Week 3 -- Scotland, England and return to USA

Wednesday 5th July -- Bangor to St Andrews, Scotland

We departed by coach on a journey to St. Andrews, Scotland, stopping in Lancaster to shop and have a picnic. We also visited the Scottish border town of Gretna Green. During the visit to the famous Blacksmith's Forge, we learned about its romantic history of performing marriages for young runaways from England. At Gretna Green, a mock wedding was performed with Lisa and Chris. After dinner we went to a nearby beach, where some scenes from the Oscar winning movie, "Chariots of Fire," were filmed. 

Thursday 6th July -- St Andrews

In the morning, we crossed the new Tay Bridge to the city of Dundee. There we visited the "Discovery Point" exhibition, featuring the ship "RRS Discovery," whose most famous voyage was to the South Pole during Captain Scott's heroic,  ill fated expedition. In the afternoon, we took a trip to the Scottish Deer Center, where we had the opportunity to see the animals up close.  Back in St. Andrews,  we visited the world famous "Royal & Ancient Club".  Unfortunately it was the week before the British Open -- no Tiger's were sighted.   After dinner, we took a  guided "Ghost Walk" in Old St. Andrews.

Friday 7th July -- St Andrews / Edinburgh

We spent today exploring Edinburgh, Scotland's beautiful and historic capital.  We visited the castle which is situated on an extinct volcano. We walked the "Royal Mile" down Castle Hill and Lawnmarket. We visited the "Royal Museum of Scotland" and learned about Scotland's land, people, and their achievements. That night we enjoyed a Scottish Evening, where we got to try traditional Scottish Dancing.

Saturday 8th July -- St Andrews to Birmingham, England

Today we traveled on to Birmingham with a stop in Carlisle. This town was founded by the Romans as an outpost of Hadrian's Wall, and changed hands many times between the English and the Scots until the location of the border was finally decided in the 17th century. 

Sunday 9th July -- Birmingham to London

Today we returned to London with a stop at Warwick Castle -- the finest medieval castle in England. Built by William the Conqueror, it overlooks the river Avon. After dinner, we received a Pop Quiz on our knowledge of Britain.

Monday 10th July -- London / Millennium Dome

We visited the Millennium Dome.  Here we had a full day exploring the 14 zones and other attractions in the largest Dome in the world. We watched the Millennium Show, a live acrobatic display, explored a giant human body, discovered the history and potential of travel, and the future of communication.  This was a unique opportunity since the Millennium Dome is only scheduled to be open during 2000. In the early evening we boarded a boat for a Thames River cruise.  The trip included water front views of The Millennium Dome, Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. After dinner, we rode the London Eye, the largest Ferris Wheel in the world, and got our final view of London.

Tuesday 11th July -- Departure to USA