Saturday, September 14, 2024
This afternoon, Rambling Jane and John will be departing for a 25-day trip to Spain and Portugal (plus a wee bit of time in France). We’ll be traveling with Jane’s sister, Nancy, and her husband, John. The sisters have been planning this trip for over a year. I’ve only had minor input into the planning process but can’t wait to experience the fantastic trip that they’ve cook up for us. They have booked us on two Smithsonian Journeys tours with some free time on our own in between these guided tours.
Trip Overview
Our first Smithsonian Journeys tour is “France & Spain’s Basque Region”. We’ll be staying at the Parador de Hondarribia in the northeast corner of Spain and in the middle of Basque country. During our week-long stay there, we’ll be attending lectures about Basque history and culture as well as making daily excursions to both Spanish and French villages in the region.
Basque Region Destinations
After our Basque tour, we’ll have some time on our own in Madrid (with a day trip to Segovia) and Lisbon before embarking on our next Smithsonian Journeys tour, “Portrait of Portugal: Lisbon, Porto and Cruising the Douro River”.
Portugal and Central Spain Destinations
We’re both excited about this trip, and after much planning, we’re packed and ready for adventure. We’ll be Ubering to RDU around 1 pm for our 3:40 pm flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Nancy and John are due to arrive in Frankfurt from Philadelphia about an hour after us and the four of us will take the same flight to Bilboa, Spain, where we’ll be transferred to the Parador de Hondarribia to start our Basque tour with a welcome reception and group dinner.