 |
|
|
May 20 -
May 27, 2008
|
|
|
$3,395 (8
days, 7 nights) |
|
|
|
|
|
Madrid - Trujillo - Cáceres
| Days 1- 2 |
 |
|
We leave from Madrid and head to Trujillo in Extremadura. Trujillo's true magnificence lies in the stories we'll tell about its famous sons: We'll recount Conquistador Pizarro's hardships and triumphs, including his journey across the Isthmus of Panama to discover the Pacific Ocean (1513) and his travels to Ecuador, where he took possession of Atahuallpa, whose ransom of twenty-four tons of gold filled the entire room where the Indian chief was held captive. You'll also hear about fellow Trujillans Diego Garcia de Paredes (known as the Hercules of Spain, who with one finger stopped a mill-wheel in full motion), and Francisco de Orellana (who accomplished the first descent of the Amazon River). We'll walk the sun-drenched village from plaza to battlement tower, admiring Trujillo's old Alcázar fortress, concluding our morning with lunch in one of the oldest restaurants in town. We'll continue on to Cáceres, whose old city is one of the finest and best-preserved ensembles of monuments in Europe. Cáceres was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1986.
On our second day we'll enter the old city of Cáceres, feeling as if we have traveled back to the Middle Ages. As if waiting for historical figures from other eras to appear at any moment, we'll learn of the city's fabled past, being sure to taste the torta del Casar, a soft, ewe's milk cheese which was commonly used in the 12th century as a means of payment.
| Accommodations |
 |
This renowned hotel is built into the old city walls and serves as the optimal starting point for our day's sojourns. Situated next to the Plaza Mayor, the hotel is minutes from shops and cafés.
Click on a link to get the detailed itinerary for each place that we visit:
Madrid - Trujillo - Cáceres (days 1-2) | Guadalupe (days 3-4) |
Mérida - Vila Viciosa - Elvas (days 5-6) | Olivenza - Madrid (days 7-8)
|
|
