Menus(e): Spain/Portugal

You can take a day trip from Madrid but we opted to stay and soak up the gems on offer here. Only locals can drive in the ancient walled centre and alleyways are charmingly narrow forcing you against walls when a car appears! Like El Greco works of art? This was the home of the Master and there is a museum dedicated to his creative genius. Nearly home and to Madrid, our final stop. Great city this — crowded, noisy, ancient and modern. Fabulous food and funky wine and tapas bars.

• Pierre Grassou (French Edition).
• OCD: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (The New Harbinger Guides for the Newly Diagnosed Series).
• Captured by Calvary.

Wow, so much food…. All clothing was feeling tighter at this stage of our travels! Maybe I should speak for myself. Indeed a highlight in our schedule. Writing this has had me reminiscing about so many aspects of this holiday tour. I thank them for being such a beaut bunch! The price shown on the website for your departure date on the day you book is the price you will pay.

If you would like to make a group booking for 10 or more people please contact us. Can you tell me the name of the hotels I will be staying in? On the tour page we have listed the hotels that we mainly use for our tours on our website, but this is not a definitive list. A full list of confirmed accommodation names and addresses for your particular departure will be emailed to you around 1 week before the tour starts. If you are not starting the tour at the designated start point, and are instead joining later on in the route, please email us to confirm the details of the hotel where you should meet the tour.

1. St. Nicholas: His Legend and His Role in the Christmas Celebration and Other Popular Customs.
2. Passeport Gastronomique: Spain/Portugal?
3. Anal Cheerleaders;
4. Fascinating Canada: A Book of Questions and Answers.
5. Andrew Jones Travel!
6. Valença, Portugal.
7. Sophie de Hanovre (Divers Histoire) (French Edition).

Do I get allocated a seat on the coach? Your tour leader will implement a seat rotation policy, so that everyone on board the coach gets the chance to have a different view from their seats each day. If you have any medical conditions that may be affected by where you sit, please discuss them with your Tour Leader, but note that the seat rotation policy will most likely mean that your request may not be honoured. Do I need a visa to travel on this tour? Please see our visas page and your pre-departure information for more information.

Do I need to change money before the tour? Please make sure you bring with you for the start of the tour the local currency ies you will need for at least the first three days, as there may not be an opportunity to change currency at the very beginning of the tour. You should budget for any optional excursions you wish to do in this period see 'Optional Excursions' tab above, these are paid in cash on tour unless stated otherwise and non-included meals. Please refer to your pre-departure information for more information on the currencies you will require for your particular itinerary.

No, we do not have these facilities. For security reasons, you will be required to keep your belongings with you at all times. Please bear this in mind when you are deciding what to bring. How can I get the documents I need to apply for my visa? Expat Explore can provide travellers requiring visas with visa support documents on a request basis. Please note that you are required to pay for your tour in full in order to receive the documents.

Once you have received confirmation that your booking has been paid in full, you can request your visa support documents by emailing info expatexplore. You can book online through our website or call our customer service team to make a booking over the phone. How many other people will be on my tour? It depends on how many other people book!

Portugal–Spain football rivalry

There could be up to 51 other passengers, so you will have the opportunity to make lots of friends! How much luggage can I bring? Due to weight and space limitations, you are allowed to bring one main piece of luggage weighing no more than 20kg, and one small soft bag for hand luggage. On all tours, you will have to carry your own luggage e.

Please bear this in mind when you are deciding what to pack. How much spending money do I need for my holiday? This is up to you, of course, and will vary depending on how much wish to spend on snacks, drinks, souvenirs etc. We do not include entrance fees to attractions and museums. We do, however, provide you with free time to see everything you want, and our tour leaders will have all the information on pricing and locations so you can manage your own budget.

Please refer to your tours specific pre-departure information and optional excursions guide for further details. How much time will be spent on the coach? Many of the countries are vast and varied, and there will be some long driving days on your tour. This gives you the opportunity to enjoy watching the changing countryside as it rolls past your window, to share music with your fellow travellers, watch a few movies or get involved in some of the games and quizzes hosted by your tour leader. Where possible, we have also included stops at points of interest.

How much walking is involved in your tours? We believe the best way to get to the heart and soul of a city is on foot, surrounded by the people and the culture. For this reason, we do walking tours through most of the cities we visit. Many of the cities you visit are vast and old, often with steps and cobblestones. Our walking tours can last up to 3 hours with plenty of opportunities to take photographs and soak up the history of these fascinating places, but you do require a certain level of fitness to enjoy your tour to its fullest.

Is Europe a safe place to travel to? Europe has a low rate of crime and corruption, and travelling here is generally considered safe and hassle free. Your tour leader will be on hand to offer local advice on each area you visit. Is my deposit refundable? Your deposit payment secures your place s on the tour and the price you pay. Your deposit paid at the time of booking is non-refundable.

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Our full Terms and Conditions can be viewed online. Is travel insurance compulsory? Yes, and you are responsible for arranging your own insurance. Passengers and their personal property travel with Expat Explore solely at their own risk. A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the holiday, and loss of holiday monies through cancellation or curtailment of the holiday or other insurable reasons. Clients should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in their tour.

It may be advisable to wear a money belt to store money, credit cards and passport. For a relatively small price, travel insurance provides you with the peace of mind so that you can enjoy your tour without any worries. To receive a quote from one of our preferred travel insurance partners, please visit WorldNomads for all nationalities or Hollard for South Africans. Should I tip the tour leader and driver, and if so, how much? Whilst we fully understand that some nationalities are not accustomed to tipping, this is a normal part of culture in the places you will visit.

Tipping has become an increasingly accepted practice in all areas of the service industry, but particularly in restaurants, bars and taxis worldwide. If you take a walking tour with a local guide, tipping these guides at the end of walking tours and excursions is always appreciated, but not expected. Expat Explore crew members will transform your trip experience from good to exceptional, and where this is the case a tip even a modest one!

It is sometimes easy to forget that they work hard to ensure that you have your once in a lifetime experience. If you feel that your Expat Explore crew have done a good job, and you would like to tip them, this would be highly appreciated.

The Splendours of Spain, Portugal & Morocco - Andrew Jones Travel

Tipping is entirely voluntary and the above rate is offered as a suggested guide only. What happens if I forget or lose my passport? Unfortunately, you will be unable to continue the tour and you should make contact with your closest embassy immediately to replace the passport. Your passport is an essential travel document, and should be kept safe at all times. What happens if I miss the coach during the tour?

You will have to make your own way to the next destination at your own expense. Please ensure you are on time for all departures to avoid being left behind. What happens if my visa gets rejected? Please allow sufficient time to complete the visa process at least 4 weeks. Should your visa application be unsuccessful, you will be able to change or cancel your tour, but standard terms and conditions and therefore fees will apply.

Castile followed suit decades later. Following the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean in , both states began acquiring territory in the New World. As a result of the Treaty of Tordesillas , Portugal acquired its most potentially important colony, Brazil much of the South American continent , as well as a number of possessions in Africa and Asia, while Castile took the rest of South America and much of the North American continent. This line of demarcation was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands already Portuguese and the islands claimed for Castile by Columbus on his first voyage.

Although the Treaty of Tordesillas attempted to clarify their empires, many subsequent treaties were needed to establish the modern boundaries of Brazil and the Treaty of Zaragoza was needed to demarcate their Asian possessions. Having no heirs, he was succeeded by his great-uncle Henry of Portugal , who reigned until his death 31 January Henry also lacked heirs and his death triggered a succession crisis , where the main claimants to the throne were Philip II of Spain and Anthony, Prior of Crato.

Philip was crowned king in , beginning a personal union between the two nations known as the Iberian Union. During the wars of the 18th century, which were often fought by the major powers to maintain the European balance of power , Spain and Portugal usually found themselves on opposite sides. The Portuguese, courtesy of their long-standing alliance, aligned themselves with Great Britain , while Castile, through the Bourbon Family Compact , allied themselves to France. In there was a conflict between the two states over the borders of their possessions in South America.

In , the king of Castile and his French allies invaded Portugal, using a route that crossed through Spanish territory. However, the French decided to take over both countries, overthrowing the King of Castile and forcing the Portuguese royal family to escape to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Spain and Portugal subsequently became allies for the first time in centuries and, allied to a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley , drove the French back across the border in after a prolonged, brutal conflict known as the Peninsular War. After the fall of Napoleon, both countries came close to war a number of times during the early 19th century.

Both lost their American colonies shortly after the end of the Peninsular War , which severely weakened their global power. The s saw similar right-leaning, authoritarian and nationalist regimes emerge in both countries. In , Francisco Franco launched a rebellion against the Spanish government and after three years of civil war , his nationalists were triumphant.

Portugal also maintained a friendly relationship with Nazi Germany , supplying it with many key resources such as tungsten. Yet in virtue of the 14th century alliance Portugal had with England, it was also supplying Britain with all sorts of produce and whilst the Germans had to pay immediately, Britain had an open account for most of the war.

World War II came to a close in , with the Allies victorious, the two states of Portugal and Spain became increasingly isolated with their governments rooted in the old war, as authoritarian dictatorships, rather than the democracy that was being established or re-established throughout the rest of Western Europe.



While the other European colonial powers, such as France , Britain and the Netherlands , gave up their colonial empires in the post-war years, both Spain and Portugal clung to their possessions around the globe. Portugal fought a costly colonial war in Africa and in saw its territory of Goa invaded by India. Despite their apparent mutual self-interest, there was very little co-operation between Spain and Portugal when it came to defending their empires. In the dictatorship of the Estado Novo was brought to an end by a military coup known as the Carnation Revolution.

This left Spain increasingly isolated from the rest of Europe, which lasted until the death of Franco a year later, after which Spain returned to being a constitutional monarchy and embraced parliamentarism. The two states gave independence to their former colonies, liberalized their economies and began the process of applying for membership of the European Economic Community.