Portugal – In The Footsteps Of  The Anusim

Andalucía, Southern Spain, is an eternal wellspring of intense beauty, festive spirit and cultural richness. Nowhere else in the world, other than in our own Jerusalem, does one see the collision of three monumental cultures so clearly and to such dramatic effect. The Muslims, Jews and Christians all contributed to a vital, if ultimately tragic, history. Andalucía is a land of pretty white villages, fabulous cities and undiscovered National Parks. This area was once the heart of the empire of the Moors, whose influence still pervades Andalucían life at every level, most spectacularly in the old cities, which are amongst the most magical in Europe. Granada - 1492, was the end, not the beginning of the story, and although that is where we start our tour, it is like a modern-day novel; we start at the all-toofamiliar end and then flashback through severalhundred years of history.  Read more

Full Itinerary

Days 1: Meeting Point Granada Airport (GRX), Spain 13h30 (Iberia flight arrives from Madrid 13h10) (If you wish to spend the weekend before the tour in Madrid, we can help you make arrangements, including tour of Toledo and Shabbat meals) Granada - Alhambra Palace – guided tour We’ll have a picnic lunch before entering the most impressive Moorish structure in the world, and the room where the final expulsion order was signed by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. We’ll then take a short walk through Granada before setting off to our hotel in the direction of Cordoba, arriving for a well-deserved dinner!!

Day 2: Our tour of Cordoba will include the Rambam’s shul, Bet Sefarad and the Mesquita. We’ll taste Churros in the street with a coffee before moving on to Mijas a beautiful hill village behind Malaga. From there we’ll continue to our hotel where we will have the official welcoming dinner and stay the next three nights.

Day 3: Gibraltar - we will be met by a community elder who will introduce the town, the synagogue and the community; we'll climb the rock (by bus), meet the apes, pass the Oldest Jewish cemetery in the Iberian Peninsula with Tombs of 4 Tzadikim; and we'll eat (of course)….. the most typical English Friday lunch, delicious “fish’n’chips”, in one of the kosher restaurants on Main (almost “only”) Street. There’ll be a little free time for “duty free” shopping before heading up to the mountain white village of Vejer where our unique guide will fill us in on some history – from the inquisition to the Spanish civil war of the 1930’s..

Day 4: Ronda – our guide is Pepe, a proud Spaniard if ever there was one. He will walk us through this most “gorge-ous” city, visiting the historic bullring, crossing the gorge and explain life in the city for the Jews as they transformed into “New Christians”. Marbella – tour the lovely old town of this jet-set resort and enjoy a little free time to meander through its narrow streets, or take a nap on the beach. We’ll have dinner with the community and then, just when you thought it was time for bed, take in some authentic Flamenco.

Day 5: An early start – leaving with luggage Seville – tour of the beautiful city and some free time before lunch June tour - At 14h00 (June) /10h30 (October) we’ll be at the airport for the short flight to Lisbon.We will arrive in Lisbon with time to prepare for Shabbat. After Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat in the city’s beautiful synagogue we will welcome Rabbi di Martino and his family as our guests for dinner in the hotel, who will tell us about the life and history of the community in fluent English!! And perhaps a Dvar Torah too!!

Day 6: Shabbat in Lisbon, with shul, meals and expertly guided walking tours. There is a lot to see in Lisbon and we will see as much as can be organized without any infringement of Shabbat; some institutions will let us pre- or post-pay, so that we can visit inside many of the city’s most fascinating sights. After Shabbat – evening out “on the town” in Lisbon.

 Day 7: Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture and magnificent palaces, Travelling north, we’ll stop at Obidos, a medieval walled and beautiful village, and then stop briefly at Tomar. Tomar is home to Portugal’s oldest synagogues and the Abraham Zacuto Portuguese Jewish Museum, a national monument The Sinagoga de Tomar was built in the mid-15th century. Its short history as a Jewish place of worship came to an end in 1496, when the community was expelled by the Catholic authorities in 1496. The synagogue was subsequently put to such uses as a Christian church, a prison, the city hall, a warehouse, and a hayloft. Samuel Schwartz, a Jewish mining engineer from Poland, bought the building in 1923. After lovingly restoring it, he donated it to the Portuguese state in 1939. In return, Schwartz and his wife received Portuguese citizenship and protection during World War II. After a long day we’ll reach our hotel in Coimbra for dinner!!

Day 8: Coimbra is one of the most ancient university cities in Europe with a richly decorated baroque library that people travel from far and wide to see. The walls are covered by two storied shelves, in gilded or painted exotic woods; the painted ceilings blend harmoniously with the rest of the decoration. The library contains about 250,000 volumes: works of medicine, geography, history, humanistic studies, science, civil and canonical law, philosophy and theology. Visit to the Judiaria, the ancient Jewish quarter After lunch back at the hotel, we’ll visit Conimbriga, just 10 miles away. This was an important Roman city that still preserves many not-to-bemissed mosaics. These valuable treasures are displayed in the museum next to the ruins.

Day 9: Climbing up from Coimbra we reach the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, in many of whose villages Jews were settled. After visiting Portugal’s highest town, Guarda, we will reach the centre of the “lost tribe” of Belmonte. The history of this community which survived the inquisition and remained in hiding until discovered in the 1920’s is incredible. For only the past 20 years or so, the Jews of Belmonte have been exposed to Judaism as we live it throughout the world and the community in Belmonte, under Rabbinic guidance through Shavei Yisrael, has become the most active community in Portugal. We will visit the town and have an extended lunch with members of the community, followed by Mincha in their shul, built in 1996. Later in the afternoon we will return to our hotel and have time to enjoy its facilities. Following a sumptuous dinner, we will take in an evening of “fado”, a traditional musical genre of voice accompanied by guitar. Coimbra has its own version and we will be introduced to it this evening.

Day 10: With an early departure from the hotel, we’ll soon be in Porto (aka Oporto) for Shacharit and breakfast in the synagogue. Here we’ll hear the story of Carlos de Barros Basto. From there, enjoy a full day touring in the region, including a visit to the only manufacturer in the world of Kosher Port Wine, before staying overnight in Porto. The city’s waterfront is a World Heritage monument.

Day 11: Today you can head straight to the airport in time for the 12h15 Iberia flight to Madrid and beyond…

Price based on final number of paying participants.  Price is per person based on double occupancy.

Important:

• There may be changes to the schedule and hotel reservations dependent upon internal flights. We will make every effort to visit every location mentioned.

PRICE INCLUDES

• First tourist class hotels or the best available locally
• Comfortable air-conditioned touring coach for travelling
• Breakfast and dinner daily and supplies for making sandwiches for lunch
• Professional experienced Israeli guide
• Local Guide as required
• Entrance to all sites mentioned in the tour plan

PRICE EXCLUDES

• International flights: the transfer from Portugal to Spain is included
• Spending money for shopping: plenty to choose from, although we limit the time allocated. However you can always go off on your own and meet us later!!
• Upgrades: deluxe rooms (DLX) and single occupancy are available at an additional price (see booking form).
• Insurance: all clients should be aware that while all efforts are made to avoid any problems before during or after your trip, EKT carries no insurance for your health or luggage. While using the services only of registered suppliers, we highly recommend that you purchase fully comprehensive travel insurance as we cannot be held liable for any mishaps during your stay.
• Tips: we recommend $225 per person for the week for drivers, chefs, waiters and chambermaids: we will collect and distribute for you.

Deposit, Cancellation Fees & Policy:
A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 90 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled you will receive a FULL refund.

• 90 days before departure bookings are refundable less a $100 administration fee
• 60-90 days prior to departure: $500 + $100 per passenger
• 30-60 days prior to departure: $1,000 + $100 per passenger
• Less than 30 working days prior to departure: 100% of total - no refund
• We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance encompassing both cancellation and medical insurance is very important and we can not stress that enough. We strongly recommend that our clients are adequately insured when travelling. It is crucial to purchase the travel insurance within 14 days from the 1st payment that you make for this trip (flights/cruise/tour etc). Your payment is made directly to the insurance company.

We highly recommend the 'cancel for any reason' upgrade option.

Our preferred policies are Travel Safe (USA & Canadian residents), Travel Select (USA residents) and Global Trip Protection Elite (All other Nationalities).

For an obligation free quote and further details email Yonah insurance@eddiestravel.com