The Grand Tour of Ireland and Scotland with Alex *Familiarization trip

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 Panoramic tour of Dublin City including: A visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Cathedral of Ireland originally dating back to when the Anglo-Normans arrived. Pass by the house of Oscar Wilde. Visit the Irish Jewish Museum: Opened in 1985 by the Irish born former President of Israel, Dr. Chaim Herzog, the museum contains a large collection relating to the Irish Jewish.

Dublin:

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Visit Trinity College  founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth 1^st, is the oldest University in Ireland. Drive on to Glendalough originated from the Irish “Gleann Dá Locha”, which translates as "The valley of the two lakes". It was here that St. Kevin ~ son of the king of Leinster founded a monastery in the 6th century. Return to Dublin for overnight.

Dublin:

First class

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Drive via Kilkenny Castle (view) to the Rock of Cashel (visit), an impressive site enclosed by  stone walls and includes  a twelfth century Romanesque chapel and high crosses and more. Continue to Cork County: "Rich farmlands and river valleys contrast with the wild sandstone hills of the west, and a coastline scooped and fretted by the Atlantic into  bays and secret coves, strewn with rocky headlands and long soft golden sands. Cork has everything that makes Ireland so attractive…"

Cork:

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Drive along the "Ring of Kerry" (166km) which is the most famous panoramic route in Ireland. The beauty of this peninsula, (Iveragh) comes from the great diversity of its scenery. En route around the "Ring", we shall see mountains, peat bogs, lakes, views of the Atlantic Ocean and  much more.

Killarney:

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Drive to Bunratty Castle which is one of the most complete and authentic medieval castles in Ireland. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher situated on the Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs are one of Ireland's most spectacular sights. On to the Burren National Park which contains dozens of megalithic tombs and Celtic crosses, as well as a ruined Cistercian Abbey dating back to the 12th century. 

Galway:

First class

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Drive to Connemara region a land of small villages where Gaelic is still the spoken language and where little has changed little since the beginning of time. Visit Kylemore Abbey home to the Irish order of Benedictine nuns. The Abbey's architecture is neo-gothic and still displays all the characteristics of that period. Continue to the county of Sligo.

Sligo:

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    Visit Carrowmore Megalith Cemetery which has over 60 stone

circle and passages making it

one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe.

Continue to Derry    (Londonderry)  for a walking tour of

the walled city and more.

Derry:

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Drive to the Antrim Coast and visit the Giant’s Causeway made up of 40,000 basalt polygonal columns, formed more than 60 million years ago. It is an UNESCO World Heritage site, and is often referred to as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World’.  Continue to Belfast.

Belfast:

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Short Panoramic Belfast City Tour. Depart by ferry to Stranraer in Scotland. Continue by bus to Glasgow, for a Panoramic city tour of the largest city in Scotland. Here the legacy of centuries of wealth and achievement comes vividly to life in an architectural heritage recognized and celebrated worldwide. Eve of the Jewish New Year- Rosh Hashana.

Glasgow:

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Sat

Oban:

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Rosh Hashana. Take a ferry over to the Isles of Mull with its attractive villages, mountains, and castles.  Drive to Fionnphort, to take another ferry to the small and tranquil island of Iona. St Columba first arrived on Iona in 563 with 12 followers and founded the Christian abbey whose graveyard became the burial place of Scottish kings and chiefs for centuries to come. Ferry back to the mainland and Oban.

Oban:

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Lochalsh: Isle of Skye

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Tour the Isle of Skye known for its fascinating landscapes, and dramatic coastal features. View Eilean Donan Castle, which dates back to 1214. Continue north to Wester Ross; visit Inverewe Garden, the world-famous botanical garden of exotic plants from many countries which flourish here due to the mild climate created by the North Atlantic Gulf Stream.

Ullapool:

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Visit Dunrobin Castle overlooking the sea. Continue via Loch Ness, famous worldwide for its mysterious inhabitant, the Loch Ness Monster. On the banks of the loch visit Urquhart Castle, which is one of the largest castles in Scotland. Continue to Inverness.

Inverness:

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Depart to Blair Castle, a white turreted baronial castle, the traditional seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. Stop in Pitlochry, a charming Highland resort with elegant Victorian architecture. Continue to Edinburgh.

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Panoramic city tour of Edinburgh, see the contrast between the 18th century Georgian "New Town" with its wide, tree lined streets and elegant squares and the medieval "Old Town". The Royal Mile is the backbone of the old quarter, running from the Palace of Holyrood House to Edinburgh Castle. Visit Edinburgh Castle is one of the most famous castles in the world, housing the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny and more.

Late afternoon transfer to Edinburgh Airport. Flight to Tel Aviv:

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Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport  early morning.

.*Familiarization trip:  This is first time that Alex and Yair are going to Ireland and Scotland with a group.

How ever, the services will based on the quality always provided by “Alex Veit Tours”.