SEPTEMBER 5—12, 2008
SUMMER ADVENTURE IN BRUSSELS: Bruges, Lille, Delft, Antwerp & more!

Brussels is a cosmopolitan city, with a liveliness and an appeal that are intimately related to its role as a crossroads for all of Europe. Architectural styles range from Gothic cathedrals and churches to the gracious classical facades of the Palais des Nations, the Royal Palace and to the many Art Nouveau and Art Deco houses in the comfortable neighborhoods where the Bruxellois live.

The heart of Brussels and the place to start getting to know the city is the Grand'Place. This historic square, lined with exuberantly ornate guild houses and focused on the gothic heights of the Hotel de Ville, is widely held to be one of Europe's finest. It is also, as it has been for centuries, the focal point of the city's social and civic life. The people of Brussels gather here for their most important ceremonies and festivals, for the traditional bird market on Sunday mornings, and – perhaps most importantly – for no task more pressing than to sit, have a beer, and let the world pass.

Brussels is home to the European Union headquarters and is ideally situated for visiting other members of the union. We will spend one week in de-luxe rooms at the luxurious Royal Windsor Hotel (www.royalwindsorbrussels.com), which is centrally located just two minutes from the Grand'Place and the Royal Galleries. More importantly, it is very close to the central railway station, which we will be using for our travels around Belgium, Holland and France. American buffet breakfast is included daily. Our first evening, we will have a small wine and hors d'oeuvres reception (included) at the hotel.

During our time in Brussels we will visit the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (www.fine-arts-museum.be), housing the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art. A very short walk from the hotel, these two major museums have superb collections ranging from Old Masters of the Flemish and Dutch schools through to the Surrealist modern works of Magritte and Delvaux.

Another day will be devoted to architecture, which has a rich history in Art Nouveau and Art Deco. We will visit three sites: Solvay House and Victor Horta House, both in Art Nouveau style, and Van Buuren House (shown at left), which is pure Art Deco and has a smaller version of Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (shown above)! At all three houses we will have private tours before the public opening hours. Solvay House, which is open only two days a year to the public, will open just for us and give us a special private tour!

Day trips via train and private coach will include Bruges, which is often referred to as the Venice of the North. It is the most preserved medieval city in Belgium, with canals and pretty squares. On our way from the station into town, we will stop at the Béguinage, a group of houses around a little garden covered with large poplar trees, where the Benedictine sisters have lived since 1937.

The cathedral in Bruges has a small statue of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. The Groeninge Museum has superb Flemish paintings by Rogier van der Weyden and others, and the Memling Museum houses his shrine of St. Ursula and has a great old apothecary's shop. We will have lunch here (included) at one of the finest restaurants overlooking the canals. You might want to get off the train in Ghent to see the Van Eyck altarpiece in the cathedral (shown above).

Another day takes us to Antwerp, where we will visit Rubens' House, which has a lovely, tranquil garden. The cathedral also has some of his paintings. There will be time to wander and explore the city at your leisure and to stop in one of the many cafés on the square for lunch. Return to Brussels in late afternoon for dinner (included) at one of the city's great seafood restaurants. The food in Brussels is certainly on a par with, if not sometimes better than, Paris. You will surely want to explore the lively and colorful Rue des Bouchers, which is lined with restaurants touting their seafood in elaborate outdoor displays.

Two day trips will take us out of Belgium. One will be to The Hague and Delft in The Netherlands, and the other will be to Lille in France. While in The Hague we will visit the Mauritshuis Museum, which has two of the few remaining Vermeer paintings in the world — Girl with the Pearl Earring and View of Delft (shown at left). Delft is just a few minutes from The Hague, and is yet another pictaresque city with tree-lined 'canal' streets.

In Lille, we will explore the Musée des Beaux Arts, which is second only to the Louvre in France. The center of the city is light and lively, and we'll lunch in one of the favored seafood establishments (included). On free time, you might want to hike to the Citadel designed by Vauban, or visit the house where de Gaulle was born.

There will be a farewell dinner (included) at the hotel in Brussels prior to our departure for the U.S. on 12 September. Hill-Stead's Curator and Interim Co-Director Cynthia Cormier will join us to provide commentary during the trip.

Cost: $3,350/person in twin sharing; $630 single supplement. Cost is based on a minimum participation of 10 people and a maximum of 20 people.

Included in Cost:
• Six nights' accomodation at the luxury Royal Windsor Hotel in Brussels
• American Buffet breakfast daily
• Admissions to all museums as listed
• Three dinners, two lunches and one reception with wines
• $100 donation to Hill-Stead Museum (www.hillstead.org)
• Informal commentary by Hill-Stead's Curator and Interim Co-Director, Cynthia Cormier
• Hostessing by Jean Glasel

Not Included in Cost:
• Air fare to Brussels (the air fare is not included in the price since many of you will want to use frequent flier miles or travel on specific routes. American and Delta fly directly to Brussels from JFK. If you wish to fly out of Bradley via Northwest, then the connections from Amsterdam might not be as convenient.)
• Items of a personal nature (telephone, laundry, mini-bars, hard spirits)

Reservations: You may reserve a place on this tour by sending a deposit of $500.00 per person with a copy of the booking form (PDF) to Jean Glasel at 15 Colton Street, Farmington, CT 06032. Please make check payable to Adventures, Inc. This will be deposited as soon as the minimum number of people have signed up.

Go to Day/Overnight Trips

For further details, please view a copy of the latest newsletter, Art Tours and Travel 2008.

To receive Adventures, Inc. newsletters, (2–3 per year), please email Jean Glasel at adventuresinfo@goadventuresinc.com or call 860.674.1114 to be on the mailing list. You can also request to receive information on upcoming trips via e-mail.