THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CCeellttiicc LLaannddss IRELAND N SCOTLAND N NORTHERN IRELAND WALES N ENGLAND N FRANCE FEATURING THE DELUXE M.S. L E DIAMANT AUGUST 22 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 NOVEM BY BER E 1 V 9 R , E EARLY 2 S 0 0 E BOOKING 8 R u SAVINGS u SA ! V LE E $ UP 1000 PER CO Dear Alumni and Friends: For more than 2,000 years, the Celts inhabited the rugged margins of northwestern Europe. From their remote homelands in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and Brittany they exerted a powerful influence on Europe—an influence far out of proportion to their numbers. In their role as missionaries and scholars, they kept alight the flames of faith and knowledge during the Middle Ages; as explorers and immigrants they journeyed to the far reaches of the globe spreading and perpetuating their unique culture; and as artists and poets, they captured visions and preserved them for generations to come. Cruise with us for ten nights aboard the chartered, deluxe M.S. L E DIAMANT on a remarkable voyage of discovery. From the ancient Irish capital of Dublin and the misty, legend-haunted islands and Highlands of Scotland, cruise through the dark blue waters of the Celtic and Irish Seas and along the verdant shores of southern England and northern France. During the course of your journey, immerse yourself in the stark beauty and solitude of Scotland’s Orkney Islands and Inner Hebrides, discover exquisite gardens and imposing medieval castles in Wales, marvel at the soaring grace of Brittany’s Mont-St-Michel, and walk along the hallowed Beaches of Normandy 65 years after Allied forces made their historic D-Day landings. Our unique itinerary allows you to experience the living heritage of the Celtic people on exclusive guided tours. Explore the scenic coasts of France and the British Isles and call at ports accessible only to small ships. Participants are afforded a carefully designed and leisurely paced travel program, plus the opportunities to complement the cruise with an optional two-night Pre-Program in Dublin, Ireland, and/or a two-night Post-Program in Paris, France. Join us for this cruise through the historic Celtic heartland. This program has sold out quickly every year and the M.S. L E DIAMANT ’s capacity is limited. We encourage you to place your reservations today. Sincerely, Cover: Skye’s rolling moors and distant hills have captivated generations of visitors in Gretchen Bower Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Program Coordinator through Dunvegan’s richly appointed public U.S. rooms and view the Fairy Flag, a silken Saturday, August 22 banner said to have had the power to save Depart the U.S. for Dublin, Ireland. the clan from defeat on three occasions. Also, admire the castle’s lush gardens, ablaze DUBLIN , I RELAND with a profusion of flowering plants from the Sunday, August 23 Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The On arrival in Dublin, e mbark the return journey to Portree takes you along the M.S. L E DIAMANT . Set sail this afternoon. island’s western shore and across its starkly beautiful interior, a land of rolling green GREENOCK /E DINBURGH , S COTLAND moors laced with clear, rushing streams and Monday, August 24 dotted with the fragrant yellow flowers of Arrive in the port of Greenock and set out for gorse, set against the rugged profile of the the historic Scottish capital of Edinburgh, Cuillin Hills rising in the distance. whose regal medieval castles and splendid Cruise this evening through the Sea of the Georgian architecture make it one of the most Hebrides en route to the Isle of Lewis . handsome cities in Europe. Visit imposing Edinburgh Castle where an impressive ISLE OF LEWIS monumental complex of towers, walls and Wednesday, August 26 palaces encompass more than 800 years of Call at the charming port of Stornoway, a Scottish history and architecture. Enjoy a bastion of traditional Gaelic culture and guided tour of the Museum of Scotland, which language where colorful old houses line a chronicles 10,000 years of Scottish history picturesque waterfront that bustles with the and stroll along the famous “Royal Mile,” comings and goings of fishing vessels. Cross four ancient streets that comprise the main the island to the charming western coast to thoroughfare through Edinburgh’s medieval marvel at the imposing Standing Stones of “Old Town,” which has been named a Callanish, a ring of monumental stones UNESCO World Heritage site along with the reminiscent of Stonehenge that were erected city’s “New Town.” Join your traveling more than 3,000 years ago. Enjoy a scenic companions this evening for the Captain’s drive along the coast to Carloway Broch, a welcome reception. fortified stone tower that was built by the ancient Scottish tribe, the Picts, more than PORTREE , I SLE OF SKYE 2,000 years ago to ward off Roman attacks, Tuesday, August 25 and the traditional “black houses” of Arnol. Known as “the Winged Island” after its birdlike shape, Skye is the largest and most ISLE OF MULL /I ONA scenic of the Inner Hebrides. From Portree, Thursday, August 27 relax on a pleasant drive to Dunvegan Arrive this morning in the sheltered port of Castle, the seat of the powerful Clan Tobermory, where houses painted in vivid MacLeod since 1270, built atop a rocky shades of blue, red and green nestle between promontory overlooking the sea. Walk the hills and the harbor. After free time in An ancient castle beside a placid loch embodies the quiet beauty of the Scottish Highlands. Isle of Isle of Lewis Skye UNESCO World Stornoway Heritage site • v Isle of AirAir •Portree Mull Cruise Isle of •Tobermory Coach Iona •Iona • Edinburgh Portrush• Greenock Derry• NNorthorth Sea Irish v Sea SCOTLAND Holyhead Dublin• • ENGLAND IRELAND WALES h c a e B Penzance l a anne sh Ch h FRANCE • EnglishEngli Channel a Celtic Sea m Pointe O Honfleur dudu Hoc••• • Paris The American Military Cemetery at St-Laurent, France, hono St-Malo• Arromanchesv who made the ultimate sacrifice during the D-Day landings, w spearheaded the liberation of France from Nazi occupation in Mont-St-Michel summer of 1944. Tobermory, set off across the scenic Isle of Armada to the recent “Troubles” between Mull to Torosay Castle, a fine example of Catholics and Protestants that have Scottish Baronial architecture. Continue to defined life in Derry during recent decades. 12th-century Duart Castle, the ancestral home of Walk through Derry’s historic city center the Clan Maclean. A boxed lunch is served in and along the imposing walls that have one of the castles. Head west from Torosay defended the city since 1618. along the shore of Loch Scridain, watching for red deer, seals and shorebirds. In Fionnphort, HOLYHEAD , W ALES board a ferry to the nearby island of Iona, the Saturday, August 29 birthplace of Scottish Christianity. In A.D. 563, From Holyhead, travel east by coach across the Irish monk Columba founded a monastery the Isle of Anglesey and over the Menai Strait here; in later years, Iona became the burial on your full-day tour of North Wales. Here, in place of 60 Scottish, Irish and Norwegian one of the cradles of Celtic culture, people kings, including Duncan and Macbeth. hold fast to the old ways, and Welsh remains Walk through the restored abbey, see the their mother tongue. Visit Bodnant Garden, Romanesque Chapel of St. Oran and the ruins one of the finest examples of 19th-century of the 14th-century Nunnery of St. Mary, and Victorian landscape artistry. Continue to the view the Crosses of St. Martin and St. John. nearby village of Betws-y-Coed for lunch and a stirring local choral performance of Welsh PORTRUSH , N ORTHERN IRELAND hymns. Visit the imposing Caernarfon Castle, Friday, August 28 an impregnable 13th-century fortress built by Landscapes of rugged cliffs, emerald Edward I of England. In 1969, the castle meadows and white sandy beaches dotted served as the investiture site for the Prince of with crumbling medieval castles and seaside Wales. View the Snowdonia Mountains—a villages are the hallmarks of the Causeway land of glacier-sculpted peaks and valleys, Coast, a beautiful stretch of shoreline along laced by streams and waterfalls that cover the north coast of Ireland that unveils itself the hillsides—en route to the ship. as the M.S. L E DIAMANT pulls into the historic port of Portrush. This morning, visit one of The traditional way of life in the Scottish Isles remains un the world’s most breathtaking geological fishing port of Tobermory where brightly painted houses formations at the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site comprised of layered cliffs, rocky shorelines and thousands of basalt columns formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. This afternoon, set out on a scenic coastal drive to historic Derry, Northern Ireland’s second largest city and the only remaining walled town in the British Isles. During the city tour, visit the 17th-century St. Columb’s Cathedral, a classic example of “Planters’ Gothic” architecture and the first cathedral built in Ireland following the Reformation. Learn more about Derry’s role in Irish history at the Tower Museum, where exhibits chronicle landmark events from the Battle of the Boyne and the defeat of the Spanish rs those which n the Soaring above the glistening waters of the English Channel and the wind-swept beaches of Normandy and Brittany, the sacred aura of Mont-St-Michel has drawn pilgrims from afar since the 8th century. the village lead up to the graceful abbey PENZANCE , E NGLAND church and cloisters that rise high above Sunday, August 30 the sea.