| DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to
Shannon.
DAY
2 ARRIVE
SHANNON - KILLARNEY AREA (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your guide and transferred
to your hotel in the Killarney area. As we drive through
the Ireland’s green hills, we will visit Bunratty Castle,
built in 1469 and the most authentic example of a medieval
castle in Ireland. On the grounds of the castle is a
Folk Park in which typical rural dwellings are recreated
to reflect life in Ireland at the turn of the century. In
the evening we will enjoy a Local Folk Evening full
of traditional Irish Ballads and Celtic music
.DAY
3 DAY
TRIP TO 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
· Your First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 KILLARNEY
AREA - BLARNEY - CASHEL - DUBLIN (2 NIGHTS)
As we
leave Killarney our first stop will be at Blarney Castle
where we will climb onto the battlements to reach the
Blarney Stone, said to impart the gift of eloquence to all
that kiss it. As we head out into the Irish countryside
we will visit ancient Cashel, a monumental cathedral
complex that dominates the surrounding landscape and was once
the seat of the Kings of Munster. It was here that St. Patrick
began his conversion of the Irish, using the shamrock as his
symbol. We will continue our journey to Dublin. Your
guide will take you on an introductory Walking Tour
to orient you to the city. We will stroll in St.
Stephen’s Green, the loveliest of Dublin’s many parks,
and visit Merrion Square, famous for its elegant
Georgian houses and once the home of such Irish luminaries
as Oscar Wilde, Daniel O’Connell, and William Butler Yeats.
DAY
5 DUBLIN
Our sightseeing
in begins at 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
- STRATFORD UPON AVON AREA
(1
NIGHT)
Taking
the morning ferry across the Irish Sea, we arrive in North
Wales. We continue to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we will visit
Shakespeare’s Birthplace, as well as the modern Shakespeare
Centre, built next door to commemorate the 400th anniversary
of the Bard's birth.
DAY
7 STRATFORD
AREA - OXFORD - LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
This morning we will visit the city of Oxford, England’s
oldest University City dating from the 1100’s and also
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 continue on to London
where upon arrival we will take a leisurely Walking
Tour of Westminster and Whitehall, including: Trafalgar
Square, Whitehall, Horseguards Parade, Parliament Square,
Downing Street, St. James’s Park and
Buckingham Palace.
DAY
8 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. 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
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 and
final concert performance will be today
DAY
10
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. |
