The Tour's Destinations

SPAIN
City:  Madrid, the country’s capital since the sixteenth century, was developed by the Moors in the ninth century. It is currently a modern, active city offering the visitor endless attractions. Madrid’s architectural heritage is immense. The medieval village has been preserved around the Plaza de la Paja. The quarter known as Madrid of the Austrians, near the Puerta del Sol, the traditional city centre, was built in the Golden Age.  In this area are the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), colonnaded and considered to be one of the finest in Spain, and the Plaza de la Villa (Town Square), the location of the City Hall.  Both are Baroque in style dating from the seventeenth century. The Royal Palace, surrounded by gardens that are now partially open to the public, is a magnificent example of the eighteenth century palatial art.  The city has also numerous interesting treasures from the nineteenth and twentieth century and a large number of parks and gardens:  El Retiro, the Botanical Gardens crafted by royal decree in the eighteenth century, the Juan Carlos I Park, the Parque de Oeste (West Park), and the Casa de Campo (formerly Madrid’s Common).  Among its many museums and art galleries are the Prado Museum and its annex, El Casón del Buen Retiro, the Reina Sofía Art Center (which displays Picasso’s "Guernica" among many other treasures), and the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, together creating the so-called "Art-Walk."

Accommodations and classroom: The Hotel Chamartín, 3-star, 360 rooms, is located in the Chamartin Railway Station, the geographical centre of communications with Spain and the rest of Europe. The Husa Chamartín hotel is five minutes from the Fair Trade Hall, situated in one of Madrid's busiest areas.  Room amenities include Cable/Satellite TV, internet access dial-up, in room safe, hairdryer, direct dial phone, clock radio, laundry service.  It boasts an international restaurant, hotel bar and cuisine, with excellent service and clean, comfortable rooms. The desk staff is very helpful, giving advice for traveling around all of Spain and suggesting places to go. Classes will be held in the hotel meeting room.

Toledo:  The capital of the Autonomous Community, Toledo is without doubt one of the richest cities in the world.  Nearly all the different stages of Spanish art and architecture are represented in this ancient town:  Roman, Moorish, Mudéjar, Jewish (the Tránsito and Santa María la Blanca synogogues), Gothic (the splendid cathedral), and renaissance.  In the sixteenth century the city became home to El Greco. Toledo has many of his paintings, among which is "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz."  His masterpiece is housed in the Mudéjar church of Santo Tomé.  Among its many museums, of special remark is that located in the old Santa Cruz Hospital.

Salamanca: Located just 2 ½ hours by bus from Madrid, this ancient city, famous for the university founded here by Alfonso IX in the 1200s, is well preserved, with turreted palaces, faded convents, Romanesque churches and colleges that once attracted scholars from all over Europe.  The only way to explore Salamanca conveniently is on foot.  Arm yourself with a map and set out to explore the city.  Nearly all the attractions are within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor.

City:  Seville.  According to legend, Sevilla was founded by Hercules and its origins are linked with the Tartessian civilization. It was called Hispalis under the Romans and Isbiliya with the Moors. Its high point in its history was following the discovery of America.  Sevilla lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir and is one of the largest historical centres in Europe.  It has the minaret of La Giralda, the cathedral (one of the largest in Christendom), and the Alcázar Palace.  Seville has hosted two international expositions (1929 and 1992) attracting thousands of visitors from around the world and is the administrative capital of Andalucía.

The quarter of Triana on the other side of the Bartolomé, the street of Las Sierpes, plus La Macarena, Santa Cruz and San Maestranza bullring, María Luisa park and the riverside walks are all representative images of Sevilla.

Accommodations and classroom:  The Catalonia Giralda Seville is a superior first-class hotel.  Housing will be twin-share.  The hotel is situated in the historic and commercial area of Seville.  This location and the quality of the hotel’s facilities and services make it one of the most attractive hotels in the city with 111 guest rooms. Hotel services include restaurants, room service, laundry and conference facilities, air-conditioning, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, hairdryer, minibar and safe. Classes will be held in the hotel meeting room.

Córdoba:  Ten centuries ago, Córdoba was one of the greatest cities in the world, with a population of 900,000.  The capital of Muslim Spain, it was Europe’s largest city and a cultural and intellectual center.  It flourished with public baths, mosques, a great library, and palaces.  Later, greedy hordes sacked the city, tearing down ancient buildings and carting off many art treasures.  Despite these assaults, Córdoba still retains traces of its former glory—enough to challenge Seville and Granada as the most fascinating city in Andalusia.  Today this provincial capital is known chiefly for its mosque, but it abounds with other artistic and architectural riches, especially its lovely homes. The old Arab and Jewish quarters are famous for their narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses boasting flower-filled patios and balconies.

Granada:  Located on one of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Granada was a stronghold of the Nazari Dynasty, the last great Moorish kingdom in Spain.  In the fourteenth century, its monarchs built the so-called "Red Castle," La Alhambra, an incredible palace of refined, exquisite beauty with large arcaded courtyards, slender halls, splendid gardens, beautiful fountains and tranquil ponds like those of the Generalife.

City:  Fuengirola (Costa del Sol), on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the center of the Costa del Sol, is a favorite fun-in-the sun attraction for Spanish and foreign tourists alike.  It is situated just twenty minutes from the Málaga Airport.  The local train station provides easy access to such popular nearby resorts as Torreblanca, Arroyo de la Miel and Torremolinos.  The benevolence of its subtropical weather, coupled with the friendliness of the people of this Andalusian town, rapture all those coming near the Villa Blanca.  Fuengirola features seven kilometers of well-kept sandy beaches washed in warm waters marked by the Paseo Marítimo (Beach Promenade).  The outstanding variety of restaurants, cafeteria, amusements, and commercial establishments make Fuengirola an ideal city for study and entertainment.

Accommodations and classroom:  Hotel PYR Fuengirola is 20 minutes by taxi from the Málaga Airport.  Housing will be twin-share. Hotel PYR Fuengirola is a 3-star apartment-hotel located on an outstanding seafront, directly opposite the Marina and a beautiful extensive beach of fine sand.  It has 400 large rooms completely equipped with air-conditioning, direct dial phone, satellite TV, en-suite bathroom, kitchenette with refrigerator, terrace with table and chairs.  Services and facilities include daily cleaning, excluding the kitchen, change of linen twice a week, 24-hour reception, social salon, hospitality desk, bar, snack bar, internet room and swimming pool with poolside snack bar. In the immediate surroundings are restaurants, bars, banks, shops, boutiques, pubs, and supermarkets.  To the rear of the hotel, the streets of the locality offer the singular charm of Andalusian villages where the inhabitants go about their lives.  Classes will be held at the Hotel Las Palmeras located one block from the Hotel PYR Fuengirola.

City:  Barcelona, is the historical capital of Catalonia and Spain’s second-ranking city in both size and importance after Madrid.  Its port is one of the most important on the Mediterranean Sea. The city, exceptionally vibrant and beautiful, has an impressive architectural heritage that includes the Gothic Quarter with its cathedral, the old City Hall, the Episcopal Palace, and the splendid palace of the Generalitat, the site of the Catalonian Government.  The city also boasts the work of the incomparable modernist architect Antonio Gaudí, who graced Barcelona with the better share of his many works of exceptional genius.  Among them are the unfinished Church of the Sacred Family, the Guell Park, the Batllo Home and the Mila Home, all of them declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.  Barcelona also has many museums, two of which are the Picasso Museum and the National Gallery of Catalonian Art.

Accommodations and classrooms:  Housing in single occupancy apartments will be arranged through RESA [Residencias de Estudiantes, S.A.], the residence halls for Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and operator of over 40 university residence halls throughout Europe. The residence self-contained apartments, which are very new, are located extremely close to UPF where classes will be taught.  Each apartment is equipped with an individual bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen, direct telephone, and access to all common services in the hall of residences.  The RESA residence halls are located near the Mediterranean and benefit from the ocean breeze; students apartments, like most residences in Barcelona, are not air-conditioned. Classes will be taught in classrooms at Universitat Pomepu Fabra located within close walking distance from RESA residence halls.

Portugal

Lisbon:  In its golden age, it gained a reputation as the eighth wonder of the world.  Travelers returning from the city boasted that its riches rivaled those of Venice.  As one of the greatest maritime centers in history, the Portuguese capital imported exotic wares from the far-flung corners of its empire.  Lisbon today has blossomed into a cosmopolitan city growing and evolving and considerably more sophisticated than it once was, no doubt due in part to Portugal’s joining the European Union (E.U.).  Lisbon is the westernmost capital of continental Europe.  According to legend, it spreads across seven hills, like Rome.  Most of the city lies on the north bank of the Tagus.  No one ever claimed that getting around Lisbon was a breeze.  Streets rise and fall across the hills, at times dwindling into mere alleyways.  Exploring the city, however, is well worth the effort.

Cascais:  Located 61km (38 miles) west of Lisbon. In the 1930s it was a tiny fishing village that attracted artists and writers to its little cottages.  However, it was also once known as a royal village because it enjoyed the patronage of Portugal’s ruling family. The finest restaurants along the Costa do Sol draw a never ending stream of visitors every year.  Many visitors clog the roads to Cascais on summer Sundays, when bullfights are held at the Monumental de Cascais, a ring outside the “city” center.  A prominent beachfront resort, Cascais offers lots of simple kiosks selling sunglasses and beachwear.  If you’re in the mood for more folkloric, less overtly commercial settings, wander instead through the warren of small ceramics shops or walk along the town’s most commercialized street, Rua de Raita, an all-pedestrian walkway in the town center.

Sintra:  Located just 29km (18 miles) NW of Lisbon.  Since the Moorish occupation, Portuguese kings and nobles have recognized this town’s irresistible charm.  You’ll find a denser concentration of beautiful villas and gardens here than you’ll find anywhere else in Portugal.  Luxuriant vegetation covers the town.  Folkloric, history-rich Sintra has been a repository of salable Portuguese charm since the dawn of modern tourism.  As you wander through its cobblestone streets and alleyways, you’ll find many intriguing outlets for handmade folk art from the region and the rest of Portugal.

About Universitat Pompeu Fabra

The Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) came into being in June 1990.  This new public university is meeting the challenge to improve the overall quality of higher education through its stress on high standards in teaching and research and by its firm commitment to international cooperation, which includes scholar and student exchanges. UPF is committed to training first-rate professionals and turning out citizens who will uphold the highest social values.  The law school at UPF is located in a very recently beautifully remodeled and modernized old style military building.  It is truly one of the world’s most impressive law school facilities.

UPF enjoys an ideal location for conducting teaching and research in the social sciences. Located in the very heart of Barcelona, it is within walking distance of the centers of government, law, finance and business.  More specifically UPF is adjacent to the Olympic Village within minutes walk of the Mediterranean and the Zoo. Its position ensures students have ample opportunity to participate in social and cultural activities, with easy access to a wide range of catering, health and academic support services. American law students will surely appreciate the city’s easy-going cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Three-day Weekend Break

A 3-day break period will occur in Barcelona, Friday, July 20, through Sunday, July 22, to allow students self-directed travel to explore the south of France, the Pyrenees, etc.

End of Term Party

The 2007 Tour of Spain and Portugal concludes with an end of term party in Barcelona, details to be announced later.