The following is a run-down of the special additional features of our programs for the year 2000.

May 26 - June 1 - What is more beautiful than a day in May?! Only a day in May in Spain!!! Come join us during this lovely time of the year perfect for enjoying some sunshine and refreshment at one of Segovia's many outdoor cafes, or dining al fresco on the patio of La Matita, our restaurant cooking school. May also marks the beginning of Segovia's International Drama and Music Festivals held every summer, and the opening of the bull-fight season in Madrid.

June 23 - 29 - Start your summer off with a bang by arriving in Spain for one of its most well-known celebrations - the fiesta of San Juan! The revelry continues from June 24th until the local fiesta of San Pedro on June 28th. Enjoy mid-night bonfires, parades of "gigantes" and "cabezudos", and lots of family fun at neighborhood street parties. Be sure to pack your dancing shoes so you're ready for your new Spanish friends to teach you the "paso doble"!

October 20 - 26 - As climax to the full-week cooking and visiting schedule, participate in late night celebrations in honor of the Patron Saint of Segovia,San Frutos. These take place in the Segovia main square and Cathedral,right in front of our hotel, and feature the medieval MIRACLE OF THE BOOK, symphonic chorales at the entrance to the Gothic Cathedral, and the phenomenon of famous chefs serving Sopa Castellana to Segovians and their guests in the Plaza Mayor at midnight.Come help us celebrate the fiesta of San Frutos!

November 10 - 16 - This program coincides with the
exciting hunting season in the Guadarrama mountain range between Segovia and Madrid.Featured are such items as partridge, venison, quail, rabbit,wild boar and pheasant. The Martin Family is especially known among gastronomic circles for their expertise in the preparation of game dishes. Sooooo......watch as local hunters deliver their day's "catch" to the chefs of La Matita, learn to prepare some of the "caza"specialties of Castilla, and participate in the annual wild game festival!

_____________________________________________________

Madrid two-day add-on programs are available at the close of each of the above. Our trip to the Prado museum should be especially spectacular with the show of "Velazquez, Rubens, and Van Dyck: Court Painters of the 17th Century" on until March. And we hear that some great new tapa bars have just opened near the Royal Palace! We'll explore all this as well as our usual
Madrid haunts including the Rastro, the number one flea-market in Europe, dining with the ghosts of Hemingway and to top it all off, an exciting late night FLAMENCO!!! Ole!

By the way, if you and your friends have a special interest that you would like to pursue in Spain, let us know and we'll put together a personally-designed program just for YOU AND YOUR GROUP!!! E-mail us at 'til@spaincooks.com.