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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Shannon.
DAY
2
ARRIVE SHANNON - LIMERICK - KILLARNEY
AREA (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide
where we will board our own private coach be and transferred
to your hotel in the Killarney area. On route, arrival time
permitting, we visit the town of Limerick, taking a
Walking Tour. Later we continue to our location in
Killarney.
DAY
3 RING OF KERRY
Today we make a leisurely tour around the Ring of Kerry,
which is one of the most beautiful drives in Europe. We
will view a splendid variety of outstanding coastal
panoramas and magnificent mountain views and highlights will
include the Hog’s Head, the prehistoric Staigue Stone Fort,
Moll’s Gap, Ladies View and Torc Waterfall.
· Your First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 KILLARNEY AREA - BLARNEY - CASHEL -
DUBLIN (2 NIGHTS)
We make an early start today as we drive through the heart
of the "Emerald Isle" to visit Blarney Castle, which
dates back to 1446. We will climb onto the battlements to
reach the Blarney Stone, said to impart the
gift of eloquence to all who kiss it. We continue to 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 arrive this
evening in Dublin, a city of splendid history with wide
Georgian streets and elegant squares. This evening we take
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
5 DUBLIN & GLENDALOUGH (SAINTS & SCHOLARS)
Our morning begins with an early 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. This afternoon we visit Glendalough,
tucked away in the Wicklow Mountains, one of the most
attractive and important historical sites in Ireland. The
early Christian religious settlement was built in the valley
of two lakes and was one of Ireland's greatest pilgrimage
centers up to the middle of the 19th century. The history of
the monastery unfolds at the imaginatively designed
interpretative center. During our visit we will also view
the Cathedral, the largest and most imposing
building on the Glendalough site.
DAY
6 DUBLIN - HOLYHEAD FERRY - CHESTER AREA (2 NIGHTS)
Taking the morning ferry across the Irish Sea, we arrive in
Holyhead in North Wales. As we drive across the northern
island, we will stop in Llanfair P G as it is known, to see
the longest named village in all of Wales. We see some of
the Welsh mountainous country as we travel onward along the
northern shoreline to city of Chester, founded by the Romans
and once one of their most important fortresses and naval
bases. We take a stroll along the City Walls, the
only complete circuit of walls that remain in Britain and
from which it is possible to glimpse bits of the original
Roman wall and to get a view of the grid pattern in which
the Romans laid out the city. Our last visit is to the
Grosvenor Museum where the history of Chester is traced
with special emphasis on the Roman period. Finally, we
enjoy some time for shopping in the historical Rows,
which has been a market area since 1331.
DAY
7 DAY TRIP IN SNOWDONIA
We commence the morning with a short visit to Conwy with its
well preserved medieval town walls fortified by 21 towers.
We will see the Castle site and cross the graceful
bridge built by Thomas Telford. We continue to Caernarfon
Castle, overlooking the town and harbor with its
polygonal towers. It was built as a seat of government for
North Wales, and now contains several interesting displays,
including the Royal Welsh Fusiliers Museum and exhibitions
tracing the history of the Prince of Wales. After lunch we
travel to Portmeirion, a dream village and the creation of
the ever-fertile imagination of the long-lived architect and
pioneer preservationist Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. The
village has often been used as the setting for films and is
an extraordinary mixture of fantasy, theatrical effects and
visual tricks, all designed to celebrate life as a festival
and architecture as fun. We take a Walking Tour
around this truly unique town and will have the opportunity
to visit the Ship Shop, which sells Portmeirion’s famous
flowered pottery and porcelain.
DAY
8 CHESTER AREA - LAKE DISTRICT - STIRLING - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
Today we drive through the Lake District in northern
England. On arrival in Windermere, we visit Wordsworth's
Cottage and the Churchyard where the poet is buried at
Grasmere. We continue then into Scotland, beginning with a
visit to Royal Stirling Castle, where Mary Queen of
Scots was crowned. In 1297, the Scottish hero William
Wallace, the subject of Braveheart, captured the castle from
the English and we will visit the nearby Wallace Monument
that commemorates his victories. Following a brief visit to
Bannockburn, scene of the major Scottish victory over the
English in 1314, which assured Scottish independence from
England. This battle, won by Robert the Bruce, was the
climax of Braveheart.
DAY
9 EDINBURGH
We begin this morning with a Walking Tour will begin
at Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarch in
Scotland. We will then take one of the most fascinating and
historic walks in Europe, along the Royal Mile to
Edinburgh Castle, where we will take a guided tour.
There was a fortification here 1300 years ago, and the
castle was a royal residence from the 11th century. More
recently, the castle has been the home of military garrisons
and the famous Military Tattoo. We will see the Great
Hall, the Scottish Crown Jewels and
St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in the
city. This afternoon we continue along Princes Street with
its fine shopping to view the Scott Monument, dedicated to
the city’s most famous son. There will be time for shopping
in the area and to hunt for souvenirs.
-
Your second concert performance will be today
.DAY
10 EDINBURGH - DURHAM - YORK (1 NIGHT)
This morning we leave Scotland and journey into Northern
England. Our sightseeing commences with a stop 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 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. We continue to our hotel in Yorkshire. We begin in
Exhibition Square, where we will take a Walking Tour
of the city and walls, a perfect way to learn about the
history and lore of the city, through numerous intriguing
stories. We continue with a visit to York Minster,
which traces its origins from the early 7th century, and
features stunning stained glass from the Middle Ages.
DAY
11 YORK - CAMBRIDGE (1 NIGHT)
Our journey today takes us south to Cambridge, and we begin
our exploration of the City with a Walking Tour of
several of the ancient colleges, including St. John’s
and Trinity, founded by Henry VIII. At magnificent
King’s College we will visit the Chapel,
famous for its glorious fan vaulted ceiling, and considered
the most elegant example of perpendicular architecture in
England.
DAY
12 CAMBRIDGE - WINDSOR - LONDON (2 NIGHTS)
On our journey to London we will visit royal Windsor
Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and
the Queen’s favorite home. We will view the State
Apartments (unless the Queen is in residence) and
St. George’s Chapel then continue on to our
London hotel. After dinner, your guide will take you on a
leisurely Walking Tour to introduce you to some of
London’s most famous sights. We will begin at
Trafalgar Square and continue down Whitehall,
past Horseguards Parade and Downing Street.
Your walk can continue through St. James Park to view
Buckingham Palace. This evening, we will visit Piccadilly
Circus and Leicester Square, two of London’s most
vibrant and lively areas.
DAY
13 LONDON (KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
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
free time for shopping and lunch in the area around Oxford
Street, we then continue to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir
Christopher Wren's wonderful Renaissance masterpiece. We
will make an ascent of the dome to the Whispering
Gallery for an impressive view of the concourse
below.
·
Your third and final 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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