Pictures from Spain

Journey Through the Ages from Pagan to Christian Spain and Portugal

Youth Pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal

Led By

Rebekah Fontenot
The Episcopal Church of St. Peter & St. Paul
Marietta, GA

July 11 – 21, 2013

Trip map

DAY 1: Thursday, July 11, 2013 - Depart the United States from Atlanta, GA on Delta Airlines on our flight into Madrid, Spain. M

DAY 2: Friday, July 12, 2013 - Upon arrival in Madrid we meet our driver and guide and take a panoramic tour of Madrid.  We see the Puerta del Sol, literally the center of Spain.  We visit the Plaza de Colon, named after Columbus.  By day the plaza is very busy and it houses one of the main bus transfer stations in Madrid.  At night the plaza becomes awash in lights giving the square almost the look of a fantasyland.  Here we will see several large structures which expand across the plaza with inscriptions related to the voyage of Columbus.  We see the Gran Via, the lively street which is one of the city’s most important shopping areas and Paseo de la Castellana, built in the 18th century.  We see monuments, squares, modern architecture, and sculptures including the Palacio Real, also known as the Royal Palace, the official residence of His Majesty, The King of Spain, now used for official ceremonies only.  We see the San Jeronimo el Real, founded as a convent, a Gothic building used for royal occasions including the coronation of King Juan Carlos I in 1975 and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Alumudena (Cathedral de Nuestra Senora de la Alumudena) which is by the Palacio Real.  This relatively new cathedral was sanctified by the Pope in 1993.  We see Monasterio de la Encamacion (Monastery of the Incarnation) where nuns of the Agustinas Recoletas (Augustinian order) still use the monastery.  Dinner and overnight Madrid. D

DAY 3: Saturday, July 13, 2013 - Today we travel to Avila, the city of St. Teresa, named the first woman doctor of the Catholic Church, Avila is surrounded by medieval walls whose cobble stone streets and ancien houses are a delight.  We visit the Convent of St. Teresa where St. Teresa started her religious life and where many of her visions took place.  It is here where she went to begin her own religious order, the Barefoot Carmelites.  We continue to the city of Toledo where we visit the Cathedral, one of the largest in Christendom, and the 14th century Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca.  We return to Madrid for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 4: Sunday, July 14, 2013 - This morning we worship at St. George’s Church, consecrated in March 1925.  There has been an Anglican Chaplain in Madrid since 1864 when the Rev. William Campbell was appointed to the British Embassy and services were held in a small room in a private house.  Later, we visit the Rastro Market, Madrid’s most famous market and supposedly the largest in Europe.  It takes place every Sunday with up to 3500 stalls filling narrow streets of Madrid’s oldest neighborhood.  We visit the Prado Museum, featuring the world’s finest collections of European art.  This evening we transfer to the Chamartin Train Station where we will take the 10:30 PM train to Santiago.  Overnight on Train to Santiago. BD

DAY 5: Monday, July 15, 2013 - We will have an early morning (7:20 AM) arrival on the train into Santiago.  Upon arrival we transfer to the Monte del Gozo (Mount Joy) from which the spires of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela can be seen.  We walk the final steps into Santiago as so many pilgrims have done before.  We attend the Pilgrims’ Mass where we will see the Botafumeiro, a 4 foot incense burner that is swung across the cathedral.  In the medieval days, the incense was burned to mask the smell of the pilgrims in the church.  This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour of Santiago de Compostela with a local guide.  Overnight Santiago de Compostela. BD

DAY 6: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - We travel along the breathtaking Galician Coast to Finisterre, the ancient Land’s End and common endpoint for pilgrims in the medieval period.  We will stop at fishing villages and Galicia’s longest granary in Carnota.  Upon arrival in Finisterre, we will visit the light house, the most powerful on this stretch of coast known as the Death Coast.  The Death Coast suffered huge numbers of shipwrecks in its treacherous waters.  We enjoy some beach reflection time prior to returning to Santiago. BD

DAY 7: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - Today we begin our journey via Pontevedra and Vigo to the Portugese border and continue on to Cabedelo Beach.  We enjoy our morning at Cabedelo Beach which is surrounded by a pine wood and has many restaurants and wonderful shopping.  It is located on the south side of the Lima River which runs through this quaint Portugese town.  After lunch we board our bus and travel to the town of Fatima for dinner and overnight Fatima. BD

DAY 8: Thursday, July 18, 2013 - We visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, built to commemorate the religious events of 1917 when three shepherd children reported several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the fields outside of the village of Aljustre near Fatima.  On the 13th of each month from May to October 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the children.  We visit the houses of the children in Aljustrel and continue to Coimba the final home of sister Lucia the last of the three children to see the apparitions.  We return to Fatima for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 9: Friday, July 19, 2013 - We continue south today to Evora, a city still partially enclosed by medieval walls.  We visit the Temple of Diana which is among the best-preserved Roman monuments in Portugal.  We see St. John the Evangelist Church, a 15th-century convent whose greatest attraction is a floor-to-ceiling collection of blue azulejos by António Oliveira Bernardes which depict scenes from the life of São Lourenço Justiniano, founder of the Lóios order.  We see the Igreja Real de São Francisco (Royal Church of St. Francis), best known for the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) where the walls and central pillars are covered with human skulls and other parts of skeletons.  We continue on to Lisbon for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 10: Saturday, July 20, 2013 - After breakfast we enjoy a panoramic tour of Lisbon.  Our first stop will be Rossio, one of the most beautiful squares in Lisbon and then we move on to Alfama, the oldest quarter where we will see the Roman and Arab remains of two of the most dominating civilizations in Lisbon’s past.  The narrow streets are a mark of the Quran where little value is given to facades but much greater value is given to the interiors of the houses.  We along the Tagus River to Black Horse Square, Belem Tower, built as a fortress in the middle of the Tagus in 1515 – 1521.  The starting point for the navigators who set out to discover the trade roués, this Manueline gem became a symbol of Portugal’s great era of expansion.  We see the Monument of Discoveries, inaugurated in 1960 during the celebrations of the 500 year anniversary of the death of Infant D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator).  We also see Jeronimos Monastery, the most impressive symbol of Portugal’s power and wealth during the Age of Discovery.  This is where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer before leaving for India.  We continue to Lisbon Cathedral, which, was home to a mosque that was converted to a cathedral after the city was conquered by the Crusaders in 1147.  This evening we enjoy our “farewell to Spain and Portugal” dinner and have our final overnight in Lisbon. BD

DAY 11: Sunday, July 21, 2013 - We have a very early wakeup call and transfer to the Lisbon Airport where we bid goodbye to our driver and guide and board our return flight to the U.S. arriving back this evening. BM

Price: $3,289.00.  Price is based on double occupancy without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Atlanta, GA Airport.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement:  $499.00

Excludes airline taxes and surcharges that will be added to your final payment invoice.  Estimated taxes as of September 21, 2012:  $630.02 per pilgrim.

Price includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the Euro and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the Euro.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.31 to the Euro

$200.00 per person deposit due with registration and copy of passport.

Final payment due April 11, 2013

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Until April 10, 2013: $100.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ April 11 – May 23, 2013: $200.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After May 24, 2013: NO REFUND

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, M Meals on Aircraft

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.