Paris and Barcelona

Weeks, or even months of preparation come to fruition at last as you board your airplane bound for Europe and the glittering jewel at her heart, Paris, the "City of Light." Bienvenue!

Set out on a coach tour of the city. On the Right Bank of the River Seine, see Napoléon's Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the Place de la Concorde, and the exuberant Opéra Garnier. On the Left Bank, you'll drive by the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

View Notre-Dame de Paris, gutted by the fire of April 15, 2019, but still standing, solemn and magnificent with its iconic towers miraculously preserved from destruction.

Begun in 1163 and completed in 1272, this cathedral has presided over centuries of glorious and somber French history, including its desecration during the French Revolution. In 1831, Victor Hugo launched a campaign of restoration with a novel he titled Notre Dame de Paris. Because he saw the cathedral as the main character, he strongly objected to the title of the English edition: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Dinner this evening will introduce savory and sweet crêpes garnished with a selection of fillings.

Enter the Musée du Louvre and walk along grand galleries filled with treasures. See Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Vénus de Milo sculpted between 130 and 100 BC, the 19th century painting depicting The Coronation of Napoléon among many other masterpieces.

Enjoy a walking tour on Paris's highest hill and its most celebrated bohemian district. Artists still flock to Montmartre's charming Place du Tertre, as they did when Toulouse-Lautrec painted the French Cancan dancers at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.

See Paris transformed into a wonderland like no other during a cruise along the River Seine.

Get acquainted with the string of shaded avenues stretched from the elegant Plaça de Catalunya to the Columbus Monument, which marks the spot on the waterfront where the explorer stepped ashore in 1493 after his voyage of discovery. Landmarks along the way include elegant palaces such as Palau Güell (designed by Gaudí in the 1890s and now a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site as one of the first Modernist buildings), the Opera House (Gran Teatre del Liceu, inaugurated in 1848), and Plaça de la Boquería, with the city's most colorful market.

For dinner this evening, experience tapas, the delightful and varied snack-like servings, which are a specialty of Spain, there's something to please every taste!

A tour will introduce landmarks such as the wide avenues called Las Ramblas, the medieval Gothic Quarter around the cathedral, Modernist landmarks such as the Basilica of the Sagrada Família, and Plaça de Catalunya, the lively heart of Catalonia's capital city.

Visit the extraordinary-looking basilica whose construction was planned in the 1870s. Antonio Gaudí worked for more than forty years to create a unique and huge sanctuary still far from completion. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia combines elements of Gothic architecture and the tenets of the Modernista movement associated with Gaudí.

This evening, enjoy a traditional paella dinner. This typically Spanish dish offers a flavorful combination of rice cooked with spices, and sauteed Mediterranean vegetables, usually served with either chicken or seafood.

Follow a professional chef on a tour of the Mercat de la Boquería, which has received the "Best Market in the World" award. It's proof that Barcelona is far more than the world's capital of molecular cuisine. The stalls are filled with a wealth of spices, seafood, meat and dairy, fruits and vegetables, bread and pastries, wines, as well as olives and cured hams.

Next, join your chef around a kitchen counter and learn new techniques as you prepare tapas as appetizers, a main dish, and a dessert; all typical Spanish dishes, and all made with high-quality ingredients. Then, sit back and enjoy the meal you prepared. ¡Buen provecho!

Enjoy a walking tour with your Tour Director in the tight maze of streets found in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona's medieval district, where the focal point is the great Gothic cathedral. Other landmarks, all dating back to the 1300s, include the Palau de la Generalitat (seat of Catalonia's Government), Casa de la Ciutat (Barcelona's Town Hall) and the former royal palace where Christopher Columbus met Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand upon his return from the Indies in 1493. Several of the mansions now house museums.

¡Adios España! Barcelona's airport recedes, and you're 500 miles closer to home with each hour in the air. You'll be back! For now, race the sun westward, arriving home later today, eager to share your experiences with family and friends.