Review: Tour of France, England & Scotland, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Inverness, Isle of Skye, Blenheim Palace, Louvre

This travel agency took our wishes and hopes for our first trip to the UK and made them a reality.  From the hotels, to the transportation, to the group and private tours, this company did a terrific job!  Our agent and her assistant were quick to reply to any questions or concerns we had during the planning process, and when our flights were cancelled unexpectedly the day before we were due to return, they sprung into action to get us rescheduled--taking all the worry off of us so we could enjoy our "bonus" day in Scotland.  Every hotel was distinct, charming, and conveniently located within walking distance of all sorts of action.  While in London, we enjoyed history tours with top experts, learned from a humorous Beefeater at London Tower, watched the changing of the guards, saw the Queen's hand wave from her horse-drawn carriage, experienced the seedy tale of Jack the Ripper, and enjoyed dinner and the theater in London's theater district.  From there, we traveled from London to Paris for a couple of days, and our travel agency handled our transportation and hotel, quick to include a couple of activities for our impromptu jaunt.  One of the highlights of our trip was the Parisienne Art History professor who took us through a tour of the Louvre--magnifique!  We spent the day in the country at Blenheim Palace and visited 5,000 year old standing stones!  In Scotland, our agent once again set us up in lovely accommodation within walking distance of transportation and sightseeing everywhere!   We learned about Scotland's history on a small group tour that ended up being a private tour!  The Queen followed us to Edinburgh, so tried to pay our respects at her palace, but she wasn't able to receive us :).  We hiked to the top of Arthur's Seat (and fell down most of it on the way back), walked through Edinburgh's Royal Mile, grubbed on a delightful foodie tour (yes, we ate haggis), and took a train an hour away to visit the lovely town of St Andrews for the day.  After Edinburgh, we closed our trip in Inverness where we saw more castles, more sheep, more lochs (but, sadly, no Nessie), and more beauty than we could possibly describe to anyone who hasn't been there yet.  Our private guide was truly remarkable, taking us to fairie hideaways and snapping epic photos that made us look like true explorers.  And the sheep!  Why we were so fascinated with the sheep, I don't know.  But we were.