ORIENTATION

BRUSSELS
Days 1-2

We will begin our program in BRUSSELS, Belgium with an intensive
orientation that will help us to create a community of culturally aware traveling scholars. We'll get acquainted with each other and learn the ground rules for ECHT and our unique approach to study and travel.

There will also be essential introductions to the academic subject areas and the interdisciplinary framework we will use throughout the program.

Specific information on the location of the orientation and instructions for arrival will be available after enrolling.

BRUSSELS has been a center of commerce since the sixth century and today is the headquarters of both The European Union and NATO. Our visit will begin with a walking tour to the Lower Town, the commercial hub of the city since the Middle Ages. Scheduled stops will include the Grand Palace as well as the provocative Mannekin Pis statue. A highlight of our stay will be a visit to the Musee Royaux des Beaux Arts which actually houses two museums, the Musee d'Art Ancien and the Musee d'Art Modern. From Brussels we will travel by train to Southern France.

SOUTHERN FRANCE

Days 3-8

Marseille, Nimes and Avignon

BARCELONA

Days 9-13

One of the most pedestrian friendly cities in Europe, BARCELONA is also the home of some of the most important innovators in modern art, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Antonio Gaudí. Occupying three medieval stone mansions on the narrow Carrer de Montcada is the Museu Picasso. Here we will view a broad survey of the artist's works dating from 1890, when he was nine years old through his formative years in BARCELONA to his death in 1973.

There will also be opportunities to visit the Museu d'Art Contemporani, the Fundació Joan Miró, exhibiting works from throughout Miró's career, and the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, with a major collection of Tàpies' work along with that of other 20th century Catalan artists. At the Palau Nacional, dramatically set on a hill terraced with multiple fountains, we will visit the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya which houses perhaps the finest collection of Romanesque art in the world. The Palau Reial, once a residence of king Alfonso XIII and later General Franco, now houses the Museu de Ceràmica with works from the 13th to the 20th century and the Museu de les Arts Decoratives with fine examples of Modernisme interiors and furnishings.

Interior of La Sagrada Família,

Barcelona, Spain

In the pleasant greenery of Parc de la Ciutadella we hope to visit the Museu Nacional d'Art Modern de Catalunya, with its collection of 19th and early 20th century art, and possibly the Parlament de Catalunya, where the Generalitat meets. In the narrow winding streets of the medieval Barri Gòtic we will visit the magnificent Gothic cathedral and the church of Santa Maria del Pi.

We will visit several works by BARCELONA'S outstanding Modernista architects, most notably Antonio Gaudí's Casa Milà, Parc Güell, and the towering Sagrada Família, still under construction after more than 100 years.

Time permitting we will also visit Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's masterpiece of international style architecture, The Barcelona Pavilion, originally designed for the 1929 World's Fair.

There will be time for last minute shopping, a stroll along the tree lined La Rambla with its many shops, restaurants, and street entertainers or some exploration of the harbor side activities at Port Vell.

Exterior View Sagrada Família

MADRID

Days 14-18

We will begin our visit to this city that never sleeps with a walking tour, taking in the Puerta del Sol, the 17th-century Plaza Mayor, and a sampling of the rich legacy of Medieval & Baroque architecture that has survived in the modern city.

MADRID is well known for its outstanding art museums. We will visit the Museo del Prado, home of one of the finest art collections in the world. Here we will see an exceptional body of works by Velazquez, Goya, Heironymus Bosch, Rubens, and many others. The highlight of our visit to the modern art collection at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia will be Picasso's "Guernica", an eloquent painted protest to the horrors of war.

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza displays an extensive private art collection with a range of excellent and well-displayed works dating from the 13th to the 20th century.

Madrid's Plaza Mayor by night.

TOLEDO

Days 19-20

A short train ride from MADRID takes us to the picturesque hilltop city of TOLEDO, the former center of government for the Roman and Visigothic rulers of the Iberian Peninsula and a favorite residence of the Castilian monarchs. As we wander through the city's winding medieval streets, we will have ample opportunity to visit the churches, mosques, and synagogues that gave rise to its designation as "the city of the three cultures". Grandest of the churches is the 13th-century Catedral de Toledo. The Catedral, with its eclectic mixture of Gothic, Mudejar and Baroque elements, is a potent reminder that TOLEDO has been the center of the Catholic Church in Spain for most of its history.

Our visit to the Alcazar, once the imperial residence of Charles V and later a republican stronghold against the forces of Franco, will provide us with an opportunity to consider the varied complexion of Spanish political history. In the Casa y Museo de El Greco we will have an opportunity to view a number of works by El Greco, the Mannerist painter who spent the last half of his life in TOLEDO. At the church of Santo TomÈ we will see his masterpiece, The Burial of Count Orgaz.

Toledo, view of the bridge

CORDOBA

Days 21-25

Once a city of more than half a million, CORDOBA boasted of hundreds of mosques. Its crowning jewel was The Great Mosque, or Mezquita, with its ablaq arches and vast interior. Although part of the mosque was destroyed to make way for a cathedral, with an altar built in its centre, one can still feel the imensity of this monument to Spain's Islamic past.

The Moors-North African Muslims dwelled here for almost 800 years, from their first conquest of Spanish soil at Gibraltar from the Visigoths in AD 711 until their final expulsion from Granada in 1492.

The name Andalucía comes from the Moors' own name for their acquisition: Al-Andalus.Cordoba was a center of science and learning, and was arguably the most civilized capital in Europe during its peak. CORDOBA'S rich and storied past is still visible in the monuments left by the many cultures that made this place their home.

We plan to visit the the Alcazar of the Christian Kings, an outstanding archaeological museum, and a Roman bridge, spanning the Guadalquivir. We plan to walk the old winding narrow streets of the Judería which still, today, are immensely atmospheric. The Synagogue is the only ancient one remaining in Spain outside of Toledo.

LAGOS

Days 26-29

We will make our first stop in Portugal in the city of LAGOS. The Romans gave the name of “Lacobriga” to their settlement, later, the Moors gave the town the name of "Zawaia". In 1249 that it was finally conquered by Dom Afonso III and integrated into the kingdom of Portugal with the name of "Lagus". Now an important tourist town there are still many architectural signs of its ancient past.

There are several interesting statues erected to the famous figures of the past that are associated with the history of this town. Standing in the main square in front of the Town Hall is the sculpture of Dom Sebastião. A more recently erected statue commemorates the Algarve’s only Saint, São Gonçalo de Lagos who was born in 1360 and died in 1422 in Torres Vedras. Pope Pio VI raised him to Sainthood in 1778.

Grotto, Lagos

LAGOS' Marina has a beautiful panorama and this harbour is often the first sight a visitor has of the city.

Yachts passing on the way or returning from the Mediterranean and the Americas will port at LAGOS. At the entrance to the harbour is the "Forte da Bandeira" which was constructed in the 17th Century.

In LAGOS we will tour the city, catch up on coursework, and enjoy the tranquil bays, before traveling to LISBON.

LISBON

Days 30-35

LISBON has served as capital of Portugal since its conquest by the Moors in 1147.

The Alfama is one of the oldest quarters in Lisbon. The area still retains much of its original layout, as it survived the devastating earthquake of 1755, which destroyed much of the city.

The Marquis de Pombal was ordered by the King to rebuild the rest of the city. This was the Marquis' opportunity to create a rational layout of streets, still impressive today, with wide avenues and great plazas.

Adjacent to the Alfama are the old quarters of Castelo and Mouraria, on the western and northern slopes of the hill that is crowned by St. George's Castle.

The Graça quarter and the churches of São Vicente de Fora and Santa Engrácia are within walking distance of this area. Lisbon is also reknowned for the colorful tile-covered building façades and narrow Medieval streets. We will explore the city and its museums, and learn the history of this important center of maritime navigation and might.

At night, we hope to attend a concert of the traditional romantic music of Portugal: the "Fado".

SINTRA

On a daytrip from LISBON, we will visit SINTRA. SINTRA was poetically described by Lord Byron as "this glorious Eden". A UNESCO World Heritage Site, SINTRA sits on a heavily wooded granite slope within a park-like setting.

The Palácio da Pena is a 19th Century architectural melange of styles admired by the King, Dom Fernando II. Dom Fernando II was the German husband of the young Portuguese Queen Maria II. The whimsical architecture of the castle is often regarded as a failed attempt to recreate the past.

Situated at a great height above the city of SINTRA, the castle can be approached through wooded mountain paths. We plan to visit the site, and take in the panoramic view from this beautifully-situated and architecturally fascinating castle.

At this point we will have our final reviews, finish all course work, and prepare to return home.