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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy
full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to
London.
DAY
2 ARRIVE LONDON - WINCHESTER - WESSEX
AREA
(2 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport
by our Tour manager/guide, where we will board our own private
bus and transfer into the beautiful English countryside. We
will stop to visit Winchester, closely associated with Alfred
the Great, and once the ancient capital of England. Our sightseeing
begins with a visit to the remains of Winchester Castle,
where a round oak table, King Arthur's Round Table,
is attached to the wall. We will also visit Winchester
Cathedral, the longest medieval cathedral in Britain,
and the burial place of Jane Austen. We continue to our hotel
in the Wessex region.
DAY
3 DAY TRIP TO BATH
Today we explore the ancient
Roman city of Bath. One of Europe's most beloved cities, Bath
is set among the rolling green hills of the Avon valley, and
is a compact, traffic free city offering an abundance of history
and charm. We begin with a visit to the Roman Baths,
first associated with the Celtic King Bladud, and later established
by the Romans in the 1st century. We continue with a Walking
Tour through historic Bath, where we will see: Bath Abbey's
spectacular façade, Pulteney Bridge, featuring quaint
shops and wonderful views of the city, the Circus and
the Royal Crescent, one of Britain's finest streets.
Our day concludes with visits to the Assembly Rooms and
the Museum of Costume, which features a collection of
costumes in authentic period settings, displaying the changing
fashions from the 16th century to present day. "
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 WESSEX AREA - STONEHENGE - SALISBURY
- OXFORD AREA (1 NIGHT)
This morning we visit mysterious Stonehenge, a huge
circle of lintels and megalithic pillars, and one of the most
impressive prehistoric monuments in Britain. We continue to
nearby Old Sarum, where a Celtic hill fort, as well as
Roman, Saxon and Norman strongholds once stood. We will spend
the afternoon in Salisbury, where we will visit Salisbury
Cathedral. Our visit will include the cathedral's
13th-century octagonal Chapter House, which
displays one of the four surviving original texts of the
Magna Carta.
We continue on to the Oxford area, the university city of
colleges, green quadrangles and dreaming spires.
DAY
5 OXFORD AREA - LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
We will stop to
explore Oxford, England’s oldest University City dating from
the 1100’s, and associated with many notable literary alumni
including such diverse characters as Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis
Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and Evelyn Waugh. We will
take a Walking Tour to view many of the colleges that
make up Oxford, as well as the Sheldonian Theater and the
Bodleian Library. We will also visit Christ Church College,
Oxford’s biggest and grandest Renaissance College, which was
founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey. The college’s Christ
Church Cathedral is the smallest in England.
After giving our second
performance, we will make the journey south to London, the
nation’s capital.
· Your Second
Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 LONDON
We begin with a
visit to Westminster Abbey, where English kings and
queens have been crowned since 1066. We will take a
Blue-Badge guided tour, which will include the Royal
Chapels, holding the tombs of the monarchs, as well as
Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to famous
British literary figures. Our morning continues as we walk
past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, before taking a
Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of
London’s most magnificent sights. This afternoon we will
visit the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most
fascinating and important historical structures, with macabre
associations with the legendary figures imprisoned and/or
executed here. Our visit will include the Armories,
a display of instruments of torture and execution and the
Crown Jewels Exhibit. This evening we will spend
time around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square,
two of London’s most vibrant and lively areas.
DAY
7 LONDON
Our morning begins
with a visit to the British Museum, one of the most
comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world.
Highlights of our visit will include: the Rosetta Stone,
whose discovery led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, the
Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon in Athens, and
the Sutton Hoo Treasure. After lunch we
continue with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir
Christopher Wren’s Renaissance-style masterpiece. Our visit
will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery,
an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard
clearly on the opposite side, as well as the American Memorial
Chapel, honoring the 28,000 U.S. service personnel who lost
their lives while stationed in Britain during World War II.
· Your Third
Concert Performance will be today
DAY
8 DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding
tour will come to an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies
you to the airport for the return flight home.
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