Madrid and Barcelona

A dream comes true as your wide-bodied jet thunders off the airstrip, Europe-bound! Watch the sun rise up to meet your airplane, after a short night. Spain glides by beneath your airplane, in shades of sienna, as you head towards Madrid's Barajas Airport.

Discover two beautiful squares in the heart of Old Madrid, starting at the Puerta del Sol, known for its department stores, and for the clock tower on the Royal Post Office that's the focus of revelers on New Year's Eve. See the statue of King Charles III on his horse.

Continue to Plaza Mayor, surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants. On this square, the rider is King Philip III.

Then, proceed to 'Spain Square' to view the imposing monument that honors Miguel de Cervantes, hailed as the author of the first modern novel (1605), by depicting his world-famous characters: Don Quixote, on his horse, Rocinante, and Sancho Panza, on his nameless donkey.

View world-famous paintings by El Greco, Goya, and Velázquez, and much. much more, at the magnificent Museo del Prado.

Enjoy a stroll around El Parque del Buen Retiro. Once royalty's playground, this park now opens its gardens and recreational areas to the public.

For dinner this evening, you'll experience tapas, the delightful and varied snack-like servings, which are a specialty of Spain. There's something to please every taste!

Visit the Mercat de la Boqueria, a prize-winning market that once received the "Best Market in the World" award. This market is proof that Barcelona is far more than the world's capital of molecular cuisine. The stalls are stuffed with every imaginable cooking ingredient. You will see spices, seafood, meat and dairy, fruits and vegetables, bread and pastries, wines, as well as olives and cured hams.

Get acquainted with the string of shaded avenues stretched from the elegant Plaça de Catalunya to the Columbus Monument, which marks the spot on the waterfront where the explorer stepped ashore in 1493 after his voyage of discovery. Landmarks along the way include elegant palaces such as Palau Güell (designed by Gaudí in the 1890s and now a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site as one of the first Modernist buildings), the Opera House (Gran Teatre del Liceu, inaugurated in 1848), and Plaça de la Boquería, with the city's most colorful market.

Enjoy a walking tour with your Tour Director in the tight maze of streets found in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona's medieval district, where the focal point is the great Gothic cathedral. Other landmarks, all dating back to the 1300s, include the Palau de la Generalitat (seat of Catalonia's Government), Casa de la Ciutat (Barcelona's Town Hall) and the former royal palace where Christopher Columbus met Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand upon his return from the Indies in 1493. Several of the mansions now house museums.

Visit the extraordinary-looking basilica whose construction was planned in the 1870s. Antonio Gaudí worked for more than forty years to create a unique and huge sanctuary still far from completion. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia combines elements of Gothic architecture and the tenets of the Modernista movement associated with Gaudí.

This evening, enjoy a traditional paella dinner. This typically Spanish dish offers a flavorful combination of rice cooked with spices, and sauteed Mediterranean vegetables, usually served with either chicken or seafood.

Your group leader will make arrangements to visit a local school.

Relax at Playa de la Barceloneta, the city's #1 beach, where favorite pastimes are swimming, sunbathing, and sipping refreshments at a beach hut. Have your picture taken below Frank Gehry's shimmering Goldfish sculpture.

Head to Plaça de les Cascades, set below Montjuïc Hill.

¡Adios España! Barcelona's airport recedes, and you're 500 miles closer to home with each hour in the air. You'll be back! For now, race the sun westward, arriving home later today, eager to share your experiences with family and friends.