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ESSENTIAL BRITAIN & IRELAND

Day 1 - Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 - Arrival in London, England. Uniformed Globus Hosts will be waiting to welcome you. After checking into your hotel and an afternoon at leisure we recommend our optional Taste of London excursion with dinner followed by a guided illuminations cruise on the River Thames.

Day 3 - London'Stonehenge'Salisbury - Bath - Newport, Wales. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart London at 8 am for a memorable day's sightseeing. Try to figure out the riddle of STONEHENGE; take a stroll in picturesque Salisbury with its vast cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic; in the elegant Georgian city of Bath see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS. Cross the River Severn for a late-afternoon arrival in Wales. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (B,D)

Day 4 - Newport - Cardiff - Waterford, Ireland. A morning orientation drive in the Welsh capital features the major attractions: Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, and the stately civic buildings. Continue along the South Wales coast to Pembroke, where your FERRY will be waiting. Sail across St. George's Channel to Rosslare on the Emerald Isle and proceed to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings in 853. (B,D)

Day 5 - Waterford - Kilkenny - Kildare - Dublin. This morning, look forward to a visit to the world-famous WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY, then in Kilkenny, take a stroll in this pretty county town. Later, horseracing country with a visit to the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare, whose thoroughbreds command respect on the racecourses of the world. Drive across the Curragh and on arrival in Dublin, top the day with your Tour Director's dining recommendation. (B)

Day 6 - Dublin. An orientation drive in Ireland's capital city includes statue-lined O - Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then visit Oscar Wilde's TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library. Afternoon at leisure. Tonight, maybe take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse. (B)

Day 7 - Dublin - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Edinburgh, Scotland. On your way to Northern Ireland, cross the River Boyne, then skirt the Mountains of Mourne. In Belfast, where the Titanic was built, take in the city's vibrant history and view the impressive City Hall. Next, board your fast FERRY to cross the North Channel to Stranraer on Scotland's southwest coast and continue through the Scottish Lowlands to Edinburgh. (B)

Day 8 - Edinburgh. Morning city sightseeing with a local expert introduces you to the 200-year-old "New Town" and famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the "Old Town," drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland's Crown Jewels. The afternoon is free to enjoy this "Prince of Cities" at your own pace or maybe join an optional excursion to Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by The Da Vinci Code novel. Tonight, relax and enjoy our optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. For departure numbers August 3 through August 20 tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO, a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands which takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (B)

Day 9 - Edinburgh - York, England. This morning, visit magnificent FLOORS CASTLE, the stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe. On past the abbey ruins at Jedburgh and the house of Mary, Queen of Scots, into wild Northumberland National Park. Later, see a section of Hadrian's Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes. In York, England's most complete medieval city, stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets including the narrow Shambles. (B,D)

Day 10 - York'Stratford-upon-Avon - London. Skirt Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest on the way to Stratford-upon-Avon. Take your pictures of ANNE HATHAWAY'S COTTAGE, visit SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE, and enjoy lunchtime exploring this fascinating Elizabethan town at your own pace. On return to London at about 3:30 pm, a Shownight Theater Evening would be the best finale to your vacation; ask your Tour Director. (B)

Day 11 - Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)