Travel With The Center
Fall Break in the Netherlands and Belgium
This program is an opportunity for eighth grade and high school honors students as well as interested adults to spend eight days learning about the history, culture, and people of Belgium and the Netherlands. This program, sponsored by The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University, is designed to provide participants with a carefully structured experience. Twenty-five qualified participants will be accompanied by the program director.
Trip Dates
October 2 - 11, 2015
Application
A passport-size photograph and a nonrefundable deposit of $300 are due with the application. Eligible participants will be admitted to the program in the order in which applications are received. The deposit will be returned if the study tour has reached its capacity.
Program Cost
The program cost is $3,500.00. Included in this cost are:
- Roundtrip airfare from Nashville, TN.
- Hotel accommodations in double rooms in Brussels, Bruges, and Amsterdam. An adult may request a single room for an additional charge.
- Breakfast each day at the hotel.
- Admission to historic sites, museums, and other points of interest listed on the itinerary.
- Travel by motor coach for excursions.
This cost is subject to increase should there be changes in airfares, monetary exchange
rates, or service costs that are not now anticipated.
Payment Schedule
- $300 deposit due with application
- $1,600.00 payment due August 15, 2015
- $1,600.00 payment due September 15, 2015
Travel Itinerary
Friday, October 2
Depart USA for Brussels, Belgium.
Saturday, October 3
Arrive in Brussels and meet our guide. Travel by private motor coach to Waterloo to visit the battlefield, museum, and monument. 2015 marks the bicentennial of the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. In the afternoon, go to Brussels, taking a bus tour of the city before checking in at the hotel.
Sunday, October 4
Spend the day visiting the sights in Brussels, including the Grand Place and the Ancient Art and Fin de Siecle Museums. Spend the night in Brussels.
Monday, October 5
Depart Brussels for Bruges. Visit the Church of Our Lady to see the statue of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. Take a walking tour of the historic Gothic town. Spend the night in Bruges.
Tuesday, October 6
Depart Bruges for Ypres. The area around this small town was the site of five major battles during the First World War. Visit the In Flanders Fields Museum which focuses on the lives of ordinary soldiers who fought and died on the Belgian front. Leave Ypres for Ghent. Enroute, stop to visit the Tyne Cot British Cemetery and the German cemetery at Langemark. In Ghent, visit the Cathedral of St. Bavo to see the Van Eyck altarpiece, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb and Reuben’s Entrance of St. Bavo into the Monastery of Ghent. Leave Ghent for Amsterdam, arriving at the hotel in the early evening.
Wednesday, October 7
Spend the morning visiting the Aalsmeer Flower Auction which is held in what is claimed to be the largest commercial building in the world. About half of all the flowers exported from Holland are auctioned off here in four large auditoriums. In the afternoon visit the Van Gogh Museum which houses 200 paintings owned by Van Gogh’s brother, Theo. In the early evening take a canal boat tour of Amsterdam.
Thursday, October 8
In the morning, visit the Rijksmuseum. This recently renovated museum houses the best collections of the Dutch Masters in the world. In the afternoon visit the Anne Frank House where, for two years, eight Amsterdam Jews hid from Nazi persecution during World War II. Their story was made famous in The Diary of Anne Frank.
Friday, October 9
Take a full day excursion to visit the open-air museum of Enkhuizen Zuiderzee. Depart Amsterdam by train for the village of Hoorn, then take the steam train from Hoorn to Medemblik and board a boat for a ride along the coast to reach the museum. In the late afternoon, return to Amsterdam by modern train.
Saturday, October 10
In the morning, visit Rembrandt’s house. The afternoon will provide one last chance to explore points of interest in Amsterdam .
Sunday, October 11
Depart Amsterdam for the USA.
Upcoming Trips
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Recent Trips
2024 Fall Break: Ireland
2024 Spring Break: England
2019 Fall Break: Venice to Vienna
2019 Spring Break: Paris and Normandy
2018 Spring Break in England
2017 Fall Break in Greece
2017 Spring Break in Italy
2016 Fall Break in Ireland
2016 Spring Break in France
2015 Fall Break in the Netherlands and Belgium
2015 Summer in England
2014 Fall Break in Spain
2014 Spring Break in Italy
2013 Fall Break in Germany
2013 Summer in France
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