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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 - 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, with its famed crown
spire and is Presbyterianism's Mother Church. 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 - THE LAKE DISTRICT (1 NIGHT)
Today we begin with a driving tour through the
Lake District. With 16 lakes and the highest peaks in
England this is a region of uncompromising beauty. We will
see Windermere, Thirlmere, Rydal Water, Derwent Water
and Ullswater and visit Dove Cottage Wordsworth's
home from 1799 to 1808 and St Oswald's Church, where he is
buried at Grasmere. Later this afternoon continue our journey
to our hotel.
DAY
5 THE LAKE DISTRICT - HAWORTH - YORKSHIRE
(2 NIGHTS)
We will drive through the beautiful English countryside
enjoying the scenery en route to Haworth, the home of the
Bronte sisters. We will visit the lonely Parsonage
where Emily and Charlotte Bronte lived and St. Michael's
Church where they are buried. After ample free time to
explore Haworth we continue to the Yorkshire area.
DAY
6 YORK
Our day in York begins in Exhibition Square where
we will take a guided Walking Tour of the city, a perfect
way to learn about the history and lore of the city through
numerous intriguing stories. We continue with a visit to
York Minster, which traces its origins from the early
7th century and features stunning stained glass from the Middle
Ages. Those who choose to may ascend the Central Tower
for panoramic views of York. We continue to the Shambles,a
narrow ancient street filled with shops and cafes.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
7 YORKSHIRE - STRATFORD-UPON-AVON AREA
(1 NIGHT)
Leaving York this morning we travel on to Stratford where
our first visit will be the modern Shakespeare Centre,
which was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the
Bard's birth. We continue on to Shakespeare's Birthplace
and to Holy Trinity Church, the parish church where
Shakespeare is buried all located in an attractive setting
near the River Avon. Our afternoon concludes with a visit
to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, located just outside the
city center. The cottage provides a rare insight into the
life of a family in Shakespearean times, and many of the original
furnishings are preserved inside the house.
DAY
8 STRATFORD AREA - OXFORD - LONDON (2
NIGHTS)
Today we will visit explore Oxford, England's oldest University
City, which is 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. In the late afternoon we will
make the journey to our London hotel.
DAY
9 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 that will include the Royal
Chapels, holding the tombs of the monarchs, as well
as Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to famous
British literary figures This afternoon we will visit the
Tower of London, one of Britain's most fascinating
and important historical structures, with its 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.
· 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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