A JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR:
Portugal: In the Footsteps of the Anusim

Itinerary

Days 1-2: Monday-Tuesday: Home Gateway - Lisbon

We'll depart in the evening from Tel Aviv (or other home gateway) to Lisbon, Portugal's capital city which sits astride the Tejo river estuary on the Atlantic coast. Lisbon, like Rome, is built over seven hills. The most famous hill is the Afalma upon which the old city is built, as is Lisbon's ancient Jewish quarter. Upon arrival on Tuesday, we'll also visit the waterfront Belem (Bet-Lehem) district where the famous explorer and discoverer Vasco da Gama is buried. We'll tour through Sintra, a seaside village which was the favorite summer vacation spot of Portugal's kings for many years. We'll make our way to the monument to the discoverers, which tells the story of Portugal's importance as the home of such famous and legendary explorers such as Vasco da Gama, Bartholemieu Diaz, Ferdinand Magellan and others. We'll visit the Portuguese Maritime Museum. Afterwards we'll transfer to our hotel.

Day 3: Wednesday: Lisbon - Avora

After breakfast we'll travel eastward to Avora, capital of the region of Altenejo. This historic city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, traces its origins back to Roman times. Here we will see ruins dating back to that period including the oldest Roman Temple in Portugal. A university was built here in the 16th century, which drew many students and scholars to the city. We'll wander through the narrow streets and alleyways and marvel at the architecture. We'll continue to the fortress at Avora-Monte which overlooks the city. This 16th century fortress was built in Italian Renaissance style. Afterwards we'll return to Lisbon.

Day 4: Thursday: Lisbon, Ovidos, Fatima, Tomar, Castelo de Vide

This morning we'll head to Ovidos, a walled village where we'll be able to stroll about and enjoy the beauty of the place. We'll continue to Nazare, a beautiful fishing village that sits atop a rocky outcrop that overlooks the sea, and from there on to the Monastery of Batalia, the Monastery of War that was built over a period of 200 years. We'll come to Alcobaca the monastery of where the kings of Portugal used to be crowned, and where we'll find the sarcophagi of King Pedro and his mistress Inez de Castro. We'll continue to Fatima and from there to the ancient village of Tomar. Here we'll visit the ancient synagogue, built in 1430 and named for the astronomer and mathematician Abraham Zacut. We'll stroll through the streets and make our way up to the 12th century templar fortress that overlooks the town. From here we'll head to the village of Castelo de Vide to visit the Roman ruins there. Then it's on the Judaria, the most famous ancient Jewish quarter in Portugal. Here we'll explore the newly renovated synagogue. We'll learn about the Jews who underwent forced conversion here. Afterwards we'll transfer to our hotel for some well deserved rest after such a busy day.

Day 5: Friday: Castelo de Vide - Belmonte

Today we'll head out toward Belmonte, a beautiful village built around a 13th century fortress. The village has preserved it's Jewish past very well, and it's home to a community of some 500 Anusim who have decided, after a break of some 500 years, to make their way back to their Jewish roots. Upon arrival we'll tour the village and the Jewish Museum. Afterwards, we'll make our way to our hotel to prepare for Shabbat.

Day 6: Shabbat: Belmonte

After Shabbat services in the beautiful synagogue, we'll meet with the local Anusim community and we'll stroll about the streets of the village.

Day 7: Sunday: Belmonte – Serra de Estrela – Guarda – Doro Valley – Coimbra

After breakfast, we'll head out for a day's activities in the Serra de Estrela region. This granite mountain range is the highest in Portugal and it's filled with rivers and streams, as well as needle-pine forests. It flowers colorfully in spring, while in the winter it's covered in snow. We'll climb the flat-topped Mount Tura, from where we'll enjoy a magnificent view of the whole area. We'll continue northwards to Guarda, the highest populated location in Portugal. Here we'll wander around the Jewish quarter. On to the village of Trancoso which was an important Jewish place during the Middle Ages and we'll visit some of the Jewish sites inside the walled town. Towards evening we'll arrive to Coimbra, a city built on rocks and surrounded by a river. We'll transfer to our hotel for the night.

Day 8: Monday: Coimbra – Bucaco – Oporto

In the morning we'll complete our visit to Coimbra, visiting the Baroque Library with its collection of over 30,000 ancient manuscripts; the cathedral and the fountain of love and tears. We'll drive to Bucaco Forest to see the flora there, much of which comes from lands across the sea, as well as the Bucaco Palace with its blue tiled façade and the botanical gardens that surround it. We'll continue north to Oporto. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel.

Day 9 Tuesday: Oporto – Braga

Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal and the largest port in the country. The modern part of the city is a bustling metropolis and is one of Portugal's social and economic hubs. The ancient part of Oporto is filled with narrow alleyways and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We'll visit the old port from where boats carried wine to far-off destinations. From there we'll continue to visit the synagogue and the cathedral and the bourse palace. In the afternoon we'll travel to Guimaraes, Portugal's original capital city, and from there we'll continue to Braga. Here we'll stop at the 18th century Bom Jesus Cathedral to where the locals come climbing a steep staircase on their knees. In the evening we'll return to Oporto.

Day 10: Wednesday: Oporto – Tel Aviv (Home Gateway)

After breakfast we'll bid farewell to Portugal and to its amazing Jewish past, and we'll make our way to the airport for our flights home.

Price Includes

• First Class Accommodations
• Entrance fees as per the itinerary
• Comfortable air conditioned touring coach
• Kosher Half board & provisions for making lunch daily
• Professional experienced English-speaking Eddie's Travel guide
• Local English-speaking Guide as required

Price Excludes

• Travel & Health Insurance
• Personal expenses and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tips for local service providers (€90 to be collected in cash abroad)
• Shows and evening entertainment not included in the itinerary
• Tip for our Tour Guide (Recommended: €3 per person per day)
• Miscellaneous expenses such as departure fees, visas, security surcharges etc. where applicable.

Important To Know
* There may be changes to the schedule and hotel reservations dependent upon internal flights. We will make every effort to visit every location mentioned.
* The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company


Kashrut on Tours
Kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. We work with the local Rabbinate to provide Hashgacha for all local ingredients and fresh meat and poultry. In some cases, we fly in kosher food from Israel and other sources, depending on the destination of the tour. We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.

In many destinations we have our own crockery and cutlery. Where we don't, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in Hotel kitchens, we ensure proper Kashering and we use our own kitchenware on kashered and covered surfaces. All this is done under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our Mashgichim.

Our travelers enjoy gourmet meals prepared by our team including fresh local fish, fruit, and vegetables. This is an integral part of Jewish travel. We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.

Rabbi Menahem Fogel
A native of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Menahem Fogel served as a pulpit rabbi in South Africa and Canada before returning to Israel in 1984 to take up the position of spokesman of Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem, a position he held for six years.

Since that time he has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors developing interactive computer systems for museums around the world. He also lived and worked in the USA, Netherlands, Austria, UK and India. A lifelong yearning for travel led to his becoming a Tour Manager in 2000 and developed expertise tourism to Japan & China, Alaska, Canadian Rockies and Africa. Recently he took on the added role of Rav Hamachshir for The Kosher Travel Club to ensure the highest standards of Kashrut are implemented on all our Kosher Tours.

Cancellation Terms

A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 90 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled you will receive a FULL refund.