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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 (3 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 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. We will also tour the Costume Museum
and allow plenty of time for shopping.
· Your First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 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. Later we return to our hotel in the
Wessex area.
DAY
5 WESSEX AREA - OXFORD - STRATFORD AREA
(1 NIGHT)
This morning leaving the Wessex area we travel
to 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 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. We will continue on to the Stratford-upon-Avon
area for the night.
DAY
6 STRATFORD AREA - WARWICK - LAKE DISTRICT
(1 NIGHT)
On our way to the Lake District, 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. After free time to explore the castle and
its surroundings we will continue to the Lake District.
DAY
7 LAKE DISTRICT - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
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 we
continue our journey north across the borderlands to Edinburgh.
DAY
8 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,
one of the most important architectural landmarks along the
Royal Mile and the first Presbyterian Church.
· Your Second Concert Performance
will be today
DAY
9 EDINBURGH - HADRIAN'S WALL - DURHAM
- YORKSHIRE
(2 NIGHTS)
Leaving Edinburgh this morning we travel South through the
wild moorland of Northumbria to visit the remains of the
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 YORK
In the morning we will take a 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 of 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.
DAY
11 YORKSHIRE - CAMBRIDGE - LONDON (3 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 a visit to Cambridge as we continue the journey south
to London, the nation's capital. 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
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. Our morning continues as we
walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben before taking a
Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of
London’s most magnificent sights. 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. This
evening we will spend time around Piccadilly Circus and
Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant and
lively areas.
DAY
13 LONDON
Our morning begins with a visit to the British
Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art
and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include:
the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery led to the
deciphering of hieroglyphs; the Elgin Marbles,
from the Parthenon in Athens; and the 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.
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