POST-SYMPOSIUM TOUR

Saturday, 8th November 2008
Tour to Bilbao and Guggenheim Museum

Includes:

- Transport
- Lunch in a typical restaurant
- Tickets
- English / Spanish speaking official tour guide
- Minimum participants requested: 20

The Guggenheim Museum has become the cultural and tourist driving force of the Basque Country. This spectacular building, built by Frank O. Gehry in 1997, is completely covered with titanium sheets. It houses its own private collection, in addition to sharing with New York and Venice the world's largest and most impressive private collection of modern and contemporary art.

OPTIONAL TOURS FOR PARTNERS

GUEST PROGRAMME

Tuesday, 4th November 2008
Visit to “El Soplao” Cave and San Vicente de la Barquera

Includes:

- Transport
- Lunch at a typical local restaurant - Entrance Fees
- English / Spanish speaking guide
- Minimum number of participants: 20

El Soplao Cave is considered the “Sixtine Chapel” of the underworld because of its size, structure and state of conservation. The cave is home to an authentic natural “paradise” of striking formations with large areas of stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, eccentrics and the pisolites, popularly known as cave pearls.

San Vicente de la Barquera is one of the most picturesque villages in the region. It has a beautiful port mainly based on the fishing activity. The trip includes a visit to the Sta. Mª. De los Angeles church, the castle and the historic part of the village, where we will wander around the cobbled streets.

Wednesday, 5thNovember 2008
Visit to Liébana Valley and Picos de Europa

Includes:

- Transport
- Lunch at a typical local restaurant - Entrance Fees
- English / Spanish speaking guide
- Minimum number of participants: 20

Potes is one of the most attractive villages in the northern Spanish region of Cantabria. Located in the centre of Liebana district, it is an area surrounded by spectacular mountains, running streams and clear rivers. Its streets have many bridges and outstanding buildings and monuments, such as the Infantado and Orejón de la Lama Towers (15th century). The historic part of the village is full of narrow streets and stately houses, symbols of its former splendour.

From a geomorphologic point of view, the Picos de Europa National Park is famous for its glacier shapes and moulded karsts, containing many of the deepest chasms in the world. The three mountain chains include peaks of over 2.600 metres and the best Atlantic forests in Spain. The Fuente De cable car takes visitors to an altitude of 1800 metres, passing through the impressive Fuente De glacial cirque in the heart of the central range of the Picos de Europa.

Thursday, 6thNovember 2008
Visit to Santillana del Mar, Altamira Cave and Comillas

Includes:

- Transport
- Lunch at a typical local restaurant - Entrance Fees
- English / Spanish speaking guide
- Minimum number of participants: 20

This medieval town with cobbled streets is a declared “Site of Artistic and Historical Importance” and for decades has been one of the best-known cultural and tourist centres in Cantabria. It boasts an extraordinary architectural heritage of towers, stately houses and palaces. From a religious point of view, the Collegiate church of Santa Juliana is outstanding. The church dates back to the 12th century and gives its name to the village.

On top of a hill two kilometres from the centre of Santillana, is the Altamira Cave. It was discovered by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola in 1879 and declared a “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO. The original cave is closed to the public, but visitors can visit the “Neocave”, a exact reproduction of the original space with all its cracks and textures, and the permanent exhibition “The Times of Altamira”, which introduces visitors to the prehistory of the peninsula and rupestrian art.

Declared a “Site of Historical and Artistic Importance”, Comillas is a noble and aristocratic town with magnificent modernist buildings mixed with the “Montañes” style historic part of the town with its cobbled streets and elegant stately houses.

Friday, 7th November 2008
Santander City Tour

Includes:

- Transport
- English / Spanish speaking guide
- Minimum number of participants: 20

Santander lies is a protected natural bay, calm waters and golden beaches and is a member of the exclusive club of the “Most beautiful Bays in the World”. It has also been a major tourist destination since the Spanish Royal Family first chose it as their summer home at the beginning of the 20th century. The city’s buildings and surroundings reflect more than 2,000 years of history. The cathedral is remarkable for its early Gothic crypt, now forming a separate church, where visitors can see the remains of a Roman building beneath a glass floor.
The beautiful “Magdalena Park” on the cliffs high over the sea, offers a stunning and unforgettable view. It is also the site of the “Magdalena Palace”, one of the few royal palaces built in this century, and now the seasonal headquarters of the prestigious “Menéndez Pelayo International University”.