1010UA4 - Catholic Spain Pilgrimage 7 days from Newark

Today, we depart from Newark for our overnight flight to Madrid. We will be served beverages, in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast aloft.

This afternoon we visit highlights of Madrid, the capital of Spain, including the Gran Via Plaza de España, the Viaduct, Plaza Major, passing by the Bull Ring, Independence and Cibeles Squares, the University, and the Paseo de la Castellana. We enjoy dinner on our own during this journey.

After breakfast, we travel to Avila where our day begins with a trip along the famous fortress walls of Avila. A tour of the Cathedral in Avila, one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in Spain, will be followed by Mass in this sacred space. From Avila, we journey to nearby Toledo. Following lunch on our own, we enjoy the masterpiece paintings of one of Spain’s most celebrated artists, El Greco. We also tour the pearl of Toledo, its cathedral. Our last stop will be at the Mezquita Cristo De La Luz, a mosque made into a church after the reconquest of Spain from the Moors by the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabel, who are also famous for financing Christopher Colombus’ trip to the New World. We return to Madrid for dinner on our own and overnight at our hotel.

Today is spent savoring the delights of one of the world’s great capital cities: Madrid. Our morning includes a visit to the Royal Palace as well as a tour and Mass at Madrid’s cathedral. We save the best for last with an afternoon in Spain’s world class Museo del Prado. The Prado houses the work of Spain’s great masters including Picasso, Dalí, Goya, Velasquez, El Greco, and Juan Miró. We return to our hotel. Dinner on our own and overnight at our hotel.

We travel north this morning to the enchanting town of Segovia. There, we marvel at the engineering genius of the Roman aqueduct as well as the iconic medieval castle which is recognized as one of the inpirations for the Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle. After lunch on our own, we enjoy a tour of the Cathedral where we will venerate the incorrupt body of St. John of the Cross and celebrate Mass. Along with his co-reformer and fellow mystic St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross is a Church doctor and the author of the spiritual masterpiece “The Dark Night of the Soul”. St. John and St. Teresa, contempories and spiritual companions, are considered the greatest contributions to the universal church to emerge from Spain. We return to Madrid for dinner on our own and overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast, we return to Avila for the celebration of the Feast of St. Teresa, mystic, author, reformer, and doctor of the church. As part of our parish’s anniversary celebration, we join Holy Mass with the bishop, a procession through the streets with a statue of St. Teresa, music, street artists, food, folk events, and a carnival. A stop at the Iglesia-Convento de Santa Teresa with its museum will deepen our knowledge and appreciation for this great medieval saint. We return to Madrid. Dinner on our own and overnight at our hotel in Madrid.

We fly out of Madrid for our return to the U.S with unforgettable memories to cherish always.