December 23, 2012 - January 2, 2013
In London: one performance at the Royal Opera House, West End theatre, concerts at Wigmore Hall & St. Martin-in-the-Fields, plus private tours and Tea at the Savoy plus the landmark Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, with Holyrood House, Edinburgh Castle and the Scotland’s legendary Hogmanay New Year's celebration
Yes, London will host the Olympics in the summer of 2012, but each winter it is the perennial host of the quintessential Victorian Christmas. As is well documented in music, literature, art and cinema, the English have always embraced Christmas with a mixture of joy, reverence and nostalgia. Nothing could better serve to put one in the spirit of the season than a stroll through the colored lights of the Covent Garden Christmas Market, or perhaps a visit to the imposing Norwegian Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square,or hearing the joyful strains of carolers in a nearby Abbey. The excellent accommodations, performances, tours, meals and sundry surprises that we have arranged for our second Christmas tour to London will serve as frosting on a very delicious Christmas cake (or figgy pudding).
At the Royal Opera House, a seven minute walk from our hotel, we will attend one performance (TBA) with a special dinner at the opera house. We will also attend special concerts at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Wigmore Hall. In addition to a city tour that traces the evolution of central London over the centuries, we will also be stepping off the beaten path to visit the Geffrye Museum of Interior Décor, the Foundling Museum and, in this the 200th year of his birth, the Dickens Museum.
Our home in London will be the deluxe Covent Garden Hotel, located directly at Seven Dials in the heart of the West End, and as always, we will enjoy excellent cuisine and wine at some of the city’s finest restaurants.
In Edinburgh, we stay at the landmark Balmoral (now a Rocco Forte hotel) in the heart of the city off the Royal Mile. While here, we drink in the city's rich and regal history, with visits to Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood House and a thorough exploration of the Old Town...and of the distillate nectars known to these parts. New Year's Hogmanay celebrations provide a festive and fitting end to our tour.