CATALONIA IN DEPTH MAY 7-19, 2017 TOUR LEADER: DR MICHAEL NEUMAN

Top left, the irrepressible Salvador Dalí. Top right, a close-up of a Castell, or human tower. Bottom: Cadaqués, Costa Brava

Overview Catalonia is undoubtedly one of Spain’s most beautiful and varied regions: the charming fishing villages of the rugged Costa Brava, the majestic Pyrenees, fine inland cities like Girona and the historic stone villages of the interior; there is too much to see to be done merely on day trips from Barcelona.

Catalonia has a distinct language, culture and identity. Its history is equally unique, stretching back through Greek and Roman pre-history to its rise in the Middle Ages as Europe’s largest Empire, Aragon, when for 70 years the Catalonian flag flew over the Parthenon in Athens. In the 16th century Catalonian banks and shipping dominated trade with the New World and controlled the tobacco and rum trade with the colonies. Evidence of the wealth created by these endeavours can be seen in the fine architecture of public buildings like la Llotja and the archive of Aragon in Barcelona.

In addition to culture and fine landscapes, the cuisine of Catalonia is a star attraction and has been recognised as some of the best in Spain, with more Michelin starred restaurants in Catalonia than any other region.

Our 13 day tour aims to take you off the beaten track in Barcelona itself, before heading south to Bohemian Sitges, on to Tarragona for its magnificent Roman heritage and then inland to the mountainous interior. From the colourful city of Girona we explore the Greco-Roman site of Empúries and venture into French Catalonia, before finishing with three nights in one of Catalonia’s most beautiful coastal villages, Cadaqúes, a perfect place to unwind and enjoy surrounds that Dalí and Picasso cherished.

Your tour leader Dr Michael Neuman is a former Professor at the University of New South Wales, where his work in urban history, specialising in Spain, has won international awards. Other areas of interest include architecture, culture, and the environment. He completed his PhD at the University of California at Berkeley focusing on Spanish urban history, politics, and urban planning. A Czech and American dual citizen whose first language

was Czech and who speaks several other European languages, Michael has a wide-ranging knowledge of European history, cities, art and architecture and taught and led projects in over a dozen European countries.

Michael lived in Spain for over five years, spending the majority of that period in Barcelona, and speaks Catalan and fluent Spanish. He has extensively explored the country and enjoys all aspects of its culture, from siestas to fiestas, with a deep knowledge of Spain spanning 35 years. “I’ve been an activist in local organisations,” Michael explains, “and was the first non-Spaniard to be a member of the ‘colla de castellers de Barcelona’, who perform the unique Catalan tradition of building human castles up to ten levels of persons high!” In addition to the semester abroad program he set up in Barcelona in 2001 for university students, Michael has led walking tours of Barcelona for 20 years. These have received exceptional reviews; with one colleague noting that “Professor Neuman has walked the distance from New York to San Francisco and back, twice, in Barcelona all told, over 10,000 miles.” Another tour participant explains that “Michael is the most European American I have ever known. He knows Europe better than many locals.”

Catalonia In depth

Tour dates: May 7-19, 2017

Tour leader: Michael Neuman

Tour Price: $6,820 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $1,850 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Emirates

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: Barcelona (3 nights), Tarragona (2 nights), Vic (2 nights), Girona (2 nights), Cadaqúes (3 nights)

Date published: June 20, 2016

Enquiries and bookings

For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Hannah Kleboe at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email hannah@academytravel.com.au

Catalonia’s Human towers

If you are on the main square of a Catalan town on a weekend afternoon in summer, you may be lucky enough to see the extraordinary spectacle of a human tower or Castell (‘castle’) being built. The proceedings may seem spontaneous to the outsider but in fact the Castell has a strict hierarchy and those participating are most likely part of clubs or Colles training to take part in competitions.

The tower can reach up to ten storeys of people: the corpulent and strong at the bottom form the pinya (or base) first, propped up by other members of the crowd as a kind of bulwark. Once the several layers of the base have formed, the gralla, a Catalonian reed instrument, starts to play the Toc de Castells, whose melody punctuates the various stages of construction, stirring emotions and increasing the sense of spectacle as the tower gets higher. There is an extensive terminology describing the various structures of tower, and the different numbers of people allowed on each level, but they all have an enxaneta (‘rider’), a child who finally climbs to the top (helmet clad) to raise four fingers in salute as the crowd cheers. The art is then to dismantle the tower in a similarly orderly fashion without collapsing!

The origin of the tower building is largely rural and dates back to Valls, near Tarragona, in the 18th century. The province of Tarragona is still the capital of the Castellers and a competition is held in the main stadium of the city of Tarragona biannually, with an increasingly large following. Since 1969 there have also been clubs in Barcelona. The resurgence of this tradition, a significant source of national pride, can be seen as a manifestation of Catalonia’s increasingly resolute fight for independence.

Catalonia has memories of former greatness: a Mediterranean empire in the High Middle Ages when it was a centre for Romanesque learning, art and architecture and a long history as the economic powerhouse of Spain. Yet it also has memories of oppression, most recently under General Franco’s long dictatorship of 1939-1975 when Catalan and other ‘non Spanish’ culture was brutally repressed. The towers, like the Catalan language, the Catalan dance called Sardana and the ban on bullfighting in the region, act as points of difference from the rest of Spain and are a powerful symbol of a community working together. In 2015 Catalonia’s referendum on secession was blocked by Madrid’s centrist government as unconstitutional, but how long this determined autonomous community will remain part of Spain is far from certain.

Tour Highlights Modernist architecture and other gems in the backstreets

of Barcelona, beyond the busy sites Empúries and Tarragona, Greek and Roman sites along

the Catalonian coast Montserrat, Poblet and Sant Pere de Rodes, the

spectacular mountain top monasteries The bizarre world of Dalí: his theatre museum at Figueres

and his house at in the fishing village of Port Lligat A day in the clear mountain air of the majestic Spanish

Pyrenees 2 nights in a traditional Spanish Parador at Vic, with

splendid mountain views Villages of the interior with traditional stone buildings and

fine local cheeses A day trip to French Catalonia; the beautiful coastal village

of Collioure The Jewish baths at Besalú, buried and forgotten for

nearly 500 years Three nights in Cadaqués, one of the Costa Brava’s most

beautiful coastal villages A farewell lunch in a Michelin starred restaurant in historic

Tossa de Mar

Above: Traditional cheeses from Ullastret

Above: a pathway through the Spanish Pyrenees

Above: the fine gothic interior of La Llotja, the world’s first stock exchange

Above: Salvador Dalí

Above: colourful Girona, Catalonia’s second city

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Sunday o7 may Hidden corners of barcelona

Our tour leader, a former resident of Barcelona, takes us on a walking tour of the narrow streets around the Born and Ribera districts showing us some of the city’s hidden gems: the spot where the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, welcomed Columbus after his return from the Americas, the oldest stock exchange in the world, the beautiful courtyard where the archive of the kingdom of Aragόn is kept, the spectacular cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar and the modern architecture of the colourful market of Santa Caterina. Overnight Barcelona (D)

monday o8 may Montserrat and sparkling wine

Today we visit the extraordinary monastery of Montserrat, high in the massif overlooking Barcelona. The monastery was started by the Benedictine monks in the 9th century and has been expanded frequently since. The dramatic rocky crenulations surrounding the site inspired Wagner to use this as the backdrop to his opera Parsifal. In the afternoon we continue to the sparkling wine (cava) region of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia for lunch and a cava tasting. Overnight Barcelona (B, L + tasting)

tuesday o9 may catalonia and modernism

This morning our tour leader gives us a short talk on the fascinating history and identity of the region of Catalonia. One of the emblematic movements of Catalonia is Modernism and we then pay a visit to one of the early works of the region’s most famous modernist architect, Antoni Gaudí. The Torre Bellesguard, a rarely visited manor house, is on a site rich in historic significance for Catalonia and Gaudí wove this into its castle like appearance. After a break for lunch we visit his Parc Güell, a colourful and fantastical recreational park, finishing the day with a stroll down the Passeig de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya towards our hotel, looking at the exteriors of some of the less well known modernist houses of Gaudí’s contemporaries. Overnight Barcelona (B)

Wednesday 10 may sitges Today we leave Barcelona and head south to explore the Bohemian coastal town of Sitges, with its deeply ingrained artistic roots. Picasso lived and painted here and Barcelona’s leading Modernist artists came too, to exchange the city for the seaside. We visit the Museu of Cau Ferrat for its modernist art and paintings by El Greco and Picasso, stroll along the waterfront Passeig Maritim and have the

Above: the Mercat de Santa Caterina, Barcelona Below: the hill top monastery of Montserrat; and the Torre Bellesguard, one of Gaudí’s early works

option of a visit to the Museu Romàntic, a late 18th Century bourgeois house showing how the wealthy lived here during the Romantic period. We arrive in Tarragona late afternoon. Overnight Tarragona (B, D)

Thursday 11 may Roman tarragona

Roman Tarraco, or modern day Tarragona, was the first Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula and later formed the capital of the largest Hispanic province of Tarraconensis. Although it never rivalled Rome, Augustus, Hadrian and other emperors spent time living here. The city still boasts some of the finest preserved and extensive Roman remains in Spain, with a superb waterside amphitheatre, parts of a vast circus and an ‘archaeological promenade’ which follows the vast Cyclopean walls (pre-Roman), that formed the edge of the city. Overnight Tarragona (B)

friday 12 may poblet and montblanc

Departing Tarragona we enjoy a guided tour of one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian monasteries in Europe, the Monastir de Poblet. Originally founded in the 12th century, this monastery partly resembles a fortress and has the superb backdrop of the Prades mountains. For lunch we stop in the medieval walled town of Montblanc, a thriving settlement in the golden age of the 14th century. The town is surrounded by vineyards and almond orchards and we enjoy a wine tasting here before proceeding to our hotel, the Parador of Vic, which has superb views over the Guillería mountains and the Sau reservoir. Overnight Vic (B, D)

Saturday 13 may pyrenees

Our bus today takes the winding roads up to the Pyrenees, the natural barrier between Spain and France. We stop in Ripoll to view the extraordinary portico of the twelfth century monastery, before proceeding to St Joan de les Abadesses for lunch. Our destination is the tiny hamlet of Setcases (the name literally means ‘seven houses’ in Catalan) where we enjoy a walk in the crisp mountain air before returning to our Parador for dinner. Overnight Vic (B, D)

Sunday 14 may Besalú and girona

Besalú, on the route from Vic to Girona, has a picturesque Roman bridge, rebuilt in the Middle Ages. The real gem here, is the site of the Jewish baths (mikveh), dating from the 12th century. These were walled up by the departing Jews when they were expelled in 1492 and only rediscovered this century by accident. This afternoon a local guide will take us on a walking tour of the historic centre of Girona with its rich multicultural heritage. We see evidence of what was a large Jewish community, as well as the influence of the Moors,

Above: the Roman amphitheatre at Tarragona; and the Pyrenees Below: the bridge at Besalú, built on the Roman original in medieval times

who built their own Arabic bath house prior to their also being forced to convert or leave under the reign of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. Overnight Girona (B)

monday 15 may greek empúries and French catalonia

On the Mediterranean coast east of Girona is the Greco-Roman archaeological site of Empúries, originally a market town, in a stunning seaside setting. This is the only place on earth where the full remains of side-by-side Greek and Roman towns exist. Yet its origins are much older and were first laid by the Phoenicians in the 6th century BC. For lunch we take a drive to French Catalonia, to the exquisite seaside town of Collioure just over the border with France. Although this region has belonged to France since the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, there is still a strong sense of Catalan identity. Overnight Girona (B, L)

Tuesday 16 may dalí

Leaving Girona we stop at the small historic village of Ullastret, to get a picture of life in a Catalan village of the interior. Our main focus for the morning is the Theatre Museum of Dalí in Figueres, built by the artist himself as a kind of surreal mausoleum; his body lies in the crypt beneath the stage. Despite the flamboyance of this site Dalí chose to live most of his life with his wife in the quaint fishing village of Port Lligat which we visit in the afternoon. His tiny cottage there has been turned into a museum dedicated to him, rich in memorabilia and an enchanting mix of the traditional with the outlandish. Overnight Cadaqúes (B, D)

Wednesday 17 may cadaqúes

Today is free to enjoy the charms of the seaside village of Cadaqúes: wander the narrow streets which wind up the hillside, sample fine food and wine, or for the more energetic, take a walk along the coast, past small coves to the lighthouse. Overnight Cadaqúes (B)

Thursday 18 may Sant pere de rodes

We rejoin our bus to enjoy the views from the hill-top monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. The winding roads make you marvel at how the Benedictine monks of the 10th century transported materials to this isolated site. The splendid church is pre-Romanesque in style and has capitals with Arabic and Byzantine influence. On the way back to Cadaqúes we stop for a cliff-top walk in the rugged national park of Cap de Creus, taking in dramatic panoramic views of the sea and the mountains- mar i muntanya. Overnight Cadaqúes (B)

Above: traces of Greek and Roman civilisation side-by-side at Empúries Below: Dalí’s theatre museum at Figueres; and the lonely Romanesque monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

Hotels Hotels have been selected principally for their character and central location and are 4* in standard.

Barcelona, H10 Urquinaona Plaza Hotel (3 nights) A stylish adaptation of an original 19th-century building www.h10hotels.com/en/

Tarragona, AC Tarragona Hotel (2 nights) A centrally located Marriott of a good standard. http://www.marriott.com.au/hotels/travel/reuta-ac-hotel-tarragona/

Vic, Parador de Vic-Sau, (2 nights) A beautiful hilltop Parador reflecting the traditional style of a Catalan country house. It has manicured gardens, a swimming pool and fine water and mountain views. http://www.parador.es/en/paradores/parador-de-vic-sau

Girona, Hotel Ciutat de Girona(2 nights) This well reviewed 4* hotel is right in the historic centre http://www.hotelciutatdegirona.com/en

Cadaqués, Hotel Playa Sol (3 nights) Waterfront and family owned, this popular 4* hotel is a stone’s throw from all the charms of Cadaqués. http://www.playasol.com/en/

Friday 19 may Costa brava to barcelona

We follow the coastal road back to Barcelona with stops at villages of the picturesque Costa Brava: coffee and a stroll at Calella de Palafrugell, and then a farewell lunch at the Michelin starred restaurant of La Cuina de Can Simon in Tossa de Mar. This restaurant offers traditional yet innovative cuisine in a stone house dating from 1700- set under the ramparts of the castle, just a few metres from the sea. After lunch we pay a visit to the Mediterranean gardens here, before arriving back to Barcelona by 6pm (the Emirates flight departs at 22.00). (B, L)

Above: Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava and the H10 hotel in Barcelona Below: the hilltop Parador at Vic

Please note: In Cadaqués we have nine seaview rooms confirmed at this small hotel. These will be allocated to the first to book, so don’t delay!

This tour is timed to follow on from the Grand Tour of Spain, if you wish to do both consecutively. The Grand Tour of Spain runs from April 20 – May 7, 2017, led by Dr Jeni Ryde.

Tour Inclusions Included in the tour price 12 nights’ accommodation in carefully selected four-star

hotels All breakfasts, plus lunches and dinners as noted in the

itinerary Land travel by air-conditioned coach Extensive background notes Background talks Services of an expert tour leader throughout the tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on the itinerary Qualified local guides where appropriate Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels Tips for all services included in the itinerary

Not included in the tour price International airfares, taxes and surcharges (see below) Travel insurance Expenses of a personal nature Meals not specifically stated as included in this itinerary

Air travel The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour we recommend Emirates into and out of Barcelona. Please contact us for the best possible prices on economy, business or first class fares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers.

Enquiries and bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Hannah Kleboe at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email hannah@academytravel.com.au

Weather on Tour May is an excellent time to travel in Catalonia with moderate temperatures expected, and spring well on its way. There will be considerable temperature variation between coastal Barcelona and the Costa Brava where temperatures should already be in the 20’s and mountainous Vic, where it could get down to 0 degrees at night. We suggest layered clothing and at least one really warm jacket. There is always some rainfall in spring so please bring wet weather gear and a change of shoes in case of downpours, but we also expect plenty of sunshine.

Fitness Requirements of THIS tour

Grade Two

It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

Participation criteria for this tour This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including longer walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or several internal flights. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only

short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and

museums tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold,

humidity and heat walk up and down slopes negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites,

which are often uneven and unstable get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or

boat unassisted, possibly with luggage move your luggage a short distance if required

A note for older travellers If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.