ITINERARY 2002- 2003

Day 1, Fri. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.

Day 2, Sat. ARRIVAL IN MADRID, SPAIN. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to start exploring lively Madrid. Tonight meet your tour director and fellow travelers.

Day 3, Sun. MADRID-SALAMANCA-SERRA DA ESTRELA AREA, PORTUGAL. Journey west to fortified Avila, then on to Salamanca, just six miles from the spot where Wellington routed Napoleon's Army in 1812. Make sure you spend some time wandering around Salamanca's Plaza Mayor, the most beautiful square in Spain. Leave Salamanca and head westwards to the fortress town of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched high above the Rio Agueda. A profusion of woodlands and mountains awaits you as you journey into the valley of the Serra da Estrela for overnight. (B,D)

Day 4, Mon. SERRA DA ESTRELA AREA-FATIMA-LISBON. Travel southwards to Coimbra, strategically situated on a hill overlooking the Mondego River. Later reach Fatima. Stop here to see the Sanctuary, made famous by the Virgin's apparition to three shepherd children, Francisco, Jacinth, and Lucia, on May 13, 1917. A few more miles to Lisbon for overnight. (B)

Day 5, Tue. LISBON. Henry the Navigator made Lisbon the 15th-century mistress of the seas. You'll see his monument, the Belem Tower, the Moorish Citadel and impressive Black Horse Square, and other highlights on the guided sightseeing excursion. Spend the afternoon in the Alfama's tile-decorated streets, or make an optional visit to coastal Estoril and Cascais. (B)

Day 6, Wed. LISBON-SEVILLE, SPAIN. After leaving Lisbon this morning visit a wine bodega to sample some Portuguese wine. Next south on the fast highway into the Algarve and the shores of the Atlantic at Albufeira. Make a stop in the resort of Montechoro and in the afternoon motor a few more miles through Faro to cross the River Guadiana at Vila Real St. Antonio in to Ayamonte, the first Andalusian town on the way to Seville. (B,D)

Day 7, Thu. SEVILLE. One of Spain's most colorful cities. Perhaps you'd like to spend this morning making an optional visit to the cathedral, the largest in Spain, then going on to the great Giralda Tower with its intricate Moorish decoration, and the 12th-century Alcazar which was once a Moorish Royal palace. (B,D)

Day 8, Fri. SEVILLE-CORDOBA-MADRID. Drive northwards towards Carmona, an old-world country town dominated by an ancient Alcazar, to Cordoba. This is Spain's most Moorish city with its great Mosque, which is rightly known as one of Islam's greatest pieces of architecture outside the Arab world. Later into the very heart of La Mancha, famed for its castles and windmills. Overnight in Madrid. (B)

Day 9, Sat. MADRID. Not only is it the capital of Spain, but because it is situated 2,180 feet above sea level, the Spaniards rightly say it is the nearest thing to heaven. You've only a day here and it's certainly worth making the most of it. Enjoy the main highlights on the included guided sightseeing excursion. The optional trip to Toledo is rewarding in more ways than one; the splendid setting of this old walled city above the Tagus was made famous in El Greco's painting, and even now it's like a great open-air museum of Spanish history and art. (B)

Day 10, Sun. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)

Tour 6795

Days 1, Fri. to 5, Tue. Like tour 6790.

Day 6, Wed. LISBON-MONTECHORO. After leaving Lisbon this morning visit a wine bodega to sample some Portuguese wine. Next south on the fast highway into the Algarve and the shores of the Atlantic at Albufiera. On to nearby Montechoro for a week of leisure at the comfortable Hotel Montechoro. (B,D)

Days 7, Thu. to 12, Tue. IN MONTECHORO. Your hotel is situated not far from Albufeira, which is the largest and most popular resort town on the coast with a good selection of shops, restaurants, and cafés. Montechoro is one of the Algarve's more modern resorts, with a golden sandy beach, plenty of shops, bars, and restaurants to choose from, as well as nightspots to visit. (B,D daily)

Day 13, Wed. MONTECHORO-SEVILLE, SPAIN. Morning at leisure. In the afternoon journey by way of Ayamonte into Andalusia for overnight in Seville. (B,D)

Days 14, Thu. to 16, Sat. Like tour 6790 from days 7 to 9.

Day 17, Sun. MADRID. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)

YOUR HOTEL IN MONTECHORO is the first-class Hotel Montechoro (F). This popular hotel is situated about 150 yards from the shops, bars, and cafes of the Montechoro area. The public areas and restaurant are spacious and attractively decorated. Buffet style breakfast, top floor à-la-carte grill room, and a cocktail and lounge bar. There is a swimming pool with plenty of lounge chairs, and a pool bar serving snacks. Further sporting facilities include: Tennis courts (2 floodlit), Health Club with sauna, gym, Turkish bath and massage at the Montechoro Beach Club which is regularly serviced by a shuttle bus. All twin-bedded rooms have air-conditioning, TV, minibar, and private facilities.

TOUR INCLUDES:

• Scheduled transatlantic flights.
• Services of a professional tour director
• Hotels listed below or equivalent; see also page 9. Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges
• Continental breakfasts (B); dinners (D) as detailed in the tour description
• Touring by private first-class air-conditioned motorcoach
• Sightseeing with local guides: Lisbon and Madrid
• Visits to Avila, Salamanca, Coimbra, Fatima, Seville, Cordoba
• Portuguese wine tasting in Azeitao
• Scenic highlights: Serra da Estrela, Algarve, Andalusia, La Mancha
• Portfolio of travel documents

HOTELS

MADRID Praga (ST) or Centro Norte (ST), SERRA DA ESTRELA Sao Paulo (ST) at Oliveira do Hospital, LISBON Roma (ST), SEVILLE Don Paco (ST