THE TOUR INCLUDES: - 8 nights deluxe accommodations: Mercure Hotel Castle (Windsor), Ayrlington Manor (Bath), St. Davids Hotel & Spa (Cardiff) - Top category seats for 3 performances by the Welsh National Opera and 2 peformances at the Bath Music Festival - Full breakfast daily, 3 lunches, 2 dinners, 1 High Tea - Guided tours of Kew Gardens, Windsor Castle, Avebury, Silbury Hill, Lacock, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, Berkeley Castle and two tours of Cardiff - Private Airport-Hotel transfers - Tour direction by an Aria Tours director - A comprehensive tour handbook containing travel info, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $6475 US Single Supplement: $1275 US Deposit: $2500 Balance due: February 27, 2009 POST-TOUR LONDON INCLUDES: - 4 nights deluxe accommodations at the Covent Garden Hotel - Top category seats for 2 performances (tba) - Full breakfast daily, High Tea at the Ritz plus 2 dinners - Guided tours of London (featuring its musical past) and the National Gallery - private Airport-Hotel transfers - tour direction by an Aria Tours director - a comprehensive tour handbook containing travel info, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $3475 US Single Supplement: $650 US Optional performance (June 7): $300 US Deposit: $1000

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

English landscape gardening is rooted in European landscape painting. Designers like William Kent, Humphrey Repton and Capability Brown turned the gardens into works of art in their own right, bringing in their own outside influences. Despite some initial criticism of English landscape design, the gardens conceptualized by these men soon became prominent. Each of the designers followed a distinct vision: Kent took his cue from ancient European culture, while Brown specifically wanted his gardens to resemble the English countryside. Repton, on the other hand, wanted flowers right next to the house, something not done before. By the time the controversy ended, the landscape garden had evolved—the Victorian English garden, with its rose gardens, rock gardens, herb gardens and shrubberies, had been born.

We will visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the area just west of London, in the Cotswolds and in the environs of Bath, and en route from Bath to Cardiff and west of Cardiff at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. As well, we stay in wonderful hotels and manor homes on our journey, and we enjoy elegant dining throughout. In Cardiff, we take in three performances at the superb Welsh National Opera. This is truly an itinerary that will satisfy all of your senses (and sensibilities).

THE ITINERARY

Wednesday, May 27...Departures
Departures from North America. Inbound flights to London Heathrow.

Thursday, May 28...Arrivals in England
Arrive at Heathrow. You will be met and driven to the Mercure Hotel Castle in Windsor. This historic 4 star property is a stone's throw from the River Thames and a mere two minutes walk from the main gates of Windsor Castle, with unrivalled views of the Changing of the Guard procession. Ten miles from London Heathrow, it affords easy access from London Paddington or Waterloo. Upon arrival, the afternoon is at leisure to settle in and rest, or stroll through the grounds at Windsor Castle, or across the Thames to Eton College. This evening, we enjoy a welcoming dinner at the AA Rosette awarded Restaurant Eighteen in our hotel.

Friday, May 29...Windsor
Breakfast included at each hotel daily. Following breakfast, we depart for a guided tour of Kew Gardens. Now a World Heritage Site, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is home to the world's largest and most diverse collection of living plants, with over 40,000 different species. Kew's seven magnificent glasshouses, including the famous Palm House, display rare and unusual plants from across the world. Following lunch at leisure in Kew, we return to Windsor for a guided tour of Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world and one of the official residences of Her Majesty The Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The Castle's dramatic site encapsulates 900 years of British history. It covers an area of 26 acres and contains, as well as a royal palace, a magnificent chapel and the homes and workplaces of a large number of people. Dinner at your leisure either in the hotel or at one of the many surrounding restaurants.

Saturday, May 30...Windsor to — Bath
Following breakfast, baggage pick up and check out of the hotel. We then depart by private coach and head west toward Bath, stopping first to explore the Medieval village of Lacock, a National trust site, where we can stroll through the carefully preserved village or explore the Abbey. We also visit the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, with lunch at the refined Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury. We then continue to Bath where we check in at the 5 Star Ayrlington. Built of golden Bath stone, the Ayrlington is a handsome listed Victorian house set in a splendid award-winning walled Oriental garden with exceptional views of the City and its medieval Abbey. Bath's magnificent historic sites, speciality shops and excellent restaurants are all just a five minutes stroll away. Once settled in our rooms, we have time to rest before our performance at the Bath Music Festival (TBA).

Sunday, May 31...Windsor to — Bath
Enjoy the morning at leisure, to stroll through the hotel gardens or through the streets of Bath, possibly visiting the Jane Austen Museum or the Abbey. In the afternoon, we gather and depart for a private guided tour of the Roman Baths, finishing at the Pump Room for High Tea. This evening, we include either theatre or a performance at the Bath Music Festival (TBA).

Monday, June 1...Bath
Following breakfast, depart for day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. In Salisbury, we begin with a tour of the medieval cathedral, which dates back to 1220 and has the tallest spire of any cathedral in England. This cathedral was immortalised by Constable in his famous paintings. After lunch at the Gastrobistro at the Pheasant Inn, we depart for awe-inspiring Stonehenge. Marvel at how stones of such monumental scale, towering 21 feet high and weighing up to 50 tons, were quarried, transported and erected 5,000 years ago, when the only tools available were made of wood, bone and stone. Following our tour, we return to Bath for dinner at leisure.

Tuesday, June 2 ..Bath — Cardiff
Following breakfast, we head northwest to Berkely Castle for a brief tour and a stroll through the beautiful gardens. A member of the Historic Houses Association, this castle enjoys a rich, storied history. In royal possession until the death of Edward VI, the castle is famous as the site of King Edward II's imprisonment and murder in 1327. The structure sustained considerable damage during the English Civil War, although it has now undergone extensive repairs. Lovely gardens surround the castle, which houses a variety of artefacts and treasures. Over time, successive generations have softened the stern aspect of the Castle walls with flowers, until finally the present planting of the terraces was carried out with the help of Gertrude Jekyll at the turn of the last century. The gardens specialize in scent and the roses in particular are a delight in June. Rare plants, shrubs and trees are to be enjoyed. The grounds also include a Butterfly House with hundreds of butterflies flying freely in a tranquil, indoor garden. After lunch (included), we continue to Cardiff, the Welsh capital, where we check in at the luxurious St. Davids Hotel & Spa. Overlooking Cardiff Bay, the St. Davids is close to the Millenium Centre, home of the Welsh National Opera. Once settled in our rooms, there is time for an early dinner prior to a performance of Mozart's Mitridate, re di Ponto by the Welsh National Opera. Cast and details tba.

Wednesday, June 3 ..Cardiff
Late morning we enjoy a walking tour of the Alexandra and Gorsedd Gardens near the Cardiff Civic Centre, followed by a tour of the National Museum. Following the tour, the afternoon is at leisure. This evening, we gather and depart for another performance by the Welsh National Opera—Puccini's timeless La Bohème. Cast and details tba.

Thursday, June 4 ..Cardiff
Late morning we gather and depart by private coach to tour the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire, just west of Swansea. With some of the rarest plants in the world, this is one of the most fascinating gardens in the UK, voted the top wonder of Wales by the Western Mail. Following a guided tour of the gardens, we stop for lunch at leisure before returning to Cardiff, stopping first for a quick visit at Caerphilly Castle, one of the great medieval castles of western Europe and the largest in Britain after Windsor. This evening, we gather for an early Farewell Dinner in the hotel restaurant before attending our third and final performance at the Welsh National Opera—Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Cast and details tba.

Friday, June 5 ..Departures (homeward or to London)
Following breakfast, check out and transfer to Cardiff Airport or Heathrow.

POST-TOUR LONDON

DAY 1 - Friday, June 5 ..Arrivals in London
Following breakfast, check out and transfer to Cardiff Central Station for the 10:55 high speed train transfer (included) to London, arriving at Paddington Station at 13:03. Whether you arrive in London by rail from Cardiff or by plane from points beyond, you will be met at your arrival point and transferred to our deluxe accommodatrions at the Covent Garden Hotel, in the heart of Covent Garden. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner in the hotel's Brasserie Max before attending a performance at the Royal Opera House (tba).

DAY 2 - Saturday, June 6 ..London
Late morning, meet our guide and depart for a private and guided city coach and walking tour, featuring the highlights of one of the world's great cities. The tour will focus on the numerous important musical sights in the city, in addition to some of the major historic and architectural “must sees”. London has ancient musical traditions, deriving from its many ecclesiastical institutions (including St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey), its importance as a court and centre of government, and its commercial prosperity. It has been a magnet for musicians from Europe (and more lately the rest of the world, especially the British Commonwealth and the USA) since the 17th century; from the 18th century onwards many leading composers settled in or visited London to compose for the rich and appreciative audiences – Handel, J.C. Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Spohr, Weber, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Verdi, Wagner and almost every composer of note since. Through its concert life, opera and musical theatre, as well as its espousal of popular and world music of all kinds (not least within the recording industry), it has maintained its reputation as a leading international centre of musical activity. At the conclusion of the tour, return to the hotel to freshen up before departing for High Tea at the Ritz. Served in the spectacular Palm Court, a choice of several varieties of tea, finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones, jam and clotted cream and a range of delicate pastries, combine to make for an unforgettable afternoon. Afterward, we enjoy another performance (tba).

DAY 3 - Sunday, June 7 ..London
Today, we partake in a guided tour of the the National Gallery, which houses one of the greatest collections of European painting in the world, including Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and countless masterpieces by Leonardo, Seurat, Cézanne, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens and many more. This afternoon, we offer an optional performance (tba; $300).

DAY 4 - Monday, June 8 ..London
Enjoy the final day at leisure in London, before meeting in the evening for a very special Farewell Dinner at the revered Restaurant St. John, recently voted one of the 20 best restaurants in the world.

DAY 5 - Friday, June 9 ..Departures
Following breakfast, check out and transfer to Heathrow for homeward flights.