A Voyage Through History: Lisbon to London on the Ocean Albatros

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. The group will be split between several hotels, please note that we have to take Color Groups & bed configuration into consideration when assigning hotels, once your hotel is assigned, it cannot be changed.

Afternoon: Orientation. Your Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date programs schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Get to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach with 4-5 steps up/down. Walking of about 2 miles; uneven terrain including steps without railings and cobblestones; standing up to 2 hours.

Breakfast: At hotel.

Morning: While these lands have been inhabited since the Paleolothic era, the nation of Portugal takes its name from an ancient settlement — Portus Cale — near the mouth of the River Douro. Lisbon is one of the oldest and most vibrant cities in the world, known to the Romans as Olisipo. It became the national capital in 1298. By motorcoach, we take in the most important monuments of the Portuguese capital. We pause to admire the Belém Tower, a gorgeous defensive tower that sits on the Rio Tejo like an enormous white wedding cake, and the Monument to Discoveries. This marks where the Portuguese navigators left on their "discovery" of India. We continue with a visit to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, where Vasco da Gama and renowned 16th-century poet Luís Vaz de Camões are buried. We end our morning visiting downtown Lisbon, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Transfer to the port and board the ship. After completing boarding procedures and getting your cabin, take some time to unpack, freshen up, and relax and start becoming familiar with the ship. There will be a mandatory passenger briefing and safety drill. Please note that your departure is part of our Floating Campus programs. All routes and excursions are subject to change – weather and sea conditions may affect the itinerary. Sea conditions affect the progress of the ship, making it run late and sometimes miss ports because it is not safe to dock. Because of this, the cruise itinerary should always be regarded as provisional. The operators reserve the right to change the content of excursions without prior notice.

Dinner: Aboard ship. Dinners always include a meat option, fish option and vegetarian option. Water, tea, & coffee is available 24 hours a day. Any other beverages will be charged to your cabin. The ship has a fully equipped onboard bar & offers a wide variety of cocktails, beers, non-alcoholic beverages and bottled water available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. You might like to check out the library or the jacuzzis.

Activity note: Getting on and off a motorcoach. Pedestrian-only areas with very restricted motorcoach drop off points. Walking 3-4 miles over the course of the day; cobblestones, uneven terrain, some steep slopes; standing up to 2 hours at a time.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: Porto is Portugal’s second-largest city, with a history dating back to its days as a Roman trading outpost. We will set out with a local expert to explore Porto’s highlights by motorcoach. We will continue our exploration with a local expert on a walking field trip in the historic city center, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. From the UNESCO inscription: “The city of Oporto, built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro river, is an outstanding urban landscape with a 2,000-year history. Its continuous growth, linked to the sea (the Romans gave it the name Portus, or port), can be seen in the many and varied monuments, from the cathedral with its Romanesque choir, to the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the typically Portuguese Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara.”

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time in Porto or enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship. Later in the afternoon, we will gather on the ship for a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Get on and off a motorcoach 2-4 steps up/down. Driving about 1 hour to Santiago de Compostela. Walk up to 2 miles, standing for 2 hours.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We will board our coaches in the port of La Coruna and ride for about 1 hour to Santiago de Compostela. With a local expert, we will discover Obradoiro Square where we will see the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and learn about the Palacio de Rajoy, built in the 18th century to house choirboys and priests, later turned into a prison and now the Town Hall. We will also see the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos, built as a hospital during the reign of the Catholic kings in the 15th century and today is one of the most beautiful buildings combining Renaissance, Gothic, & Baroque styles.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time in Santiago de Compostela. We will then board our coaches for the ride back to port.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Full day at sea

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: Enjoy the activities of your choice aboard ship, including a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Get on and off a motorcoach 2-4 steps up/down. Walk up to 2 miles, standing for 2 hours.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We will board our coaches in the port of Douarnenez and drive to the medieval town of Quimper. With a local expert, we’ll be immersed in Breton history and culture as we stroll through the old town with its timber-framed houses and granite mansions. Visit the Gothic St Corentin Cathedral and admire its twin spires and fine stained-glass windows.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time in Quimper before returning to the ship. Later in the afternoon, we will gather on the ship for a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Zodiac landing: possibility of rough seas; bumpy sailing; splashing water; may get wet; getting in/out of Zodiac with assistance from staff. Walking distances up to 2 miles on uneven and hilly terrain.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: This morning we will board Zodiacs for the ride to shore. Set out to explore St Mary’s, the largest island in the archipelago (yet still only six square miles), enjoy some free time in Hugh Town or walk the historic Garrison Walls.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: Board Zodiacs for the ride to shore. This afternoon, we will visit traffic-free Tresco, walking its idyllic lanes from the beach to the famous subtropical Abbey Gardens. Defying the Atlantic weather, this miracle of a garden is home to more than 20,000 species of plants from over 80 countries. Later in the afternoon, we will gather on the ship for a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Get on and off a motorcoach 2-4 steps up/down. Walk up to 2 miles, standing for 2 hours.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We will board our coaches and drive to Charlestown, made famous by the BBC's Poldark series and learn about Cornwall's past of piracy and smuggling at the Shipwreck Heritage Centre. Then we'll continue to Mevagissey, where we will consider the fishing and vernacular architecture. Mevagissey is a picturesque fishing port founded in medieval times, with attractive old buildings around the harbor, narrow cobbled streets, and an excellent aquarium and local museum.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Afternoon: Free time before returning to port. Later in the afternoon, we will gather on the ship for a lecture on topics relevant to our program.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 140 miles, approximately 5.5 hours. Walking up to 5 miles, walking and standing up to 2 hours on trips. Sturdy footwear recommended. Stonehenge: approx. 1.5 miles from visitor center to stone circle along tarmac, gravel, and grass paths; or shuttle buses may be taken all or part way. At Salisbury Cathedral, step-free access to all areas except library and tower.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We'll arrive in Portland Harbour on the Dorset Coast. The Isle of Portland, connected to the mainland by Chesil Beach, is renowned for its fine fossil-rich limestone. Over the centuries, its quarries have supplied building material to major public buildings and monuments in Britain and beyond, including Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and the United Nations headquarters in New York City. We’ll step off the ship, board our coaches, and ride inland to the prehistoric landscape of Salisbury Plain. Here we’ll explore Stonehenge, a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site managed by English Heritage. We will walk in the footsteps of our Neolithic ancestors at the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. Stonehenge has a world-class visitor center housing quality permanent exhibitions. We will also view the stones themselves, a fantastic opportunity to take in the immense sense of ancient history. The site remains a source of inspiration and spirituality as well as a feat of engineering and building.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We will reboard our coaches and move on to Salisbury for an expert-led field trip to see and learn about architectural highlights of Salisbury Cathedral, the most complete 13th-century Gothic-style cathedral in the country. It boasts the tallest spire in England, the best-preserved exemplification of Magna Carta from 1215, and Europe's oldest working clock. Following our exploration of the cathedral, we will have some independent time to wander around timbered buildings and lush water meadows of this “city in the country” before we return to the ship

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy activities aboard ship, spend time with fellow Road Scholars.

Activity note: Get on and off a motorcoach 2-4 steps up/down.Gangways at Historic Dockyard can be steep at high tide. Low ceilings, trip hazards, uneven floors, steep stairs and low doorways may be encountered aboard historic vessels. Some of the Historic Dockyard site is only accessible by waterbus boat across the harbor; boat is not wheelchair accessible, four steps with handrails to board. Entrance to Mary Rose Museum not included. Ride from the port of Portsmouth to London is approx. 1 hr. 50 min.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: After completing disembarkation procedures, we’ll step ashore and walk to our coaches for a short journey through Portsmouth’s docks to the Historic Dockyard. Here we’ll have a brief orientation talk from our Group Leader, then we will be free to explore the Dockyard’s many museums, including a number of preserved historic naval vessels, at our own pace. The vessels at the Dockyard include HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship built in 1759, on which he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar; HMS Warrior, 1860, the Royal Navy’s first armored battleship, powered by both sail and steam; the monitor HMS M33, one of only three British warships remaining from World War I; and HMS Alliance, the only remaining World War II-era submarine. Museums include the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which tells the story of the Navy over the last 350 years; The Dockyard Apprentice, focusing on Portsmouth’s boatbuilding heritage; and Boathouse 4, where students of the International Boatbuilding Training College learn their craft by repairing and restoring historic small naval boats. Regular 45-minute boat trips, departing from a pier close to HMS Warrior 1860, offer the chance to view the harbor’s fortifications and the modern Navy vessels in port with accompanying expert commentary. After our Field Trip, we will drive to our hotel in London (ride is approx. 1 hr. 50 min.).

Lunch: At a local restaurant en route to London.

Afternoon: Check into the hotel, the remainder of the afternoon is free.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!