|
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. 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)
This morning we continue with our journey through 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 Vicar’s
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 in the
area 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. Later we return to the Cornwall
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. Later we return to the Cornwall area for the
night.
DAY
10 CORNWALL AREA - PLYMOUTH - SALISBURY
AREA
(1 NIGHT)
This morning we will leave Cornwall and drive through Devon on
our way back 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 3,000 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. Later we continue on to London.
After dinner, your guide will take you on a leisurely
Walking Tour of Westminster to introduce you to some of
London’s most famous sights. We will start at Trafalgar
Square, walk down Whitehall past
Horseguards Parade and Downing Street
before arriving at Parliament Square and the
Houses of Parliament. Your walk can continue
through St. James’s Park to see Buckingham Palace.
DAY
12 LONDON (THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
Our sightseeing begins this morning with a Blue badge guided
tour of 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. 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.
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 lunch we
continue with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir
Christopher Wren’s Renaissance-style 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
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.
|
