Pictures to preserve the memories - from Cakra Nelwan

Finale Highlight Concert: The CSUSB & MMC choirs perform at Iglesia de Santo Tomè in Toledo on Wednesday, June 30, at 8 pm

Incantato Tours proudly presents the CSUSB & MMC choirs at Iglesia de Santo Tomè in Toledo on June 30 at 8 pm. The church dates from the 12th century, although it was completely rebuilt in the early 14th century by the Count of Orgaz. The tower is one of the best examples of the Mudéjar art characteristic of Toledo. The two upper sections are made of brick, with two groups of two and three windows with pointed horseshoe arches scalloped with other lobed arches. The interior is home to one of El Greco’s most famous paintings, the Burial of the Count of Orgaz, which is on display in a special room. For more info (in Spanish), click here.

Incantato Restaurant: Farewell dinner at Cafè del Fin in Toledo

Before you have to say "adiós" to Spain, enjoy your special Incantato farewell dinner at Cafè del Fin in Toledo on June 30 (address: c/ Taller del Moro 1, 45002 Toledo; phone: +34 925251052). The restaurant is located in the historical center of Toledo and was founded in 1969. On the menu for the CSUSB and MMC travelers:

1. Starters to share: Manchego cheese, Iberian ham, Sepia Brochetitas (fish), chicken and orange salad
2. Grilled swordfish with baked potatoes
3. Fruit pudding and apple cake
4. Water and 1 drink per person

About Manchego cheese:
Manchego is, without a doubt, the most famous cheese in Spain. It has been consumed since time immemorial throughout the region of La Mancha. This has made it possible today for an important cheese industry to develop, which maintains handcrafted production of the cheese. Manchego Cheese is an oily cheese, made exclusively from raw or pasteurized Manchega breed sheep's milk. Its shape is cylindrical. The rind, yellow or dark brown in color, displays, on the sides, the characteristic design of the esparto creases and, on the top and bottom, the so-called 'flower' or mark made by the wooden press slats. Its texture is compact, dense and oily, its color varies between white and yellowish-ivory, and its flavour is intense, peculiar and slightly salty. It has had a Denomination of Origin since 1991 and each cheese must be identified on one of its flat sides with a numbered casein plaque.

Home away from Home: Hotel Hesperia Toledo

Welcome to Toledo! During their Spain tour with Incantato Tours the singers of CSUSB and MMC are going to spend June 29th & 30th in the four-star hotel Hesperia Toledo. Located in a charming building combining the typical Toledo architecture with an avant-garde decor, this hotel contains 54 rooms. Free Wi-Fi is available in the common areas, free cable Internet access you'll find in the rooms. In addition the rooms offer air conditioning and heating, a hair dryer and a safe. Located right in front of the bull ring, close to the city centre and main points of interest, this is a great place for you to enjoy a pleasant stay in Toledo.

Welcome to Toledo - A city with extensive cultural and monumental heritage

On June 29 & 30, CSUSB & MMC will visit Toledo! Toledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo. It is also the capital of autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire and place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures. Many famous people and artists were born or lived in Toledo, including Al-Zarqali, Garcilaso de la Vega, Eleanor of Toledo, Alfonso X and El Greco. It was also the place of important historic events such as the Visigothic Councils of Toledo. The city has a population of 78,618 and an area of 89.59 square miles.
Having been populated since the Bronze Age, Toledo (Toletum in Latin) gained relevance during Roman times, being a main commercial and administrative center in the roman province of Tarraconensis. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Toledo served as the capital city of Visigothic Spain, beginning with Liuvigild (Leovigild), and was the capital of Spain until the Moors conquered Iberia in the 8th century. Under the Caliphate of Cordoba, Toledo enjoyed a golden age. This extensive period is known as La Convivencia, i.e. the co-existence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Under Arab rule, Toledo was called Tulaytulah. After the fall of the Caliphate, Toledo was the capital city of one of the richest Taifa Muslim kingdoms of Al-Andalus, and, because of its central location in the Iberian Peninsula, Toledo took a central position in the struggles between the Muslim and Christian rulers of northern Spain. Remains of Roman circus at Toledo. On May 25, 1085 Alfonso VI of Castile took Toledo and established direct personal control over the Moorish city from which he had been exacting tribute, and ending the mediaeval Taifa's Kingdom of Toledo. This was the first concrete step taken by the combined kingdom of Leon-Castile in the Reconquista by Christian forces. After castilian conquest Toledo remained as a main cultural centre; its Arab libraries weren't savaged, and a tag-team translation centre was established, in which books in Arabic would be translated from Arabic or Hebrew to Spanish by Arab and Jewish scholars, and from Spanish to Latin by castilian scholars, thus letting the old-lost knowledge spread through Christian Europe again. For some time during the 16th century, Toledo served as the capital city of Castile, and the city flourished. However, soon enough the Spanish court was moved first to Valladolid and then to Madrid, thus letting the city's relevance dwindle until the late 20th century, when it was established as the capital city of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Nevertheless, the economic decline of the city helped to preserve its cultural and architectural patrimony. Today, because of its rich heritage, Toledo is one of Spain's foremost cities, receiving thousands of visitors yearly. Toledo's Alcázar (Arabicized Latin word for palace-castle) became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.
Toledo's cuisine is the cuisine Castilla-rooted in its traditions and is closely linked to hunting and grazing. A good number of recipes is the result of the combination of Moorish and Christian influences. Among his specialties include the lamb roast or stew, as cuchifrito, and beans with partridge or stewed partridge, the carcamusas, the crumbs, the porridge Mancha and the tortilla to the lean. Two of the foods that have brought fame to the city of Toledo are the Manchego cheese and marzipan, which has a denomination of origin itself, the marzipan of Toledo.

The second picture is from the website www.go-toledo.com.

Incantato Restaurant: Vino Mio in Malaga

Restaurant Vino Mio (C/Alamos 11 - 29012 Malaga; phone: +34 952 609 093) is ranked second best restaurant in Malaga on tripadvisor.com. Owner Helene has traveled the world to gain experience and studied Hotel Management for 4 years. The restaurant is famous for its Tapas, which the CSUSB San Bernardino Chamber Singers and the Mountainside Master Chorale will taste on June 28. On the menu:

1.Tapas frios: NACHOS GUACAMOLE: crusty nachos with guacamole sauce; BURRITOSERRANO: corn stuffed tortilla with cheese cream, rockets and serrano ham; PATE' PICASSO: patè tortilla chips with blueberries sauce

2. Tapas calientes: TRIANGULOS CHINOS: crunchy, stuffed vegetables and curry with sweet chili sauce; CROQUETAS DE ESPINACAS: stuffed with spinach and shrimps, served with raspberry sauce and brandy; CROQUETAS DE QUESO: stuffed cabrales cheese served with raspberry sauce and brandy; SATE' BALI: chicken breast marinated in soy sauce with rice, bread, shrimp and peanut sauce

3. Tapas postre: brownie and cheesecake

Home away from Home: Hotel Barcelo Malaga

Incantato Tours proudly presents the tour hotel for Malaga on June 28th - the Barcelo Malaga. The four-star hotel (221 rooms) has direct access to the new high-speed railway station and is just 10 minutes away from the historical city centre and the beaches along the seafront. The "El andén" restaurant recently won an award for the best hotel restaurant in Malaga. The Barcelo Malaga offers wireless internet access and the rooms come with air conditioning.