Experience Spain with Skagit Valley College in Spring 2019

Sign up for the trip of a lifetime as three Skagit Valley College professors lead a study-abroad immersion learning opportunity in Spanish art, music, language, and culture on March 21-29, 2019. Intended for students as well as lifelong learners of all ages, the 9-day adventure will take you to Barcelona, Madrid, and an optional excursion to Toledo.

Barcelona’s history and culture is one of the oldest and richest in Europe. The earliest known settlements date back to at least 5,000 BC, and the city carries the legacy of Carthaginian, Roman, Visigoth, Catalan, and Spanish influence in its art, literature, and architecture. Located on the Iberian Peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona enjoys a mild, subtropical climate and brilliantly sunny days. Known especially its arts and architecture, Barcelona is also a major fashion center, and home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Guided by your Spanish tour guide and three professors, feast your eyes on Antoni Gaudi’s groundbreaking Sagrada Familia and colorful mosaics, wander the equally colorful La Boqueria market, stroll the tree-lined and artist-filled La Rambla, which Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca called the only street he wished “would never end,” then linger over an evening meal of traditional paella.

In Madrid, Spain’s capitol, see the splendors of the Royal Palace and treasures of The Prado national art museum. As an add-on, you can also visit the former capitol, Toledo, also known as the “city of three cultures,” where Moors, Christians, and Jews lived peacefully side-by-side, and where you can still enjoy the churches, synagogues, mosques, palaces, and fortresses dotted throughout the city. Top the day off with a workshop in Spanish sword-making.

Participants who sign up before March 15, 2018 receive an early-bird discount of $250. Participants also have the option of receiving academic credit in Music, Spanish, and Creative Writing with trip professors Dr. Diane Johnson, Jose Sanchez, and Jill McCabe Johnson, Ph.D. Or, let the adventure be an education in itself. The inclusive trip includes end-to-end travel assistance, airfare and all other transportation, lodging, expert local guides, regional style meals, entrance tickets, and on-the-ground local support. To sign up and view the full itinerary plus optional excursions, visit https://www.efcollegestudytours.com/professors-trip/2091817WE. If you have questions, contact Jill McCabe Johnson, [email protected] .

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