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Back to Celtic Tours
Paris to Stonehenge Tour
May 22nd – June 2nd, 2012
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 - Tues. May 22nd
Collection from
Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy), Paris
, and transfer to our Paris hotel. You’ll have time to rest up before introductions, followed by a welcome dinner at a French cuisine restaurant close to our hotel.
Dinner included
Day 2 & 3
- Wed. & Thur. May 23rd & 24th
Orientation meeting followed by a guided tour of Paris.
We will visit the
Louvre
, located on the Rose Line, with its incomparable collection of ‘old master’ paintings including the Mona Lisa, as well as its glass pyramids.
Notre Dame Cathedral
, a magnificent example of Early Gothic architecture, dates to 1163 and sits on the Ile de la Cite at the heart of Paris.
We will also take a cruise on the river
Seine
to see some of the city’s main sites from the water. No other structures symbolise Paris like the
Arc de Triumphe
and the
Eiffel Tower
which we will ascend to gain a panoramic view of the city. The fantastic stained glass of
Saint-Chappelle
is a visual feast for the senses.
Free evenings
Day 4
- Fri. May 25th
Today we travel west to
Brittany
. En-route we will visit the Gothic
Chartres Cathedral
, where we will have the pleasure of walking the beautiful and famous labyrinth, inlaid in the floor of the nave around 1200. After lunch in Chartres we’ll head west to our hotel in
Rennes
for three nights.
Dinner at the hotel
Day 5
- Sat. May 26th
Our first port of call is the
World Heritage
listed island of
Mont Saint Michel
, off the coast of Normandy. We’ll visit the exquisite Benedictine Abbey on its summit and have time to walk around the island, which becomes separated from the mainland at high tide when the causeway is flooded by the sea. The Apollo & Athena energy lines (like Michael & Mary lines of England) go through the island and connect to St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, which is very similar in many aspects.
In the afternoon we’ll visit the
Forest of Paimpont
, the home of the Breton legend of the ancient magical
Brocéliande Forest
. We will walk the Arthurian trails visiting the
‘Golden Tree’
and
‘the Fontaine de Jouvence’
, the eternal youth fountain, and hear of the Arthurian myths that infuse these mystical woods.
Free evening
Day 6
- Sun. May 27th
The Neolithic sites of
Carnac & Kermario
lie close to the southern coast of Brittany. Together they comprise eleven parallel rows of standing stones stretching across the countryside for several miles. The original purpose, as with so many ancient sacred sites, is unknown but astronomical alignments have been discovered with some of the stones. This site was built around the same time as Stonehenge; maybe the best thing is for us to go and explore these magnificent alignments for ourselves!
Dinner at the hotel
Day 7
- Mon. May 28th
We’ll have a leisurely start to our day catching the midday ferry to
Guernsey
in the
Channel Islands
from St. Malo. Upon arrival we will check into our hotel, in the parish of St. Martin, for two nights.
Free afternoon to rest at this fabulous hotel (with swimming pool) or explore the island which has an extensive public bus system that will bring you anywhere. To read more about the island and all that it has to offer visit the Guernsey website at VisitGuernsey.com
Free evening
Day 8
- Tues. May 29th
Today we will explore the Guernsey folklore beginning in St. Martin by visiting the
La Grand'mère du Chimquière
, a Pagan 'Earth Mother' statue of a woman who stands at the entrance to St. Martin’s Parish Church. The history of inhabited Guernsey stretches back at least 6500 years, from megalithic dolmens and menhirs dotted across the island to tales of little people, witches and the evil eye. One of the sites we’ll see is Le Déhus, one of the most impressive passage graves on the island, as it features the world famous ‘
Le Gardien du Tombeau
’ carving on the underside of one of the capstones. Later in history it’s suggested that Guernsey may have been a 'holy island' or an island of rest for ancient French kings, beyond their setting sun. Our day of visits will also allow us to see much of the island’s breathtaking scenery.
Dinner at the hotel
Day 9
- Wed. May 30th
Enjoy some shopping and exploring
St. Peter Port
, the principal town on the island, before catching the mid-afternoon ferry to Weymouth in England. Transfer to our hotel in Winchester for three nights.
Dinner on the ferry not included
Day 10
- Thurs. May 31st
We will spend this day in the ancient city of
Winchester
. This city, dating back to Roman times, is built around its
11th century cathedral
, which will be our first visit of the day. As our group is escorted around the underground crypts we are actually walking in the flow of powerful earth energy currents. From the neighbouring
Bishops Palace
we walk by the side of the river Itchen with its multitude of wild fowl and flanked by beautiful flowering gardens. The ancient streets, with their rich variety of architecture from many periods of history, will lead us to some surprising sacred sites, as we follow the past into the present.
After lunch we see the oldest copy of King Arthur’s Round Table housed inside
Winchester Castle
. On the way we pass the medieval
Buttercross
, where markets were traditionally held, and the
Roman Northgate
into the city. We will conclude our day with a climb up
St. Catherine’s Hill
, to walk the labyrinth on its summit and view the city spread out in the water meadows below.
Free evening
Day 11
- Fri June 1st
We start the day with an early morning visit to
Stonehenge
. We have arranged for the group to have private special access into the stones of the world's most famous sacred site. Touch the huge megaliths which have stood in magnificent isolation on the windswept Salisbury Plain for thousands of years, feel the pulse of powerful earth energy currents coursing beneath your feet, imagine the ceremonies which have been performed by robed priests over aeons of time or just sit in quiet meditation. This is a rare opportunity to truly experience a site revered by countless generations.
Following our visit we will have breakfast at the George Hotel in Amesbury and then visit the historic site of Old Sarum. Sarum is the old name for Salisbury and
Old Sarum
is where the city of Salisbury used to be before 1220AD. We find the remains of a Neolithic settlement, an iron age hillfort, a castle and the original cathedral all still evident at this intriguing site.
Then we head to the beautiful city of
Salisbury
, a medieval city with a magnificent world-famous cathedral at its heart. Learn of its long history from the cathedral guides, view the
Magna Carta
and lunch in the atmospheric cloisters.
Stonehenge, Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral are all connected by a leyline.
After lunch we return to Winchester for a free afternoon, for last minute shopping and packing.
Farewell dinner at the hotel
Day 12
- Sat June 2nd
Drive to
London Heathrow airport
for return flight home or the next leg of your journey. Bon voyage!
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