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NEW, REVISED ITINERARY |
August 12, Thurs. |
Arrive London. Airport transfer and check into hotel.
Orientation meeting this evening, with refreshments.
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August 13, Fri. |
London city tour this morning.
Day 1 of the Aviva London Diamond League Meeting at the Crystal Palace
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August 14, Sat. |
Day free in London. Day 2 of the Aviva meet this evening at the Crystal Palace.
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August 15, Sun. |
Board the Eurostar (Chunnel) at St. Pancras Station in London for the 2-1/4 hr trip to Paris (Gare du Nord). Transfer to hotel for our three-night stay.
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August 16, Mon. |
This morning there will be an informal city tour for Paris newcomers---how to use the Metro, with quick visits to major attractions like the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, etc. Rest of day at leisure.
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August 17, Tues. |
Day free to enjoy the delights of Paris, the famed City of Light.
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August 18, Wed. |
High-speed rail to Zurich, while our motorcoach takes our luggage and meets us at the Zurich train station. It's a one-hour drive to Lucerne, where we'll stay for the next three nights.
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August 19, Thurs. |
Day free to enjoy Lucerne---visiting the city's attractions, having a boatride on the beautiful lake, etc. About 5pm we'll motorcoach to Zurich for the great Weltklasse, always the year's top invitational meet, returning to our Lucerne hotel after the meet.
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August 20, Fri. |
Day free in Lucerne. Optional trip by boat and cog railway (steepest in Europe) to 7000-ft peak Pilatus, returning by gondola, where the bus will meet us and get us back to the hotel.
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August 21, Sat. |
It's off to France and we'll spend the next two nights in Dijon, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the country, famed for its cuisine, fascinating pedestrian-only streets, and its cathedral.
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August 22, Sun. |
Dijon city tour this morning. Rest of day free. Group dinner this evening.
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August 23, Mon. |
We'll motorcoach this morning to Blois, gateway to the Loire Valley and its fabulous chateaux. Check in to the hotel for a three-night stay.
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August 24, Tues. |
Visit Villandry, with its beautiful gardens. Afternoon free. This evening we'll visit Chambord for its phenomenal son et lumiere show.
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August 25, Wed. |
Back to Chambord this morning so we can visit the interior of this amazing "hunting lodge", the largest and most famous of the Loire chateaux. And in the afternoon we'll visit another remarkable palace, Chenonceaux, built over the Cher River.
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August 26, Thurs. |
An early departure for the drive to Brussels, where we'll check in to our hotel late afternoon.
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August 27, Fri. |
Brussels city tour this morning, and in the late afternoon we'll motorcoach to King Baudouin Stadium, for the Van Damme Memorial, the all-important Diamond League finale.
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August 28, Sat. |
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the USA.
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This once-in-a-lifetime (?) grand track & field tour package includes prime tickets to the three major Diamond League climactic meets, airport transfers, 16 nights lodging in 3-star hotels or better, daily breakfast, air-conditioned motorcoach transportation from Paris/Lucerne onward, city tours of London, Dijon and Brussels with professional English-speaking guides, Eurostar transport London to Paris, high speed rail Paris-Zurich, one orientation cocktail party, one group dinner in Dijon, goodies, and more.
This is a longer trip than our usual European tours and we expect it to cost at least $4,000 a person, double occupancy (air is not included). Those who wish a less pricey itinerary have the option of beginning the tour in Paris (13 nights), and that should be in the $3400 range per person double occupancy. Final prices will be known by the end of this year.
To hold a place on the tour: Send $75 per person to Track & Field News Tours, 2570 W El Camino Real, Suite 606, Mountain View, CA 94040. Space is limited, so act now; it's first come, first served. The cancellation fee is just $15/person until such time as final prices are announced and an additional deposit is required---probably by December 1.
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