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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Ireland.
DAY
2 ARRIVE DUBLIN (3 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide
board where we will board our own private coach and be
transferred to your hotel in Dublin. Founded by the Vikings,
Dublin is the vibrant modern capital of Ireland, but it
still retains the aura of old world Europe. After time to
relax, your guide will take you on an introductory
Walking Tour of Southeast Dublin.
We begin outside the Bank of Ireland, one of Dublin’s most
treasured landmarks, before strolling along Grafton
Street, the spine of Dublin’s most popular and stylish
shopping district. After viewing the Molly Malone
statue, we continue to St. Stephen’s Green, a
beautiful 22-acre park in the heart of Dublin filled with
beautifully landscaped flowerbeds, fountains, a lake and
memorials to important Dubliners. Our walking tour concludes
with a walk around Merrion Square, a marvel of
Georgian architecture known for its colorful doors and the
famous literary figures that once lived here, including Yeats
and Wilde.
DAY
3 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 First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 DUBLIN & SANDYCOVE
This morning we will visit the Dublin Writers
Museum, housed in a stunning 18th-century Georgian mansion
with splendid plasterwork and stained glass. The museum is
an impressive reminder of the grandeur of the Irish literary
tradition, and Yeats, Joyce, Beckett, Shaw, Wilde, Swift,
and Sheridan are among those whose lives and works are celebrated
here. This afternoon we will visit Sandycove on Dublin
Bay for a visit to the Martello Tower that was once
home to James Joyce.
DAY
5 DUBLIN - LARNE FERRY - CAIRNRYAN -
ALLOWAY AREA
(1 NIGHT)
We will make an early morning start and drive north
to the port at Larne where we will board the ferry to cross
the Irish Sea to Cairnryan on the Scottish coast. We will
continue to the Alloway area, famed as the birthplace of the
poet Robert Burns. The Burns Cottage and Museum
evoke his humble origins and house an extensive and well-displayed
collection of manuscripts and relics. Near the Burns Monument
and the Brig O'Doon we will visit the visitor center,
the Land O'Burns that recalls the bard's life and times of
the poet Robert Burns.
DAY
6 ALLOWAY AREA - THE TROSSACHS - STIRLING
AREA
(2 NIGHTS)
After an early morning start we will explore the Trossachs,
one of Scotland's most scenic areas and forever associated
with Sir Walter Scott’s outlaw hero, Rob Roy. We continue on
to Stirling where our first stop will be the dramatically
located Stirling Castle, site of many sieges and once
the royal residence of the Stuarts. Mary Queen of Scots was
crowned in the castle’s Chapel Royal. In 1297,
the Scottish hero William Wallace captured the castle from the
English.
DAY
7 DAY TRIP TO EDINBURGH
Our day in Edinburgh 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 the 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
8 STIRLING AREA - SCOTT'S VIEW - DRYBURGH
ABBEY -
ABBOTSFORD - THE LAKE DISTRICT
(1 NIGHT)
After an early morning start we will arrive at Scott’s View,
a viewpoint which faces west across the winding Tweed to the
three conical peaks of the Eildons. We will arrive at
Dryburgh Abbey, one of a group of Border abbeys founded by
David I, and it was begun in 1150. It was repeatedly attacked
by the English in the 1300s and was badly damaged when the
town of Dryburgh was razed in 1544. A sheltered meander of
the Tweed provides a splendid setting for the ruins of the
abbey. The conventual buildings are among the best preserved
groups. Our day will end with a visit to Abbotsford, a
fantasy in stone typical of Sir Walter Scott, the man who did
so much to romanticize and popularize all things Scottish.
Our Tour will highlight a collection of some 9,000 rare
books and some of the many items relating to Scotland and its
history collected by Sir Walter throughout his life. We
continue on to our hotel in the Lake District for the night.
DAY
9 THE LAKE DISTRICT - LONDON (3 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. We continue on to the
nation’s capital where 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
10 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
11 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
12 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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