Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. 95 Dalhousie Street, Brantford, Ontario N3T 2J1 Tel: 519-753-2695 / 519-756-4900 Fax: 519-753-6376 E-mail: tours@pauwelstravel.com - Website: www.pauwelstravel.com BRUGES & FLANDERS AN IN DEPTH AUTUMN EXPERIENCE Monday, October 24 to Wednesday, November 02, 2016 PROPOSED ITINERARY: Your tour escort, Michael Quinn, will share with you, an uniquely intimate ten glorious autumn days in one of the most picturesque landscapes in all of Europe. Medieval towns and villages, canals and bridges, cobble-stoned alleys and outdoor markets, frame not only the art, culture and history of Flanders but also "Flanders Fields" from a Canadian perspective. And of course, frits wrapped in paper, waffles and beer, pralines of choice... all in magnificent Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp...! Tour cost from Toronto: $2,595.00 CDN based on double occupancy. Single room supplement: $395.00 CDN Land Only: $2,443.00 CDN Day 1 - Monday October 24: Evening departure from Toronto with Air Canada to Montreal and the connecting direct trans-atlantic flight to Brussels. Dinner and a light breakfast will be served. Day 2 - Tuesday, October 25: (D) Early morning arrival in Brussels. Transfer to deluxe private coach and begin the site-seeing day viewing the Belgian Royal Family Palace, the EU complex architecture, the dominating Palace of Justice and the Atomium, symbol of the immensely successful 1958 Brussels World Fair, then on to the beautiful town of Bruges. En route, we can enjoy a late morning coffee or early lunch in the picturesque artist village of St. Martens-Latem located on the River Lys. Afternoon arrival in Bruges and registration in the centrally-located Hotel t'zand. Time to unpack and rest after the overnight flight before a late afternoon leisurely orientation walk in the immediate district before a welcome dinner in the hotel's cozy restaurant. Day 3 - Wednesday, October 26: (D) After breakfast, a morning guided walking introduction to this romantic city. We begin at the wide expanse of the t Zand with its modern Concert Hall to the Burg, the historic heart where we find the Gothic Hall, the Law Courts, the Renaissance Court Record Office and the Basilica, housing a reliquary said to be that of the Holy Blood of Christ. Then a little local culture...coffee in the famous local brewery, Halve Maan before continuing with our exploration. Lunch individually in the Markt, surrounded by magnificent guild houses and dominated by the 13 th C. Belfry. The afternoon however, will offer a different perspective of the city as we cruise the scenic canals that criss-cross Bruges
underscoring the epithet Venice of the North. Evening dinner in house, featuring typical regional cuisine perhaps shrimp croquettes, a Flemish beef stew, mussels and frites, a Belgian chocolate mousse for dessert? Day 4 Thursday, October 27: Today we continue our walking exploration following breakfast with a visit to the superb Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady. Here we find an unusual Michelangelo piece, a Madonna and Child in addition to a very traditional ornamental tomb dedicated to Mary of Burgundy. On to the Minnewater with its charming lock-keeper s home. Once a basin of the old harbour, today better known as the Lake of Love home to a number of elegant swans. Adjacent too, is the Begijnhof or Beguinage. Founded in the 13 th C, this Beguine Convent of the Vine offers a tranquil change of pace with its chapel and historical painting presence of a retired Winston Churchill. Independent lunch before an afternoon at the Jerusalem Church, the 15 th C replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and an introduction to lacemaking through the small adjacent work shop and museum. Remainder of the day and evening at leisure. But also this evening an optional dinner concert featuring vocal and instrumental medieval music. Day 5 - Friday, October 28: A Canadian experience as we take a full day excursion into the Fields of Flanders the muddied battleground of World War I. The town of Ieper (Ypres), situated not far from Bruges, offers its Menin Gate, regarded as the foremost British WW I Memorial in Belgium, as a silent remembrance to the many fallen. Before lunch, a tour of the city centre with the Cloth Hall, the fine War Museum and the St. George Memorial Chapel. The afternoon will be spent at sites associated with Canadian troops; Essex Farm Cemetery, where John McRae composed his famous poem; the Brooding Soldier monument commemorating the Canadians who fell in the first gas attack, in April 1915; Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in the world; and the Canadian monument at Passchendaele. Return to Bruges in late afternoon. Day 6 - Saturday, October 29: (L) We travel today to the medieval village of Damme, once the out-port of Bruges. Its 15 th C. town hall and 13 th C. church reflect a wealth of bygone times. Later, a memorial stop at the Canadian War Cemetery in the village of Adegem, located on the banks of the Leopold Canal in the heart of the area where the Canadian Army fought the famous Battle of the Scheldt in the fall of 1944. Lunch in the countryside at the tiny community of St.-Laureins before continuing on by way of the picturesque Dutch town of Sluis to the coast and the sophisticated North Sea resort of Knokke-Heist. Coffee on the Board Walk perhaps... a stroll through the elegant resort before our return to Bruges via the quaint village of Lissewege. The remaining 13 th -century tithe barn of this former huge Cistercian Monastery offers mute testament to regional pre-eminence and economic power of the Order. Evening at leisure. Day 7 - Sunday, October 30: After breakfast, we motor to the great seaport of Antwerp, opened to Allied shipping in November 1944, following the famous Battle of the Scheldt, where Canadian troops fought units of the German Army the previous month. Walking tour of the historical city centre including the Town Hall, the Grand Place and before lunch, (in one of the city s many attractive eateries -mussels and frites, anyone?), a tour of the house of Peter Paul Rubens. In the afternoon opportunity to wander through the Cathedral with its massive Rubens masterpieces with the remainder of the day for individual visits; perhaps the Mode Museum, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts or just a stroll to enjoy the fin de siècle architecture.
Day 8 - Monday, October 31: (D) This morning we begin to focus on the principal museums of Bruges. First we visit the Groening Museum with its wonderful collection of paintings by masters of the very inappropriately named 15 th - century school of Flemish Primitives, such as Van Eyck and Bosch. Close-by, the magnificent architecture of the Gothic Gruuthuse. Originally dedicated to the collection of specific taxes, today a museum that offers a Decorative Arts snapshot of Bruges' past life. (recently closed for reconstruction). Lunch at leisure before we return to additional Flemish art housed in a magnificent brick building of the 13 th century, overlooking one of the many romantic canals. Called St. John s Hospital in its medieval period, today known world-wide as the Memling. This evening, our farewell dinner in the tzand. Day 9 - Tuesday, November 01: Depart after breakfast to Ghent, the former capital of Flanders, a city which, like Bruges, experienced its Golden Age during the Middle Ages. A walking tour here will include the Belfry, City Hall, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders, and of course St. Bavo s Cathedral with Van Eyck's, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Lunch, before we encounter everyday life with a walk through the fruit and vegetable Groentenmarkt, a visit to the Mustard Shop, even perhaps coffee and some typical Belgian hand-made pralines before ending the day at our hotel conveniently located near the Brussels airport. Depending upon our arrival time, dinner at leisure in the heart of the Belgian capital? Day 10 - Wednesday, November 02: Breakfast then morning hotel shuttle transfer to Brussels Airport and our Air Canada service to Toronto via Montreal. Lunch and a snack will be served. *Optional Dinner: Thursday October 27. A unique private concert dinner evening offering a three course menu of Flemish food and traditional medieval vocal and instrumental music. Due to limited venue capacity, please advise the Bureau as soon as possible. Reservations will be prioritized based on date of request. Cost will be 65.00 (excluding beverages). Tour cost from Toronto: $2,595.00 CDN based on double occupancy. Single room supplement: $395.00 CDN Land Only: $2,443.00 CDN Pay entire tour by cheque and save $100.00
Included in the price are: - Return flight Toronto- Brussels on Air Canada; - Accommodation based on double occupancy in very comfortable 3-star hotels, featuring rooms with private facilities, and based on double occupancy. The single room supplement is $395.00 CDN; - Buffet breakfast daily and four three-course dinners or lunches please note that beer, wine, coffee/tea are not normally included with meals (other than breakfast) in Belgium, and that tap water is not normally served in restaurants; - Airport transfers and excursions via deluxe private coach; - All visits and sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary, including admission to museums and monuments mentioned; - Hotel taxes and gratuities. Not included: - The usual combination of airport taxes/security fees/fuel surcharges, presently (March 2016) approximately $554.00 but subject to change; - Beverages with dinners (see above), and meals other than those outlined above; - All expenses of a personal nature; - Gratuity to coach driver approx. $30.00 CDN - Travel insurance is available, please contact the office.
PAUWELS TRAVEL BUREAU LTD. 95 Dalhousie Street, Brantford, Ontario N3T 2J1 Tel: 519-753-2695/519-756-4900 Fax: 519-753-6376 Email: tours@pauwelstravel.com Ont. Reg. #1034992 TERMS AND CONDITIONS RESERVATIONS AND DEPOSITS: Reservations should be made as early as possible to ensure the departure of your choice. A deposit of $750.00 is required at the time of registration. Your reservation is confirmed upon receipt of your deposit and application form. No reservations will be accepted without a signed application form. REFUND OF UNUSED ARRANGEMENTS: Because the rates of Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. are based on group participation, no refund can be made for any tour accommodation or tour service or tour feature not taken. If cancellation occurs while the tour is in progress, no refund can be made for the tour portion not taken. We strongly suggest that to allow for any unexpected contingencies, you purchase the all-inclusive insurance. CANCELLATION POLICY: Refund of deposit is made in full if cancellation is received in writing by Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. more than 90 days prior of the departure date of the tour less a $500.00 non-refundable administrative fee per person. For cancellation received in writing 90 days prior or less the following cancellation charges apply: 90 days to 46 days before departure: 25% of tour cost 45 to 31 days before departure: 50% of tour cost Within 30 days prior to departure: 100% of tour cost RESPONSIBILITY: Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. reserves the right without notice, to withdraw any part or all of the tour. Factors such as airline schedule changes, hotel overbookings, inclement weather, etc. February necessitate changes in the itinerary as outlined. There may also be other circumstances in which changes become necessary or advisable. Any savings realized by these changes will be passed on to the passengers, any resultant expenses shall be borne by the passenger. Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. acts only as an agent in securing hotel, transportation and other travel services and in no event shall be held responsible for the failure by any person or company to render any transportation, lodging or other travel service to be provided on the tour. All hotel, transportation and other travel services are provided to tour members subject to all the terms and conditions under which they are offered to the public generally. The acceptance of the initial service to be provided under the tour shall be considered an acceptance by the tour member of those conditions. Pauwels Travel Bureau Ltd. also reserves the right to decline, to accept or retain any person as a member of the tour, in which case equitable refund will be made at the discretion of the tour operators. AIR TRANSPORTATION: Transatlantic economy flight by scheduled IATA carrier(s), based on an economy class group fare. All fares are subject to specific rules and regulations, to changes and to government approval. Deviations from the group flights are possible but subject to higher rates. Pauwels Travel will research any request for date or routing changes at the time they are requested. Should any individual rate be less than the group fare plus airline and administrative fees, the lower rate will be offered. Individual airfares are subject to immediate ticketing and the fare plus taxes must be paid at the time the ticket is issued by the participant requesting the change. Should the group airfare be the lowest available rate, an administrative fee of $50.00 plus any airline charges will apply.
APPLICATION FORM Please book seat(s) on Bruges & Flanders October 24 November 2, 2016. Enclosed is my/our deposit of ($750 per person, plus insurance premium if taken.) Please indicate with an X if you intend to travel on Group flights or land only. Deposit and insurance premium, if taken, are due with registration. You will be invoiced for an interim payment of $1000.00 and the balance due 45 days prior to departure. WE REQUIRE A COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT (INFORMATION PAGES ONLY) VALID 3 MONTHS AFTER RETURN DATE TO BE SENT IN WITH YOUR APPLICATION. PASSPORT NAME(S): Please indicate the appropriate title (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Dr., Ms.) Surname First Middle(s) Surname First Middle(s) If applicable, give your commonly used first name as you would like it to appear on your name tag: (e.g. Liz for Mary Elizabeth ) ADDRESS Postal Code: PHONE: (Email) If traveling alone, is a SINGLE ROOM REQUIRED? YES NO If sharing, what is your bed preference: twin double? SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: We find the earlier a request is made, the more success we have in filling it, so please list any dietary requests, allergies, any special physical needs or frequent flyer numbers etc here. Please be advised that due to Airline policies, individual seat selection is not always available on group fares and cannot be guaranteed by our agency. We cannot ensure requests made 30 days or less prior to departure will be possible. Insurance, Please call the office for premiums then record it on application and add premium to deposit. I /we would like to purchase (please check and record your rate): Name: Date of Birth: Name: Date of Birth: All-inclusive Package $ Non-medical Package $ Other $ OR Decline Insurance PAYMENT: Cheque payable to Pauwels Travel Visa Mastercard American Express Amount Paid: Card Number: Expiry: Security Code: Signature: I/we agree to the terms and conditions attached to the program, have indicated our insurance choice, indicated any special requests and included payment. Date Signature)(s) Please forward this completed and signed form, copy of passport and payment to: PAUWELS TRAVEL BUREAU LTD. 95 Dalhousie Street, Brantford, Ontario N3T 2J1 Tel: 519-753-2695/1-800-380-3974 Fax: 519-753-6376 Email:tours@pauwelstravel.com