Travel-Learn Program

When: April 22, 2012 - May 01, 2012 (iCal)

Description

We begin our cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, M.S. LE BORÉAL in Honfleur, France and make our way to Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Traveling with us will be Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as historian Celia Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, both of whom will give exclusive lectures and personal insights regarding these historic regions. At each port we will experience specially arranged excursions, including visits to three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the beaches of Normandy; Caernarfon Castle in Holyhead, Wales; and the Neolithic Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae on the Orkney Islands. Later we will uncover treasures of a rich Celtic heritage in Dublin, North Wales, the Scottish Highlands, and the Inner Hebrides isles. The opportunity to complement the cruise with the Paris Pre-Cruise Option and the Edinburgh Post-Cruise Option is available.

Activity Level: Active

Download the program brochure.

For Early Booking Incentive, your choice of cabin category, and to avoid disappointment of a sold out program, register now!

Cost

From $6,395 per person, double occupancy.

Contact

For more information,contact Usha Nand Sellers Ed. D., Director Tufts Travel-Learn Program, at usha.sellers@tufts.edu or 617-627-5323.

Itinerary

Day 1 & 2 - U.S./Paris, France/Honfleur

Depart for Paris, France. Upon arrival, we will transfer to Honfleur and embark aboard the M.S. LE BORÉAL, setting sail this evening.

Day 3 - Caen/Normandy Beaches

Our day begins with a breakfast lecture entitled “Operation Overlord” where David Eisenhower provides fascinating context about the concept, planning and personalities that launched the world-changing airborne and amphibious assault of D-Day.

After docking in Caen, we will see France’s scenic countryside en route to the Normandy Beaches. In the company of David Eisenhower and Celia Sandys, we will walk where Allied forces landed under the direction of their esteemed grandfathers. Then we will follow them both to the American Military Cemetery at St. Laurent, overlooking Omaha Beach.

Later, we will visit the remnants of Mulberry Harbor, constructed to support Allied landings, and view exhibits chronicling the campaign at the D-Day Museum, Alternately, we may choose to see the renowned Bayeux Tapestry, a stunning visual chronicle of the Norman conquest of 1066. This evening we will meet for the Captain’s welcome reception.

Day 4 - At Sea

Today we traverse the English Channel and the Celtic Sea. We will join Eisenhower and Sandys as they share captivating details about the roles of their grandfathers, whose leadership reshaped the world.

Day 5 - Dublin, Ireland

Ireland’s historic capital has retained its rich heritage while confidently assuming a major role in Europe. Our morning begins with an overview of the city, including visits to the National Museum of Ireland, Trinity College and its library, where we will see the incandescent illuminations of the 9th-century Book of Kells. The afternoon is free for us to independently explore Dublin.

Day 6 - Holyhead, Wales/Caernarfon

From Holyhead, we travel east by coach across the isle of Anglesey and over the Menai Strait on our tour of North Wales. In this cradle of Celtic culture the people hold fast to traditions and Welsh remains the mother tongue. Here we will visit the beautiful Bodnant Garden, one of the finest examples of 19th-century Victorian landscape artistry.

After lunch at a local restaurant and a performance of Welsh hymns, we continue on to the imposing Caernarfon Castle. 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. Tonight we return to the ship via a scenic drive through the Snowdonia Mountains.

Day 7 - Iona, Scotland/Isle of Mull/Tobermory

Travel ashore on the Hebridean island of Iona, where in 563 A.D. the Irish monk Columba founded Scotland’s first monastery. It was here that scribes would painstakingly copy and illuminate not only religious tracts, but transcribing the ancient Celtic sagas into written form, preserving a record of oral bardic tradition. In later years, Iona became the burial place of Scotland’s kings, including Duncan and Macbeth. After our visit to the Abbey we will ferry to the neighboring Isle of Mull. Watch for shorebirds, seals, and red deer along the shore of Loch Scridain en route to Torosay Castle and Duart Castle. A boxed lunch will be served.

We will arrive this afternoon in the sheltered port of Tobermory, where houses painted in vivid shades of blue, red and green are nestled between the hills and the harbor. After free time in Tobermory, we will set sail for Skye.

Day 8 - Portree, Isle of Skye

Known as “the Winged Island” after its birdlike shape, Skye is the largest and most scenic of the Inner Hebrides. This morning we will tour Dunvegan’s richly appointed public rooms and then visit Portree. At Dunvegan Castle we will view the Fairy Flag, a silken banner said to have saved the clan from defeat on three occasions. Our return route to Portree takes us through the island’s starkly beautiful western shore and interior, a land of rolling green moors set against the rugged profile of the Cuillin Hills. We cruise north this afternoon through the Sound of Raasay.

Day 9 - Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

We arrive in Kirkwall this morning and continue across windswept plains and rolling hills to explore the Orkneys’ Neolithic monuments, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. There we will view the Ring of Brodgar, whose stone monoliths were raised more than 3,500 years ago to chart the seasons. In Skara Brae, we will walk through a 5,000-year-old settlement built entirely of stone. In Kirkwall we will visit the St. Magnus Cathedral, constructed in the mid-12th century by the Orkneys’ Norse rulers. Finally we will spend the afternoon at sea and attend the Captain’s farewell reception this evening.

Day 10 - Edinburgh/U.S.

Today we have the option to transfer to the airport and return home, or begin a city tour of Edinburgh on the Post-Cruise Option.

Price and Itinerary are tentative and subject to change

617-627-5323|usha.sellers@tufts.edu