Tree of Gernika made famous throughout the world
by Picasso's remarkable painting. Bilbao, home of Frank Gehry's
incomparable Guggenheim Museum. Clad in Titanium the building
is a masterpiece of design and a wonder of construction.
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San Sebastian
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DAY ELEVEN
- Tuesday
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| Pamplona,
home of the running of the bulls during the Festival of San Fermin
and the setting for Ernest Hemingway's novel
The Sun Also Rises. A tour of the old city is followed by lunch
in one of Papa's favorite haunts. |
San Sebastian
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DAY TWELVE
- Wednesday
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| Lleida
(Lerida) - Located inland in a mountainous area. Most interesting
is its cathedral, "Seo", built between 12th and 15th
century.The visit to the monumental complex of Seu Vella plateau
is an essential for any visitor. The castle - as it is lovingly
called by the people from Lleida - is, from its privileged position,
the most remarkable landmark of the city. According to some historians,
the building commenced on the grounds of a former Muslim mosque.
Devoted to Saint Mary, the temple was consecrated in 1278. The
access to the architectural complex is by the Porta dels Fillols.
Five monumental doors make up a clear example of late Romanesque
architectural sculpture by the so-called School of Lleida. Seu
Vella bell tower has 7 bells. |
Lerida
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DAY THIRTEEN
- Thursday
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| First today, a descent from the
hills to the Costa Daurada and its capital, Tarragona. This was
an important city of the Roman empire and still preserves outstanding
monuments including the aquaeductus, an amphitheater and the Tomb
of the Scipios. Close to Tarragona there are the monasteries Santes
Creus and Santa Maria de Poblet, both of high historic-artistic
interest.
Finally, our tour takes us along
the 'Gold Coast' to the lively resort of Sitges, situated just
35 km south of Barcelona, before we return to the city where
our adventure began.
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Barcelona
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DAY FOURTEEN
- Friday
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| Transfer to the airport. If you'd like to extend your Spanish adventure, we can make additional arrangements as required.
>> Go to other tours departing from Lisbon and Rome
>> Go to 2007 Touring Programme Overview
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