OPTIONAL CONGRESS TOURS

Following tours are based on a minimum of 25 participants per coach

TUESDAY, 6 May, 2003 and TUESDAY 13 May, 2003
Tour to the ancient village of Aracena 09:00 - 18:00 hrs

The city of Aracena has the same name as one of the most important points of the mountain range. The city of Aracena has been inhabited since ancient times. It is here that restorations of the III millennium BC in the caves called "Cuevas de Umbra" can be found. Restorations of the II millennium BC resides in the village of Castanuelo. The main attractiveness of the city resides in the "Gruta de las maravillas", which is a beautiful cave of stalactites with a large underground lake.

Euro 103 per person

WEDNESDAY, May 7, 2003 or WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2003
Tour to the Caliphal City of Cordoba 09:00 - 18:00 hrs

Ancient Cordoba, city of Caliphs is one of Spain's oldest cities and the greatest embodiment of Moorish heritage in all Andalucia. From the 8th to the 11th centuries, the Moorish emirs and caliphs of the west held court here, and the city became one of the Western world's greatest centers of art, culture, and learning. Moors, Christians and Jews lived together peacefully, within its walls. Where the Mosque stands today, there used to be a basilica consecrated to San Vicente in Visigothic times.
Against this background, view the majestic Mosque of Cordoba "La Mezquita". This impressive Arabian mosque, the third largest in the world, is one of the most beautiful and original buildings in all of spain. This Mezquita initiated the Caliphal style, which combined roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Syrian and Persian elements and was the starting point of all Arabian/Hispanic architecture.

Euro 112 per person

SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2003
Seville by night (4 hours)

Visit the picturesque Triana Quarter where famous bullfighters, flamenco dancers and singers were born. Continue to a popular Seville Tavern to taste the local "Tapas", and finally a visit to a famous and colourful Flamenco Show.

Euro 55 per person

TUESDAY, MAY 7 - WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2003
This overnight tour is based on a minimum of 25 participants per coach.
2-day tour to Granada

In the shelter of the highest peaks on the Iberian Peninsula, the Mulhacen (3,481 m) and the Veleta (3,393m) lies the beautiful Andalusian city of Granada with its Parador called "San Francisco"
The city witnessed the end of Arab rule in Spain when Boabdil, the last Nasrid King, surrendered and handed the keys of this city to the Catholic Monarch in 1492.
This tour will include the Alhambra palace, overlooking the city of Grenada, which stands out as the most famous example of Moorish architecture, and perhaps it is one of the most known Muslim constructions Alhambra means "Red Castle" a name derived from the colour of its walls made from the clay that was extracted from the very hill on which it stands. The slender structure of Alhambra, the breathtaking details, the celebration of life, the mixture of nature in men's design, all underline what tragedy the return of Christianity in Spain was to be for centuries to come.
Though tiring for the legs with its steep, cobbled street the Albayzon district is will worth a visit. Mosques converted into Churches, Arab water cisterns still in use, Moorish palaces and tranquil villas hidden behind lush greenery
View the Sierra Nevada - one of the biggest mountains in all of Europe.
Overnight at a 4 star hotel in Granada, including dinner and breakfast in the hotel

Euro 260 per person in a double room, Euro 40 - single supplement