by Dawnielle Jacobson | Mar 27, 2015 | news
Greetings from County Cork Ireland. I’ve spent the last few days with the Niceville high school chorus on their spring break concert tour. We began last Sunday in Dublin with a sightseeing tour and walk about town. They presented a fantastic concert in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday afternoon. The choir, under the direction of Michael Dye, is traveling with about 50 singers between 15 and 18 years old.
Since leaving Dublin, we’ve had beautiful weather and a great time in the outdoors at Glendalough, located in the Wicklow Mountains. From there we arrived in Kilkenny, visited Waterford, and now set up for the night in Cork.
Blarney Castle was a “must see” destination for the group. I believe most of the students and many of the chaperones climbed the castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. Actually it takes a bit of doing, because there are 138 small spiral steps to the top and then you have to lay down on your back, scoot out beyond the wall, and rise up to kiss the stone that countless others have laid their lips on in the past hour. I didn’t hear a single one of them complain and believe you me they were gabbing about it all afternoon.
Cork City is not really a tourist destination, it’s a real-life, lived-in Irish town. Surrounded by the River Lee, its downtown commercial zone is loaded with Irish stores, an indoor food and vegetable market, and lots of local people carrying on business and doing their shopping. This town of 300,000 is Ireland’s second-largest and actually, I think it’s more “Irish” than Dublin.
Watch the video of Michael Dye, Niceville Chorus Director, kissing the Blarney Stone.
Slán,
by Dawnielle Jacobson | Mar 19, 2015 | news
MARCH 20, 2015
Greetings from London!
Charlotte and I are here leading a tour of 130 students from the Spruce Creek high school band and color guard. We’ve packed a lot in during the two days we’ve been in London: a comprehensive sightseeing tour led by local blue badged guides, a visit to the British Museum, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and an opportunity to see a West End show. Today is a big day for the band as they are giving a concert performance at Southwark Cathedral. In the next few days we will visit Bath and Stonehenge, experience more of London, and the jazz bands will present a series of concerts at several venues including the Royal Air Force Museum. It’s a great time to be in London; the weather is cool, this skies are partly cloudy, and we’ve had no rain.
Add London to your Tour
London is a great destination, especially if you have three or more days to experience it. It gives you an opportunity to slow down and actually enjoy the capital city without feeling rushed to cram in all the major sites. If you’d like to experience London in this manner, we can add it to any of our Ireland tours (A Taste O’ Ireland or The Essence of Ireland) or our Ireland and Scotland tour. It is also possible to add London to our Germany-Austria-Switzerland-France tour by taking the Eurostar high-speed train under the English Channel. See the list of 2015 tours.
Don’t Forget!
The dollar is still going strong against the euro! Take this opportunity to sign up for a tour and get 15% off. See the list of 2015 tours to book your next vacation.
The digital scrapbook competition ends on April 5. There’s still time to get your entry in for a chance to win a free trip to Europe. See details here.
Fun Facts about Windsor
Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest continuously inhabited castle in Britain and was originally founded in 1080 by William the Conqueror to defend London from the west.
The Semi-State Rooms, where the Queen receives guests, were severely damaged in a fire in 1992 during some construction work. Thanks to the construction, the furniture and decorations had all been removed.
It is actually thanks to this fire that you can visit Buckingham Palace today. That palace was opened to visitors to pay for the repairs at Windsor.
Discover more about Windsor here.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
by Dawnielle Jacobson | Mar 13, 2015 | Destinations, news
MARCH 2015
Each week we will be featuring an Exploring Europe destination in addition to proving you with the latest news and updates. For those times when you can’t travel, we’ll bring the sights to you. We hope that you enjoy the new content. This week, your adventure starts at the Tower of London.
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Spotlight on the Tower of London
London is a city with a rich history, much of which can be traced through the many interesting and gruesome tales of the Tower of London. Originally just one tower, over the years it expanded into a powerful fortress that also housed a royal palace, a chapel, an armory and even London’s first zoo. Take a quick peak into the tower’s past.
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Take Advantage of the Strong Dollar with 15% off!
The dollar has hit a 12-year high against the euro, making travel to Europe cheaper than it has been in years. Take advantage of falling prices with our 15% off Spring Tour Sale. Travel to places like Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France and get more bang for your buck! Find a tour that’s right for you.
Rather Travel for Free?
There’s still time to enter the digital scrapbook contest for a chance to win a free trip on any tour departing in 2015! Second and third prizes will get gift certificates toward future travel. Submit your digital scrapbook by April 5. See the contest rules here.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
Greetings from County Cork Ireland. I’ve spent the last few days with the Niceville high school chorus on their spring break concert tour. We began last Sunday in Dublin with a sightseeing tour and walk about town. They presented a fantastic concert in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday afternoon. The choir, under the direction of Michael Dye, is traveling with about 50 singers between 15 and 18 years old.
