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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 (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manger/guide board
your own private coach and be taken to your London hotel.
After time to relax, we will visit 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.
The rest of your day is at leisure. Perhaps you would enjoy
a visit to the British Museum with its collections that include
the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone and the Anglo-Saxon Sutton
Hoo treasure.
DAY
3 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, which 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 macabre associations with the legendary figures imprisoned
and/or executed here. Our visit will include the armories
and the Crown Jewels Exhibit.
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 LONDON - OXFORD - STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
AREA
(1 NIGHT)
We will stop to explore 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 also 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 to a city forever associated with the playwright
William Shakespeare, Stratford Upon Avon. This afternoon we
visit the modern Shakespeare Centre which was built
to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's birth.
We continue on to Shakespeare's Birthplace and to
Holy Trinity Church, the parish church where Shakespeare
is buried all located in an attractive setting near the River
Avon. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to Anne Hathaway's
Cottage, located just outside the city center. The cottage
provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean
times, and many of the original furnishings are preserved
inside the house.
DAY
5 STRATFORD AREA - WARWICK - YORKSHIRE
(2 NIGHTS)
On our journey north to York, we will stop at Warwick
Castle, the finest medieval fortress in England. Collections
of paintings, furniture and arms and armor are housed in the
State Rooms, Great Hall and Armory. This evening we arrive
in Yorkshire.
DAY
6 YORK
Our day begins in Exhibition Square, where we will
take a guided Walking Tour of the city, 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. Those who choose
can ascend the Central Tower, for panoramic views of
York. We continue to the Shambles which remains a
narrow ancient street filled with shops and cafes.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
7 YORKSHIRE - DURHAM - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
Our sightseeing today day 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 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. Upon arrival in Edinburgh your guide
will be pleased to take you on some introductory sightseeing.
DAY
8 EDINBURGH
We begin 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. Our
next stop is 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). After walking along Princes Street
to view the Scott Monument we will have the opportunity to
climb Arthur's Seat for a spectacular view over the Firth
of Forth.
DAY
9 EDINBURGH - STIRLING - LAKE DISTRICT
(1 NIGHT)
Before we venture south across the borderlands to England,
we stop at 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, the subject of Braveheart, captured
the castle from the English and we will visit the nearby Wallace
Monument that commemorates his victories. We then continue
to the Lake District, famous for its associations with the
Romantic poets. With 16 lakes and the highest peaks in England
this is a region of uncompromising beauty and we will see
Windermere, Thirlmere, Rydal Water, Derwent Water and Ullswater
and visit Wordsworth's Cottage and the Churchyard
where he is buried at Grasmere.
DAY
10 LAKE DISTRICT - CHESTER - CAERNARFON
(1 NIGHT)
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.
A drive through the beautiful scenery of northern Wales will
bring us to Caernarfon. Here we will visit the magnificent
Castle built by Edward I in 1283 and where Prince Charles
was invested as Prince of Wales.
DAY
11 CAERNARFON - FERRY CROSSING - DUBLIN
(2 NIGHTS)
We will cross the Irish Sea by ferry to Ireland
where we transfer to our hotel in Dublin, Ireland's magnificent
capital city. Upon our arrival, we will 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
12 DUBLIN
Our sightseeing in Dublin includes visits to Dublin
Castle where a fortress has stood since the time of the
Celts. The castle was once the center of English rule and
had as notorious a reputation as the Tower of London. We will
also visit 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 Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
13 DUBLIN - KILLARNEY (2 NIGHTS)
We leave Dublin early this morning and travel 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. Our day continues
to Blarney, where we will visit 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. We continue on to our hotel in Killarney,
beautifully situated amidst mountains, glens and lakes.
DAY
14 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.
DAY
15 KILLARNEY - SHANNON AREA (1 NIGHT)
As we drive through the Ireland's green hills,
we will make a stop at Adare, a charming village where the
main street is lined with thatched cottages. We will then
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 continue on to our hotel
in the Shannon area for the night.
DAY
16 DEPARTURE FROM SHANNON
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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