|
DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Ireland.
DAY
2 ARRIVE SHANNON - KILLARNEY (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide
board your own private coach and get an immediate introduction
to the splendors of Ireland when we visit Bunratty Castle,
a formidable castle built in the 15th century, which has been
preserved just as it would have looked in the 1500s. We will
take a tour through the castle, including the Great Hall,
the Main Guard and the South Solar, before visiting
the adjoining Folk Park, which is an authentic re-creation
of life in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. We will
continue to Killarney in its spectacular location amidst mountains,
glens and lakes and visit Muckross House. This imposing
Victorian mansion is built in the Elizabethan style, and its
elegant rooms are decorated with period furnishings. Our visit
will also include the Museum of Kerry Life, with displays
on the history of southwest Ireland, and a craft center with
numerous workshops. We continue on to our hotel in Killarney
for the night.
DAY
3 DAY TRIP TO THE RING OF KERRY
Today we will enjoy a leisurely tour around
the famed Ring of Kerry, a beautiful drive around the
Iveragh Peninsula. We will enjoy a splendid variety of outstanding
coastal panoramas and magnificent mountain views. During the
course of our tour, we will have the opportunity to stop and
explore many small towns and villages on the peninsula, including
Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Caherciveen. We continue to Valentia
Island, then through the Coomaskista Pass, before stopping
to visit Staigue Fort, the best preserved Iron Age drystone
fort in Ireland. Other highlights will include: the Hog's
Head, Moll's Gap, Ladies View, Torc Waterfall and our visit
to Sneem, a small village with brightly painted cottages.
In the evening we will visit a Local Folk Evening for
traditional Irish ballads, dance and folk music.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 KILLARNEY - BLARNEY - CASHEL - DUBLIN
(2 NIGHTS)
We will leave Killarney and drive to Blarney
Castle, one of the most haunting and striking castles
in Ireland. The remains of this impressive castle include
a massive square tower, with a parapet rising 83 feet, and
the infamous Blarney Stone, wedged underneath the battlements;
it is traditional to kiss the stone to ensure the gift of
eloquence. We will also stroll through the gardens and a nearby
dell beside Blarney Lake, before having the opportunity
to visit Badger Cave and adjacent dungeons, penetrating
the rock at the base of the castle. As we drive through the
heart of the `Emerald Isle' we will stop to visit the spectacular
Rock of Cashel, a monumental 12th century cathedral
complex dominating the surrounding landscape. The Rock was
the stronghold of the kings of Munster for seven centuries,
and it was here that St. Patrick converted them and made the
shamrock the emblem of Ireland. We will continue our journey
to Dublin, a city of splendid history with wide Georgian streets
and elegant squares which was once home to such famous Irish
writers as Shaw, Joyce and Yeats.
DAY
5 DUBLIN
Our morning begins with a visit to St. Patrick's
Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland.
It is said that St. Patrick baptized converts on this site,
and consequently a church has stood here since A.D. 450, making
it the oldest Christian site in Dublin. St. Patrick's is closely
associated with Jonathan Swift, who was dean from 1713 to
1745 and whose tomb lies in the south aisle. Our day continues
with a visit to Trinity College, the oldest university
in Ireland, with cobbled squares, beautiful gardens, a picturesque
quadrangle, and buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th
centuries. The college is also home to the Book of Kells,
an 8th-century version of the four Gospels with elaborate
scripting and illumination.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
6 DUBLIN - FERRY CROSSING - WESSEX AREA
(2 NIGHTS)
Today we will cross the Irish Sea by ferry and
then drive through the beautiful, mountainous Welsh countryside
to our hotel in the Wessex area of southwest England. En route
we will visit a Medieval Castle built by the English
to subdue the Welsh (which castle will depend on your ferry
routing).
DAY
7 BATH
Today we explore the ancient Roman city of Bath. One of Europe's
most beloved cities, Bath is set among the rolling green hills
of the Avon valley, and is a compact, traffic free city offering
an abundance of history and charm. 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: Bath Abbey's spectacular façade, Pulteney
Bridge, featuring quaint shops and wonderful views of
the city, the Circus and the Royal Crescent,
one of Britain's finest streets. Our day concludes with visits
to the Assembly Rooms and the Museum of Costume,
which features a collection of costumes in authentic period
settings, displaying the changing fashions from the 16th century
to present day.
DAY
8 WESSEX AREA - STONEHENGE - SALISBURY
- LONDON
(2 NIGHTS)
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 continue to
nearby Old Sarum, where a Celtic hill fort, as well
as Roman, Saxon and Norman strongholds once stood. 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. We continue on to
London where after dinner, we 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
9 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
10 DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to
an end as your tour manger/ guide accompanies you to the airport
for the return flight home.
|
