ESSENTIAL EUROPE - 2010

12 days incl. travel, or 11 days from Rome to London (HF)

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Vacation Overview

This is one of our most popular Europe vacations. See the best of Rome, Florence, Venice, Lucerne, Paris, and London, featuring all the “must-see” landmarks with a Local Guide, like Rome’s Colosseum and Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s David and Signoria Square in Florence, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Lucerne’s Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge, Notre Dame Cathedral and the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and London’s Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Other memorable highlights include Tuscany, Chianti and Burgundy wine country, the Apennines, subtropical Lugano, the stunning Swiss Alps, and an exciting trans-channel journey from Paris to London on the famous Eurostar train.

Special Departure:
Dec 18th Departure - Christmas Eve in Lucerne

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Add a River Cruise to Your Vacation (WCA)

Things to see on your vacation: View Vacation Photo Slideshow

A Vacation Story Lion Monument

“The Lion of Lucerne” (Lowendenkmal) is a compelling statue in the north section of Old Town dedicated to the 42 members of the Swiss Guard who were assigned to protect Louis the XVI, Maria Antoinette and their family at the Royal Palace. When the Tuileries was stormed on August 10, 1792 by rioting Parisians at the start of the French Revolution, the king ordered the soldiers to lay down their arms. They were subsequently slaughtered by the crowd and the royal family was captured. Louis had made a big mistake. In 1821 Danish sculpture Berthel Thorwaldsen finished the sculpture, a 30-foot likeness of a wounded and dying lion with a broken lance in its heart and his paw resting atop the fleur-de-lys shield of the Bourbon king. The Latin inscription translated “To the bravery and fidelity of the Swiss.”