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AVILA, EL ESCORIAL, AND THE VALLEY OF THE FALLEN
Wednesday, 14 March, 8h30 - 18h30

This full-day tour will first take you to Avila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This totally intact eleventh century walled city retains much of its medieval beauty. A possible Celtic settlement and legendary Roman town, Avila became an impregnable fortress against the Moors. There are nine gates in Avila’s walls, all authentic works of defensive architecture. Noble mansions within the walls are a display of the town’s past power and fortune in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Monasterio de la Encarnacion and the Convents of San Jose and Santa Teresa are visited by millions from around the world. St. Teresa, who reformed the Carmelite order of nuns, was born in Avila.

El Escorial is where Philip II built a grandiose monastery dedicated to the victory of the Spanish soldiers at the San Quintin Battle. The monastery is considered by many to be the Eighth Wonder of the World due to its construction and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984. Today, the monastery serves as a school for primary and secondary students, as well as a seminary. The entire property is in the shape of a grill in honor of a saint who was grilled to death. Royal furnishings, tapestries, and portraits of all the monarchs of the House of Austria can be seen. The palace’s famous Library houses one of the most valuable book collections in the world, with more than 45,000 publications from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and over 5,000 Arabic, Latin, and Spanish manuscripts.

Valley of the Fallen is an extremely impressive Spanish Civil War memorial to 40,000 dead soldiers who are buried there. It is an architectural marvel that took two decades to construct. A gargantuan cross nearly 500 feet (150m) high dominates the Rock of Nava, a peak of the Guadarrama Mountains. Directly under the cross is a basilica with a vault in mosaic, completed in 1959. Francisco Franco, whose dictatorship of Spain lasted from 1939-75, is buried under the high altar. On the distant hills surrounding the area you will see the Stations of the Cross, one station on each hill.

Price of the tour does not include lunch.

SOLD OUT

MADRID CITY TOUR

Enjoy a tour of Madrid on a double-decked bus from Madrid Vision Tours. This one-day pass gives you the opportunity to hop on-and-off at each of the stops the bus makes. The pass is valid for any one day, from 14 to 18 March.

Select from three separate tours. Route 1 is Historical Madrid, Route 2 is Modern Madrid, and Route 3 is Monumental Madrid. Pick from a variety of languages on your headphones to hear the tour guide. There are also stops where you can switch from one route to another. Routes 1 and 2 take about 75 minutes and route 3 takes about 40 minutes. You will see the world renown Prado Museum, the Royal Palace, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Plaza Major, Teatro Real (Madrid’s opera house), and the Auditorio Nacional (the leading concert hall). Enjoy the wide avenues, like Castellana and Gran Via, and the grand squares of Plaza de Espana, Puerta de Sol, Neptune, and Cibeles, or just relax and watch the world go by in the beautiful gardens at the Retiro and Casa del Campo.

Hours of Operation: 10h00 – 19h00; any one day from 14 – 18 March.

No charge for registered conference participants.

Click here if you DO NOT wish to take the city tour.

Guest tickets: SOLD OUT