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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
(4 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 GLASTONBURY & WELLS
This morning we will journey to Glastonbury, a
sight often associated with the legend of King Arthur. We
will climb Glastonbury Tor to search for the Holy Grail,
before visiting the beautiful ruins of Glastonbury Abbey,
burial place of King Arthur and site of the first Christian
church in England. Growing in the abbey grounds is a cutting
from the famous Glastonbury thorn, which is said to have miraculously
grown from the staff of St. Joseph of Arimathea, and it continues
to astonish everyone by flowering each Christmas. We continue
to Wells for a visit to the magnificent Cathedral,
highlighted by the 365 medieval statues of kings, knights
and saints on the West Front, and the unique scissor arches
on the interior. We will also stroll along the Vicar's
Close, one of the oldest complete streets in Europe
before returning to our hotel in the Wessex area for the night.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 DAY TRIP TO BATH
This morning we explore the ancient Roman city
of Bath. 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: 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
allowing plenty of time for shopping.
DAY
5 DAY TRIP TO STONEHENGE & SALISBURY
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 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.
DAY
6 WESSEX AREA - AVEBURY - BLENHEIM -
OXFORD AREA
(1 NIGHT)
Our first stop will be at Avebury, to see the largest
known Stone Circle in the world, even older than Stonehenge,
built during the Bronze Age that surrounds the village. We
will then visit Blenheim Palace, built in 1705 for
John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough who won a great
victory over the French and also the birthplace of Sir Winston
Churchill. Our visit will include the Red Drawing Room,
the three State Rooms and the Long Library as well
as the beautiful gardens. We will then continue on to Oxford
and England's oldest University dating from 1167 and also
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.
DAY
7 OXFORD AREA - WARWICK - YORKSHIRE (3
NIGHTS)
This morning we leave Oxford and travel North, on our way
to York, we will make a visit to Warwick Castle, the
finest medieval fortress in England. Collections of paintings,
furniture, arms and armor are housed in the State Rooms,
Great Hall and Armory. You will have free time to
explore the castle and ramparts before we resume our journey
thorough the picturesque English countryside to Yorkshire.
DAY
8 YORK
In the morning we will take a guided 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. Those who choose can ascend the Central
Tower, for panoramic views of York.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 DAY TRIP TO HADRIAN'S WALL & DURHAM
Leaving York this morning we travel further North 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. This evening we return to our hotel in
the Yorkshire area.
DAY
10 YORKSHIRE - LONDON (4 NIGHTS)
Before leaving York, there will be time to visit
the Jorvik Center, the exciting museum that depicts
life in Viking Britain. The center contains remarkably well
preserved items, including boots and shoes, pins, plants and
insects. "Time Cars" take visitors on a journey back into
Jorvik, the Viking name for York, with sights, sounds and
smells as they would have been on an October day in 948 AD.
Later, we will make the journey south to London, the nation's
capital.
DAY
11 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 will 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 magnificent bastion which displays almost
a thousand years of English history. During our visit we will
see the Crown Jewels Exhibit. This evening, your guide
will take you on a Walking Tour that will begin in
Trafalgar Square and continue down Whitehall past
Horseguards Parade and Downing Street.
DAY
12 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 and lunch
in the area around Oxford Street, we then continue to St.
Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's wonderful Renaissance
masterpiece. We will make an ascent of the dome to the
Whispering Gallery for an impressive view of the concourse
below. This evening, we will visit Piccadilly Circus
and Leicester Square, two of London's most vibrant
and lively areas.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
13 WINDSOR & LONDON
Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle
in the world with over 1,000 rooms and the Queen's favorite
home. Our visit will include the richly decorated State
Apartments (unless the Queen is in residence) and
St. George's Chapel, a pantheon of English monarchs.
After free time to explore Windsor, we return to London for
our last evening in England.
DAY
14 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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