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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Glasgow.
DAY
2 ARRIVE GLASGOW - 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 to Edinburgh. Upon arrival your guide
will be pleased to take you on some introductory sightseeing
of this historic city. Today our visits will include the
National Gallery of Scotland, the Scott Monument
and Princes Street.
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 the
St. Giles Cathedral, one of the most important architectural
landmarks along the Royal Mile. Our final stop will be the
Palace of Holyroodhouse, built by James IV, adjacent to
an Augustinian abbey 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 - ST. ANDREWS - ABERDEEN
(2 NIGHTS)
We leave Edinburgh traveling to St. Andrews, for
several centuries the ecclesiastical center for Scotland.
Today we will visit the Holy Trinity Church before
continuing on to Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland
that lies on the estuaries of the Rivers Dee and Don and is
built almost entirely of granite, hence its nickname, the
Granite City. Upon arrival we will take an introductory Walking
tour of the city. Our sightseeing also includes the
Fish Market, the Old City with its
cobbled streets and quaint cottages and Duthie Park.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
5 ABERDEEN AND DUNNOTTAR CASTLE
We make a morning visit to St. Machar Cathedral
in Aberdeen. We continue with a visit to Dunnottar Castle,
an impressive ruined fortress situated 160 feet above the
sea on a rocky cliff. Dunnottar was the stronghold of the
Earl Marischal of Scotland from the 14th century. In 1645
the Royalist Marquis of Montrose failed to dislodge the Earl
Marischal, a fierce Presbyterian Covenanter, from the castle.
Scotland's Crown Jewels hidden in the castle were smuggled
out by the wife of the minister of nearby Kinneff and hidden
under the pulpit in the church. In 1685, 167 Covenanters were
imprisoned in the dungeon. We return to Aberdeen for the evening
along the beautiful coast of Scotland.
DAY
6 ABERDEEN - ELGIN - CAWDOR - INVERNESS
(1 NIGHT)
We travel to Inverness with a lunch stop at Elgin
"the Lanthorn of the North" and its Cathedral which
is Scotland's most beautiful Cathedral Ruin. We continue to
Cawdor 14th century home of the Thane of Cawdor. The castle
has fascinating furnishings. Of particular interest is a portrait
of the 18th century Thane or Lord. He is wearing several different
patterns or tartans at once, a gesture of defiance against
the Banning of Tartan by the British government at the time.
We also make a brief stop at the Battlefield of Culloden.
Inverness is the capital of the Highlands. The historic town
center contains many lovely shops and attractive buildings,
which have been carefully restored to preserve its ancient
character. The guide's Walking Tour includes many sights
of pertinent relevance to the Scottish reformation.
DAY
7 INVERNESS - LOCH NESS - FORT WILLIAM
- OBAN
(2 NIGHTS)
Traveling south, our search for the Loch Ness Monster begins
with an expedition along the shores of the Loch. If we are
unsuccessful in our searching, our visit to the Loch Ness
Monster Museum provides photographic evidence to
challenge the skeptics. Our tour of the magnificent Highland
scenery ends in the shadow of Ben Nevis - the highest mountain
in Britain at the village of Fort William. We will continue
to our hotel in Oban.
DAY
8 ISLES OF MULL & IONA
After breakfast we board a cruise ship that will take
us to Craigmure on the Isle of Mull. The landscape of Mull
is wild and desolate with its moorlands, rocky cliffs and
castles. We then continue on to quiet and peaceful Isle of
Iona. 1400 years ago, St. Columba came to this remote island
and established his monastery, making Iona the cradle of Christianity
in Scotland. For centuries, the island was also the burial
place of Scottish kings. The 13th century Abbey is
the highlight of Iona, standing on the site of Columba's first
church. You will have time to explore the island on your own
until the cruise ship returns to Oban.
DAY
9 OBAN - TROSSACHS - STIRLING CASTLE
- GLASGOW
(1 NIGHT)
Leaving Oban this morning we travel through the historic Trossachs
with its rugged scenery and the inspirational setting used
by Sir Walter Scott in The Lady of the Lake" . Our first visit
will be the Battlefield of Bannockburn and the impressive
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.
From here we continue on to Glasgow for our last night in
Scotland.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
10 DEPARTURE FROM GLASGOW
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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