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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Saturday:  Depart your home city/Arrive Paris

Depart your home city on your international flight to Paris. In flight overnight.

Day 2 – Sunday:  Arrive Paris; Sightseeing Tour & Welcome Dinner (D)

Morning arrival in Paris; meeting assistance at the airport by our local tour representative. Transfer to our hotel in the heart of the city, where we check in and have some time to rest. Lunch on your own.

In the afternoon we begin our adventure of “Following the Trail of the Da Vinci Code” with an exciting tour of the City of Light to see some of the sights where the best-selling novel takes place:

1.       The world-famous Eiffel Tower, erected for the Universal Expo in 1889

2.       Notre Dame Cathedral, dating from the 12^th and 13^th centuries, built on the Ile de la Cité, the cradle of Parisian civilization

3.       A first glimpse of the magnificent Louvre, where the action in the Da Vinci Code begins as Langdon is called to investigate the death of museum curator Jacques Saunière

4.       The Jardin de Tuleries, the splendid, formal expanse of greenery adjacent to the Louvre

5.       Places on the escape route that Sophie and Robert take as they flee the Louvre in Sophie’s Smart-Car

-                      The Champs-Élysées, the world’s most famous avenue, stretching from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe

-                      The Place de la Concorde, the largest place in Paris, containing an Egyptian obelisk

-                      The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, after his victory at Austerlitz, and finished in 1836

6.       The Madeleine Church, with its statue by Charles Marochetti depicting St Mary Magdalene being carried up to heaven by two angels

7.       The Opera, Paris’ world-famous home to the opera

8.       The Gare Saint-Lazare, the beaux-art style rail station that was also built for the 1889 Universal Expo, and where Sophie purchases the two train tickets to Lille to provide a convenient decoy during their escape from the Louvre.

Return to the hotel. Time to rest a bit before our Welcome Dinner at the nearby famous Flo Brasserie, the first of brasserie king Jean-Paul Bucher's many Paris addresses. Hidden away in a paved courtyard, and a bit hard to find (don’t worry – Mark will make sure we get there!), but it's worth the effort, as much for its Alsatian rich woods and stained glass as for its brasserie standards.  Overnight Paris. 

Day 3 – Monday:  Paris (B)

We begin our morning with a visit to the world-famous art museum, the Louvre. Here we begin to delve into the provocative ideas of the Da Vinci Code. Our first stop is the Denon Wing, and the place where Jacques Saunière's body is discovered, close to two of Leonardo da Vinci's greatest works – the Mona Lisa and the Madonna of the Rocks.

Near his body was the enigmatic message, which his granddaughter, talented cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon unravel that leads them on a quest for the Holy Grail. Discover the secrets of the Mona Lisa (known as La Joconde in French), and what’s ‘hidden beneath’ Madonna of the Rocks, as we take an in-depth look at the sacred feminine in art. Your Tour Leader Mark Pinkham will share information about the artists and legends referring to Mary Magdalene as the bride of Christ. We finish our time here at the fantastic Pyramide Inversee, to explore with Mark the controversy that exists regarding this as the final resting place for Mary Magdelene. Lunch on your own with the group at a local restaurant.

We begin our afternoon at the famous The Ritz Hotel, built by César Ritz in 1898. Robert Langdon returns here for a good night's sleep, after having given a talk at the American University of Paris on mysterious runes found at Chartres Cathedral. He receives a late-night visit from Bezu Fache, the police inspector, which leaves him shocked as he discovers that the man he was supposed to meet earlier that day, Jacques Saunière, has been murdered!

Our final visit of the afternoon is to the classic 18^th century St. Sulpice Church, the site of the Rose Line, a narrow brass strip that marks the original zero-longitude line that passed through Paris before being moved to Greenwich, England. We walk in the fictional footsteps of Silas, the albino assassin-monk who is connected with Opus Dei. He used the line as a reference point in his search for a keystone believed to unlock the secret of the Grail. We retrace his path from the stone statue north across the nave and transept to an obelisk next to the statue of St Peter. View two magnificent Delacroix frescoes, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel and Heliodorus Driven from the Temple.

Return to the hotel. Free time to relax and/or explore Paris a bit on your own. Head back to the Champs-Élysées, for a stroll at dusk, just as the refurbished streetlamps are coming on. People-watch from a café table as you enjoy dinner. Or, perhaps visit the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, the starting point for the Rose Line, and enjoy a relaxing dinner at one of the many charming local cafés in the area. Overnight Paris.

Day 4 - Tuesday:  Paris (B/L)

A full day excursion into the countryside outside of Paris today! Our first stop is at Château Villette, the fictional home of Sir Leigh Teabing, a British art historian. Neveu and Langdon flee here after their escape from the Louvre and subsequent visit to the Depository Bank of Zurich where they obtain Saunière’s cryptex, the device whose code they must break to help in their quest for the Grail. When they are unable to do so, they turn to Teabing for help. Holed up in his splendid 17th-century château, Teabing is more than willing to shelter them. While they are hiding out at the château, Langdon and Neveu make the surprise discovery in the hayloft of the chateau’s barn, and escape through its vast grounds. An historically significant chateau in France, the 185-acre estate dates from 1696 and captures the magnificence and elegance of that time period. After our visit, we enjoy a group lunch at a traditional Parisian café.

Afterwards we continue to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV’s greatest example of regal indulgence, the seat of French Royal Court for 100 years until its demise in the French Revolution. Our guided tour will take us through the Sun King’s royal apartments, the Hall of Mirrors (where the treaty of Versailles was signed to end WW1) and the overwhelming opulence of the park and gardens.

Later afternoon return to the hotel. Evening free. Dinner on your own. Perhaps explore a new bistro or brasserie tonight, such as the Brasserie Lipp near St. Germain de Pres, with its original 1926 art deco interior. Or stroll down the avenue near the hotel and choose from any number of excellent restaurants offering traditional Parisian cuisine. Overnight Paris.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for a short flight to London. Meeting and assistance at the airport. Transfer to the hotel. Check in and rest a bit, or catch up on re-reading the “London” portion of The Da Vinci Code. Lunch on your own.

In the afternoon, we depart to visit Fleet Street, and King's College, where a resident researcher helped Langdon and Neveu search for the meaning to the clue 'in London lies a knight a pope interred'. We continue to one of the most famous centers of the Knights Templars and the Priory of Sion in the UK, Temple Church, consecrated on February 10, 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. The church was the heart of the Templars site in London and therefore the center of activity for the whole of Britain. Today, it is one of only five round churches left in Britain, the only one in London. Here is where Langdon and Neveu begin their search in London for the Holy Grail. Inside, we will see the effigies of the Knights, as described in the book, when Teabing tries to throw Robert and Sophie off of the trail of ‘the truth’. We will also visit the penitential cell which housed prisoners in the 12th and 13th centuries. Later afternoon return to the hotel. Relax before our group dinner, a time for discussion and sharing about our journey so far. Overnight London.

Day 6 – Thursday:  London (B/L)

After a filling British breakfast, we depart for a morning visit to some of London’s most well known landmarks, including Big Ben & Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, St James Park, where "the Teacher" disposes of one of his unwanted accomplices, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London & Tower Bridge, and St Paul’s Cathedral.  The finale is a guided tour of Westminster Abbey, where we visit the Poet’s Corner, Sir Isaac Newton’s Tomb and the Chapter House, where Teabing’s horrible plan is revealed and Langdon and Neveu find out the identity of "the Teacher"! Group lunch for some excellent local pub fare.

In the afternoon we explore the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory, to stand in two time zones at once, and connect with the same line that flows through the Rose Line in Paris. Enjoy the views over-looking the city of London. Return to the hotel early evening. Free time to explore at your leisure. Dinner on your own. London offers a plethora of international cuisines, as well as traditional British. Enjoy your choice! Overnight London.

Day 7 – Friday:  London/ To Edinburgh (B/D)

This morning we visit the National Gallery to focus on themes explored in the book…the secrets that are concealed in the famous painting The Virgin of the Rocks. Can you spot the differences between the two versions of Da Vinci’s Rocks paintings? Other treasures by Botticelli…Rembrandt…Van Gogh…Monet and more call this fantastic gallery home. Lunch on your own. Transfer to the airport for our short flight to Edinburgh.

Arrive in Bonnie Scotland, the land of heather, tartans, and kilts, where are met by our local tour representative. We transfer to our accommodations near the Royal Mile. Depart for our afternoon sightseeing tour of the capitol city: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, St. Giles Cathedral, and the Royal Mile.

Later afternoon return to the hotel. Group dinner at one of the vibrant local pubs, to discuss and review our experiences thus far. Mark will share information about the Knights Templars that will prepare you for our exciting visits tomorrow. He is the Co-Director of The International Order of Gnostic Templars, and an authority on Templar history and the mysteries of Rosslyn Chapel.  Overnight Edinburgh.

Day 9 – Sunday:  Return to your home city (B)

Transfer to the airport for your international flight home. Arrive same day.

Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.

(B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)

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