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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Scotland.
DAY
2 ARRIVE GLASGOW - STIRLING - EDINBURGH
(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
Scottish countryside. We will stop for a visit to Stirling
Castle, which dates from the Middle Ages, and was an important
seat of two kings, James IV and James V. Included in our tour
of the castle is the Museum of the Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders, presenting an excellent exhibit
of colors, pipe banners, and regimental silver, along with
medals won by Scottish soldiers for valor. From the castle,
we will also get a wonderful view of the Wallace Monument,
which commemorates the Scottish hero's victory over the English
at Stirling Bridge in 1297. We continue to Edinburgh, Scotland's
beautiful capital city.
DAY
3 EDINBURGH
Our day begins with a visit to Edinburgh Castle,
a place filled with history, legend, and lore. Our visit will
include: St. Margaret's Chapel, the State
Apartments, the Great Hall and the Crown
Chamber, which houses the Honours of Scotland (Scottish
Crown Jewels). We continue with a Walking Tour along the
Royal Mile, where we will view many of the city's most
interesting structures, with turrets, gables, and towering
chimneys. During our walk, we will visit St. Giles Cathedral,
one of the most important architectural landmarks along the
Royal Mile, and the first Presbyterian Church. Our
final stop will be the Palace of Holyroodhouse, built
by James IV, adjacent to an Augustinian abbey that David I
established in the 12th century. Our tour of the palace will
include: King James Tower, the Throne
Room, the King's Bedchamber and the Picture
Gallery, with portraits of Scottish monarchs.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 EDINBURGH - HADRIAN'S WALL - DURHAM
- YORKSHIRE
(2 NIGHTS)
Leaving Edinburgh this morning we travel further south through
the wild moorland of County Durham to visit the remains of
the 4 centuries old Hadrian's Wall, a fortified wall
built by the Romans across the north of England to mark the
boundary of their ancient empire. Our day continues in historic
Durham, a medieval treasure and one of the loveliest cities
in England. The proximity of the castle, cathedral and university
surrounded by a loop of the River Wear, makes Durham a fascinating
place to visit. We will visit Durham Cathedral, completed
in 1133. The cathedral is one of Britain's most architecturally
innovative buildings, as it is the first English building
with ribbed vault construction, and the first stone-roofed
cathedral in Europe. We continue on to our hotel in Yorkshire
for the night.
DAY
5 YORK
In the morning we will take a Walking Tour of medieval
York along the 13th century city walls to Stonegate and the
Shambles. We will see many historic buildings including St.
William's College and the Guildhall before arriving at the
Castle Museum. With its splendid presentation of period
rooms and the excellent reconstruction of Victorian cobbled
streets and shops, this is one of the world's most famous folk
museums. Our day will end with a tour
York Minster,
which traces its origins from the early 7th century, and
features stunning stained glass from the Middle Ages
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 YORKSHIRE - OXFORD - BATH AREA (1 NIGHT)
We drive south today to Oxford, England’s oldest university
city and famous for its medieval colleges, green quadrangles
and “dreaming spires.” Oxford itself is the oldest English
speaking university in the world dating from the 1100’s.
During our Walking Tour, we will visit several
colleges, including Christ Church, founded by Cardinal
Wolsey in the reign of Henry VIII, and once the home of Lewis
Carroll who taught math there. We will also view the
Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library and
Sheldonian Theater. We continue on to Bath
where we will take a
Walking Tour
through the historic town where we will see: the spectacular
façade of Bath Abbey; Pulteney Bridge,
featuring quaint shops and wonderful views of the city; the
Circus and the Royal Crescent, one of Britain’s
finest streets
DAY
7 BATH AREA - STONEHENGE - SALISBURY
- LONDON
(3 NIGHTS)
Leaving Bath this morning we begin our travel to London. En
route we will view the mysterious Stonehenge, over
3,000 years old and Britain’s most famous ancient monument.
We will continue to Salisbury where we see what many people
consider England’s most beautiful Cathedral where we
will also see one of the original copies of the Magna Carta
After dinner, your guide will take you on a leisurely
Walking Tour to introduce you to some of London’s most
famous sights. We will begin at Trafalgar Square
and continue down Whitehall, past
Horseguards Parade and Downing Street.
Your walk can continue through St. James Park to
view Buckingham Palace.
DAY
8 LONDON
Our sightseeing begins at Westminster Abbey where
English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. We
will visit the Royal Chapels which hold the tombs of
monarchs from past centuries. We will also visit Poets'
Corner to see the memorials to famous literary figures.
We walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben before
taking a River Trip to the Tower of London. You
will have the opportunity to discover William the Conqueror's
bastion which displays almost a thousand years of English
history. During our visit we will see the Crown Jewels
Exhibit. This evening, we will visit Piccadilly Circus
and Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant
areas.
DAY
9 LONDON
Our morning begins with a visit to the British Museum
where we will see the Egyptian Collection, the Rosetta Stone,
the Elgin Marbles and the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo Treasure.
After free time for shopping in the area around Oxford Street,
we continue to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher
Wren's Renaissance 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
10 DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your
guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight
home.
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