August 12, Thurs.

Arrive London. Airport transfer and check into hotel. 4-star Victoria Park Plaza Hotel.
Orientation meeting this evening, with refreshments.

August 13, Fri.

London city tour this morning.
Day 1 of the Aviva London Diamond League Meeting at the Crystal Palace

August 14, Sat.

Day free in London. Day 2 of the Aviva meet this evening at the Crystal Palace.

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. 3-star Holiday Inn Bastille.

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.

August 17, Tues.

Day free to enjoy the delights of Paris, the famed City of Light.

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. 4-star Ameron Flora Hotel.

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.

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.

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. 4-star Mercure Dijon Centre Clemenceau.

August 22, Sun.

Dijon city tour this morning. Rest of day free. Group dinner this evening.

August 23, Mon.

We'll motorcoach this morning to Orleans, gateway to the Loire Valley and its fabulous chateaux. Check in to the hotel for a three-night stay. 3-star Mercure Orleans Centre.

August 24, Tues.

Visit Chambord, the largest and most famous of the Loire Chateaux. This evening we'll return to Chambord for its phenomenal son et lumiere show.

August 25, Wed.

This morning we'll visit another remarkable palace, Chenonceau, built over the Cher River, followed by an afternoon tour of Cheverny, another beautiful palace, with lovely gardens and a majestic park.

August 26, Thurs.

An early departure for the drive to Brussels, where we'll check in to our hotel late afternoon. 3-star Novotel Tour Noire.

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.

August 28, Sat.

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the USA.