Arrival in Fátima for lunch. In the afternoon visit the Sanctuary of Fátima, formally titled by the Catholic Church as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima. This is, par excellence, a place of Christian pilgrimage and Catholic devotion, preserving the memory of the events that led to its foundation, namely the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children – Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto – in 1917. Its magnitude and relevance from a religious point of view has long been consensually recognized, nationally and internationally. By express will of the Holy Apostolic See, this is a National Shrine. It is also one of the most important Marian shrines in the world belonging to the Catholic Church and the largest international destination for religious tourism, receiving around six million visitors per year. It was distinguished with three papal gold roses and visited by Popes Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1982, 1991 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Francis (2017). The Sanctuary of Fátima is mainly composed of the Chapel of Apparitions, the Prayer Room (exterior), the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and its Colonnade, the vast Basilica of the Holy Trinity, the retreat houses of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Sorrows, a Way of the Cross in Valinhos and the Paul VI Pastoral Center. After accommodation and dinner, you can watch the wonderful Candlelight Procession. Hotel accommodation.
Breakfast at the hotel and departure to Santiago de Compostela. Lunch. In the afternoon, visit guided by a local guide to Santiago de Compostela, a monumental jewel declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, where you can admire: the Cathedral (the largest Romanesque temple on the Peninsula, built between 1075 and 1211) with its admirable portico of glory , a sculptural prodigy by Master Mateo, Praça do Obradoiro (where the Royal Hospital is now converted into a luxury hotel), Praça da Quintana (where the Porta Santa, or Pordões, which only opens in Santo), the “Plaza de Las Platerias” with the Casa de Conga. Then stroll through the old neighborhood where the typical streets, such as Rainha and Franco (joined by the flowery Fonseca square), enchant everyone who visits. We will also admire the university, Rua de Vilar and Rua Nova. Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, visit Padron. This place is, according to legend, the point where the boat that transported the remains of the Apostle Santiago Zebedee docked from the Middle East to the Iberian Peninsula. The stone -or pattern- to which the boat was attached still exists today, being placed beneath the Altar of the Church of Santiago de Padron. On a hill not far from the center of the town, on the other side of the River Sar, there is another place of worship for Santiago: the stone on which, according to legend, Santiago celebrated mass. Yet Padron is also known for its main gastronomic specialty: fried peppers. These peppers, which are actually grown in the nearby village of Herbón, are internationally known and can be easily purchased on the Portuguese market. After a brief visit, departure to the Picos da Europa. After lunch visit the sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin of Covadonga. Santa Cueva is a must-see place for anyone entering the Picos de Europa via Cangas de Onís. It was thanks to the Virgin that Pelagius was able to defeat the Muslims and begin the Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. We can see his tomb in Santa Cueva and next to it the image of the Virgin. It was another Asturian king who ordered the construction of this Sanctuary in the same cave where it is said that Pelagius took refuge during the battles against the Moors, his grandson D. Afonso I (8th century). But it was King Afonso A plaque marks the visit of its most famous pilgrim, Pope John Paul II. They say that Covadonga means “source of the cave” and it is true that below the cave we can see a small waterfall and a lake. Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, departure for the Cantabrian Coast towards San Sebastian. Arrival, brief tour of the city and lunch. In the afternoon we continued our journey to Lourdes. Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
Stay at the hotel on full board. Celebration of Mass. In the morning visit the city, a large religious center. On February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, then 14 years old, daughter of the village miller, had a vision of the Virgin, which occurred to her in the cave of Massabielle; the vision was repeated 18 times. After the first appearance, the first miraculous feats began to occur. Every year Lourdes is visited by millions of pilgrims and patients. Then visit the Sanctuary, with its 3 overlapping Churches (the Crypt, the Basilica of the Rosary and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception) and the underground Basilica (with capacity for 20,000 people). Dinner at the hotel. At night, you can watch the imposing candlelight procession that takes place every day near the Grotto. Accommodation at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel and journey through the Pyrenees to Zaragoza. Arrival and time to visit the Basilica, built at the end of the century. XVII, one of the most visited in Spain, where the Chapel of the Virgin of Pilar stands out, one of the biggest centers of interest. Lunch. In the afternoon, continue the journey to Madrid. Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel and journey past the Escorial, an exponent of Spanish grandeur in times past. Then, at the time to be indicated locally, continue to Ávila (walled city closely linked to the life of Santa Teresa de Jesus). Lunch. In the afternoon, start the journey back to the starting point, passing through Alba de Tormes, the place where Santa Teresa de Jesus is buried. Return.
