DAY 1, Monday, September 23, 2019–Depart Detroit, MI on our trans-Atlantic flight to London.     M

DAY 2, Tues.–Arrive at London Heathrow Airport, meet our driver and guide and board our private motor coach.  We drive north to Bradgate Park where our park guide will tell us the history of Bradgate House, the Grey Family who built the house and owned the park for many centuries, and the story of Lady Jane Grey (the Nine Days Queen of England) who was born at Bradgate and spent much of her short life here.  We continue to the King Richard III Visitor Centre, built on the spot of the medieval friary of the Grey Friars where the King’s remains were buried over 500 years ago. At the Visitor’s Center, we will learn the story of the life, death, and discovery of King Richard III.  We visit Leicester Cathedral, built on the site of a Roman temple where we see the resting place of King Richard III, and we enjoy Evensong. This evening we enjoy a “welcome to England” dinner.  Dinner and overnight Leicester.     D

DAY 3, Wed. –After breakfast, we travel the short distance to Coventry for a visit to Coventry Cathedral.  The old cathedral, built over 1000 years ago, was bombed during World War II and the ruins were left as a testament to history.  The new cathedral was built next door and contains the best of modern religious art. We continue to Warwick to tour Warwick Castle, the finest medieval castle in England.  We continue our journey to Stratford-upon-Avon for dinner and overnight.     BD

DAY 4, Thurs.–This morning we tour Shakespeare’s town including his birthplace and the thatched cottage of his wife, Anne Hathaway.  Once a prosperous market town, its characteristic half-timbered houses have been well preserved and mingle beautifully with the elegant Georgian storefronts with their 18th-century porticoes and arched doorways.  The afternoon will be free to explore on our own before joining together to visit Holy Trinity Church Stratford-upon-Avon (“Shakespeare’s Church"), where William Shakespeare was baptized, worshipped and is buried.  We see the Shakespeare Memorial Bust and attend Evening Prayer.  Dinner and overnight Stratford-upon-Avon.     BD

DAY 5, Fri.–After breakfast, we continue to the lovely university town of Oxford.  We visit Christ Church College which contains the 800-year-old chapel in one corner that is one of the smallest cathedrals in England. We enjoy a walking tour through the many old college buildings which reflect every period of architecture from medieval to the present.  We will have some time to explore on our own before continuing to the wonderful Georgian City of Bath for dinner and overnight.    BD

DAY 6, Sat.  –Today we tour Bath, thought by many to be the most beautiful city in England.  The town has a glowing elegance with its many squares, terraces, and crescents, and with the beautiful architecture built using the honey-colored local stone.  The town came into being because of the purported medicinal properties of the natural hot springs.  The past Roman occupation of the area is widely seen in the remains of the Pump Room.  We see Bath Abbey and enjoy a traditional English tea at The Regency Tea Room located at the Jane Austen Centre (optional entrance to the museum to be paid on the spot approx. 12 GBP) before enjoying free time to shop and browse in this lovely city. Overnight Bath.     BD

DAY 7, Sun.–We attend the 8 AM Holy Communion service at Bath Abbey before continuing to the lovely town of Salisbury, not only famous for its cathedral, but also an enjoyable quaint little market town.  We tour the majestic Salisbury Cathedral whose spire is the tallest of all in England. We see an original copy of the Magna Carta and the cathedral close.  We continue to Canterbury stopping along the way in Winchester for a tour of Winchester Cathedral.  The cathedral is the longest medieval church in England and it has a very rich and impressive interior. This great cathedral, built in the Norman style, was begun in 1079 and has been altered numerous times using different types of architecture. During our visit, we see the 12th-century Winchester Bible and the charter presented to the cathedral by Henry VIII.  Dinner and overnight Canterbury.     BD

DAY 8, Mon.–We attend morning worship and then tour Canterbury Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Canterbury.  The cathedral, noted for its medieval architecture, was begun only four years after the landing of the Normans, demolished and begun again in 1096.  Thomas á Becket was martyred here in 1170. We enjoy a walking tour of the city of Canterbury.  This afternoon we travel to the famous White Cliffs of Dover, Britain’s historic gateway to Europe. We explore this city which still shows the scars of the bombardments of World War II. On a clear day, the shores of France can be seen in the distance.  We tour Dover Castle before continuing to London for dinner and overnight.     BD

DAY 9, Tues.–Our day starts with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the great Gothic building which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace the medieval cathedral destroyed in the fire of 1666. The crypt here contains the tombs of Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington.  We visit the Tower of London where we will see the Yeoman Warders of the Tower in their Tudor style uniforms, the White Tower, the Bloody Tower, the crown jewels, the Chapel of St. John, Tower Bridge, Traitors Gate, and Tower Green, the site of the executioner’s block. After lunch, we will enjoy a cruise along the Thames River to Westminster Abbey, England’s chief memorial to its famous dead and where the royals are crowned.  This evening we will attend a performance at the Globe Theatre.  Dinner and overnight in London.     BD

DAY 10, Wednesday, October 2, 2019–This morning we depart for the London Heathrow Airport to board our flight back into Detroit, MI.     BM

B –Breakfast    L –Lunch    D –Dinner    M –Meal on Aircraft