El Camino de Santiago: A Walk In Northern Spain with Benjamin Westervelt, Associate Professor of History

May 10th to 21st, 2024

11 days and 10 nights in Europe

 

 



Overview

Join a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on northern Spain’s legendary Camino de Santiago, the historic route that has welcomed pilgrims for more than a thousand years. On this active program, follow the Way of St. James through wooded bluffs, flowered fields, and scenic landscapes, concluding at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.

Explore the dazzling variety of art and UNESCO-listed architecture along the Camino, including awe-inspiring Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals and monasteries in Nájera, Burgos, León, and Santiago de Compostela. Hear Gregorian chants performed by the world-famous monks at the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos. End with a special event: Witness the famous Botafumeiro ritual during midday Mass at the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 

Along the way, enjoy the culture and hospitality of this unique area, including exquisite cuisine and regional wines, and stay at splendid centuries-old paradores (hotels).

Highlights

Begin a series of walks along the Camino in Roncesvalles, one of the main entrances to the famous pilgrimage trail, and end in Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as has been done for centuries.
Admire awe-inspiring cathedrals and monasteries in Nájera, Burgos, León, and other pilgrimage cities along the way, and enjoy leisure time to explore Spain’s lovely Galicia region. 
Experience midday Mass at the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the endpoint of your Camino journey, and witness the cathedral’s famous Botafumeiro ritual.
Go behind the scenes of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites that line the Camino, including the French Gothic-style Burgos Cathedral, with its opulent Renaissance retablo (devotional painting). 
Enjoy private tours of Antoni Gaudí’s unique architectural wonders along the Camino, including his 19th-century interpretation of Gothic style, Casa Botines, in León.
Journey to Cape Finisterre, once considered the end of the Earth, to watch the sun set into the Atlantic Ocean. 
Hear Gregorian chants performed by the world-famous monks of the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, whose two-story cloister is considered a masterpiece of Romanesque art.

 

 

 

Accommodations

Hotel Tres Reyes, Pamplona

Hotel Villa de Laguardia, Laguardia

Hotel NH Palacio de la Merced, Burgos

Parador de Leon, Leon

Parador de Villafranca del Bierez, Villafranca del Bierzo

Hotel San Francisco Monumento, Santiago de Compostela

 

Itinerary and Digital Brochure 

 

Registration

To reserve a spot please contact our partners at Arrangements Abroad. Please complete the form on last page of the above digital brochure and be prepared to deposit with $1,000 per person fee ($500 is non-refundable).

  • You can call at: 212-514-8921 or 800-221-1944
  • Or Scan form and Fax to: 212-344-7493
  • Or Scan form and email to: trips@arrangementsabroad.com
  • Or print and mail to: Arrangements Abroad, 260 West 39th Street, 17th Floor, NY, NY 10018-4424

Program Rates

Cost

  • $7,799 per person in a double ($1,000 deposit, plus $6,799 balance payment).
  • $8,999 in a single ($1,000 deposit, plus $7,999 balance payment).

Payment Schedule

  • Deposits are Due Now
  • Final Balance Payment is Due 120 Days before departure (on or before February 7, 2024).

Price Includes

O Ten nights accommodations as per itinerary.

O Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner). Bottled water, soft drinks, juices, and coffee/tea with all meals; house wine and beer at dinners.

O Airport/hotel/airport group transfers for all participants on suggested flights.

O Enrichment program of lectures and talks, as well as sightseeing, transportation, and entrance fees for all included visits.

O Taxes, service, and porterage charges. Gratuities to local guides and drivers.

Not Included in Rate

  • International airfare; Passport/visa fees; Excess baggage; Airport transfers other than for those on suggested flights.
  • Meals not specified; alcoholic beverages other than what is noted in inclusions
  • Trip insurance
  • Personal items and expenses; Any other items not specifically mentioned as included.



Faculty Leader

Ben Westervelt, Associate Professor of History

 

.

Benjamin Westervelt, Associate Professor of History, has taught at Lewis & Clark for thirty years. His scholarly work focuses on pre-modern Europe, before the 18th century. His area of expertise is medieval and early modern Christianity. Some if his classes include “Saints and Bureaucrats”about Spanish Catholicism in the 16th century, “ Medieval Christianity”, and “The Reformation”. Professor Wedtervelt is currently writing a book on the anti-popes — claimants to the papacy — as a way of looking at the development of the papacy in late antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Ben is an avid hiker. He completed the Appalachian Trail, and the Oregon and Washington sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. Ben has led student programs to Washington DC and Australia and is looking forward to this time together with Alumni and friends of Lewis & Clark.