Remote Spain 2025
Following Art & History
Along the Duero River
A DonnaRosa Tour
September 22 - October 6, 2025
Journey through centuries of history on our exclusive Duero River expedition. From the ancient Celtic-Iberian stronghold of Numancia to the medieval grandeur of Burgos Cathedral, immerse yourself in a world shaped by Celtiberians, Romans, Muslims, and Christians. Discover the heart of Spain's wine country, the Ribera del Duero, as we savor exquisite local vintages. Visit historic cities like Soria, Ágreda, Berlanga del Duero, and Clunia. Enjoy the charm of Lerma and Aranda del Duero, renowned for their exquisite wines. Expert Dr. Donna Pierce Smith will provide her insightful commentary as we embrace a more relaxed pace, staying at just three hotels for the entire tour. This extraordinary adventure combines history, culture, and gastronomy for an unforgettable experience!
This “DonnaRosa Tour” is the 4th in a series of tours including:
Southwestern Spain
Remote Spain: The Foothills of the Pyrennes
Remote Spain: The Alcarrias, The Alpujarras and Granada
MEET YOUR TOUR LEADERS
Rosa Ramirez Carlson’s passion for exploring new places began in her native Peru and led her to Santa Fe, NM, where her determination sparked a career as a travel agent. This journey inspired her to create Journeys International Inc. a company dedicated to turning dreams of travel into unforgettable, life-changing experiences.
Donna Pierce, former Curator of Spanish Colonial Art at the Denver Art Museum, earned degrees from Tulane University and a doctorate from the University of New Mexico. She has curated at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, the Palace of the Governors, and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, working with institutions such as the Met, Brooklyn Museum, and MFA Boston. A prolific author, she co-authored Cerámica y Cultura (2003), Painting a New World (2004), Transforming Images (2006), and Cultural Convergence in New Mexico with Robin Farwell Gavin.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 · Monday, Sept. 22 - SORIA (L)
Arrive in Madrid and board our coach to drive to Soria, a tranquil city nestled near the headwaters of the Duero River. We will stop along the way for a light lunch in the town of Brihuega. Upon arrival, we’ll check into a beautifully renovated convent-turned-hotel. Donna will offer a brief orientation walking tour of this charming town early in the evening.
Day 2 · Tuesday, Sept. 23 - SORIA (B) (L)
After breakfast we will drive east to the town of Ágreda where the small convent of Conceptionist nuns houses the earliest Mexican colonial painting depicting the four scenes of the miraculous appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The famous seventeenth-century Flying Blue Nun of New Mexico, or Maria de Agreda (1602-65), lived in this convent from where she corresponded with the head of the Franciscans in New Mexico (as well as with the king). According to legend, she prayed so hard to bring Native Americans to Christ that she bilocated to west Texas and eastern New Mexico where she appeared to them. Soon Indians from these areas arrived in Santa Fe asking to learn about Jesus. To date, she has been beatified, but is not yet a saint, although the nuns are hopeful. We will visit their small museum about New Mexico. From Ágreda, we will continue on to the lovely town of Tarazona, famous for its mudejar (Muslim-Christian) brick architecture, for lunch. The evening is yours to enjoy at leisure.
Day 3 · Wednesday, Sept. 24 - SORIA (B) (L)
Morning guided tour of Soria to visit the Romanesque church of Santo Domingo with its pale pink façade, one of the loveliest in Spain; the ruins of San Juan de Duero, the temple of the Knights Hospitaller; the Plateresque façade of the Palace de los Condes de Gormaz; and other sites. After a group lunch, we will have a free afternoon. Evening lecture.
Day 4 · Thursday, Sept. 25 - SORIA (B) (L)
Our first stop will be at the Ermita de San Saturio, built over the cave where the Saint reportedly lived during the sixth century. The vault, dome and walls of the church are decorated with frescos, by the most outstanding Sorian baroque painter Juan Zapata Ferrer. We continue to the archeological site of Numancia, a Celtic-Iberian town overlooking the Duero River that held out against the Romans for over 20 years until the famous general Scipio was sent to Spain in 134 BCE with 60,000 troops specifically to conquer Numancia. After almost a year of siege, most Numancians preferred suicide rather than surrender. The Romans built a small city over the ruins. After a group lunch, we will visit the Numantine Museum of Soria which houses the wonderful artifacts excavated from Numancia. Evening lecture.
Day 5 · Friday, Sept. 26 - SORIA (B) (L)
Drive along the Duero River to the small, lovely town of Berlanga de Duero dominated by its castle on the outskirts. Brief visit to the early 11th-century Hermitage of San Baudelio just outside of town, one of the best and the only example we will see of Mozarabic architecture (built by Christians under Muslim rule) with its distinctive horseshoe arches fanning out from a central column like a giant palm tree and 12th-century murals, some recently returned to Spain from the US. We will visit the transitional Late Gothic/Renaissance church of Santa Maria del Mercado (begun 1526) in Berlanga where a Mexican colonial painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe with a donor portrait at her feet hangs in the church. The donor left Berlanga to make his fortune in America in the early 1700s and returned with the painting.
Another Berlanga native, Fray Tomas de Berlanga, went to the Americas where he became the Bishop of Panama and discovered the Galapagos Islands. The church holds a desiccated caiman he brought back from Panama in 1543 as well as his chasuble that may have been embroidered in America. After lunch in Berlanga, a short drive brings us to the spectacular ruins of the Castle of Gormaz, Europe’s largest fortress, with its commanding twin keeps and 21 towers. For several centuries the Duero River was the border between Muslims (to the south) and Christians (to the north), so the area is dotted with castles built by both (hence the name Castile for the region). Built by Muslims in the mid-900s on a tall mesa (much like Acoma in New Mexico), it overlooks the Duero and is one of the oldest castles in Spain. It was later conquered by Christians and commands spectacular views across the plains of Castile below. We then return to Soria for a possible evening lecture.
Day 6 · Saturday, Sept. 27 - LERMA (B) (L)
After breakfast, we’ll check out of the Parador and visit the Roman archaeological site of Clunia Sulpicia for a guided tour of its theater, bathhouse, and ancient dwellings. Continuing to the Tudor-like town of Peñaranda de Duero for a brief stop in its Plaza Mayor, we’ll then proceed to Burgo de Osma for a picturesque walk and a delicious lunch at the Castilla Termal Burgo de Osma. We will leave the Duero and head north to the town of Lerma where we will check into the powerful early 17th-century Duke of Lerma’s magnificent Renaissance palace, now a parador. The duke effectively ruled Spain as the favorite of Felipe III and in the process favored his hometown with a massive building project that included cobbled streets, a massive plaza, the construction of six monasteries and convents with their churches as well as the enormous palace.
Day 7 · Sunday, Sept. 28 - LERMA (B)
Start the day with a guided tour of the charming and tranquil town of Lerma. Enjoy lunch and an afternoon at your leisure, perfect for exploring Lerma’s picturesque streets and unique shops. In the early evening, we will visit the renowned Clarissas nuns’ pastry shop to purchase their delightful treats and meet some of the gracious sisters who wear habits made from blue jean denim so they can relate more easily to the modern faithful. Possible evening lecture before enjoying dinner on your own.
Day 8 · Monday, Sept. 29 - LERMA (B) (L)
Drive to Santo Domingo de Silos, a medieval monastery with fabulous, if somewhat bizarre, stone carvings of plants, animals and Biblical scenes dating to the 11th century. The monastery is famous in modern times for its Gregorian chant recordings in the 1990s. Visit the historic monastery and enjoy a delightful group lunch before heading back to Lerma. On the way, we’ll stop in the Tudoresque village of Covarrubias for a brief tour and coffee break, with the possibility of an evening lecture upon return.
Day 9 · Tuesday, Sept. 30 - LERMA (B) (L)
Drive north to Burgos, the only place we will visit on the Camino de Santiago. Guided visit of the friendly town and with its magnificent Gothic cathedral (the third largest in Spain begun in 1221) where the famous El Cid is buried. Prosperous in the Middle Ages due to wool production and trade, Burgos attracted artists from all over Spain as well as from northern Europe, whose work is represented in the cathedral. We’ll also see the early 18th-century Baroque altar screen inside the chapel of Santa Tecla (1734) which may have inspired Captain Bernardo Miera y Pacheco to carve the one now in Cristo Rey church in Santa Fe (1761). Visit the nearby medieval church of St Nicolas (b. 1408) to see its carved and painted stone altar screen (1505), made in the same unusual technique of manufacture used by Miera y Pacheco in Cristo Rey. After a group lunch in Burgos featuring the region’s famous lamb chops, we will return to Lerma.
Day 10 · Wednesday, Oct. 1 - LERMA (B) (L)
We will drive to Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of Valvanera to see the beautiful Romanesque statue of the Virgin. According to legend, in the early 900s a petty thief hiding out in the rugged Demanda Mountains was inspired to give up his life of crime by a farmer kneeling in prayer. Soon after he had a vision of the Virgin Mary sheltered in a hollow of an oak tree that also held a beehive and had a spring at its roots. He went to a local priest and together they searched for and found the tree with the statue inside its trunk. In 1063, the statue was entrusted to the Benedictine monks who built a monastery and church on the site. She is the Patron Saint of La Rioja. She appears at the top of the Cristo Rey altar screen in Santa Fe probably because both the governor of New Mexico (who paid for the screen) and his friend the artist Miera y Pacheco were originally from the area. We continue traveling in this beautiful mountainous part of La Rioja region to visit the Monastery of San Millan de La Cogolla with its wonderful and strange Romanesque carvings. This area is not only a first-rate cultural place, but it is one of the most scenic and natural environments of La Rioja. Sometime in the middle of the 11th century in the Cogolla monastery, the "Glosas Emilianenses," which are margin notes were added to Latin texts and contain traces of a vernacular language that is recognizably Spanish, making them some of the earliest evidence of written Spanish. We will have lunch at the Hosteria del Monasterio.
Day 11 · Thursday, Oct. 2 - ZAMORA (B) (L)
Check out of the parador after breakfast and drive south to pick up the Duero again at Aranda del Duero and head west. From here on, we will be in the wine region of Ribera del Duero (Banks of the Duero), less known in the US than Rioja wines, but often considered superior by Spaniards. The wine served by the royal family comes from the Vega Sicilia winery here. Drive on to Peñafiel where we will have a guided tour of the spectacular castle on a ridge above the Duero and visit the wine museum in the castle. Visit of the town including its mudejar church of San Pablo and a visit to the Protos winery at the foot of the castle followed by lunch in town. We will then follow one of the most scenic routes along the Duero with a brief visit to the town of Toro to see its Romanesque/Mudejar churches of Santa Maria la Mayor (with its distinctive dome similar to that at Zamora) and San Salvador followed by a possible visit to one of the famous Toro wineries on our way to Zamora. Donna will offer a brief walking tour of charming Zamora in the evening.
Day 12 · Friday, Oct. 3 - ZAMORA (B)
Morning guided walking tour of Zamora to visit the cathedral and castle exterior, both on top of the town walls built on a cliff overlooking the Duero. The cathedral built between 1151 and 1174 is Romanesque with the usual additions over the centuries as styles changed. Its fabulous dome is original and has a very Asian feel to it with scalloped edges, colorful tiles and small pagoda-like projections. Although the main entrance was re-done in the Neoclassical period, the south front still has its original Romanesque façade. The attached museum contains one of the best collections of spectacular Flemish tapestries in Spain. Zamora has nine Romanesque churches, most unmolested by later architects. We will visit several including Magdalena and San Juan as well as several of Zamora’s excellent museums. We will end the tour at the Plaza Mayor surrounded by restaurants and shops full of antiques and ceramics. Lunch is on your own with a free afternoon to explore.
Day 13 · Saturday, Oct. 4 - ZAMORA (B) (L)
Morning drive to Parque Natural de Arribes del Duero. Today we will take a riverboat trip on the Duero, offering breathtaking views of the dramatic cliffs that form the natural border between Spain and Portugal. This guided eco-cruise into Portugal will showcase the region’s unique ecosystems and rich cultural heritage, providing an unforgettable blend of natural beauty, history, and environmental insights.
Day 14 · Sunday, Oct. 5 - MADRID (B) (L)
Drive to Madrid through the Rueda region known for its white wines with a visit to the restored fairy-tale-like Castle of Coca, the only surviving example of mudejar military architecture in Spain, built by Muslim craftsmen for a Spanish bishop and surrounded by a moat. Visit a Rueda winery followed by lunch in Coca or Olmeda. Continue to the airport hotel.
Day 15 · Monday, Oct. 6
International departures
Hotels:
Soria
Hotel and Spa Convento de San Francisco
September 22 - 26
Lerma
Parador de Lerma
September 27 - October 1
Zamora
NH Zamora Palacio del Duero
October 2 - 4
Madrid
Hotel Melía Barajas
October 5
Tour Cost
Double Occupancy
$5,626.00 per person
Single Occupancy (In a double room) $6,815.00
NOTES
The tour will include lectures by Dr. Donna Pierce Smith. It is possible that changes to the above itinerary and activities may be necessary. If so, whatever is altered will be replaced by its equivalent. Price is subject to change due to currency exchange fluctuations or fuel surcharges.
Program Information
INCLUDED:
• All accommodations
• Breakfast daily and 12 lunches
• Transportation throughout by chartered bus
• Entrance fees to all sites indicated in the itinerary
NOT INCLUDED:
• International air fare
• Tips to drivers and guides, please remember to tip the room attendants
Rosa Ramírez Carlson, owner of Journeys International, Inc. is handling all land arrangements.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THIS TOUR:
Please contact Rosa Carlson to confirm your participation. Space is limited and reservations are accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Please return the following documents to the address listed below:
• Booking and Release Form per person
• Clear photocopy of your passport
• Your deposit check made out to Journeys International, Inc.
MAILING ADDRESS:
JOURNEYS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
49 Verano Loop
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508
DEPOSIT
A deposit of $1,000.00 per person is due at time of booking. No credit cards accepted.
FINAL PAYMENT IS DUE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3rd, 2025
CANCELLATION PENALTY
• After deposit $1,000.00 is non-refundable
• After April 3rd, 2025 100% is non refundable
Important: Purchase of trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. If you have any pre-existing conditions for which you would like coverage, most companies require that you must purchase the insurance within 14 days of your first payment for the tour. You may be able to purchase coverage just for the amount of your deposit and later increase your coverage when the final payment is made. In addition, many health insurers, including Medicare, do not provide coverage for insured persons traveling abroad. Affordable health insurance for overseas travelers is readily available with companies such as Geo Blue, Medex, Travel Guard, Allianz Travel Insurance and similar companies.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Prior to departure, you will receive complete information about the tour. An introductions and orientation meeting will be scheduled prior to the tour departure.
JOURNEYS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
49 VERANO LOOP
SANTA FE NEW MEXICO 87508
info@journeys-international.com
Tel. 505-310-1863