Magical private spain tours custom travel

<body>  <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="12"> <tr> <td> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td class="textstyle3"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="center"><img src="about_images/tours_food_photo_01.jpg" width="240" height="189" alt="spain tours, spain, private spain, tours"></td> <td width="10"> </td> <td align="center"><img src="about_images/medievalvillage_new.jpg" alt="medievival Village tours, spain tours" width="240" height="180" hspace="20" align="top"></td> </tr> </table> <h1 align="center">Because we love Spain and custom luxury travel.</h1> <p align="left" style="margin-top:0;">Since 1998, we've opened doors to a wealth of experiences for 4,000+US customers<strong> </strong>who wanted a exclusive original way to discover Spain and Portugal without hassle & tourist traps. </p> <p align="left">MagicalSpain.com, owned by Americans Richard Harris and Dan O'Beirne and Spaniard Miguel Angel de Oliva is a proud member of the ASTA, the <strong><a href="http://www.astanet.com/about/codeofethics.asp">American Society of Travel Agents</a></strong> and are recommended by Euro guide book guru <strong>Rick Steves</strong>. </p> <p align="left">We aren't a huge multi-national company with a army of sales reps in a California or London office. Rather we live in Iberia and concentrate opening doors first hand to the historic and cultural best of Spain and Portugal. <br> <br> We believe in the art of traveling well so you arrive home wealthier in experiences and insight that you just won't find wandering with guide books or with "corporate tours". </p> <p align="left" style="margin-bottom: 0;"><br> <font color="#990000" size="2"><strong>We PROMISE to make you WEALTHIER in three unforgettable ways:</strong></font> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0;"><br> <strong><font size="2">1) Original Cultural Fun.....</font></strong><font size="2"> a olive oil tastings & unknown tapas restaurants</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>2) Exclusive Private Places....</strong> like a "secret" collection of Roman mosaics </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong> 3) Beyond-the-Guide-Book-Experiences...</strong> in crystal clear English!</font></p> <p> Of course with us you'll enjoy top luxury hotels and regional cuisine & wines.<br> <br> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"> <br> <strong><font color="#990033" size="2"> <span class="header2">INSIDER'S SPAIN TIPS: from Richard Harris</span></font> </strong><br> <br> <strong><font color="#990033" size="2"><img src="about_images/RJHarrisinkitchen.jpg" width="69" height="69" hspace="10" align="left" alt="spain tours, spain, private spain, tours"></font></strong><em>"I have seen over the last 25 years, that Spain and Portugal are every bit as impressive as Italy or France... or not depending on the information you have. Spain's tourism sector grows very rapidly but often quality control has been a bit lacking at times so knowledge is power."<br> Richard Harris, Magical Spain</em></p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"> <br> <strong>1) </strong> <strong>Historic Spain</strong> and Portugal are VERY friendly and hospitable </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br> <strong>2) </strong> <strong>"Official" Spanish guides</strong> can be good but may have difficult accents in English </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br> <strong>3) Airports and trains </strong>are modern but highway signage is often confusing....even for me after 25 years traveling and 2 Spanish wives! </p> <p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br> <strong>4) </strong> <strong>Spain has the least amount of English speaking population</strong> in Europe.....so bring along your child whose studying Spanish.<br> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0;"><strong>5) Real Spanish cuisine is world class! </strong>The cuisine quality is due to the plethora of very fresh seafood, olive oils, cheese, wine, vegetables, pork and desserts plus a rich Mediterranean mix of Moorish, Roman and French influences. Aztec secrets introduced to Europe by the Spanish like the potato, tomato and chocolate make food in Spain as varies as it is wonerful.</p> <div align="left"><strong>6) EATING OUT: </strong>Avoid Tourist Trap Dinner Special likePaella and Sangria. Why don't you see locals eating this at night on the plaza? Because authentic Paella requires more than 2 hours of kitchen time. It is a heavy lunch dish and is reheated in the evening for tourist.</p> </div> <div align="left"> <p style="margin-top: 0">Sugary Sangria is rarely consumed and never with a meal. Authentic paella is flavoured with saffron, the world's most expensive spice, not cheap yellow food colouring agents used in tourist traps. I could go on, but won't. <br> <br> <strong>6) Impersonal chain hotels or a charming inn, monastery or castle hotel?</strong> What if instead of mediocre tourist meals and stuffy chain hotels you had insiders info? The inside knowlede to be able to go to the best local places, sleep in hotels full of charm and history and possibly spending less?</div> <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0;"><strong><span class="header1"><font color="#990000">The MagicalSpain Solution</font></span></strong></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0"><strong><font color="#990000" size="2"></font></strong>The world's smallest escorted group trip or private trips with driver/guides. Of course like most things in life, quality isn't cheap! But our customers say the <strong>cultural fun, historic insight and "Beyond the Guide-Book-Memories" are worth it!<br> </strong><br> After living, travelling and eating our way across Spain for years and surveying our clients, we have accumulated a gold mine of inside information on the best local restaurants and hotels for the discerning traveller, new resident or business person. <br> <p align="left" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br> <span class="header2"><strong>Quality before Quantity</strong></span> <br> We are "sold out" for some 2004 dates. To avoid disappointment book your exclusive Spain experience ASAP. You won't regret it!</p> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="right" class="textstyle2"><p><table width="100%" height="65"> <tr> <td> <div align="center"> <p><img src="../images/HomePageImages/astalogoWTag.gif" width="86" height="75"> <img src="../images/Common/CastleBottomSm.jpg" width="100" height="78"><img src="../images/HomePageImages/RickStevesGuidbook_A.gif" width="95" height="118"> </p> <p><img src="../images/paypal.gif" width="140" height="35">   <img src="../images/paypal2.gif" width="169" height="21"> </p> </div></td> <tr> </table></p> <div align="center"><a href="../tours/custom_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Travel and Tours</a> I <a href="../tours/custom_frameset.htm" target="_top">Custom Spain Tours</a> I <a href="../tours/food_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Wine, Castles & Cuisine</a> I <a href="../tours/walking_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Walking Trips</a> I <a href="../tours/cycling_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Cycling Trips</a> I <a href="../tours/jewish_frameset.htm" target="_top">Jewish Spain: Sephardic Heritage Trips</a> I <a href="../tours/custom_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Private Day Tours</a> I <a href="../tours/golfTrips_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Golf Trips</a> I <a href="../tours/itineray_frameset.htm" target="_top">More Private and Custom Spain Trips</a> I <a href="../events/index.htm" target="_top">Spain Special Events</a> I <a href="../weddings/index.htm" target="_top">Spain Destination Weddings</a> I <a href="../weddings/honeymoons_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Honeymoons</a> I <a href="../events/golfEvents_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Golf Events</a> I <a href="../events/corpEvents_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Corporate Events</a> I <a href="../events/location_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Location Services</a> I <a href="../tours/custom_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Private Tours</a> I <a href="index.htm" target="_top">About MagicalSpain and Spain</a> I <a href="philosophy_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Philosophy</a> I <a href="theteam_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Team</a> I <a href="history_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spanish/Spain History</a> I <a href="gastronomy_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spanish/Spain Food & Wine</a> I <a href="pressRoom_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Press Room</a> I <a href="../comments/index.htm" target="_top">Spain Comments</a> I <a href="../contact/index.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Contact</a> I <a href="../comments/index.htm" target="_top">Spain Trip Client Comments</a> I <a href="../comments/links_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Travel Links </a>I <a href="http://www.magicalspain.com/Albums/index.htm" target="NEW">Magical Spain Photo Album</a> I <a href="../comments/privacy_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Privacy Policy</a> I <a href="../comments/terms_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Terms and Conditions</a> I <a href="../calendar/index.htm" target="_top">Spain FAQ and Calendar</a> I <a href="../calendar/faq_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain FAQ</a> I <a href="../calendar/2005_frameset.htm" target="_top">Magical Spain Trips 2005 Calendar</a> I <a href="../calendar/festivals_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Festivals</a> I <a href="../calendar/topSights_frameset.htm" target="_top">Spain Attractions</a> I <a href="../Spain/index.html">Spain</a></div> <p><font color="#990000"><img src="../!assets/interface/graphics/line.gif" width="560" height="10" alt="spain tours, spain, private spain, tours"><br> Zydeco Unlimited, Inc 2003-2004 ® all rights reserved</font><br> <span class="header1">A Short Spanish History</span><img src="about_images/about_map_photo_01.gif" alt="spain tours, spain, private spain, tours" name="about_map_photo_01" width="334" height="358" hspace="10" border="0" align="right"><br> <br> Below you’ll find a few trivia questions and brief and imperfect summary of over 2500 years of Spain’s roller coaster ride through the history of Europe, North Africa, the Pacific and the Americas. </p> <p><span class="header2">Trivia</span></p> <ul type="square"> <li>Who where the two Roman emperors born in Spain?</li> <li>Why are Hercules and Julius Caesar considered the founders of Sevilla?</li> <li>What was the Moors first and last Spanish capital?</li> <li>How did the great medieval hero El Cid get this Spanish Arabian name?</li> <li>Why was Columbus finally given the money to sail the ocean blue?</li> <li>How much of the territory of the USA was first taken by Spain?</li> <li>Why did King Felipe II have the world’s largest monastery palace built?</li> <li>What tradition promoted by the Greeks is still common in the south of Spain?</li> </ul> <p> <span class="header3"><img src="about_images/about_history_photo_01.jpg" alt="spain tours, spain, private spain, tours Phoenician Tablet" width="100" height="119" align="right">Ancient History Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians & Roman Spain.</span> Always a cultural crossroads of history, all major Mediterranean civilizations have spent time in on the Iberian Peninsula due to the great mineral and agricultural riches. The Roman had the greatest influence controlling Roman Hispania for some 600 years and exporting olive oil, wine wheat and garum, a fish sauce and leaving behind cultural values, bridges, temples, aqueducts and four surviving Latin languages including Spanish and Portuguese. Pompey and Julius Caesar also fought their epic battle here in Spain but couldn't prevent the arrival of the Germanic Visigoths 450 years later after the fall of Rome.</p> <p><span class="header3"><img src="about_images/about_history_photo_02.jpg" alt="Moorish spain tours, spain, private spain, tours Astrolab" width="100" height="119" align="right">Moorish Medieval Spain 8th – 15th Centuries.</span> Arriving from North Africa, Persia and Arabia, the so-called Moors established control of Iberia in some 10 years easily defeating the oppressive Visigoths who had made too many enemies among the proud Iberians. For the Moors, Spain and Portugal was called Al Andaluz. The Moorish period included periods of cultural, academic and economic brilliance while most of Europe lurched through the dark ages. The exotic culinary influences of certain fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices is still notable here in Spain.</p> <p><span class="header3"><img src="about_images/about_history_photo_03.jpg" alt="Jewish spain tours, spain, private spain, toursI llustration" width="100" height="88" align="right">Muslims, Jewish and Catholic scholars, doctors and philosophers worked together</span> in Toledo, Cordoba and Seville translating ancient Greek masterpieces into Arabic, Hebrew and Latin. Despite this prosperous situation in the 9th and 10th centuries Moorish Spain fractured into many small kingdoms called Taifas. This opened the door for Catholic Spanish from Northern Spain with some Moslem help and figures like the great warrior El Cid who fought for sultans, kings and finally himself( check out the Academy award winning movie, EL CID with Charlton Heston and a young Sophia Loren) . After over 4 centuries of battles, the Catholic kingdoms of Castilla and Aragon finally conquered the peninsula in 1492. </p> <p><span class="header3"><img src="about_images/about_history_photo_04.jpg" alt="Battle Painting spain tours, spain, private spain, tours" width="100" height="133" align="right">The Expulsion, Inquisition, Colonial Superpower and Civil War.</span> In 1492 after the Moorish surrender, the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, ordered the expulsion all Jews and Moors who wouldn’t convert, thus ending the largest and most distinguished Jewish settlement in Europe just at the time that they would have benefited greatly from some good financial management. Columbus, Magellan and the Conquistadores sailed the ocean blue from Sevilla. Spain then became a colonial superpower and Europe’s richest country thanks mostly to the gold ,silver, tobacco, rum and other New World “exports” These financial resources were spent on incredible palaces, churches, monasteries, castles and art. The rest was largely wasted by Spanish Hapsburg kings financing mercenary armies in the 100 years war. During this time the Spanish crown and the Vatican’s Holy Office of the Inquisition persecuted many supposed heretics holding public 'autos-da-fe' until the 18th century in Spain and her world-wide colonies. </p> <p><span class="header3"><img src="about_images/about_history_photo_05.jpg" alt="Franco spain tours, spain, private spain, tours" width="100" height="120" align="right">As the gold dried up</span> the rest of Europe was embracing science and development which in Spain was rejected by the nobility and the clergy, who were still swimming in old money. One curious result of this was very proud largely illiterate peasants in the late 19th century still living an almost medieval lifestyle. This set the stage for numerous civil conflict often along class and regional lines culminating in the bloody Spanish Civil War and an alliance between the Army and the Catholic church. The resulting victory led to the brutal dictatorship of El Generalisimo Franco who ruled from Madrid until his death in 1975 which opened the doors to a democratic transitioned at the hand of the present King Juan Carlos de Borbon.</p> <h1 align="center"><br> <span class="Headline"><font color="#990000" size="5">Custom Private Spain Trips</font></span> </h1> <p class="header1"> </p> <p class="header1" style="margin-bottom: 0;"> </p> <h1 align="center" class="header1" style="margin-top: 0;">      Legendary private Spain fun...... tailored to your dreams exclusively!</h1> <p align="center">" Thanks for the good work and good taste, my private Spain tour was first class "<br> <span class="header3">Jerry Seinfeld,  US actor / comedian<br> </span></p> <p align="left" style="margin-top: 0;"><font color="#000000"><strong>Since 1998, MagicalSpain has planned </strong>1000s<strong> </strong>of custom Spain travel packages from Spain, not California or London, based on the needs, dreams and interest of our customers.</font></p> <p align="left" style="margin-top: 0;"><font color="#000000"><strong>D</strong></font><font color="#000000"><strong>esigned for independent-minded US </strong>travelers to EXPERIENCE and ENJOY medieval & ultra-modern Spain in deluxe style  -alone or with family & friends-  with no planning, language or travel stress.</font></p> <p align="left" style="margin-top: 0;"><font color="#000000"><strong>Private transport with driver/guide is included</strong> with most trips. Why not get in touch today & let us plan a extraordinary Spain or Portugal travel experience? </font></p> <p>  </p> <p align="left" style="margin-top: 0;"><strong>What exactly do we do?...</strong> Use our 8 years travel industry experience in Spain & contacts to ensure quality and stress-free travel  -so you ENJOY your most valuable commodity-  your liesure time! </p> <p style="margin-top: 0;">Custom private trips often last 5 - 15 unforgettable days with airport transfers, luxury & historic hotels, private guided tours, unforgettable food & wine, medieval villages, cooking classes & much more! </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0;"><strong><font color="#990000"><a href="../contact/index.htm" target="_top">CONTACT US</a></font></strong> to make your deluxe vacation dreams come true in 2005 in Spain or Portugal!</p> <p><br> </p></td> </tr> </table> </body>