July 17: 
Suggested date of departure for those attending the European Conference on Reading in Braga, Portugal.

For individuals wishing to earn academic credit for completing specific requirements at the Reading Conference, contact the Keuka College website for details.

July 18: 
Arrive in Porto and transfer on own to Braga.  Hotel reservations and registration arrangements for the European Conference on Reading can be booked through the Conference web site www.littera-apl.org/conference
or e-mail at: conference@littera-apl.org

July 19-21:  
The European Conference on Reading.

July 22: Conference ends in Braga
After our Reading conference concludes we check into our hotel in Braga and enjoy a nice welcome dinner and overnight at our hotel.  (D)

July 23: Fatima and Lisbon
We depart Braga this morning and enjoy a morning tour of Fatima, the well-known Roman Catholic Marian shrine. We visit the Basilica and the Chapel of Apparitions that marks the spot where the three shepherd children had visions in 1917.  We continue to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal where we will check into our hotel and enjoy our dinner and overnight.  (B, D)

July 24: Lisbon
Lisbon is an enticing tangle of past and present -- funky and old-fashioned, unpretentious and quirky, restored and revitalized, booming with new confidence. With cultural diversity combined with a laid-back ambience and an architectural time-warp, this is one of Europe's most enjoyable cities. Today's half-day city tour takes us along the banks of the River Tagus and the Belem Tower guarding the mouth of the river. We visit Jeronimo's Monastery with the tomb of Vasco da Gamma. We continue on to see Alcantara, Praca do Comercio, and the House of Pointed Stones. We also drive along the Avenida da Liberdade, a fashionable tree-lined street through the centre of town. We continue on a walking tour through the oldest quarter Alfama, Baixa, Rossio, Restauradores, and Avenida da Liberdade.  This afternoon we will meet with a local school and have time to have a question and answer period regarding the public school system in Lisbon. 
(B, D)

July 25:  Cape Vincent, Lagos, Algarve and Seville
We depart Lisbon this morning and travel southward along the enchanted southern Atlantic coastline.  History comes alive as we reach the wind-swept PROMONTORY OF SAGRES, where Henry the Navigator lived and planned his overseas expansion. Only a few miles away is Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern corner of continental Europe, a dramatic cliff defying the waves of an ever-angry Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy a lunch break in pretty Lagos before we travel through the resort town of Algarve and then on to Seville where we will enjoy our dinner and overnight.

July 26: Seville
We depart Lisbon this morning and travel to Seville.  Sevilla, the fourth largest city in Spain, is the picture-perfect image of Andalucia, complete with restored Andalusian architecture, orange groves, flower-filled patios, and castanet-rattling Gypsies. While in Sevilla we visit the largest cathedral in Spain, built in a Gothic style with lovely stained glass windows, choir, and chapels. We visit the Giralda Tower, with its spectacular views of the city. We will also see the Moorish Alcazar Palace, a 14th century palace, the oldest royal residence in Europe and still in use. King Juan Carlos resides here while in Sevilla, as King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella once did. We finish our tour with a walk through the Old Quarter.   This evening we will have free time for an optional Flamenco dinner and dance show.  (B)

July 27: Granada
Today we tour Granada, set in the heart of Andalucia with the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains as a backdrop.  Conquered by the Moors in AD 711, Granada blossomed into one of Europe's wealthiest and most refined cities. The legacy of Granada's rich history and heritage remain visible throughout the city centre with its cobblestone streets and lovely plazas. In 1992 Granada celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Christian re-conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella.  The focus of our sightseeing today is Granada's main attraction, the Alhambra, a mighty fortress that houses an extraordinarily delicate and beautiful Moorish palace begun in the 13th century. This was the palace of the Nasrid Sultans, rulers of the last Spanish Moorish Kingdom. A fantasy of "lace in stone" surrounded by arabesque gardens and fountains, it affords superb views of the Old Quarter and Sacromonte, a mountain occupied by gypsy cave dwellers. In many ways, the Alhambra represents the Moorish concept of life itself -- something glorious to be ennobled by learning and enlivened by every kind of pleasure. We also visit the nearby Generalife Gardens as well as the old Moorish quarter of the Albaicin.  We enjoy our dinner and overnight in Granada this evening.  (B,D)

July 28: Cordoba
This morning we travel to visit the magnificent and legendary city of Cordoba (a World Heritage City) where we observe the existence of multicultural and different religions. Our tour starts at the Roman Bridge and the Calahorra Tower, an Arab defensive tower. We continue to the Cathedral-Mosque, the only catholic cathedral built in the heart of a mosque. Next we arrive at the Alcazar a fortress, built by King Alfonso XI, and containing mosaics and sarcophagi. Finally we will have a stroll in the Jewish quarter where the Synagogue is located.  We enjoy our dinner and overnight in Cordoba this evening.  (B)

July 29: Toledo and Madrid
This morning we travel by motor coach to Toledo, a city with a unique blend of Arab, Jewish, Christian, Roman, and Visigothic elements. Toledo sits on a rocky promontory isolated on three sides by a looping gorge of the Tagus River. The history of several different cultures is contained within this region, represented by the houses, synagogues, churches, and mosques. Our tour of Toledo (a World Heritage city) includes the Cathedral and the Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogue which shows the influence of the Granada Moors. It has an ornate ceiling and carved arabesques, not in Arabic, but in Hebrew. The most elaborate Mudejar interior in the city is hidden behind the deceptively humble facade of this former synagogue, built in the 14th century by Samuel Ha-Levi, the Jewish treasurer to Pedro the Cruel. The interlaced frieze of the lofty prayer hall harmoniously fuses Islamic, Gothic and Hebrew geometric motifs below a wonderful coffered ceiling. Adjoining the synagogue is an interesting museum dedicated to Jewish Sephardi culture. Later this afternoon we transfer to Madrid for our overnight. (B)

July 30:   Madrid
Our tour of Madrid includes a tour of the Royal Palace where we see, among other things, its principal staircase, throne,  dining room, museum of silver, and principal courtyard.* We then drive past Plaza Espana point, and out to Cervantes Monument. We drive down Gran Via to the Cybele fountain, then north to Plaza Colon and turn around to come back down towards the magnificent Prado Museum for a guided tour.  Originally opened to the public in 1819, the Prado houses all of the finest works collected by Spanish Royalty as well as Spanish paintings gathered from other sources over the past two centuries. The Prado is one of the most important repositories of art in the world, including a vast collection of Italian paintings. Botticelli's dramatic wooden panels telling The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti, a vision of a knight forever condemned to hunt down and kill his own beloved, are a sinister high point.  This afternoon we will meet with a local school and have time to have a question and answer period regarding the public school system in Madrid.  We will meet this evening for a nice farewell dinner with time to share the highlights of our tour together.  (B, D)

July 31:  Home
We transfer to the Madrid airport for our return flights back to the US.