English

Ayelet Tours Traveling University Presents:
Belgium & France
with Professor Stephen Berk
June 30 - July 12, 2019

Tour Rates & Dates:

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*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
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Tour Overview:

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INCLUDED:

2 nights NH Collection Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
1 night Domaine Chateau du Faucon, Donchery, France
7 nights Renaissance la Defense, Paris, France
1 night BW Hotel Malherbe Caen, Caen, France
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle
Daily lectures by Professor Berk
Breakfast daily
6 dinners, including Shabbat dinner in Paris
1 boxed lunch
Entrance fees per itinerary
Transfer upon arrival and departure with main group
Porterage

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes and visa fees
Tips to guide, driver & dining room waiters ($18 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday, June 30, 2019: DEPARTURE

• We depart on our overnight flight to Brussels, Belgium

Day 2: Monday, July 1, 2019: WELCOME TO BELGIUM

• We arrive in Brussels and are met and assisted by our local representative.
• We begin with a tour of Brussels, where we see the Grand-Place, Royal Square, Manneken Pis, National Monument to the Jewry Martyrs of Belgium and the impressive Great Synagogue.
• We check into our hotel with time to freshen up.
• This evening, we enjoy a welcome orientation and dinner at our hotel with Professor Stephen Berk!

Overnight in Brussels

Day 3: Tuesday, July 2, 2019: GHENT & BRUGES

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• Today, we depart for a full day tour of UNESCO World Heritage cities Ghent and Bruges.
• On our walking tour of Ghent, we visit St. Bavo's Cathedral and the Castle of the Counts of Flanders.
• We continue through the scenic Belgian and Flemish countryside to Bruges.
• Upon arrival, we explore City Hall, Market Square, and the medieval Chapel of the Holy Blood.
• Later this afternoon, we return to Brussels and have time for dinner on own.

Overnight in Brussels

Day 4: Wednesday, July 3, 2019: YPRES

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• This morning, we drive to Ypres and visit the Cloth Hall and the Menin gate, as well as the Memorial Museum Passchendale.
• Next, we see the site of the famous WWI battle and visit the Flanders Field Museum.
• Time permitting, we stop and pay tribute at the Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial (plus a short break) before continuing on to Donchery.
• We check into our hotel and enjoy dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Donchery

Day 5: Thursday, July 4, 2019: VERDUN & PARIS

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We depart for a full day tour of the Verdun area (lunch boxes will be available on the bus).
• Upon arrival, we enjoy a guided tour of the Verdun battlefield, site of fierce WWI battling.
• We break for lunch before passing by the London Trench, a point where British troops delivered medical assistance and much-needed supplies.
• Next, we see the Ossuary of Douaumont. The memorial contains the remains of more than 100,000 unknown soldiers - both French and German - who died in the battle of Verdun.
• Time permitting, we stop at the Memorial of the Battles of the Marne-Dormans.
• We continue to Paris and check into our hotel.
• Tonight, we enjoy dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Paris

Day 6: Friday, July 5, 2019: PARIS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• We begin our day at the Pletzel Jewish Quarter, known in the 13th Century as La Juiverie (the Jewry), where we learn about the expulsions that drove out the Jewish population.
• Next, we see the Monument of Deportation, dedicated to the 200,000 people who were deported from France to German concentration camps during WWII and view the plaque dedicated to the 12,000 Jewish Parisian children deported to Auschwitz.
• We break for lunch on own at one of Paris's fabulous cafés!
• This afternoon, we have ample time to fully explore one of the most famous museums in the world - the Louvre!
• We return to our hotel to freshen up.
• This evening, we enjoy Shabbat services and Shabbat dinner together in the Faubourg Montmarte district at the Rothschild Synagogue.

Overnight in Paris

Day 7: Saturday, July 6, 2019: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Enjoy the day at leisure in Paris! You may choose to join one of the local congregations for Shabbat services this morning, explore this vibrant city's art scene, go shopping, or relax at one of the amazing cafes!
• OPTIONAL - Tonight, you may choose to enjoy a boat ride on the River Seine (extra cost).

Overnight in Paris

Day 8: Sunday, July 7, 2019: VERSAILLES & DRANCY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• Today, we drive to Versailles to see the magnificent palace built by Louis XIV in the mid-17th century, and site of the signing of the treaty ending WWI in 1919.
• Next, we visit the Drancy Camp to learn of the tragic history of the Nazi persecution of French Jews.
• We return to Paris for an evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Paris

Day 9: Monday, July 8, 2019: NORMANDY

• Breakfast at our hotel. (Bring an overnight bag with you).
• This morning, we set out on a full day bus tour to Normandy. Professor Berk lectures on the bus.
• We begin at St. Mere Eglise, where we learn the story of the American Airborne Division and the D-Day operations.
• We continue to Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach as we learn about the history of D-Day.
• This afternoon, we visit St. Laurent and the American Cemetery, where we view the Wall of the Missing and the gravesites of those who lost their lives during the D-Day battle and ensuing military operations.
• We check into our hotel with time to freshen up before dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Caen

Day 10: Tuesday, July 9, 2019: CAEN & PARIS

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• We begin our day with a visit to the World War II Museum.
• We return to Paris, where the remainder of the day is at leisure to explore the city on your own! We suggest exploring the Musee D'Orsay or the Picasso Museum (on own).
• Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Paris

Day 11: Wednesday, July 10, 2019: PARIS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin with a tour of the famous Notre Dame Gothic Cathedral, built in the 12th century.
• We continue to Sainte-Chapelle, the Royal chapel in the Medieval Gothic style, which was the residence to the Kings of France until the 14th century.
• This afternoon, we explore the Army Museum (Musee de l'Armee) at Les Invalides, with its amazing wealth of artifacts from the era of Napoleon up through both World Wars.
• Free evening to explore the culinary delights of Paris!

Overnight in Paris

Day 12: Thursday, July 11, 2019: PARIS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Morning lecture by Professor Berk.
• We meet our guide and enjoy a tour of Paris, starting at the Memorial of the Unknown Jewish Martyr, honoring the European Jews who were killed during the Holocaust.
• Next, we visit the Memorial de la Shoah, a center established to document the history of Jews in France during the Holocaust, including the Wall of Names.
• We continue to the First Sephardic Synagogue for a tour.
• Enjoy lunch on own in the Marais district at one of the many kosher restaurants.
• This afternoon, we explore the Museum of Jewish Art and History, including objects returned in 1951 as a result of the American Jewish Restitution Successor Organization.
• We view the plaque dedicated to the 12,000 Jewish Parisian children deported to Auschwitz.
• Tonight, we gather for a farewell dinner, Parisian style, atop the Eiffel Tower!

Overnight in Paris

Day 13: Friday, July 12, 2019: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport to catch our international flight home, landing later today.


The Memories Last Forever!!
*Itinerary subject to change