|
|
Day 1 | London
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
Check in at our hotel. You have the remainder of the day at leisure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 2 | London
B,L
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
After breakfast, we enjoy a full day city tour of London. Our vacation begins with a visit to the Tower of London, the oldest part dating from 1086 A.D., built by the Norman King William the Conqueror as a royal fortress and palace; later used as a garrison and a State Prison. Since it is still a stronghold, we go to see Queen Elizabeth's Crown Jewels, which are kept there to this day. Followed by a drive through London with photo opportunity stops for Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. Lunch at local restaurant; we return to our hotel for overnight stay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 3 | London -York
B,L
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
We depart for Cambridge, in East Anglia, for a city orientation tour. Home of the famous university, Cambridge is essentially a small "college town," where scientists like Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin studied in past centuries, as well as contemporary celebrities like Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. Followed by transfer to York, the "regional capital" of North-East England was called Eboracum by the Romans, and Jorvik by the Vikings; the title "Duke of York" is used by the King's son or brother, and the City and State of New York in the USA are both named after James, Duke of York, later King James II. We have a city orientation tour and stay overnight at our hotel in York. Lunch at local restaurant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 4 | York -Edinburgh
B,L
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for Edinburgh, the historic, ancient, and incredibly beautiful capital of Scotland. Prime Minister Tony Blair restored Home Rule for Scotland in 1999; Scotland had its own government again for the first time since 1707, but remains a constituent Member State of Great Britain, as it has done since 1603. We enjoy a sightseeing tour of this magnificently beautiful city, with entrance to the "must see" Edinburgh Castle included. Lunch in Edinburgh, where we stay overnight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 5 | Edinburgh
B
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
After breakfast at our hotel, we enjoy a "Free Day" today in Edinburgh. There is plenty to see, choose whatever you love best: Walk up and down Princes Street and go to the wonderful shops; enjoy strolling about the "Old Town" and the 18th century "New Town"; if you love engineering, get the public bus to Queensferry and see the famous Forth Bridge, an amazing piece of civil engineering dating from 1890; otherwise try the Scottish national Gallery or the National Museum if you love paintings and historical artifacts. There is a lot to see and do in Edinburgh, so make the best of your free time. Note: It would be possible to arrange an OPTIONAL tour to the Highlands of Scotland or to see the Loch Ness).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 6 | Edinburgh -Windermere
B,L
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
Departing from Edinburgh after breakfast, we leave Scotland and drive southwest to the famous Lake District in NW England. A sightseeing tour reveals the wonderful scenery of lakes and hills; among those who loved the English Lake District were Wordsworth the Poet, and Beatrix Potter, the author of the famous Peter Rabbit stories. Lunch in a Lake District local restaurant. We stay overnight at our hotel in Windermere Town, or nearby in Lake District.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 7 | Windermere -Stratford -Bath
B,L
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
Having had our breakfast, we leave the Lake District and head south to Stratford-Upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, the heart of Shakespeare country. We visit Shakespeare's Birthplace in the center of Stratford, and Ann Hathaway's Cottage in a tiny village outside of town. We enjoy a traditional British Fish & Chips lunch at a local restaurant, and then drive to Oxford, a beautiful, small college town, for an orientation tour; among those who studied at Oxford were Chelsea Clinton and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; the famous Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, once taught Mathematics here at Oxford. We then depart Oxfordshire for Bath, Somerset, in SW England, and stay overnight at our hotel in Bath.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 8 | Bath -London
B
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
First thing, after breakfast, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of the ancient city, including a visit to the famous Roman Bath; the Roman name for the city was Aquae Sulis, sacred to the God, since the hot springs were deemed to have healing properties. Bath became a fashionable health resort in the 18th century and has splendid architecture from this period; among those who spent time here was Jane Austen, the celebrated novelist. In the afternoon, we drive east to visit Stonehenge, the fascinating stone circle built about five thousand years ago by the pre-Indo-European inhabitants of the British Isles (i.e. those living there before the Celts, Romans, Saxons, etc. came to settle in Britain). We then drive to London and for dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 9 | London
B
|
AB:
|
Full American Breakfast
|
|
|
|
|
D :
|
Dinner at Local Restaurant
|
|
|
DH:
|
International Buffet Dinner at Hotel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B:
|
Breakfast at hotel or on cruise
|
|
|
|
|
Top |
|
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and bid a fond farewell to the United Kingdom.
|
|
|
|