GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
Pageantry is a part of everyday life in London like nowhere else in the world... witness the
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, a daily occurrence (in summer months) as it has been for centuries, with its brilliant martial colors, pomp, and music... But then there are the big events, like the Royal Wedding, the Diamond Jubilee, celebrating 60 years of the Queen’s reign, which will take place in 2012, not to mention the 2012 Olympics, when the city that thrives on pageantry and tradition pulls out the stops... it promises to be a year of celebration you won’t want to miss.
It’s said that an enterprising landlord, Cornelius O’Brien, built the little tower overlooking the
Cliffs of Moher to impress his Victorian lady friends with its dramatic views of the seascape. It’s also said that O’Brien was actually a visionary who believed that the site, where eons of titanic geologic events had sawed away miles of Irish coastline, leaving behind an awesome vista of plunging sandstone cliffs above a vast restless sea, would one day draw hundreds of visitors a year; (he was wrong; it draws about a million). But whether or not you share O’Brien’s faith in the scene as a courting method, there’s no denying its power to stir emotions and take your breath away.
You have to wonder what Bonnie Prince Charlie was thinking when he attempted to capture
Stirling Castle with his ragtag army of Jacobites in 1746. But then Stirling Castle, soaring impervious atop lofty cliffs, was a special prize... the romantic heart and soul of Scotland, where kings and queens were coronated. The “siege” was over in a matter of hours when the castle guns opened fire on Charlie’s army (the last time the fortress ever saw military action) and the prince retreated into legend. But you only have to walk the castle grounds and feel the grand, turbulent history in its beautifully preserved ramparts, gardens, and great halls to understand why he had to give it a shot.
Call your travel agent or Tauck at 800-468-2825
www.tauck.com 55
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156