Tour: KML - 2012 (KML) - 2012 / 2013

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DATES & PRICES

Itinerary

DAY 1Arrive in London, England

Uniformed Globus hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

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DAY 2London

Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. Visit ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL and see the Changing of the Guard, if held. (Breakfast)

Overlooking The Houses of Parliament along the north bank of the Thames River

Westminster Abbey – the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs

Changing of the Guard

"Changing the Guard dates to Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509) and was designed to show military discipline as well as ceremony. The tall bearskin hats were introduced in the 18th century to make the soldiers look taller and thus more frightening, and they were adopted for ceremonial use in 1832. The ceremony we know today started in the late 1800s and involves real soldiers who fulfill all military duties, guarding the Queen being just part of their service."

Houses of Parliament

"Big Ben may be the most famous feature of the Houses of Parliament, but equally impressive is the hammerbeam ceiling of Westminster Hall. The Hall dates back to 1097 and, at that time, the roof was supported by pillars. During the reign of King Richard II (14th century), however, it was replaced by the hammerbeam roof seen today. This roof – its beauty and sustainability – is even more impressive when you know its history. It was built with beams made from trees that were ancient at the time, reputedly acorns, dating back to the 6th century (or earlier). If only these walls (beams, rather) could talk!"

Buckingham Palace

"Amid the splendor of modern cities it’s hard to imagine what places looked like before they became what we know today. In a previous incarnation, the ground where Buckingham Palace now stands was a mulberry garden cultivated by King James I as food for silkworms. The silk industry he hoped to nurture never materialized, and eventually a roadhouse was built there, followed in due course by the Blake House, Goring House and Arlington House.Originally known as the Buckingham House, built as a townhouse by the Duke of Buckingham in 1709, the estate was acquired by King George III in 1762."

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DAY 3London–Brussels, Belgium

Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and board the EUROSTAR TRAIN to Brussels. Walk to GRAND’PLACE and see famous Manneken Pis, followed by a welcome dinner at your hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)

View the magnificent Gothic and Baroque architecture on the Grand Place in Brussels

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DAY 4Brussels–Amsterdam, Holland

In Amsterdam, enjoy a CANAL CRUISE, the best way to see the 700-year-old capital, and visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, how about an optional excursion to Volendam? (Breakfast, Dinner)

Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age

Boats along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands

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DAY 5Amsterdam–Cologne–Heidelberg, Germany–Rhineland

Past the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Cologne. Here, visit the gothic CATHEDRAL. The afternoon’s highlight is a romantic RHINE CRUISE. Arrive in Heidelberg and take pictures of its castle. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Pay a visit to Cologne’s awesome gothic cathedral

A Short Wine Guide

"Historically, Germany’s wine has suffered with an “inferiority complex” fueled by the reputation of wine powerhouses France and Italy. And in modern times, they’ve tacked of “how to compete with a Bordeaux or a Chianti” by improving quality, while keep prices reasonable. Finally, German vintners are starting to reap the rewards. The world famous Riesling region, centered on the Rhine and its tributaries and in eastern Germany near Dresden, is the biggest success story to come out of Germany’s 13 wine growing regions. White grapes form 80 percent of the harvest, but reds are on the rise, as well as the general reputation of German wines."

Mark Twain's Heidelberg

"“One thinks Heidelberg by day – with its surroundings – is the last possibility of the beautiful; but when he sees Heidelberg by night, a fallen Milky Way, with that glittering railway constellation pinned to the border, he requires time to consider upon the verdict.” Mark Twain wrote this ode to Heidelberg in his humorous travel book, “A Tramp Abroad” (1880). During the three months that Twain spent in the city in 1878, many of his recorded experiences aren’t entirely dissimilar from activities that travelers and residents still enjoy today. He gazed out over the Nektar River; strolled across the Old Bridge; and watched university students dueling in a tavern."

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DAY 6Rhineland–Lucerne, Switzerland

Morning stop in the BLACK FOREST. Next, take pictures of the thundering RHINE FALLS and continue to Lucerne. (Breakfast, Dinner)

The Chapel Bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland

The Black Forest in southwestern Germany

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DAY 7Lucerne

During your walking tour, admire the LION MONUMENT and cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, take a cruise on the fjord-like lake, or sign up for a folklore party. (Breakfast)

View the Romanesque and Gothic architecture of St. Stephen’s Cathedral

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DAY 11Vienna–Venice, Italy

Journey across scenic Semmering Pass to Venice. Tonight is your chance to sample the city’s fine restaurants. (Breakfast)

Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world

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DAY 12Venice

Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Highlights of your guided walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also enjoy a GLASSBLOWERS’ DEMONSTRATION. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Bridge of Sighs

"The world’s most poetically-named bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, was built in 1614 so that prisoners of the Venetian state could be transferred in secret from the Doge’s Palace to the so-called Nuovi Prigioni, or New Prisons. The wistful name was actually conceived by the English poet Lord Byron in the early 1800s that imagined the horror of prisoners taking their last glimpse of Venice before going underground to captivity. "

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DAY 13Venice–Rome

A scenic drive across the wooded Apennines brings you to the “Eternal City.” (Breakfast)

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DAY 14Rome

Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Also visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM. (Breakfast)

The Sistine Chapel is world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings

The Roman Forum

"Visitors can be a little confused by the Roman Forum; at first glance, it is a rather lifeless array of marble fragments. But we must remember that in ancient times, this space was far more than the temples and monuments whose ruins we can explore today. It was filled with bustling, noisy life as the popular crossroads of the city – the predecessor, in fact, of the modern Italian piazza. Every morning at dawn, average Romans would escape their cramped, dark apartment blocks (called insulae, or “islands”) and spent their days outdoors. "

Vatican Museums

"In the early 1500s, Rome was full of neglected ruins from the days of the ancient Empire, which still contained artworks buried amongst the rubble. The Renaissance had seen a sudden growth of interest in all things classical, and the popes – cultivated men who were in touch with the intellectual currents of the day – were the richest art collectors in Italy. They began offering substantial cash rewards for any sculptures, until Rome was scoured by freelance treasure hunters on the hunt for pagan masterpieces. The most dramatic discovery occurred in 1506, when a Roman father-and-son team of excavators reported a promising find near the ruined Baths of Titus. The artist Michelangelo himself excitedly hurried over to help with the work, followed by the pope’s official agent, Guiliano da Sangallo. When the excavators brushed away the dirt of 1,000 years, they found an enormous marble sculpture, perfectly intact, of a muscular Trojan hero being attacked by giant snakes. Guilano cried out in amazement, “This is the very Laocoön described by (the ancient Roman author) Pliny!” The sculpture was carted off to the Vatican Museum."

The Colosseum

"Thanks to Hollywood recreations such as Gladiator, nothing symbolizes the cruelty of Imperial Rome as much as the Colosseum. In truth, the games held there were even more extreme and theatrical than modern film directors dare to suggest. A day at the Empire’s most famous arena was a total entertainment package, mixing bouts of savage violence with solemn religious pageantry, sexual titillation, slapstick comedy and kitschy stage shows."

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DAY 15Rome–Florence–Tuscany

In Florence, enjoy a walking tour with a Local Guide and visit Michelangelo’s celebrated David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. Admire the cathedral, and also visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Visit stunning Florence and the Ponte Vecchio

Admire the detailed craftsmanship of Michelangelos David

La Piazza Della Signoria

"What’s the best vantage point to ponder the most illustrious town square in Florence, the Signoria? An outdoor table in the venerable Caffè Rivoire – preferably over a delicious, if not painfully expensive cioccolata con pane, a dark and mud-thick hot chocolate. Late at night, when the crowds have gone, you can search the long shadows and imagine that very little has changed here since the 1400s. The Signoria is the most elegant sculpture garden in Europe. Masterpieces include the splendid Neptune Fountain by Ammannati, Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli and a precise copy of Michelangelo’s David, all strategically poised in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This grand public space has been the centerpiece of Florence since the 15th Century, the golden age when the city was established as the most beautiful in Europe. Eminent merchants in their ostentatious finery met here to discuss business in the midst of Florence’s raucous daily life."

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DAY 16Tuscany. Excursion to Pisa

Focus on Pisa this morning and take pictures of its famous Leaning Tower. The afternoon is at leisure. This evening, you may wish to join an optional dinner to a fine Tuscan restaurant to try out the local specialties. (Breakfast)

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Enjoy the beautiful architecture in Madrid

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DAY 22Madrid

Guided sightseeing features the highlights of Madrid. Then, a visit to the palatial PRADO MUSEUM with its priceless art treasures. Enjoy free time afterwards. (Breakfast)

The Prado Museum features renowned collections of European art dating from the Romanesque through the Impressionistic era

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain

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DAY 23Madrid–Burgos–Bilbao

North to Burgos for a short visit, then, continue to Bilbao and visit the famous GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 24Bilbao–Biarritz, France–Bordeaux

Visit Biarritz, an ancient fishing village turned trendy seaside resort. Continue through the Landes region to Bordeaux and enjoy an orientation tour. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 25Bordeaux–Paris

Travel by high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. Afternoon at leisure or join an optional excursion to the Louvre Museum. Tonight, a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket! (Breakfast).

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Louvre

Today, a thick pane of bullet-proof security glass keeps artlovers a safe distance from the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Wife of Francesco Giacondo,” known in French as “La Joconde” and English as the “Mona Lisa.” But back in 1911, it was simply hung on the walls of the Musée du Louvre like any other canvas. That was until a former museum employee named Vincenzo Perrugia strolled into the gallery before opening hours on August 21, noticed the room was empty, took down the Mona Lisa and walked out of the Louvre with it under a painting smock. When the loss was finally noticed, the police were mystified. For two years, the whereabouts of the masterpiece was unknown, while French detectives made various wild guesses. (It had been stolen by the Germans. By anarchists. By evil geniuses. By lunatics.) They actually arrested the country’s top art critic, Guillame Apollinaire, then let him free. Then, out of the blue in 1913, an Italian art dealer in Florence was contacted by a man calling himself “Leonardo” who claimed to have the Mona Lisa and wanted to see it hang in the Uffizi, Italy’s top art museum. Although he found it hard to believe that the thief could be so reckless, the dealer tipped off the police and agreed to meet the strange Leonardo in a Milan hotel room. There, the nondescript fellow opened his suitcase, emptied out his socks and underwear, opened up a false bottom in the case to reveal the Mona Lisa – and was immediately arrested.

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DAY 26Paris

Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the most famous sights and a visit to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion to Versailles Palace is available. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine at one of Paris’ fine restaurant. Afterwards, you may wish to join an optional drive through the “City of Light." (Breakfast, Dinner)

Versailles Palace

The 700-room Palace of Versailles, which Louis XIV built 10 miles from Paris, became the command center for this unique fashion experiment – a prototype for the Playboy Mansion, where courtiers could exist in a netherworld of art and pleasure (all at considerable expense, of course). While France slowly descended into bankruptcy, Louis played hide and seek with mistresses, frolicked in tree houses and held resplendent soirees in the Hall of Mirrors, lit with thousands of candles. And his every taste became law – it was Louis’ passion for diamonds, for example, that first privileged them above all other gems. The flip side of all this was that Louis became corrupted by flattery. According to one disgruntled noble, crowds of admirers would gather around the king to help him bathe and dress, even vying for the honor of assisting with royal grooming tasks. Versailles became a byword for shameless excess in the face of poverty. For one famous ball in 1696, the boutiques of Paris were stripped bare by invitees; socialites spent 10,000 livres on gowns (roughly $500,000 today) and one couple kidnapped a famous couturiere so he could not design for other guests. In short, Versailles represented everything that French revolutionaries would soon come to hate about the monarchy.

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DAY 27Paris–London, England

Board the high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN to London, arriving in the afternoon. Why not take in a West End show tonight? (Breakfast)

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel

Ride the iconic double decker bus in London

Marvel at the architecture on Londons infamous Big Ben

London’s Tower Bridge over the River Thames

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DAY 28London

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

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DATES & PRICES