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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 - OXFORD 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 to Oxford,
the university city of colleges, noble lawns and dreamy spires.
Oxford University is the oldest English speaking college
in the world dating from the early 1100's. We begin with a
Walking Tour to see several colleges, including Christ
Church and view the Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library
and Sheldonian Theater. Later we continue on to our
hotel in the area.
DAY
3 DAY TRIP TO THE COTSWOLD VILLAGES
Our day will be spent immersed in the Cotswolds,
the largest area of outstanding natural beauty in Britain
and the unique combination of beautiful countryside and unspoilt
villages of honey-colored stone represent traditional England
at its very best. During our tour we will visit the villages
of Broadway, Chipping Camden, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 OXFORD AREA - BATH - WESSEX AREA (2
NIGHTS)
Leaving the Oxford area this morning and continue
with our journey into the beautiful English country side.
Our first stop will be in Bath which will include a visit
to the Roman Baths, Pump Rooms and Bath Abbey
before we explore the architectural splendors of Georgian
Bath including Pulteney Bridge, the Royal Crescent and
the Circus. We will also enjoy the talent of the street
buskers before visiting the Costume Museum, which presents
a colorful and elegant display of the rich range of styles,
textures and patterns Later we continue on to our hotel in
the Wessex area.
DAY
5 DAY TRIP TO WELLS & GLASTONBURY
Our day will begin at medieval Wells with
a tour of the magnificent Cathedral with its 14th century
astronomical clock and beautiful Chapter House.
After visiting the excellently preserved 14th century Vicars'
Close we will continue to King Arthur country where
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.
DAY
6 WESSEX AREA - ST. IVES AREA (4 NIGHTS)
This morning we will leave Wessex and begin a leisurely
drive through Devon to the Cornish town of St. Ives, an attractive
fishing village with winding alleys and hillside terraces
which has been a favorite with artists since the late 19th
century. Upon arrival we will take an introductory Walking
Tour of the City to get acquainted with this scenic English
coastal city before continuing on to our hotel for the night.
DAY
7 DAY TRIP TO PENWITH & PORTHCURNO
Our sightseeing in Cornwall will begin with a visit to Penwith,
the most westerly headland in England. It has a bleak beauty
of its own deriving from its granite foundation, the wind,
the blue of the ocean and its small granite churches and Celtic
wayside crosses. We will admire the panoramic views from the
cliffs and visit the sheltered coves of Lamorna and Porthcurno
to visit the Minack Theater with its ocean backdrop,
which was created in 1929. This evening we return to the St
Ives area for the night.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
8 DAY TRIP TO PADSTOW
Today we will visit the town of Padstow on the north Cornish
coast. In the 6th century St. Petroc, landing from Wales,
founded a Celtic Minster at the mouth of the Camel estuary.
It was destroyed by the Vikings, along with the town in 981.
The town recovered developing into an important port until
the 19th century when ships became too large to pass the sand
bar, known as Doom Bar at the estuary mouth. During our Walking
Tour we will pass along many narrow streets lined with
attractive old houses to visit St. Petroc's Church
and Prideaux Place, a Tudor house with 18th century
battlements.
DAY
9 DAY TRIP TO HELSTON, THE LIZARD PENINSULA
&
ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT
Our sightseeing will begin at Helston the small market town
of the Lizard Peninsula before we visit the southernmost tip
of England, the Lizard Point and its famous 1751 lighthouse.
During our day we will also have time to walk along stretches
of the many coastal footpaths when visiting the very popular
Kynance Cove and Mullion Cove. Time permitting
we will visit St. Michael's Mount which became a place
of pilgrimage after fishermen saw the Archangel Michael on
a granite rock rising out of the sea. We will return to St.
Ives.
DAY
10 ST. IVES, CORNWALL AREA - PLYMOUTH -
SALISBURY
AREA (1 NIGHT)
This morning we will leave Cornwall and drive through
Devon on our way to Wessex. En route we will make a visit
to Plymouth which played a prime role as a naval and military
port, from which warriors and explorers such as Drake, Raleigh,
Hawkins and Grenville (all Devonians), Cook and the Pilgrim
Fathers set sail. There will be time for a brief tour and
lunch before we continue to the Salisbury area for our overnight
stay.
DAY
11 SALISBURY
AREA - STONEHENGE - LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
Today our sightseeing will start at mysterious
Stonehenge, over 3000 years old and Britain's most
famous ancient monument. We will continue to the charming
medieval city of Salisbury where we will see the Magna
Carta in the Cathedral. We will make our way to the
nation's capital, London. On arrival your guide will accompany
you on a local orientation tour and some introductory sightseeing.
DAY
12 LONDON (THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
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 including Henry
VII, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. 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. We 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.
DAY
13 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. We will make
an ascent of the dome to the Whispering Gallery
for an impressive view of the concourse below. In the evening
you can book half price theater tickets, or visit the street
theater at the open-air Covent Garden piazza,
which is great fun, and free!
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
14 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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