Madrid Hightlights + Prado Museum

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

Tour Stops Bus Route: 1. Central Station 2. Amrath Hotel 3. Windmill/East 4. Artis Royal Zoo 5. Gassan Diamonds 6. Jewish Historical Quarter 7. Royal Theatre Carré 8. Heineken Experience 9. Museum Square/Rijksmuseum 10. Vondelpark 11. Westermarkt Boat - Blue Line: 1. Saint Nicholas Church 2. National Maritime Museum 3. City Hall 4. Golden Bend/Herengracht Boat - Green Line: 1. Central Station West 2. Passanger Terminal 3. Gassan Diamonds 4. Hermitage Museum 5. Albert Cuyp Market 6. Rijksmuseum/Leidseplein   Passengers can hop-on and hop-off at any of the tour stops along the three routes. If you’d prefer, stay on the tour for a full loop: Bus Tour – 60 – 75 minutes Boat Tour – 60 – 120 minutes Additional Information: Vouchers must be printed to be exchanged for a City Sightseeing bus ticket in location The audio commentary is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Catalan, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew, Swedish Buses are wheelchair accessible  

Click here for the Top View Tours Welcome Package Downtown Tour Duration: Approx 2 Hours Our Double Decker downtown tour is the quintessential New York tour. Departing from the heart of Times Square, this hop on, hop off bus tour will take you to the must-see sights of the city including: Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, The 9/11 Memorial, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy and more!  Uptown Tour Duration: Approx 2 Hours Academic, Spiritual, Entertaining! Who would have thought a tour could offer so much? But our Uptown loop delivers this and so much more! Your visit include Harlem, renowned as an African American cultural and business center since the early 20th century and home to the 'Harlem Renaissance' during the 1920's and 30's. See The Cathedral of St John the Divine and Columbia University and Grant’s Tomb. Visit places like The Apollo Theater and The Cotton Club or Hop Off and dine at Sylvia's Famous Soul Food Restaurant. Your NY sightseeing bus will continue along Central Park’s 5th avenue border down Museum Mile where renowned cultural and artistic accomplishments can be viewed at places like The Jewish Museum, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Frick Collection.    Brooklyn Bus Tour - This tour does not make any stops Duration: Approx 1 hour, 30 minutes Welcome to Breukelen! If you thought all the action was limited to Manhattan, think again. Brooklyn is teeming with activity and you have a front row seat! From the moment you gaze upon the world famous Brooklyn Bridge you begin a trip into its vast visual and oral history. This New York Tour will take you past The Botanical Gardens, the NY Transit Museum with its collection of vintage subway cars, the magnificent Grand Army Plaza, Ebbet’s Field, The Brooklyn Museum and finally the incredible Brooklyn Bridge! Night Tours - This tour does not make any stops Duration: Approx 1 hour, 45 minutes Our New York Night Tour is one of our best bus tours! NYC at night is like no other city in the world! When the sun goes down, New York lights up! Our double Night Tour takes you from Times Square down 5th Avenue past the Empire State Building illuminated by a system that is capable of displaying 16 million colors, which can change instantaneously!! The bus continues down through Greenwich Village to Chinatown and Little Italy. Next stop--Brooklyn! From Brooklyn you can see some of the very best views of New York’s incredible skyline. As you cross back over the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge looks like a gorgeous diamond necklace. Back in Manhattan, you go through the Lower East Side, the East Village and Gramercy Park before getting back to Midtown. After passing the United Nations one of the most beautifully illuminated buildings comes into view--the Chrysler Building and as you head west on 42nd Street pass Grand Central Terminal saved in the 1970’s by Jackie O.! Soon you’re back in Times Square an absolute sight to behold at night--one you won’t soon forget!    Liberty Cruise: Liberty Cruise NYC is the best way to see the Statue of Liberty and other awe-inspiring sites around the harbor. Liberty Cruise New York passes by all of the sites two times which doubles the opportunity to observe them and take pictures of New York Harbor's priceless views. It is a great opportunity to learn many historical and interesting facts about New York harbor. All Downtown Cruises are narrated by live and licensed tour guides. Some of the sights that you'll see include: The Statue of Liberty, The World Trade Center, The Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, Wall Street, The Manhattan Bridge and The South Street Seaport.

Come aboard mates! Make us part of your Orlando vacation. Voted "Best in Florida" by Orlando Magazine, our adventure golf courses are renowned for their innovative hole designs, lush landscaping, and entertaining pirate theming. The adventures and legends of infamous pirates come to life as you enter our world of 18th century buccaneers--sunken ships, cascading waterfalls, dreaded pirate dungeons, and lush, tropical vegetation. And watch out for stray cannon shots from the wily skeleton lofting cannon fire from his old raft! Our manicured courses are specifically designed to provide maximum enjoyment for kids and adults alike. Discover the fun! Highlights
Brand new Pirate Ship! Fun for the whole family! 18 pirate-themed holes 2 courses to choose from!
Inclusions
Admission into Pirate's Cove One 18 hole golf course
Exclusions
Transportation to/from Pirate's Cove Optional gratuities Food and beverages

The Clipper City Daytime Sail offered by Manhattan by Sail is a fun-filled voyage around New York Harbor in a 158-foot-long schooner, whose massive sails hearken back to the bygone era of the 1800s. With a capacity of up to 150 people, the Clipper City provides plenty of room for passengers to take in the sights comfortably, whether mixing and mingling by the lively bar area or lounging on the raised quarter deck at the rear of the sailboat. The majestic Clipper City Daytime Sail departs from Pier 17 at the bustling South Street Seaport, whose location along the East River makes for great photo ops of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge before the vessel even sets sail. The Clipper City's leisurely, 90-minute journey around New York Harbor offers plenty of photo-worthy sights, as the schooner slowly glides past the towering buildings that comprise the Lower Manhattan and New Jersey skylines, the former immigration station on Ellis Island, the greenery of Governor's Island and the iconic Statue of Liberty. Another fantastic moment to capture with your camera occurs when the crew hoists the Clipper City's massive sails, working with masts and rigging that rise 120 feet off the deck. This occasion also presents a wonderful opportunity to experience the thrill of sailing first-hand, as you can volunteer to help the crew with this exciting task. The crew themselves add to the festive spirit aboard the Clipper City, as they are happy to engage with the passengers and answer questions from sailing aficionados and novices alike. Another highlight for some adults will be the fully stocked bar, which features a steady stream of music and a variety of drinks for sale – including wine, beer, soda, juice and nautical-inspired cocktails like the Monkey's Fist. Passengers looking for a quieter ride can head to the raised quarter deck, where they can watch the captain steer the boat or simply soak in the beautiful sights around them. The Clipper City sails from late April until early October, twice a day at 2:15pm and 4:30pm.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) is a must see destination in Central Florida.  Less than an hour east of Orlando, KSCVC provides a mixture of the past and the future, with rich historical references in each of the exhibits, coupled with a clear vision into the future, bolstered by the amazing learning from both the International Space Station and the Hubble telescope photos.  Admission to KSCVC includes all of the exhibits, attractions, the IMAX theatre tickets and a very comprehensive bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  Admission also includes entrance to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which for history and science buffs is where you will want to start your day! There is a new exhibit called Science on a Sphere. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame has a wide range of hand-on exhibits for kids and is also the home of the Astronaut Training Experience (known as ATX).