41 U S A ( To l l - f r e e ) 1-877-381-2914 E m a i l info@theculturalexperience.com The Victorian Era Queens Bays at relief of Lucknow and pay a melancholy visit to the memorial church with its mutiny memorials. We follow the poignant route of the Garrison’s survivors down to the Sati Chaur Ghat and see the Bibighar Well where the corpses of the butchered women and children were dumped. Check-in to our hotel for one night. Day 8 – Kanpur/Lucknow. Continue our exploration of fascinating Kanpur in the morning and then drive on to Lucknow, once the richest city in India, later that day. Check- in to our sumptuous hotel that evening for 2 nights. Day 9 – Lucknow. Although slightly marred now by modern industrial development, there is still ample evidence of Lucknow’s former Mogul splendour and of the Munity for us to explore, including the Kaisarbagh (or King’s Palace); the Secunderbagh Gardens where more than 2000 rebels perished when the British stormed it in 1857; and the famous British Residency compound where the besieged garrison held out until relieved in 1858 – an epic which became a symbol of British courage and endurance. The effects of the siege are still visible and the place has great atmosphere. Day10–DelhifromtheBritishperspective. We take the morning flight to Delhi and after an early lunch we start our tour by discussing how the capital reacted to the outbreak of the mutiny. We visit the powder magazine blown up by the guard rather than allow its capture; the telegraph office from whence news of the mutiny was communicated to the Punjab; St James’s Church built by the colourful Colonel James Skinner (who founded Skinner’s Horse, the famous Indian Cavalry Regiment) and looted by the rebels; Delhi Ridge from where the British conducted the siege operation to recover the city from the mutineers; the Kashmir Gate, through which British and Gurkhas troops stormed the city and the grave of that extraordinary Victorian, Brigadier General John Nicholson, killed in the storming of the city. Check-in to the magnificent colonial Oberoi Maidens hotel for our final 2 nights. Day 11 – Delhi from the rebel perspective. This morning we complete the story by looking at the siege from the rebel’s perspective: we visit Delhi’s magnificent Red Fort, headquarters of the rebels during the Mutiny, and the tomb of Humayan, the son of Babur and the second Moghul emperor, where Major William Hodson arrested the sons of Bahadur Shah, the figurehead of the rising. There will be an opportunity to view the magnificent Lutyens architecture of New Delhi and/or do some sightseeing later in the afternoon before a leisurely final meal together that evening. Day 12 - Take the morning flight to London At Meerut “The tour more than met our expectations and the quality & approachability of the guide was exceptional.”