Trip Type: Lecture
AAUM Representative(s): Brooks B. Hull
Physical Activity Level: Moderately Active
Highlights:
- See the Orkney’s Neolithic monuments, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Explore the Isle of Skye and visit Dunvegan Castle, the seat of the powerful Clan MacLeod since 1270.
- Stop on the Hebridean island of Iona, birthplace of Scottish Christianity.
- Visit Wales and experience a performance of Welsh hymns by a local choir.
- Explore Dublin and learn the history of the Celts.
- Experience Normandy and the site of the D-Day Landings.
Day 1: U.S.
Depart from the U.S. for Edinburgh, Scotland
Day 2: Edinburgh, Scotland
On arrival in Edinburgh, transfer to the M.S. Le Boréal. Set sail this evening.
Day 3: Kirkwall, Orkney Islands
Spend your morning at sea.
Arrive this afternoon in Kirkwall, an attractive town of sturdy granite houses. Continue across windswept plains and rolling hills to explore the Orkneys’ Neolithic monuments, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. View the Ring of Brodgar, whose stone monoliths were raised more than 3,500 years ago to chart the seasons. In Skara Brae, walk through a 5,000-year-old settlement built entirely of stone—houses, hearths and furniture. In Kirkwall, visit the impressive St. Magnus Cathedral, the best-preserved medieval house of worship in Scotland, constructed in the mid-12th century of locally quarried red sandstone by the Orkneys’ Norse rulers.
Attend the Captain’s welcome reception this evening.
Day 4: Portree, Isle of Skye
Known as “the Winged Island” after its birdlike shape, Skye is the largest and most scenic of the Inner Hebrides. Shadows seem to alter expansive landscapes on the morning transfer from Portree to Dunvegan Castle, the seat of the powerful Clan MacLeod since 1270, built atop a rocky promontory overlooking the sea. Tour Dunvegan’s richly appointed public rooms and view the Fairy Flag, a silken banner said to have had the power to save the clan from defeat on three occasions. View the castle’s lush gardens, ablaze with azaleas and rhododendrons. Return to Portree, traveling along the island’s western shore and across its starkly beautiful interior, a land of rolling green moors laced with clear, rushing streams and dotted with the fragrant yellow gorse flowers, set against the rugged profile of the Cuillin Hills rising in the distance.
Cruise this afternoon past fascinating rock formations and verdant highlands.
Day 5: Tobermory, Isle of Mull/Iona
Arrive this morning in the sheltered port of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, where houses painted in vivid shades of blue, red and green are nestled between the hills and the harbor. After a walk around Tobermory, cross by ferry to the neighboring Hebridean island of Iona; birthplace of Scottish Christianity. In A.D. 563, the Irish monk Columba founded a monastery here, where scribes would spend entire lifetimes painstakingly copying and illuminating not only religious tracts, but transcribing the ancient Celtic sagas into written form, preserving a record of oral bardic tradition. Watch for shorebirds, seals, and red deer along the shore of Loch Scridain en route to Torosay Castle, a fine example of Scottish Baronial architecture. Continue to 12th-century Duart Castle, the ancestral home of the Clan Maclean. In later years, Iona became the burial place of Scotland’s kings, including Duncan and Macbeth. At the Abbey, view the churchyard’s intricate Celtic crosses and stroll through the serene, restored monastery. A boxed lunch will be served in one of the castles. reboard the ship and set sail for Wales.
Day 6: Holyhead, Wales/Caernarfon
From Holyhead, travel east by coach across the isle of Anglesey and over the Menai Strait on your tour of North Wales. Here, in one of the cradles of Celtic culture, the people hold fast to the old ways, and Welsh remains their mother tongue. Visit beautiful Bodnant Garden, one of the finest examples of 19th-century Victorian landscape artistry.
After lunch in a local restaurant and a stirring performance of Welsh hymns, continue to the imposing Caernarfon Castle, an impregnable 13th-century fortress built by Edward I of England as a defense against the marauding Welsh. Retrace the footsteps of Edward’s guards, who first defended the castle over seven hundred years ago. Heirs to the British throne have been invested at Caernarfon with the title of “Prince of Wales” since 1301, and most recently in 1969, with the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
On the return to the ship, drive through the Snowdonia Mountains––glacier-sculpted peaks and valleys covered in dark green conifers interspersed with winding streams and cascading waterfalls.
Day 7: Dublin, Ireland
Built astride the River Liffey, Ireland’s historic capital has retained its rich heritage of Georgian architecture while confidently playing a major role in the New Europe. Begin your morning with an overview of the city. Visit the National Museum of Ireland, known for its exhibits of Celtic and Viking artifacts, including magnificent gold torques and the incomparably beautiful 8th-century Tara Brooch. Stroll through the stately quadrangles of Trinity College and, in its library, view the incandescent illuminations of the 9th-century Book of Kells.
The afternoon is free for independent pursuits in Dublin. Choose to wander along colorful Grafton Street or savor a pint of Guinness in a typical neighborhood pub. Depart from Dublin this evening.
Day 8: At Sea
Cruise the Celtic Sea and the English Channel.
Joing David Eisenhower as he imparts captivating details about the role of his grandfather, whose leadership reshaped the world. This evening Eisenhower provides fascinating context about the concept, planning and personalities of Operation Overlord.
Day 9: Caen, France/Normandy Beaches
Dock in Caen and see France’s scenic countryside en route to the Normandy Beaches. Walk where Allied forces landed at the direction of their famous grandfathers, on June 6, 1944. Step respectfully among the solemn crosses and Stars of David in the American Military Cemetery at St. Laurent, overlooking Omaha Beach. Envision the brave American rangers who scaled 200-foot heights to capture German gun emplacements at Pointe du Hoc.
Later, see remnants of Mulberry Harbor, constructed to support Allied landings, and then view exhibits chronicling the campaign at the D-Day Museum, or you may choose to see the famous 230-foot-long Bayeux Tapestry, a stunning visual chronicle of the Norman conquest of 1066.
Join your traveling companions this evening for the Captain’s farewell reception.
Day 10: Honfleur/Paris/U.S.
Arrive in Honfleur and transfer to Paris for your return flight to the U.S., arriving later today, or begin the Paris Post-Cruise Option.
